The Story Behind the Numbers: Meilani Schijvens on Business, Data and Juneau’s Future

In this episode of Business Voices, Juneau Chamber Executive Director Becca Parks sits down with Rain Coast Data Director Meilani Schijvens for a wide-ranging conversation about business, entrepreneurship, and the power of good information.Meilani shares how an early business failure helped shape the discipline and focus behind the company she runs today, a data and economic publications firm focused largely on Southeast Alaska. The conversation explores how data can help communities cut through the noise, understand where the economy is headed, and make better decisions about housing, tourism, health care, the workforce, and long-term planning.The episode also gets into the realities of running a business in Juneau: taking the leap, building trust, relying on relationships, doing excellent work, and creating a reputation so strong that opportunities begin to come through the door.From AI and federal data interruptions to Juneau’s evolving economy and the very different housing challenges facing Southeast Alaska communities, this episode is a reminder that numbers are not just numbers. In the right hands, they tell the story of who we are, what is changing, and what we need to pay attention to next.