Project W's community–Women Advancing a Prosperous Alaska (WAPAK)–hosted a networking and shopping event at Anchorage local business Alaska Mill & Feed on October 29, 2024. Organized by WAPAK leaders Liz Hodes and Anne Marie Tavella, the event featured a Q&A with Linda Leary, owner of FisheWear, an outdoor clothing and gear brand focused on giving women confidence to enjoy the outdoors. Leary, who spent more than 30 years as a partner in a successful trucking and transportation company, Carlile Transportation Systems, spoke about how she maintained her work-life balance while serving as President of that company and raising two children. She also discussed her transition from the trucking industry into starting FisheWear and how she utilized her long-time connections from her prior career to foster her new business.
Following the Q&A, attendees networked while shopping through the store's merchandise, which largely consists of items made by local Alaska businesses. The event highlighted the indomitable nature of Alaskan women as more than a foot of snow fell between October 28 and 29 for Anchorage's first major snowstorm of the season, which did not deter attendees. When noting the turnout at the close of the event, Leary stated with a shrug, "Alaska women are tough."
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