Business news

■ The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce will not meet this week. For more information, call 262-9814.

■ The Kenai Chamber of Commerce meets at noon Wednesday at the Kenai Visitor Center. The speaker will be Tammy Vollom-Matturo, Artistic Director for the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra, with classical guitar music by Armin Abdihodzic. For more information, call 283-1991.

The Alaska Small Business Development Center, located in the Red Diamond Center on Kalifornsky Beach Road, is planning the following workshops:

Starting a Business (free) — 10 a.m.-noon, Aug. 11: Are you thinking about starting your own business? This workshop was built for you! The workshop will cover basic issues faced when starting a small business such as business licensing, legal forms of business, business record-keeping, hiring employees, business planning and access to financing. Let the SBDC help guide you through the process of starting a small business. This workshop is in the Red Diamond Center and registration required at www.aksbdc.org by deadline Aug. 7. If you have any questions, Call Bunny 260-5629.

How To Write A Business Plan ($65) — 12:30-4:40 p.m. Aug. 11: Bryan Zak will present this seminar in the Red Diamond Center at 43335 Kalifornsky Road, Suite 12. He will show you methods for establishing financial projections, as well as creating and evaluating financial ratios that will help you measure your successes and be an effective tool to obtain financing. Online registration at aksbdc.ecenterdirect.com is required by Aug. 7. The SBDC accepts cash or check or you may pay by credit card using the secure UPAY program.Contact Bunny at 260-5629 for more information. Veterans contact Bunny for free scholarship ticket.

Build A Successful Website ($65) — 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 18: This workshop is in Suite 12 in the Red Diamond Center. First Session is from 9 a.m.-noon; the second session resumes at 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. The workshop will walk you through the steps to build your website. No experience necessary! With this workshop, you can build a great website that successfully markets your brand with little to no technical website experience. The first section of this workshop is lecture based; you’ll learn all about website design: picking colors, graphics, fonts, navigation, content, and more. Learn how to set up your own ecommerce, online store to make online sales. You’ll also learn some key tips for making a website that markets your business effectively. In the second section, you will roll up your sleeves and begin designing your website! You’ll get hands-on experience with the design tool and creative process. By the time you leave class, your business will have a fully functioning website, ready to “go live”… with all the knowledge you need to maintain it too!

What to bring: You will need to bring a laptop computer, and bring any business logos and graphics you would like to have on your website page. There is no webinar option for this class and seating is limited to 8. Online registration is required at aksbdc.ecenterdirect.com by Aug. 12. Pre-pay by credit card usingthe UPAY program. Cash or check is accepted at the workshop when you arrive on Aug. 18. Contact Bunny at 260-5629 for more information. Veterans contact Bunny for free scholarship ticket.

Benefits of Budgeting ($65) — 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Aug. 20: Learn methods to Monitor-Measure-and-Manage the amount of cash moving through your business. Establishing budgets is the vital element that keeps every business financially healthy and Jim Duffield will guide you through this process. Register online at aksbdc.ecenterdirect.com before Aug. 10. Pre-pay by credit card usingthe UPAY program. Cash or check is accepted at the workshop when you arrive on Aug. 20. Contact Bunny at 260-5629 for more information. Veterans contact Bunny for free scholarship ticket.

For more information on any workshop or the Alaska Small Business Development Center, call Bunny at 907-260-5629.

The Kenai Soil & Water Conservation District has a wide variety of garden and farm equipment for rent, including tractor-drawn implements for initial field preparation (the fabled “Meri Crusher”), tillage, no-till seeding, bed shaping, mulch laying, and planting. Non-mechanized tools for rent include backpack sprayers, broadcast seed spreader and broadfork. A DEC-approved mobile kitchen trailer is also available.

For information, see the “Equipment Rental” page at www.kenaisoilandwater.org or visit Kenai Feed & Supply.

Business announcements may be submitted to news@peninsulaclarion.com. Items should be submitted by 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication.

More in Life

File
Minister’s Message: Search me and know me

I have a brilliant friend who was a former archaeologist. She recalled… Continue reading

Sesame seed buns made from scratch elevate a meal. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A taste of Americana

Like all great things familiar and traditional, these sesame seed buns were born of a woman’s labor.

This image is the only confirmed photograph of guide Ben Swesey discovered by the author. The photo, from John P. Holman’s 1933 hunting memoir, “Sheep and Bear Trails,” shows Swesey working to remove the cape from a Dall sheep ram shot by Holman in 1917.
Ben Swesey: More to the story — Part 3

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Danger was inherent in the job. Although his fellow hunting… Continue reading

Historic Elwell Lodge Guest Cabin is seen at its new spot near the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s Visitor Center. (USWS)
Around the peninsula

Local events and happenings coming soon.

Nián gāo is a traditional Lunar New Year treat enjoyed in China for over two thousand years. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A Lunar New Year’s treat

This sweet, steamed rice cake is chewy, gooey and full of positivity.

This excerpt from a U.S. Geological Survey map shows the approximate location of Snug Harbor on lower Kenai Lake. It was in this area that William Weaver nearly drowned in 1910.
Ben Swesey: More to the story — Part 2

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Michigan’s hard-luck Swesey clan sprang into existence because of the… Continue reading

File
Minister’s Message: Rhythms and routines

Your habits are already forming you.

This screenshot from David Paulides’s “Missing 411” YouTube podcast shows the host beginning his talk about the disappearance of Ben Swesey and William Weaver.
Ben Swesey: More to the story — Part 1

More than a hundred years after Ben Swesey and Bill Weaver steered… Continue reading

This dish is creamy, rich and comforting, and gets dinner time done fast. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
Full of mother’s love

This one-pot dish is creamy, rich and comforting, and can be ready in 30 minutes.

Photo by Clark Fair
This 2025 image of the former grounds of the agricultural experiment station in Kenai contains no buildings left over from the Kenai Station days. The oldest building now, completed in the late 1930s, is the tallest structure in this photograph.
The experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 8

Over the past 50 years or more, the City of Kenai has… Continue reading

File
Minister’s Message: So your life story can be better

Last month the Christmas story was displayed in nativity scenes, read about… Continue reading

These gyros make a super delicious and satisfying tofu dish. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A new addition to the menu

Tofu gyros with homemade lentil wraps are so surprisingly satisfying and add extra fiber and protein to a meal.