Lorie Koppenberg email: dlkalaska@hotmail.com
Palmer , AK
State why you wish to serve on the Board of Directors.
In the spring of this year when the log cabin vendors were notified by the Administration of their intention to remove those landmark structures, the timing and delivery of that decision and the impact on the involved vendors sent a ripple through the vendor community and the state fair community. Since that time, I have been asked by many Alaska State Fair members and community members to consider running for the Board of Directors. Their confidence in me, the support of my family, and my own desire to participate in the development and direction of the Alaska State Fair inspire my decision to run for this position.
Summarize employment experience; include work with budgets and supervisory duties.
My husband Dale and I own and operate Vagabond Blues and The Purple Moose, two successful Palmer businesses, which currently employ 22 people. During the eight years we have owned the businesses, I have been responsible for day to day budget management and staffing, as well as overseeing a major remodel requiring interaction with various state and city agencies and contractors insuring the project was completed on time and within budget. Prior to owning the businesses, I began my work experience at the Valley Hotel as a dishwasher when I was 13 years old. I was employed at the Valley Hotel for 10 years progressing from dishwasher, to waitress, to waitress manager. I attended a two year business college and obtained a paralegal certificate. After graduating, I worked for a law firm in Anchorage for four years. Tiring of the commute to Anchorage, I sought employment in the Valley. I obtained a position at the Alaska Courthouse in Palmer as secretary to its Superior Court Judge. I remained in that position for five years, then moved on to private firms in the Valley for a few more years before having my first son.
List any volunteer activities, including board experience.
Most recently I was involved with the Palmer Wasilla Highway Eastern Terminus Citizens Advisory Committee, formerly known as the Palmer One-Way Couplet. This project had potentially damaging economic impacts on the City of Palmer, small businesses, and homeowners. City Council passed a resolution to move forward with DOT’s plans with the little community input. I made a concerted effort to get the word out to the community asking for their support to not let a three-lane, one way road come through the middle of downtown Palmer. City Council rescinded its Resolution, allowing a citizen’s advisory committee to be formed to provide public input into the final plan. We succeeded and two years after DOT presented its initial plan, the Committee presented options to the public and a better choice was selected by the people . I was named Business Person of the Year 2009 for being a voice of the community.
Vagabond Blues and Purple Moose sponsored a Christmas Tree for Special Santa. The tree was auctioned off at the Alaska State Fair’s Holiday Ball 2010. Vagabond Blues and Purple Moose were co-sponsors of the 2011 Alaska State Fair Parade. Vagabond Blues is a member of and contributor to the Palmer Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Palmer Merchants and Alaska Vendors Association.
How long have you been an Alaska State Fair member?
Lifetime Member 12 years
How have you participated in the Fair in the past?
I have participated in the Fair as fairgoer, vendor employee, vendor and mother. My first experience was seeing the fair through teenage eyes enthralled at the fun available in our little town and as an employee at Pizza Hut and how exciting it was to work at the fair. As a young adult that looked forward to the fair each summer to see what entertainment was in store. As a vendor that was selected for the 18-day fair to offer up healthy choices to nourish the fairgoer so they could enjoy all the fair has to offer. As a mother with two children who start asking “when does the fair start?” within weeks of it finishing.
Vagabond Blues has two booths at the Alaska State Fair. We applied for our food booth in 1996 to offer healthy alternatives and continued to apply until it was accepted in 1998. At the request of fairgoers and loyal Vagabond Blues friends, we applied to set up a coffee booth at the fair. Vagabond Blues was accepted in 2007 to do just that.
Summarize what you value most about the Fair. State your specific areas of interest.
Community and the love for Alaska as a whole! The Alaska State Fair represents what is right about our country: Family, Friends, Fun and the overall goodness one encounters when coming to our fair. It is important to honor the fair’s roots from its inception in 1936 as the Matanuska Valley Fair Association to its current status as Alaska’s largest gathering. It is important to acknowledge our farmers and colonists and their contribution that made the fair come to be, including world recognition for the incredibly large produce and flowers offered up each year that has enticed many visitors to our State just to see them.
What is your vision for the Fair, and do you have specific goals?
Because the Fair is a member-driven organization, my goals will be influenced by what members are asking them to be. The Alaska State Fair has charm, a uniqueness that I have not felt at other fairs I have attended. My vision is to help maintain our Alaskan Flavor so as to not become like fairs in the lower 48. That doesn’t mean to hamper growth—it means growth should be handled in a way that reflects Alaska and the community in which the fair resides, and to always remember the Colonists and the reason they sought to celebrate; a sense of accomplishment and community.