Alaska Business December 2024

A Decade of Cultivation

Karissa Paschall Manager Nature's Releaf

Barbara Paschall Owner Nature's Releaf

Seward

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CONTENTS

SPECIAL SECTION: HEALTHCARE

36 EARLY START FOR HEALTHY FAMILIES

SEARHC's focus on maternal and infant health

By Alexandra Kay

46 THE CURE FOR FAT?

New drugs help, but behavior change is key

By Katie Pesznecker

62 ALASKA'S TOP DOCS

Your guide to some of Alaska's top healthcare professionals

50 WHEN DISEASE IS ON THE TEAM

Long-term and chronic diagnoses in the workplace

ABOUT THE COVER

Dig it or don’t, cannabis is the most valuable cash crop in Alaska, the basis of an industry that has thrived since a 2014 ballot initiative legalized the drug for recreational use. Mandated by law to be owned and operated by state residents, the industry is thoroughly Alaskan, diversifies the economy, and stirs the competitive drive of new generations of entrepreneurs—all things this magazine stands for. Cannabis cannot be ignored.

Although this month’s special section examines healthcare from a variety of angles, the medicinal qualities of cannabis are not part of that coverage. While Barbara and Karissa Paschall help customers at their Nature's Releaf shop feel groovy, their main contribution to public health is tax revenue dedicated to programs that support responsible use of the drug.

Photography by Sarah Lewis

Graphic Design by Patricia Morales

56 100 YEARS, STILL PUMPING A centennial celebration of the American Heart Association

By Amy Newman

By Chuck Green

42 INVISIBLE RAYS OF HOPE UV disinfection for healthier spaces

By Rindi White

Providence Alaska

Olena_Mykhaylova | Envato American Heart Association

FROM THE EDITOR

Th e special section in this issue is Healthcare, and the area of focus that informs the rest of the magazine is corporate citizenship. I like the combination as it ultimately resulted in an overall community wellness issue. In fact, our lineup of articles are all connected to community or individual health in obvious ways, except perhaps for our retail and oil and gas articles.

Those two have their own interesting connections to each other. Both reflect on the last decade; in retrospect, 2014 was a formative year for the 49th state.

That year, marijuana was legalized, launching a new industry and a host of support services. The marijuana industry is particularly of interest to me as it is, in many ways, uniquely Alaskan since regulations require that marijuana growers, product manufacturers, and retailers are residents. This requirement works for and against the industry, limiting competition from Outside but also limiting some methods of controlling costs.

The oil and gas story is also anchored in 2014 as that’s the year voters decided to preserve Senate Bill 21, regulating how oil is taxed, instead of implementing a new tax structure, launching ten years of oil tax stability. That same year oil prices tanked, throwing the state into a recession it was barely recovering from five years later. At the time, the devastating effect of a drop in oil prices left many questioning how long the state would continue to try to function based on the swell and crash of one commodity instead of taking active steps to diversify state revenue sources.

It’s obvious to say (but I will anyway): a healthy economy is essential for healthy communities, no matter what definition of “health” one considers. I don’t believe, when voting to decriminalize the manufacturing, sale, and possession of marijuana, that most Alaskans were focused on general economic diversity. I suspect most wanted to use marijuana without the risk of legal consequences (perhaps, for some, to the benefit of their health) or liked the idea of taxing a product that, realistically, Alaskans were selling and buying anyway. But every decision Alaskans make to diversify our economy moves us in a positive direction for our stability as a state. Oil was essential to our statehood and remains a pillar of our economy, but it can’t pay for everything forever, as we’ve seen.

I can only hope that we are learning from our past to forge a brighter future. And on that note, as we close out this year and look forward to another: be well.

Tasha Anderson Managing Editor, Alaska Business

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor

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tanderson@akbizmag.com

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Making Change

How financial institutions empower communities

By Tracy Barbour

Fi nancial institutions are catalysts for transformation, driving economic and social development for the communities they serve, including underserved communities. These institutions recognize their unique transformative power and are committed to promoting positive change.

In Alaska, financial institutions are using their resources, expertise, and influence to support diverse nonprofit organizations and charitable causes by providing grants, loans, and scholarships or making in-kind donations of goods and services. They’re also investing in organizations’ capacity by offering training, mentorship, and technical assistance.

Effective charitable giving is one of the many tangible ways First National Bank Alaska is demonstrating connections with Alaskans. During 2024, the bank’s charitable contributions benefited statewide-focused organizations including UAA, Alaska Pacific University, United Way of Anchorage, Alaska School Activities Association, Boys & Girls Club of Southcentral Alaska, and Special Olympics Alaska.

