Alaska innovative entrepreneurs walk the 'path to prosperity: business competition awards two Haines businesses for their commitment to community.

• Author: Goodrich, Bethany
• Position: SMALL BUSINESS

Vibrant local businesses are pumping new life into the historic buildings of Haines, Alaska. Home to 1,800 residents, Haines is a unique community located at the end of the Inside Passage in the southeast of the state. With 46 percent of its population unemployed, according to the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, Haines joins most rural Alaska communities on a quest for economic stimulation. However, Haines is rich in entrepreneurial opportunity and business leadership. This spring, the community celebrated two local enterprises in particular: Port Chilkoot Distillery and Fairweather Ski Works.

Both businesses were awarded $40,000 in seed funding for technical services through Path to Prosperity (P2P), an innovative business plan competition. The Nature Conservancy and Haa Aani LLC founded P2P to identify innovative entrepreneurs in Southeast Alaska and connect them with the resources they need to succeed.

"Innovative local businesses are at the core of a vibrant local economy. Path to Prosperity, through intensive entrepreneur training and business development funding, is helping to develop the next generation of creative small business owners in Southeast Alaska," explains Norman Cohen, director of Southeast Alaska Programs for The Nature Conservancy.

Thriving local businesses are central to healthy communities, and Haa Aani LLC and The Nature Conservancy also recognize business as a valuable tool for spreading positive social and environmental impacts across rural communities.

A tour of this year's winners reveals how innovative entrepreneurs are revitalizing Alaska's neighborhoods.

Port Chilkoot: 'Our Distillery'

Fort Seward is an old Army Fort built in Haines during the early 1900s. Today, much of the barracks is in disrepair and the residents of Haines are finding creative uses for the space. A yoga studio, a smoked salmon shop, restaurants, a mill, artist galleries, and a hotel have all moved in. Among this bright cluster of locally owned businesses stands Port Chilkoot Distillery.

Heather Shade founded the distillery in 2012 with her husband and business partner, Sean Copeland.

"People were skeptical at first; they were like: 'You are doing this here in Haines, why not do it some place where it is easy, where you are closer to bigger markets?'" says Shade.

Producing on a budget, endless paperwork, and regulations are obstacles Shade and Copeland continue to navigate on a daily basis. Despite these challenges, the duo have celebrated many successes. Port Chilkoot has three products on the market--50 Fathoms Gin, Icy Strait Vodka, and 12 Volts Moonshine. The first...