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Business Voices is the Juneau Chamber of Commerce podcast focused on the people, ideas, and decisions shaping Juneau’s economy.
Each episode features thoughtful conversations with local business owners, civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers who are working to build a stronger, more diverse, and more resilient business community.
This show reflects the Chamber’s larger mission: to support entrepreneurship, encourage responsible and sustainable development, improve the business climate, and help make Juneau a better place to work, live, shop, and invest.
Business Voices is a forum for insight, leadership, and shared perspective, connecting the people who care about Juneau’s economic future and the quality of life that makes this community worth building.
Welcome to Business Voices Juno, the podcast of the Juno Chamber of Commerce hosted by executive director Becca Parks. From entrepreneurship and leadership to growth, resilience, and innovation, this podcast shines a light on the businesses and voices helping define Juno's economic future.
Speaker 2:Right. And on this week's podcast, we have, I would say, born and raised, Juno business owner, Will Race, CEO and partner of cedar group. Thanks for coming on.
Speaker 3:I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 2:And I do think that cedar group doesn't necessarily tell people what your business does. So can we start with just a rundown? What do you guys do?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. So we're a marketing and public relations firm. We started off very boutique. So we don't do any like big public advertising, but really we wanted to offer marketing and public relations services to communities that might not be served traditionally by larger agencies. And that concept, which started over thirteen years ago, has grown to the point where now we service multiple states.
Speaker 3:We've got hundreds of clients. So we have changed how we talk about ourselves. But really, if you see our branding, if you see anything about it's all about community connection and creation. And we really did that with intent and that we want to be more than just a marketing and PR company, even though those are services core to what we do. We always start with that conversation.
Speaker 3:So it is always funny talking to new people about it and they're like, I've heard of cedar group. What is it that you guys do? But really we've intentionally tried to grow from that small space. And so it was something that I learned and Todd learned in our formative years of like, don't want to be too big for where you're at at the moment. You want to be just right.
Speaker 3:And that's really challenging. But we've we've done a really good job over the years.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I'm tracking your growth. It's been I don't know what the full growth pattern looks like, but you've certainly gone from boutique to, like you said, multiple states. What has your employee count gone from?
Speaker 3:We are at about 27 employees, and then we use contractors as well for special projects and unique circumstances.
Speaker 2:And now you're one of the few people I know that is actually doing, I think, what you went to school for. Born and raised in Juneau, were you like a kid at JDHS just dreaming of owning his own PR firm?
Speaker 3:No. No, I think I'm similar to most people that don't know what they want to do other than the dream that you have when you're like 10 to 12, which was I wanted to be a professional baseball player. That was like my dream. And that dream, you know, went through college and shifted course. And then you have that like reality of like, oh, what am I going to do?
Speaker 3:And actually, like, so my reaction to that when I hurt myself in sports, so that career ended. And so it was like, what are you going to do? And like most kids, it's like, well, what do my parents do? My mom's a teacher, my dad's a pharmacist. So I'll just do one of those two things.
Speaker 3:And then the reality kind of set in as I was in school, I got to, I think it was like junior year and I was actually studying sciences because I wanted to be like my dad. And then I had this realization during a summer job that I really didn't like what I was doing. And I didn't like being inside and I didn't like just talking to a group of people that just didn't really fulfill myself. So that summer I went back and I ended up doing an extra year of school because I changed majors to communications, general BA, and I loved it. And that was something that, again, it was scary.
Speaker 3:But, you know, got out of school and I was like, Sweet, I'm going to do so many great things. And then it was 2008 when I graduated and that was right when the economy crashed. And so then I couldn't find a job with my degree. And luckily I had some really good mentors and friends and I got a job as an admin assistant to get my foot in the door at a nonprofit. With all of the stuff that I'd learned and my natural abilities of education, I kind of took one opportunity after the other and then got into the communications field about a year, the job opened up.