First National contributes nearly $1 million annually through its charitable giving and corporate sponsorships, according to Natasha Pope, the bank’s

fair lending and quality assurance manager and Community Reinvestment Act officer. “Through its numerous contributions each year, the bank is a perennial supporter of critical agencies and programs serving our local communities and broader regions,” Pope says.

Enacted by Congress in 1977, the Community Reinvestment Act encourages banks to meet the needs of customers at all income levels. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency evaluates banks, and First National scored “excellent” ratings in this year’s review of lending, investment, and service.

Partnering with Organizations

Longstanding partnerships are instrumental in a bank’s transformational role in the community. For instance, First National’s relationship with UA goes back many years, with the bank contributing more than $5.1 million to the statewide university system.

students hands-on experience and a real-world understanding of finance, which is so important for shaping Alaska’s future workforce,” Pope says.

The impact of First National’s corporate support helps enhance the quality of life throughout the state. Pope elaborates, “Since 1922, First National has remained dedicated to improving the quality of life in the communities it serves, embodying the vision of former president D.H. Cuddy: that the bank can only thrive if Alaska’s communities do so as well.”

Credit Union 1 (CU1) also has a robust community outreach program.

The bank has funded projects like the Seawolf Stock Ticker and helped establish the First National Bank Alaska Finance Lab at the UAA College of Business & Public Policy. “These are not just shiny new additions; they give

CU1, Alaska’s only state-chartered credit union, serves all of Alaska with financial support through fundraising, scholarships, and direct donations to nonprofit community partners, according to President and CEO Mark Burgess. “Our employees are also passionate about inkind support via volunteerism, food drives, back-to-school giving, and communityspecific initiatives” he says.

“CU1 staff have volunteered a total of 3,188 hours across Alaska as of September 30.”

CU1 employs its Mobile Branch to provide financial services at community events and to community groups and

Mark Burgess Credit Union 1

credit union members in need anywhere on the road system. It also hosts monthly Financial Reality Fairs for students and young adults, including an October fair in Kotzebue, where CU1 is opening its newest branch. “We believe supporting the local community strengthens relationships, improves financial wellbeing, and fosters togetherness across Alaska,” Burgess says.

Strategic Investments

Supporting local communities isn’t just altruistic; it’s about making strategic economic investments in the community. “To us, that means doing business fairly and responsibly, promoting diversity and inclusion, and making meaningful investments in places where we work and play,” says Lori McCaffrey, KeyBank Alaska market president and commercial banking sales leader.

operated depository institution that, in contrast to a regional or national bank, responds to the needs of neighborhoods where branches are located.

Northrim Bank is an example. “We live and work in the same community and want to ensure our neighbors have the help and support they need,” says Northrim Marketing and Communications Director Kari Skinner.

In Alaska, KeyBank supports low- to moderate-income communities with education, workforce development, environmental issues, and growing neighborhoods. In 2023, the bank invested in organizations like Rural Community Assistance Corporation, a California-based nonprofit focused on safe and affordable drinking water. Not to be confused with Rural Alaska Community Action Program, which received a grant from KeyBank to support its Teacher Apprenticeship program.

“These are just small examples of KeyBank’s support to the community,” McCaffrey says. “Over seventeen organizations received funding from Key to support many different programs and activities making meaningful and impactful change in our state.”

In the finance industry, “community bank” refers to a locally owned and

Northrim has collaborated with Cook Inlet Housing Authority for more than twenty years, financing and investing more than $60 million in low-income housing tax credits that have yielded many new housing units in Southcentral. Northrim has also given financial support and board leadership to Housing Alaskans, a nonprofit housing trust formed in 2022 to produce, preserve, and protect housing. Furthermore, “As longtime supporters of NeighborWorks Alaska, we are committed to providing resources to the housing issues in Anchorage and throughout the state,” Skinner says.

Selection Criteria

Financial institutions are meticulous about the charitable organizations and causes they choose to champion. They typically prioritize projects that match the institution’s core values and mission. Initiatives with the potential for significant or long-term impact also receive preferential consideration.

Northrim, for instance, favors programs that strengthen low-income individuals and families and provide community and economic development, including affordable housing, health and wellness programs, and higher education through Alaska’s Education Tax Credit program. The bank reviews requests on an annual basis and selects those most closely aligned with its focus areas.

“We also work with customers to support community projects and programs they are involved in as we understand the effect they can have within their respective communities,” Skinner says. “Throughout Alaska, we work with our employees to support nonprofits that are making an impact in the community.”

