Spruce Root

03/05/2026

We’re just a bunch of kids with laptops, trying our best to regulate our emotions and build a regenerative economy for SE Alaska.

02/26/2026

All of the businesses that Spruce Root supports are rooted in love for community, and Red Lantern, a Ketchikan based adult boutique, brings a unique Creek Street twist to that ethos.

Inspired by Ketchikan’s history of women-owned brothels, Jacquelyn (Jackie) Pope and Jillian Piazza opened Red Lantern, an adult boutique, in 2023. Since then, the two have expanded to offer burlesque performances and community events in their space.

“At the heart of the Red Lantern is storytelling through performance, history and having a human connection. We’re excited to have a space where folks can come together to create something and share art. That’s really our core.”

Through it all, they prioritize comfort and inclusivity. Their space is cozy and tasteful, their products thoughtfully curated, and their performances playful and fun.

We caught up with the folks at Red Lantern to chat about Ketchikan’s creative scene, telling the history of Creek Street, and the support from Spruce Root they’ve received to make the dreams for their community-based space a reality. Head to our blog to read our conversation:

https://spruceroot.org/news/more-than-a-valentine-qa-with-the-red-lanterns-jackie-pope-and-jillian-piazza/

Photos courtesy of The Red Lantern

02/21/2026

Starting and growing a business can be a challenging process. Entrepreneurs know they can’t do it alone—but when is the right time to ask for help, and who should they ask?

In our new video, Southeast Alaskan entrepreneurs share how they navigated these questions and ultimately turned to Spruce Root for support.

Spoiler alert: if you’re thinking about starting or growing your business, it’s always a good time to reach out to Spruce Root.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

02/21/2026

Spruce Root’s Leslie Jackson is presenting tonight at the SE Alaska Discovery Center in Ketchikan! If you're in the area, stop by and join the conversation.

It is almost February and you know what that means...S.E. Alaska Discovery Center is having their Friday Night Insights each week in February. Save the dates and the topics for each Friday Night Insight.

02/13/2026

We are hiring a Sustainable Southeast Partnership (SSP) Director!

The SSP is a dynamic collective uniting diverse skills and perspectives to strengthen cultural, ecological, and economic prosperity across Southeast Alaska. The SSP Director will engage and strengthen a vibrant regional network in relationship with peoples and places of Southeast Alaska.

We’ll be reviewing the first round of applications after March 9th. Learn more and apply at www.spruceroot.org/careers

Photo: Bethany Goodrich

02/10/2026

SE Alaskans, we get how overwhelming Valentine’s Day can be. Across the region, everybody’s thinking the the same thing:

“Spruce Root offers so many programs and services, and they all have unique personalities and interests, where should I start?!” 

This Valentine’s Day we want to make it easy for you to swipe your way to the perfect match. Visit www.spruceroot.org to make the first move. 💘

Photographs by Shaelene Grace Moler, Bethany Goodrich, and Cale Green

02/06/2026

Entrepreneurs, this one’s for you.�The Alaska Airlines Pitch Contest is back at the Alaska Innovation Summit!

Join other entrepreneurs, leaders, and policymakers at the Innovation Summit in Juneau, and pitch your business venture to a panel of experts (shark tank style!).

You'll have 5-6 minutes to live pitch your business venture for a chance to win a cash prize.

Contestants will get access to pitch materials, practice opportunities, and coaching from a seasoned entrepreneur before taking the stage.

Apply to take part in the Pitch Contest by February 9th: https://www.jedc.org/innovation/pitch-contest/

02/04/2026

Those of us who have experienced small business ownership know it can be challenging to find time to step back from the daily grind and reflect on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to go. It is in these moments when we slow down, though, that we are able to see our paths more clearly and invest in the changes we want to make. 

At Spruce Root’s Master Class for Entrepreneurs last month, a group of small business owners gathered in Juneau for three days to foster connections, learn from experts about challenges across our region, and reflect on their journeys as they mapped out future directions of their work. Together, we engaged in conversations about climate resiliency, explored practical applications of AI, shared about different aspects of our business “ecosystems”, and left with new commitments to ourselves, our communities, and the work that drives us.

Throughout it all, a common theme emerged: when we partner up to adapt together in the face of changes to our environments, economies, and communities, we experience a collective power strong enough to buoy us through times of uncertainty.

Gunalchéesh Háw’aa to all of our participants, lecturers, and facilitators who shared their time with us at Master Class. We are grateful to learn from you and for the creativity you brought to our gathering. Swipe through to witness some highlights from our time together!

