Southeast Alaska Businesses Win $50,000 for Sustainability

JUNEAU,AK—​Every year, the Path to Prosperity program provides small businesses across Southeast Alaska with an opportunity to network, grow their business knowledge, and compete for $50,000. The 2018 Path to Prosperity winners are ​Mud Bay Lumber Company and Juneau Composts, were formally announced at Mid-Session Summit ​hosted by Southeast Conference on February 12 in Juneau. 

In the first round of the competition, Spruce Root, Inc. solicited applications from small businesses and entrepreneurs around the region. From that initial pool of applicants, twelve finalists were selected to attend a two-day Business Boot Camp in Juneau. Following this intensive business training weekend, the entrepreneurs spent two months working with Spruce Root businesses coaches creating thorough business plans to be submitted to the judges. After careful deliberation, the judges selected two winning businesses to be awarded $25,000 each to be used for consulting and technical assistance.

Mud Bay Lumber Company, is run by wife-and-husband team Sylvia Heinz Bieberich and Chad  Bieberich. They manufacture and sell local hand-picked, quality trees in the form of rough cut boards, slabs, and other added-value wood products with a focus on community collaboration,  environmental integrity, and self-reliance​. ​They promote the responsible use of natural resources through a zero log-waste goal, operating within the limits of the State Forest Management Plan, and by using each tree to its opportune use. By making local timber products accessible and affordable to the Haines community, Mud Bay Lumber Company is also helping to eliminate the fuel and plastic packaging used in long-distance transportation of  lumber. They are invested in making local resources accessible and affordable to their community and growing the Haines timber industry into a stable part of the economy.

Juneau Composts performs natural alchemy, packages it, and resells it, all while reducing the noxious waste in our landfill. Juneau Composts takes kitchen scraps, cooks them with thermophilic microorganisms and turns them into rich soil ready for the garden. So far they have diverted more than 111,900 lbs of material from the landfill, turning it into earthy-smelling  nutritious soil. They also provide compost education and technical support. They are currently the only composting service available in Juneau and they serve households and businesses of all kinds.