Alaska Business October 2022

By Tracy Barbour

By Vanessa Orr

By Vanessa Orr

By Rachael Kvapil

CONTENTS

SPECIAL SECTION: TOP 49ERS

48 TOP 49ERS

84 THE TOP 49ERS CHOOSE GROWTH

90 A NEW RECRUIT AND OLD 49ERS FRIENDS

Craig Taylor Equipment, Alaska USA, and Northrim join the 2022 list

By Katie Pesznecker

96 FUTURE 49ERS

Bailey’s Furniture and Sourdough Express

By Alexandra Kay

102 TELL YOUR STORY

How to capture and create a brand identity

By Kaylee Devine

You stand at the threshold of a great endeavor. Ahead stretch many paths, but truly the way forward is a single step: one courageous choice. You must decide which fork to take, braving unknown perils in search of hoped-for rewards.

You are not alone. These are the same paths that enterprising spirits have taken to become Alaska’s Top 49ers. Their bold choices have led to success in the fields of aviation, tourism, oil and gas,

ABOUT THE COVER

fishing, government contracting, and many more.

The creator of this month’s cover, Lucas Elliott, left silhouetted figures so that you can imagine yourself in the place of these intrepid adventurers. A professor of graphic design at UAA, Elliott is also the author of Battle Star, a comic about a warrior echinoderm, and he illustrated the graphic novel version of the 2015 local film Moose: The Movie.

He could hardly have imagined these wild destinations before embarking on his journey of ink and paint. Such is life, and such is this magazine.

Treasures await you within. Stake your claim with a single step:

To proceed directly to the Top 49ers list, choose page 48.

For the editor’s welcome to this special issue, choose page 8. Illustration by Lucas Elliott

Alaska Business (ISSN 8756-4092) is published monthly by Alaska Business Publishing Co., Inc. 501 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 100, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-2577; Telephone: (907) 276-4373. © 2022 Alaska Business Publishing Co. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Alaska Business accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials; they will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. One-year subscription is $39.95 and includes twelve issues (print + digital) and the annual Power List. Single issues of the Power List are $15 each. Single issues of Alaska Business are $4.99 each; $5.99 for the July & October issues. Send subscription orders and address changes to circulation@akbizmag.com. To order back issues ($9.99 each including postage) visit simplecirc.com/back_issues/alaska-business.

Spawn Ideas

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Supporting the industries of 20 Alaska communities.

We generally start planning for the Top 49ers in the spring, starting with the theme.

For 2022, the process started even earlier. Last fall, Art Director Monica SterchiLowman and I were conferring about the magazine and happily stumbled across a theme to which we were both immediately drawn: Choose Adventure. Inspired by the iconic “Choose Your Own Adventure” novels of the ‘80s and ‘90s, we saw incredible potential for the editorial and design—we liked the energy, the focus on opportunity, and the potential for monsters.

Separately, in meetings marked by a decidedly different tone, the Alaska Business editorial and ownership team made another determination: we decided to adjust the criteria for eligibility to be a Top 49er. Instead of requiring that an organization be at least 51 percent Alaskan-owned, we are admitting companies to the Top 49ers if they were established in Alaska and remain headquartered here—and, of course, their gross revenue is high enough to make the ranks.

Why drop the Alaskan-owned criteria? Because it requires that we define what it means to be “Alaskan,” which is difficult—if not impossible. Does an Alaskan have to be born here? Does qualifying for the PFD make one Alaskan? When I, personally, left the state for college, did I become not-Alaskan for a few years and then somehow slip that mantle back on when I returned? Our unwritten and unspoken rule for “Alaskan” was based on residency, but that isn’t quite right and hasn’t been for some time.

Over the years we have received feedback from various companies about the criteria for the Top 49ers, both supporting and opposing the 51 percent Alaskan-owned requirement. We do not adjust the criteria for any ranked list on a whim, but we also never reject outright or fail to consider the input of our readers. As a magazine with Alaska in our name, it’s critically important to us that we include—and do not exclude—the companies that are as focused on the state as we are.

In October 1985, when we first published a special section featuring “The New 49ers,” which we said were “The largest Alaskan-owned, Alaska-based companies,” then-Publisher Robert Dixon summarized our goal: “We sought to identify, and to rank by sales volume, the largest Alaskan-owned and based corporations.” In his article, he states, “These pioneers have chosen the harshest league of all to prove their entrepreneurial prowess and won… They’re the private players who have put everything on the line, defied the economic oddsmakers with all-star performances on a field where opportunity is said to be fading.”

Much of that sentiment remains today: Alaska can be a difficult state in which to grow businesses beyond a certain level—no doubt. Regardless of the challenges, the Top 49ers have found incredible levels of success locally and globally. We are confident that our revised criteria help fulfill the original mission of the Top 49ers as set forth in 1985, while also making adjustments to keep the list contemporary. We’ve set course for our new adventure: we hope you continue to travel with us as we document the tales of the state we all love.

EDITORIAL STAFF

Managing Editor Tasha Anderson 907-257-2907 tanderson@akbizmag.com Editor/Staff Writer Scott Rhode 907-257-2902 srhode@akbizmag.com Social Media Carter Damaska 907-257-2910 enews@akbizmag.com Editorial Assistant Emily Olsen 907-257-2914 emily@akbizmag.com

PRODUCTION STAFF

Art Director Monica Sterchi-Lowman 907-257-2916 design@akbizmag.com

Design & Art Production Fulvia Lowe production@akbizmag.com Website Manager Taylor Sanders webmanager@akbizmag.com

Photo Contributor Kerry Tasker

BUSINESS STAFF

President Billie Martin

VP & General Manager Jason Martin 907-257-2905 jason@akbizmag.com VP Sales & Marketing Charles Bell 907-257-2909 cbell@akbizmag.com

Senior Account Manager Janis J. Plume 907-257-2917 janis@akbizmag.com

Senior Account Manager Christine Merki 907-257-2911 cmerki@akbizmag.com

Tasha Anderson Managing Editor, Alaska Business

To meet an Alaskan who likes to "seek adventure" in his free time, choose page 152.

To find out which company tops the 49ers list, choose page 49.

Full-Charge Bookkeeper James Barnhill 907-257-2901 accounts@akbizmag.com

CONTACT

Press releases: press@akbizmag.com

Postmaster: Send address changes to Alaska Business 501 W. Northern Lights Blvd. #100 Anchorage, AK 99503

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Service with a Smile

How banks distinguish themselves through customer experience

By Tracy Barbour

Banking is pretty much the same all over, at its core. Banks and credit unions operate in a highly commoditized industry that leaves little room to compete on price, so creating a positive customer experience is especially critical.

Customer experience encompasses every interaction an individual has with a company and its brand: in-branch contact, email, call center, online banking system, online advertising, digital apps, and even social media. And it involves the customer’s senses, emotions, feelings, perceptions, evaluations, engagement, and even

memories. A pleasant experience—one that is helpful, convenient, fast, and friendly—can make people feel seen, heard, and appreciated. Ultimately, favorable customer experiences help companies differentiate themselves and increase their competitive advantage, brand loyalty, customer retention, and revenue.

First National Bank Alaska

First National Bank Alaska (FNBA) has been around for more than 100 years, and while customer experience has been a leading element of its identity, only recently did the bank establish a Customer Experience section fully dedicated to strengthening its customer-centric culture. “We review and optimize every aspect of how our customers interact with us to ensure a seamless and positive experience, whether in person, online, or using our mobile apps,” says Denise Brown Robinson, senior vice president of corporate communications and customer experience director.

“We continually enhance our services and processes to meet our customers' everchanging personal and financial needs,” she adds. “A century of experience has given us a solid foundation to adapt and innovate to provide the highquality service our customers want and expect—regardless of the delivery channel they choose to manage their finances.”

FNBA surveys customers for their feedback on how it can enhance services, such as allowing a customer’s phone camera to auto-capture a check image or ensuring payment compatibility with digital wallets. Feedback has even led to significant overhauls, such as improving FNBA’s online banking platform.

Integrating customer experience with employee feedback is another essential driver. “We're fortunate to have a local team of more than 600 employees who contribute their ideas to improve our processes, workflows, and customer outcomes,” Brown Robinson says. “If

Denise Brown Robinson

First National Bank Alaska

something can be done faster, simpler, and better—without losing integrity— we will make the change to ensure customer satisfaction.”

Customer satisfaction begins with well-trained employees and the resources and expertise to meet customers wherever they are—in person, via chat or email, or on the phone, according to Elaine Kroll, senior vice president of treasury management and Anchorage branch administration director. The bank recently transitioned its branch team to a "universal" employee model, which means most branch employees can now perform multiple job functions.

“Flexibility and a holistic understanding of customers' needs are essential to providing an outstanding experience,” Kroll says. “Our customers are not one-size-fits-all, and neither are we. The best approach to helping our customers succeed is listening to their needs, understanding their businesses, and recommending and providing the best solutions.”

FNBA wants customers to have the same positive experience across all banking channels, including robust online and mobile channels, says Dustin Hofeling, senior vice president and IT systems and support director. “In today's world, the ‘digital branch’ [online/mobile] is more than just a single channel,” he says. “It is now the primary channel through which we interact with our customers.”

Over the past year, FNBA implemented a Mortgage Loan Servicing Center for the online management of mortgages. The bank also simplified mobile check deposits and increased mobile check deposit limits, redesigned business and personal banking mobile apps, and significantly invested in infrastructure to support a faster user experience and increase uptime. Recently, FNBA improved the debit card management features in its mobile app and revised some of its online banking agreements to provide a more streamlined approach.

Elaine Kroll

First National Bank Alaska

Nuvision Credit Union

“We are always looking to the future,” Hofeling says. “Currently, we are working to enhance the branch experience, including the launch of a new teller platform that will support virtual tickets to keep pace with the digital transformation. This modernized transaction flow will help customers experience a more efficient, easier, and simpler visit to any First National branch.”

Northrim Bank

Customer experience is one of the most critical elements for Northrim Bank’s success, according to Carolyn Jennings, a senior vice president and retail banking director. One of the bank’s slogans is “Superior Customer First Service,” but Jennings says, “It is not a tagline for us; it is what we do.”

Northrim guarantees that customers receive a warm, welcoming greeting; prompt service (never longer than five minutes); timely and error-free statements; and always a sincere thank-you. “Northrim was founded back in 1990 on providing a different kind of experience to our customers

and employees,” Jennings says, “and we remain dedicated to that thirty-plus years later. Our ability to be able to maintain that in such a changing environment is proof of that commitment.”

With seventeen branches from Fairbanks to Southeast, Northrim recently expanded its treasury management solutions with a purchasing card and integrated payables solution. “We want to have products that are competitive,” Jennings says. “We will continue to evaluate how we can add additional online banking products and services.”

Having competitive products and services is important, but not nearly as important as having dedicated employees who are respected and empowered to find solutions for customers. “Our vision is to be Alaska’s

premier bank and employer of choice,” Jennings says. “You cannot do that if you are not able to focus on your employees, which, in turn, helps us provide the kind of services that we provide.”

Denali State Bank

With five branches mainly in Fairbanks, Denali State Bank faces stiff competition from other institutions with locations statewide, so the small community bank concentrates on personalized services based on customers’ individual needs. “Behind everything we do, we’re customerfocused,” says President and CEO Steve Lundgren.

Many Denali State Bank customers prefer to do business in person, Lundgren says. While some financial institutions have closed branches in the area, Denali opted not to—although some of its offices are small. “We’ve decided to leave them open, even though it creates some additional costs,” Lundgren says. “But that really fits our high-touch customer service business.”

PREPARE FOR ALASKA’S FUTURE

Carolyn Jennings Northrim Bank

Nuvision Credit Union recently replaced a small, in-store branch in Wasilla with a larger, free-standing location. Next year, two small Fairbanks branches will be consolidated into a larger, more capable one.

The bank’s corporate culture also involves employees actively engaging customers, from senior managers to customer service providers. Much of Denali’s customer service strategy rests on its front-line employees. In fact, the bank’s penchant for customer engagement has been an underlying design inspiration for several branch remodels. “All of our managers and service providers are at a desk in the lobby, so they can engage with customers,” Lundgren explains.

Customer engagement extends beyond branches, too. If someone needs follow up work, bank staff are likely to make a house call. “We intentionally recognize opportunities to go out and meet at the customer’s business,” Lundgren says. “That’s another way we try to differentiate ourselves.”

For people who prefer remote banking, Denali offers online and mobile options. Customers can use its mobile app to complete all types

of transactions, including applying for an auto loan. They can upload loan documents, submit an electronic signature, and complete the entire process via the app. “You can do everything on your phone, if that’s what you want to do,” Lundgren says.

The bank’s centralized call center is strategically designed to improve customer experience for individuals who favor banking by telephone. In addition, Denali upgraded its automatic teller machines a few years ago with touchscreens that make them more functional. The bank adopted a similar approach with its website; it added landing pages that allow visitors to quickly identify what they need and access it on the site with fewer touches. And Denali State Bank is capitalizing on social media to bolster customer experience, using Facebook and Instagram to make it easier for customers and the general public to stay informed about its products and services.

KeyBank

Client experience is at the heart of everything KeyBank does, says Lori McCaffrey, KeyBank Alaska market president and commercial banking leader. “From the smallest online interaction to life-changing transactions, we make ease and security a priority,” she says, “We value our clients’ loyalty and work hard to ensure that they feel valued and engaged every step of the way.”

As a “relationship” bank, KeyBank places clients at the center of all its efforts, McCaffrey says. These efforts include its financial wellness review, Small Business Check-in tool, Key@Work programs, and steps to create a greater onboarding experience. Within all of these efforts, KeyBank’s staff are the center point of the customer experience. “Their knowledge and expertise are critical to building relationships and providing sound financial solutions,” McCaffrey says.

Nuvision Credit Union

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the importance of being there for clients in not only a transactional capacity but as an advisor. “While this was done as an immediate need, the effort toward greater communication and support has not disappeared,” McCaffrey says. “We’re arguably more connected with our clients today than we ever have been.”

The interactive Small Business Check-in tool, for example, allows business owners to engage in preliminary conversations to quickly identify their priorities, which results in more meaningful interactions. And KeyBank’s partnership with Blend provides a streamlined digital process in mortgage loan approval.

In addition, KeyBank recently announced enhancements to its overdraft policy. These modifications will make it easier for clients to access and manage their money and avoid fees. “Our clients today have expectations and want to be empowered by their banking,” McCaffrey says. “These steps with our overdraft terms truly help clients on their financial journeys.”

Nuvision Credit Union

Customer experience is top of mind for Nuvision Credit Union, says CEO Roger Ballard, especially because each customer is equally a member and owner of the financial cooperative. Therefore, Ballard says, “member experience is evaluated at our branches, online, and within our call service centers.”

Nuvision maintains an advisory council of members that provides regular feedback, not only about their experiences but also about the desired services and products. The institution also regularly solicits member input through town halls, focus groups, and feedback forms.

Ballard says, “For us, it’s not just about receiving feedback, though; it’s about how we adapt our products and experience to constantly improve.”

For example, the credit union is introducing Live Teller Connect machines in Wasilla. The technology lets members speak to a customer service representative without getting out of their car. “Our members are savvy and can complete most transactions from any number of devices from where they may be, but when they need that extra little bit of help, we want to make sure that we are there with live and customized support,” Ballard says.

Nuvision also offers mobile banking and an automated telephone response system—ABIL (Avoid Being in Line)—to provide account updates 24 hours a day. Since 2012, the credit union has used a one-time passcode tool to assist members who utilize its contact center. The authentication tool reduces the time it takes to identify callers and adds security to thwart impersonators.

Nuvision recently replaced a small, in-store branch in Wasilla with a larger, free-standing location featuring convenient drive ups. Next year, Nuvision is replacing two smaller branches in Fairbanks with a new larger branch that offers more capabilities. Currently, the credit union has ten locations in Alaska and nearly thirty branches in its five-state network.

“Our employees live in the communities we serve, and they share many of the same needs and goals as our members,” says Ballard, who has homes in Eagle River and Orange County, California. “Our employees benefit from the same products our members do, and because of that, they can speak knowledgeably and provide guidance to the best products. It’s about supporting our neighbors for the life they build.”

To see more of what Northrim Bank is up to, choose page 90.

For a financial app that’s reaching Gen Z customers, choose page 111.

Lori McCaffrey KeyBank

Roger Ballard Nuvision Credit Union

“We intentionally recognize opportunities to go out and meet at the customer’s business… That’s another way we try to differentiate ourselves.”

Steve Lundgren President & CEO Denali State Bank

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The Mission-Driven Economy

The crucial role nonprofits play in Alaska

By Vanessa Orr

Alaska

The 5,620 nonprofits in Alaska range from sports leagues and outdoor recreation organizations to rural and urban hospitals, clinics, and community health centers. Nonprofits provide housing— for seniors, individuals with disabilities, or low-income populations—as well as childcare services, youth programs, and vocational training. Civic and social clubs count as nonprofits, and so do colleges, universities, labor unions, and volunteer associations.

According to Alaska’s Nonprofit Sector: Generating Economic Impact, a report released by The Foraker Group in December 2021, Alaska’s nonprofits not only provide essential services but also create jobs, directly employing more than 38,105 Alaskans. Those jobs, as well as the goods and services that nonprofits require, in turn sustain another 57,922 jobs in the state. Altogether, these jobs translate into $4.1 billion in direct, indirect, and induced wages generated by the nonprofit sector. Seven previous reports have reached similar conclusions.

“Every three years we put together this report, and every time we’re showing how truly important Alaska nonprofits are to the economy,” says Laurie Wolf, president and CEO of The Foraker Group, itself a 501(c) (3) nonprofit with the mission of supporting and promoting all other nonprofits. “Depending on the community, nonprofits on average employ 13 percent of the workforce— and in some communities, it can be up to 50 percent.”

Wolf notes that nonprofits are especially important in rural Alaska. “We have no county system of government, so nonprofits fill the roles that governments would play in any other state,” she says. “They provide direct services—they are the utility company, the telephone company, the fire department, the libraries in many communities across Alaska.”

For example, healthcare is often the largest employer in any given region, and the largest hospitals are operated by nonprofits. In the villages, social and human services are generally provided through nonprofits, often associated with tribal entities or Alaska Native regional or village corporations. Nearly one quarter of non-government jobs

are tied to nonprofits through indirect and induced effects.

“While many Alaskans think that it’s private industry or government doing the work, nonprofits are actually the backbone of the state,” says Wolf. “We can’t thrive without nonprofits, government, and industry all playing a role and working together.”

United for Social Welfare

Buddy Custard, president and CEO of Alaska Chaduxˆ Network, has a relatively small staff, but the work they do in oil

spill prevention and response has a local and global impact.

“We have a staff of sixteen based in different communities in Alaska, and our budget is about $10 million annually,” says Custard. “Despite our size, we support more than 630 companies who rely on our services to deliver fuel and goods to Alaska and the West Coast: one-third of which include European market shipping companies, one-third are based in Asia, and one-third are US shipping companies and facilities, including

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120 facilities that store or transport oil in Alaska.”

In addition to staff, Chaduxˆ relies on many contractors to serve its seventeen response hubs throughout the state. “We have agreements in all of these communities, and we also visit these sites a number of times each year, spending money on travel, lodging, and more, which creates even more of an economic impact in remote communities,” Custard says, adding that the nonprofit also employs Alaska legal, public relations, and marketing firms.

“We contract with incident response professionals to deal with oil spill response, including the Alaska SeaLife Center. And in communities where

there is a large fishing vessel population, we pay a retainer to vessel operators in the areas we serve to keep their crews trained so that they can assist when needed,” he adds. “I’m a big believer in leveraging our resources and the finances that we collect to support other Alaska organizations and communities who support us… It’s the Alaskan way.”

As an industry-funded 501(c)(4) nonprofit, Alaska Chaduxˆ Network reinvests in its own programs, with 81 percent of its funds in 2021 going back into compliance, oil spill readiness, and prevention programs and the remaining funds used to support program administration. The nonprofit invested in creating the Pacific Rim Response Center in Kodiak and is also

a main funder of the Marine Exchange of Alaska, located in Juneau, a separate nonprofit that tracks and monitors all vessels in the state.

“Alaska is very dependent on the sea lanes, and our communities get most of our goods and commodities from ships. Much of our economy is based on the fishing industry, and all of this could be lost without nonprofits providing costeffective services,” says Custard. “As a nonprofit, our goal is not to bring in revenues for shareholders but to protect Alaska’s environment with a safe marine transportation system.”

Big Help

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska (BBBSAK) employs approximately

“While many Alaskans think that it’s private industry or government doing the work, nonprofits are actually the backbone of the state… We can’t thrive without nonprofits, government, and industry all playing a role and working together.”

Laurie Wolf, President and CEO, The Foraker Group

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska paired Steven and Alex, who not only spend quality time together but share experiences to prepare for the adult world.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska

twenty-two people through its two interconnected 501(c)(3)s. In addition to roughly $1.4 million in annual payroll expenses, the organization puts money back into the community through its use of local vendors, such as accounting and fundraising firms, and by working with local businesses, including Alaska Native corporations, on programs like its Native American Mentoring Initiative.

Perhaps more important, the organization has a huge impact on local youth.

“Our goal is to match youth, which we call ‘Littles,’ with mentors, called ‘Bigs,’ to empower every young person to graduate from high school and to create a path for the future,” says CEO Jillian Richardson. Bigs are much more than playmates for Littles; they boost youth into the adult world. “Some will be ready for the workforce, some will enlist, and some will go on to get secondary education—no matter where they go, we are there to support them in reaching their goals,” Richardson explains. The individual benefits then ripple across society.

“In the long term, when our youth are thriving, the community experiences this in their upward social and economic mobility,” she says. “Some of the outcomes that we measure—which include educational attainment, social/ emotional learning, social connections, and reduction in risky behaviors—are all associated with future impacts and connected with success in life. When kids feel a sense of belonging, they ultimately thrive.”

With staff located across the state, BBBSAK interacts with approximately 400 youth every year. Without the support of this nonprofit, these children—as well as future generations— would feel the loss.

“Maybe one person doesn’t make it into college because there’s not a mentor to support them as they’re filling out the application,” says Richardson. “Or one child never realizes her dreams because she didn’t meet that mentor that inspired her to explore the arts. Even though we have the bigger impact of graduation rates and future planning, it’s these intangible one-on-one stories that are at the heart of our mission.”

Tough Times

Just like for-profit businesses, Alaska nonprofits had a tough time dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting Great Resignation.

“Turnover is definitely the number one problem,” says Richardson, “though we’re also in a volunteer recruitment crisis.”

While nonprofits lost fewer jobs overall than other sectors, this number doesn’t account for the loss of volunteers as well as a loss of contracted labor.

“While the state lost 8 percent of jobs during this time, nonprofits lost 4 percent, making nonprofits a stabilizing force in the economy because they lost less overall jobs in the state,” says Wolf. “We don’t have the newest numbers after The Great Resignation to know what it looks like now, but it’s obvious that human services organizations and healthcare facilities—and truly all nonprofits that employ staff—are not immune from the workforce shortages.”

Job losses were highest in the social services sector, followed by performing

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arts and spectator sports. Nonprofit financial services, educational services, museums and historical sites, and the accommodation and food services industries also lost jobs, though gains were seen in nonprofit utilities, information, and healthcare.

“The pandemic hit in two distinct ways. When you talk about health and human services, for example, nonprofits saw a tripling or quadrupling of demand for services overnight while at same time losing volunteers and having to live within a financial framework of grants and contracts that were already negotiated,” says Wolf. “How do you quadruple an organization without the financial and human resources to do it?”

While some nonprofits were overwhelmed, others shut their doors, such as arts and cultural organizations

and animal-oriented organizations. “They lost all of their revenue and had to furlough staff, even while having to maintain their art and artifacts or attend to the health and welfare of animals,” Wolf explains. “It’s hard to rebound and re-emerge into the workforce, which is incredibly competitive, with no revenue to compete in the marketplace.”

To combat these losses, nonprofits need to look at how they’ve done business in the past and focus on what needs to change, according to Richardson.

“Organizations need to adjust to the needs of the workforce, which includes showing more flexibility and emphasizing employees as people first,” she says. “There isn’t the expectation of instant availability anymore; now it’s about getting the job done and being

more collaborative. It’s less about rigidity and an employee showing up at a specific time or punitive responses when people are struggling in the workplace. The culture has shifted.”

Richardson, who joined BBBSAK during the pandemic, developed a compensation philosophy that allows the organization to be competitive with the for-profit sector whenever possible, providing wages 90 percent or above the going rate. “At the time, that was very progressive for our organization,” she says, “but while wages is a big one, it’s not the whole piece.”

BBBSAK is now analyzing its benefits package as well. “The simple fact that we offer healthcare is not really good enough,” says Richardson. “The Silver Plan that we have doesn’t work for

“We have no county system of government, so nonprofits fill the roles that governments would play in any other state. They provide direct services—they are the utility company, the telephone company, the fire department, the libraries in many communities across Alaska.”

Laurie Wolf, President and CEO, The Foraker Group

There is not much profit in preparing for an oil spill that might happen once a decade, if ever, so Alaska Chaduxˆ Network raises funds to make sure responders are always ready.

Alaska Chaduxˆ Network

families, so we need to figure out how to afford to pay for full family coverage. We’re looking at where we are financially, trying to do the best we can with what we have.”

Because many nonprofits are grantand donor-funded, money often must be raised to offset new expenses, which became even more difficult when social events and fundraisers were cancelled.

“Not only did this impact us directly, but we also indirectly lost the connections to our donors that we’d spent the last three years building,” says Richardson. “We’re just now starting to dabble in in-person receptions to see if this is something we can move toward.”

Richardson is also hoping that more people will step up to mentor youth, and the organization even makes matches between Bigs and Littles based on COVID-19 safety preferences. In addition, the organization is partnering with corporations to grow its pool of volunteers.

“As a sector, the existing way so many do business is not going to get us to where we need to go,” says Wolf. “That’s why we’re asking the government, business, and philanthropic leaders to reassess grant agreements, government contracts, and philanthropy arrangements to allow nonprofits more room to adapt and be competitive in the marketplace for employees, while also re-envisioning how the mission work gets done.”

Wolf is hoping that volunteers are ready to reconnect after COVID-19. “And nonprofits themselves need to be involved in how we move forward in communities, especially with the infrastructure money coming into Alaska. We need to ensure that we are at the decision-making table because Alaska works better when that happens.”

To meet the new CEO of Providence Alaska, the state's largest nonprofit by number of Alaska employees, choose page 148.

To learn which nonprofit Goldbelt CEO McHugh Pierre is passionate about, choose page 152.

Who’s the Boss?

ESOPs turn employees into owners

By Scott Rhode

Workers have nothing to lose but their chains, said Karl Marx. But what if workers own the chains?

Rope, wire, hoses, tubes, and chains are the stock-in-trade at Alaska Rubber Group (ARG), an employeeowned business in Anchorage. Its former CEO, Janeece Higgins, retired at the end of 2020, but she’s still busy as a board member of The ESOP Association, a national nonprofit that promotes employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), a financial mechanism for returning the value of a company to its workers.

The association guided ARG through the ESOP transition in 2006. “We didn’t know what we didn’t know, and ESOPs are a very different animal that most of us had very little experience with,” Higgins says.

Alaskan Brewing Company

Now Higgins is sharing her experience, especially in October, which the association proclaims as Employee Ownership Month. That’s when many companies announce their stock valuation, sometimes with a guessing game. Other events focus on educating employees or outreach to the community.

ARG has its own tradition. “We always did an ESOP breakfast, which is eggs, sausage, orange juice, and pancakes. Management would cook breakfast for the crew,” Higgins says.

She really “drank the Kool-Aid” on ESOPs, Higgins recalls the owner of Arctic Wire Rope & Supply telling her when ARG acquired his company. She doesn’t disagree: “I really feel that those who are building it should feel the reward of doing their hard work.”

“What are profits for?” asks Scott Hamilton, president of JD Steel. The Arizona-based company employs up to 2,000 workers nationwide, and its ESOP pays for their medical and retirement benefits, just as profits fill any owner’s pocket.

Hamilton became president of JD Steel in March after leading its Alaska region from the Palmer office built on farmland his family used to own, yet his share of profits is the same as anyone else with his seniority. “Doesn’t pay me to have a black jet. Doesn’t pay me to light cigars with $100 bills,” he says.