Speaker 3:But I do communicate to a lot of younger people, it's like, you go to school for, take whatever you can get to get close to it. Because you're not always going to meet the job market, like right where it's at, or you're not always going to like get the first job you want. And so like finding something adjacent that you can show the culture that you fit in, show your bosses that you're a hard worker, and then you like have the tools and the skills. But it's just something that, again, I preach to any younger person that I'm talking to because I like my first job at school, admin assistant. And now I have a big appreciation for admin and all of that, but it was something that I would like, you know, as a business owner now that does this, and it's what I live my life for, like it's radically changed over time.
Speaker 3:Still love baseball, but that's what I thought I was going to do with me.
Speaker 2:Did some of those skills transfer over though?
Speaker 3:Oh,
Speaker 2:team for sports mentality? And you coach now, right?
Speaker 3:I do. You know, Juno's a wonderful place because when I did move back and started working, like, you know, I was an admin assistant, it wasn't filling my cup and I was ambitious. And so again, family, friend, mentor, was like, Well, you should start coaching. Like you love this thing. You've had experiences that others here haven't.
Speaker 3:So I coached at JDHS for about six years and then started growing a family, having more and more kids. And after kid number three, it was time to retire. Now I do youth sports for the most part.
Speaker 2:You can have your own team.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but it is like, it all kind of connects. I think that's why I've said to multiple people, I think the chamber is a similar thing where there's so many unimplied connections that just become beneficial that you're just like, okay, how does working a full time job and coaching help you in your career? As a young person, I never would have thought, but you're meeting community members, you're meeting different age groups of parents. And then now I have kids that I coach that have graduated that I've either worked for or they've applied for jobs with me. And so it is just this very connected community piece that is like just so everywhere.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I see that now. You know, worked with the robotics program, for a really long time when I moved to Juno and kids that I started working with when they were in second and third grade are now engineers and traveling the world and yeah, still connected in really fun Yeah,
Speaker 3:it's super fun. And it's always funny too, when there's that role reversal for our business, because you'll have somebody who's like starting a business and they need a brand created and they need a logo design, all this stuff. And they come in and now they're the client. And they were 14 in my head, you know? And so it's just it's again, like I think I've always approached back to your question just about like how that game and that sport influenced me specifically is like, there's always a role that you need to play.
Speaker 3:And sometimes you're the person on the field, sometimes you become the manager, sometimes you're the coach, sometimes you're the owner. And it's really understanding and appreciating all those things that I think creates success. And that's what I've sort of experienced in that Todd and I both, you know, embrace at cedar group of those opportunities to connect with individuals.
Speaker 2:And I was I was thinking about that role and how it's changed for you. This podcast has been great because I've been able to talk to a lot of people in leadership positions and a lot of business owners thinking about how different it is to make that jump from being a manager within somebody else's business to this is mine, I'm a partner now. What was that experience like for you?
Speaker 3:Oh, man. When Todd you know, Todd took a risk on me. So our founder, Todd Antiochiochio, started cedar group about thirteen years ago. He was doing private consulting, mostly around developing communications, marketing plans for organizations, and then finding the right people internally or externally to execute those plans. Todd and I have known each other for a very long time.
Speaker 3:And I was at that point in my career where I had three kids and I was looking for that next thing. And ultimately, you know, he did a really good job of convincing me why we should join up. And I think for all business owners, like in theory or in reality, I should say, there's always that like voice in your ear of like, you need help, but there's this mentality and entrepreneurship of like, well, I can do it myself. And so he made a bold move, brought me in, but then there was that actuality of like, Oh, well now I have to share responsibilities. Now I have to think beyond myself.
Speaker 3:Now there's two of us that we have to manage, right? And I always try to communicate to them and to our staff like that was a big deal to like to risk that. Because I could have been a terrible partner. I could have been a terrible employee. And again, we were great friends, but friendship doesn't always translate into business.
Speaker 3:And so to take that risk and there's so much trust that was placed, it was just a really big inspiration for me now when we grow, it's kind of this whatever the job is or the task is as we share responsibilities or transition and pass torches, like it is a big deal and it's not easy, but it's something that from the start of like taking off the 13 hats that he wore, took six of them and then it was like, okay, we're pumping all cylinders. Like we need to hire a designer. And so there was always that reality check. Again, I think his background and my background, we do practice what we preach and that we always set our year goals. And then we have our plan for those goals, our marketing plan and strategic plan, and really hold ourselves accountable.
