March 6, 2008: Successful Businesses in Rural Alaska: What Works?

Thursday, March 6 from 12-1 p.m. Starting a business in rural Alaska is hard but not impossible, as existing rural businesses around the state prove. So how do some people overcome the barriers created by small markets, remote location, high costs, and harsh climate, while many others fail? ISER researchers recently completed a report, Viable Enterprises in Rural Alaska, examining that question. They analyzed business license patterns to identify favorable community characteristics and surveyed 196 business owners in 19 small rural communities to find out what challenges they face and what might help more businesses succeed. They also did detailed interviews with 30 owners of current and former rural businesses.

The research was sponsored by the Rasmuson Foundation, BP Exploration, Wells Fargo Bank, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, and the University of Alaska Foundation. Come to ISER and hear Sharman Haley and Jane Angvik talk about the research results.

Visit http://www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/Home/brownbag.htm for more information or call (907) 786-7710.