Buying a Legacy

Across the country, more than 6,000 companies have ESOPs, according to the National Center for Employee Ownership. In 2019, the year with the most recent data, 239 new ESOPs were formed. They are most common in manufacturing and technical services companies, like JD Steel and ARG. The hospitality, healthcare, and retail sectors have the fewest ESOPs, but there are exceptions: Alaska Hand Rehabilitation and New Sagaya are both employee owned.

Alaska has approximately two dozen ESOPs, comparable to states with similar populations. Higgins believes that number is poised to grow due to generational turnover.

“They have what they call a ‘silver tsunami’ coming. It’s all the Baby Boomers that are going to be retiring—

“If it’s a family-owned business, and now your kids really don’t want to do that… how do they exit without seeing their legacy go away?”

Janeece Higgins, Board Member, The ESOP Association

Alaska Mill & Feed’s pivot toward delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, which entailed the purchase of a new van, is credited to one of its employee-owners.

Carter Damaska | Alaska

and there are millions of them—in the next ten years,” she explains. “How do you plan that exit strategy?”

The most common route for employee ownership is for the ESOP, as a trust, to purchase a company from a private owner. This might be a family that expected to pass along the company as an inheritance. “If it’s a family-owned business, and now your kids really don’t want to do that,” Higgins says, “how do they exit without seeing their legacy go away?”

That’s the case ARG made to its founders, Don and Drennon Adams, starting in 2004. “Took about two years to convince them that we could do this and that it was a good move and that their legacy would stay going,” Higgins says.

The Adams were already living in Washington and running a new rubber company (which ARG subsequently acquired), so Higgins says they didn’t have a sentimental tie to the shop. And because the business had been operating in the absence of its owners, Higgins says the transition to the ESOP was seamless.

Alaskan Brewing Company in Juneau likewise abided by the ESOP ethos before forming one, says corporate administrator Joy Will. The ESOP, established in 2012, reaffirmed the direction that co-founders Geoff and Marcy Larson always had. “They have always included the employees in everything that’s been going on,” Will says. “They’ve always asked for feedback. They’ve always been very open about financials and expansions and new products. That’s what an ESOP is all about, is including your employees.”

Alaskan Brewing’s ESOP owns only 10 percent of the company; the other 90 percent is held by nearly ninety investors who helped launch the state’s biggest beer brand. Will says the Larsons wanted to test the waters and see how employees liked the plan. For Alaskan Brewing to become 100-percent employee owned, the ESOP would have to buy out the original shareholders.

That development, if it ever happens, would streamline Will’s job. She handles human resources and

shareholder relations, which for an ESOP are the same thing.

Incentive Package

Despite the enthusiasm of converts, ESOPs are hardly growing in popularity. In fact, the number nationwide decreased over the last decade. Taken simply as a form of retirement planning, they face competition from programs that invest in broader portfolios. With an ESOP, members are stuck with one company (as long as they are employed there), and they can’t contribute more savings if they wish.

Some companies reserve employee ownership as a perk, where becoming a partner is a reward for loyalty and performance, or where stock is part of a compensation package.

An ESOP would seem to be a bad bet if each new employee dilutes the share value. Hamilton says that’s a common criticism, but it misses an important factor: a larger workforce grows the balance sheet, too, so the stock becomes more valuable.

Each ESOP has its own policies for who qualifies for membership

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Alaska Mill and Feed is the retail arm of Alaska Garden and Pet Supply, which recently marked six years as an employee-owned company. On that date, the first batch of employees became fully vested in the retirement plan.

Damaska | Alaska Business

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and benefits. Vesting at JD Steel, for example, used to take five years, but the policy recently changed to allow for a prorated payout after three or four years of service.

The vesting window is six years at Alaska Garden & Pet Supply, the parent company of the Alaska Mill & Feed store in Anchorage (Higgins sits on its board of directors). Its ESOP formed in 2016, so this year saw the first batch of 100 percent vested owners among its eighty or so employees.

At both Alaska Garden & Pet and JD Steel, workers must clock at least 1,000 hours in a year to qualify for the ESOP, which is about half of a fulltime job. This suits seasonal work like construction, Hamilton says, and the same goes for gardening supplies.

But don’t ESOPs have an incentive to limit their membership, either by capping individual hours or discouraging longevity past one year?

“That’s actually something that’s really heavily guarded by the Department of Labor and IRS and what our trustee looks for every year,” says Kimberly McCourtney, senior vice

president of Alaska Garden & Pet. “We go through testing to make sure our turnover rate within the ESOP is not high, so you don’t have that inequity of ownership.”

ESOPS are covered by some of the same laws and regulations as 401(k) plans. One major difference, though, is that individuals do not contribute to their retirement out of each paycheck. Rather, ESOP trustees forward-fund retirement out of the company’s profits, and the trust buys back shares when employees leave.

JD Steel is somewhat unusual in having ESOP members also enrolled in a defined-benefit pension. About thirty ironworkers in the company’s Iron Inc. subsidiary are members of Iron Workers Local 751, and the union takes care of their retirement. Hamilton says the ESOP decided to offer a secondary retirement plan, partly as an enticement for tradesmen to stick with JD Steel projects for more hours in a year.

Given the underfunding problems with defined-benefit pensions, ESOPs provide an alternative that’s as secure as the businesses they own.

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“Pensions are a thing of the past, almost,” says Will. “With an ESOP, the company contributes 100 percent of the money into the plan. What we as employees do, our hard work can impact the success of the company, and that’s our part in making our retirement plans grow. We don’t have to put in the money, but our hard work and our dedication, that’s what contributes to the growth of the company.”

A Richer Life

Employee ownership has made a difference, both material and intangible. Hamilton points to impressive growth in JD Steel’s valuation, enough to over-fund the retirement formula for several years. Beyond that, though, he says the ESOP changes how workers see themselves.

“Business owners operate and behave differently than quoteunquote the everyday employee,” he says. JD Steel holds regular leadership meetings, even for teenaged novice ironworkers. Hamilton says he advises youngsters to “put their business

Desiree Pediatrics Dr. Laufer Pediatrics

owner hat on,” which focuses their attention on long-term decisions.

The ESOP at Alaskan Brewing, despite owning a minority stake, still gives members a sense of involvement. “What we tell our employees when they enter the plan is that they’re ambassadors of our company and brand,” says Will. “We talk to them about being respectful team members, to speak up to share their ideas if they see something that can make our processes more efficient.”

Alaska Garden & Pet likewise sees greater input from workers. “Everything

from design to how it looks on a shelf— everything that every employee does has an impact, so we hope that that’s the greatest long-term net result of the ESOP,” McCourtney says. “People look at it with an ownership mindset and pride [so] that we can carry on that history and pride of ownership that the family has left in our trust.”

The company that became the Alaska Mill & Feed store started in 1950 with chemical engineer Don Donatello selling bleach, wax, and other cleaning products. Donatello expanded into making soap, which required rendered

animal fat, and the byproduct was sold locally as livestock feed. By 2016 the Donatello family was ready to sell the operation to the ESOP.

Brooke Shortridge, marketing director for Alaska Garden & Pet, noticed a culture shift from being a family-owned to an employee-owned company. “Coming into work, you’re like, ‘Everything I do on a day-today basis has a direct impact on the success of the company.’ The more successful you are, the more money you’re gonna have in your retirement,” she says.

“ESOPs

fit the brewing culture because the craft brewing industry is really focused on employees, really focused on the quality of the product, being proud of your product,” says Joy Will, corporate administrator of Alaskan Brewing Co. in Juneau.

Alaskan Brewing Company

Employee ownership is a selling point during hiring, and new hires at Alaska Garden & Pet are assigned a mentor to engage them with the ESOP. McCourtney and Shortridge acknowledge that Ship Creek is a lousy location for a retail store, but Alaska Mill & Feed’s clientele make a special trip to the industrial section of Anchorage for the extra value of customer service and product knowledge. That makes the human side of the operation, with experienced and attentive workers, that much more important.

“When we hit COVID and other businesses were struggling, our employees were engaged,” McCourtney says. She notes that it was an employee’s idea to begin home delivery with a new van. The store also created a call center to service

the e-commerce division. Another idea was to create garden kits, which became popular for kids taking virtual classes from home.

An engaged workforce has spared JD Steel from hiring headaches, according to Hamilton. He believes the ESOP insulated the company from the recent drop in labor participation, which he attributes to people who felt their employer didn’t have their back “when things got scary” during the pandemic. “A lot of it had to do with ‘I’m spending too much time away from my home and my family, making somebody pathetically wealthy,’” he says.

With an ESOP, workers not only know exactly where the value and profit of their company goes, they have a say in where to put it. Instead of buying a black jet, to use Hamilton’s example, a

well-run ESOP provides every member long-term comfort and a short-term sense of involvement in the enterprise.

That’s a trade Hamilton is willing to make. “I live an extremely modest life as the president of multiple-thousandpeople companies and multiple companies. I don’t live a great, gigantic, personally enriched life—if you measure that by somebody of a similar business,” he says, “but from the personal side, I can do a testimony that I’m living a much richer life.”

For companies that prefer the family ownership model, choose page 96.

To read another article by the same author, choose page 116.

After a career attaching hose fittings, an employee-owner of Alaska Rubber Group sells shares of the company back to the ESOP and retires on the proceeds.

Carter Damaska | Alaska Business

HR MATTERS

EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT AND FINDING UNICORNS

Stephanie Haydn Buchanan, Senior Consultant, Business Development

More than ever before, the executive recruiting environment is changing. Attracting top talent is a topic many organizations are currently examining. Hiring trends and the lack of available workers make national headlines daily. According to the US Department of Labor, labor participation rates have not recovered to pre-pandemic numbers, with 69.2% of eligible men and 57.4% of eligible women contributing to the US workforce in 2019, an entire percentage point higher than current levels. So, where have all the workers gone?

If unemployment is down and new job creation is up, is it safe to assume the workforce is distributed di erently and that workers have altered the type of work they engage in? Given these statistics and an understanding of workforce reprioritization, recruiting is an art backed by a sense of motivators. Recruitment is a marketing campaign that must attract applicants through meaningful and impactful messaging.

When collaborating with clients to fill executive roles, the organization must define its di erentiating factors. According to Forbes Magazine, 97% of C-Suite executives are not looking, and they are what we classify as passive applicants. Executive sta ng consultants are redefining how they attract and maintain a pipeline of qualified candidates, delicately

balancing client representation and candidate engagement. For most firms, the client is the organization looking to hire. The client is the customer, and the candidate is the commodity. However, when recruiting executives, the candidate becomes the client and, therefore, should be treated as a valuable asset.

Each executive recruitment is di erent, but the methodology to properly onboard the engagement is similar. There are a few essential exercises before launching a successful search.

Here are a few questions to consider:

1. Does the current job description align with the company’s strategic objectives?

2. How will the client measure success at one year, three years, and beyond?

3. What is not listed on the job description that a candidate must possess?

4. Why would an executive leave their position to lead the organization?

5. What is unique about the culture you would not learn by reviewing the website?

These questions will help the consultant and the company define the best fit. Technical skills are often the easiest to identify. Cultural fit and alignment are much more complicated but equally crucial to define. According

to PeopleAK CEO Paula Bradison, “Preceding executive recruitment with strategic planning allows the hiring committee to clearly define success factors, resulting in alignment and a more successful hire.”

Following a facilitated conversation with the hiring committee or decision maker, the consultant should have a clear understanding of the type of candidate that will meet the client’s needs and be successful. With this knowledge, the consultant can develop an intentional marketing campaign, reaching passive applicants and casting a wider net resulting in quality client submissions. Executive sta ng consultants are not simply recruiting; they are marketing, business development, and sales. Their role is to clearly understand what the client needs and who is going to be a successful leader. Successful leaders define culture and inspire their teams. Finding a unicorn requires creativity.

Stephanie Haydn, Sr. Consultant and Business Development Director

For more information about People AK, please visit peopleak.com. or call 907-276-5707.

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Sourdough Lives

Alaska’s aged and tangy heritage

By Vanessa Orr

The first time a neighbor shared her generations-old sourdough starter with me, I felt like that scene in Disney’s The Lion King in which Rafiki holds newborn Simba up to a rising crescendo of "The Circle of Life." The passing down of such a legacy left me humbled—and worried that I could live up to the awe-inspiring breakfasts she made. There was nothing quite like her Sunday morning spreads that included sourdough pancakes and waffles adorned with locally harvested berries and slathered with birch syrup.

Sourdough—a symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria used for leavening—is as tied to Alaska lore as dog sleds, snow, and a pair of Sorel boots. Pioneers who wandered the territory carrying sourdough starter in their packs became known as “sourdoughs”—a term that is now used to label an Alaskan old timer.

“The hale and hearty, self-reliant Alaska miners and explorers could not rely on any regular shipments of ingredients such as yeast for bread or baking soda for leavening,” explains Leslie Shallcross, professor

Fermentation is fermentation, so Ursa Major Distilling in Ester uses a 60-year-old sourdough starter to turn sugarcane into rum.

Ursa Major Distilling

of extension and a health, home, and family development agent at the UAF Cooperative Extension Service. “By keeping sourdough starters, they were able to make bread and other leavened products without shipments of yeast.”

Some early miners were even known to sleep with starters in their pockets on cold nights so that the yeasts and bacteria didn’t freeze to death—giving the prospectors a somewhat sour smell, which may also

be part of the reason they earned the sourdough nickname.

While sourdough bread is perhaps the best-known product made from a starter, today’s bakers aren’t limited to simple loaves. The starter can be used to make everything from waffles and pancakes to crackers and pizza crusts—and even made-only-inAlaska libations.

What’s in a Sourdough Starter?

According to the Cooperative Extension Service, a good starter contains only flour, water, and wild yeast and bacteria. Any type of flour can be used, but the type of flour will make a difference in the starter’s flavor and how it works in recipes.

“You mix those ingredients together in a bowl, cover it with a towel or cheesecloth, and let it sit for six or eight hours,” says Shallcross. “As that yeast becomes active, it becomes bubbly and has a sour, yeasty odor. Sometimes starters may sit for several days or weeks, after which you may notice the liquid separating from the batter. Just mix it back in.”

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The exact microbial composition varies, but the key to sourdough is the cooperation between bacteria and fungi. “In addition to yeasts, naturally occurring lactic and acetic acidproducing bacteria are an integral part of the starter,” Shallcross explains. “These contribute to the characteristic textures and flavors of sourdough.”

To set the sponge—which is a starter that can be fed and used again—bakers take a half-cup of starter and add equal parts flour and water to feed the yeast. After being left for six to eight hours, the sponge will have gained half its bulk.

While old-timers added flour to the starter to shape into a ball for easier carrying, today’s sponges can be stored in a refrigerator or cool place for future use.

“You need to leave plenty of room in the container for it to expand,” says Shallcross, “and you don’t want to put it in a metal container because it could react with the acid. If you really don’t want to refrigerate it, you can dry your starter and then reconstitute it with water.”

According to Emilie Raffa—a cook, baker, and author of bestselling book Artisan Sourdough Made Simple and the blog The Clever Carrot—the overall feeding process for a starter typically takes seven days if the temperature is warm enough. However, it can take up to two weeks or more for a strong starter to become established. She advises those making a starter to find a warm spot for the starter to rise and to use warm water in the feedings (if necessary) to give the fermentation a boost.

She notes that, as part of the feeding process, most bakers discard some of their sourdough starter before adding fresh flour and water to the jar. This is done to refresh the acidity levels and to manage its overall growth in size.

Making a Business of Sourdough

Once a starter starts, it’s a living thing, practically immortal if treated with care. The Bake Shop, a bakery in Girdwood, has a 100-year-old starter that has earned a widespread reputation.

“People come from all over, very excited about our starter,” says Isha Kari, who owns The Bake Shop with her husband, Brian. “They’ve heard lots of

things about it, and our bread and our pancakes are widely coveted.”

Whether a starter is 100 years old or 2 weeks old, Kari says it must be cared for. “You must either feed it regularly or put it into a dormant state, which we do by refrigerating it,” she says. “In November, we close our shop for a month, and we refrigerate it until about a week before we reopen. Then we take our time feeding it daily to get it back to a happy state.”

While there are rumors as to where the starter originally came from, Kari says she doesn’t have the answer. “I think an old miner may have brought the starter with him, but that is a bit of an old wives’ tale. Who really knows for sure?” she says. “But Alyeska sourdough is unique because it has lived and thrived in this valley for all these years.”

The pragmatic reason for pioneers to carry sourdough recurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Home baking became instantly popular, which emptied store shelves of baker’s yeast within a matter of weeks. Luckily, wild yeast leavens just as well (if more slowly) and can be harvested anywhere.

“During the pandemic, many have started baking it at home and, on social media, sourdough reached a massive peak as a sign of consumer engagement,” said Karl De Smedt, the curator of the world’s only sourdough library, in an interview with The Fermentation Association, a group founded in 2017 to support food, beverage, and supplement producers. “No wonder because it truly has a unique, rich taste.”

Located in the Belgian village of St. Vith, 87 miles southeast of Brussels, the Sourdough Library houses the world’s most extensive collection of sourdough starters. It was established in 2013 by Puratos, a company that serves the bakery, patisserie, and chocolate industry worldwide. According to the company, 52 percent of today’s consumers know of sourdough, and approximately 45 percent of consumers associate sourdough with better taste. Nearly 30 percent associate sourdough with the terms “rustic,” “healthier,” and “more natural.” Indeed, some studies have shown the

bacterial action makes sourdough more digestible than other breads.

“Although many geographic locations claim special sourdough qualities, it is most likely not the place on the map but rather the microenvironment in the kitchen and the flour used… The exact yeast/bacteria also change depending upon the length of time in fermentation and added ingredients, like salt and sugar.”

Leslie Shallcross Professor of Extension UAF

Can You Drink Sourdough?

The first printed mention of sourdough in Alaska comes from 1887, referring not to bread or prospectors but to fermented liquor. That tradition lives on west of Fairbanks.

Ursa Major Distilling produced Alaska’s first rum using a 60-yearold sourdough starter. The company, originally established in a “tiny little shack” on Chena Ridge in 2012, now sells this rum—which it markets as “an honest rum with no added sweeteners, spices, or flavorings”—out of its larger location in Ester, which opened in 2014.

“There weren’t a lot of folks distilling alcohol up here, so we pretty much learned to hand make everything. We’re good at making something out of nothing,” Ursa Major owner and distiller Rob Borland says with a laugh. “We started making vodka and then gin at some point, and when we decided to make a new product, we thought it would be fun to make some rum.”

Borland researched Jamaican rum fermented in dunder pits where allnatural yeasts are combined with molasses and sugarcane. “The bacteria from the sugarcane is what gives it its funkiness,” says Borland.

This led to his experimenting with sourdough. “Every Sunday morning, I make sourdough pancakes, and I started to wonder what would happen if I threw sourdough in the rum. I figured it would make a unique Alaskan product,” he says.

Borland’s 60-year-old sourdough originally came from Lake Clark, where he notes it was “fairly famous.” He bought a bag of it at a school fundraiser for $1 and has used it ever since to make pancakes.

“It turns out that it gives the rum funk—what I call the sweeter notes,” he says. “The bacteria makes more esters, or fruity flavors, and it has a bready sourdough taste on the tail end. It gets even better with age; the barrel-aged product we make turns out really well.”

Ursa Major Distillery makes a white rum called Fairbanks Sourdough, and its Tanana Gold brand is the same rum aged for a year in an oak barrel. “Aging smooths it out a little bit,” says Borland, adding that the next rum batch will be aged for two years,

with the long-term goal of creating a three-year aged rum.

“People love the taste of our limited release,” he says, adding that the company’s white rum is more of a cocktail rum that goes great in daiquiris and mojitos. “It’s a light rum as far as standard rums go.”

Though the distillery began making rum with 10 gallons of starter, they now just use the yeast that settles in the fermenter. “It’s its own starter now; it grows all the time,” Borland says. “Now it’s part of everything here—pretty much all of our spirits are sourdough.”

Does Location Make a Difference?

Just as wines have their terroir—the subtle echoes of the soil and water where the grapes ripened—sourdough starters are products of their unique environments.

“Although many geographic locations claim special sourdough qualities, it is most likely not the place on the map but rather the microenvironment in the kitchen and the flour used,” says Shallcross. “The exact yeast/bacteria also change depending upon the length of time in fermentation and added ingredients, like salt and sugar.”

Shallcross points to a June 2020 article published by the American Society for Microbiology entitled “The Sourdough Microbiome,” which reports more than fifty species of lactic acid bacteria and more than twenty species of yeast have been found in sourdough starters—and therefore no one, including the bakers themselves, know what is in their “secret recipes.”

Shallcross adds that one study on sourdough microbiome determined

that the type of yeast present in starters depends mostly upon climate, whereas the bacteria varied based on factors within the home, flour, location of the starter in the house, and whether the starter was prepared by a male or female baker.

Is Alaska sourdough something special or just an accident of science? Well, a company called Alaskan Sourdough Bakery is located in Seattle, and nobody seems to tell the difference. The tangy, chewy bread—and the pioneers who kept its secret ingredient in their pockets—are treasured parts of the state’s heritage.

To read another article by the same author, choose page 18.

To see more facts about sourdoughs, choose page 150.

Some studies have shown that bacterial action makes sourdough more digestible than other breads.

Anastasia Turshina | iStock

Full Throttle

The Alaska Railroad resumes a growth trajectory after pandemic disruptions

By Rachael Kvapil

Concluding its first century of existence, the Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) has a lot to celebrate. After the pandemic disrupted an upward trajectory in 2019, the state-owned railroad is rebounding from a brutal downturn in 2020 and preparing for growth in the coming years. With increased revenue from freight, passenger, and real estate, ARRC is ready to undertake a significant tourism and cargo project in Seward that will have economic ripple effects to the end of its tracks.

The State of the Railroad

ARRC’s 2019 financials marked a great year for the corporation. The railroad’s biggest revenue sources saw profitability that year: $85.3 million (net of fuel surcharge revenue of $79.5 million) in freight operations, $39.6 million in passenger service, and $22.4 million in real estate leases and permits. Nothing in the financial forecast hinted at any reason why their upward trajectory should alter course. And then 2020 brought the pandemic and everything changed.

“In terms of operations and terms of business, 2020 was a terrible year,” says Clark Hopp, ARRC Chief

Operating

Ken Edmier | Alaska Railroad Corporation

Officer. “Not unlike many industries, the pandemic had a negative impact financially and culturally on businesses and employees.”

The largest factor affecting this downturn in 2020 came from cruise ship cancellations during the pandemic and in 2021 the extension of the “conditional sail order” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pre-pandemic, 47 percent of cruise ship passengers traveled aboard cruise companyowned railcars pulled by ARRC. That dropped to 17 percent in 2021 with the limited reopening of cruise ship travel. Bill O'Leary, ARRC president and CEO, says passenger travel is once again on the rise now that cruise ship travel is closer to pre-pandemic numbers.

“In 2022, we’re back to 2019 levels in terms of running a full complement of trains on the passenger side,” says O’Leary. “We're on track to record ridership on Alaska Railroad coaches.”

Year-to-date passenger revenues (through June 2022) are $16.9 million, and they are forecast to reach $41.1 million by the end of the year. That would be nearly double the amount in 2021 and an estimated $1.5 million more than in 2019.

Though freight operations didn’t take as big a hit during the pandemic, the amount hauled during 2020 and 2021 did drop slightly, affecting overall revenues. As O’Leary explains, freight generates more than half of operating revenues (excluding capital grants). In a typical year, the railroad hauls 3 million to 4 million tons of freight. During the pandemic years, it hauled around 2.5 million tons. A lot of this had to do with the type of freight that makes up ARRC’s haul. Major lines of ARRC’s freight business include petroleum, barge/ interline services, trailers/containers on flat cars, coal, gravel, and other miscellaneous in-state freight, such as specialty movements of very large or oddly shaped equipment and materials, as well as in-state shipments of cement, scrap metal, military equipment, and pipe. During the pandemic, many of the industries that relied on this type of freight faced operation disruptions and later shipping disruptions from the Lower 48.

The railroad’s freight revenues indicate that more industries are returning to normal, or at least as

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The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the Alaska Railroad Corporation’s growth trajectory when cruise ship operations ceased. When cruise ships returned in 2022, it was anticipated that the number of passengers riding the railroad would exceed 2019 numbers.

close to pre-pandemic operations as possible. ARRC’s year-to-date freight revenues (through June 2022) have already reached $53.8 million, with projections of $111.3 million (net of fuel surcharge revenue of $93 million) by the end of the year. This is compared to $77.5 million (net of fuel surcharge revenue of $72.2 million) in 2021 and an estimated increase of $13.5 million over 2019.

“This has been a great year for freight,” says Dale Wade, ARRC vice president of marketing and customer service.

Revenues from real estate leases and permits dipped during the pandemic. In 2019, real estate brought in $22.4 million compared to $17.4 million in 2021. However, Wade explains comparing 2019 to any year following is not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison because a change to an accounting rule moved some of ARRC’s real estate revenue to “Other” revenue. Year-todate real estate revenue (through June 2022) is $9.8 million, with forecast revenue of $21.1 million by the end of the year.

When it comes to determining the

overall health of the railroad, O’Leary says comparing this year to 2021 or even 2020 isn’t as beneficial as comparing it to 2019. He says any metric will show great improvement compared to the pandemic years, so they prefer to compare this year’s increases to a year that not only finished strong but also wasn’t affected by a short-term disruption like the novel coronavirus.

Projects on the Horizon

Moving forward with a growth mindset, ARRC has set its sights on an infrastructure project that will create an opportunity for increased passenger capacity. Governor Mike Dunleavy recently signed House Bill 127, which authorizes ARRC to sell up to $60 million in bonds to fund upgrades to its cruise passenger dock and terminal facility in Seward. This authority allows ARRC to move forward with an investment of more than $80 million for the dock and cruise terminal facility. Bank of America Securities is the underwriter for issuing the bonds, and a team visited Seward in July to get acquainted with the project.

Alaska Railroad Corporation

“In 2022, we’re back to 2019 levels in terms of running a full complement of trains on the passenger side… We're on track to record ridership on Alaska Railroad coaches.”

Bill O’Leary President & CEO Alaska Railroad Corporation

“Seward has been an essential gateway for the Alaska Railroad for decades,” says O’Leary. “Replacing the dock and enhancing our passenger terminal will ensure this important connection remains intact for all Railbelt communities for many more decades to come.”

Seward provides a critical connection to thousands of cruise passengers who arrive each summer and then travel throughout the state. ARRC already has interest in the dock upgrades from Royal Caribbean Group, as the two are in negotiations for a multi-year berthing agreement that features an annual revenue guarantee.

“Our cruise brands have enjoyed operating out of Seward for more than twenty years, and with this investment, our guests will continue building memories that last a lifetime,” says Wendy Lindskoog, a former ARRC executive and now Royal Caribbean Group’s regional vice president of government relations for Alaska and the West Coast. “Our aligned vision to

support this new dock with the governor, legislators, and ARRC means long-term economic benefit to the region and the ability for Royal Caribbean Group to bring our newer, more energy-efficient ships to the market.”

Because ARRC has its own bonding powers, none of the project costs will be paid by state dollars. Any costs outside the $60 million in bonds will be paid through existing dock fees and capital funds. If all goes as planned, the new passenger terminal will be operational for the 2025 season. ARRC also has a project in the works to expand the freight dock. In total, the ARRC is on track to invest more than $100 million in Seward over the next five years.

Though the Seward upgrades take the spotlight, behind the scenes is the regular upkeep of railroad infrastructure. Hopp says that maintaining infrastructure is capital intensive. He expects ARRC will invest a little more than $70 million in 2022 on track and bridge rehabilitation (that is, nearly $40 million for each) in addition to

improvements in equipment, business technology, and other facilities.

As for large expansion projects, Hopp says there is always talk about creating rail connections with Canada or Port Mackenzie. Though a Port Mackenzie project did make progress between 2007 and 2016, it has stalled due to a lack of funding by the MatanuskaSusitna Borough. If completed, the extension would allow for more efficient offloading of bulk resources from train to ship at the boroughowned port; shorten the distance to tidewater for Interior shippers; increase rail freight activity and development stimulated by the rail link; and benefit Railbelt communities through increased employment, contributions to the state and community tax base, and overall economic health.

As enticing as that sounds, the price tag remains an obstacle. “It is a real challenge for the state to fund a project like that,” says Hopp. “Any expansion made by the railroad will be in response to a significant need.

