Spruce Root

09/12/2025

This year's Master Class has been postponed!

For the moment, we have decided to postpone our upcoming Master Class workshop until January 23-25, 2026.

This programming is extremely important to us, and we want to ensure that we can get the vital information planned for this workshop out to all the right people. If you're a mid-stage entrepreneur who had some interest in this workshop but couldn't make it work logistically, we hope this longer runway gives you a better chance to attend!

If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to reach out to our team via our website: Spruceroot.org.

09/12/2025

Time for Finalist Friday! This week, we’re featuring ABC Coastal Excursions, based in Sitka 🛥️🌊

ABC Coastal Excursions is owned by Jeren and Brian Schmidt and offers custom charter yacht tours exploring Southeast Alaska's pristine waters. As lifelong Alaskans, they deeply appreciate the beauty and adventure of Coastal Alaska. Their name derives from the ABC islands (Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof), where they take visitors to view abundant wildlife, fish for halibut and salmon, and experience Southeast Alaska.

Jeren is Iñupiaq, originally from the small town of Nikiski on the north end of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. With a background in the culinary arts, she elevates the dining experience on board the Silver Lady through exquisite menu options that combine local flavors with modern flare.

Born and raised in Sitka, Brian grew up exploring the surrounding waters with his family and living a subsistence lifestyle. He is Captain of the Silver Lady, holding a USCG 50 Ton Master Captain’s License.

We are excited to have ABC Coastal Excursions as a finalist in our Path to Prosperity Business Competition and for them to join us in Anchorage at Entrepreneur Camp this fall. Learn more about their tours on their website: https://www.abc-coastal.com/

09/11/2025

September is Workforce Development Month, a chance to celebrate the people and organizations shaping stronger, more resilient futures in Southeast Alaska. At Spruce Root, workforce development is deeply connected to our role as a community development financial institution. Financial wellness helps people make the most of the income they earn, small business support creates self-employment that can grow into jobs for others, and workforce programs strengthen the employees, employers, and industries that keep our region moving forward.

To support this work, Spruce Root offers free one-on-one coaching in small business development, financial wellness, and career readiness. These services help people of all ages prepare for and thrive in meaningful work while building stability for themselves and opportunity for their communities.

We are also excited to reintroduce Michael Mausbach, Program Manager for Workforce Development at Spruce Root. In this role, Michael helps connect and align efforts across the region, offering support to both ongoing and emerging programs. At Spruce Root, our focus is on ensuring that individuals, businesses, and communities have access to the skills, tools, and resources they need to succeed. If you are interested in growing your career, your staff, your personal finances, or your business, we invite you to connect with Spruce Root.

📸 1+2 by Shaelene Grace Moler
📸 3+4 by Bethany Goodrich

09/10/2025

We want to see you at this year's Master Class!

Maintaining a successful business long-term is no easy task, and we want to continue supporting the mid-stage entrepreneurs of our region. If you've been operational for a year or more and still have fewer than 50 employees, this workshop is for you, and we want to make it accessible. That means we:
• Offer travel stipends so entrepreneurs across Southeast can make it to Juneau for this in-person workshop.
• Live and work in this region with you, and are able to assist in navigating Southeast Alaska's unique challenges and opportunities.

You can benefit from this workshop. Learn how develop your leadership skills, prepare for natural disasters that may impact your community, and master new skills to leverage AI for your business. Connect with a network of community partners, mentors and fellow Southeast Alaskan business owners.

Let us work with you to define your next steps! We hope to see you there. Applications close on September 15.

📸 by Shaelene Grace Moler

09/09/2025

“At Spruce Root, we invite entrepreneurs to look inside their own businesses and find ways to improve their business practices to be profitable while having a positive impact on the community and the environment. We must be willing to do the same thing we ask of our clients. I hope that by sharing about what we do, we can normalize these ways of operating because everything we do has impacts, and we must open our eyes to understand them and be willing to wrestle with them. Reducing carbon emissions is essential to the health of our future generations and the planet. Spruce Root is grateful to offset our air travel by supporting ACRF. It’s not huge, but it’s a step in the right direction.”
-Alana Peterson, Executive Director, Spruce Root

Read the full story: https://akcarbonreduction.org/spruce-root-partners-with-acrf/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMtk8BleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFKeWpzaTB5aDlVSGJYMVRwAR7qMJjXpClGLhhx6gG8Y5lWuEhMqF1Sbd-hUH3SiWOL_b8XML9LM8JPMIowuQ_aem_3kagSJSLbwQsUTsCMUa2iw

Spruce Root partners with the Alaska Carbon Reduction Fund to take responsibility for its staff travel carbon emissions!

https://akcarbonreduction.org/spruce-root-partners-with-acrf/

09/08/2025

What an exciting opportunity with Lily Hope and Ursala Hudson. We're re-sharing some of the details here — don't miss out!

