Well hello there August! Summer is starting to slowly simmer down as we roll into the beginnings of Fall. First, I’d like to wish good luck to everyone fishing in the Golden North Salmon Derby, may the weather be pleasant and your catch be plentiful. Second, this is an especially sentimental month and edition for Southeast Living Magazine. A year ago we announced that Southeast Living Magazine would be printed locally at Alaska Litho instead of being outsourced to the lower 48’s. I’ve written before about the importance of supporting our local businesses, organizations, people and communities and it’s thrilling that the publication took this step to insure we are putting our money where our mouth is, and more importantly putting our money back into the Southeast Alaska economy. Working with a local business like Alaska Litho really reminded me of the full circle effect that happens within the Southeast Alaska communities. There are more connections then you realize which can be anywhere from business, family, acquaintance and or activity oriented. Maintaining our local connections with businesses and residents we work with has helped us maintain our motto which is “striving to keep the communities of Southeast Alaska connected and to help local businesses prosper.” Printing locally has also allowed us to use more localized businesses for tasks we normally don’t. As a result of printing locally we are using Alaska Air Cargo which we didn’t before, which in turns means we are also using a local transporting business in Ketchikan to deliver the magazines from the airport to their distribution location, Coastal Real Estate Group who has been advertising, supporting and distributing the publication for over two years for us. As you can see, this process has had a positive and unforeseen ripple effect for other businesses. Working with local businesses and/or business people often brings a superior level of quality and customer service. For example, Alaska Litho has done just that for the magazine, they are flexible, creative, extremely punctual with jobs and work with the customer to insure the highest quality of product possible. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Alaska Litho and their consistent support for Southeast Living Magazine. Lastly and off topic, I’d like to announce the newest member of the Southeast Living Team and Hoke Family. Ariana Harper Hoke was born on July 11 at 10:51am weighing 6 lb. 5 oz and she is such a bundle of joy! Thank you to everyone who helped us along this journey full of adventures and unexpected twists and a special thank you to the Bartlett OB unit, both nurses and doctors. I couldn’t have asked for a more knowledgeable, kinder, capable staff that excelled in every way. That being said, welcome to August, I hope everyone is having as much fun as I am!
Anna Hoke is the graphic designer and owner of Southeast Living Magazine. She can be reached at anna@seakliving.com.
