Making Waves: Best startups from 2023

Although relatively small, Aurora is looking to hire additional technicians this summer. The Laceys hope to expand into Fairbanks in the next few years, with smaller offerings on the Kenai Peninsula. They’re also considering the idea of franchising once they have established at least three brick-and-mortar locations.

“I think franchising is easily doable,” Lacey says, envisioning the Aurora brand spreading nationwide. “It could be located in any metropolis and do well virtually overnight with some advertising dollars behind it.”

In addition to marketing support, the Laceys believe that a lot of Aurora Security’s success comes as the result of word-of-mouth advertising from satisfied clients. Lacey adds that he is also heavily involved in the community as the father of two small children, attending wrestling, football, band, and track events and “whatever else we can squeeze in to torture ourselves.” That involvement reflects well on his brand.

“Though Alaska’s landmass is huge, it’s actually a lot of very small towns, where if you’re not doing things the right way for the right reasons, you get weeded out very quickly,” he says of his company’s success. “We make sure we’re doing things the right way, which is from the heart.”

Glow Events AK

When Julie Matsumiya and her sister-in-law, Abby Medez, were both pregnant, they found joy in planning their children’s christenings and realized that they shared a love for event planning.

“We realized that we could do this full time,” says Matsumiya. Thus, she started Glow Events AK last August with her sister, Lucky Limtiaco, in partnership with Medez. “We didn’t even do any research before we started; we just loved the idea and had a passion for it, so we went all in,” she says.

The business is headquartered in Anchorage and has recently had inquiries to plan weddings in Palmer, Wasilla, and even Hawai’i.

“While we are willing to travel and branch out, we’re happy where we are right now,” says Matsumiya. “We want to perfect our craft in Anchorage first. Then if the opportunity comes to travel, we’ll take it.”

Glow Events AK specializes in planning, decorating, and stylizing a range of celebrations, from weddings and milestone anniversaries to birthdays, baby showers, and more.

“There is no such thing as a too-small or too-big event; we can handle celebrations of all sizes,” says Matsumiya, who adds that the company’s first job came from a very pregnant client who did not have the energy to plan a baby shower.

Glow Events AK recently planned the 50th anniversary celebration of the Narcotic Drug Treatment Center, an organization that provides medication-assisted treatment for individuals with an opioid use disorder, as well as individual counseling and group therapy. The party at the Hotel Captain Cook Quarter Deck with more than 200 people was a resounding success.

“We helped create an event that was very memorable for them,” says Matsumiya.

She adds that Glow Events AK spends time getting to know its clients so that it can customize their events. This also helps to create long-lasting relationships and, in turn, more business. Many of the company’s new clients come from word-of-mouth, and it also posts information on social media, especially Instagram.

“My business card is my personality; I take the time to get to know our clients and really listen to them,” says Matsumiya. “I think that in addition to the talent of our team and the time that we spend in planning and decorating, our personalities shine. This creates real relationships, and the clients we work with then recommend us to others.”

While Matsumiya loves all the events that she helps organize, she is especially fond of baby showers. “We recently did a Heaven Sent baby shower and it was the most beautiful set-up we’ve ever done by far,” she says. “We didn’t know the gender of the baby and just went into the event space and did what we love to do, creating the space that the client wanted.” Heaven Sent is a popular, non-trademarked theme for baby showers.

“It was special because our client really trusted our vision and the process and planning of the whole event. She was in awe when it was finished,” Matsumiya adds. “Two weeks later, she had her baby. The fact that she trusted us was very special.”

The Glow Events AK team is working to continue to improve their product and craft as they approach their second year in business. “There’s no such thing as perfection, and experience is by far the best teacher,” says Matsumiya. “As long as we make our clients happy, we’re happy, though our goal is always to get better at what we do.”

Peak Integrated Contracting

When he was 16 years old, Anthony Pickens started remodeling homes with friends and thought that he would eventually run his own business. Instead, he ended up in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers powerline program when he was 23, which led to a successful career as a lineman.

“I had a fantastic career, and I loved the work, but now I’m ready for something different,” he recalls thinking last year. “I went back to my roots. I’d been doing remodels on the side for fifteen years and ultimately decided to go for it.”

Pickens started Peak Integrated Contracting last October, mainly serving clients in the Anchorage area. “This past winter, our focus was on home remodels—kitchens, bathrooms, family rooms, multipurpose rooms,” he explains, highlighting that the company’s residential endorsement allows them to build brand new homes from the ground up. However, the weather had other plans.“We had the opportunity to tackle record-breaking snowfalls, which turned out to be a great addition to our services,” Pickens says. “With my truck equipped with a plow and a tractor with a snowblower, we were able to assist homeowners who had challenging driveways that couldn’t be plowed easily. This allowed us to expand our services and better support our community.” That extra service earned enough votes to win Best Snow Removal as well.

With summer now approaching, the company has shifted gears into warm weather projects, including home remodels and building decks and sheds. Peak Integrated also provides maintenance—the handyman portion of the business—for those who need assistance with odd jobs.

He’s picked up gigs at the Anchorage senior activities center where his wife works as a fitness manager. While Pickens was performing maintenance there, he tapped into a lot of seniors who need help at their homes. Pickens says, “I put my information out there, and it’s been really fulfilling to be able to do something that helps our seniors.”

When remodeling a home, Peak Integrated focuses on reusability by acquiring materials from Habitat for Humanity and Facebook Marketplace, along with other second-hand providers, if the client approves.

“I take cabinets in less-than-ideal condition and can make them look brand new to install in people’s homes,” Pickens says. “I try to shop locally and have established good relationships with the local hardware stores.”

While the start-up win came as a shock, not to mention ranking alongside large companies in the Best General Contractor category, Pickens credits it to the fact that he leads his company with a customer-first mentality.

“Customer service is like a second thought on most construction projects—they want to get in, do the work, and get out,” he says. “I focus a lot on the customer service side of things. I truly take pride in the work that we do.”

He adds, “I’m not finished until the customer is happy. I don’t know if that’s why we got chosen, but I’m assuming that’s what set us apart.”

Pickens’ goals include growing the company from a small shop into a full competitor in the marketplace, expanding his reach into all of Alaska, including remote villages.

“I want to take on bigger projects while still maintaining our handyman branch so that people can call when they need help,” he says. “We can take care of their homes in ways they don’t know how to.”