Nearly 40 members of the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce recently visited Ketchikan. The Alaska Chamber takes annual Community Outreach Trips to expose business leaders from across the state to the unique challenges the private sector faces in other Alaskan communities.
This was the first visit to Southeast for many of the visiting Alaskans. The visitors represented many businesses including Exxon Mobil, BP, Alaska Airlines, Petro Marine, Northrim Bank, and Totem Ocean Trailer to name a few. A representative from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was also in attendance and so were representatives from Governor Walker and Senator Sullivan and my office.
The group had a very busy agenda which including tours of the shipyard, the hospital, Totem Bight State Park, the downtown cruise ship docks, and a tour of the harbors aboard an Allen Marine tour vessel.
A community luncheon was held where local business leaders from the mining, timber, fisheries, marine, and energy industries highlighted their sectors of the Ketchikan and Southeast economies.
I was glad to see that other Southeast businesses were represented on the trip including Samson Tug & Barge and Shee Atika Incorporated. Also a special thanks to those Ketchikan businesses and individuals that hosted our guests.
It’s good to see the Alaska Chamber engage Southeast communities. Having a broad base of knowledge about businesses across the state should help the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce understand the issues and impacts when they make decisions.
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