Business Profile

Title and firm: Sasha Soboleff is co-owner with Andrew Lee of Gold Panner Embroidery, a new shop downtown.

• Photos

Services: The company specializes in embroidery for logos on T-shirts, hats and jackets. Soboleff and Lee also can digitize photos or graphic impressions to put on mugs, pens and other merchandise.

The partners said they received special training in Seattle to be able to offer this service to Juneau.

Customers can also get mail-order sporting goods from the store with the promise the company will try to get it to them in three to seven days, Soboleff said.

Soboleff said the company's goal is to get people mail-ordered goods faster than any other out-of-state company, which can have 21- to 31-day delivery times.

He also said they plan to develop their own line of merchandise bearing an Alaska logo for the company.

Quotable: "He's the marketing guy that takes us where we need to be," Soboleff said of his partnership with Lee. "And I'm the hands-on, fix-it guy that goes where he says."

Background: Soboleff was born and raised in Juneau. After getting a bachelor of science degree from Lewis and Clark College, he went on to get advanced degrees from Divinity United Presbyterian College, Dubuque Theological Seminary and Seattle University.

Soboleff began teaching in Juneau in 1970. He spent some time as superintendent for the Hydaburg School District and rose through the ranks at Juneau-Douglas High School and retired after serving as principal.

He said he wanted to start the embroidery business seven years ago when he and his wife honeymooned in Cancun. He said he saw it could be a lucrative and busy business and thought it would be a great asset for Juneau.

Soboleff and Lee opened for business in late October.

Family: Soboleff lives in Juneau with his wife, Claudia, and their children Entienne, 4, and Alexander, 6.

Contact information: Gold Panner Embroidery is at 173 South Franklin St., Suite 3. For more information call 463-3667.