A Model for
Identifying the
Composition of
Regional Marine
Industry Sectors
Doug Ward,
Senior Project Manager
Doug.ward@akship.com
Jason Custer,
Project Coordinator
jasonryancuster@gmail.com
www.ketchikanmarineindustry.com
February, 2013
KMIC Activities Include:
Marketing: Develop information and tools to respond to
opportunities; showcase regional marine businesses and
infrastructure; promote strategic advantages of
Ketchikan’s marine industry sector; and more.
(KMIC is currently developing a new marketing effort to increase
regional competitiveness with the Gulf of Mexico.)
Policy: Provide industry perspective in support of local,
regional, and State marine sector research and
policymaking. (Ex: Alaska Workforce Investment Board;
University of Alaska FSMI Workforce Development Plan)
Research: Identify and report on the composition and
value of Ketchikan’s marine industry sector. (Historically
misunderstood and undervalued sector, due to
extensive cross-cutting subsectors). Identify, track, and
provide information regarding economic opportunities.
www.ketchikanmarineindustry.com
212 Ketchikan Marine Industry Businesses in 9 Parent Categories
Visitor Industry
(Marine), 31, 15%
Government, 3,
1%
Shipbuilding &
Repair, 6, 3%
Allied Industries,
50, 24%

Marine Vendor
Base, 44, 21%
212 Businesses in 9 Parent
Marine Civil
Construction, 7,
3%
Categories

Estimated 1,745 Employees

Average Marine Wages : $71,964
Marine
Transportation &
Logistics, 17, 8%
(Source: SE Conference/BEA)


Rapid Wage Growth: $62,664 (2009) to
$71,964 (2010) (Source: SE Conference/BEA)
216% growth in contribution to State
GDP between 1997 and 2010 (Source:
BEA dataset for “Water Transportation” Industry)

Most economic activity in Ketchikan and
Alaska is marine-dependent
www.ketchikanmarineindustry.com
Professional
Services, 41, 19%
Ports, Harbors, &
Infrastructure, 13,
6%
Note: Not reflective of business volume.
Identifying Your Industry Sector
Utilize researchers with existing knowledge of the local marine industry sector.
Begin by working with primary sources for data:
1. Business License Directory (AK Depart. Of Commerce)
-- Will identify all businesses which are licensed using an address in your community
-- http://commerce.alaska.gov/CBP/Main/SearchInfo.aspx
2. Chamber of Commerce Directory
-- Will identify additional businesses which may have licenses using addresses outside of
your community.
3. Other professional associations and business directories for your community.
4. Plan holders’ lists for marine sector projects. These often include subcontractors
and suppliers -- as well as contractors -- with current or prospective interest within
your community, and are reflective of ongoing, real world practice.
Industry Verification: Use concise, well-organized one-on-one contact
with industry leadership to verify findings, fill in “gaps,” and collect
additional information.
www.ketchikanmarineindustry.com
Tips for Organizing Your Sector
Develop a taxonomy /
system of organization
reflective of how the
private sector views the
vendor base, supply chain,
professional services, etc.
Verify with industry.
Examine private industry
publications and
directories.
Ex: Davison’s Marine Yellow Pages,
Marine Log magazine, Marina Dock
Age, etc. These resources contain
systems of taxonomy / organization
which reflect private sector practices
and business relationships.
www.ketchikanmarineindustry.com
Display or “map” info in
different formats for
different user types.
KMIC uses everything from one page
summaries, to “mind map” software, to
databases, to geospatial systems (Google
Earth). Recently commissioned professional
“sector map” portal similar to St. John’s /
Newfoundland model.
Don’t get bogged down by
institutional systems
(ex: NAICS).
These systems can be poorly suited to
describing industry sectors in a manner
which takes into account industry
vendor base, supply chain relationships,
professional services, supporting
infrastructure, etc., because that is not
really their purpose.
Tips for Successful Research
and Industry Engagement
 Always
show respect for the value of industry time
 Seek
industry input and verification after you
thoroughly examine existing primary information.
Use industry time / perspective to verify research
and fill in knowledge gaps.
 Industry
tends to prefer one-on-one contact via
concise workplace visits, or phone calls.
www.ketchikanmarineindustry.com
Let’s GET TO WORK!
-- Apply the KMIC Model to your community / region’s marine
industry sector.
-- Apply the KMIC model to other industry sectors.
(What would mining look like?)
Additional info / detail, plus Ketchikan region reports
available at www.ketchikanmarineindustry.com
Doug Ward,
Senior Project Manager
Doug.ward@akship.com
www.ketchikanmarineindustry.com
Jason Custer,
Project Coordinator
jasonryancuster@gmail.com