Juneau SBDC director: $28,500 in CBJ support leverages federal and state funding for local businesses

Sandy Usain, director of the Alaska Small Business Development Center’s Juneau Center, told the Assembly Finance Committee on Feb. 4 that a modest municipal contribution is catalytic: the center requests $28,500 from CBJ to meet federal match rules and to maintain a full-time local adviser who connects Juneau firms to statewide and national resources.

"If you look at the yellow piece of the pie highlighted in red, you'll see the CBJ's portion 18%. This slide is extremely important because the CBJ investment is catalytic," Usain said, explaining the center's funding mix and that local investment helps the center leverage roughly $4 in state and federal funding for every $1 of local investment.

Usain described core services—one‑to‑one, confidential business advising and access to statewide resources including SSBCI capital programs—and presented 2025 impact numbers: 114 small businesses served (70 new clients), 891 advising hours, $2.6 million in funding raised for clients, and 142 jobs supported. She also said the center is on track for additional activity in 2026 and stressed that local funding enables federal and state dollars to be deployed specifically for Juneau businesses.

Assembly members asked whether services are free (they are) and whether the center tracks business longevity; Usain said some data exist but she was not certain where longevity metrics are stored. She also explained that the match and funding structure becomes more complex if the center’s funding mixes change beyond the local–state–federal cooperative model.