Speaker 3:So again, we're not just cutting corners or not making investments that are oftentimes scary as you grow of like, well, we need to bring on this or we need to bring on this new software or equipment and it's expensive and we're comfortable. So should we, shouldn't we? Like, we really try to hold ourselves accountable. And as we've grown, we've developed that accountability through different leadership structures throughout the team. But it is one of those things that I always think back to just the two of us.
Speaker 3:It's easier, but also now I think of like, how did we even do that?
Speaker 2:I've heard of lots of business partners that they're basically in couples therapy because that relationship, you're spending so much time together, you're making these really big important decisions, that it takes a lot of extra effort to manage that relationship on top Yeah. Of the day to day
Speaker 3:And luckily him and I are both Libras and we both love baseball. And so there's always, we always take a balanced approach to everything. And again, I think that was like, it was a little bit unfamiliar, I think, but now it's at the point where it is like, we always laugh because we're in such a relationship that there's trust and we think how each other thinks, but we always go back to the piece of like any big decision, like we really need to think through this and hold each other accountable, whether he thinks it or another member of the team thinks we should go in a direction. But it does, It was a wild change just going from two people. It was basically like two people, four people, eight people, and then has doubled and or gone close to that every year.
Speaker 3:And it's all around. And I learned this, I worked at Alaskan Brewing for seven years. Forecasting and having a plan to hit that forecast is super important. Otherwise you're just dreaming. And so there is that part of my job from the beginning has always been to forecast out what we think we're going to do for the next year and what relationships we have, what contracts we have, who we think we might be able to approach and offer this new service to.
Speaker 3:Because that's the other thing is we've added team members, we've developed our services. And so it's something that, I think I always, again, advocate to other small businesses when they're thinking about like applying their dream, whether it's starting a restaurant or whether it's starting a tourism business or getting into some form of production, like it's thinking of how you create sequences to really execute on the long term. And it's not just a day to day or month to month. It is really thinking like, okay, what does a year look like? And now we're at the size where it's like, what does three years look like?
Speaker 3:What does five years look like? And it is something that if you can do that, sky's the limit. Like people really do unlock a lot of opportunity.
Speaker 2:And how how I'm number of things that I wanna touch on, but one is how quickly things are changing. I do think in your field, especially AI and the different online resources that people have to do creative work. How is that impacting your business?
Speaker 3:You know, I think for us, it's interesting because we've gone through a couple of things. AI is the big one, which I'll get to, but we went through, when he and I started, we went through there's a big Adobe, what is that, upgrade? And Adobe started making their tools a lot easier. And it was like, oh my gosh, you know, our graphic designer, like there was that whole debate of like Adobe is going make tools so good, like you don't need it. And Todd has been in the photography business since he was, I think as he tells it, was like 12.
Speaker 3:He started doing like contract work. And so he actually owned KITZ Cameras. I don't know if you remember KITZ Cameras in Juno in the 80s, but it was a physical camera shop. And he kind of always talks about whenever employees get nervous about this question, there's just change that occurs. And I think if you're acknowledging change month over month, you adapt to it.
Speaker 3:So Adobe happened, Canva happened where Canva launched and it's even easier. And it was like, no one's going to need your services. So with AI, I think it's a tool that we use and we are upfront with our clients about it. We started creating solutions that are AI based. We started acknowledging in pitches what AI can and can't do.
Speaker 3:I think like any of those other software tools, it provides a lot of in house opportunity that is excellent for what we do because we don't survive as a marketing and PR company if people don't believe in it. And shockingly enough, there's a lot of people that don't believe in it and don't think marketing works. And I always say it's crazy, but it's still people have their own beliefs. And I always describe to, again, entrepreneurs or small business owners is like, you got to have a great accountant, right? If you don't have a great accountant, you're not going to do well.
