Holly Adams of Muskeg Munchkins Baby Boutique, left, stands with Path to Prosperity Business Competition Coordinator Izzy Haywood and Robert Chadwell of Adventure Harvest after Adams and Chadwell’s businesses were each awarded $20,000 grants to grow their respective businesses. Sally Boisvert of Four Winds Farm, Haines, also won one of the three prizes, which were announced at the 2024 annual Sustainable Southeast Partnership retreat in Sitka, Alaska. (Photo by Shaelene Grace Moler)
(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
April 29, 2024
Southeast Alaska businesses win $60,000 to launch and expand
Spruce Root announces the winners of the 2023 Path to Prosperity competition
Dzantik'i Heeni (Juneau, Alaska) ~ Three Southeast Alaska businesses – Four Winds Farm, Muskeg Munchikins and Adventure Harvest – have been selected as the winners of the 2023 Path to Prosperity Competition. Each winner will be awarded $20,000 to grow their businesses. To commemorate their achievements, each will receive a carved plaque as part of the formal winners' announcement at the 2024 Sustainable Southeast Partnership annual retreat on Monday, April 29th.
"We're thrilled to announce this year’s winners, who have demonstrated creativity, a commitment to environmental sustainability and a positive community impact," says Competition Administrator Izzy Haywood. "Their success sets a powerful example, and I'm hopeful it will inspire others to create businesses that are adapted to the needs of Southeast Alaska. Working with these outstanding businesses has been inspiring, and we look forward to seeing their continued positive impact in our region."
Sally Boisvert
Four Winds Farm, Haines, owned by Sally Boisvert, grows, washes, packs and delivers fresh, naturally-grown produce within their local area including Haines, Mosquito Lake and Klukwan, Alaska. Development of the farmland began in 2009 from second-growth forest in the Moose Valley near Mosquito Lake, with produce sales beginning in 2013. Each year the farm has expanded to meet more of the demand for fresh produce in the upper Lynn Canal. With a Path to Prosperity Business Competition Award, the farm will develop a plastic-free plant nursery and expand its vegetable production area to grow more produce.
Holly Adams
Muskeg Munchkins Baby Boutique, Juneau, owned by Holly Adams, is a start-up that will offer a centrally located retail store featuring a diverse range of locally made, sustainable and organic baby, maternity and breastfeeding products. As a solution to the limited availability and scattered distribution of such items in Juneau, the store aims to provide a convenient one-stop-shop for parents, eliminating the need to search all over town or having to wait weeks for essential items in the mail. Muskeg Munchkins also will run an online store, allowing them to provide products to neighboring communities with limited resources for babies and parents.
Robert Chadwell and Tawny Darling
Adventure Harvest, Haines, owned by Tawny Darling and Robert Chadwell, is inspired by love for their town and surrounding wilderness, and hand harvests and uses local ingredients to make unique spice mixes, sauces, syrups, jellies and more. When Adventure Harvest began their business, they sold our products at the farmers market with hand-written labels tied on the bottles with ribbons. They are very proud of how our business and our products have evolved. With Spruce Root, they will continue learning and growing as a business and as individuals. They could not be more excited for this award and the opportunities it opens up for them.
"This year's winners are a great example of how businesses can improve a community," says Spruce Root Executive Director Alana (ah-LAY-nah) Peterson. "Small businesses are vital pillars of our economy, offering year-round support in critical areas. Spruce Root is proud to support this year’s winners as they contribute to shaping a resilient and vibrant community."
Independent judges selected these three winners from a cohort of 17 participants who attended Path to Prosperity’s 9-Week Business & Balance course. During the course, the entrepreneurs learned about triple-bottom-line principles, worked with mentors and received one-on-one consulting to develop their business models and plans. Following this intensive course, the participants spent months working with Spruce Root business coaches to create thorough business plans and pitch videos to be submitted to the judges. The winners were selected based on the feasibility, social impact and environmental sustainability of their businesses.
This program is supported by The Edgerton Foundation; Sealaska; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Opportunity Finance Network; The Nature Conservancy; Wells Fargo; Oweesta; Sustainable Southeast Partnership; Jump/Scale; The Avista Foundation; Alaska Brewing Co.; Elgee Rehfeld; Kensington Mine; and AK Litho. Spruce Root is grateful for these contributions.
For 11 years, more than 378 businesses and start-ups in 23 Southeast Alaska communities applied to the Path to Prosperity Competition. The program trained 157 entrepreneurs and awarded 24 winners a total of $720,000 to build their local businesses.
All participants are trained in the “triple-bottom-line” approach to building a business by learning to measure their profitability, as well as, the environmental and social impacts of their business. Previous competition winners include Skyaana Coffee Co. (Klawock), Barnacle Foods (Juneau), Foundroot (Haines), Coastal Heating and Repair (Yakutat), Icy Straits Lumber (Hoonah) and many more.
Path to Prosperity is a Spruce Root program. Spruce Root provides local entrepreneurs with access to business development and financial resources in the form of loan capital, business coaching, workshops and competitions. Together, these programs support new and existing businesses in Southeast Alaska and empower business owners through increased self-sufficiency.
Applications for the Path to Prosperity Business & Balance will open April 30, 2024, and will be open to any business based in Southeast Alaska. To learn more about Path to Prosperity or Spruce Root’s other services, visit our website at www.spruceroot.org or email grow@spruceroot.org.
For media availability and interview requests, please contact Spruce Root Communications Specialist Tripp J Crouse for more information by calling 907 306 6475 or emailing tripp@spruceroot.org.