Business news

Chambers set schedules

■ The Kenai and Soldotna Chambers of Commerce will host a joint luncheon on Tuesday at noon at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. A presentation from U.S. Senator Mark Begich is planned. RSVP to 262-9814 or 283-1991.

Redder named Kenai Peninsula Business Banking manager

Wells Fargo has named Tim Redder Kenai Peninsula Business Banking manager. He leads a team of eight business associates and relationship managers in Homer, Kenai and Soldotna who are focused on helping Kenai Peninsula businesses achieve their financial goals.

Redder has been helping Wells Fargo customers succeed financially for 10 years. He joined the company as a consumer loan underwriter for Wells Fargo Financial in South Dakota. He moved to Alaska in 2006 as a senior credit manager before joining the Kenai Peninsula Business Banking team as a business relationship manager in July 2007. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from South Dakota State University.

Redder is actively involved in the community as a board member for the Boys and Girls Club of the Kenai Peninsula and United Way of Kenai Peninsula committee chair.

Credit Union 1 raises $15,000 for Soldotna Teen Center

Credit Union 1 (CU1) hosted a silent-auction benefit at its Soldotna branch for the Soldotna Teen Center, in conjunction with its Member Appreciation Night, on March 27. The evening featured items donated by local businesses, and with the generosity of the community, raised $7,500. This amount was matched dollar-for-dollar by CU1, resulting in a donation totaling $15,000 to the Soldotna Teen Center.

The Soldotna Teen Center opened last December to serve a well-identified community need of providing a safe, positive place for area teens. Local teens played an integral part in taking the center from concept to reality, designing both the center’s logo and interior. The center is currently serving 20 to 40 teens a day, and the Boys & Girls Club of the Kenai Peninsula is waiving the membership fee for the first year of operation.

Small Business Development Center offers workshops

Starting a business: In this free 2-hour “Starting a Business” seminar on Tuesday from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Red Diamond Center – Suite 12, Bryan Zak will answer basic questions and offer helpful resources to give participants the tools to start their own business on the Kenai Peninsula. Bryan will prepare prospective business owners for a productive relationship with Alaska Small Business Development Center and its partner programs, and explain the value of its free counseling services. The workshop will be held in the Red Diamond Center, Suite 12. Deadline to register online is Friday.

Marketing your business: What is advertising? What is marketing? Both are important and Bryan Zak will show business owners why on Tuesday from 1-4 p.m. Bryan has tips to plan sales strategy to get your company’s service or product information to your buyers — while keeping within your budget. The $50 workshop will be held in the Red Diamond Center, Suite 12 and the deadline to register is Friday. Contact Bunny if you are a U.S. Veteran. The Small Business Development Center accepts cash, check or online payment by credit card.

For more information or to register, call 907-260-5629 or visit http://aksbdc.ecenterdirect.com.

Job Center hosts training

The following job skills workshops will be offered at the Peninsula Job Center the week of April 14:

Monday, April 14 — 9:30 a.m., ALEXsys Job Leads; 10:30 a.m., Introduction to ALEXsys and the Job Center; 2:30 p.m., Resume Writing Workshop.

Tuesday, April 15 — 10:30 a.m., Job Prep Workshop; 1:00 p.m., GED Orientation.

Wednesday, April 16 — 10:30 a.m., CareerReady 101 Lab; 1:30 p.m., WorkKeys® Testing; 3:00 p.m., Job Search Strategies for the Ex-Offender.

Thursday, April 17 — 10:30 a.m., Interviewing Skills Workshop; 3:30 p.m., Vocational Rehabilitation Orientation.

Friday, April 18 — No workshops offered.

All workshop are free of charge to the public.

Those interested in attending any workshops offered at the Peninsula Job Center can call 335-3010 or visit the job center located in Kenai at 11312 Kenai Spur Hwy., Suite No. 2. Business hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. excluding state and federal holidays.

You can also reserve space by clicking on the “Schedule Workshops” option located on the main screen in your ALEXsys account www.jobs.alaska.gov.

 

Have you opened a new business, moved to a new location, hired a new person or promoted an employee?

The community wants to know, and so do we.

Send us your information at news@peninsulaclarion.com, fax it to 907-283-3299, or drop it by the Clarion at 150 Trading Bay in Kenai. Questions? Call 907-335-1251.

 

Business announcements may be submitted to news@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in Life

This 1903 photograph of mostly Kenai residents shows (back, far left) Hans Peter Nielsen, first superintendent of Kenai’s agricultural experiment station. Nielsen began work at the station in 1899 and resigned at the end of the 1903 season. (Photo from the Alaska State Library historical collection)
The experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 2

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Presidential Executive Order #148, in January 1899, had set aside… Continue reading

Served together on a bed of greens, these pickled eggs and beets make a light but cheerful lunch. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A wealth of eggs for good health

Pickled along with roasted beets and dill, these eggs have a cheerful hue and bright aroma.

This dish, an earthy and herbaceous vegetarian reimagining of the classic beef wellington, is finished nicely with a creamy maple balsamic sauce. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A special dish for a special request

This mushroom wellington is earthy and herbaceous, and its preparation comes with much less pressure.

File
Minister’s Message: Lifelong learning is a worthwhile goal

Lifelong learning. That’s a worthwhile goal. Schools have been in session for… Continue reading

This E.W. Merrill photograph shows Charles Christian Georgeson, special agent in charge of all agricultural experiment stations in Alaska, starting in 1898. (Photo from Alaska History Magazine, July-August 2020)
The Experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 1

Individuals deciding to explore Kenai’s historic district might start their journey by… Continue reading

File
Minister’s Message: Being ‘thank full?’

As a young dad, I remember teaching my toddler children to say… Continue reading

This virgin blueberry margarita made with blueberry flavored kombucha is perfect for sipping while playing cards.  Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
Sweet fruit for sober fun

Blueberry kombucha gives this virgin margarita complexity in flavor and a lovely purple hue.

John W. Eddy was already a renowned outdoor adventurer and writer when he penned this book in 1930, 15 years after the mystery of King David Thurman’s disappearance had been solved. Eddy’s version of the story, which often featured wild speculation and deviated widely from the facts, became, for many years, the accepted recounting of events.
King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 6

AUTHOR’S NOTE: The fate of King David Thurman, a Cooper Landing-area resident,… Continue reading

Public photo from ancestry.com
James Forrest Kalles (shown here with his daughters, Margaret and Emma) became the guardian of King David Thurman’s estate in early 1915 after Thurman went missing in 1914 and was presumed dead.
King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 5

AUTHOR’S NOTE: King David Thurman left his Cooper Landing-area home in late… Continue reading

These heart-shaped chocolate sandwich cookies go perfectly with a glass of milk. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
Chocolate cookies for a sweet treat

A healthy layer of frosting makes these sandwich cookies perfectly sweet and satisfying.

File photo.
Minister’s Message: Memento mori

In the early centuries of Christianity, the Desert Fathers — Christian monks… Continue reading