Happy New Year! With 2025 in full swing and our 40th anniversary coming up in 2026, the Alaska SBDC is fully embracing the concept of “new year, new me!” Over the next twelve months, you’re going to see us launch all new branding for our various existing programs as well as announcements for some new initiatives that we’re excited to bring to Alaska! We’re adding new staff with new skills to expand what we can offer to our clients including digital media, AI, healthcare, indigenous entrepreneurship, and more!
Keep an eye on our website and email blasts for the release of the 2024 Alaska Small Business Survey. This year we had just under 1,000 small businesses participate, a new record! This is the largest small businesses participation survey in the state and an excellent way to hear what’s going on with Alaska’s economic drivers.
We’re also excited to host the annual SBDC Summit: Innovation in AI, Healthcare, & Business on February 28! This event was the first AI conference in Alaska and this year it will feature speakers from Amazon, Hewlett Packard, Providence, national SBDCs, and others who will help you navigate the AI landscape.
Join us again on March 1st for the start of the Iditarod in downtown Anchorage at our race reception in the downtown Serranos’ to eat tacos and drink warm beverages while you watch the dogs start their long trek to Nome!
I hope that all of you were able to take some time at the end of the year to celebrate the holidays and unplug and unwind with friends and family. We’re seeing some interesting trends on a statewide and national level that lead us to believe this year is going to be an interesting one for businesses. Some trends we’re seeing on the horizon are good and some are cause for concern, but either way, the Alaska SBDC and our staff remain ready, willing, and able to help you and your business start, grow, and succeed no matter what the new year brings.
I hope that all of you find a way to embrace the spirit of “new year, new you!” in 2025 and that all of your business resolutions come to pass. Here’s to another year of small business success and economic growth for the whole state!