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Small Business: Changes in store for entrepreneur

Published on November 16th, 2009

By ROSE COX

Hard work and unwavering dedication are the secrets to a successful business, said Melvin Squartsoff, winner of the Alaska Federation of Native's 2009 Small Business award.

"You have to put your heart into it," said Squartsoff, 52.

The second-youngest of Peter and Mary Squartsoff's 12 children, he was born in the rural village of Ouzinkie on Kodiak Island. He has lived in Port Lion's on the north end of the island since 1981.

He started his fishing career as a commercial setnetter at age 17. After two decades of setnetting, he opened the retail grocer store Settler's Cove Market in Port Lion's.

He started guiding fishermen and duck hunters in his 26-foot Sea Wolf aluminum vessel Kekur Point in 1997, as the owner of Kizhuyuk Charters. He continued to setnet with the help of hired crew.

When Western Pioneer Shipping Co., the freight link from Seattle to Port Lions, folded in 1996, his grocery store business cratered.

"That basically put us out of business," he said. "Freight prices tripled."

But the store struggled on with a private freight service one last year, while the Kodiak High School grad juggled all three endeavors.

"It basically comes down to priorities, and which fire you need to put out first," he said as he took a break one recent day from ordering boat parts to remodel an aluminum skiff into a setnet boat. "You have to have good employees you can trust, and be able to delegate responsibly."

Squartsoff converted the failed store into Kodiak Paradise Lodge, a full-service, year-round establishment that employs eight workers. His three daughters all work in the family businesses: daughter Sara, 25, Lisa, 22, and Lacy, 19.

Tying the lodge in with the charter business has been rewarding, he said.

"It streamlined things a bit. It's not off in a whole different tangent, like having a grocery store."

He contracts with three other guides and their boats to service 50 or 60 fishing clients who arrive from the Midwest and West Coast from June to mid-September each year to fish halibut, rock fish, ling cod, Dolly Varden trout, steelhead and all five species of salmon.

Many are repeat customers, including a 12-member group that gathers each year from China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Australia, Russia and other countries.

In December and January, the lodge caters to waterfowl hunters.

The customer service lessons he learned as a grocer have served his guiding and lodge business well, he said.

"Quality and customer service is our priority. We go all out to make sure they're taken care of and satisfied. Return clientele are what it's all about in this business."