Although owned by the State of Alaska, the Alaska Railroad Corporation is self-sustaining and receives no operating funds from the state. Its three major sources of revenue are from carrying freight and passengers and from real estate permits and leases.

Glenn Aronwits | Alaska Railroad Corporation

FUELED FOR THE FUTURE

TOTE leads the industry in innovative initiatives that benefit the environment, people, and communities we serve. Our long-term investment to convert our ORCA-Class vessels to run on dual fuel LNG means we’ll continue to exceed emission standards, and protect the pristine waters of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska for years to come.

Dedicated. Reliable. Built to Serve.

In 2023, the Alaska Railroad Corporation will celebrate its 100th anniversary. The railroad was officially born when President Warren G. Harding drove a golden spike at Nenana in 1923.

100 Years and Beyond

ARRC is relatively young compared to other railroad operations in the Lower 48. The Alaska Central Railway (later renamed "The Alaska Railroad") built the first tracks out of Seward in 1903. After the federal government extended the line through Ship Creek, all the way to Fairbanks, President Warren G. Harding drove the golden spike at Nenana to mark the official birth of the railroad on July 15, 1923. After its first halfcentury under federal ownership, poor infrastructure and aging equipment were taking their toll. President Ronald Regan transferred the railroad to the State of Alaska in 1985, and ever since it has operated as the quasi-public Alaska Railroad Corporation with a sevenmember board of directors.

“Honestly, it’s just short of a miracle that it has managed to operate for almost 100 years in some of the most

inhospitable conditions, disconnected from any railroad in the Lower 48,” says O’Leary. “We may not be as large as those in the Lower 48, but we are one of a kind.”

As a self-sustaining corporation, ARRC receives no operating funds from the state. The railroad employs 600 year-round employees and 150 seasonal hires and contributes significantly to the economy by way of capital projects. O’Leary says the railroad’s five-year plan includes half a billion dollars in capital funding over the next five years. Local contractors are regularly hired for capital projects, which means money is generally spent within the state. In that vein, O’Leary sees ARRC as an economic multiplier and a key piece of infrastructure vital to development projects in Southcentral, the Interior, and beyond the Railbelt.

Though Wade didn’t provide specifics about events happening during next year’s centennial celebration, he did note that they

would be “big.” Earlier this year, when ARRC sought entries for its annual commemorative artwork program, it added a request that artist submissions reflect the railroad’s centennial.

ARRC selected a winning entry in mid-April but has yet to announce the selected artist. The 2023 print will be the 44th since the program began in 1979 (a print was not done in 1984 during the ownership handover). The art print poster will be released for sale to the public by November.

“The Alaska Railroad is a symbol of economic strength and vitality,” says Wade. “We are proud of our heritage.”

For a transport company even older than the Alaska Railroad, choose page 96.

For comparable gross revenue among private companies, choose page 61.

We are not an ‘if you build it, they will come’ type of organization.”

Glenn Aronwits | Alaska Railroad Corporation

TRUST

Welcome Adventurers!

Choices lay before you, but before you embark, let us set the scene: It’s 2022, and for the last two years every business, not-for-profit, and nonprofit across the globe has been operating to the best of its ability under the demands of a worldwide pandemic.

Not every business made it: some saw an unanticipated and unavoidable drought, markets or customers drying up seemingly overnight, while others chose a downhill route that led over a steep cliff—an unfortunate end.

Other businesses worked their way through the labyrinth, emerging at the end with bumps and scrapes and a whole lot of lessons learned. They navigated plot twists that arose from working and living at home, social distancing, PPE shortages, logistics issues, and a growing demand for houseplants.

So here we are! We know what’s behind us, but what’s next? That decision is up to the companies still providing the goods and services that keep Alaska running. Whether they trudged through the pandemic or launched anew because of it, they must place their next steps carefully.

For the seasoned adventurers in the following pages—our 2022 Top 49ers—none of them began their journey within the last twenty-four months: even the most ambitious business plan generally doesn’t call for gross revenues above $51 million in less than two years. Which means these are all veteran businesses that fell into a lagoon infested with laser sharks—a common metaphor for the pandemic, we’re pretty sure—and found a way across.

They’ve also all cleared a new hurdle: our revised Top 49ers criteria. Before this year, the criterium for being a Top 49er was (seemingly) straightforward: be at least 51 percent Alaskan-owned. But who is an Alaskan? Is someone who was born and raised in Alaska but resides elsewhere, at least part of the year, still Alaskan? Is someone who moved away from the state temporarily for a job or education Alaskan? Is someone who’s only been a resident for one year Alaskan?

Is a publicly traded company with stockholders worldwide Alaskan-owned, provided all its operations are in the state?

Instead of defining what “Alaskan” means (the concept is too big for one editorial team, no matter how dedicated, to nail down), we established two new criteria: founded and headquartered in Alaska. We are honoring the companies that started here and stay here, dedicated to drawing revenue back to the 49th state. Amid a world of options, they have committed to their original base camps.

None of the Top 49ers strapped on their gear and hiked up Pandemic Mountain just to lay down for an afternoon nap. The challenges of the pandemic have leveled up their business skills: using new technology, understanding their workforce, improving communication. The route each Top 49er took has set them in a unique position for the upcoming year, and there are options aplenty for each— unexplored markets, potential acquisitions, or new skillsets in the form of exceptional personnel.

In this special section and throughout the magazine, you will encounter forks in the road, options for roaming through the wilderness between these covers. You may have chosen the straight path from beginning to end (which is never a bad reading option), or the choices at the bottom of the page may have brought you here from any other direction. In the spirit of adventure, we hope you’ll follow a less direct path and seek enriching connections among the contents of this exceptional section and issue. Whatever options lay ahead, choose adventure: get out, get up, get going, and find success. The Top 49ers always do.

To see the adventures that the Top 49ers are excited about, choose page 84.

To meet companies new to the list, choose page 90.

ARCTIC SLOPE REGIONAL CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 1 | 13% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Rex A. Rock Sr., Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 71.29219923, Long -156.7863626

2021 $3,876,830,000

2020 $3,420,602,000

2019 $3,766,757,000

2018 $3,396,783,000

2017 $2,697,862,000

Noteworthy Events: We are proud to report that in 2021 ASRC achieved record revenues and its second highest adjusted EBITDA in the corporation’s history, despite the global pandemic and its effects. ASRC further strengthened its stable financial foundation built by its past and present leadership. Services: ASRC has six major business segments: government contract services, industrial services, petroleum refining and marketing, energy support services, construction, and resource development. Employees: 14,656 Worldwide | 3,165 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-852-8633 | asrc.com

BRISTOL BAY NATIVE CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 2 | 28% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Jason Metrokin, Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.2061556, Long -149.8912328

2021 $2,162,939,000

2020 $1,690,619,000

2019 $1,766,967,000

2018 $1,689,014,000

2017 $1,659,345,000

Noteworthy Events: BBNC subsidiary Bristol Wild Seafood Co. was recently announced as a Microsoft Product with Purpose. Microsoft celebrated by featuring Bristol Wild’s Bristol Bay sockeye salmon and Alaska cod in dining locations on campus and by holding a Seafood Sustainability panel and a salmon culinary demonstration. Services: Industrial services, construction, government services, seafood, tourism, and natural resources. Employees: 5,128 Worldwide | 1,187 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-278-3602 | bbnc.net

#2 | BBNC

Dellana Mann, Aria Gregorio, and Hailey Carty, participants at the second annual BBNC Culture Camp, sing and dance in Igiugig July 2022. The BBNC Culture Camp provides an opportunity for its shareholders and descendants to share, learn, and experience Bristol Bay’s Alutiiq, Dena’ina, and Yup’ik cultures, languages, and traditions. As BBNC celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is imagining a bright future for generations to come. Matt Hage, HagePhoto | Bristol Bay Native Corporation

#5 | LYNDEN

Lynden serves communities across the entire state of Alaska, from Ketchikan to Kaktovik. This painted scene in Bethel shows many of the unique equipment types used by Lynden, including barges, landing craft, trucks, Hercules aircraft, and even hovercraft. J. Craig Thorpe | Lynden

NANA REGIONAL CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 3 | 15% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: John Aġnaaqłuk Lincoln, Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 66.89182454, Long -162.6072898

2021 $1,769,700,000 2020 $1,536,513,873 2019 $1,655,322,000 2018 $1,501,302,000 2017 $1,354,000,000

Noteworthy Events: John Aġnaaqłuk Lincoln was named NANA president/CEO. Previously he was VP, external affairs; VP, business development; and VP, lands. He graduated from Stanford. NANA distributed $32.8 million in CARES Act relief funds to shareholders, $27.8 million to the shareholder trust, and $3.7 million to social and cultural programs. Services: Resource development, land management, federal contracting, engineering and design, surveying and mapping, food and facilities management, camp services, security, industrial and commercial fabrication and installation, drilling services. Employees: 15,323 Worldwide | 4,602 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-442-3301 | nana.com

CHENEGA CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 5 | 16% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Charles W. Totemoff, Pres./CEO Base Camp: Lat 61.1464085, Long -149.8870593

2021 $1,100,000,000 2020 $949,000,000 2019 $871,000,000 2018 $830,000,000 2017 $876,000,000

Noteworthy Events: Chenega continues to maximize our business opportunities, support shareholders, and work on our infrastructure projects in the village. Services: Chenega provides expertise and support to defense, intelligence, and federal civilian customers. Through our portfolio of companies, Chenega can compete in 8(a), small business, and full and open markets. Employees: 7,196 Worldwide | 109 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1974 907-277-5706 | chenega.com

#14 | KONIAG

#31 | CMI

LYNDEN

2021 Rank: 4 | 13% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Jim Jansen, Chairman

Base Camp: Lat 61.159052, Long -149.9724401

2021 $1,080,000,000 2020 $960,000,000 2019 $1,075,000,000 2018 $1,050,000,000 2017 $950,000,000

Noteworthy Events: Lynden was voted the Best Cargo/Logistics provider in the 2022 Best of Alaska Business awards. Alaska West Express received the 2021 Alaska Safe Truck Fleet of the Year Award. Bering Marine received the Transportation Safety Award from the American Red Cross. Services: The Lynden family of companies provides transportation and logistics solutions. They serve the entire state of Alaska and offer a full range of transportation options across all modes—air, land, and sea—so customers can optimize time and money when shipping to, from, or within Alaska. Employees: 2,472 Worldwide | 944 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1982 907-245-1544 | lynden.com

CHUGACH ALASKA CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 6 | -15% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Sheri Buretta, Board Chair

Base Camp: Lat 61.18557, Long -149.89259

2021 $783,000,000

2020 $919,000,000

2019 $977,000,000

2018 $949,000,000

2017 $920,000,000

Noteworthy Events: Earned record operating profit and net income (both 2020 and 2021); committed $24.2 million in CARES Act funds to support region/shareholders during COVID-19; awarded Best Place to Work, Best COVID Response, and Community Citizen in the 2022 Best of Alaska Business awards; welcomed new presidents in all three holding companies; generating carbon project revenue. Services: Chugach has a portfolio of complementary businesses across a range of industries including government, energy, and facilities services. Chugach also manages an investment portfolio and land and natural resource development projects in the region. Employees: 4,500 Worldwide | 1,000 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-563-8866 | chugach.com

Construction Machinery Industrial is the premier Alaska destination for construction and mining equipment, sales, rentals, parts, and service. With locations in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan, CMI is strategically poised to deliver its products and service quickly and effectively. CMI

In July 2022, the Koniag board of directors, leadership, and subsidiary leadership traveled to Akhiok at the south end of Kodiak Island for the yearly community service project. Volunteers replaced crosses at the Russian Orthodox grave sites and cleaned up the graveyard. Stacey Simmons | Koniag

#7

CALISTA CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 7 | -1% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Andrew Guy, Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.1766714, Long -149.8886257

2021 $722,630,000

2020 $732,937,000

2019 $573,299,000

2018 $574,354,000

2017 $480,200,000

Noteworthy Events: Calista passed a major milestone with more than $100 million in lifetime distributions to shareholders. Calista shareholder enrollment has grown to more than 35,100. Additionally, internships and scholarships are continually offered, with $5.9 million in scholarships to date. Services: Calista Corporation is the parent company of 30+ subsidiaries in the industries of defense contracting, construction, real estate, environmental services, natural resource development, marine transportation, oilfield services, and heavy equipment. Employees: 3,200 Worldwide | 700 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-275-2800 | calistacorp.com

#8

AFOGNAK NATIVE CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 9 | 0% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Greg Hambright, Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 57.7844988, Long -152.4000657

2021 $657,600,000

2020 $658,753,000

2019 $618,395,000

2018 $643,686,000

2017 $608,104,000

Noteworthy Events: Afognak Native Corporation contributed more than $11 million of CARES Act relief funds to households, small businesses, community organizations, and hunting and subsistence programs to ensure food security and pandemic assistance. We look forward to growing partnerships for the benefit of all. Services: Afognak Native Corporation, Alutiiq, LLC, Afognak Commercial Group, and subsidiaries provide exceptional service in government and commercial sectors, including leasing, timber, engineering, security, logistics and warehousing, facility maintenance, retail liquor stores, and oilfield services. Employees: 3,576 Worldwide | 330 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1977 907-486-6014 | afognak.com

#26 | CAPE FOX

2022 has been about celebration. At Cape Fox Corporation, staff and shareholders were delighted to celebrate together again at our Annual Shareholder picnic on June 4, 2022 at Black Sand Beach in Ketchikan. Jacob Mosholder | Cape Fox Corporation

Kerry Tasker | Cornerstone Construction

#10 | UIC

Guided by our culture, UIC strives to bring Iñupiat values to the services and products we provide to our customers and to enhance the lives of our shareholders.

COOK INLET REGION, INC.

2021 Rank: 11 | 28% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Sophie Minich, Pres./CEO Base Camp: Lat 61.19920033, Long -149.8693371

2021 $611,749,000 2020 $477,990,000 2019 $493,023,000 2018 $513,881,000 2017 $439,349,000

Noteworthy Events: CIRI, in partnership with its tribal designated organizations and affiliated nonprofits, distributed $111.8 million of CARES Act funds to projects and programs focused on Alaska Native healthcare, child and elder needs, homelessness and housing instability, workforce re-entry, and family impacts. Services: Through earnings from a wellbalanced portfolio, CIRI is committed to providing meaningful and sustainable benefits to CIRI shareholders, descendants, and the more than 60,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people in the CIRI region and beyond. Employees: 80 Worldwide | 80 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-274-8638 | CIRI.com

UKPEAĠVIK IÑUPIAT CORPORATION (UIC)

2021 Rank: 10 | 10% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Dr. Pearl K. Brower, Pres./CEO Base Camp: Lat 71.29893, Long -156.75306

2021 $582,554,430 2020 $531,383,460 2019 $480,055,281 2018 $461,190,653 2017 $470,425,629

Noteworthy Events: UIC set another record for revenues and income from operations. The board of directors distributed its largest dividend payment of $30 per share. 2022 looks to be another stellar year with more than 20 percent revenue growth. In May, UIC was also pleased to welcome HC Contractors to its family of companies. Services: Diversified commercial, government services, and government contracting, technical/professional services, logistics/support services, heavy civil/vertical construction, oilfield support, architectural/engineering services, marine transportation, real estate management, manufacturing, and remote operations/ support and services. Employees: 4,428 Worldwide | 490 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1973 907-852-4460 | uicalaska.com

Jesse Darling | Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation

#23 | CHOGGIUNG Choggiung Ltd.

#11

GOLDBELT, INCORPORATED

2021 Rank: 18 | 82% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: McHugh Pierre, Pres./CEO Base Camp: Lat 58.3724289, Long -134.598331 2021 $497,000,000 2020 $272,866,942 2019 $240,646,300 2018 $228,728,336 2017 $229,389,285

Noteworthy Events: Goldbelt Incorporated continues to accomplish record-breaking profitability through our pursuit of creative business solutions. We are committed to excellence in serving both our shareholders and customers. We value investing in Alaska through partnerships with other Alaska-based organizations. Services: Tourism, government contracting, facility management, IT consulting, transportation, security services, and construction. Employees: 1,513 Worldwide | 264 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1974 907-790-4990 | Goldbelt.com

#12

ALASKA USA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

2021 Rank: - | - Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Geofferey S. Lundfelt, Pres./CEO Base Camp: Lat 61.18511903, Long -149.890182 2021 $486,106,000 2020201920182017 -

Noteworthy Events: After a merger with Global Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska USA is the 16th largest credit union in the United States. Together we are stronger, benefiting our members, employees, and communities in five states plus three branches on US military bases in Italy. Services: Financial services for consumers and businesses: deposits (such as savings, checking, money market, certificates, HSA, etc.), loans, investments, mortgage and real estate, and personal insurance. Employees: 2,047 Worldwide | 1,183 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1948 907-563-4567 | AlaskaUSA.org

BERING STRAITS NATIVE CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 12 | 3% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Gail R. Schubert, Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.1464085, Long -149.8870593

2021 $468,215,000

2020 $456,170,000

2019 $378,843,000

2018 $415,000,000

2017 $357,900,000

Noteworthy Events: In October of 2021, BSNC wholly acquired Central Environmental, Inc. and four related sister companies: Central Recycling Services, C.I. Contractors, Environmental Management, Inc., and Concrete Coring Services. Services: Government contracting, logistics, base operations support services, aircraft and airfield services, special training and security, management and consulting services, IT services, construction and renovation, communications. Employees: 2,014 Worldwide | 625 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-563-3788 | beringstraits.com

#17 | THREE BEARS

The newest Three Bears opened August 5 in Sterling. That's eighteen stores and counting for this homegrown Alaska company.

Jim Kolb | Three Bears Alaska, Inc.

#15 | CHUGACH ELECTRIC

Chugach Electric’s George M. Sullivan Plant 2A. Located off the Glenn Highway near Muldoon Road in Anchorage, Plant 2A is an important part of Chugach’s power generation facilities. Chugach Electric Association

KONIAG

2021 Rank: 13 | 13% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Ron Unger, Chairman/CEO

Base Camp: Lat 57.7844988, Long -152.4000657

2021 $464,068,000 2020 $410,730,000 2019 $323,878,000 2018 $267,415,000 2017 $270,769,000

Noteworthy Events: Koniag has continued its trend of year-overyear growth. Our government contracting sector led company growth with years of consistent contract performance and customer relationships built on trust. Services: Koniag’s principal lines of business include investments in various operating companies, commercial real estate investments, and ANCSA natural resource management. Employees: 2,700 Worldwide | 200 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-486-2530 | koniag.com

For another company with 200 Alaska employees, choose page 69.

CHUGACH ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

2021 Rank: 21 | 49% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Arthur Miller, CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.1663423, Long -149.903095

2021 $354,500,000 2020 $237,429,000 2019 $212,517,000 2018 $202,253,000 2017 $224,689,000

Noteworthy Events: 2021 was the first full year as a combined utility after closing on the acquisition of Municipal Light & Power on October 30, 2020. Services: Through superior service, safely provide reliable and competitively priced energy. Employees: 460 Worldwide | 460 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1948 907-563-7494 | chugachelectric.com

A BRIGHT FUTURE.

The celebration of our 50 th anniversary is a calling—to ensure that BBNC and the communities we serve thrive, and to be champions and stewards of our land and our cultures. This year, we are celebrating our anniversary with a series of murals created by some of our shareholder artists.

bbnc.ak BristolBayNativeCorporation

THIS YEAR, WE HONOR OUR PAST 50 YEARS AND IMAGINE

BBNC shareholder Apay’uq Moore paints a mural in Dillingham, AK.

Photo by BBNC shareholder Misty Nielsen.

#27

| SITNASUAK

Throughout the years, Sitnasuak Native Corporation has taken our people’s connection to spirituality and pride in culture as a reminder of how we have gotten to where and who we are today. Just as our corporation works to reflect, this photo represents hard work, cooperation within the team and community, obedience to leadership, patience within and outside the group (organization), open communication, and commitment to carry out what is truly needed within our team and community, all while respecting, using, and protecting the Land that has served our culture for thousands of years.

Rebecca Sherman-Luce | Sitnasuak Native Corporation

#16

#17

AHTNA, INC.

2021 Rank: 14 | -4% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Michelle Anderson, Pres.

Base Camp: Lat 62.1371485, Long -145.8220535

2021 $324,071,788 2020 $336,752,052 2019 $261,104,398 2018 $284,400,000 2017 $238,000,000

Noteworthy Events: Ahtna has launched the HOPE (Helping Our People Excel) shareholder program with a primary goal of getting more shareholders employed and gaining work experience. Supporting education and professional development opportunities is an important aspect of the program. Services: Construction, engineering, environmental, facilities management, surveying, security, military training, janitorial, healthcare and medical records management, government contracting, land management, resource development, and oil and gas pipeline services. Employees: 1,114 Worldwide | 321 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-822-3476 | ahtna.com

THREE BEARS ALASKA

2021 Rank: 16 | 16% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: David A. Weisz, Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.58108561, Long -149.5984192

2021 $323,438,062 2020 $278,712,835 2019 $237,342,665 2018 $212,185,435 2017 $187,029,540

Noteworthy Events: Now operating eighteen stores in Alaska. Services: Retail grocery, general merchandise, sporting goods, pharmacy, Ace hardware, fuel, and beer, wine, and spirits. Employees: 904 Worldwide | 840 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1980 907-357-4311 | threebearsalaska.com

#19

TYONEK NATIVE CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 19 | 14% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Stephen Peskosky, CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.2209598, Long -149.8873336

2021 $289,709,829 2020 $254,200,000 2019 $218,200,000 2018 $144,600,000 2017 $78,000,000

Noteworthy Events: Tyonek Native Corporation has achieved significant growth over the past five years. Through the dedication of our valued employees, 60 percent of whom are US military veterans, we have supported the critical missions of our customers and provided increasing value to our shareholders. Services: TNC specializes in cyber security training, land management of more than 200,000 acres in the Cook Inlet region, construction services, oil and gas services support, sea-land transportation support, aerospace and defense manufacturing, and aircraft maintenance, modification, and overhaul. Employees: 1,480 Worldwide | 30 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1973 907-272-0707 | tyonek.com

DOYON, LIMITED

2021 Rank: 15 | -11% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Aaron Schutt, Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 64.8453889, Long -147.7206773

2021 $283,000,000 2020 $319,100,000 2019 $322,195,000 2018 $310,643,000 2017 $290,548,000

Noteworthy Events: Na-Dena`, a Doyon and Huna Totem Corporation joint venture, is working alongside Klawock Heenya Corporation to build a passenger port in Klawock. Oceania Cruises will be the first cruise line scheduled to visit on May 24, 2023, with three additional calls in the 2023 season. Services: Doyon, Limited operates a diverse family of companies in the areas of oilfield services, utilities, construction, information technology, natural resource development, tourism, laundry, real estate, and wireless telecommunications. Employees: 896 Worldwide | 562 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-459-2000 | doyon.com

| ANCHORAGE CHRYSLER DODGE CENTER Eleven awesome acres on East 5th Avenue filled with fine vehicles. Buzz Rolhfing | Media Production Associates

OLGOONIK CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 20 | 7% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Hugh Patkotak Sr., Pres./CEO Base Camp: Lat 61.1464085, Long -149.8870593

2021 $259,700,000 2020 $241,700,000 2019 $241,700,000 2018 $228,500,000 2017 $260,200,000

Noteworthy Events: Throughout the pandemic, Olgoonik maintained our commitment to preserving our workforce. Our employees showed resilience and innovation that helped us pursue our goals and bring in important new contracts that will keep us busy for years to come. Services: Specializing in construction, logistics and operations, security, environmental and engineering, well site plugging and remediation, and commercial electrical projects. Employees: 1,260 Worldwide | 125 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1973 907-562-8728 | olgoonik.com

THE ALEUT CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 17 | -16% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Skoey Vergen, Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.0890329, Long -149.8372703

2021 $231,893,388 2020 $277,043,248 2019 $258,131,652 2018 $252,293,053 2017 $211,837,206

Noteworthy Events: The Aleut Corporation finalized transfer of ownership of thirteen of its 8(a) subsidiaries under Aleut Federal Holding Company in four business lines which include environmental services, construction services, infrastructure, and technology services. Services: Government contracting, O&M, training and education, logistics, construction, technology, environmental, remediation, real estate, fuel and port services, and engineering, prototype, and manufacturing Employees: 855 Worldwide | 95 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-561-4300 | aleutcorp.com

TDX (TANADGUSIX) CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 25 | 13% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Christopher Mandregan Jr., CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.1464085, Long -149.8870593

2021 $200,000,000 2020 $177,000,000 2019 $195,000,000 2018 $138,000,000 2017 $111,700,000

Noteworthy Events: TDX Corporation is owned by and represents the business interests of more than 600 Aleut shareholders of St. Paul Island. Services: TDX business groups are diversified, serving the technology, government contracting, hospitality, and seafood industries. Employees: 600 Worldwide | 218 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1973 907-278-2312 | tdxcorp.com

To see other companies that saw 13 percent growth in revenue, choose page 49, 51, or 57.

#16 | AHTNA

Shareholder staff provided vital field support this summer for our Ahtna lands carbon credits program. The program requires a 100-year commitment with annual monitoring and re-verification every six years. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary we reflect on the wisdom and guidance of our elders and early leaders. Respect and care for the land and it will provide. Ahtna, Incorporated

#23

CHOGGIUNG LTD.

2021 Rank: 24 | 0% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Cameron Poindexter, Pres./CEO Base Camp: Lat 59.04017243, Long -158.4614012 2021 $182,286,396 2020 $183,200,000 2019 $150,189,000 2018 $95,700,000 2017 $8,400,000

Noteworthy Events: Choggiung Limited has created a new subsidiary company brand, Wood River Federal, to support the federal government with an array of solutions built from our background and experience. Check out our website at woodriverfederal.com to learn more. Services: Construction, federal contracting services, hotel and diner, apartments, and commercial real estate. Employees: 475 Worldwide | 110 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1972 907-842-5218 | choggiung.com

FIRST NATIONAL BANK ALASKA

2021 Rank: 26 | -2% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Betsy Lawer, Board Chair/CEO/Pres. Base Camp: Lat 61.18850045, Long -149.883848

2021 $171,091,000 2020 $174,672,000 2019 $175,467,000 2018 $164,818,000 2017 $152,325,000

Noteworthy Events: First National celebrated its centennial in 2022, uncommon for Alaska businesses. Alaska Business readers voted the bank Best Place to Work for the seventh year running in the 2022 Best of Alaska Business awards. A new Loan Production Office in Ketchikan expanded the bank’s reach to nineteen communities. Services: Friendly, knowledgeable Alaskans offer convenience, service, and value with a full range of deposit, lending, and wealth management services, and online and mobile banking. With twenty-eight locations in nineteen communities and assets of more than $5.3 billion, we believe in Alaska and have since 1922. Employees: 590 Worldwide | 590 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1922 907-777-4362 | FNBAlaska.com

MATANUSKA ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

2021 Rank: 27 | 1% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Tony Izzo, CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.5922, Long -149.1174186

2021 $157,629,815 2020 $155,401,551 2019 $148,343,834 2018 $148,639,243 2017 $148,701,932

Noteworthy Events: MEA currently produces 16 percent of its power from renewable energy sources and over the last decade has reduced its carbon emissions by 27 percent. Services: Alaska’s oldest and second largest electric cooperative, MEA serves more than 54,600 members in communities across the entire Mat-Su Borough, Eagle River, and Chugiak with power. In 2021, MEA celebrated eighty years as a member-owned and led electric co-op. Employees: 218 Worldwide | 218 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1941 907-761-9300 | mea.coop

For more information about carbon solutions, choose page 125.

A

#39 | GANA-A' YOO

#28 | NORTHRIM

CAPE FOX CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 28 | 19% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Chris Luchtefeld, CEO

Base Camp: Lat 55.31715185, Long -131.592623

2021 $147,183,908 2020 $123,724,000 2019 $76,800,000 2018 $68,500,055 2017 $60,632,693

Noteworthy Events: CFC has enjoyed several years of growth, and we are translating that growth into more opportunities for our shareholders. Our growth is expanding into new areas of investment, with a new tourism transportation company, a pizzeria, new local properties, and a renovated tram at Cape Fox Lodge. Services: Cape Fox Corporation has two lines of business, one for tourism in Alaska with restaurants, a lodge, and retail, and one with government contracting with multiple subsidiaries that offer capabilities in IT and cybersecurity, healthcare, professional services, and construction. Employees: 1,132 Worldwide | 302 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1973 907-225-5163 | capefoxcorp.com

To learn more about Cape Fox's nearest Top 49er neighbor, Goldbelt, choose page 55.