Transforming Art Careers: A Workshop Series with sisters Lily Hope and Ursala Hudson
📅 Sept 29 – Oct 3, 2025
📍 Downtown Juneau, Alaska + Live Online
▶️ All sessions recorded for registered participants
Over the course of 7 workshops in 5 days, we’ll share tools to help you:
🎨 Clarify your long-term artistic vision
🧘 Sustain your spiritual and physical health
🎤 Speak and present with confidence
📈 Build a cohesive body of work and annual plan
📲 Navigate social media with ease
🛍️ Elevate your branding and market displays
✍️ Craft grant applications that stand out
✨ Optional Add-On:
Awakening Creative Juices: A Playful Photo Session
A 3-hour immersive experience with individual mini-sessions + group photos. $130 with series · $150 a la carte.
💡 Early Bird Registration (through Sept 13):
$20 for 60-min workshops (reg. $30)
$30 for 90-min workshops (reg. $40)
$150 for the full series (reg. $200 — save $50!)
Spots are limited, and our sessions thrive in community. Reserve your place today and step into a more sustainable, powerful art career.
🔗 Register now:
https://www.lilyhope.com/workshop-series

09/05/2025

Finalist Friday alert! This week, the spotlight is on Robert Miller // Life Below Zero Next Generation of Sea Fur Sewing, based in Sitka. 🦦🪡

Sea Fur Sewing offers handcrafted fur garments and decor made with ethical harvesting practices. Robert began his business with his first sea otter hunt in 2013. He learned the traditional methods of curing and crafting, following in the footsteps of his great-grandmother’s fur moccasins. Combining methods and materials of his Tlingit heritage with innovative styles, Robert is a conscientious hunter who regularly provides local Sitka Elders, organizations and cultural initiatives with the meat and fat from his hunts. Sea Fur Sewing offers hats, coats, gloves, scarves and more, and Robert has been featured in Modern Huntsman, Field and Stream Magazine and TV shows such as Life Below Zero.

We are excited to work with Sea Fur Sewing at our upcoming Entrepreneur Camp! In the meantime, check out their website to see some incredible fur products: https://www.seafursewing.com/

09/05/2025

Are you a small business owner looking to boost your leadership? Expand your marketing reach? Connect with fellow entrepreneurs in your community?

Consider applying for Spruce Root’s Master Class! This workshop is made to help mid-stage entrepreneurs take their business to the next level with confidence. This year, we will focus on leadership through times of uncertainty.

Learn from financial and strategic planning experts about the skills essential to the modern business scene, including practical uses of AI, business continuity in extreme weather, and proactive marketing strategies to enhance your brand and reach.

We will also explore the hard and soft skills essential for business growth, including finance, networking, and social media management. These skills allow for business dreams to become prosperous realities.

The three-day workshop will take place October 15-17 at Generations Southeast in Juneau. Limited travel stipends are available, so apply soon!

Follow this link to sign up today: https://spruceroot.formstack.com/forms/masterclass_application_oct_2025

For more information, contact Marc Wheeler at marc@spruceroot.org

09/04/2025

We are so excited to welcome the second cohort of our Alaska Native Resilience Circles Program! Nine participants will join us in the 2025-2026 cycle. These individuals put so much hard work into their businesses and their communities, and we are so excited to offer them support and meaningful connections through this program.

