Above: Photo of float planes at Trident Basin taken by Julie Coyle and the photo of the Fireweed taken by Christina Voight, both from our 2025 Relocation Guide Photo Contest.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE

Dear Chamber Members,

I hope your summer months have been good to you at work and on your own time. As business owners, operators, and managers we are often so busy that we neglect the things we need to do that make us the happiest and better versions of ourselves, so that version of ourselves is the one who shows up at work and at home, ready to face challenges and dive into responsibilities renewed and confident. The coming months can be an incredibly busy, intense, stressful, and exciting time for small businesses, commercial fishermen, health care workers, educators, so many other industries, and our consumers. As you settle into September I encourage you to enjoy as much of the remaining summer and warmer weather as possible and to always make time for the things that bring you back to your best self. Taking care of ourselves truly helps us learn, grow, thrive and succeed in all aspects of our lives, in the face of adversity, in our every day tasks, and as we build our dreams.

At the Chamber our team has been getting ready for a very busy fall. We are really excited about our upcoming schedule of activities. Just this month alone, we are hosting 3 Business After Hours, 2 Candidates Forums with KMXT & KVOK, a Kodiak Business Series Workshop with the Alaska Small Business Development Center, then our staff and Board of Directors will take part in Strategic Planning, as well as numerous committee and planning meetings.

On August 1st we partnered with the Alaska Small Business Development Center to offer our members free access to all of their online training. You'll find the information you need to start taking advantage of those classes and workshops in this newsletter. We are also currently working on adding a "Starting A Business" resource" section to our website which is a project that came out of our participation in the KEDC Recharging Our Community’s Economy workshops from earlier this year. The desire and idea to have something for people interested in opening a business as well as for improving access to information for anyone currently in business came about from of the ideas of several of our Chamber members.

Last year during our Small Business Collaboration Group meetings, we discussed ways to bring new life into a long standing Kodiak community event, Moonlight Madness. Set for Friday, October 17th this year, it starts the first official community wide evening shopping of the fall holiday season and we’re hoping to add entertainment downtown with music, dance and performers, as well as food trucks, and we’ve teamed up with local nonprofits to host their annual block party upstairs inside the Kodiak Marketplace during Moonlight Madness. If you’re planning on participating please scroll down for the link to sign up or reach out to our team if you have questions.

In early October, we’ll be at the Fall Women’s Show selling our merchandise, available to talk about the Chamber with attendees and selling raffle tickets. We have 1 business after hours scheduled for each of the months of October, November and December (you'll find the full list below), our Annual Meeting October 25^th at the Afognak Center, a Downtown Trick or Treat for Halloween on Friday the 31st, our Annual Awards Dinner Saturday, November 8^th and we’re looking forward to the City of Kodiak’s Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, November 29^th, Small Business Saturday.

From local elections on October 7^th, to PFDs and their positive impacts on our economy, to the Chamber’s Annual Elections and Meeting now being held on a Saturday morning and separated from our Annual Awards Dinner, to darker days and colder weather, these last four months of the year look to be very busy and filled with some changes.

The Chamber has 4 seats open on our Board of Directors, if you’d like to serve on the Board the deadline to apply is September 24^th. We will only have an election if there are more than 4 candidates. Be sure to scroll through our newsletter for the link to apply for the Board, to sign up for a Moonlight Madness and a Downtown Trick or Treat, and for more information on how you can help donate to the Chamber’s Scholarship Fund.

Throughout the newsletter you’ll also find some information on a few of our upcoming member events and recent activities. Thank you for your time, your continued support of the Chamber, our programs, this special community, and for your membership!

Warm Regards,

Ellen Simeonoff, Executive Director

WELCOME TO OUR NEW CHAMBER MEMBERS

Rock Life, Kodiak Consignment, Emerald Isle Market,

Sea & Spruce Studios, 49th State Seafoods, Key Bank,

United Fishermen of Alaska, and The Rendezvous

Read through to the end of this newsletter for a list of our most recent renewing members

Join us for Moonlight Madness: Fall Shopping Event & Block Party on Friday, October 17th, 5–9 PM!

Kick off the fall season and holiday celebrations with shopping, live music, local food, and community fun.



Explore specials from Kodiak’s small businesses, enjoy tasty bites from food vendors, and connect with local non-profits — all in one festive evening downtown!

