2021 path to prosperity finalists
Each of these focused businesses will be advancing to Round 2 of the competition and joining us for Business Boot Camp from September 24-26th, 2021. If you haven’t heard about these businesses yet, check them out!
Alaskan Outback Tours (Hoonah)
Alaskan Outback Tours, run by Wes and Sue Tyler, will offer an "off the grid" scenic tour, depicting a lifestyle similar to many living in remote communities throughout S.E. Alaska, reflecting upon those of us who wish to live surrounded by beauty, nature and wildlife, yet still wanting to engage with others through common interests, as in the economics of creating jobs and enhancing lives for those within the community.
Wes and Sue Tyler have lived an adventurous life in Alaska for the past 50 years and are excited to develop a tour that will take you on an excursion of what it's really like to live, work and explore in this beautiful state!
Ask Us! Alaska Guide Training (Juneau)
Ask Us! Alaska Guide Training, founded by Sarah Asper-Smith and Aaron Suring, will provide online tour guide training for the Alaska travel industry. They will employ Alaskan experts in the fields of history, science, art, and culture, and provide customizable online education for the visitor industry. Their Alaska Guide Certification will be taught by Alaska’s historians, culture bearers, scientists, artists and more.
Many tourism companies do a great job training their employees, but for others, perhaps they want to, but they never seem to have enough time, resources, or capacity. What better folks to teach others about Alaska than our historians, culture bearers, scientists and artists?
Fishability (Ketchikan)
Jack Finnegan’s first volunteer gig was at the Rest Haven Retirement Home in Middleton, Wisconsin, where he learned to play Hearts as a “stand-in grandchild” when he was eleven years old. Since then he has worked in various capacities with both youths and adults with developmental disabilities, including six years as a Recreation Therapist in an adult day care center in Brooklyn, NY, specializing in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. Jack first arrived in Ketchikan in 2013, and earned his captain's license two years later. In his work as a charter fishing captain, Jack has often worked with individuals with disabilities. It is out of these collective experiences that he conceived of Fishability: an on-the-water tourism outfit geared toward individuals with disabilities, on a custom-built watercraft with universal accessibility. He is thrilled to be included among this year's finalists for Spruce Root's Path to Prosperity competition!
Kasaan Arts, Museum, & Canoes (Kasaan)
Kasaan Arts, Museum, & Canoes is owned by Bonnie and Stormy Hamar. It is a local history museum and the facility where traditional Haida dugout canoes are carved. Haida canoe carver, Stormy, has had a lifelong interest in carving canoes; some of his first childhood models can be seen in our museum. He is one of the only carvers currently dedicated to the revival of the creation and regular use of our ancestral canoe.
The museum is curated by Bonnie Hamar, an avid collector and craftswoman. From ancient artifacts to modern regalia - stone tools, cedar woven hats, dance robes, and objects from Kasaan's cannery and mining days along with treasures from other areas of Alaska. Bonnie regularly highlights art pieces created by her family alongside the exhibits.
Klondike Electric Bicycles (Skagway)
Husband and wife team, George Butt and Nicole Goodman are the originators, and operators of Klondike Electric Bicycles in Skagway, Alaska. Their business is a reflection of their shared experiences both professionally and personally.
With a background in education, management and organizational behavior, Nicole brings a clear direction and focus to the operation; George brings tourism and transportation knowledge to the table. This mix of skills provides a solid foundation upon which to build the premier E-bike tour, rental, and gift store operation in Skagway, Alaska.
Their grand opening was slated to correspond with the first day of the 2020 cruise ship season. As we all know, that season never happened. Nevertheless, the pair pushed forward with their plan and pivoted to ramping up their online gift shop klondikegiftsupply.com. This action provided a supplement to their bottom line and held them over to the 2021 cruise season.
Lost Coast adventures (yakutat)
Lost Coast Adventures is a start-up company run by Travis Ross that is working on providing recreational vehicle and gear rentals to visitors who want to explore Yakutat and the surrounding coastline (The Lost Coast). I want to promote non-consumptive activities in a destination town that is solely focused on fishing. Bicycle and Fat tire bicycles are available to rent now but will soon extend to ATV, pack-raft rentals, and guided tours for visitors and locals alike to enjoy and be adventurous!
