Jonathan Bittner and Kendra Conroy
Recorded
June 13, 2025
42:54 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
ddc002694
Description
Colleagues John Bittner (46) and Kendra Conroy (56) meet at the SAC Library in Anchorage, Alaska and reflect on their experience leading the Alaska Small Business Development Center's response during the COVID-19 pandemic.Subject Log / Time Code
John Bittner (JB) and Kendra Conroy (KC) provide introductions and discuss JB's canceled family trip to New York that would have placed them at COVID-19 ground zero.
The colleagues reflect on transitioning their statewide organization to remote work and conducting a "commando raid" to retrieve office equipment from their locked workplace.
JB and KC exchange memories of the mental shift from pandemic novelty to exhaustion and the overwhelming influx of crisis calls from failing businesses.
The pair discuss their innovative Small Business Administration information gathering and creation of daily briefings that became a critical statewide resource for six months.
JB and KC talk about how the pandemic elevated their organization's visibility and led to new government partnerships and national recognition.
The colleagues reminisce about staff morale activities during quarantine, including online gaming sessions and coordinated care package deliveries across Alaska.
JB and KC reflect on the mental health toll of constant crisis counseling and the emotional burden of helping desperate business owners.
The pair discuss handling both tragedy and opportunism, including moments of frustration with the disparity between genuine need and program exploitation.
JB and KC conclude by reflecting on their pride in their organization's leadership during the crisis and the comprehensive support they provided to Alaska's business community.
Participants
- Jonathan Bittner
- Kendra Conroy
Recording Locations
Anchorage Public LibraryVenue / Recording Kit
Tier
Partnership Type
Fee for ServiceKeywords
- Alaska SBDC
- Alaska Small Business Development Center
- among us
- business crisis counseling
- Community leadership
- COVID-19 pandemic response
- daily briefings
- data visualization
- economic projections
- EIDL loans
- emotional support
- ergonomic challenges
- family decisions
- federal funding distribution
- memories of growing up
- mental health challenges
- misinformation management
- New York outbreak
- Paycheck Protection Program
- pizza delivery logistics
- quarantine policies
- remote work transition
- retirement planning disruption
- SBA programs
- staff management
- staff morale activities
- statewide coordination
- video conferencing