Speaker 3:And you have to have a marketing plan because if nobody knows about you, there's no money. And so it's like, you can't have one without the other. And there's all these other aspects that come into creating a business that are really tempting, but with those two things are needed. So as it comes to AI, it's helped our bit like we've had even more growth because it's sparked, I think, a lot of curiosity. And I think like for our team, it's helped create scalable solutions and doing things like the biggest one, like transcription used to be like a painful service that was needed, but painful.
Speaker 3:One, because it was expensive and you had to find, we had a really talented person that could transcribe. But then it was one of those things that people were like, I don't want to have to pay for that, but I need it. And so it just wasn't a satisfactory service as opposed to like branding or video production where people see it and they're instantly in love with it. And so any services that are like painful like that, again, finding tools to make them again, a value add and not this thing of like, well, I don't want to pay you this, but I'm going to anyways. So like transcription and even some sort of redundant copywriting, like it's so helpful.
Speaker 3:And again, I think for us, like we just offer options on what we want to do. What I think is interesting for AI as a state is Alaska has notoriously been sort of a technological dead zone. So a lot of the experience and success that people are using in AIDAC down south were not exactly because there's not resources to pull from. So when it comes to imagery, like there's just not a lot of source materials. And again, I think that'll change over time, but it's still something that is not like a lot of people, you know, when they hear like, Oh, how are you doing?
Speaker 3:Are you doing okay? And it's like, Yeah, things are great because people are I really honestly do think like the more of those user friendly tools, it creates questions. And then also kind of like a doctor, a lawyer, things that you can again ask chat GBT, you can ask it, but you don't really comprehend it. And so that's where, again, a lot of our business marketing plans like that business has kind of picked up Cause you're like, well, I get this one, but it doesn't get me. And how can we build on it?
Speaker 3:So as of right now, it's been really beneficial for us both internally and externally. I think it's something that we always want to watch and keep tabs on. We're always educating ourselves. I think there's a lot of personal perspectives on it as well. We all, as staff members, you have personal perspectives, but currently we're kind of tying it to that same technical revolution of like going from film to digital, going from digital to the next level of digital mockups.
Speaker 3:I think there's this now magical creation as we describe it. It's only as good as I can think. And I do think it'll be interesting to see where it's in a year, five years. I think a lot of the hype around it is somewhat overblown just because of the money that's involved. And right now it's like the biggest fanciest thing that money is getting thrown at.
Speaker 3:So of course it's going to solve every problem and it's going to eliminate all these things. Yeah, we'll see.
Speaker 2:So in that suite of products and services that cedar group offers, do you have a favorite where you see just like this exponential value of the people at cedar group really providing a special service that someone wouldn't be able to get working internally?
Speaker 3:Yeah. I think for me, you know, with the work that I've done and what we pride ourselves in is creating a foundational relationship with a client that shows and proves out value again for marketing and PR, but mostly for our services. Because if we don't prove ourselves and prove that it works, it doesn't last very long. And we learned that early on when it was just Todd and myself. Like if we just do a project with no vision, the project's over and where's the next one?
Speaker 3:And you're kind of just left like, okay, and the person's happy, but it's just done. And so, we offered a couple of different services when it was just him and myself, But the big one that we still offer is our marketing blueprint. And we do a version where it's just marketing or we'll do a marketing and communications blueprint that really spans both spectrums. And I think that has led to so many beautiful relationships with clients because essentially what we're saying is let us introduce you to our planning process of how we look at the next year to three years and let us teach you how to do it. And if you want us to keep doing it after this, you know, we basically give you a three year plan.
Speaker 3:It should be tended to every year because things change like technology. But really we want to build something that lasts for three and then you can do it the next three. But how important that is and the epiphanies, the revelations, the satisfactions that occur out of that, that's what I get excited about. Now we've grown our team so much that everyone has their own favorite service, right? And so, you know, logo and brand design is huge for us.
Speaker 3:Production and storytelling is also very big. And then web design is another service that we offer that, again, we have a really talented team. And so those things all kind of speak for themselves as the CEO and as the person who has been there a long time. I always advocate again for value and it is like the person to person value you get through creating a realistic plan. And then you can show that return and you can prove out key performance indicators and all that.
