November always brings a renewed sense of gratitude, but this November I’m especially thankful for our strong Alaskan spirit.
Like many of you, my thoughts have been with the individuals and communities across Western Alaska whose lives and livelihoods were upended by the storms, flooding, and high winds brought by the remnants of Typhoon Halong.
From villages in the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta to the Northwest Arctic, families and businesses are now in recovery mode after communities were severely battered and their infrastructure damaged. Yet even in hardship, we’ve seen the best of Alaska; neighbors helping neighbors, and organizations across the state, including the University of Alaska Anchorage, stepping up to provide support and shelter when it was needed most. That same spirit of compassion and resilience is what makes Alaska’s communities, and the businesses that serve them, so extraordinary.
On October 29, our staff were proud to welcome SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler and Governor Mike Dunleavy to our Anchorage office to visit the newly opened SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC). The Center, located in our Anchorage SBDC Bragaw office, is staffed by SBA specialists who help businesses, nonprofits, and individuals navigate low-interest federal disaster loans as part of Alaska’s broader recovery efforts. We’re thrilled to partner with the SBA by sharing our space; our office has definitely been livelier with our new SBA office mates across the hall. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by for a cup of coffee and say hello.
We’re also especially grateful to Calista Education and Culture (CEC) for partnering on this effort. The CEC team translated the SBA’s disaster loan PSA into Yup’ik, and a staff member graciously volunteered to record the narration so that vital recovery information reaches more Alaskans in their first language. The videos should be posted any day now, so please watch for them and share them widely to help ensure they reach those who need the information.
As we head into the holiday season, mark your calendar and plan your route to Shop Small and support local businesses on Small Business Saturday, November 29. The day celebrates Alaska’s entrepreneurs and the power of keeping your dollars close to home. And when you BuyAlaska, you help those local dollars go even further, strengthening communities, families, and neighborhoods across our state.
From all of us at the Alaska SBDC, thank you for continuing to build, support, and believe in Alaska’s small-business community.
Kendra Conroy
Acting State Director