Spruce Root

This Finalist Friday, we are excited to introduce Burt Jackson from Haa Shuká Builders. Haa Shuká Builders is an Indigenous-led construction and development company rooted in Southeast Alaska, focused on building resilient, culturally-grounded infrastructure that supports the long-term wellbeing of Tribal and rural communities.

Their work includes housing, community facilities, and commercial construction projects designed to strengthen local economies, expand opportunity, and honor the values of future generations. The business prioritizes local hiring and workforce development whenever possible, helping create pathways into construction and skilled trades careers for residents in Southeast Alaska
communities.

“By keeping more construction investment local, we help circulate resources within the regional economy rather than relying entirely on outside contractors and firms,” Burt shares.

Many rural and Tribal communities face significant barriers when trying to complete infrastructure projects, including high construction costs, limited contractor availability, and logistical challenges. Haa Shuká Builders aims to address these challenges by serving as a business that both understands the unique needs of remote communities and employs the local workforce on these important projects.

Congratulations on becoming a P2P Business Competition finalist, Burt! We are excited to see what the future brings for Haa Shuká Builders.

A Petersburg sawmill is about to get a major upgrade.

Alaska Timber and Truss is getting a $2.5 million boost from a partnership between Spruce Root, Sitka Conservation Society, and DCCED's Division of Investments Small Business Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund. The investment will modernize the mill's equipment, expand its ability to process Southeast Alaska young-growth timber, and shift operations from diesel to Petersburg's hydroelectric grid.

The result: 10 new jobs, 5 preserved positions, and a stronger supply chain for Alaska-made wood products, including lumber already reaching communities like Scammon Bay and supporting rebuilding efforts in Western Alaska after Typhoon Halong.

This is the result of public investment, mission-driven lenders, and local business owners with a shared vision. Petersburg's mill could be the blueprint for the next chapter of Alaska's timber industry.

Do you run a mariculture operation? Are you interested in starting one?

Join Spruce Root and Alaska Sea Grant this November to learn the basics of business planning for the mariculture sector.

By the end of the workshop, participants will understand the structure of business planning, be familiar with tools that facilitate business and marketing, feasibility analysis, and gain insights into strategic business decision-making.

Module topics include:
👉Setting the Stage
👉Tools of the Trade
👉Market Planning
👉Accounting for Mariculture
👉Putting it All Together

The course will run virtually on Zoom on November 2nd, 5th, 9th, 12th, and 16th. Register here by October 30th:

Business Basics for Mariculture Nov 2026 - Intellistack

Fall is here. That means that it’s time for bears to get serious about eating salmon. Squirrels need to take a long, hard look at their middens… and humans? We’re putting away food too, but we should also be thinking about strategies for staying financially well through the winter (and maybe even squirreling away a little extra for the future!). 

Join us October 15 & 16 from 9 AM–1 PM for a virtual financial wellness workshop designed to help you prepare your finances for whatever lies ahead and feel confident that your money management aligns with your personal values.

Financial Foundations is open to all adult Southeast Alaskans and Sealaska shareholders. Register by October 5.

Link in bio to learn more and register.

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒓 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆?

Join Spruce Root for a FREE 3-day in-person business workshop exclusively
for Ketchikan Indian Community citizens.

Over three sessions, you'll gain practical tools and strategies for:
• Branding & customer discovery
• Business planning
• Financial projections
• Business licensing & accounting

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬
Oct 16 | 5–8 p.m.
Oct 17 | 9 a.m.—1 p.m.
Oct 18 | 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Attend the full workshop and you'll be entered to win a $100 KIC Native
Market gift card!

Registration closes Thursday, October 8. Register at www.spruceroot.org

It’s Finalist Friday! Today we are introducing Karrina Bell, owner of Slacktide Cafe in Yakutat. Slacktide is a takeout food stand that offers a small menu, community-driven specials, and catering services for local businesses and parties.

Amidst limited takeout food option in Yakutat, Slacktide aims to provide locally sourced meals at its new permanent location along the community’s main highway.

“The cafe is within walking distance of Yakutat School District. Being in close proximity to the school will give students another food option. We also plan to purchase a majority of our produce from the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe’s greenhouse during its operational months and provide all scraps back to their compost program,” Karrina shares.

