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A version of this story originally appeared in 香港六合彩资料 Alumni Spirit magazine in April 2021. .

Opening and operating a business is . Add a once-in-a-generation pandemic and the outlook appears . Despite these odds, many businesses owned and managed by Seawolves continue to succeed, thanks in part to community solidarity, government investment and forward thinking.

Sweet Caribou: Reinvesting in community

As increased health standards spread resources thin and restrictions on dine-in options limited patronage, arguably no business sector was as impacted by COVID-19 as the restaurant industry, with about 17% of America鈥檚 restaurants having according to a CNN report.

James Strong, B.B.A. Finance '06, owner of macaron shop , is aware of the situation. During the first month, Strong had to lay off 50% of his 26 employees. The difficult decision was made even harder due to his encouragement of employee longevity based on his time managing other restaurants in Anchorage.

鈥淚 watched how the Moose鈥檚 Tooth and the Bear Tooth always took very good care of their employees,鈥� said Strong. 鈥淚 go in there now and people I bussed tables with are managers. They got so many employees that have been there for 10 or 20 years and in the restaurant industry that is unheard of. I really wanted to be able to provide that same type of environment for my employees, and I鈥檝e been very blessed with really fantastic people.鈥�

During those first couple of precarious months, Strong was able to keep Sweet Caribou afloat thanks to the overwhelming support from community members who went out of their way to buy macarons and gift cards and tip generously. 

Additionally, he was able to rely on an already-in-place and fine-tuned delivery model when other restaurants struggled to establish their own to supplement the loss of dine-in income. 

鈥淪imply, I was petrified, I didn't know what was gonna happen,鈥� said Strong. 鈥淲e would not be where we are without the support of the community. It really kind of highlights how we all work together, especially in Alaska.鈥�

When assistance finally arrived via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security () Act, Strong knew exactly what he wanted to do with it: reinvest back in his employees by hiring them back and giving them raises.

鈥淔unds from the Paycheck Protection Program were designed to stimulate the economy, take care of employees and provide new employment opportunities,鈥� said Strong. 鈥淪o I felt like it was incumbent upon me to reinvest it back into doing what it was meant to do.鈥�

As his employees return and more and more customers come into the shop, Strong is counting down the days when people can safely and comfortably remove their masks. 

鈥淲hat I miss more than anything is seeing people smile,鈥� said Strong. 鈥淚 love the little kids coming in here getting all excited, running around screaming. I love grown-ups coming in in a bad mood because I can bring a smile to their face with a 30-second interaction. How many jobs let you do that? It鈥檚 amazing what the macaron can do.鈥�

Pamyua: Sharing the message

By all accounts, 2020 was set to be year. The soul-infused Inuit band, founded by brothers Phillip Blanchett, A.A. General Program '02, and Stephen Blanchett, B.A. Political Science 鈥�04, was scheduled to take the stage in the likes of California, New York and England until news of postponements started trickling in.

Similarly, the global concert industry was poised for its own landmark year, in ticket sales alone from pandemic-related cancellations according to reporting by Rolling Stone.

鈥淟ast March was the culmination of all the work we've done with the biggest projected year since we started,鈥� said Phillip. 鈥淲e were working with an agent figuring out the nature of our group and how to market us to bigger audiences and venues. Once the news set in that things needed to be brought to a halt, we were in shock. But because of the nature of our business, we learned early on not to be surprised when something doesn鈥檛 happen.鈥�

With the worldwide community of musicians and entertainers grounded, many took to performing at virtual shows and drive-in concerts 鈥� options both futuristic and retro. 

Pamyua was no exception. During the pandemic鈥檚 second month, they performed a benefiting the Food Bank of Alaska with 10 other Anchorage bands. And when Stephen moved to Juneau a few months later, the four core band members produced music videos, individually recording vocal or instrument tracks and sending the files to a sound engineer for compilation. 

鈥淲e were doing work even though we weren't getting paid to stay active and I feel that was important for us,鈥� said Phillip. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of purpose and a reason we do what we do, even though there's no economic value. We were doing what we can to celebrate our survival and our will to express who we are and what things mean for individuals and the community.鈥�

Not only were these makeshift performances and collaborations helping to provide a sense of normalcy for Pamyua and other artists, but they were also doing the same for fans feeling isolated by the unprecedented shutdowns.

鈥淓verybody appreciates arts and entertainment,鈥� said Phillip. 鈥淚n the beginning when people were feeling scared, it was important to have entertainment and community. Within our songs, even though they can be silly, they're also very prayerful and serious in a way. I think that gave us a great opportunity to share in this time and be connected in this virtual world.鈥�

More recently in February 2021, Pamyua performed a drive-in concert in Juneau, finally realizing one of last year鈥檚 postponed shows and signaling a return to normal is on the horizon.

鈥淢ore people are starting to make plans, and we're a part of the conversation 鈥� that's how I know there's going to be a lot of great opportunities for us to continue our work,鈥� said Phillip. 鈥淲e are definitely in a transition period, but we are also in grieving. We have lost so much. For Pamyua, part of our message is that it's important for us to celebrate what we have, but with that is recognizing the loss and honoring our humanity and celebrating that healing.鈥�

KPMG Alaska: Expecting the unexpected

When 2020 began, Beth Stuart, B.B.A. Accounting '94, managing partner for Alaska operations at the accounting firm, made a New Year鈥檚 resolution that was practical at the time, but in hindsight is hilarious (or ominous, depending on your experience during the rest of 2020 and beyond).

鈥淏efore COVID in January, one of my work resolutions was to use more video conferencing,鈥� said Stuart. 鈥淭he thought at the time was to get more connected with people I work with across the country. Even before March I was doing pretty well on it. By June I couldn鈥檛 believe I ever set that as a goal 鈥� I wanted to take it back!鈥�

Having worked at KPMG for the past 26 years, Stuart notes that a mobile mindset is ingrained in the DNA, encouraging employees to be available on-site for clients. So when the pandemic hit, it was relatively easy for the Alaska office鈥檚 55-person team to transition to working safely from home. 

鈥淲e've always been of the mindset that we do our work better when we're more connected with our clients,鈥� said Stuart. 鈥淲orking from client locations means having the technology to work wherever. I suppose we've been doing what people think of as working remotely for a long time 鈥� even back when it was all paper, and evolving through the ongoing adoption of new technology.鈥�

As seasoned professionals, Stuart and her team were able to lend their expertise and help clients navigate the then-uncharted waters of mobile working, video conferencing and file sharing 鈥� all during the hectic tax season.

鈥淓arly on we found that just being comfortable with the awkwardness of it all and rolling with it videos on helped people transition,鈥� said Stuart. 鈥淭hings we used to do in their office while looking over shoulders now happen over screen share, and we already had technology in place that integrated file sharing and project status. We were used to helping clients.鈥�

If there are any positive outcomes from the coronavirus, Stuart believes that it鈥檚 the wider acceptance and adoption of flexible work models similar to KPMG鈥檚 鈥� the same one many of her clients have caught up to technologically.

Stuart is not alone, with many corporate heads and thought leaders , as reported by the BBC.

鈥淲e're thinking about how this could look on an ongoing basis,鈥� said Stuart. 鈥淲e have the technology, people have proven to be productive, and we were already moving toward hybridization. We see this as accelerating a path we were already on. Even when everything's opened back up, people can still work from home and then come together when we need to be collaborative.鈥