SITNASUAK NATIVE CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 22 | -22% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Charles Fagerstrom, CEO

Base Camp: Lat 64.49816412, Long -165.4083016

2021 $145,579,765 2020 $185,519,277 2019 $172,944,639 2018 $133,494,517 2017 $134,138,330

Noteworthy Events: - Services:Employees: 1,243 Worldwide | 114 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1973 907-387-1200 | snc.org

For another company led by a "Charles," choose page 50.

historic event in 2022, Gana-A’Yoo shareholders voted in favor of opening enrollment and creating a new class of shares for their eligible descendants. Ryan Kegley | Gana-A’Yoo

Northrim Bank powers the businesses that power Alaska. Zak Melms | Northrim Bank

NORTHRIM BANK

2021 Rank: - | - Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Joseph Schierhorn, Chairman/CEO Base Camp: Lat 61.19209599, Long -149.8858452

2021 $136,869,000 2020201920182017 -

Noteworthy Events: #1 PPP loan originator in the state. Opened a new Loan Production office in Nome in April 2021. Services: Banking services such as deposits and loans available through our network of seventeen branches Statewide and through robust online and mobile banking platforms. Now offering new commercial purchase card and integrated payable products. Employees: 481 Worldwide | 440 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1990 907-562-0062 | Northrim.com

The

#4 | CHENEGA

village of Chenega had to be rebuilt after the 1964 earthquake; the Alaska Native village corporation that represents it now brings in more gross revenue than the Alaska Native corporation for the entire Prince William Sound region. Chenega Corporation

DAVIS CONSTRUCTORS & ENGINEERS

2021 Rank: 34 | 42% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Luke Blomfield, Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.163646, Long -149.881523

2021 $133,579,001 2020 $94,270,117 2019 $101,243,501 2018 $128,512,733 2017 $120,084,328

Noteworthy Events: In 2007 Davis established an endowment with the Alaska Community Foundation fund to support our community. To date, $449,942 has been donated to Alaska causes through the Davis Constructors & Employees Fund. The Davis committee comprises current and past Davis “10 year” employees. Services: Davis Constructors & Engineers offers complete project management services to assist with design and construction of all types of building projects. We have completed more than $2.6 billion in Alaska projects, representing more than 7.8 million square feet of construction. Employees: 237 Worldwide | 237 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1976 907-562-2336 | davisconstructors.com

THE

THE KUSKOKWIM CORPORATION

2021 Rank: 40 | 68% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Andrea Gusty, Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.1843051, Long -149.88442

2021 $122,795,621 2020 $73,160,209 2019 $78,672,271 2018 $74,267,227 2017 $104,276,146

Noteworthy Events: The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC) has been focused on improving the lives of our shareholders beyond just dividends. Profits from subsidiaries in the Lower 48 are being brought home to find energy, cost of living, and housing solutions for rural Alaska and the residents of TKC’s Middle Kuskokwim region. Services: Construction, government services, environmental services, lighting, aerospace, aircraft maintenance and repair, real estate, and rural retail. Employees: 379 Worldwide | 34 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1977 907-243-2944 | kuskokwim.com

The Kuskokwim Corporation jumped up 10 spots in 2022; to see who is #40 this year, choose page 74.

SOLUTIONS COMPANY

Full facility removal, asbestos, remediation, waste management, demolition and site work

CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY INDUSTRIAL

2021 Rank: 29 | -2% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Ken Gerondale, Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.1807098, Long -149.8618981

2021 $115,000,000 2020 $117,000,000 2019 $102,000,000 2018 $105,000,000 2017 $98,500,000

Noteworthy Events: Despite dealing with lead times and logistical issues that all of us are facing, CMI is still committed to providing best customer support. Services: Distributor of construction, mining, and logging equipment in Alaska. Representative for Volvo, Hitachi, Atlas Copco, Doosan, Metso, Link-Belt, and many other manufacturers. Employees: 105 Worldwide | 105 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1985 907-563-3822 | cmiak.com

USIBELLI COAL MINE

2021 Rank: 35 | 0% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Joseph E. Usibelli Jr., Pres./CEO

Base Camp: Lat 64.8429654, Long -147.7215335

2021 $94,300,000 2020 $94,000,000 2019 $89,000,000 2018 $81,000,000 2017 $79,000,000

Noteworthy Events: In September 2021, UCM achieved a historic reclamation milestone when the State of Alaska approved Phase III bond release for 367 acres of mined lands within the Poker Flats mining area. The Poker Flats mining area is only the second area in Alaska to be approved for Phase III bond release. Services: Currently the only operational coal mine in Alaska, UCM is supported by the most modern mining equipment and state-of-the-art engineering. Today, UCM supplies affordable, reliable, and ultra-low sulfur coal to the five power plants located in Interior Alaska. Employees: 182 Worldwide | 155 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1943 907-452-2625 | usibelli.com

wise counsel

DORSEY ATTORNEYS HAVE SERVED AS TRUSTED COUNSEL TO ALASKA CLIENTS FOR OVER 20 YEARS

With over two decades of history in the Anchorage community, Dorsey & Whitney provides full-service legal counsel to clients in the Alaska market and beyond. Backed up by the resources of an international law fi rm with over 550 attorneys across 20 offi ces, we offer global reach, local resources, and productive relationships. All with a deep understanding of our clients’ businesses, the risks they face, and the goals that drive them. Making us a wise choice for smart businesses everywhere.

ANCHORAGE CHRYSLER DODGE CENTER

2021 Rank: 37 | 7% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Corey Meyers, Pres. Base Camp: Lat 61.2175529, Long -149.8648891

2021 $90,038,000

2020 $84,416,000

2019 $82,472,439

2018 $77,738,867

2017 $90,546,881

Noteworthy Events: - Services: Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge new and used vehicle sales and service. Your hometown dealer for forty-seven years. Employees: 100 Worldwide | 100 Statewide Year Founded in Alaska: 1963 907-276-1331 | -

For another car dealership, choose page 74 or 78.

For another company with 7 percent change in revenue, choose page 60.

#24 | FNBA

Chay Apas (left) and Tess Mayo of First National Bank Alaska’s Northern Lights and South Center branches, respectively, light up the night at the bank’s Employee Centennial Celebration on January 29, 2022, at Cuddy Family Midtown Park. First National Bank Alaska

CRUZ CONSTRUCTION

2021 Rank: 31 | -9% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Dave Cruz, Pres. Base Camp: Lat 61.5762948, Long -149.4107091

2021 $89,558,663 2020 $98,823,282 2019 $80,884,836 2018 $137,401,439 2017 $120,000,000

Noteworthy Events: Cruz Construction enjoyed a diverse year throughout Alaska. We moved more than 5.5 million tons of material, mobilized a 3.2 million pound drill rig down the Dalton Highway, constructed hundreds of miles of ice road and snow trail, and barged late into the operating season. Services: Oil and gas operations, ice roads, snow trails, tundra transport, heavy haul, heavy-civil, equipment, marine transportation, camps, logistics, oilfield exploration, engineering, and consulting. Employees: 200 Worldwide | 200 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1981 907-746-3144 | cruzconstruct.com

COLVILLE

2021 Rank: 33 | -18% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Dave Pfeifer, Pres./CEO Base Camp: Lat 70.142509, Long -149.085327

2021 $79,442,093 2020 $96,944,395 2019 $117,558,062 2018 $88,647,382 2017 $87,479,056

Noteworthy Events: Colville Aviation Services acquired the North Slope assets of Northern Oilfield Solutions on July 1, 2022, enabling us to expand our fuel storage and distribution capabilities. Services: Oil and gas industry support services and supplies, solid waste utility, aviation support services, logistics, and camp operations. Employees: 145 Worldwide | 145 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1981 907-659-3198 | colvilleinc.com

#34 |

CRUZ CONSTRUCTION

KIKIKTAGRUK INUPIAT CORP.

2021 Rank: 38 | -4% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Thomas Kennedy, CEO

Base Camp: Lat 61.1772407, Long -149.8865352

2021 $79,307,587 2020 $82,858,722 2019 $68,161,437 20182017 -

Noteworthy Events: Continued growth in the scientific services arena with the US Food & Drug Adminitration and the National Institutes of Health. Started SABER IDIQ contract with Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia. Services: Construction, commercial and residential rental properties, and retail sales of hardware, lumber, and auto parts. Government JBOS contracts, construction contracts, and professional service contracts. Employees: 236 Worldwide | 35 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1973 907-277-7884 | kikiktagruk.com

H C CONTRACTORS

2021 Rank: 42 | 9% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Bill Hoople, Pres. Base Camp: Lat 64.81150931, Long -147.5620421

2021 $77,150,650 2020 $70,855,438 201920182017 -

Noteworthy Events: Completed 18 miles of waterline from North Pole to Moose Creek at Eielson AFB, FIA Runway, Wendell Avenue Bridge, Little Goldstream Bridge, Chokosana Bridge, and Richardson Hwy 82-97 resurfacing. Services: Heavy civil construction, asphalt paving, bridge construction, and aggregate production. Employees: 134 Worldwide | 134 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1993 907-488-5983 | hccontractors.net

Cruz Construction is nearing completion of the two-year, $23 million Newtok Airport Relocation Project in Mertarvik. The project required the opening of a mine site in Mertarvik and the placing of 1.3 million tons of gravel. Cruz Construction

#38

EVERTS AIR CARGO & EVERTS AIR ALASKA

2021 Rank: 41 | 5% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Robert Everts, CEO/Owner

Base Camp: Lat 64.81137213, Long -147.8802518

2021 $75,000,000 2020 $71,700,000 2019 $59,190,000 2018 $67,700,000 2017 $63,800,000

Noteworthy Events: 2021 was a year of updating strategy and finalizing projects that were impacted by COVID and the associated business environment. It was a year to appreciate and support the hard work and dedication of an amazing group of employees while at the same time pursuing ambitious goals. Services: Everts Air Cargo provides scheduled and charter air freight services in Alaska and on-demand charter services throughout North, Central, and South America, including the Caribbean. Everts Air Alaska, based in Fairbanks, provides passenger, freight, and charter service using PC12s and Caravans. Employees: 364 Worldwide | 342 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1978 907-450-2300 | EvertsAir.com

GANA-A’ YOO, LIMITED

2021 Rank: 39 | -10% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Dena Sommer-Pedebone, CEO Base Camp: Lat 61.1933963, Long -149.8754876

2021 $74,041,908 2020 $81,976,088 2019 $61,914,317 2018 $30,669,022 2017 -

Noteworthy Events: While Gana-A’Yoo and our family of companies certainly felt the economic impacts of COVID on all our business lines, this year was still our third most profitable year in history. Services: Gana-A’Yoo and our family of companies continue to grow to meet our clients and shareholders needs. We provide services in the areas of construction, IT, logistics, demolition, janitorial, camp services, manufacturing, professional services, O&M, and waste remediation. Employees: 473 Worldwide | 37 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1978 907-569-9599 | ganaayoo.com

#13 | BSNC

Alaska Industrial Hardware (AIH) President Terry Shurtleff (right) with AIH employee James Sparks, a BSNC shareholder (left). Currently, 18 percent of the AIH workforce are shareholders and descendants. AIH, a BSNC-owned subsidiary, employs approximately 187 Alaskans. AIH | Bering Straits Native Corporation

Keeping Alaska’s Future Bright and Connected

When we look at the people that make up MTA’s workforce, we see the spirit of Alaska.

Our line crews, engineers, member service teams and more represent the talent and drive that make this state so unique.

MTA’s team has ensured that our members can rely on us for decades to come, and that we will be prepared for whatever life throws at us.

Whether we are connecting Alaskan residents throughout the state, partnering with our communities, or modernizing the way our team works, the focus remains on our people.

In today’s world, the health and education of our communities is dependent on us being connected, and MTA will always remain at their side to make sure Alaskans have what they need.

GENE’S CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM

Shareholder employee Angel Fujimoto with daughter Lelehua Fujimoto-Vertido, who was featured on the cover of the 2021 Goldbelt Annual Report. Lelehua is wearing the cedar hat she wove while a participant in a Goldbelt Heritage Foundations culture camp. Rochelle Smallwood | Goldbelt Incorporated

#21 | ALEUT CORPORATION

At the Aleut Corporation, our shareholders and descendants make us who we truly are. As we navigate a changing current, we are grateful for our committed employees who create and contribute to opportunities for our Unangaxˆ people. We honor our heritage as we transition to the future.

YUIT | The Aleut Corporation

#18 |

Tyonek Native Corporation companies provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul services at company-owned and government-owned facilities across the country.

Tyonek Native Corporation

#19 | DOYON

CREDIT UNION 1

2021 Rank: 43 | 8% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Mark Burgess, Pres./CEO Base Camp: Lat 61.1375185, Long -149.8002147

2021 $70,736,844 2020 $65,289,354 2019 $69,394,584 2018 $66,501,606 2017 $65,811,947

Noteworthy Events: We’re always looking for better ways to serve our large and diverse state while keeping in tune with our members’ needs, adapting and innovating. In 2021 we opened a “first of its kind” financial center in South Anchorage that introduces Alaskans to interactive teller machines and onetap service. Services: Credit Union 1 is a full-service financial institution known for its affordable, personalized loans, community outreach, and cutting-edge money management tools. We value accessible, “people first” lending as one of our most vital community services. Employees: 390 Worldwide | 349 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1952 907-339-9485 | cu1.org

ROGER HICKEL CONTRACTING

2021 Rank: - | 25% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Sean Hickel, Pres. Base Camp: Lat 61.1209719, Long -149.8839557

2021 $69,204,276

2020 $55,312,489

2019 $37,248,153

2018 $56,254,997 2017 $69,514,855

Noteworthy Events: This year Roger Hickel Contracting celebrated its 27th year in business and will remain 100 percent Alaskan owned. We are excited to be a part of the construction industry in Alaska. Services: General contractor of civil, industrial, and commercial projects throughout the state of Alaska. Employees: 80 Worldwide | 80 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1995 907-279-1400 | rogerhickelcontracting.com

To meet another Sean, an expert on safety, choose page 142.

A sculpture by Gary Lee Price of Walter Harper, a Koyukon Athabascan man whose subsistence skills, courage, and charisma contributed to the success of the 1913 pioneer ascent of Denali. In 2022, Doyon celebrated its 50th anniversary and continues to celebrate the success of our people and draw upon the legacy of their lessons. Cheyenna Kuplack | Doyon, Limited

TYONEK

Who We Are

Quintillion is the first and only telecommunications operator to build a subsea and terrestrial fiber optic cable network in the US Arctic.

We are a wholesale broadband service provider that provides middle-mile backhaul services for last-mile service providers, bringing high-speed broadband to the most strategic place on earth.

Our fiber network is designed to withstand the world’s harshest conditions and are among the most secure form of data connectivity.

| TKC

#44

UNIT COMPANY

2021 Rank: 47 | 8% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Michael Fall, Pres. Base Camp: Lat 61.2251936, Long -149.8696727

2021 $64,804,997 2020 $59,807,019 201920182017 -

Noteworthy Events: UNIT and our partner ASRC Builders are concluding more than $250 million worth of work on the Clear Long Range Discrimination Radar project, one of our nation’s newest weapons. UNIT is proud to be part of this critical portion of our nation’s defense. Services: UNIT is a commercial general contractor specializing in a wide variety of project delivery methods such as design-build, CM/GC, and design assist projects. We work both on and off the road system throughout Alaska and are very familiar with the various logistical challenges that exist. Employees: 32 Worldwide | 32 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1977 907-349-6666 | unitcompany.com

SEEKINS FORD LINCOLN

2021 Rank: 44 | 2% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Ralph Seekins, Pres. Base Camp: Lat 64.8569621, Long -147.6797362

2021 $64,496,631

2020 $63,227,426 2019 $57,967,731 2018 $56,288,865 2017 $58,946,067

Noteworthy Events: Awarded Power Stroke Diesel Volume & Growth Top 50 in recognition of achieving national Top 50 dealership status in Power Stroke Diesel parts volume and growth. Services: New and used auto sales, parts, service, and body shop. Employees: 93 Worldwide | 93 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1977 907-459-4000 | seekins.com

To see the rankings of other Top 49ers in Fairbanks (Lat 64, Long -147), choose page 59, 67, 70, 72, 74, or 80.

#22 | TDX

St. Paul is the home of our Unangan ancestors and shareholders. Scott McMurren | TDX Corporation

#30

The Kuskokwim Corporation honors our success by doing work that reflects our values, our way of life, and our commitment to a sustainable future. The Kuskokwim Corporation

#3 | NANA

Nuna tuŋnavigigikput is the land that grounds us.

Chris Arend Nana Regional Corporation

WE’RE PROUD TO BE ALASKAN

The 49th state has been Alaska USA’s home base for nearly 75 years, with generations of Alaskans coming to the credit union for everything from their first savings account to their first home and beyond. When we look back to our start with just 15 members at the Alaska Air Depot in Anchorage, we can’t help but feel a little nostalgic about the journey—and excited for things to come.

Join us, and see why so many Alaskans count on Alaska USA

No-fee checking account options

Competitive rates on loans for cars, RVs, snowmachines, and more Insurance services—coverage shopped and priced for you 1

Local mortgage experts to help you buy your dream home 2

Find

2 Mortgage loans are provided by Alaska USA Mortgage Company, LLC; License #AK157293

alaskausa.org

Low, fixed-rate credit card with rewards and no annual fee*

Member Service Center available 24/7 55,000+ surcharge-free ATMs worldwide

Deposit checks, pay bills, and more with the Alaska USA app *With an Alaska USA checking account.

1 Products offered through Alaska USA Insurance Brokers, LLC, are provided by various carriers and are an obligation of the issuing company, may involve risk or lose value, are not obligations of or deposits to Alaska USA Federal Credit Union or its subsidiaries, and are not insured by the National Credit Union Administration. Some products not available in all states.

Insured by NCUA

AIRPORT EQUIPMENT RENTALS

2021 Rank: 45 | 2% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Jerry Sadler, Owner/Pres. Base Camp: Lat 64.8129849, Long -147.7784435 2021 $63,260,000 2020 $62,188,000 2019 $59,531,000 2018 $55,900,000 2017 $55,100,000

Noteworthy Events: AER is expanding into leasing yachts. Services: Heavy equipment rental/sales company providing sales, services, and rentals for the construction, mining, logging, and oil and gas industries. AER also provides products for individuals and residential markets. Employees: 96 Worldwide | 96 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1986 907-456-2000 | airportequipmentrentals.com

CRAIG TAYLOR EQUIPMENT

2021 Rank: - | - Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Chris Devine, Pres./CEO Base Camp: Lat 61.2242092, Long -149.8855693 2021 $56,109,877 2020201920182017 -

Noteworthy Events: In January of 2021, CTE acquired Peterbilt of Alaska from the previously out-of-state ownership. That business is now 100 percent locally owned and operated, allowing it to focus on providing solutions to the unique challenges that Alaska presents. Services: Craig Taylor Equipment is a full service dealership for John Deere, Peterbilt, Bobcat, Doosan, Dynapac, and many other manufacturers. Providing equipment sales, parts, service, and rental for the industries that are building Alaska’s future. Employees: 105 Worldwide | 105 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1954 907-276-5050 | craigtaylorequipment.com

#6 | CHUGACH ALASKA

Shareholder Joe Tabios embodies Chugach’s 50th anniversary theme— honoring the past, navigating the future—by continuing to pass down the sacred art of building bidarkas/kayaks to Alaska Native youth. Chugach Alaska Corporation

UDELHOVEN OILFIELD SYSTEM SERVICES

2021 Rank: - | -8% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Jim Udelhoven, CEO Base Camp: Lat 61.1725787, Long -149.883021 2021 $52,581,004 2020 $56,994,250 2019 $77,233,520 2018 $60,694,110 2017 $65,016,912

Noteworthy Events: - Services: Mechanical and electrical inspection, functional check-out, quality assurance/quality control, plumbing, welding, modular fabrication, and industrial and commercial construction. Employees: 235 Worldwide | 172 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1970 907-344-1577 | udelhoven.com

CORNERSTONE GENERAL CONTRACTORS

2021 Rank: - | 34% Change in Revenue

Expedition Leader: Joe Jolley, Pres. Base Camp: Lat 61.1843051, Long -149.88442

2021 $52,000,000 2020 $38,735,241 2019 $45,300,000 2018 $25,000,000 2017 $40,439,104

Noteworthy Events: Won the 2021 Associated General Contractors Meeting the Challenge of A Job Over $20 Million award for Gruening Middle School earthquake repair. Services: General contracting utilizing collaborative project delivery methods for new commercial construction and the precision renovation of existing facilities for Alaska’s leading academic, civic, industrial, medical, nonprofit, oil and gas, and private development organizations. Employees: 68 Worldwide | 68 Statewide

Year Founded in Alaska: 1993 907-561-1993 | cornerstoneak.com

The Top 49ers Choose Growth

All of the data for the Top 49ers is submitted through an annual survey. As part of our surveying process, each year we ask the responding companies to answer a question related to our theme, which this year is “Choose Adventure!”

The question we asked for 2022 is:

As your organization looks at the path forward, what opportunities are you excited about? What "adventure" is your business poised to embark on?

It shouldn’t be a surprise that an overwhelming theme among the responses is growth—even for the company dominating the top of the list. According to Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), which has led the Top 49ers for twenty-plus years, “Despite the pause taken in 2020 and 2021 in response to COVID-19, the Corporation invested $115.3 million in capital projects and smaller strategic acquisitions. The Corporation plans to pursue additional acquisitive growth in the future. ASRC remains committed to delivering value to its shareholders and is focused on the long-term health of the Corporation. To that end, the Corporation will strive to thoughtfully grow and diversify its operations to support sustainable dividend increases.” In addition to recognition on our own ranked list, in 2021 ASRC is ranked 131 on Forbes’ annual list of the largest private US companies.

Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC) hit a milestone this year, as 2021 marked the first time its revenue exceeded $700 million. According to the village corporation, “We will continue with this growth trend and expect UIC's revenue to cross the $1 billion mark by 2025, or earlier.” Urban corporation Goldbelt also had a stellar year of growth, almost doubling its revenue year over year, and it sees more in the future: “Goldbelt Incorporated will continue to build upon its financial success in federal contracting for the betterment of shareholders and the community of Juneau.”

Expansion and Acquisitions

Other Top 49ers are growing specific business lines, looking at acquisitions, or expanding their physical footprint. Doyon, Limited is “is excited about expanding our tourism business pillar,” and retailer Three Bears Alaska is adding stores throughout the state. It says, “Growing our company has naturally meant opening more and more stores in Alaska. And we look forward to continuing to grow and scale Three Bears—including doing all the ‘behind the scenes’ work—in order to bring Three Bears stores to many more communities throughout Alaska. Sterling is opening very soon, and Saxman/Ketchikan and North Pole are

PRODUCTIVITY MEETS AFFORDABILITY

CASE C SERIES MINI EXCAVATORS

ALASKA

ANCHORAGE

2020 East Third Avenue

Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-277-1541 Email: info@yukoneq.com

FAIRBANKS

3511 International Street Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: 907-457-1541 Email: info@yukoneq.com

WASILLA

7857 West Parks Highway Wasilla, AK 99623 Phone: 907-376-1541 Email: info@yukoneq.com

www.yukoneq.com

PROUD SUBSIDIARY OF CALISTA CORPORATION

In 2022, ASRC celebrated its 50th anniversary with celebrations across the North Slope, including a flag raising ceremony in Utqiaġvik. Pictured left to right: Crawford Patkotak, ASRC board chairman; Dr. Oliver Leavitt, board member and former chairman; and Rex A. Rock Sr., president and CEO.

ASRC

on the way. And that will bring us to twenty stores—and we have even more on the drawing board.”

According to Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC), “Construction continues to be one of BSNC's fastestgrowing segments and will continue to be a focus area for growth in future years, as BSNC intends to leverage the company's existing contract vehicles and government contracting advantages to accelerate the growth of the newly acquired companies and their related complementary capabilities. The Company's recent acquisitions and reinvestments made into our existing businesses favorably position BSNC to carry on the growth momentum from prior years as we strive toward reaching our next level of success.”

Specifically through its Yulista holding line, Calista Corporation “is excited to build upon our strengths by offering a comprehensive, unparalleled customer experience for our partners

in the aerospace and defense industries.” Acquisitions of companies Troy7, StraitSys, and Demil Transport Services fits the corporation’s strategy to “expand its technical services offering and brings a well-rounded set of capabilities.”

Koniag is expanding through existing business lines, acquisitions, and physically. The company says, “We are excited to be searching for acquisitions in industries in alignment with our business strategy and expertise but stretch us in new and interesting ways. While our operating companies continue to thrive and we focus on next level performance, we are particularly excited to be re-kindling our investment in commercial real estate. Koniag has active commercial real estate developments in Texas.”

Innovation & Technology Technology never stops evolving, and Koniag is investing in that industry, as well. “Our commercial IT sector is

breaking new ground in cloud-based services, application development, and cybersecurity to meet the evolving needs of our customers with innovative and cutting-edge technology.”

Financial services increasingly drive IT innovation. According to Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, “We are identifying mergers, emerging technology, and innovative products to ensure that Alaska USA continues to provide quality financial services to members everywhere.” Another financial 49er, First National Bank Alaska, is looking back over 100 years of operations at how it has and will continue to evolve. “Over the course of a century, First National Bank Alaska has remained relevant by embracing change and innovation. That philosophy is part of who we are today. We have the demonstrated the foresight to see opportunities and challenges in the road ahead, the resources to respond to those challenges, and the flexibility and innovation to deal with the unexpected.

As the bank looks ahead, we see that customers will demand the latest technology to allow them to continue to bank safely, securely, and efficiently. Our focus has been and continues to be staying ahead of the curve in providing that technology however it may change over the next 100 years. What won't change is our commitment to Alaskans. As First National celebrates 100 years of serving Alaskans, we're excited about the adventure of starting our second century of helping shape tomorrow for a brighter future for all Alaskans.”

Cape Fox Corporation is using the past to inform the future, as well. “We are looking at the past to create our vision for the future. We are recording and detailing many of the cultural histories that make the Tlingit of Saxman unique. In addition, we are expanding with advancing technology offerings through the new Cape Fox Innovation Hub. The Innovation Hub will bring emerging and smart technology to strengthen the Ketchikan and Saxman community through healthcare, education, and much more.”

Energy

Whatever innovations the future holds, they will require reliable and responsible energy, and many of the Top 49ers are positioning themselves to be a critical part of local, national, and international energy landscapes. Colville, for example, is “revamping our newly acquired assets in Deadhorse to be prepared for the Willow and Pikka projects.” Airport Equipment Rentals (AER) sees the same opportunity for its bottom line, saying, “AER is preparing for the possibility of the Pikka and Willow projects being developed.”

Vitus Energy’s goal is to deliver exactly what its customers need through “discovering what our customers want when they stop in for fuel.”

Instead of fuel, Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) is in the business of delivering electricity, but it’s also looking at what its customers are asking for. “MEA is working with other utilities and stakeholders to continue to diversify its energy mix. Future energy projects include additional solar projects and electric vehicle charging along with large scale energy storage and a wind resource study with our partner utilities.”

Image by John Gomes.

Another player in Alaska’s robust energy picture is Usibelli Coal mine, which “has a long history of providing a reliable, affordable fuel for heat and power to Interior Alaska.” According to the family- and Alaskan-owned mining operation, “As coal continues to be a vital part of the Interior's energy mix now and into the future, Usibelli Coal Mine is proud to lead the industry in innovation and responsible operations.”

Economics and Opportunity

There are always opportunities, but it’s the companies that are open to them and prepared to take advantage of them that find success. Olgoonik Corporation says, “We are tuned in to what's happening with Arctic development. On behalf of our Iñupiat shareholders, we maintain a seat at the table where discussions are happening about development in the changing Arctic. We are excited to be part of the new blue economy.”

The Arctic will likely continue to open, and the federal government is dispersing funds slated for development over the next several years. As H C Contractors puts it, “Infrastructure spending increase brings opportunity to Alaska,” opportunity it’s clearly prepared to take advantage of.

Everts Air Cargo & Everts Air Alaska has a high view of what’s coming and is making necessary adjustments: “Given the changes to industry, business environment, trends, and growth, Everts Air conducted a market analysis and adjusted our business strategy. These tweaks (which include changes to our aircraft fleet) will position us to remain nimble and poised to respond swiftly in the dynamic airline/ transportation industry.”