Speaker 3:Like that's really, it's really impactful.
Speaker 2:Do you have a client or a relationship that's been built over your career that's kind of given you that full circle that's impacted you that you remember as formative?
Speaker 3:Oh my goodness. I mean, there's a lot of formative memories. I think, you know, probably have, as it relates to the blueprint, we did some really impactful work with Spruce Root about two years ago. That was super helpful. And we started with a blueprint and it coincidentally happened to where we created the plan and then they had a staff roll over.
Speaker 3:And so because they had this plan laid out, there wasn't really a beat skipped. And then flash forward a year later, they had filled that position and passed the torch. And so it was a good it was a really good client, satisfied. What could have been very challenging wasn't because there was a plan laid out for it and then they were able to fill it and we still work with them on various projects. But it was something that again, like it did what it needed to do.
Speaker 3:On the other side, I think there's a lot of clients that we have that they don't always like approaching somebody and saying, you know, this is an introduction and we want to create your marketing and PR plan is a really tough sell. And so a lot of the projects we do get are foot in the door projects we call where we'll win a website RFP or we will get solicited to do, you know, or invited to a proposal for a branding project. Through each of those two that I just mentioned and everything we do, we've been really deliberate in creating process that our clients can follow. And it alludes back to the planning. And so usually there's enough satisfaction within one of those services that they're like, I remember you talking about creating a plan.
Speaker 3:And so there's a good, you know, again, kind of a loop that's created. And so a lot of plans come out of that. But we always try to approach all of our relationships with a ton of respect, knowing that like we're a partner and a contractor amongst many. We work with a lot of other contractors. And so really trying to be organization first and kind of operate within a role is super important.
Speaker 3:But those are kind of two scenarios I would say. There's a lot of course over the seven years that I've been there, there's a lot of lessons learned, which I'd love to talk about because I do think it's valuable and no one talks about. There's just all of those risks that I think I see people that are getting into their business space, like not wanna talk about because it's scary or you feel ashamed of like, I should know this. And it's impossible to know everything. So you can also ask me some of the worst experiences.
Speaker 2:Feel I'm gonna ask you one workforce question and then we can
Speaker 3:Sure.
Speaker 2:We can end on some huge failures. If that's the way Lessons you wanna go learned. I'm curious in your workforce. Like you talked about Spruce Street having turnover and how important it was to have a plan, created some, consistency through that. I had the great experience of working with cedar group for the chambers rebrand.
Speaker 2:And those personal relationships with the cedar group staff that we were working with, and specifically the artists that we were working with, felt like a big part. So, yes, the process was valuable, but I also felt like the graphic designer that you guys brought on brought her own special talent to that work. How do you deal with workforce shifts like that where the creative work does rely on a certain amount of personality and personal talent?
Speaker 3:So for hiring, we've learned a lot. And this actually, I'll draw all the way back to Todd and myself are big believers in sort of this baseball istic philosophy of like, your team's never going to be together forever, right? You want to create a system, right? You want to have a plan and you want to have some core values and some sort of philosophy for people to be able to buy into if they want to join the team. And so we've created those and then we go out just as most people do to recruit and try to fill positions.
Speaker 3:But really for us trying to find the right people. One, there's a lot of instinct that we use, but really about, I think it was about five years ago, we created three core values that were really out of Todd, Ann Weske and myself's views on how we were picking people. Because everyone's like, Oh my gosh, you're so successful. Like how lucky or how you guys just seem like you're in a good streak of hiring. Like we can't hire anyone.
Speaker 3:And it's like, well, I don't think we're lucky. I think we just have a collective perspective on who we want on our team based off of, you know, those other three things of like who's going to buy into this and really be successful here. And so when we had, you know, I think it was like two sessions on what we thought would make an ideal employee and what those core values were. And for all three of us, empathy, respect, hard work were three key values. And we intentionally ordered them in that way because I think it's really easy to create connections with employees.
Speaker 3:Empathy is really hard because it goes both ways. And I think as employers a lot of times and now more than ever, there's an expectation that you meet your employee where they're at. But it does go both ways. The answer is not always yes. And the answer is not always like, okay, we'll see if we can make it work.
