Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation

This month, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC) will reach a monumental accomplishment. The Alaska Native village corporation—which incorporated on April 19, 1973 in Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow)— is turning fifty. “We can’t wait to celebrate this milestone with our shareholders, our Barrow community, and all our employees,” says CEO Pearl K. Brower, PhD.

For its next significant step, UIC will begin issuing fifty Class B shares of its stock to first-generation descendants of original shareholders this year. And in 2025, secondgeneration descendants of original shareholders will start reaping the same benefits. “This is a huge milestone for UIC, and it’s an incredible way to engage the next generation of shareholders into our company,” Brower says, who took the helm at UIC in April 2022.

UIC is also diligently working to rethink how it engages shareholders in workforce development and training opportunities to better equip them to operate in its companies, across the state, and beyond. These kinds of investments reflect UIC’s perpetual commitment to build foundations for the future for its more than 3,000 shareholders.

Strategic Evolution

As one of about 200 Alaska Native village corporations established under the Alaska

Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, UIC has come a long way from its humble origins. It began formal operations in July of 1973 with just three employees: Arthur Panigeo, president; Wesley Aiken, land chief; and Lucille Adams. The next year, UIC initiated its first major purchase— Shontz Store—and continued to grow strategically. Today, UIC’s diverse family of companies offers a wide variety of services and support to the federal government, commercial clients, and defense and civilian government agencies throughout Alaska, the United States, and the world.

Currently, UIC is Alaska’s tenth-largest local company by revenue. It has 290 locations worldwide, 3,600 employees—more than 500 of whom reside in Alaska—and more than sixty subsidiaries in more than twenty-five industries, ranging from oil and gas and construction to commercial and government services. “Fifty years ago, we were this tiny, fledgling company on the very edge of the Arctic Ocean,” Brower says. “Where we are now is an incredible testament to the past leaders and employees of the corporation.”

Focus On People And The Future

Brower credits much of UIC’s success to its ability to watch the market and understand what is happening in the world while also looking toward the future. Other key contributors to the corporation’s progression are its dedicated employees, high-caliber executive leadership team, and strong board—which focuses on working for the benefit of its people and shareholders.

“We think about our people, our shareholders, and that has really driven our company forward,” Brower says.

Now as UIC proudly celebrates its fifty-year anniversary, the corporation is working toward the next big step in its evolution: to become one of Alaska’s top three companies by 2030. “We’re open for business,” Brower says. “We want to be your goto company for whatever you need—and our track record shows that we do a fantastic job both in Alaska and beyond.”

According to Emilee Matthews, 3-Tier Alaska’s project manager of operations and survey technician, the company has provided ample time to further her education and to learn other aspects of engineering and surveying. “There is flexibility in finding my own groove. There isn’t one way to do something in our industry, and our leaders have never shied away from letting us try new approaches,” she says.

Transparency Is a Two-Way Street

In a recent study by McKinsey & Company, younger generations, particularly millennials and Gen Z, now expect full transparency. They want to know what is expected of them to advance in their career and what it takes to succeed not only as an individual contributor but as a potential manager or leader. Managers and their direct reports should meet regularly and at specified times during the year to discuss career goals and job priorities so that they always know where they stand and what’s expected of them.

However, transparency and expectations go both ways. A key metric of our success is that our employees collaborate on projects and understand how their role and work contributes to the bigger picture and future projects. It is important, for example, that a survey technician understands their environmental division peer’s role to effectively share insight or sell services, even if it’s not specific to their discipline. This understanding goes a long way with clients and can often make or break the success of a project.

Employees Are Driven by Purpose

This may be true for most employees but especially those who are new to the workforce. McKinsey & Company’s recent workplace study confirms Gen Z is a purpose-driven generation. Their desire to know how their contributions support the organization’s mission and why their role matters differentiates them. They make career choices based on the impact it can have on society or toward a greater purpose. It’s important that leadership takes the time to explain how broader