There’s been a lot of discussion around how every industry is looking for the right people, and that need is not likely to change in the future. The

Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC) has a plan: “As TKC's Lower 48 businesses thrive, we are now able to invest in the Middle Kuskokwim River communities. TKC's newest venture, the Arviiq Economic Development and Training Center in Aniak, aims to sharpen workforce skills of rural residents as well as serve as an economic development engine for the entire area.” This movement of resources from Outside Alaska to the state is one of the reasons we celebrate the Top 49ers year after year.

The First Five Decades

Few companies excel at drawing money to the state as the corporations established by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which became law at the tail end of 1971. The fact that Alaska Native corporations make up roughly half of the Top 49ers is a testament to how these companies have found

Both Colville and Airport Equipment Rentals are looking forward to continuing development on the North Slope (Prudhoe Bay is pictured below), particularly the Willow and Pikka projects.

Judy Patrick | Alamy

success; they’re at a natural moment of reflection as they celebrate their golden anniversaries.

According to Chugach Alaska Corporation, “[This year] represents Chugach's 50th year in business and ushers in a new chapter for our organization. Our anniversary theme—Honoring the Past; Navigating the Future—is an apt touchstone for how we're approaching our business operations for the next fifty years and beyond.” The corporation continues, “2022 will undoubtedly be a challenging year for all businesses. The lingering effects of COVID-19, coupled with the impacts of inflation, economic volatility, supply chain disruptions, and increasing competition within our markets, have combined to create unprecedented headwinds that our organization is now facing. Despite this volatility, however, we remain optimistic in both our short and long-term outlooks because we have a solid growth plan in place and a tenacious workforce who consistently adapts and rises to meet challenges head-on.”

According to Ahtna, “We would not be where we are today without the wisdom and guidance of our elders and early leaders. They instilled in our minds that our lands are our corporation's most precious gem. Respect and care for the land, and it will provide.” Ahtna has produced a video that looks at how far the corporation has come titled “Ahtna 50th Anniversary: Our Past, Our Future,” which can be viewed at vimeo.com/722660678.

As Bristol Bay Native Corporation also celebrates fifty years of operations this year, it states, “We are poised and ready for the next fifty and more. We have come a long way but have work to do. Our shareholders, lands, cultures, and heritage will continue to be our focus while our companies and employees strive to 'Enrich our Native way of Life.'”

To read about another corporation on a growth trajectory, choose page 40.

For other Alaska companies innovating information technology, choose page 116.

nana.com

Celebrating 50 years of Alaska Native strength.

A New Recruit and Old 49ers Friends

Craig Taylor Equipment, Alaska USA, and Northrim join the 2022 list

By Katie Pesznecker

The list of the Top 49ers is fairly consistent, though it never repeats itself exactly. Some companies don’t have the revenue year after year to make the list, others may opt to participate one year and not another. Every so often, a new company builds its revenue sufficiently to qualify for the first time, a feat we often recognize in our special section and annual luncheon presentation.

This year is unique as we welcome three “new” Top 49ers to the ranks. Craig Taylor Equipment fits our traditional sense of a new 49er, as 2022 is its first ever appearance on the list.

Alaska USA Federal Credit Union and Northrim Bank are slightly different. These financial institutions are new this year because of the change in our criteria: our past criteria of “Alaskan-owned” disqualified both. Alaska USA is memberowned and, with its continued growth, there was a tipping point where it had more members outside Alaska than within. Northrim is publicly traded and cannot guarantee the residency of its shareholders. That said, both were founded in Alaska and remain headquartered here, and under our new criteria we are thrilled to welcome them back to the Top 49ers ranks, recognizing their ongoing commitment to financing Alaska.

Craig Taylor Equipment

Craig Taylor debuts in the Top 49ers ranks at number 47 with $56.1 million in gross revenue in 2021. It was founded in 1954 by Craig Taylor; Thelma Taylor, his widow, sold the company in 2013 to the current owners. “Since then we’ve been trying to pump new life into the business and really bring it into the 21st century,” says president, CEO, and minority owner Chris Devine, who was the company’s first new employee after the acquisition.

Majority owner Sean McLaughlin is an Alaska transplant from the East Coast. “He developed software for securities trading on Wall Street. He sold that business,” Devine explains, “and he moved to Alaska with the desire to raise his [ten] kids in a slower-paced lifestyle.” Despite being semi-retired at the age of 40, McLaughlin had an eye out for “something to do” and became aware that Craig Taylor Equipment was for sale. Devine says, “He felt like Craig Taylor was a very quintessential Alaska company, and he wanted to be a part of that culture, building and providing jobs for Alaskans in Alaska.”

Craig Taylor Equipment provides parts, services, sales and rentals for John Deere, Bobcat, Doosan, Stihl, Honda, DR Power, and other brands. Even with that lineup, “We felt like there was only so much growth in market share we could get within the current business,” Devine says, “so we’ve always been looking for M&A opportunities along the way.”

The company found one in January 2021: Dobbs Peterbilt of Alaska’s assets. “When this [opportunity] came along, it felt like it checked all the boxes for us,” Devine says. “It expands our offering, obviously, from John Deere and Bobcat on the construction equipment side into a new vertical, which is transportation and trucking… We felt like we could leverage that because there’s the crossover with customer base… Everybody who has a truck could use a Bobcat, and everybody who has a Bobcat could use a truck. It’s sort of an obvious marriage.”

Devine points out that the acquisition “repatriated” the Peterbilt of Alaska Business. “They were owned by Dobbs Peterbilt, which is a giant Peterbilt dealership that has thirty-plus locations across the West Coast… So

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“Here we were operating out of a trailer. How were we going to expect customers to do business with us? We were going to work our tails off to provide them with the best customer service possible.”

Joe Schierhorn, Chairman and CEO, Northrim Bank

Tasker | Alaska Business

we felt like there was a real draw to the idea of taking Peterbilt of Alaska and repatriating it to an Alaskan company.” He says Craig Taylor Equipment’s customers have responded positively to the move, which not only Alaskanized a local operation but facilitated faster response times and improved customer service. “As local owners, we can get really in the weeds with our customers and cater to their Alaska-specific needs, the challenges they face up here. If you’re running forty stores across the western United States, you’re more cookie-cutter with the decisions you’re making,” Devine explains.

The Peterbilt acquisition also improves the company’s brand diversity, which Devine says is one of the company’s strengths. “If all our eggs were in one basket, and that manufacturer started to struggle, we would really feel the pain,” he says. Plus, with recent pandemic-related logistics challenges, dealing several highquality brands has allowed Craig Taylor Equipment to work with its customers to find solutions to suit their needs. “We know [supply chain issues are] hard, but we’re not going to stop with, ‘No, that’s not available. Sorry.’ If somebody calls and they need a part and it’s not available, we’re going to say, ‘I might be able to find one at another dealership.’”

It's part of the company’s overall goals. “Our mission is to be the most trusted and reliable source for anyone who’s building Alaska’s future,” says Devine. “Everything from agriculture to resource development to road construction to bridge building to transportation—all these industries that are building Alaska, they need the equipment that we have.”

Northrim Bank

The inaugural Top 49ers list in 1985 had nine financial institutions on it.

Some banks dropped off when they lost their Alaska ownership, as when National Bank of Alaska was absorbed by Wells Fargo in 2000. Others were gone by 1987, wiped out by the mid‘80s economic recession after oil prices crashed to $10 per barrel.

A staggering thirteen Alaska banks failed during that devastating time. In the aftermath, Alaskans were weary, wary, and worried: the banks’ failures left

customers insecure and uncertain

The leadership team at Northrim Bank. From left to right Ben Craig, EVP-Chief Information Officer; Jed Ballard, EVP-Chief Financial Officer; Mike Huston, EVP-President & Chief Lending Officer; Joe Schierhorn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Mark Edwards, EVP-Chief Credit Officer & Bank Economist; Amber Zins, EVP-Chief Operating Officer.

Chris Arend | Northrim Bank

Craig Taylor Equipment has been around since 1954 and under its current ownership since 2013. With the leadership of CEO Chris Devine, 2022 is the first time its revenues place the company among the Top 49ers.

Kerry

when, how, or where to further invest funds and conduct financial business.

“Our bank rose out of the ashes of that failure,” says Joe Schierhorn, chairman and CEO of Northrim Bank, “and our co-founders Marc Langland and Arnold Espe saw an opportunity to start a local independent bank that was focused on the customers.”

Individual Alaskans purchased interests in the company that raised the $8 million of capital to open the bank for business on December 4, 1990. Of the original twenty-one employees, Schierhorn is one of only two who have remained with the company every step of the way.

“During our first four months, we operated out of two actual construction trailers located in our parking lot,” Schierhorn says. “It was a really exciting time to be at the bank.”

In its first year, Northrim Bank bloomed from $8 million to $50 million in assets.

“Each customer was a new victory,” Schierhorn says. “Here we were operating out of a trailer. How were we going to expect customers to do business with us? We were going to work our tails off to provide them with the best customer service possible. And we did that time and again.”

One early promotional campaign promised that customers who opened an account would get their name on a brick on the bank’s new floor.

“I recall, from my very, very small office in the bank trailer, watching customers literally streaming out of the branch trailer, wanting to be part of the bank, having their names inscribed on the bank,” Schierhorn says. “It was really important for people to be part of the bank at that time.”

Instilling that sense of ownership was part of building public trust in Northrim, and in the wake of the financial fall-out of the 1980s recession, that trust was everything, Schierhorn says. The bank’s mission is to be Alaska’s most trusted institution, while its mission is to be a premier bank and employer of choice, and constantly its core values are proud to be Alaskan, superior customer first service, growth, and integrity.

“From very early on, with that customer first focus, we were also interested in providing a variety of products we saw a need for,” Schierhorn says. “One was

residential construction loans. There weren’t many institutions left providing residential construction loans. Property value had dropped significantly in the latter part of the ‘80s. And so there was a reluctance to provide financing for home construction at that time.”

Northrim branches and offices opened in South Anchorage and in Fairbanks, Schierhorn’s hometown. When Bank of America exited Alaska and sold its branches, Northrim purchased eight of them, expanding from three to eleven branches, tripling its customer

base and adding key employees, many of whom remain today.

Over the last two years, Northrim’s assets grew from about $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion, and over the last four years, its market share increased by 26 percent, to about 13 percent in Alaska.

This year, as Northrim returns to the Top 49ers ranks, it lands at number 28, reporting revenue of $136.9 million.

Northrim has matured to an active, engaged community leader with more than 400 employees, seventeen branches, and two loan production

offices stretching from Fairbanks to Southeast Alaska, and residential mortgage origination offices across the state, serving an estimated 90 percent of Alaska’s population. In recent years, Northrim has expanded into East Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak, and Nome.

“We had to overcome a lot of challenges,” Schierhorn says. “It’s not easy to start a business, period, nor to start a business when we did in 1990

when all those banks had failed. We were invested in our customers and in our relationships with them right from the beginning and worked to provide them with a sense of trust in us.”

Alaska USA Federal Credit Union

Ranked 12 on the list, Alaska USA reported more gross revenue than any non-Native corporation except for Lynden. The not-for-profit credit union

has been a Top 49er thirteen times since 1996, ranking as high as #9 in its last appearance in 2013. Back then, its annual revenue was $338 million (or about $407 million in 2021 dollars). During the hiatus from the list, revenue grew to $486.1 million in 2021.

“Our mission is to enrich lives through world-class financial services,” says President and CEO Geoff Lundfelt. “Our team strives every day to provide competitive, high-value

“During these past couple of years, when many companies shifted away from live, human customer service toward more and more automation or shifted their operations to overseas contact centers, Alaska USA doubled down on our commitment to 24/7 member service.”

Geoff Lundfelt, President and CEO, Alaska USA Federal Credit Union

Geoff Lundfelt

Alaska USA

products and services to assist our members as they move forward on their financial journey.”

Alaska USA predates statehood, chartered in 1948 as Alaskan Air Depot Federal Credit Union for military personnel and federal employees in Anchorage. Fifteen founding members felt that local financial institutions were not adequately meeting the credit needs of the federal workers recently transferred to Alaska, so they pooled savings and extended credit to one another. At first, members volunteered to operate the credit union. The first employee was hired in 1959.

Membership expanded beyond its military roots in 1974 with authorization to serve workers building the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. Alaska USA opened 20,000 member accounts during the four years of pipeline construction and startup. During that same period, the credit union broadened its membership to include shareholders of Alaska Native regional corporations. The authority was extended on an interim basis several times before Congress in 1981 permanently allowed the credit union

to serve Alaska Natives. It was the only federal legislation in history to authorize a credit union to serve a specific group of individuals.

Today, Alaska USA employs nearly 1,200 Alaska-based employees and has more than 750,000 members in all fifty states and around the world, with branches in Alaska, Arizona, California, and Washington, and more than $12 billion in assets. The credit union offers consumer and commercial deposit and loan services, as well as mortgage and real estate loans, insurance, and investment management.

This convenient colocation of financial services complements the accessibility that is part of Alaska USA’s identity. Members can access any of the credit union’s seventy-nine branches, with twenty-seven located in fourteen Alaska communities.

Lundfelt believes accessibility became especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During these past couple of years, when many companies shifted away from live, human customer service toward more and more automation

or shifted their operations to overseas contact centers, Alaska USA doubled down on our commitment to 24/7 member service,” Lundfelt says.

Alaska USA’s legacy is also one of continuously leveraging technology. In 1973 it was the first Alaska financial institution to launch a call center. It was also the first financial institution to offer account access via personal computer. Later it added a mobile platform and, in 2011, an app.

Lundfelt says, “We continue to make significant investments in technology to make it even easier for members to transact and/or resolve issues in an easy-to-use, self-driven automated solution.”

To learn about Alaska USA’s acquisition of an out-of-state credit union, choose page 146.

For more about Northrim’s commitment to superior customer experience, choose page 13.

By Alexandra Kay

f the politics of 1958 had played out slightly differently and Alaska statehood was delayed by six months or so, Hawaii would have laid claim to the 49th star on the US flag. As the fiftieth state, Alaska would ascribe special significance to that number instead, and thus our annual list of top companies by revenue would have room for one more entry.

But history played out as it did, so the ranks are closed at forty-nine. Inevitably, some businesses don’t make the list—including those that have easily landed on it previously, as the bottom line continues to climb year after year.

Among the companies that just barely missed the mark this year, there are two that have yet to land on the list—but show incredible potential. Both are long-established, family-owned dynasties. One is a Best of Alaska Business winner for Best Furniture Store in Alaska. The other ranked #82 on this year’s Corporate 100, with more Alaska employees than such 49er stalwarts as Usibelli Coal Mine or Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Center.

Bailey’s Furniture and Sourdough Express are currently waiting in the wings. Here are the reasons why they could easily take the stage, sooner or later.

Family Business

Ron Bailey launched his used furniture store in January 1990. “I started the store by accident,” he says. “I went to an auction and bought a dining room set without asking my wife. When she didn’t like it, I put an ad in the paper and got thirty phone calls and ended up making twice what I had paid for it. I took that money and went and bought two more sets and did the same thing— and the business was born.”

Originally called A-1 Discount Furniture, Bailey eventually began dealing new furniture. “I finally figured out there wasn’t enough used furniture in Alaska to meet the demand,” Bailey says. “Alaska is separate from the rest of the United States, and there aren’t enough people hauling used furniture up here.”

So Bailey went to the Seattle furniture market and bought four shipping containers of new items. “I had used furniture on one side of the shop and new on the other,” he says. “I let people

“We’ve made good, safe decisions over time when the economy has gone up and down… We’ve grown smartly and continued to stay financially viable. We haven’t overextended or taken on too much at one time.”

Josh Norum, President, Sourdough Express

The semi-trailer had just been invented in 1898 when Sourdough Express was founded, so dog sleds and horse-drawn wagons hauled supplies for prospectors out of Dawson City, Yukon.

Sourdough Express

choose what they wanted, and they really enjoyed having that choice.” As time went on, Bailey realized it was easier to buy new furniture than it was to buy used pieces. He opened a store in Wasilla in his third year in business; five years later he opened a store in Soldotna, and five years later a store in Fairbanks.

Anchorage remains the headquarters, with the largest furniture showroom in the state. “In 2005, we took the biggest risk of our lives and built a 150,000-square-foot building with a huge warehouse,” Bailey says.

That building is the pride of Bailey’s Furniture, with a two-story waterfall, a kids’ play area, a Subway sandwich shop, planes hanging from the ceiling, and almost 700 cookie jars lining the

top of the walls that divide each section of the store. “I lost 125 cookie jars two years ago in an earthquake,” he says. “I knew where every one of those jars came from.”

Sourdough Express, the oldest transportation company in Alaska, was bought by the Schlotfeldt/Gregory family in 1923. Josh Norum is the fifth generation of his family to be involved in running the company. He runs it with his mother, Debbie, who is the majority shareholder. “We’re an Alaskan familyowned company, and we plan to stay that way,” says Norum.

Norum’s great-granduncle bought the company when it moved to Fairbanks, and he sold it to Norum’s great-grandfather and greatgrandmother. Sourdough Express

expanded throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s along with oil production at Prudhoe Bay. “That was a big milestone for us,” he says. “The company grew significantly in a short period of time.”

Norum’s great-grandfather sold the company to his grandparents in the ‘70s, and from there it eventually moved down through the family to the fourth generation and then to Josh and his mother. Over the years, the company has transitioned from servicing the oil fields to a full-service moving and storage company with about 160 employees and 120 vehicles.

“There have been a few recessions, so we looked at our business model and got into transporting groceries and supplies. Even when there’s a recession, people still need food and they still work

on their houses,” says Norum. “Amazon has also been big business.”

Success Factors

Bailey’s Furniture has changed with the times. Bailey has a sort of sixth sense about what would be good for his company. He hears what buyers want, and he listens.

“I think my wife and I are good buyers,” he says. “I’ve always been good at picking out what people like. I’d go down to the Lower 48 on vacations and walk through every furniture store I could find, and all the time I saw the same things I was putting in my store. I’ve been able to do that for thirty years.”

Bailey also credits his company’s success to his honest work ethic. “There was a need for someone like us. I never gouged anyone,” says Bailey. “We have really good quality furniture and really good prices. Customers always got a good deal.” He says that other stores carried all name brands with high prices, and when they marked their prices down, they still came in 40 percent above his prices. “And we’re still the lowest prices in Alaska.”

Finally, Bailey says consistency in advertising has been a big part of the company’s success. When his son, Buddy, was seven years old, a television company offered two weeks of free advertising in a bid to get the store’s business. Bailey had his son sit in a desk chair and smile into the camera. “The commercial ran for two weeks, and we were covered in people,” Ron Bailey recalls, “so we bought time and Buddy did the next commercial with a few lines, and he’s still doing them today. He’s almost as famous as Sarah Palin in Alaska.” For thirty years, Buddy Bailey has been the face of his family’s company.

Sourdough Express shares a similar ethos. “We’ve always been a familyoriented company. We focus heavily on our employees and what they have going on in their lives,” Norum says. “By doing that, we feel that our drivers have a lot of loyalty to the company.”

Norum also believes the decisions Sourdough Express has made have made it a successful business. “We’ve made good, safe decisions over time when the economy has gone up and down,” he says. “We’ve grown smartly and continued to stay financially viable.

We haven’t overextended or taken on too much at one time.”

Challenges

Sales flourished for Bailey’s Furniture during the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of that was due to demand, but Bailey also credits good relationships with his suppliers. “A lot of our vendors gave me lonely or orphan containers, so I was able to buy a lot and had lots to sell when my competitors didn’t.” In fact, the company set a sales record in 2020, bested by 2021.

In recent years, the largest challenge for Bailey’s has been staffing. That’s no different than any other shop, Bailey notes. “Our tourism is crazy, and we had three lodges that couldn’t open because they couldn’t get people to open the doors and clean the rooms,” he says. “School just started, and there aren’t enough bus drivers to pick up the kids. It’s crazy.”

While COVID-19 was a challenge for Sourdough Express in terms of shuffling drivers if someone got sick, Norum says contingency plans allowed the company to service its customers without interruption. “Through Covid

our company got stronger,” says Norum. “Driving a truck is an individual task, so we wouldn’t put people together if we could help it. We accomplished a lot, and we’re very proud we were able to stay in business during that time with very little impact to customers.”

Strategic Growth

New for Bailey’s Furniture is a revamped website, which went live in February 2022. Ron Bailey figures this will help the company continue to grow, especially in areas far from physical showrooms.

“We’re in all the major cities in Alaska, and we serve all the Bush communities. Everything they need gets flown out in an airplane.” That means the company advertises to those communities, takes their purchases online, wraps the purchases, and takes them to the airport to be flown for delivery.

“The future is being consistent, being a good place to work where people enjoy their work,” says Bailey. “That’s what we try to do every day, treat everyone like they want to be treated.”

It’s these values that helped Bailey’s Furniture grow its earnings from $28

million in 2018 to $44 million in 2021, or 19 percent average annual growth— despite the worldwide pandemic.

Sourdough Express is satisfied with more modest, consistent growth. “Every year we probably grow the company between 2 and 5 percent,” says Norum. “We’re strategic about the equipment we buy and the customers we choose to work with. We don’t want to overpromise.”

The company’s growth rate has been steady since the ‘90s, he says. “At the end of the day, it’s taking on more customers and building our equipment fleet and driver pool in a way that gives everyone the same level of service,” Norum says. “We don’t want to be the biggest transportation company in Alaska. We want to be the best one.”

To read more about the namesake of Sourdough Express, choose page 34.

For another long-established, family-run company, choose page 62.

Sourdough Express hauled the bulk of supplies for building the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, and in 1994 its freight division expanded from the Interior to Southcentral.

Sourdough Express

The freshly remodeled Summit Suite at Sophie Station Suites affords guests an opportunity to indulge in a one-of-a-kind luxury experience in Fairbanks. The condostyle, 1,581-square-foot unit is complete with:

• a full kitchen with Cosentino Dekton countertops, professional-grade appliances, a 10-foot island with seating for four, and an 11-foot walnut dining table that seats ten

• a separate living room with custom-built furniture, an 85-inch smart television, surround sound, and dedicated internet service able to accommodate hybrid meetings

• two bedrooms with king-size beds, custom-made furniture, 65-inch smart TVs, and a vanity/desk area

• two bathrooms with spa-like features, including custom-fabricated floor tiles, 3-by-7-foot walk-in showers with dual shower heads, and LED-lit vanity mirrors

As an added bonus, the unit’s custombuilt dining table has caster wheels and can be converted into two sections for greater functionality. This gives guests the flexibility to accommodate meetings and even catering events for up to twenty people. Ideally situated on the hotel’s top floor, the

updated Summit Suite also features a large balcony for observing Fairbanks’ beautiful vistas. Guests can also enjoy high-quality bedding, personal care items, and other amenities to enhance their stay. “We wanted to create one of the nicest—if not the nicest— hotel rooms in Alaska,” says Bobby Hanson, operations manager of Fountainhead Development Inc. (FDI). “The overarching goal was to create a hotel experience that is truly special and memorable.”

Established in 1985, FDI is the largest independent hotelier in Fairbanks. Besides operating Sophie Station Suites, the company has two other distinctive properties: Wedgewood Resort and Bear Lodge. The successful Summit Suite remodel was a major feat for FDI, which persevered through the project despite supply chain challenges and increased material costs. The locally owned company was the general contractor and it also performed much of the design work, sourced all the materials, and fabricated many of the furniture pieces in house.

The chief objective was to create scalability, which involved working directly with material

SOPHIE STATION RENOVATES

A VIP experience for Fairbanks business and leisure travelers

manufacturers and having its construction department perform all specialty carpentry work. FDI also engaged a freelance interior design firm with roots in Alaska, Jordan Shields Design, which ensured that the completed room conveyed a “Fairbanks feel.” While the Summit Suite renovation was a complete gut job, FDI is using it as the design direction for the future. “We’re going to take what we collectively love about this project and incorporate those elements into the furnishings and soft goods of the next block of rooms,” Hanson says.

With its convenient proximity to the Fairbanks International Airport and downtown attractions, Sophie Station Suites is ideal for business travelers on corporate retreats, honeymooning couples, vacationing families, and anyone who desires an opulent, extended-stay experience. The hotel also offers on-site access to a fitness facility with updated equipment, firstclass bar with handcrafted cocktails, and a restaurant with inventive cuisine, catering, and room service. “Because of our great staff, excellent service, comforts of home, and prime location in the Golden Heart City, Sophie Station Suites should be your first choice when you come to Fairbanks.”

For more information, contact:

1717 University Avenue South Fairbanks, AK 99709 907-458-6123 fountainheadhotels.com

Becky Kunkle, Reservations Manager

Photo by Sarah Lewis Photography

Bobby Hanson, Operations Manager (left) with Mark Crook, Cabinet Shop Foreman (right) in the carpentry shop at Fountainhead Development Inc.

Tell Your Story

How to capture and create a brand identity

By Kaylee Devine

Think of a handful of iconic Alaska businesses—those that have graced the pages of this magazine, those that have given back to our community, and those that employ our friends and neighbors. While their industries, teams, and cultures may be different, they undoubtedly have one thing in common: they have found a way to tell their story—and you should too.

A brand story is something every business should invest in. It's a powerful tool for shaping any organization in all aspects of culture, service, operations, and more. And frankly, it’s just good business sense.

Research has shown that organizations with a strong brand realize greater long-term growth, reduced price sensitivity, and broad awareness. Strong brands are also able to achieve something we all need right now: easier talent recruitment.

At Spawn Ideas, my team and I have had the privilege of helping some of Alaska's most iconic brands tell their stories. While the outcomes are different for each project we work on, there is a similar roadmap we follow—

one that you can use if you need a little guidance to get started.

What a Brand Is

First things first, let's establish a baseline for what a brand is: a promise of an experience. We jokingly like to say that a brand is “what someone says about you when you're not in the room.” It's an honest look at an organization that you can shape but can't completely control. A brand needs to strike the right balance of being credible and aspirational— something you can live up to that drives inspiration to where you want to go.

A brand is so much more than a logo or a tagline. It's the cumulation of a company's mission, vision, values, attributes, and personality that shapes the way it operates—and the way its people think, act, and represent. Think of a brand as not only the personification of your business but a lens you look through to make critical decisions.

When Spawn Ideas approaches a brand project, whether it's starting from zero or just evolving an established

Spawn Ideas

brand, we consider three critical perspectives: the companies, the customers, and the competitors. By taking a holistic view, we ensure we’re not just navel gazing. Instead, we’re putting the story in context of the world in which it will live.

Company Perspective

A self-analysis of your company is a natural place to start. After all, a brand is an expression of the stories you’ve created and the stories you aspire to tell. This self-reflection can and should involve research, including revisiting the mission and vision for your organization. Why did the company initially start? What was your origin story? Has the mission changed? These questions will start to unveil a narrative that will be integral to your final brand identity.

A functional tool like a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis will help identify your natural strengths and opportunities. Create a draft of your SWOT analysis, then refine it once you’ve spent the time considering your competitors' and customers’ perspectives.

Additionally, Spawn Ideas thinks the most fruitful and easiest discovery tool you can use is to interview your team. Everyone, from top leadership to the front lines, should be involved. Get their perspective on the qualities of the company that make it unique. What stories do they tell? What themes emerge? These nuggets of truth will become strains of DNA for your brand.

Lastly, have some fun and put your imagination to the test! With a willing group of participants, dedicate a workshop specifically to brand exercises. One of our favorites is “the kids on the playground.” In this game, we ask team members to envision their brand as a kid on a playground. We ask specific questions: What are they wearing? How do they talk to and interact with the other kids? What are they playing? And so on. Then, do the same for your competitors—the other kids on the playground.

By personifying your brand, you’ll tap into a much richer description of your brand personality. These traits will come to life and help you further shape your story.

Customer Perspective

Once you’ve spent some time evaluating your brand, it’s time to extend that experience to the customers you serve. Do they have the experience with your brand that you think they’re having? Do they think of your brand in the same regard you do? It’s very easy to either be too critical of your story—or too forgiving. You must align your brand with the customer's perception. If you don’t get an honest, representative view of your brand through your customers'

viewpoint, your brand won’t live up to expectations.