Speaker 3:Like there's a deep understanding of what I have to go through and what Tato has to go through or what the team has to go through in order to communicate back and forth. And so we weave empathy, respect, hard work into those job interviews and really try to gain. And then there's the intangibles about what do they do within the community, What inspires them? And I think, you know, again, we have two round interview process, one that just looks for those first core values. Do they connect?
Speaker 3:And then one that's actually job which is a bit interesting just from what we hear in feedback, because it's always a bit like, Oh, I was so nervous on that first one, but you guys just made me feel so comfortable. Like, I'm so, and again, it's like, well, I'm glad because we're just having a conversation. So if you didn't feel comfortable in a conversation, you're not going to, it's not going to work. But just doing that, we get to try to meet them as a person before we gauge their skill. And I think before doing that, when we just did it with no rhyme or reason, our success rate was lower in that we would find really talented people.
Speaker 3:But like you described in your experience, the customer service, the listening, the empathy wasn't there. And so there was a lot of talk at you to clients. And that again, to lessons learned doesn't last very long. That got a lot of phone calls to me of like, hey. And so again, it's just something that we've learned, I think, to make sure that we're try and trying again on some of these lessons learned.
Speaker 3:Because again, from the moment we hired our first person, we put out an Indeed ad and got an applicant. We had a referral from a friend, like all the Juno things, I know a guy or know a person, know a woman. And it's like, there's no right way to do it. But I do think having that system and what what and how they're gonna work best for you is super important.
Speaker 2:Hey. It's not surprising to me that someone who tells stories for a living, we're running out of time. So you get the chance to share at least one more, key lesson learned if you can pass something on to somebody starting out, what's a key lesson?
Speaker 3:So key lesson for somebody starting out, I mean, it might sound a little, what is it? It might sound like a little predictable, but I do think not being afraid to fail. Like I described at the very beginning of this conversation, I was lucky enough to have some really solid mentors, not in this space, but just mentors in life. And I think that those are the people that can hold you accountable for trying and failing. And as business owners, like I have unfortunately met a lot of business owners that are so prideful they never fail.
Speaker 3:And I just don't buy into that. We have failed so many times. We just try to hold ourselves accountable so we don't make the same mistake again. And that can be tough, but it is again about the empathy piece of like understanding it, acknowledging it. So we know, you know, my success might not be your success.
Speaker 3:And it's like, oh, well then that's not a true success because if I'm feeling really great about this and you're miserable, like this is terrible. So yeah, I think not being afraid to fail and like really understanding what success looks like is super important. And you can only do that by having people that hold you accountable and that's mentors. So I've always tried to put it out there, you know, from a marketing and PR space. Yes, we sell a service, but if there's something that you're losing sleep over or you can't quite figure out, call and ask.
Speaker 3:Because if I don't know, chances are I can refer you to somebody. And that's where, again, the Chamber is like so helpful because Chamber member, LG Rayfield, they're our accountants now. They weren't always in through conversations with Mark at Chamber, he's like, I really think you guys are at a level we could help you out. And we had an accountant. It just wasn't an accountant.
Speaker 3:It was an accountant for two people, not an organization. So there's just those things that I probably wouldn't have made that decision sooner. And again, what a beautiful thing. And it was acknowledging to a fellow chamber member failure. Like, gosh, this just seems so hard.
Speaker 3:I just can't. Again, if I were to just go, Oh yeah, things are great. No problem. Like things were growing. Things like that's just not real.
Speaker 3:And so again, not being afraid to fail and admit it, keeping your mentors close and accountable is super important.
Speaker 2:All right. Well, I feel like we can have a crossover follow-up on parenting and just slide that advice right into there. But for folks that might not have caught at the beginning, that was just a chat with Will Race, partner CEO of cedar group. And thanks so much. We, I hope we get to talk to you again.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I can't wait to come back.
Speaker 1:You've been listening to Business Voices Juno. Subscribe everywhere you listen to your favorite broadcast. Share the episode and learn more about the Juno Chamber of Commerce at Juno Chamber dot com.