October 29, 2026, Seward Folly

Apex Gym and Summit Sips each received a $10,000 grant Wednesday during the Alaska Small Business Development Center’s 40th Anniversary Roadshow stop in Seward.

The grants, made possible by Wells Fargo, are being awarded to selected Alaska SBDC clients across the state. The center offers free, confidential support to entrepreneurs starting and growing businesses.

Yarrow Farris and Stacy Schaffer, Tara Butcher and Karlie Mountjoy, SBDC Roadshow -Teracina Ruppe, Kelly Ann Cavaretta, Jared Reynolds. Photos by the Seward Folly

Kelly Ann Cavaretta, Seward business advisor for the Alaska SBDC, opened the program and announced the local recipients. Teracina Ruppe, branch manager of Wells Fargo’s Seward branch, presented the checks and spoke about the bank’s support for small businesses.

Stacy Schaffer and Yarrow Farris accepted the grant for Apex Gym. Asked how the gym would use the money, they said it would help replace its stationary bikes, which are about 15 years old and were already refurbished when the gym acquired them.

“We’ve had a spur of people wanting to cycle, and so we’re gonna ride that and update the fleet a little bit and get some new sound system and lights, and off we go,” they said. The gym plans to offer cycling classes twice a week, with the possibility of adding more if demand grows.

Tara Butcher and Karlie Mountjoy, seasonal baristas at Summit Sips, accepted its grant on behalf of owners Ireland and Josiah, who are away on a monthlong break. Summit Sips is scheduled to reopen Nov. 13.

Alaska SBDC State Director Jared Reynolds said the Roadshow is visiting Fairbanks, Juneau, Seward, Soldotna, Homer, Anchorage, Mat-Su and Kodiak. The number of grants varies by community based on the number of SBDC clients there; Reynolds said Kodiak is receiving three and Anchorage six.

Eligible SBDC clients were notified by email and invited to apply. Reynolds said the program prioritized businesses with a physical location and had other eligibility requirements, including revenue and active business registration.

The Roadshow also gives business owners a chance to connect as Alaska SBDC marks its anniversary.

“I’m excited to hear about the impact SBDC has had on small businesses in the various communities we’re visiting with the Roadshow. I’m excited and am looking forward to the future,” Reynolds said.