Slacktide also hopes to expand their business hours and incorporate a late-night menu for commercial fisherpeople and other seasonal laborers who struggle to find a place to eat after working long hours in the summer season.

When we asked Karrina about her advice for other Native entrepreneurs in our region, she offered this: “Just go for it. When I first started, all I knew was that I could cook and people liked my food. So, I said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

Congrats, Karrina! We are excited to see what Slacktide has in store at its new location!

POW Residents: Missed this webinar but want to stay up to date with the POWER project? We've got you covered!

You can find a recording of the webinar on our website: https://spruceroot.org/resources/power/

Prince of Wales Energy Reliability Informational Webinar Curious about the POWER program and how it can support your home or facility? Join us to meet the people behind the program, learn how POWER works, get your questions answered…

We are entering a season thick with political change. Amidst regional convenings, elections, and work planning for the year ahead, this moment raises the question: What kind of leadership does this region need to grow and flourish?

Earlier this year, Spruce Root welcomed Cody Angerman onto our team as the Sustainable Southeast Partnership Director.

Cody is Tlingit, Raven, L’uknaxh.adi (Coho) Clan. Born and raised in Wrangell, he brings a diverse background in operations, leadership, and community engagement to the network. Beyond his professional work, Cody has coached the Wrangell High School basketball program since 2017, mentoring youth on and off the court.

Sustainable Southeast Partnership is built on a philosophy of leadership that is willing to go to where people are, listen before setting direction, and hold differences without needing to flatten them. Cody stewards this mentality, carrying with him the ability to unify a group of individuals around a shared goal, meet people where they are, and bring out the best in a team even when everyone’s coming from a different place.

We sat down with Cody to ask him about his relationship to Southeast Alaska, his approach to leadership, and how his experience as a coach lends itself to the work of bringing folks together across the SSP.

Head to our blog to find our conversation with Cody -you can find the link in our bio.

Photos: Shaelene Grace Moler and Cody Angerman

This Finalist Friday, we are pleased to introduce Eliasica Timmerman! Eliasica is an Alaskan Haida artist, cultural educator, and founder of an Indigenous arts business: Weav’n.

Weav’n is rooted in nearly 30 years of traditional weaving, cultural teaching, and Native knowledge preservation. Through her business, Eliasica creates original woven works, teaches cultural arts, and builds opportunities to strengthen Indigenous culture through entrepreneurship, education, and authentic Native artistry.

Eliasica shares that she incorporates language throughout her business as a practice of strengthening cultural knowledge.

“I’m in the midst of learning [X̱aat Kíl] and I do my social media with a language focus. I will put some of my artwork in the picture and then explain some cultural knowledge using a ‘word of the day’. I really do this for the educational purposes of everybody.”

Reflecting on her business journey with Weav’n, Eliasica says that moments of uncertainty have pushed her to believe in herself and her work.

“The language aspect has been daunting because I’m afraid that I’m not saying it right. But if I don’t say it, I won’t learn to say it right. I think that just pushing through those uncertainty moments has created opportunities for me to actually get more sure of myself. So, I really encourage our community to just push a little bit through the uncertainty feelings about whether you’re doing something right or not.”

Eliasica also acknowledges that her weaving practice is endowed with the knowledge of a lineage of teachers that have come before her and shaped her art, along with many others’.

“I would like to acknowledge that the knowledge that I am teaching forward comes from Holly Churchill. Holly has taught probably thousands of classes by now. It’s so important that my name stays with Holly’s,” she shares.

Congratulations on being a finalist, Eliasica, and best wishes to you in the Path to Prosperity Business Competition!

Southeast Artists: $500 travel stipends are now available for this workshop!

To expand the reach of this opportunity beyond Juneau, Sealaska Heritage Institute is offering a $500 travel stipend to participating students traveling from outside Juneau. The stipend will be provided by check on the final day of the workshop to help offset travel expenses.

Register here: https://spruceroot.org/etn/marketing-for-artists-in-juneau-with-sealaska-heritage-institute/

Register

JUNEAU: Sign up for Path to Prosperity: Marketing for Artists with instructor Spruce Root!

Apply by Sunday, Sept. 6 at http://bit.ly/Path-to-Prosperity-2026