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Promoting Vibrant & Livable Communities in Southwest Alaska
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January 2015
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Happy New Year! 2015 rings in with continued warm weather, capping off what may be the warmest year on record for many of our communities - anyone else ready for some snow?
Here at SWAMC we are proud to announce our recurring - and always achieved - resolution to throw the best Economic Summit and Membership Meeting ever! Last year we enticed 199 participants to join us, and this year we will surely break through 200; however attendance is not our goal, but to entertain, share, listen and network with our friends. Last year you left us with a hearty supply of positive feedback which we have incorporated. The Ignite panel was one of the highest rated, but it also sparked the most consistent feedback - keep presentations short. This year no presentations will be longer than 15 minutes, with scheduled breaks at least every 2 hours. In an era of information abundance we realize that structured content with ample time for detailed discussion is what decision makers need. It is important to hear from policy makers, but more important for them to hear from you.
This year's event will be engaging and informative with programs geared to address hot topics, as well vexing ones facing the region. Technology and change will factor into the conference as we address advances in energy efficiency and production, communications, drug and mental health treatment, education, fisheries and policy review of bycatch and value-chains, all packaged into our 2015 Conference.
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2015 Conference Highlights
We are pleased to share our first glimpse of the 2015 Conference, and remember March is fast approaching so get your early registration secured.
Energy Day: Energy cost and sustainability remaining the number one issue facing Southwest Alaska. While the easy energy projects have been deployed, there are still many opportunities to control the long-term cost of power. We investigate energy use, efficiency, community and systems development, infrastructure and investment in the ownership state. Our goal for the day is to not only discuss methods of energy sustainability, but to factor in the costs and benefits of both old and new energy systems.
Economic Development Day: SWAMC endeavors to maintain a forum for economic development dialog in Southwest Alaska. As a result, we have invited the next generation of leaders and innovators with a regional connection to lend their voices; we host panels on subsistence culture and speakers with unique perspective on living in Southwest; and focus on workforce development from soft skills, and the use of technologies. A theme of the day will be to focus on the abundance of opportunity, while addressing social concerns our residents face as they seize the day.
Fisheries and Policy Day: Fish Friday, as it has become is our chance to discuss policy and politics, especially as they relate to our region's primary economic driver. This year we will host speakers focusing on bycatch and supply chains and how these important topics relate to our Southwest Alaska communities.
These highlights only touch on a limited range of the planned conference agenda. Register now, https://www.swamc.org/registration.php
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Energy Plans:
SWAMC is pushing ahead with Energy Plans to improve understanding of the energy options in the Aleutians, Bristol Bay, and Kodiak:
Aleutians: In the Aleutian region, we have completed our Phase II - Outreach, merged our findings with the Phase I - Resource Assessment, and submitted it to AEA for approval. We are now working to outline the goals of Phase III - Technical and Economic Analysis, to develop a template which will guide us as we proceed to finalize this plan. SWAMC is working with AEA to lead the charge in understanding our final data-gaps necessary to complete the plan.
Bristol Bay: In the Bristol Bay region, we have been developing travel plans to conduct our site-visit in March or April to meet with representatives from each community. Outreach is the most important aspect of the planning process as it ensures community buy-in for the alternatives that are put forward, based on broad based feedback from stakeholders from every community in the region. This outreach will help us round out our knowledge of each place and develop comprehensive community profiles and most importantly what resources are needed to address energy solutions.
Kodiak: In the Kodiak region, we are still receiving feedback on the report which merged our Phase I and II findings and are conducting outreach to address comments or concerns with the existing report. Erik and Doug conducted their site visits on the Island and met with representatives in each community to share the Resource Assessment and discuss local priorities. Preparations are underway for the Kodiak Energy Summit to be held on January 27th, where all stakeholders will come together to share their ideas.
 | | Larsen Bay, Recent SWAMC Visit |
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Membership Engagement
Follow-up Letter Mailed to Business Council: December 31, 2014
One year ago, SWAMC held its first-ever Business Council to explore and identify challenges and needs in the communities where you live and operate. While we consider this project a success, a single meeting falls short of our overall goal. SWAMC is currently developing a strategy for long-term and broad-based engagement with Southwest Alaska Businesses and Communities.
The SWAMC Business Council identified three focus areas of high-need: 1) Energy, 2) Workforce Development, and 3) Substance Abuse. The objective now is to identify manageable tasks and commit resources to actionable solutions. Face-to-face meetings with such a diverse group of leaders creates value in itself; however, each sector of our economy has varying needs that are difficult to address on the global scale of the original meeting. Instead, targeted discussions within economic segments will allow us to dig deeper into the specific issues. To accomplish this task, SWAMC obtained a Customer Relationship Management database from the State of Alaska. We have organized over 500 organizations in our network into functional sectors. We will conduct written and face-to-face surveys with a sample group from each sector. We will target questions that address directly where resources are needed to improve the current operating environment within our communities. We will then use responses to coordinate action toward helping businesses and communities achieve their stated objectives. Effective partnership will ensure efficient use of our time and yours.
We are writing at this time because your feedback helps align our mission to the needs of the region and thank you for your contribution to this effort. SWAMC's mission is to: Advocate the collective interests of Southwest Alaska and promote long-term economic opportunities that improve the quality of life in our region. Our continued engagement strategy will allow us to meaningfully articulate how we can promote and sustain economic development and quality of life in Southwest Alaska. Through this process, SWAMC will gain a more thorough understanding of business and community needs and generate empirical data that can be used to guide action and increase the likelihood of success. Simply stated, we identify actions that can improve life in Southwest Alaska.
SWAMC's outreach project will be rolled out in 2015. In advance, please consider how the regional operating environment can be improved and we look forward to working with you to outline solutions.
Sincerely,
SWAMC
 | | Business Council Hard at Work |
 | | SWAMC Business Council |
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Interested in Supporting Southwest Alaska's Economy?
BECOME A SWAMC MEMBER TODAY!
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Our Special Thanks to SWAMC Members!
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2014 Our Supporters
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Visit Southwest Alaska @
www.southwestalaska.com
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SWAMC Board of Directors
Alice Ruby, Pres.
Carol Austerman, Vice Pres.
Layton Lockett, Treasurer
Cynthia Berns
Dan Clarion Glen Gardner
Paul Gronholdt
Shirley Marquardt Dan O'Hara
Michelle Ravenmoon Joe Sullivan
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SWAMC Staff
Executive Director
Erik O'Brien
Economic Development Specialist
Victoria Yancey
Economic Development Administrator
Energy Intern
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As always...
| Thank you for your support of SWAMC and subscribing to the SWAMC Newsletter!
Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts, ideas, concerns, and events. To read previous newsletters, click the link below.
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