Here's how it works:

1. Visit Alaska SBDC Workshops Page
2. Choose a workshop and click “Sign Up”
3. At checkout, enter the discount code: SBDC4FREE
4. Click “Save” — your total will become $0.00

You can use this code as often as you'd like for any workshop through July 31, 2026!

Thank you for being a valued member of the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce. This benefit is exclusively available to current Chamber members, and we’re proud to offer you access to resources that support your success.

We hope you take full advantage of this exciting opportunity!

Are you interested in or do you know someone who's interested in starting a new business in Kodiak or would like to learn more about business plans or loan readiness? Training topics include: Accounting/Budget, Business Financing, Business Plan, Business Start-up/Preplanning, Cash Flow Management, Credit Counseling, Managing a Business, Rural Business Development.

Sign up here the Kodiak Business Series Workshop on Monday, September 22nd at the Kodiak Marketplace.

It is free to attend and dinner is provided.

Click the link here to register: https://aksbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/8559

Hosted by: Alaska Small Business Development Center, KANA, Koniag Inc & Kodiak Chamber of Commerce

Contact Jen at communityrelationsdirector@kodiakchamber.org or call 907-486-5557 for more information.

Sea & Spruce Studio is hosting a one-day portrait and headshot event on Sunday, September 7, at the Kodiak Marketplace in the afternoon. 

Offering free headshots (one digital file) for local candidates currently running--click here to sign up.

They are also have back-to-school setups, classic and textured backdrops, and clean professional headshot options with print packages starting at $95; no session fee; optional $25 deposit click here: to reserve a spot; deposit fully credited. 

Scroll down through the newsletter for a full listing of our upcoming Business After Hours through the remainder of the year.

2025 Annual Meeting Saturday, October 25, 2025 9:30 am

This year we're separating our Annual Meeting & our Annual Awards Dinner into two separate events to allow for more time for member engagement during the Annual Meeting and for more comprehensive reporting on the activities of the past year.

Invitations for our annual meeting go out by September 15th.

The Kodiak Chamber of Commerce Home Show, happening February 27th, 28th, and March 1st, 2025 at the Kodiak Convention Center! 

This will be a signature event built to connect homeowners, renters, potential tenants, landlords, builders, contractors, realtors, lenders, and community service providers — all under one roof.

From furnishings and financing to roofing, appliances, landscaping, wells, septic systems, and beyond. The Kodiak Home Show will feature everything that supports the way we live, build, invest, and grow in our community. It’s an opportunity to increase property value, inspire new projects, improve quality of life, and build stronger connections between local businesses, residents, and the real estate and housing sector as a whole.  

We’re reaching out now to give you an early heads-up, so you can start thinking about how your business might want to participate. Booths and sponsorship opportunities will be available, and we’ll be sending full details and registration info soon.

If your business is connected to home improvement, real estate, utilities, construction, landscaping, energy, design, or services that support local life — this is a great opportunity to connect directly with Kodiak residents and help launch what we hope will become a highly anticipated annual event.

The Alutiiq Museum has published an interactive Alutiiq/Sugpiaq place names map. Available on our website, the map shares more than 300 terms for Kodiak communities, landmarks, and geographic features. It was produced with support from the Native Village of Afognak and the US Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Map

Press Release

A digital place names map is the newest addition to the Alutiiq Museum’s website. This interactive tool allows visitors to explore over three hundred Alutiiq/Sugpiaq terms for Kodiak’s geographic features, landmarks, and communities. The map is based on research conducted by Dehrich Chya, the museum’s director of language and living culture. It was produced with support from the Native Village of Afognak and the US Bureau of Indian Affairs, with technical assistance from Sean Mack.

“Our people have lived on Kodiak for millennia, naming the places they live, harvest, and travel,” said Chya. “This map shares terms recorded in the past two centuries. Many come from interviews with Elder Alutiiq speakers. The names preserve cultural knowledge. They identify the places people harvested, they preserve information on hazards, like dangerous rocks and strong currents, and they recall past events like the discovery of an iron source or a battle.”

The map was constructed using ArcGIS, a platform that can meld cultural information with geospatial data. Users of the map can click on a place in the archipelago to see its Alutiiq name and hear it pronounced by an Alutiiq speaker. About a quarter of the entries also feature a photo from the museum’s collections. The map can be accessed from the language page of the museum’s website at https://alutiiqmuseum.org/alutiiqpeople/language/#names. The website presentation includes the interactive map, a downloadable poster with fifty Alutiiq place names superimposed on a painting of the archipelago by Bruce Nelson, and links to place names research and summaries of village histories.

