The holidays are here and Alaska’s economy is in full swing! Businesses are decking the halls with discounts and deals, shop bells are jingling as customers look for that perfect gift from locally owned businesses and while roasting chestnuts may have gone out of fashion there are plenty of restaurants roasting more modern dishes in commercial kitchens.
We here at the Alaska SBDC are wrapping up an amazing year of new programs, new staff, and new successes. We just closed down our eighth annual Statewide Small Business Survey and will be releasing the results in January. Huge thanks to all the 960 business owners who participated!
Our State Small Business Credit Initiative programs have continued to lead the nation helping to facilitate almost $100 million in new loans over the last year. BuyAlaska’s Holiday Gift Guide is helping Alaskans check everyone off their gift lists with locally made products and our AI program has helped over 2,000 people nationwide take advantage of generative AI.
New Year’s means new beginnings and big changes for people and organizations and the Alaska SBDC is no different. As we move into our 39th year of operations we’re going to use 2025 as a chance to embrace the “new year, new you” philosophy! Stay tuned for announcements about new programs (AI, healthcare innovation, tribal technical assistance, and more!) as well as major changes to existing programs (BuyAlaska, SBDC Core services, workshops, TREND!).
Our big New Year’s resolution is to continue to build on the amazing work that we’ve been doing to support Alaska’s small businesses over the last four decades and to serve as a business development leader for not only Alaska but the rest of the nation as well.
I hope that your holidays are full of fun, family, and holiday cheer. Take some time to get out and enjoy the winter wonderland we call home so that you can come back in 2025 refreshed, rested, and ready to keep growing Alaska’s economy in the New Year.
From all of us here at the Alaska SBDC family to you and yours: Happy Holidays and a fantastic New Year!
Read our full December newsletter here!
