💥Happy 2023 from the Prince of Wales Chamber of Commerce! 💥Dear POWCOC Members, New and Returning…
Every year we send out a letter welcoming all of our new and returning members, sharing our plans for the coming year, and encouraging participation in all the exciting events planned.
Additionally, this year, I’d like to introduce you to the board members who will be representing you this year as business owners, operators, and community members. It’s going to be a wonderful year, and we’re all very excited to continue improving quality of life on POW.
Our mission as a board is to engage in activities that will benefit the economic development and quality of life on Prince of Wales Island. This year, as the new board begins to shift into gear, we hope to inspire and empower you all to get involved as well! It will take all of us to make all of the big dreams and visions we have come to life for the betterment of our community.
Over the next six months, there will be lots of work being done behind the scenes to bring to life the events planned for this year. Here are just a few highlights… keep an eye out for the 2023 Island Guide which will have details of all the other wonderful opportunities this year.
In partnership with the POW Vocational-Technical-Education-Center (POW VocTEC) and
Sealaska, the Chamber will be hosting its biannual business education summit which will be
advertised as the “Economic Recovery Summit 2023”. This event will provide opportunities for business owners, operators, and community members of all ages to come together to learn, grow, network, collaborate, and envision the future of business and life on POW. There will be workshops (e.g., financial literacy and employee development), skill building (e.g., resume writing and interviewing), and a job fair to connect employers with potential employees. This event will take place the week of April 24th-29th at the POW VocTEC building in Klawock.
The end of May to the middle of June will be a busy yet super fun time! Starting Memorial Day weekend, the Chamber is once again a Gold Sponsor of the POW Marathon, followed by a week of healthy family fun at the THRIVE Festival being co-hosted by the POW Health Network (our 2022 travel raffle beneficiary), and ending with the EMS Symposium (hosted by SEREMS) which is the first time in 23 years that this large annual event will be held on POW Island!
And lastly, in October of this year, our 2021 travel raffle beneficiary HOPE (Helping Ourselves
Prevent Emergencies) will be bringing back the annual Distinguished Men & Women
celebration. We are so looking forward to celebrating all our accomplishments this year!!
As many of you know, we held board elections this year and are welcoming 6 new board
members on our nine-person board following the retirement of many of our members who have been serving on the board for years. In December 2022, we held our passing of the torch and planning meeting, and it was exciting to see the passion and dedication of our new members. The nine board members are Vice-President Misty Fitzpatrick (Tongass Electric), Secretary Jeannie Rogan (Jeannie’s Touch Massage), Treasurer Aubrey Gamble (POW VocTEC), Kelsey Sheakley (Waterstreet Apartments), Shauna Thomas (ANS Camp #19), Robert Fithian (Dawson Mine), Past-President Brian Templin (City of Craig), Gary Anderson (Anderson Lodge), and President Abby Twyman (Prowess Creative Solutions).
We look forward to serving you all this year and hope to see you at an upcoming board meeting!