Obituary: Eric McDowell

Eric McDowell, the founder of Alaska-based research and consulting firm McDowell Group, died on Monday in hospital in Seattle, following a brief illness. He was 69 years old.

McDowell was born in Juneau, raised in Haines, and educated at the University of Alaska Fairbanks where he received a BA in Psychology; and at the University of Oregon, where he was awarded an MBA in Marketing/Marketing Research.

He set up McDowell Group in 1972 to offer a range of economic research, planning and development, consulting, and survey research services for Alaskan tourism, seafood, forest products and mining organizations.

McDowell made a career of studying Alaska and his professional passions included Alaska Native corporate and tribal interests, strategic planning and facilitation, Alaska's seafood and tourism industries, and helping address the state's major social issues.

Under his leadership in the 1980s, McDowell Group conducted visitor survey research such as the Alaska Visitors Statistics Program, and he also designed the original Alaska Geographic Cost Differential Study that examined the cost of living throughout urban and rural Alaska.

In recent years, McDowell enjoyed partial retirement, while continuing to work for the firm as a facilitator on special projects, and providing consultancy for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, the University of Alaska, and a variety of local corporations and organizations.

The firm's Group Managing Principal Jim Calvin comments: 'Eric was a brilliant researcher, consultant and facilitator. More important, he cared deeply about the clients he served, especially the communities and organizations focused on improving the socioeconomic wellbeing of Alaskans. Eric's wisdom will be sorely missed by all of us at McDowell Group and the many clients he has served over the years.'

Described as a 'lifetime basketball junkie', McDowell played competitively at age 65. In addition, he served on the Board of the Alaska Pacific Bank and was a past Board member of the Healing hand Foundation and the Rainforest Recovery Center. He also had more than 30 years' experience as a commercial salmon troller.

McDowell is survived by a son, Chris, and his partner Lana Tolls. Services are planned for Aug. 22 in Juneau.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.