Press Releases
Small Business Administration Honors Alaskan Brewing
Apr 26, 1999, 08:35

JUNEAU – In recognition of Alaskan Brewing Company’s ongoing success as one of the premiere small breweries in the country, the United States Small Business Administration selected co-founders Geoff and Marcy Larson as the 1999 Small Business Persons of the Year for the State of Alaska.

JUNEAU – In recognition of Alaskan Brewing Company’s ongoing success as one of the premiere small breweries in the country, the United States Small Business Administration selected co-founders Geoff and Marcy Larson as the 1999 Small Business Persons of the Year for the State of Alaska.

"Marcy and I are clearly honored by this selection. We’ve always stood by our mission to make a great beer in a place we love. This award recognizes the years of hard work and the dedication of all our employees to deliver a quality product in a constantly changing market place," said Geoff Larson.

From Alaskan Amber to Smoked Porter, Alaskan Brewing has earned national recognition for the quality of beer produced in the shadow of the Lemon Creek Glacier in Juneau. Geoff and Marcy Larson founded Alaskan Brewing in 1986. The 67th operating brewery in the United States quickly earned a national reputation for producing quality beer. For twelve straight years, Alaskan Brewing Company has brought home medals from the nation’s premiere beer competition, the Great American Beer Festival.

Nationally, the Small Business Administration reports that 99.7 percent of businesses in the United States are small businesses. SBA defines a small business as a business with fewer than 500 employees. In Alaska, SBA estimates that small businesses account for over 97 percent of the businesses in the state.

The Larsons said the company continuously faces the logistical challenge of delivering a product to market from a community that is not directly connected to a road system. They’ve tackled issues such as planes unable to land due to weather, ferries that have broken down, barges that can’t dock due to high winds, and spring thaws that stop just about everything.

"We wouldn’t have this any other way. Facing all of the challenges of getting our beer in front of our customers is what keeps us going. We love our job and the people who help us. Our number one goal is making sure every one who orders an Alaskan by name gets a quality product. This recognition by the SBA is very exciting," said Marcy Larson.

Marcy Larson said that early on one of the toughest challenges Alaskan faced was keeping up with orders to meet growing demand. At one point, the brewery was producing beer 24 hours a day on their old system while bringing a new system on line.

SBA Administrator Aida Alvarez invited the Larsons to represent Alaska during Small Business Week in Washington, D.C., May 23 – 26.

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Kristi Monroe (907) 780-5866

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