At First National, a Donations Committee and the bank’s executive leadership team oversee charitable giving to ensure consistent practices. The committee reviews most donation requests from Anchorage and other Alaska communities, while branch leadership may consider smaller local requests.

Each request is evaluated to assess if the nonprofit organization is active and in good standing with all state and federal registration and licensing requirements. The committee also determines whether the request aligns with the bank’s focus areas for charitable giving—youth, education, and emergency services—and considers factors like volunteer involvement, budget constraints, and bank policies.

“While First National cannot fund every request received, this stance is not a reflection of the value of any specific nonprofit organization or program,” Pope says. “It can be challenging to balance the bank’s budget, resources, and the volume of requests while also ensuring the bank’s charitable contributions are impactful and help improve the quality of life for Alaskans.”

Facilitating Change Through Employees

Employees often play a central role in financial institutions’ ability to empower and enhance communities. Northrim Bank is a strong advocate of employees volunteering and giving to causes they are most passionate about.

Lori McCaffrey KeyBank

Making a Difference in BIPOC Communities

By Tracy Barbour

Financial institutions are making a positive impact on Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities, which often face inequity and other challenges. They support BIPOCowned businesses, introduce culturally sensitive products and services, and offer scholarships and mentorships to promote educational equity.

A standout example is First National Bank of Alaska’s HUD Title VI loan. In 2001, First National became the first lender in the nation to pioneer this loan guarantee program, offering crucial housing loans to rural tribal councils. “Since then, the bank has remained an active Title VI lender in Alaska, providing housing to low- and very-low-income individuals in remote rural communities,” says Natasha Pope, the bank’s community relations manager.

First National has also proudly committed support to Alaska Pacific University’s endeavor to create a campus that is welcoming, accessible, and culturally affirming. The bank made an initial investment of $40,000 to renovations for the Shel ch’naq’ahnilu Center in the Grant Hall lobby. It also provided an additional match funding commitment of $70,000 toward the final phase of the project.

Other notable First National investments that focus on BIPOC communities include supporting the Alaska Black Caucus Equity Center, Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak, and CITC’s Denełchin Lab in East Anchorage.

Northrim Bank has worked with the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe and its Yakutat Tribal Health Board to finance construction of a new Yakutat Community Health Clinic (YCHC). Northrim’s expertise, responsiveness, and willingness to work with multiple organizations were important elements of the project’s success and supported the creation of an additional community health clinic in Seward, according to Kari Skinner, Northrim’s director of marketing and communications. “Offering these expanded services qualified YCHC for increased federal funding and is a major upgrade in services to the remote area of Alaska,” Skinner says.

Northrim also supports the Alaska Federation of Natives, First Alaskans Institute, Alaska Tribal Administrators Association, and Alaska Native Village Corporation Association in their respective initiatives.

Credit Union 1 (CU1) has built longstanding partnerships with many organizations in Alaska that support the BIPOC community. CU1 is active with School Business Partnerships through the Anchorage School District, assisting culturally diverse schools like Mountain View Elementary, Taku Elementary, Tyson Elementary, and Clark Middle School.

CU1 also partners with Indigenous and women-owned businesses for services, including Member Appreciation Days and food truck visits at its headquarters. “This collaboration supports local entrepreneurs and helps elevate minority-owned businesses,” says Community Outreach Manager Tiarra Gustin.

Additionally, CU1 has sponsored events with empowering organizations like YWCA Alaska, Anchorage Community Land Trust, Shiloh Community Housing, and Enlaces Alaska.

To help its clients, colleagues, and communities thrive, KeyBank collaborates with nonprofit organizations that enhance the BIPOC community, ranging from the Alaska Black Caucus and Chugach Heritage Foundation to United Way of Anchorage and Tanana Chiefs Conference. The bank partners with the community as a whole to provide program grants, event sponsorships, volunteer service, employee resource groups, and financial empowerment through financial education.

“We believe investing in, partnering with, and supporting local communities is fundamental for our collective success and mutual prosperity,” says Lori McCaffrey, KeyBank Alaska market president and commercial banking leader. “We are stronger together.”

In 2023, it contributed more than $1 million to support local communities throughout Alaska, and its employees volunteered more than 2,500 hours. Volunteer activities included teaching financial literacy to youth and adults, sorting food at local food pantries, working in animal shelters, and youth sports teams.

“Employees are encouraged to serve in leadership roles with nonprofit organizations and to share their expertise in the

CU1 could not accomplish all that it does in Alaska without the “authentic buy-in” of its employees, says Community Outreach Manager Tiarra Gustin. The credit union’s personnel volunteer to deliver Commodity Supplemental Food Program food boxes, support fundraiser events statewide, and teach financial literacy at local schools through Junior Achievement’s JA in a Day program and through Financial Reality Fairs. CU1 also encourages its leaders to coordinate social projects with their teams, which include member-facing fundraisers and

CU1 rewards employees for consistent outreach efforts. All employees receive a special-edition volunteer t-shirt when they sign up for their first event and a special pin after they complete five volunteer hours.