📷Erin O’Farrell

01/30/2026

“At its core, financial wellness is about more than individual budgets—it’s about community wellbeing. This approach is central to Spruce Root’s mission. We can’t build a healthy, regenerative economy without people who have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be financially well. A strong local economy is one of the foundations of a thriving community, and financial wellness helps make that possible.”

⁃ Alana Peterson

Financial Wellness: Investing in the Future is coming up on February 27th. This one-day workshop is for anyone interested in understanding how to build a long-term financial plan, build generational wealth, and gain a deeper understanding of how personal finance strategies work.

When you complete the workshop, you’ll receive a $250 incentive - a perfect opportunity to practice capital responsibility!

Register today, and make the most of these last quiet months of winter. https://spruceroot.org/etn/investing-in-the-future-virtual-workshop/

01/24/2026

Like many folks across Southeast Alaska, Stephanie Merritt’s income has often changed with the seasons. Brought up in a family fishing business, her relationship with money has been shaped by ebbs and flows of income throughout the year. “We go through that cycle of having a bunch of money in the summer. And then by the time April rolls around, you’re like, where’d that go?” she shares.

After a particularly good fishing season, Steph was inspired to reach out to her friend, Spruce Root’s Financial Wellness Program Manager Haley Armstrong, to think more about matching her finances to her lifestyle and planning for longer-term goals like retirement. “I was kind of tired of going through that [fishing economy] cycle,” she shares. “I wanted to be able to hold on to my money and make it work for me.”

Haley invited Steph to join a financial wellness workshop held at the Craig Public Library– where Steph now works as a librarian– about a year ago. Since then, she’s participated in multiple other workshops and has received coaching from Spruce Root.

“I think Haley’s very good about making sure that you find something that works for you, as opposed to a really prescribed thing,” she says. For Steph, this looks like using apps to track her spending habits and build credit, something she can do on the go and while tending to other responsibilities in her life.

Working with Haley has also encouraged Steph to adopt an abundance mindset when it comes to decisions with money. “Keeping that mantra of “I have everything I need…” has been useful when I’m tracking my spending,” she says.

Inspired by Steph’s story? It’s easy to get engaged with Spruce Root’s financial wellness programming! Find more details about upcoming workshops and sign up for 1:1 coaching here: https://spruceroot.org/programs/business-support/financial-wellness/

Photo: Stephanie Merritt

01/14/2026

This month we’re highlighting what wealth looks like for different folks across our region, and how they’ve come to build financial wellness habits based on the values they hold and the lifestyles they want to lead.

Osman Casco has always dreamed of owning a pizza food truck. Os, who works as a chef in Juneau, knew that developing a solid business plan was the first step in making this aspiration a reality. A Google search led him to Spruce Root’s website, where he saw an upcoming financial wellness workshop. “I never felt like I had the skills to manage money,” Os explains, “I saw Spruce Root’s course and…I didn’t know exactly how things were going to go, but I knew if I took a step forward it would help me toward my goals.”

Now he has been attending financial wellness programming and participating in coaching for nearly a year. These experiences have allowed Os to build more confidence around implementing financial management practices in his life.

Seemingly small habits have added up in big ways. For Os, who grew up in Miami before settling down in Juneau, supporting family from afar is important. Through the strategies he’s learned with Haley Armstrong, Spruce Root’s Financial Wellness Program Manager, he’s been able to shift his mindset around money to align with his family values. “I held a lot of grudges against myself because I felt like I didn’t have money– or I spent it on other things. But now that I have better money management, I can help out my family…I think that consistency and discipline helped me be closer and be able to help them,” he says.

Interested in taking steps to align your financial decisions with your values? We’re offering a Financial Foundations Workshop on February 2nd & 3rd. Learn more and register here: https://spruceroot.org/etn/financial-foundations/

01/10/2026

Applications are due Sunday the 11th for the Sealaska Philanthropy & Development Internship!

Our 2026 intern will work closely with the two Kayla(h)s of Spruce Root:

Kaylah Duncan, Development Manager, who focuses on storytelling, fundraising, and connecting Spruce Root’s work to donors and grants—and Kayla Roberts, who leads Indigenous-led philanthropy and grant-making that benefits Indigenous communities across Alaska.

Together, they represent both sides of the coin: bringing funds in and sending funds out, all in support of Alaska Native community priorities.

Both Kayla(h)s began their own careers as Sealaska Interns and are excited to support the 2026 Spruce Root intern in learning about development, philanthropy, and nonprofit work in Southeast Alaska.

🗓️ Apply by Sunday the 11th. Learn more and apply at https://spruceroot.org/who-we-are/careers/

Tag somebody who you think would be a good fit for this position!