“This resource reminds us of the deep connections we have to Kodiak,” said Alutiiq Museum Executive Director April Laktonen Counceller. “When we can see and learn Alutiiq place names, we recognize our history and our ongoing connections to the world of our ancestors."

Chya sees the map as a place to share and compile information, and as documentation of the Alutiiq language continues, he plans to add to it. He said, “I’m always looking for additional names. Sometimes people remember them. Other times, names are preserved in historic documents. And as Alutiiq is a living language, speakers are continuing to name places. Our map project included training so that we can continue to update the map with cultural knowledge.”

The Alutiiq Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the history and culture of the Alutiiq, an Alaska Native tribal people. Representatives of Kodiak Alutiiq organizations govern the museum with funding from charitable contributions, memberships, grants, contracts, and sales. 

September 13, 2025

September 12th-14th!

Kodiak, Anchorage & Fairbanks!

Big Ray's Fall Tent Sale is right around the corner! Stock up on gear for men, women, and children.

Friday, September 12th through Sunday, September 14th save up to 70% off select items from our favorite brands including: Carhartt, Columbia, Activ8, Kavik, Timberland Pro, Ariat, Helly Hansen, Patagonia, Marmot, XTRATUF, and more...

For more information visit bigrays.com/pages/events

HAVING AN EVENT?

List Your Event on the Chamber Calendar

Monthly Chamber Board Meeting in September

• Wednesday, September 17th
• 11:30 am
• Kodiak Chamber Conference Room

Non Profit Network Meeting in September

This group is open to Kodiak nonprofit executive directors, program managers, and staff members. Kodiak Nonprofit Network has been meeting regularly for over 30 years.

We support each other, we collaborate, we ask for help or ideas. Please share program updates, local issues, funding opportunities, questions, and anything else that pertains to nonprofit life.

Active Member Job Postings

Kodiak Fishmeal: Assistant Office Manager/Bookkeeper

KIHA: Housing Advocate, Resident Opportunity & Self Sufficiency Coordinator

Click Here for open positions on the Chamber Website.

Chamber News & Views

Membership Portal

Alaska Small Business Development Center

Visit https://aksbdc.org/ for more On Demand Workshops and More!

Workshops &

On-Demand Classes

• Combating Fraud & Identity Theft
• Creating a Compelling Commercialization Plan
• Avoiding Security Disasters for Small Businesses
• SBA Loans & What the Lender Requires
• Digital Marketing Trends
• Beginner's Guide Sell Your Products on Etsy
• Credit It is that important
• ADA Law What Businesses Should Know
• Financial Health of Your Business
• Anatomy of Modern Websites
• Bookkeeping Basics
• Creating Financial Projections for your Business Plan
• Developing a Marketing/Sales Strategy
• How to get a Business License in Alaska

Health Care for Chamber Members

As a Chamber Member, you and your employees have access to excellent health care insurance. Participation is available through Associated Industries, whose mission is to provide comprehensive healthcare products to Alaska employers at affordable prices. 

Please email us for more information.

THANK YOU TO:

Matson Crown PIKE Sponsor, Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center Pyramid Level, Best Western Kodiak Inn Crown PIKE Sponsor, Walmart Pillar Level and Northrim Bank Pyramid Level.

If you're interested in becoming a PIKE Sponsor let us know.

Reach out to Ellen at

907-486-5557 or email: ellen@kodiakchamber.org or Ericka via email at erickathompson@kodiakchamber.org

Not a member? Join the Chamber

Interested in becoming a member?

The Chamber Membership gives your organization the tools and support it needs to succeed. With access to business resources, educational materials, advocacy, networking opportunities, and much more... 

Chamber Board of Directors

President Sara Fraser

Past President Mary Beth Loewen

Vice President Robert Greene

Secretary/Treasurer Rebecca Skinner

Board Members              

Lindsay Knight, Emily Stewart, Hailey Ivanoff, Tyler Wallace, Nicholas Mangini, Nichole Miles, Laura Mullican, & Rebecca Skinner



City of Kodiak Representative

Josie Bahnke

Kodiak Island Borough Representative Aimee Williams

USCG Base Representative

Capt. Jeremy Hall

USCG Air Station Representative Capt.Timothy Williams

KEA Representative Dan Menth

Discover Kodiak Representative

Sabrina Hicks

Play Pull Tabs @ Henry's!!