There are countless ways to collect customer input. Draw on any existing feedback methods you have in place, everything from satisfaction surveys to on-site visits and focus groups. Include a broad mix of promoters and detractors. Their insights will help you validate parts of your brand and show your blind spots. This will help you find the areas that are resonating and authentic and also the areas where you need to improve.

Events that Capture & Engage

Looking outward to how your competitors are positioning your brand will help you find your sweet spot. Make sure you consider all aspects of their brand, from reputation and messaging to products and services. Start by doing a desktop audit of their marketing channels. Visit their website, catalog their marketing materials. See how they are presenting themselves to current and prospective customers.

You can get a sense of their reputation via online reviews, employee reviews like Glassdoor, and the engagement they garner via social media. There may be things you want to emulate, but make sure that your brand is distinctive and rises above the noise.

The biggest mistake brands usually make is not investing in consistent and distinct messaging. This leaves customers confused about who’s who. How often have you heard, “I saw the funniest ad the other day… I just can’t remember who it was from”? A strong, distinct brand will make sure you stand apart from the market.

Once these three perspectives have been evaluated, you can start to formulate your brand. You’ll see patterns emerge and be able to see where you can authentically grow your brand identity. By looking through all lenses, you’ll land on a story that can be uniquely yours.

Here are some recent examples of organizations Spawn Ideas helped find, own, and tell their stories.

City of Valdez

We led the City of Valdez’s effort to develop and implement a strategic destination brand to represent the Valdez community. The brand needed to appeal to residents, local businesses, city departments (e.g., ports and harbors), and visitors alike.

Our research and strategy used an ethnographic approach. We engaged the community through in-depth interviews, community salons, a branding website, Facebook posts, and several in-person town hall meetings. Through this work, we determined that the story of Valdez should be centered around both its breathtaking

natural environment (“astonishing”) and the contributions Valdezeans bring to their community (“friendly, resilient”). We discovered in Valdez that a determination to never, ever, ever give up was paramount. Whatever the challenge, the community just makes it work. As our brand story told it: It’s not magic that accomplishes the impossible in Valdez, it’s good oldfashioned hard work—which is as rare as magic these days.

Finally, because a brand attribute like “astonishing” might be intimidating, we countered it with genuine Valdez: it’s a “welcoming” place. Whether you've been there five minutes or fifty years, Valdez makes you feel welcome.

GCI

If you’re an Alaskan, chances are a friend, relative, or neighbor (possibly all of the above) works for GCI. The company's deep Alaska roots are a core differentiator that is centrally meaningful to their company culture.

GCI’s brand storytelling emphasizes their bond with customers that national competitors just can’t match.

The “Alaska Born and Raised” brand platform Spawn Ideas developed with their team was predicated on a simple strategy: focus on people rather than product features and price points. It was first launched internally, as we asked GCI employees for buy-in and support. As the basis of all of our messaging, we highlighted how GCI helps people live the life they want, without compromise.

GCI is a great example of a company that has leaned into its team and internal culture as a differentiating aspect of their brand.

Travel Alaska

Travel Alaska positions the state as a destination of choice. Spawn Ideas worked with them to make meaningful connections to both prospective and repeat travelers. We also engaged their tourism members to evolve the brand to better represent Alaska Native culture, encouraging cultural tourism.

Brand building efforts began with primary qualitative and quantitative research with Alaskan residents and Travel Alaska stakeholders, Alaska

The logotype for the City and Borough of Wrangell suggests "confident, authentic, and a little rough around the edges."

Native residents, as well as past and prospective Alaska travelers. Our research methods focused on community integration and observation, in-depth interviews, online surveys, brand workshops, and A/B message testing.

Discussion with previous Alaska travelers gleaned an important insight: You can leave Alaska, but it never leaves you. More research and stakeholder workshops led us to understand a

common visitor experience: Alaska is a destination that is awe-inspiring and full of mystique, but it also makes visitors feel welcome, at-ease, totally present, and eager to return. This juxtaposition between adventure and comfort became the core of the brand.

Digging deeper yet, an Alaska Native perspective added a more meaningful promise of the Alaska experience—one where connections are everywhere. It gave us reason to add additional

Spawn Ideas

reverence to the brand, promising travelers they would experience awe in magnitude when they visit.

With a distinctive and emotional brand promise established, this core story was translated to Travel Alaska’s brand identity, updated logo, a reimagined Alaska vacation planner, and national brand campaign. The first brand campaign led to a 59 percent increase in leads, year over year. Refreshed vacation planner content and brand look and feel led to a 20 percent increase in ad placements.

City and Borough of Wrangell

Our objective with Wrangell was to create a destination brand for a proud, friendly community of Alaskans who want to share their home with intentional visitors. Typically, people who travel to Wrangell are looking for high-quality, active, and immersive Alaska experiences.

The brand needed to tell the story of the incredible landscape that is Wrangell’s backyard and of the community’s quirky but proud and friendly people. Located along the southeast coast of Alaska, the cruise industry is important to Wrangell’s

economy. Attracting an authentic, intentional visitor took priority to simply filling the swag shops on the dock.

Spawn Ideas set out to create a new brand logo to boldly represent the spirit of Wrangell—a design look that said confident, authentic, and a little rough around the edges.

Brand colors were chosen to represent the landscape of Wrangell. With an earth-tone-inspired yet vibrant palette, we sought to complement photography and add excitement. Brand iconography was inspired by and loosely referenced the stone carvings found at Wrangell’s Petroglyph Beach State Historic Site. We made brand recommendations to update the community’s current website visually and made it easy to update through a new, user friendly content management system.

Telling Your Story

Defining your brand, getting members and stakeholders on the same page, and communicating the brand in a consistent and fresh manner will set you on a path to increased awareness, leads, conversions, and more. It’s an investment that, done right, will have

a lengthy and productive shelf life for your organization. Success comes from a thorough approach based on three perspectives: your company’s, your customers’/audiences’, and your competitors’.

Every company has a story to tell. Capturing yours with a unique brand identity will help you shape your culture, messaging, decision making, and your outcomes based on who you are today and who you want to be tomorrow.

Kaylee Devine is Vice President, Director of Strategy at Spawn Ideas, an advertising agency with offices in Anchorage and Denver and virtual employees that span from Alaska to the East Coast. As an employeeowned and independent agency, we take pride in creating strategic communications that fuel the curious and the wild.

To read about other employeeowned companies like Spawn Ideas, choose page 24.

To learn another way to shape decision making, choose page 138.

The team at Spawn Ideas itself has a brand. This photo promises an experience that is friendly, hip, knowledgeable, and Alaskan.

Spawn Ideas

To Catch a Z

An insider perspective on post-Millennial marketing

By Rachael Kvapil

As a Gen Zer, Jordan Green knows how to market to younger generations. When he started Glacier Marketing Group last year, he wasn’t old enough to file for an LLC and had to co-sign with a tax attorney who fully transferred over the business when he turned eighteen a few months later. Green had already been developing content for social media prior to his decision to start an official marketing company, a process he went into thoughtfully. Green says he wanted to do more than just start a business. He wanted to build a brand with the potential to positively impact people.

“I really wanted something that reflects my values as an entrepreneur and as an Alaskan,” says Green. “Something that was more than just about making money.”

Green chose the name Glacier Marketing to connect his business to Alaska without specifically using the state’s name. Likewise, he considered the forward progression of a glacier as an accurate metaphor for the forward progression of his company. And though he is young (nineteen and now in college), he says he has never let age stop him from contacting businesses with his ideas.

Carter Damaska Alaska Business

Carter Damaska | Alaska Business

“I was able to get a strong start in my company after building hundreds of connections on an app called Clubhouse,” says Green. “My initial Glacier campaigns were connecting brands on TikTok to influencers to create organic advertisements.”

Quickly, Green realized that influencer marketing was the strongest form of marketing on the planet. Building his brand meant growing Glacier Marketing on Instagram and TikTok by making funny videos that caught the eyes of businesses in Anchorage that needed help with marketing. Given that he started the company during the pandemic, most of Glacier’s initial work was remote. Green attended business calls with new contacts every day during his senior year in high school.

“I made it my identity,” says Green. “I used any conversation with friends and family to get my brand out. I talked with a lot of people on social media about forming an agency and about possibly working together. For the first month alone, I spent time connecting with like-minded people. Some became clients and some became mentors.”

Eventually, Glacier Marketing caught the attention of business owners. As he

worked with local businesses like the Anchorage Wolverines hockey team and concert promoter Showdown Alaska, word got out. Green says his clients talk with others about their collaboration after seeing positive results in content developed by the Glacier Marketing team. Producing several viral videos gaining a million or more in engagement allowed Glacier Marketing to expand its services out of state after Green left Alaska for Indiana University.

Greek Life for Glacier

In addition to creating viral videos for multiple platforms, Glacier Marketing started matching brands and influencers serving similar demographics. This included finding talent and negotiating contracts between parties. Since Green started college, Glacier’s focus recently turned to college athletes who can now market their image without losing their amateur eligibility, thanks to a recent rule change.

“When that came out in July 2021, we pivoted from a broad influencer agency to having a specific focus on creating a service called Glacier Athletes,” Green says. “Once a college

athlete negotiates a contract with a school team, we want to manage their name, image, and likeness while they’re off the field.”

As a fellow college student, Green says he can make a larger impact by helping peers who are also sometimes his friends. Since he sees them on campus, he can get to know them, discuss their goals, and reach them better than another agent who barely knows them. Glacier Marketing helps athletes create content, earn verification status on social media platforms, and build a strategy of profitable partnerships. This includes event sponsorships, brand sponsorships, and live activations, such as live streams, interactive games, and Q&As. Live activations generally result in higher engagement and interaction through gamification.

One way he builds these relationships is through his fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, with famous alumni such as Mark Zuckerberg, Ron Popeil, and music manager Irving Azoff. For some, Greek life is a major distraction; however, Green finds it a great way to develop working relationships with influencers, college athletes, and other entrepreneurs.

Jordan Green (right) started Glacier Marketing Group last year while in high school in Anchorage. Now he’s attending Indiana University Bloomington. Jack Nelson (left), in charge of Glacier Marketing brand relations, is studying at the Wisconsin School of Business in Madison.

“Brands are interested in working with fraternities since they have a direct connection to the younger demographic they are trying to reach,” says Green.

Making An Impression

One college-age entrepreneur collaborating with Glacier Marketing is Bolun Li, founder and CEO of financial app Zogo. The idea for the app started after Li sat through a financial wellness seminar in 2018 as an undergraduate student at Duke University. Despite the important information, Li found it difficult to connect with the presenter or the material—and neither could most of his classmates, who were on their phones instead. Li and two friends decided to make financial education fun and engaging for young adults.

Li says that Glacier reached out to Zogo’s head of growth to develop content and launch a video campaign on social media. The campaign focused on encouraging Gen Z to download the app and explore the modules. The videos went viral, gaining 32 million views and 860,000 likes on TikTok.

“With younger generations, it’s important to be cool… Cool is harder the older I get. I don't speak cool. Jordan is cool, and he showed me what he does to connect with this demographic and why.”

Kari Ellsworth Part Owner Anchorage Wolverines

“We are always looking for partnerships,” says Li. “Glacier is helping us reach our goals.”

Green says the key is developing relatable content. For Zogo, his team used a bare-bones approach that fits TikTok’s trendy and easily digestible content. He says brands often don’t realize that less is more when it comes to social media content. Brands may also avoid creating trendy content if they feel it is too juvenile or if they don’t understand how to communicate their message in a way post-Millennial consumers can understand.

Kari (Bustamante) Ellsworth, a part owner of the Anchorage Wolverines and former vice president of marketing and communications for the team, says working with Glacier Marketing

opened her eyes to social media marketing. Ellsworth says Green contacted her about developing a social media strategy as soon as the Wolverines were founded last year as part of the North American Hockey League. Even though she has an extensive background in media, Ellsworth admits that Green’s deep knowledge of alternative platforms revealed options for promoting the team she hadn’t considered.

“I didn't know what the heck he was saying,” Ellsworth says with a laugh, “and that to me highlighted a real flaw in my approach.”

Glacier focused on creating a strategy that targeted 13- to 18-yearolds on platforms like Snapchat and TikTok. Ellsworth says this is the general

age of players’ younger siblings, who would come to the games to cheer them on and encourage their friends and families to do the same. She says it quickly became clear that younger age groups aren’t motivated by the same content as older generations, especially when it comes to humor. For the Wolverines to succeed, Ellsworth says the team needed a close connection with the community. She says Glacier Marketing helped her speak a language on social media that she didn’t know and didn’t have much time to learn.

The metrics on the first video developed by Glacier Marketing resulted in more engagement than previous content developed by the Wolverines. Ellsworth says much of the content seems off the cuff at first, but

Jordan Green creates content at the 2022 Sundown Solstice Festival in Anchorage.

John of Candlewick Studio | Glacier Marketing Group

Glacier understood how to analyze the numbers, identify the trends, and create a more refined content that maintained a strong flow of engagement. Though there is always a period of trial and error when it comes to content development, Ellsworth says Glacier quickly identifies the ideal length of videos, type of music, editing style, and how much text to use.

“With younger generations, it’s important to be cool,” says Ellsworth. “Cool is harder the older I get. I don't speak cool. Jordan is cool, and he showed me what he does to connect with this demographic and why.”

Green encourages business owners to start working with a marketing agency as soon as possible so they can stay relevant with their target market, especially if their target market is a younger generation. He says the biggest mistake is to rely on traditional marketing only. Traditional marketing is primarily offline communication like print, radio, and television. He says younger generations primarily stream their content instead of watching live TV. While they might catch an occasional glimpse of a business’ message through these means, it won’t be enough to develop the

cult-like following that influencers, celebrities, and social media savvy brands can.

Digital Natives

From a generational perspective, Green says Glacier Marketing is poised to work with businesses that are interested in developing brand acceptance by Gen Z and the up-andcoming Gen Alpha, the generation of children born between 2011 and 2025, recently dubbed “Mini Millennials.” Technology plays a major role in this marketing perspective. Boomers created personal computers and Web browsers, and Gen X took an active role in developing social media, but they are considered “digital immigrants,” born and raised offline and with basic computer technology. It wasn’t until Millennials that a generation lived more online than off. Big advances in online gaming, search engines, social media, cell phones, and streaming grew as they grew.

Then came Gen Z. The generation born in 1996 and the early-to-mid 2000s are considered the first “digital natives,” a group of people who never knew life without the World Wide Web.

Gen Z uses social media platforms daily, to the point that it’s as natural as eating. Green says some older generations feel that social media content creation is a cumbersome process, preferring instead to focus on daily operations instead of marketing.

“And it might be that a company has a great product,” says Green, “but it means nothing if no one knows anything about it.”

While Green is still a teenager, he is highly aware of how quickly the industry is changing. As Glacier Marketing Group grows, Green says the company will need to become crossdimensional and intergenerational to stay sharp. He realized this as he was checking out his younger sister’s social media feed and noticed the differences between their content.

“The world is so digital that it’s easy to freak out,” says Green. “We’re here to help businesses adjust.”

For more about branding and marketing, choose page 102.

To read another article by this author, choose page 40.

Mason Henderson (left), a soccer player at University of Wisconsin Madison, signed a contract in April for Jordan Green (right) to market his name, image, and likeness.

Ella Dennis | Glacier Marketing Group

meet in

The Meeting:

United Women in Faith Western Jurisdiction 2024 Quadrennial Event

President of the Western Jurisdiction, Bonita Miller April 25-28, 2024

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In 1869, eight bold women determined to change the world for the better. Over 150 years later, the half million members of United Women in Faith now answer the call to stand up for women and a better world for all. They convene every four years for worship, workshops, speakers, and leadership decisions. And because of Alaskan Bonita Miller, they’re coming to Anchorage.

Miller leads the planning team that creates and implements the Quadrennial event. She knew Anchorage had everything to host the group, and would be the perfect place to convene for members across the Rockies, West Coast, and states and territories throughout the Pacific.

A group focused on improving the lives of women, youth, and children in the United States and around the world will inspire, influence, and impact local and global communities, all starting anew in Anchorage.

Bonita Miller, Meeting Champion

Coding in 907

An open frontier for software developers

By Scott Rhode

Garages were famously the birthplace of companies that dominate software development. Alaska has garages; therefore, nothing stands in the way of Alaska becoming the Silicon Slope. Nothing, that is, except that everywhere else has garages, too.

Undaunted, some Alaskans have grabbed at a slice of the silicon pie. MTA spun off its AlasConnect service as Ampersand, a tech solutions developer.

Tech accelerator Launch Alaska is currently boosting startups like the Remora logistics app and Kartorium, an Anchorage company behind a 3D

training tool. App shoppers can also find software tools for learning Alaska Native languages, designed and built in the state.

Among the diverse holdings of Alaska Native corporations, most have dipped a toe into the cyber pool. In particular, Koniag is positioning itself as a computer whiz, earlier this year adding Texas-based cloud services provider Stratum to its Open Systems Technologies subsidiary, with offices in Michigan, Minnesota, and London.

Anchorage is also the world headquarters of Tab King, a pointof-sale app for charitable gaming,

yet the company’s development team is located entirely out of state. Programmers living in Anchorage have a choice: either apply their skills as IT managers, join a large corporation that needs in-house custom software, or ply their trade in the loose ecosystem of local developers.

Cutting Steak with a Butter Knife

Coders can make a good living in Alaska, even if the software they develop isn’t glamorous.

“I write business software; it’s not sexy,” Ariane Remien says with a laugh.

As a technical lead at Resource Data, Inc. (RDI) in Anchorage, Remien works under a project manager to guide a team of developers. Most recently, she spent about two months updating a crash reporting tool for the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles, whose mainframe RDI rebuilt about four years ago.

“If it has to do with information technology, we do it,” says Cory Smith, another technical lead at RDI. The company’s clients include the state government, oil companies, healthcare providers, and Alaska Native corporations. Teams might be asked to map oil pipelines or build a website or

Remien Technical Lead Resource Data, Inc.

data warehouse. “Someone will come to us and say, ‘We need a system built that does X,’” Smith says.

To see software developers at work, they look like anyone else tapping the keyboard of a laptop or desktop computer. Instead of drafting memos (although that is part of the job, of course), they write instructions in languages such as C# (pronounced “C sharp”) and Python.

“I’m using SQL [“sequel”] for database queries, then I’m using Javascript for some things, and if I’m doing front-end work then I’m using HTML and CSS,” Remien explains. Sometimes she has ten tasks going simultaneously.

At RDI—which started in Anchorage and expanded to offices in Juneau, Boise, Portland, and Houston—software development is mostly done by teams of three to twelve people.

At Business Application Developers in Big Lake, it’s just one guy: Ken Farmer, who’s been working as a computer consultant for more than thirty years. He lists his titles as president, senior software developer, and janitor.

Even a lone wolf can join a team, though. Farmer is currently a subcontractor for ConocoPhillips, working with others on oil field automation. “I’m doing applications that use the data from the devices that are up on the Slope that control things like flares, pressure tanks, and all that other stuff,” Farmer says.

His specialty is custom programming, such as integrating spreadsheets.

“You get to be more creative with software development,” Farmer says. “You’re gonna run across places which require your imagination and creativity, trying to figure out the best way to resolve a problem.”

Step one is defining specifications, which can be tricky. Suppose, Farmer says, the client requests a butter knife. “And then you give the butter knife to the users, and the first thing they try and do with it is cut steak. And the second thing they try and do with it is eat peas—none of which were in the specs,” he says with a laugh. A developer must anticipate how the application will grow, designing with expansion in mind.

The hard part, according to Farmer, is connecting with clients. “It’s not a profession where you can actually

advertise. You can’t really hit your target audience,” he says. “I’ve done some advertising, and it’s never resulted in much of the way of any work. It’s basically word of mouth.”

Bitwise Operators

Farmer has a reputation that helps him find work, being in the business as long as he has. He was in college when desktop computers were introduced in 1977. He took a computer class at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York because it seemed more interesting than a course in partial differential equations. He learned to program in COBOL and applied those skills at MarkAir and Alascom before going into business for himself.

Computers came at Smith and Remien sideways. Smith was a civil engineer when he started building websites for friends. In pursuit of excellent ski slopes, he moved to Alaska, where he happened to know the founder of RDI.

Remien studied physics and astronomy, which involved some programming. She taught computers to kids in West Africa and Chicago. There, she started maintaining a website, which led to a career in IT management.

“Unlike mechanical engineering, where I can’t do that in my house for fun, if I’ve got a computer, I program a website on my own for minimal cost with open-source technology,” Remien says. “It’s something you can actually do and learn on your own.”

However, she acknowledges that self-taught programmers like Smith and herself are not the norm, at least at RDI. Most of her colleagues have computer science degrees, she figures. Smith notes that a fair number of programmers come from UAA and UAF, yet the company also hires from around the country.

Farmer has kept his skills current, but he still gets by on old-school knowhow. “I can program circles around those kids,” he says with a laugh. “I can’t be in all branches of development, you know, because there’s so many different languages, so many different environments that I have to narrow it down. I’ve concentrated on doing database client-server applications, pushed away from web-type stuff. Leave that to the younger kids.”

“I, especially at this point, feel like it is a wide-open frontier… You may not be working for people in Alaska, but in terms of working remotely for a company, I think you could easily get a programmer job living in Alaska for somebody not in Alaska.”

Ariane

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Resource Data, Inc.

He hasn’t written any games; Farmer is satisfied solving clients’ problems. That’s the part of the job that keeps him interested. “A younger person, they hear the problem and the next thing you know, they’re writing code. I sit back for a while and think the problem over, sketch a few things out, and give it some time to sink in, do a little bit more design work before I start writing any code,” Farmer says. “I end up writing a lot less code—and running into a lot less walls that way.”

Although she’s a younger person, Remien agrees that programmers do more than simply program. At RDI, they’re called programmer/analysts. “Even programmers at the junior level, you get a request, that request might not make sense. You may need to ask more questions. You might need to go back to your tech lead or project manager or the client directly,” she says. “There’s definitely an aspect of critical thinking and asking questions that is an important part of being a programmer; I don’t know any programmers who are just ‘code monkeys.’”

Digital Nomads

While none of Alaska’s software companies are exactly household names, coders have plenty of job opportunities without leaving the state. In addition to subcontracting for any industry that uses computers (i.e., all of them), out-of-state firms are also happy to hire Alaskans in Alaska.

Farmer, for instance, has worked for clients in Europe, and he sees remote work becoming more accepted these days. “Now we have a thing called the ‘digital nomad,’ people who are doing this type of programming but don’t actually have a permanent base,” he says.

Some of those nomads might have nomaded to Alaska—for the skiing, like Smith—while on the payroll of a major software company. “For instance, I know people who have worked at Resource Data who are living in Anchorage but working for Microsoft or some of these other big players in the tech industry,” Smith says. The society-wide shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this, he adds.

Remien agrees. “If you are willing to work in your house and not see

other people—which a lot of people seem to be, especially programmers these days—I do think the sky is really the limit with remote work,” she says. The most cutting-edge software development in Alaska, she believes, is by independent programmers.

Those remote-work opportunities can make it hard for RDI to recruit top talent. “Now you can go get a job working for a Silicon Valley company, making a ton of money by Alaska standards, as a programmer—but it makes it hard to have a community that way,” Remien says.

Smith says he enjoys an office environment, and his skills have grown from interaction with peers. Others seem to do better on their own. “Plenty of people that I work with do their day job and then go home and do open-source coding or game development or whatever at night,” he says.

Alaska has a software development industry, but it’s hidden and scattered.

“Even within the profession of being a computer programmer,” Smith says, “it surprises me that there’s a lot more of that going on here than even I know about, and certainly more than people outside of the community know about.”

Remien sees room for the homegrown industry to consolidate and expand. “I, especially at this point, feel like it is a wide-open frontier,” she says. “You may not be working for people in Alaska, but in terms of working remotely for a company, I think you could easily get a programmer job living in Alaska for somebody not in Alaska.”

“We are starting to see more of a shift,” Smith adds, “and I think we will continue to see more software developers in Alaska, whether they’re working for local firms or for outside firms. I think it certainly will make it easier for people, like I did, to move here for non-career reasons but still have the career they want to have.”

To meet another app developer, choose page 111

To see an example of a common programming error, choose page 116.

“Even within the profession of being a computer programmer, it surprises me that there’s a lot more of that going on here than even I know about, and certainly more than people outside of the community know about.”

Cory Smith Technical Lead

The Other Shoe Is Dropping Engineering solutions

to over-sized carbon footprints

By Tracy Barbour

The carbon-emissions problem has far-reaching ramifications, and it requires everyone working together to address the issue. Earth’s climate has always fluctuated, often driven by changes in the atmosphere, but changes observed in recent decades are faster and more extreme than at any recorded time. Human burning of fossil fuels has led to atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations not seen for millions of years, says Francis Wiese, science director of climate solutions at Stantec in Anchorage.

“These high concentrations have led to sharp increases in water and air temperatures across the globe, affecting our natural resources on land, rivers, lakes, and ocean,” he says. “This, in turn, is threatening food security, economic safety, and human well-being around the world. Because this is a global crisis, no one person, company, or country can solve this alone; only working together, and everyone doing what they can at all levels simultaneously to reduce their carbon footprint, do we stand a chance to eventually reverse the effects of climate change.”

The term “carbon footprint” refers to the amount of GHG emissions—primarily carbon dioxide—emitted due to the actions and choices of an individual, organization, or nation. Human activities are responsible for almost all the GHG increase in the last 150 years, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The largest source of GHG emissions in the United States is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. Carbon dioxide, CO2, accounts for about 80 percent

of GHG emissions, with methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gasses contributing the rest. By economic sector, the primary GHG generators are transportation at 27 percent; electricity at 25 percent; industry at 24 percent; commercial and residential at 13 percent; and agriculture at 11 percent, based on the EPA’s 2022 Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2020

“It is critical that we find ways to reduce the carbon intensity [rate of carbon emission] of the economy we have today,” says Justin Freeman, Coffman Engineers’ vice president of carbon capture, utilization, storage (CCUS) and hydrogen. “We need to identify and implement ways to not only maintain our quality of life but to improve it. Globally, we need to bring people out of energy poverty, but with a different approach that uses less carbon.” Freeman adds that decarbonization is not about demonizing the fossil fuel industry.

Freeman worked at Coffman as a young engineer, and this summer the firm brought him back to lead efforts to reduce GHG emissions beyond solutions like renewable electricity. Coffman strives to serve as a “thought partner” for companies that want to understand options to decarbonize their business. “People are becoming more familiar with solar, wind, and battery storage, but there are other things like hydrogen and carbon capture,” Freeman explains. “Those are all levers that companies can use to decarbonize their operations and grow their business.”

Coffman, with offices in Anchorage and nationwide, offers a full suite of tools to help clients decarbonize. “Whether it’s hospitals, utilities, or building owners, we can help those clients figure out the most costeffective way to run their business sustainably while doing it in a lowcarbon way,” Freeman says.

Stantec, an international firm that focuses on sustainable design and engineering, provides climate solutions to clients worldwide and from offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Wasilla. Its offerings include climate advisory services to determine what companies need to worry about most; resilient adaption

“There may be some things that make economic sense today while other opportunities require a regulatory framework that values lower-carbon businesses, creates a level playing field, and lets the market drive those innovations to get the world to net zero.”

a l a s k a r e s o u r c e s c o n f e r e n c e

November 16-17 2022 Dena'ina center | Anchorage, ak

R

Justin Freeman, Vice President of CCUS and Hydrogen, Coffman

Engineers

services, which includes both naturebased and engineered solutions; and GHG emissions mitigation solutions, including those related to their buildings, transportation, resource use, products, and supply chain.

Evaluating Carbon Emissions

How can companies begin to lower their CO2 emissions? First, they should assess their current footprint and where in their operations it comes from, Wiese says. “We call this creating a GHG inventory,” he explains. “Once we produce that inventory, we can help tailor very specific actions across the entire operation to effectively reduce your emissions and help meet your emission goals.”

“Individual companies are at various levels of maturity in their operations,” Freeman adds. “It’s important to understand that there are different categories of emissions: scopes 1, 2 and 3.”

Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from company-owned

and controlled resources. Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy, from a utility provider. And Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions— not included in scope 2—that occur in the value chain of the reporting company, including both upstream and downstream emissions. Scope 3 emissions, which are separated into fifteen different categories according to GHG protocol, relate to certain activities linked to a company's operations.

The crux of the matter, Freeman says, is this: “Do you understand the carbon intensity of your business, and where those emissions are happening in the value chain?”