Out to Sea Expedition Company (Ketchikan)
Founded in 2019 by Ketchikan locals Delaney Murphy & Eric Lunde, Out to Sea Expedition Company’s mission is to explore our world with an adventurous spirit in a sustainable way. The independent tour operator specializing in guided wildlife eco-tours and custom outdoor expeditions, uses fully inflatable Zodiacs to explore the waters surrounding Ketchikan. In addition to operating environmentally conscious wildlife tours, Out to Sea provides marine transportation, and outdoor gear & rentals, helping locals and visitors alike craft their own adventures.
Inspired by their mutual love for the pristine wilderness and wildness of Alaska, the couple wanted to find a way to share their beautiful home with visitors from around the world in way that was both responsible and authentically Alaskan. The outdoor adventure company was established with the belief that we can have fun and explore our world while also being good stewards of our environment and our community. Out to Sea strives to be economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable, and avoid creating negative impacts wherever possible. In addition to their partnership with industry and community organizations, Out to Sea Expedition Company is Whale Sense certified and a proud member of 1% for the Planet, donating 1% of all sales to the research and conservation efforts of Audubon Alaska.
Adventure Harvest (Haines)
Adventure Harvest is a start-up owned by Tawny Darling and Robert Chadwell that produces a variety of syrups, jellies, curds, spice mixes, and anything else they can think up, using ingredients foraged, harvested, or gifted to them in Haines, Alaska. Tawny has a background in business, education, and art while Robert has experience in Alaskan tourism as well as food service and food preservation. Both share a love for food and the outdoors. Together, they work to educate the community and tourists about responsible foraging practices while sparking excitement about the wealth of opportunities to explore and enjoy the abundance of edible flora in Southeast Alaska.
Russell’s (Sitka)
Russell’s is the oldest-running store in Sitka, Alaska, and is owned and operated by the same local family for three generations. Ashley McClain Eisenbeisz, along with her husband, Steven Eisenbeisz, have been at the helm since 2013. A staple in downtown Sitka, Russell’s is a full-line sporting goods store, equipping outdoor enthusiasts with outerwear, clothing, shoes, and camping gear needed for any outdoor adventure, along with athletic clothing, shoes, and equipment. While serving both locals and visitors, an increase in independent travelers has given Ashley and Steven a unique opportunity. Russell’s is excited to grow its business and serve those who want to explore Sitka’s wilderness by expanding into the outdoor gear and equipment rental market.
“We are inspired by the beautiful place we call home and are invested in helping those who want to explore the pristine nature of Southeast Alaska in a way that is both affordable and accessible.”
Salty Lady Seafoods (Juneau)
Meta Mesdag started Salty Lady Seafood in the spring of 2018 as a sustainable family run oyster farm. The farm currently supplies Juneau and outlying communities in SE Alaska with boutique quality petite oysters and will start shipping to the lower 48 this October. Salty Lady is run by an all female crew and strives to empower women in aquaculture while increasing awareness of the ecosystems services provided by farming shellfish. If all goes well, Salty Lady will start running eco tours in the spring of 2022!
Sitka Sound Tours (Sitka)
Sitka Sound Tours is a vessel-based wildlife and eco-tour company operated by life-long Sitkans, Owner Heather Meuret, and Captain Brian Woody. More than just a wildlife tour, Sitka Sound Tours incorporates an important ecosystem dialog and focuses on the importance of the unique relationship of the temperate rainforest, ocean and marine environment, and the nutrient rich outer coast kelp forests. Sitka Sound Tours promotes environmental and ocean conservation stewardship through positive standards for responsible wildlife viewing, incorporates local indigenous knowledge, and provides scientific education on climate change impacts in Southeast Alaska.
Sitka Sound Tours provides visitors with a deeper connection to Southeast Alaska and its communities like Sitka. We believe tourism has a unique role to play by providing economic opportunities for communities and an economic rationale for the protection of endangered species and protecting wildlife habitats. Watching, interacting, and experiencing wildlife in its own natural habitat provides the economic value of protecting wildlife habitats. These experiences lead to raising visitors’ knowledge of marine mammals so that they can appreciate it more and become invested in protecting it by increasing their support for whale or wildlife conservation.
Spruce and Birch Acres (Haines)
Spruce and Birch Acres, Cindy Zuluaga Jimenez, aims to construct an edible foraging path in the Haines area. The foraging path will feature predominantly native wild edibles, while protecting native pollinators and plants. The interactive path will give users a chance to learn how to forage safely, ID edible plants, and taste a piece of the boreal forest.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates on the Path to Prosperity competition.