Our team has been able to serve the state due to the experience, skills, and support of our temps. This week, we’re proud to introduce you to Stacie!
Stacie Stigar says that in her lifetime she has had three careers. In Nevada, she worked in the banking industry, starting in 1984 as a teller. She went on to work in the trust department, human resources, and was working with senior management to create a business development department before moving to Alaska in 1993. She was devastated to be leaving her job, family, and community (she says you can still see her claw marks from screaming and crying coming up the Alcan.)
Her journey to Alaska was to be a 3-year adventure – and we all know how that works! She has now lived in the same house in Palmer for 27 years. She spent 6 years as the Executive Director for United Way of Mat-Su, a job that she loved and that gave her many opportunities to make positive changes in the community.
Stacie then had a “crazy moment” and bought what was the Mailboxes, Etc. and is now The UPS Store in Palmer. She says her expectations were totally unrealistic at the time; she did not plan on working there, that she wanted to be able to use the “really cool equipment” to support creating marketing materials for United Way. She soon had a rude awakening about what her investment really entailed, but sold the store in April 2019 as the #1 store in Alaska and ranked in the top 200 stores in the franchise out of 4,600.
Stacie says that of the jobs she’s worked, the United Way of Mat-Su brought her the most personal satisfaction, and her time at The UPS Store taught her about business ownership, community responsibility, and much more. She says that Alaska’s small business community is important to her personally because her experience as a small business owner in a small community gave her the opportunity and responsibility to work with other small businesses in her area. She says the camaraderie, support, and genuine love of Palmer is a great quality for a community, of which she was proud to be a part.
One thing you might not guess about Stacie by looking at her? In 1986, she was a part-time cigarette girl at the MGM Grand Hotel Casino in Reno! In her free time, Stacie and her husband enjoy being outside; their goal is to get out and move every day. They hike, mountain bike, and cross country ski, including teaching Jr. Nordic Skiing to littles.
So far in working for the Alaska SBDC, Stacie has enjoyed the variety of projects assigned to her. Each one allows her to expand her knowledge of small businesses in Alaska and gives her opportunities to interact with the fun and amazing staff members.