Suppliers, for example, are showing more interest in the carbon intensity of products, which influences corporate decision making. “Companies are laying out their ambitions of net zero,” Freeman says. “They are defining their goals and outlining the pathway of success. Companies reach ‘net

zero’ by reducing carbon emissions and purchasing carbon credits for any remaining emissions released to the atmosphere.”

The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is, in part, designed to entice more businesses to focus on minimizing their carbon footprint. The new law promotes the widespread deployment of carbon removal technologies through incentives. “You can generate tax credits with hydrogen production to decarbonize emissions,” Freeman explains, “but those are government incentives, and they are not sustainable long term. Eventually, we’ll need market-based incentives to achieve the right solutions.” Short term, though, Freeman says the new incentives will advance domestic carbon capture and hydrogen.

Ultimately, companies need to comprehend their potential for an economic return as they consider various emissions-lowering opportunities. “There may be some things that make economic sense today while other opportunities require

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Francis Wiese Stantec

a regulatory framework that values lower-carbon businesses, creates a level playing field, and lets the market drive those innovations to get the world to net zero,” Freeman says.

Making Sense Today

For companies to curb CO2 emissions, one option is to shift the burden to electricity producers. “If you are burning something today, you can electrify it tomorrow,” Freeman says.

Businesses can electrify their fuel use by leveraging renewables and battery storage. They can also capitalize on opportunities involving carbon capture, carbon offsets, and carbon credits to avoid and/or decrease carbon emissions.

From Wiese’s point of view, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to cutting carbon emissions. Specific solutions depend on the type of operation, but general strategies can include energy efficiency; switching to renewable energy; increasing sustainability practices, such as recycling or reducing water use; reducing travel; shortening supply chains; and

implementing or supporting naturebased carbon solutions to increase carbon sequestration.

Whether the “S” stands for sequestration or storage, CCUS involves trapping CO2 from combustion exhaust and either reusing or storing the waste so it will not enter the atmosphere. “You can do this on site where the emissions are taking place and take advantage of existing infrastructure,” Wiese explains, “so for oil and gas operations, for example, you can capture and reinject your emissions into the well, reducing your net emissions that way.” That scenario, Wiese says, is the most obvious of the very few where CCUS currently makes financial and environmental sense.

“Another example may be capturing carbon in material that is used a lot and will guarantee some permanency, like using special types of aggregate in making cement,” he adds. “That can be done at scale and, thus, make a substantial contribution.”

Toll Free 877-868-3569 Phone 907-868-4725 Fax 907-868-4726

In most cases, though, CCUS solutions to date do not scale well enough to make a difference, and engineered carbon capture solutions are expensive, Wiese points out. “If companies are interested in supporting carbon capture and sequestration, they are much better off investing in nature-based carbon solutions, such as ecosystem restoration,” he says. “Ecosystem restoration has the added benefit of also supporting biodiversity, water and air quality, ecosystem resilience, and human well-being—all in one go. At Stantec, we promote that solution to clients across all sectors, and it has been very effective.”

Freeman says CCUS may be able to play a role in hard-to-abate sectors, helping them reach a net-zero or low-carbon state. Most of Alaska’s emissions relate to products sold elsewhere, which presents potential opportunities. “A majority of the future world will want the energy without the emissions, such as the Japanese, who have a lot

Justin Freeman Coffman Engineers

Shoreline erosion on the Noatak River near the village of Noatak. Erosion to the river is threatening the Noatak Airport runway and has forced the relocation of the cemetery, sewage lagoon, and an access road.

Stantec

of coal and natural gas plants,” he says. “Many key players don’t have the right geology to store CO2, unlike Alaska. Alaska has an opportunity to ship natural gas while keeping and storing the CO2, making the exported hydrogen low carbon.”

In This Together

Alaska has among the highest CO2 emissions per capita of any state. The top five are all major energy producers: Wyoming, North Dakota, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Alaska at number five. Alaska’s annual emissions in 2017 were approximately half that of Wyoming, the country’s largest coal producer. These states also have fewer heads dividing millions of metric tons of CO2, except for more thickly populated Louisiana, which has nearly four times the emissions of Wyoming but almost eight times the population.

One carbon emission source that sets Alaska apart from other states is reliance on aircraft. In addition to intrastate travel through general aviation, a typical Alaskan can only leave the state

using jetliners. The UN International Civil Aviation Organization’s online emissions calculator estimates more than 800 pounds of CO2 are emitted per passenger during a typical roundtrip flight between Anchorage and Seattle. That’s about the same as generating 1 MWh of electricity, as much as an average American uses in three months.

Conscious of this impact, Alaska Airlines is making carbon-cutting choices today. The company recently launched a program to advance sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which uses waste oils or vegetable oils to reduce reliance on petroleum. Blended fuels have been demonstrated on commercial airliners, and full adoption depends on a robust supply chain at a price point that won’t cut into profits. Alaska Airlines also committed last year to net zero carbon emissions by 2040, with shorter-term goals by 2025 to improve its impact relative to carbon, waste, and water.

“We are all in this together,” Wiese says, “so every bit really counts and is

needed to achieve our local, regional, national, and global emission goals to help safeguard environmental and human well-being.” Those bits include climate adaptation and mitigation alongside sustainability, based on choices made at the government, business, and personal levels.

Wiese believes businesses across Alaska play a key role in the path forward, as they generally plan long term and look beyond political agendas. “Businesses can be leaders of this change,” he says. “They can support the inclusion of all voices and knowledge systems, such as Indigenous knowledge that is so rich and important in our state and elsewhere, and support publicprivate partnerships to accelerate the technological innovations we still need.”

To read more about Justin Freeman’s CV, choose page 148.

To read another article by this author, choose page 10.

AMA Annual Convention and Trade Show

Carter Damaska Alaska Business

By Richard Perry

In Alaska there are wider temperature variations than almost anywhere in the United States: near Fairbanks, temperatures range from 80°F or 90°F in the summer to -70°F in the winter. As harsh as that is on people, those conditions are especially brutal on machines and materials.

Normal asphalt, for example, isn’t up to meeting those demands. That is where polymer-modified asphalt comes in. The polymer stiffens the asphalt and increases its resilience in high temperatures, resulting in reduced cracking and rutting. At low temperatures, polymer-modified asphalt resists thermal cracking.

Denali Materials, a wholly owned subsidiary of St. Mary's Native Corporation, manufactures polymer-modified asphalt and asphalt emulsions used in road and runway construction. “We add rubber polymers and other constituents to the mix to meet higher-level specifications for highway or runway paving. This is to prevent rutting and cracking on the roads," explains General Manager Scott Hayden. The asphalt binder is sold to a contractor that blends it at an elevated temperature to produce a homogeneous asphalt paving mixture, called a hot-mix asphalt.

Depending on the specific blend of materials, modified asphalt can withstand either hot or cold temperatures, though mitigating both is difficult.

The specialty surface is vital to maintaining the only haul road to the North Slope, the Dalton Highway. Less than onethird of the 414-mile road is paved; north of the Brooks Range it’s gravel on all but three stretches totaling 17 miles. There, the average temperatures during the summer months are

Alaska Rubber Group is more than a middleman between manufacturers and end users. The shop assembles and tests its products, such as hose fittings.

Carter Damaska | Alaska Business

typically barely above freezing, while those in winter are as low as -20°F or -30°F. Sometimes, temperatures can even dip to -50°F or -60°F.

Such extreme cold obviously affects more than roads and runways; it can reduce the efficiency of materials and equipment or even cause them to fail entirely. What many oil field operators and contractors have found is that ordering a different part from another far-off manufacturing plant may or may not solve the problem; however, relying on local experts to fabricate a solution often works out well.

Special Know-How

Alaska Rubber Group is what CEO Mike Mortensen calls a value-added distributor and not simply a hardware store. "We supply hoses and fittings, rigging and lifting supplies, conveyor belts, sheet rubber, pumps, and various other equipment," he says. None of those products are factory stock; they are assembled to the customer's exact specification.

"Many of these products are rated to -65°F," Mortensen says, "which you don't see in Texas oil fields or other companies in the Lower 48. We have honed our understanding of cold weather products over a lot of years, especially for use in Prudhoe Bay."

Suppliers are not merely wholesalers, passing out-of-state materials along to clients; they take an interest in delivering products in a ready-to-use form factor with special formulations for the North Slope.

"The supply community in Alaska is pretty advanced when you compare them with the Lower 48 cohorts," Mortensen says. "We operate in some extreme conditions, and we've become specialists. This is true not only in the products and the stock of supplies in the market but the know-how. We have an understanding of this market and the Alaska oil fields. There is a lot of value there that the oil field contractors and operators can't get elsewhere."

Keeping Customers Satisfied

From the perspective of an industry supplier, recent turnover in the operators of Alaska’s oil patch has been positive for the state. Mortensen points out that Hilcorp, after buying out BP’s assets, operates differently than the

COMING TOGETHER

IN RHYTHM

"The supply community in Alaska is pretty advanced when you compare them with the Lower 48 cohorts... We operate in some extreme conditions, and we've become specialists.”

Mike

Mortensen, CEO, Alaska Rubber Group

SRIMAN EMANY | iStock

multinational giant did, working more nimbly with innovations that recover more oil from existing fields.

Nimble clients demand swifter suppliers, however. "There is a digital transformation happening all over the place,” Mortensen says. “Customers operate on a 24/7 basis, and they want access to products and information quickly. For the supply community in Alaska, we have to adapt to that. We have to offer the technology to our customers to engage with suppliers in the way that they expect. It's not good enough to be open from nine to five, Monday through Friday."

To satisfy those ever-present needs, Alaska Rubber Group has made it a practice to keep a cache of parts and supplies on hand. This was a benefit to the company and its customers during recent distribution delays and shortages.

The asphalt for Denali Materials is already close at hand; it’s mainly made from North Slope crude oil. "What we do is we buy liquid asphalt from the refinery," Hayden says. "That would either be from Marathon Refinery

down in the Nikiski or the Petro Star Refinery in North Pole that also produces asphalt.”

Coming full circle, the oil industry supplies the raw material that its suppliers use to pave the Dalton Highway that keeps Prudhoe Bay humming.

The hum is lower than it used to be, with the oil industry workforce still reduced compared to its pre-pandemic level and North Slope output years past its peak—but new projects still just over the horizon.

"We've seen the swings in the business," Mortensen says, "and if you are serving the oil and gas business, it's a mixed bag. When business is good, it's really good, and when it is bad, it is really bad. Fortunately, I feel we are on an upswing here in Alaska."

To find out which oil projects Alaska’s Top 49ers are preparing for, choose page 87.

To read more about Alaska Rubber Group, choose page 24.

“Customers operate on a 24/7 basis, and they want access to products and information quickly. For the supply community in Alaska, we have to adapt to that. We have to offer the technology to our customers to engage with suppliers in the way that they expect.”

Mike Mortensen, CEO, Alaska Rubber Group

The James W. Dalton Highway, built in 1969 but not completed until 1977, starts at the Elliott Highway north of Fairbanks and ends at Deadhorse, just short of the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay. The lifeline to the oil fields requires special asphalt to survive harsh conditions.

Why Worry?

The benefits of preparing for lowfrequency, highconsequence events

By Daniel P. Hoffman

Crisis management and contingency planning. Those five simple words can cause the most competent business executives to lose more than a few good nights' sleep. Everyone is busy, and most managers and administrators tend to expend the majority of their focus and energies putting out the operational fires of the day (or week, month, quarter, et cetera). When asked to consider the dire consequences and ramifications of a potential event— especially for those that likely have a small chance of actually occurring—it’s often far too easy to place consideration for such matters on one’s to-do list, perhaps when things quiet down somewhat.

The problem, of course, is that things are never going to quiet down. A whole new set of problems and other “high-priority” issues invariably come to the fore, making it all too easy to push emergency management and contingency planning to the bottom of the pile. If a business or organization is lucky, there will be no real consequence realized from such inaction, as—by definition—the lowfrequency event will likely never materialize. However, if such an event were to happen, the high consequence nature of such circumstances could derail an entire operation and perhaps even bankrupt one’s business. Given the high stakes involved, can you really afford to gamble when it comes to such planning?

The Good

Thankfully, most large businesses are supported by a team of insurance and risk professionals (either in-house or on a contracted basis) and are often served by a professional brokerage company. The broker who services the business helps to navigate the ins and outs of multiple insurance companies, policies, and overlapping lines of coverage, providing strong feedback and recommendations to the business’ senior leadership. This feedback then guides the purchasing decisions that map out a comprehensive array of policy coverage. If one has a knowledgeable and experienced broker, particularly within a specific sector of operations (e.g., oil and gas, mining, construction, et cetera), then the resultant group of purchased policies should provide sufficient coverage for most eventualities.

The Bad

Unfortunately, there seems to be a continuing and pervasive gap between “financial risk” professionals and “operational risk” practitioners. While the financially oriented actuary will likely reduce probabilities and outcomes of any given event to a list of formulas and percentages, thereby calculating potentials for loss and resultant recommendations for insurance coverage, a lack of boots-on-the-ground operational knowledge may result in a senior leader being presented with a false dichotomy when it comes to making hard decisions with respect to resource allocation. This is especially true when it comes to the purchase and stocking of critical spares.

The Ugly

In many industries—most notably those involved in resource extraction—entire operations often depend on a single piece of critical equipment. If a key pump or motor fails in a petrochemical plant, the entire facility may be taken

offline. If a mill motor or ring gear fails in a mine’s ore processing facility, the consequences can quickly escalate beyond ore handling. The site’s water balance issues, stockpiling, and transportation can quickly lead to the prompt shutdown of an entire mining operation. Facilities and operations that generate millions of dollars’ worth of product every day may now lay idle. Worse yet, if the pump, motor, gear, et cetera isn’t a standard, commonly stocked item, it may take weeks—or even months—to get a replacement fabricated and delivered. Hint: if you’re relying on your property insurer’s business interruption coverage to kick in, good luck with that! This is one of the most convoluted areas of coverage out there, and the insurer will likely bring forth an endless array of justifications and excuses to avoid—and/ or aggressively litigate—such claims.

Most knowledgeable underwriters in any sector are keenly aware of the potential for such operational bottlenecks. When conducting a facility inspection (often as an annual prelude to policy renewal), they will be quick to note any vital or unique pieces of equipment and will make the standard recommendation to stock critical spares on site, should a component failure call for an immediate replacement. Insurers often see failure to stock spares as exceedingly risky and/or downright reckless, and a decision not to stock spares will likely result in significantly higher premiums. The insurer may also create a specific policy exclusion, abdicating itself from any coverage responsibility if a critical component fails with no replacement on hand.

What to Do?

For those who haven’t had much experience in this area, the simple and straightforward solution seems obvious: stock the critical spares when it’s recommended! The challenge, unfortunately, is that some of these components may cost hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of dollars, representing an exceedingly costly inventory to purchase and keep idle, especially if there’s a low probability that such equipment will ever be needed. This is where the false dichotomy arises. If your company isn’t

being served by knowledgeable staff within the realm of operational risk and contingency planning, then it’s highly likely that you’re missing out on a third option when it comes to the choice of paying high insurance premiums versus stocking an excessive inventory of costprohibitive critical spares.

If your operational risk manager has cultivated an open and sincere relationship with your insurer’s inspectors and underwriters (i.e., the folks that do risk assessments and make recommendations on behalf of the insurance company), then he/she should be comfortable with proposing and negotiating comparable mitigation strategies in

lieu of stocking critical spares, asking for credit or adjustment to the site’s risk score upon compliance. At a mine where I previously worked, we garnered hundreds of thousands of dollars in premium reductions by demonstrating that we were fully aware of our potential vulnerabilities when it came to critical components and conscientiously and thoroughly documenting the proactive, positive steps we were taking to substantially reduce the risk of unanticipated, catastrophic failures. Further, if such failures ever occurred, we had solid, documented contingency plans ready, designed to minimize the disruption, expedite replacement supply chain

critical spares.

mechanisms, and minimize any business interruption.

There are several specific actions that I highly recommend, all of which require full explanation and documentation being provided to underwriters:

x For large drive motors, particularly for those with long replacement times, employ and thoroughly document a strong predictive maintenance program, including oil and lubricants analysis that will detect contaminants and other changes indicative of a forthcoming failure in motors, pumps, and gear assemblies.

x For large gears, metal tanks, et cetera, employ and document scanning technology to detect

micro-cracks. Such detection could provide several months’ head start in getting a replacement ordered, fabricated, and shipped.

x Especially in light of recent COVIDrelated events and worldwide supply chain issues, it’s critical to maintain a roster of manufacturers and suppliers of critical components, along with related transport elements, updated on a regular basis. When I took over the risk management and contingency planning functions at a major mining operation, I was shocked to discover how many “planned-for critical suppliers” were no longer in business (or no longer dealing the specific equipment/ component needed) when I called to verify the “verbal plans” that had been passed down from previous maintenance supervisors.

x As related above, don’t trust verbal history! If your maintenance superintendent is telling you, “Oh, there’s a spare mill gear of this same size and specifications that’s over at another site, and we have a handshake deal in place to have it

shipped over if we ever really need it,” as Ronald Reagan famously said when dealing with Soviet disarmament, “Trust, but verify.”

x If a site’s operations or a process circuit can be reconfigured upon the loss of a critical component, even if it will result in substantially less output, then develop a strong, written contingency plan to do so. The plan should identify the equipment, contractors, and supply chain elements necessary for such a conversion, all determined ahead of time to minimize downtime. Expected changes in output should be thoroughly quantified in the plan so that all parties are fully aware of the true impact of such an event. Such an analysis may be just what’s needed to convince a company’s senior leadership that—in certain cases—the purchase and storage of a critical spare onsite is the most prudent course of action.

The investment associated with stocking a complete inventory of critical spares can range from the somewhat unrealistic to the completely

cost prohibitive, particularly for those components with a very low probability of failure. However, before you allow an insurance company’s inspector to frame your decision in terms of “stock-it or pay,” be sure to speak with maintenance supervisors and your own operational risk specialists. Chances are you can take specific, documented actions that may satisfy your underwriter’s concerns, perhaps freeing up some inventory replacement capital for other, more pressing needs.

After retiring from two careers in public safety and mine industry risk management, Daniel Hoffman now serves as principal for Hoffman Consulting, an Alaska-based firm specializing in emergency preparedness, crisis response, and contingency planning.

To read about the connections between Sourdoughs, sourdough, and mining, choose page 150.

For expertise from another guest author, choose page 102.

"Content Marketing Conundrum"

Legal Speak features, all clearly marked as sponsored content.

By Charles Bell Vice President of Sales

According to a research study by IPG Media Lab and Forbes, memory recall for sponsored content is twice as long as for traditional advertisements. Sponsored content also improves brand favorability and increases the likelihood of developing new business opportunities.

In the pages of Alaska Business, sponsored content appears in the form of Business Profiles or our HR Matters and

From a marketing perspective, sponsored content will support your strategic goals by positioning your business as an industry thought leader or expert. The content is customized to fit your needs and looks like editorial content. Business Profiles come with additional benefits like physical reprints, a shareable link to our digital edition, and even a great-looking wall plaque to class up your office space!

In a recent article titled Content Marketing Conundrum in MediaPost, industry expert Tony Silber contributed this quote which sums up sponsored content nicely.

" It's been shown repeatedly in studies that marketing that uses a journalistic format is very effective.

The approach confers credibility, accessibility, and trust. It's perfect for research or thought leadership. It's focused not on what the marketer has to sell, but information of value to the reader. "

If you would like to explore ways to position your company as an industry leader, give our advertising team a call to discuss how sponsored content can help your business.

Charles Bell 907-257-2909 cbell@akbizmag.com Christine Merki 907-257-2911 cmerki@akbizmag.com

Janis Plume 907-257-2917 janis@akbizmag.com

Claiming Quiet

Balancing effort and ease at work

By Woodrie Burich

We know the benefits of effort well.

The drive. The push. The excellence and outcomes that accompany it.

We know what it takes to push ourselves personally, and we’ve learned how to support our teams in learning this skill too. We know the motivational techniques, the key performance indicators, and the data we need to keep our teams and stakeholders pleased— and we drive our results towards these.

But how many of us know the skill of ease?

Not many, in my experience. Research backs this up too. Whether we look at stress indicators or simple stats related to downtime, we aren’t great at stepping into ease. In fact, we seem hard pressed to take time for ourselves outside of work, let alone within company doors. One stat shows that the average US-based worker only takes half of their paid time off—and those are pre-pandemic figures. Post pandemic it’s gotten even worse.

Our collective lack of ease is endemic to our current work cultures.

Personally, I hardly know any high-achieving professionals who

consistently work less than 50 to 55 hours a week, especially if you count after-hour phone calls, late evening/ early morning emails, and all those vacation check-ins.

Yet if we look beyond the work hours, we see a deeper issue. We seem to have forgotten the benefits that ease offers us both personally and professionally.

There are benefits that arise with downtime and strategic thinking time. Deeper connections with ourselves and others, for instance, which translates to improved relationships and enhanced teamwork. Creativity is born out of this space of stillness, and with it come newly harnessed problem-solving skills and stronger decision making. These are the gifts of ease. Ease is not just about chilling out on some beach or unwinding; it’s about having the time and space needed in order to connect with ourselves and learning to apply the benefits that connection has offered us.

Luckily, the next generation seems to intuitively get this. In fact, they are leading the charge toward sustainable working hours and balanced work lives. In time, we will see our work worlds shift and trend toward more ease—and this trend will only accelerate once

more leaders begin to recognize and capitalize on the improved business outcomes that arise from it.

Tension Between Worlds

For the meantime, though, one major problem remains: we know what we need (more time, space, and ease), but we don’t know how to get there yet, given the demands (e.g., how will all this work get done?).

There is tension between these two worlds of effort and ease. The value is in learning how to navigate this tension. We need tools, strategies, and approaches to manage ourselves and our teams through it so that we can learn to reap the benefits found in both effort and ease.

Where do we start when everyone around us is running at the same crazy effort-filled pace? How do we push back against a culture and a wave of expectations stemming from our teams, directors, and stakeholders inside our companies—let alone the onslaught of demands driven externally from our clients, vendors, and broader community?

How do we find ease in an effortdriven work world?

iStock

Pavel Sevryukov

The root of this answer has to do with boundaries. The heart of it, though, is connection. Boundaries provide us access to both.

One of my favorite tools to acquire more ease in the workday is to use boundaries to claim quiet. It’s an entry point for ease. Practiced occasionally, claiming quiet can offer some stress relief and bring to life newfound clarity. Practiced consistently, it offers us increased energy reserves, composure in moments of crisis, and creativity, which is used for innovation, problem solving, and much more.

There are three steps that can help leaders and their teams claim quiet and ultimately create more ease at work: create permission, claim your quiet, and bridge the gap.

Create Permission

Create a culture of permission. This frees up your team and alleviates high levels of pressure that highperforming teams often work under. Over time, permission starts to embed itself into the corporate culture. This is where creativity benefits, and the

benefits of stronger teamwork really start to emerge.

Pre-emptively provide permission to your team members, and do it often. Guilt is a common feeling—especially for high-achievers. If you (or your team members) are driven, more than likely you put personal needs aside for work needs. Granting permission, taking a moment to see our team members’ needs, and offering that need preemptively can go a long way toward a mutually supportive and strong culture that honors individuals.

Example: A global client reached out to us for support when the Ukraine war started. They have a variety of worldwide offices, with clients, vendors, and stakeholders in the surrounding area. Specifically, they wanted some advice on how to best support their team members to process what was occurring. The first thing we started with was preemptively offering permission. We focused on offering and supporting their teams with the time and space necessary for processing, as well as ensuring access to a variety of support resources. Permission is something

Where do your best strategies and solutions arise from?

Chances are they arise from some form of quiet. Some reflection or stillness was involved.

individuals are often challenged with in the workforce regardless of location or background (important note: this can be compounded for certain teams depending on cultural differences and/ or for marginalized groups). We as leaders can counter this by granting permission without having to make people wait or ask for it.

Claim Your Quiet

One of the top things individuals and teams need is strategic downtime. Some teams call this strategic thinking time, or sometimes it’s referred to as quiet reflective space.

For a moment, consider when and how you get your best insights. Where do your best strategies and solutions arise from? Chances are they arise from some form of quiet. Some reflection or stillness was involved. This is why leadership retreats are often off site. It’s also why we hear jokes about the best ideas for work arising from the shower—or how we come back renewed after a vacation with energy and new ideas. Quiet time and space are the lifeblood of creativity and innovation, and they are critical for complex problem solving. We need quiet, and as leaders, we need to double down on it.

Example: The company 3M seems to recognize the gift and creativity offered by space and quiet. In fact, since the ‘50s it has practiced a “15% Culture.” Each employee is encouraged to set aside 15 percent of their work time to focus on innovation and creativity, to follow their whims and play. This has contributed to 3M’s high innovation culture: it was during that 15 percent allotted time that 3M’s Art Fry invented the iconic Post-It Note.

Bridge the Gap

Over the years, I’ve found people hold back from claiming their quiet. Often this is due to the fear that somehow the work won’t get done. Yet for those clients that make the leap and claim their quiet, they find new ideas, solutions, and opportunities that help them manage the workload in new ways. They are stronger for it. Their work outcomes are better for it. The thing that’s needed up front is just a bit of courage and commitment.

Research can help bridge the gap. It can help people learn to trust themselves enough to take that first leap. If we look at the science and data, we can see the benefits arising from ease. This can help us prioritize it. And once leaders experience it—once they truly see the benefits that arise from claiming quiet—there’s no going back. Time and time again, I witness leaders and teams claim this time for themselves, and I see the power that arises from it. As a coach, I’m lucky enough to witness my clients’ insights and watch their paths take them toward more clarity, creativity, and confidence. The ease that was once on the back burner becomes front and center. Recently, I gave a presentation and I absolutely loved what one client said: “Be fierce with your ‘no’ so you can protect your ’yes.’” The power of boundaries expressed in a single sentence.

Finding Ease

Claiming quiet is an entry point to finding ease. Ultimately, claiming quiet requires both boundaries and connection. It requires that we implement boundaries—to first claim our space and time—and then it requires that we still ourselves long enough to be within the quiet. This process stimulates an inner connection with ourselves that then reverberates to all our relationships. It’s the quiet—this ease—that is the wellspring of creativity, connection, and new possibilities in our work and in our world. Create that permission for yourself and your teams. Claim your quiet. Bridge the gap. And enjoy the gifts and rewards of ease.

Woodrie Burich is a national speaker, executive coach, and owner of the Integration Group, which empowers professionals to create sustainable and thriving work lives that enable them to enjoy more, stress less, and connect with their communities in positive ways.

For an example of what "claiming your quiet" may look like, choose page 54.

For another approach to motivating a workplace, choose page 24.

Recently, I gave a presentation and I absolutely loved what one client said: “Be fierce with your ‘no’ so you can protect your ’yes.’” The power of boundaries expressed in a single sentence.

Sure Footing

How to prevent winter slip-and-fall injuries

By Sean Dewalt

Winter presents all sorts of fun activities to look forward to, but no one looks forward to slippery roads and sidewalks. From twelve-inch snowfalls to dreaded freezing rain, the risks of slip-and-fall injuries for visitors, tenants, and employees are a real concern for businesses. Since slips and falls can happen anywhere, injuries sustained in cases covered by premises liability insurance and workers’ compensation can be equally diverse and very costly.

The legal theory behind premises liability is that the owners and operators of a property need to exercise a reasonable amount of care to ensure that the property is safe for the people who use it. Tort allegations resulting from negligent care of a property can be very costly. The National Floor Safety Institute estimates that the average cost to defend against a slip-and-fall

lawsuit is $50,000, and the average judgment awarded in cases that go to trial is $100,000.

Data from the National Safety Council shows that in workers’ compensation cases the average costs for an injured worker are nearly $50,000. About half of those costs are indemnity (lost time) payments for missed work. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “In 2019, 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported by private industry employers. For nonfatal injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work, 275,590 cases were caused by overexertion and bodily reaction. Slips and falls accounted for 27.5 percent of those cases.”

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) standard for walking/working surfaces, 29 CFR 1910.22, outlines requirements for ensuring that work surfaces are clean,

dry (whenever possible), and properly maintained to ensure employee safety. Those rules tightened in 2017 with new language stating that employers must inspect walking/working surfaces regularly and as needed and correct, repair, or guard against hazardous conditions such as corrosion, leaks, spills, snow, and ice.

