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Economic Development and Advocacy for Southwest Alaska
| May 2010 |
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Greetings!
Hello and welcome to this latest edition of e-Tidings, SWAMC's monthly newsletter for friends of the region. Things are finally budding in Anchorage and fishing is on the way- all good signs as we look towards summer. This month we welcome a new member to SWAMC, and we have a few other things to tell you about. Make sure to note some of the relevant regional events and dates to remember at the end of this newsletter. As always, contact us with any questions, and thanks for reading.
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Revamped Southwest Alaska Tourism Website Released
 After a few months' delay, Southwest Alaska's new tourism website is finally public. A team of tourism volunteers from the region helped us pick a new logo and tagline last fall, and now we're excited to introduce a more vibrant and dynamic website presence into the tourism marketing mix. We plan to add various itineraries, enhanced photo galleries, important tips for visitors, and more to the site. It is still a work in progress and we're populating it with content all the time, so please send comments our way if your area needs some brushing up. Go to www.southwestalaska.com and check it out.
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 New Economic Development Specialist at SWAMC
Erik O'Brien recently joined Team SWAMC as our Economic Development Specialist. Erik grew up in Kodiak and earned dual degrees from UAA, and is currently working on a Masters degree in Economics from UAF. Erik's family has owned and operated a setnet fishing site in Larsen Bay on Kodiak Island for more than 30 years, and he and his brothers are the current managers of the operation. Erik takes great interest in better understanding our region of Alaska,
and one of his key qualities is his ability to network with existing
resources and constantly looking for other opportunities to enhance our
most valuable resource, human capital. When not perusing interests in
enhancing our economy, Erik is always happy to take an adventure and
values the importance of playing outdoors all year long. You can contact him at eobrien@swamc.org.
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Conservation/Development Award Deadline Approaching
Nominations are being accepted for the Tileston Award, an honor bestowed upon organizations, individuals, and/or businesses that exemplify excellence by advancing both economic development and environmental stewardship in the state of Alaska. The award is jointly sponsored by the Alaska Conservation Alliance and the Resource Development Council, and last year's winners included three Unalaska fish processors who turned fish waste into energy. Click here to read more about the award and to nominate someone in your region. But hurry...the deadline for nominations is May 15th!
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New Koniag Office Nearly Complete in Kodiak
While in town for a Kodiak Archipelago Rural Leadership Forum meeting, we snapped this photo of Koniag Inc's new headquarters on Near Island. Looks like a great facility!
SWAMC was working with the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development to show Forum participants the benefits of AK SourceLink, Alaska's newest small business assistance tool for current and prospective business owners seeking resources.
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Symposiums, Grants, Jobs, and more...
The 2010 International Congress on Seafood Technology is coming to Anchorage next week, May 10-13.
Murat Balaban, director of the Fishery Industrial Technology Center in
Kodiak, helped bring the symposium to Alaska. The event will focus on the science, stewardship, sustainability and advancements of the seafood realm. Read this article from the Alaska Journal of Commerce to read more about Dr. Balaban's great work.
Sticking to science, the Bristol Bay Campus is hiring for an Environmental Science Summer Internship. Dr. Todd Radenbaugh will field questions about the position, which starts end of June: 907-842-5109.
Finally, the USDA Rural Development - Alaska Office is seeking applicants for its Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), and are due by June 10. Projects will focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Learn more by contacting Chad Stovall, Program Specialist, at 907-761-7718.
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Southwest Alaska Monthly Indicator
As we've reported here before, a statewide coordinated group was formed to progress Alaska to a new and dynamic economy capable of competing in our ever evolving global environment. The Alaska Partnership for Economic Development released its Phase I Analysis outlining some of the challenges and opportunities facing our State and detailed areas of strength relevant to each region. The Southwest region is diagrammed below in this snapshot:
(Click image & see pp. 107-108 for more detail)  | On the x-axis, Industry Dynamism refers to the growth outputs of each industry "cluster." Employment Concentration Ratio (ECR), located on the y-axis, describes the employment specialization of a particular cluster.
As the diagram shows Southwest Alaska is heavily dependent on fishing, but also contains some real growth areas which SWAMC and partners will be working to strengthen. We plan to work on these issues and more over the summer.
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Some of our Partners
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Have a small business question? If so, visit
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Upcoming Events & Dates to Remember
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As always...
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Thanks for your support of SWAMC. Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts, ideas, concerns and events. For previous newsletters, click the link below.
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