• Mangyepsa Gyipaayg - Kandi McGilton - Devilfish Designs, Metlakatla: https://devilfishdesigns.art/
• Kaakwéit - Angie Ketah (Chookansháa) - Sitka Flowers & The Chocolate Moose, Sitka: https://www.sitkaflowers.com/
• Betty Kubik (Kiksadi) - Betty’s Hair & Nails, Klawock
• G̱úud Jángwaas - Yvette Taylor (Ts’aahl Laanaas) - Taylor2Uart, Klawock: https://taylor2uart.square.site/
• Yéil Yéet - William Lee Burkhart III (L'uknax.ádi) - Lee Burkhart Art, Juneau: https://leeburkhart.art/
• Xaa Na Kw - Mitchell Meyer (Kwaashk’lkwáan) - Mallott's General Store, est 1946, Yakutat: https://www.mallottsstore.com/
• Wooshkindein Da.Áat - Hope Weaver, Artist (T'akedeintaan) - Wooshkindein Da.Áat Lily Hope Weaver Studio, Juneau: https://www.lilyhope.com/
• Ts’aan Ts’aat - Carrie Dodson (Yahkw Janáas) - Hazy Island Botanicals, Ketchikan: https://hazyislandbotanicals.com/
• Sockeye - Sam Sheakley-Tlingit Metalsmith (Chookaneidi), Craig

These participants work in a wide variety of mediums. The cohort includes artists such as weavers, carvers and metalsmiths. Other participants specialize in goods such as flowers and plants, hair and nails, and groceries for rural communities.

Resilience Circles help Indigenous entrepreneurs examine their business models through coaching in finances and leadership. However, building regenerative economies that benefit community wellness involves more than basic business. We will enhance the holistic well-being of our cohort and, by extension, their communities, by cultivating our connections to the land and each other. We hope to make a positive difference in the lives and careers of these participants through this intersection of economic resilience and culturally-informed wellness, and we believe those positive impacts will ripple out. We can't wait to see what the next year brings.

If you are interested in joining this program in the future or would like to learn more, visit our website! https://spruceroot.org/programs/business-support/resilience-circles/

09/01/2025

DEADLINE EXTENSION: Registration for our Klawock Financial Wellness workshop has been extended to Tuesday, September 2!

This programming is all about ensuring you can take good care of your finances as you take care of yourself. Help us out by spreading the word! If you have loved ones in or around Klawock who you think might be interested in this workshop, let them know!

Registration is open until tomorrow — we hope you'll join us! https://spruceroot.formstack.com/forms/financial_wellness_training_registration_form_09_2025

08/30/2025

It's not too late to sign up for the 2025 Southeast Leadership Summit in Sitka! The registration deadline has been extended to September 5, so if you are an early- or mid-career professional age 21-40 in Southeast Alaska, we hope to see you there: https://business.sitkachamber.com/events/details/2025-southeast-leadership-summit-4340

Regional Catalyst and Program Manager for Workforce Development Michael Mausbach will join Rachel Roy, Executive Director of The Greater Sitka Chamber of Commerce on KCAW's Morning Interview segment to talk through this year's event! If you'd like to hear last year's segment to better understand this event, follow this link: https://www.kcaw.org/2024/09/17/southeasts-emerging-leaders-to-convene-in-sitka-summit/

As a team, we are focused on making positive change for the incredible communities that make up our region, and this event is a great opportunity for anyone who shares this passion to come together, build connections and learn new skills to take back home.

The Spruce Root team is excited to be leading a variety of sessions at this event:
• Gah Kith Tin, Alana Peterson, our Executive Director will host workshops focused on Business Development & Leadership.
• Haley Armstrong, Spruce Root's Program Manager for Financial Wellness will lead attendees in sessions focused on strengthening Financial Wellness & Planning.
• Michael Mausbach will take participants through sessions focused on Leadership and Conflict Resolution.
• Isabella "Izzy" Haywood, Spruce Root's Program Manager for Events and Facilitation, will join Michael in MCing the event and contribute her extensive knowledge in event design, collaboration and community engagement!

08/29/2025

We made it to Finalist Friday! This week, we’re featuring Alaskan Oyster Shack in Ketchikan. ️🦪⚓

Located along the Ketchikan docks, the Alaskan Oyster Shack is a welcoming, family-owned oyster bar serving up a taste of Southeast Alaska waters. Owned by Maura Scudero and Jerry "Jase" Scudero II, this business is run by a family with a commercial salmon fishing background and driven by a passion for fresh, sustainable mariculture. With 100% of their oysters supplied by farms in Southeast Alaska, each meal at the Alaskan Oyster Shack benefits our local oyster farmers as well.

The Alaskan Oyster Shack will be joining us this fall for our Entrepreneur Camp in Anchorage. We're excited to learn and grow together! Visit their website to learn more: https://alaskanoystershack.com/