The often overlooked issue with lost time incidents is that since some of these injuries result in multiple days off or restricted work, they can be considered recordable OSHA incidents. Alaska Occupational Safety and Health (AKOSH) has a program directive called the High Hazard Target List. Employers are placed on that list when they have three or more lost time incidents, as reported through the Alaska Division of Workers’ Compensation database for the previous year, and lost time rates in excess of 90 percent of the overall

average lost-time rates for all employers in Alaska. AKOSH then sends a letter to the employer, and there is a higher probability of enforcement inspections for the business. Inspections tend to result in citations. As of January 2022, OSHA citations deemed “serious” have a minimum penalty of $1,036 and a maximum of $14,502. This is worth noting.

Time of Sands

What are the solutions? A good safety professional, property manager, or risk manager will use a hierarchy of controls to eliminate or reduce risks. Companies with the most success in reducing risks use a combination of controls to deal with hazards. These include engineering controls, such as adequate snow and ice removal and management of safe walking and working surfaces using aggregates and/ or ice inhibitors. There are also less effective administrative controls, such as daily property inspection reports and the use of personal protective equipment, including ice cleats and traction footwear.

The use of aggregates to increase traction on snow and ice is nothing new. Sanding parking lots at businesses has always been a good control against slips and falls in most cold climates. The effectiveness, however, depends on multiple variables. These include the weather, location, contractor experience, customer demands, availability of aggregate products, frequency of applications, and cost of the materials.

Aggregates need to remain on the surface of the snow and ice to work. Smaller sand-size grains tend to get pushed down into the surface or blown away, rendering the application less effective unless continually applied. By contrast, a 3/8 inch crushed and washed “traction sand” aggregate is faceted and can remain on the surface longer and will not slide away as easily as a round pea gravel would. Contractors in Alaska often use a “winter mix” in their sanding machines, which consists of multiple-sized aggregates designed for parking lots. Some even mix in rock salt to help melt the ice and keep aggregates in place. Regardless of

CIVIL - SURVEY - ENVIRONMENTAL

SURVEY / CIVIL SERVICES

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

The National Floor Safety Institute estimates that the average cost to defend against a slip-and-fall lawsuit is $50,000, and the average judgment awarded in cases that go to trial is $100,000.

the chosen application, the key to good sanding is ensuring the areas always have adequate, visible coverage of traction material. Monitoring the areas is paramount.

Contractors and customers should have a good line of communication during winter months to ensure sanding is done when it is needed. During freezing rain events, multiple applications of aggregates may be required as the ice builds on the surface. Bear in mind that expenses spent on safety on the front end are generally less costly than the insurance claim on the back end. Good risk control is all about being proactive—staying ahead of the exposures and not waiting until after an injury has occurred.

Bring on the Brine

Another risk reduction option, granular salt, was first used on roadways experimentally in New Hampshire in 1938 and is still widely used today. Salt brine, a liquid ice inhibitor, has proven to be a more effective and less corrosive option than rock salt. In fact, the liquid brine is 85 percent less corrosive than the granular product and is more manageable for applying evenly on surfaces. The key, according to Bret Kelly, president of A1 Landscaping, “is using an instrument to measure the salinity of a solution, not just guessing.” That tool is frequently a hydrometer that is specially calibrated to read out the percentage of salt in a solution. The exact salinity needs to be 23.3 percent. Kelly has been studying, experimenting, and applying salt brine for property owners in Southcentral Alaska since 2015. He states that additives, such as molasses and beet juice, can reduce the operating temperatures of the ice inhibitors to -40°F, which is perfect for those ultracold winters.

The process is simple: before a snow event, the liquid is applied to asphalt surfaces. As the snow falls, the brine inhibits the attachment of flakes to the cold asphalt. Snow is then removed as normal, and instead of leaving behind a layer of snow and ice on the asphalt, the pavement is just wet. A new layer of salt brine is then applied, and the process starts over. If enough time passes between

snow events, the asphalt will dry and only a thin residual white layer of the sodium will remain. This process greatly reduces slips and falls as the snow and ice are wiped clean, creating a greater coefficient of friction for the walking surface.

While the cost of using salt brine compared to traditional aggregate and granular salt products can be higher, the soft costs narrow that expense gap. Annual sweeping of remaining aggregates from sanding— and the damage to plants and trees and cleaning of carpets from granulated salt—add costs to the equation. However, property owners can cut costs for salt brine by having a multi-year contract with a set price, like level-pay with the local utilities. Getting competitive bids before winter with different pricing and delivery options makes financial sense.

As important as proactive prevention can be, it is equally important to react properly after the fact. Investigate all incidents and near-misses. By assessing the causes of the occurrence, better countermeasures can be applied to help ensure another mishap is less likely to happen. Employees should have a way to report hazardous conditions, and the company must have personnel to ensure that action is taken to reduce the danger.

By diligently monitoring conditions, assessing significant weather events, and taking proactive precautions, businesses and employers can reduce the chances of a bad outcome. While there may be no one-sizefits-all solution to slips and falls, having a formal plan for snow and ice mitigation is the first step toward a winter season of incident-free days. And that is a plan that everyone in Alaska can agree on.

Sean Dewalt is a Senior Loss Control Consultant for Umialik Insurance Company in Anchorage. Dewalt has been working in safety and risk management in Alaska since 2000.

For more expertise in risk management, choose page 134.

For the parent company of Umialik Insurance Company, choose page 54.

Bear in mind that

expenses spent on safety on the front end are generally less costly than the insurance claim on the back end.

Good risk control is all about being proactive—staying ahead of the exposures and not waiting until after an injury has occurred.

Alaska USA Federal Credit Union

Alaska USA Federal Credit Union finalized a merger with Spokanebased Global Credit Union. The merger combines Alaska USA’s 700,000 members with Global’s 45,000 members. Global operates nine branches in Washington and Idaho and an additional three branches in Italy on US military installations. Alaska USA has sixty-seven branches in Alaska, Washington, California, and Arizona. alaskausa.org

Ucore Rare Metals

An early evaluation of a process to separate rare earth elements puts Ucore Rare Metals on a faster track to commercial deployment near Ketchikan. The Canadian company is going ahead with a full-scale plant, rather than smaller increments, at a facility in Ontario. In 2023, Ucore aims to build its Strategic Metals Complex in Ketchikan, processing rare earths sourced from Saskatchewan before mining begins at its Bokan-Dotson Ridge deposit on Prince of Wales Island. ucore.com

AOGA

The Alaska Oil & Gas Association honored two companies and two individuals at its annual Industry Awards. The Contractor of the Year Award for Safety Performance goes to NANA Management Services. The Project of the Year Award for Environmental Stewardship and Innovation goes to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company for its Sag River Remediation Project. A member of

Alyeska Pipeline’s communications team wins the Rising Star Award for an industry professional under the age of 35. Tara McGrogan joined Alyeska as an intern in 2016, then she completed an MBA in 2017 and returned to Alyeska. And the Marilyn Crockett Lifetime Achievement Award goes to John A. Barnes, who retired as Senior Vice President at Hilcorp Alaska at the end of September. aoga.org

Alaska Primary Care Association

The Alaska Primary Care Association (APCA) in Anchorage is recieving $9.7 million to expand job opportunities in healthcare through training. The Good Jobs Challenge grant from the US Department of Commerce pays for APCA’s Alaska Healthcare Workforce Pipeline to provide apprenticeships and career pathways for high school students. alaskapca.org

JOGMEC

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources gave the go-ahead to an international consortium to drill for methane hydrate on the North Slope. The consortium includes the Japan Oil, Gas, and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), the US Department of Energy, the US Geological Survey, and the US National Energy Technology Laboratory. Methane hydrates are natural gas molecules trapped in ice lattices in deep soil and on the ocean floor. JOGMEC previously demonstrated nearly six days of production from permafrost in Canada in 2008. Testing on the North Slope through 2024 is meant to demonstrate

consistent, long-term production. jogmec.go.jp/english

Alaska Chamber

Celebrating excellence in business statewide, the Alaska Chamber gave its annual awards to three winners.

GCI is the Large Business of the Year in recognition of the telecom’s service to all other industries and its charitable giving. For companies with fewer than 100 employees, the Small Business of the Year award goes to Alaska Sleep Clinic, which has grown since 2002 to locations in Anchorage, Wasilla, Fairbanks, and Soldotna. And the Outstanding Alaskan of the Year is Tom Tougas, president of Major Marine Tours in Seward, who has given back to the community by teaching a small business management class. alaskachamber.com

GCI

One America News (OAN) has one last frontier on the cable TV dial: GCI. After DirecTV dropped the conservative network in April and Verizon chose not to renew a carriage agreement in July, that left GCI as the only cable system still carrying it. GCI signed its most recent contract with OAN in 2019; the end date is confidential. gci.com

To learn more about how GCI’s brand was refined, choose page 104.

To catch up with the 2016 Outstanding Alaskan of the Year, Jim Udelhoven, choose page 82.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

ANS Crude Oil Production

464,864 barrels

-3.6% change from previous month 8/30/2022

Source: Alaska Department of Natural Resources

ANS West Coast Crude Oil Prices

$101.36 per barrel

-6.8% change from previous month 8/31/2022

Source: Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Statewide Employment

362,000 labor force

4.5% unemployment 7/1/2022, Adjusted seasonally.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Providence Alaska

 The CEO of Providence hospital in Anchorage is now in charge of the nonprofit’s entire Alaska network. Ella Goss became Chief Executive of Providence Alaska in September upon the retirement of Preston Simmons, who had overseen hospitals in Anchorage, Seward, Valdez, and Kodiak for five years. Goss, originally from Canada, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Chamberlain University. She worked in emergency departments in Newfoundland and Kotzebue. In 1997, she came to Providence as a staff nurse in the Anchorage emergency department, and she worked her way up to management roles.

Doyon, Limited

 Doyon, Limited, the Fairbanks-based regional Native corporation for the Interior, promoted Cheyenna Kuplack to Communications Manager. In this role, she manages the internal and external communications for the corporation and assists with special projects and events. A Doyon descendant, Kuplack is Gwich’in Athabascan and a tribal member of Gwichyaa Zhee.

National Park Service

 The deputy superintendent of Denali National Park and Preserve is promoted to Superintendent, the first woman to hold the job in the park’s 105-year

history. Brooke Merrell has been acting superintendent at Denali since late 2021. Merrell grew up in Pittsburgh and received a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Utah and a law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School. Merrell came to Alaska in 2009 as a National Park Foundation Transportation Scholar working on a statewide long-range transportation plan. She never considered Alaska as a place to live but soon joined the National Park Service permanently as a transportation planner. In January 2021, Merrell moved to Denali as deputy superintendent.

AEDC

 Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) brought aboard Jenna Wright as Vice President, responsible for managing and supporting strategies, programs, and initiatives that foster a diverse, prosperous, and sustainable Anchorage economy. Wright earned bachelor's degrees in marketing and investment finance from UAA and an MBA with an emphasis in business intelligence and data analytics. Prior to joining AEDC, Wright served the State of Alaska as deputy director of the Division of Motor Vehicles.

Fairbanks Concert Association

 The new Executive Director of the Fairbanks Concert Association (FCA) is Marie-Sylvestre Olesen. Originally from Montreal, Canada, Olesen has lived in

Fairbanks since 2014. She served as UAF’s coordinator for Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity and coordinator for Arctic and special projects. She earned a master’s degree in tourism management from the University of Greenwich and holds a bachelor’s degree in visual arts with a minor in anthropology from the Université de Montréal. Olesen succeeds Anne Biberman, departing FCA after fourteen years.

Coffman Engineers

 A former employee of Coffman Engineers is back with the firm as Vice President of Carbon Capture Utilization & Storage (CCUS) and Hydrogen.

Justin Freeman rejoins Coffman to lead a companywide initiative spearheading the CCUS and hydrogen market strategy. Freeman is a resident of Alaska with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. His background includes successfully developing and managing a CCUS program for a multinational corporation.

Ahtna Environmental



Ahtna, the Glennallen-based regional Native corporation for the Copper River valley, hired Bryan Lund as Vice President of Operations. Lund is officially working for subsidiary Ahtna Environmental but is also responsible for day-to-day operations supporting Tim Finnigan, president of Ahtna’s other subsidiaries, including Ahtna Engineering Services, Ahtna Infrastructure and

Goss

Kuplack Olesen

Merrell

Wright

Freeman Lund

Technologies, and Ahtna Solutions. Lund earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Montana State University and has more than twenty-five years of experience in an executive leadership role in the environmental and construction sectors.

Ahtna Global

Ahtna’s construction subsidiary, Ahtna Global, also made several hires.

 Brandon Carlson is now a Senior Construction Manager in the Anchorage office. Carlson has twenty-three years of construction experience.

 Curtis Huffman comes aboard as a Senior Construction Manager in the Palmer office. Huffman has twelve years of experience in heavy civil construction and design.

 Ryan Jones joins the firm as a Senior Site Superintendent in the Anchorage office. Jones brings fifteen years of experience in Alaska construction, including door installation, carpentry, and welding.

Jack Divelbiss comes aboard as an Engineer 1, assisting in design, development, implementation, and analysis of project programs. Divelbiss recently earned a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering from Washington State University.

Alaska Native Heritage Center

 The Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) is bringing back a former employee, Kelsey Ciugun Wallace, as Director of Development and Communications. In that role, Wallace is in charge of internal and external corporate communications, public relations, marketing, fundraising, and donor stewardship. Wallace is Yup’ik, originally from Bethel. She obtained her undergraduate degree from UAF in rural

development with a concentration in indigenous organizational management and a minor in the Central Yup’ik language. Wallace started her professional career at ANHC and then spent nearly a decade working in the communications sector. Most recently, she was the communications director for Native Peoples Action.

Alaska Communications

 Anchorage-based telecom Alaska Communications hired Patrick Bergt as Deputy General Counsel. In this role, he leads legal functions, including contract administration, regulatory compliance, regulatory advocacy, and risk management.

A lifelong Alaskan, Bergt is an experienced attorney in civil, criminal, municipal, and regulatory matters unique to the state.

Alaska Railroad

 The Alaska Railroad Corporation promoted Brian O’Dowd to Director of Engineering Services. O’Dowd earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UAA and worked as an intern at the railroad in the early 2000s. As a certified professional engineer, he managed and directed projects for key engineering firms, and then he returned to the railroad in 2018. He succeeds veteran railroad employee Christian Ryll, who retires after nearly thirty-three years with the stateowned railroad.

UAS

 UAS promoted its Academic Exchange and Away Study Coordinator to the position of Director of Admissions,

overseeing the Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka campuses. In his new role, Dashiell Hillgartner works to increase access to undergraduate programs and contributes to strategic enrollment goals. Hillgartner received his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Oregon and his master’s in international education management from Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Vermont. Prior to working at UAS, Hillgartner worked with nonprofits, universities, and high schools in Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, and Spain.

Stoel Rives

 The law firm of Stoel Rives brought Jonathon Roder to its Anchorage office in the role of Landman. Roder brings a decade of experience working as a licensed professional land surveyor in Alaska and an extensive background in researching property records. Roder is proficient in performing land records research and, as part of the firm’s Environmental & Natural Resources Law practice group, assists with due diligence reports concerning mineral transactions, mining permits, and title reports. Roder received a bachelor’s degree in geomatics from UAA and previously worked for SurvBase and JOA Surveys.

For more about the parent company of Ahtna Environmental and Ahtna Global, choose page 58.

For an update on Brian O’Dowd’s employer, choose page 40.

Wallace

Bergt

O’Dowd

Hillgartner Northern Air Cargo is committed to getting your cargo where it needs to be, on time, so you can worry about what really matters. www.akbizmag.com Alaska Business October 2022 | 149

ALASKA TRENDS

Let’s not overstate the explosion of popularity that sourdough bread enjoyed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, as Vanessa Orr’s “Sourdough Lives” reports, home baking experienced such a surge in March 2020 that stores ran short of baker’s yeast. Bakers improvised with wild yeast, which in symbiosis with acid-secreting bacteria gives sourdough its distinct flavor and texture.

However, an article from a month before the COVID-19 lockdown was already reporting that sourdough bread was on the rise (so to speak). And, as is not uncommon for such trend pieces, the same phenomenon was reported years earlier, a perennial novelty.

Sourdough has been perpetually popular in Alaska at least since the Gold Rush of 1898. Much of that history is documented in Susannah T. Dowds’ 2017 master’s thesis for a degree in Northern Studies from UAF, which informed “Sourdough Lives” and this edition of Alaska Trends. By counting references in newspapers, Dowds documented an

Official Documentation

explosion in mentions after Klondike stampeders survived their first winter. Many of those were reprints of a March 1899 wedding announcement from a Koyukuk River gold camp that recorded this marriage vow: I’ll love and protect her, this maiden so frail

From those sourdough bums on the Koyukuk trail.

Ever since, sourdough has been part of Alaska’s cultural identity, both the food and the name. Even cheechakos can participate with little more than a jar of flour and water, tended carefully like a microbial pet.

Now, before this introduction goes stale, here are some hot and fresh facts about sourdough.

To read about a business that dates to the Klondike Gold Rush, choose page 98.

For a company that rose to the challenge of COVID-19, choose page 51.

Newspapers compiled from the Library of Congress, "Chronicling America" Archive, and the California Digital Newspaper Collection document the use of "Sour Dough" twice in Alaska before 1897 and twelve times in 1899.

Original Recipe

The 1st recorded use of sourdough was in 1500 BCE by Egyptian bakers

Sourdough Tourist

by 1894 referred to visitors to Yellowstone Park who brought their own provisions

Sourdough Stiffs

or "sourdough boys" became terms for old timers by 1898

"Alaska Sourdough: Bread, Beards and Yeast" by Susannah Dowds, 2017

SOURCE:

$326M in Sales

Sourdough bread sales totaled $326M by 2019, growing 11% between 2015 & 2019 while total bread sales remained flat

SOURCE: Nielsen

Rising Dough

The market value of sourdough increased nearly 10x from 2014 to 2018 from $298.7M to $2.4B

SOURCE: Grand View Research

On the Menu

Sourdough bread appeared on 11.6% of restaurant menus in 2009, growing to 14.3% in 2019

SOURCE: Nielsen

In 1 tsp

1 teaspoon of sourdough starter harbors aprox 50M yeasts & 5B lactic acid bacteria

Last Frontier

50 bacteria & 20 yeast species have been found in sourdough cultures, but in all likelihood, other undiscovered bacteria and yeasts exist in starters all over the world.

“Sourdough” is in the name of 59 active Alaska businesses

Alaska Sourdough Peat

Alaska Sourdough Roofing

Alaska Summer Solstice Sourdough

Cappy’s Sourdough

Frontiersman Sourdough

Golden Fins & Sourdoughs

Midnight Sun Sourdough Old Sourdough Studio

Quintessential Sourdough Publishing

Sourdough Air Service

Sourdough Alaska

Sourdough Auto Leasing

Sourdough Bar and Liquor Store

Sourdough Bowl

Sourdough Builders

Sourdough Campground & Cafe

Sourdough Consulting

Sourdough Creek B&B

Sourdough Creek Outfitters

Sourdough Dan’s

Sourdough Dave’s

Sourdough Dru’s

Sourdough Electrical Services

Sourdough Elevator

Sourdough Express Inc.

Sourdough Forwarding

Sourdough Fuel

Sourdough Fuel Services

Sourdough Goldens of Alaska

Sourdough Initiative

Sourdough Leasing

Sourdough Mike’s Metal Works

Sourdough Mine

Sourdough Mining Co

Sourdough Properties

Sourdough Property Preservation

Sourdough Resource

Sourdough Saggies

Sourdough Sam’s

Sourdough Sealcoating

Sourdough Sisters

Sourdough Solar

Sourdough Solutions

Sourdough Speed & Trim

Sourdough Studio

Sourdough Sue’s Bear Lake Lodging

Sourdough Sunrise B&B

Sourdough Supply

Sourdough Telecommunications Consulting

Sourdough Tours of Ketchikan

Sourdough Transfer

Sourdough Welding & Fabrication

Sourdough’s Taxidermy Art

Sourdough-Ingersoll

Sourdough Jack’s Home and Land Sales

STR/Sourdough

The Old Sourdough Downtown

The Sourdough Mercantile

Wild Alaska Sourdough

SOURCE: Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development

AT A GLANCE

What book is currently on your nightstand?

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith [a.k.a. J.K. Rowling].

What charity or cause are you passionate about?

I’m on the board of the Healing Hand Foundation. It’s a charity that supports Natives and veterans in Southeast Alaska to meet their copay requirements for the Indian Health Service arm down here.

What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?

I go straight to the gym. I work out after work. It’s the way I relieve stress.

What vacation spot is on your bucket list?

The Great Barrier Reef. I love to scuba dive.

If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?

None! [he laughs] I don’t want to clean up after a domesticated wild animal!

© Sydney Akagi

McHugh Pierre

Coming from Wasilla, the career of a professional surfer didn’t make sense to McHugh Pierre, much as he wished it could. Instead, he followed another dream. He studied journalism at UAA and worked in TV news. Covering public issues led to an interest in government, so he joined the communications office of then-Governor Frank Murkowski. After running his own public relations firm, Quantum Communications, Pierre was hired by the urban Native corporation for Juneau, Goldbelt, Inc., in 2015. Within five years he was elevated to CEO. Now he oversees 1,500 employees across various business sectors.

Goldbelt is heavily invested in tourism, operating the only aerial tramway in Southeast Alaska, which carries visitors 1,800 feet up into the rainforest. When asked if tourists would come to Juneau without intensive marketing, Pierre simply indicates the view from his porch in Douglas, looking across Gastineau Channel to cruise ships docked under a welcoming sunny sky. Totally rad, surfers might say.

Alaska Business: What do you do in your free time?

McHugh Pierre: I really like to seek adventure. I love to downhill ski. I love to ride my motorcycle.

AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?

Pierre: No there isn’t… [but] Every day I work on being thankful for the day that I’m given. I don’t know that that’s a skill.

AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?

Pierre: The most daring thing in the eyes of everybody is skydiving… More importantly, the most daring thing to me is speaking truth to power. Anytime you’re in a position where you have to speak the

truth to an authority who may not want to hear it, but you’re obligated to do that—that’s a daring thing. I’ve found myself in a position to do that on a number of occasions, and I’m proud to say I’ve always stood up and done the right thing.

AB: What’s your favorite local restaurant?

Pierre: The Island Pub [in Douglas].

AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert?

Pierre: Michael Jackson [Thriller era].

AB: What’s your greatest extravagance?

Pierre: I really enjoy dressing up and wearing nice clothes... I probably have a more extravagant wardrobe than most Alaskan men.

AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?

Pierre: My best attribute is my positive attitude. I love every day, and I’m very serious when I wake up with enthusiasm and excitement. I would also say that’s my worst attribute because a lot of people aren’t really excited Monday morning when I come in cheery and whistling and smiling, and I think it’s the best day of the week. That definitely has to be tempered and applied appropriately. My buddies give me a hard time; they say I have toxic positivity. I like to say it’s unhinged optimism.

To meet a recent Off the Cuff subject, choose page 131.

To see where Goldbelt ranks among the Top 49ers, choose page 55.

3-Tier Alaska .............................. 143 3tieralaska.com

Ahtna, Inc. .................................... 71 ahtna.com

Airport Equipment Rentals 155 airportequipmentrentals.com

Alaska Air CargoAlaska Airlines 7 alaskacargo.com

Alaska Communications Systems 3 acsalaska.com

Alaska Miners Association ......... 127 alaskaminers.org

Alaska School Activities Association .................................. 23 asaa.org

Alaska USA Federal Credit Union 79 alaskausa.org

Altman, Rogers & Co. 117 altrogco.com

Ampersand / AlasConnect Inc 94 ampersandtech.com

Anchorage Chrysler Dodge 104 accak.com

Arctic Information Technology 121 arcticit.com

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation ................................. 25 asrc.com

AT&T ............................................. 17 att.com

Avis Rent-A-Car ......................... 139 avisalaska.com

Bering Straits Native Corp ......... 107 beringstraits.com

Bristol Bay Native Corporation 56, 57 bbnc.net

Business Insurance Associates Inc 111 businessinsuranceassociates.com

Calista Corporation 83 calistacorp.com

Cape Fox Shared Services 99 capefoxcorp.com

Carlile Transportation Systems ... 47 carlile.biz

Central Environmental Inc .......... 66 cei-alaska.com

Chugach Alaska Corporation 130 chugach.com

CIRI ............................................. 105 ciri.com

Color Art Printing, Inc. ................ 53 colorartprinting.com

ConocoPhillips 81 alaska.conocophillips.com Conrad-Houston Insurance Agency ......................................... 42 chialaska.com

Construction Machinery Industrial 2 cmiak.com

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge Inc 87 cookinlettug.com

Credit Union 1 ................................ 9 cu1.org

Cruz Companies .......................... 63 cruzconstruct.com

Davis Constructors & Engineers Inc 117 davisconstructors.com

Design Alaska............................... 23 designalaska.com

Donlin Gold ................................. 69 donlingold.com

Dorsey & Whitney LLP 67 dorsey.com

Doyon, Limited 37 doyon.com

First National Bank Alaska ............. 5 fnbalaska.com

Fountainhead Development ..... 101 fountainheadhotels.com

Gana-A' Yoo Ltd 99 ganaayoo.com

Great Originals Inc 11 greatoriginals.com

HC Contractors ........................... 61 hccontractors.net

Hecla Greens Creek Mining Company 89 hecla-mining.com

Hotel Captain Cook..................... 27 captaincook.com

JEFFCO Inc. ............................... 135 jeffcogrounds.com

Junior Achievement .................. 136 ja-alaska.org

Lynden ....................................... 156 lynden.com

Material Flow & Conveyor Systems, Inc. .............................. 125 materialflow.com

Medical Park Family Care, Inc ..... 29 mpfcak.com

MTA - Matanuska Telecom Association .................................. 73 mtasolutions.com

Nana Regional Corp .................... 89 nana.com

NCB ............................................ 111 ncb.coop

Nenana Heating Services, Inc ..... 41 nenanaheatingservicesinc.com

New Horizons Telecom, Inc. ...... 68 nhtiusa.com

Northern Air Cargo........... 148, 149 nac.aero

Northrim Bank ............................. 15 northrim.com

Nu Flow Alaska .......................... 129 nuflowalaska.com

Oxford Assaying & Refining Inc ... 141 oxfordmetals.com

Pacific Pile & Marine .................. 147 pacificpile.com

Parker, Smith & Feek .................... 31 psfinc.com

People AK..................................... 33 peopleak.com

PIP Marketing Signs Print ............ 60 pipalaska.com

Quintillion .................................... 77 quintillionglobal.com

Resource Development Council....................................... 123 akrdc.org

Roger Hickel Contracting Inc ..... 87 rogerhickelcontracting.com

Seatac Marine Service ................. 43 seatacmarine.com

SES Government Solutions ....... 145 ses-gs.com

Sitnasuak Native Corporation ..... 93 snc.org

Span Alaska Transportation LLC .................... 124 spanalaska.com

STANTEC 41 stantec.com

Stellar Designs Inc 135 stellar-designs.com

Subway of Alaska 91 subwayak.com

T. Rowe Price ............................... 75 alaska529plan.com

The Kuskokwim Corporation ...... 19 kuskokwim.com

Think Office 113 thinkofficellc.com

Toast of the Town 103 toastofthetownak.com

TOTE Maritime Alaska LLC 45 totemaritime.com

UA Local 375 Plumbers & Pipefitters 133 ualocal375.org

UAF eCampus .............................. 13 ecampus.uaf.edu

Udelhoven Oilfield System Services, Inc 95 udelhoven.com

Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation .. 39 uicalaska.com

Umialik Insurance Company ....... 35 umialik.com

Unit Company 65 unitcompany.com

United Way of Anchorage 119 liveunitedanc.org

USI Insurance Services 21 usi.com

Visit Anchorage ......................... 115 anchorage.net

Watterson Construction ............. 97 wattersonconstruction.com

Westmark Hotels - HAP Alaska ... 37 westmarkhotels.com

Yukon Equipment Inc 85 yukoneq.com

Thank You Alaska!

Thank you to our friends, neighbors, and valued customers for your ongoing support and partnership, and special thanks to each of our dedicated employees for their continued care, expertise, and ingenuity as we all work together to keep Alaska moving. We look forward to continuing to serve our communities by providing multi-modal transportation and logistics solutions across the entire state!