“Upon completion of ten, twenty, and forty volunteer hours, employees receive ‘employee points’ that can be redeemed for PTO, cash, or funds to be spent in our internal logowear

Many of KeyBank’s teammates are engaged with local nonprofits through board service and/or volunteer activities. For example, the bank’s annual Neighbors Make the Difference Day supports teammates stepping away from their desks and

Greetings

from Washington

giving back to organizations in need through activities like gardening, painting, and food sorting. “This day is recognized throughout KeyBank’s entire network across the country, but it was originated in the great state of Alaska, something we are very proud of,” McCaffrey says.

Local employee involvement has long been a key feature of First National’s community development efforts as employee involvement fosters pride and helps develop leadership skills, Pope says.

During the bank’s centennial celebration in 2022, each branch selected a nonprofit to receive a $1,000 cash or in-kind contribution, benefiting organizations like youth shelters and senior centers. First National’s commitment to community development and charitable giving is also highly valuable to its efforts to recruit and retain a talented team of local Alaska employees.

employee participation, and factors like the bank’s focus areas and the type of nonprofit organization. Pope, who volunteers as board chair of United Way of Anchorage, is particularly proud of the bank’s response to the increased demand for food assistance in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The bank’s ever-ready, enthusiastic, and committed employee volunteer corps further demonstrates congruence between the bank’s charitable or philanthropic activities as well as its main business of providing Alaskans financial services,” Pope says.

Measuring and Continuing Impact

How do institutions measure the effect of their philanthropic efforts? Usually by quantifying metrics like dollars invested, jobs created, and beneficiaries served. Success stories of changed lives, improved infrastructure, or community resilience are also revealing indicators.

First National views the effectiveness and impact of its community support through several lenses, including geography or regional impact,

“With the support of partners, we successfully coordinated and broadcast the ‘Spirit of Alaska’ virtual holiday concert, featuring more than twenty local artists,” she recounts. “First National's full underwriting of the event with a $37,000 investment allowed viewers to donate directly to the United Way of Anchorage's Restaurant and Hunger Relief Program. The event raised a total of $23,015 from ‘attendees,’ and additional matching donations of $26,985 brought the total contribution to $73,015, with approximately 85 percent directed to the United Way's Restaurant and Hunger Relief Program.”

By February 2021, the program had helped 320 restaurant employees and delivered 69,000 meals to Alaskans in need. The donation helped employ restaurant workers— cooks, dishwashers, and delivery staff—and covered the cost of food and supplies to prepare and deliver welcome meals to low-income, foodinsecure families, children, youth, and seniors. Pope says, “It was a true win/win, supporting both the community and local businesses when they needed it most.”

support is providing a lasting effect to the local community. Since its inception, Northrim and its employees have contributed more than $2.8 million to support United Way. In 2023, employees participated in the annual United Way Campaign and pledged $150,000 in support of local communities, Skinner says. This total includes direct donations from employees and Northrim’s 50 percent match.

Supporting the local community was paramount to Northrim’s founders, and that remains true today, Skinner says.

“Our involvement throughout the state has increased as we have added locations in Eagle River, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Nome, Sitka, Soldotna, and Wasilla,” she says. “We are proud that we have been able to volunteer in more locations and support a larger number and wider variety of projects as we have grown.”

With their ongoing commitment to invest in Alaska’s communities, financial institutions strive to create a permanent ripple effect of positive change. For instance, McCaffrey says KeyBank will never stop supporting the Alaska community. “Philanthropy is not just something we do at KeyBank; it is who we are,” she says. “When the community is supported, we all win.”

Northrim carefully considers the level of success of an organization’s program—especially if the entity has an established relationship with the bank—to ensure its financial

Likewise, CU1 is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all Alaskans. Burgess says, “We believe that true community engagement means continually evolving to meet the needs of those we serve, particularly within diverse communities. Our efforts are driven by a commitment to making lasting, positive impacts on the people and places we call home.”

Kari Skinner Northrim Bank

Tiarra Gustin Credit Union 1

Schools, Business, Partnerships

An all-of-the-above approach to address workforce demands

By Dimitra Lavrakas

Jo b openings in Alaska outnumber the workers available to fill them—a preferable problem than vice versa, but a problem nonetheless.

Alaska had 26,000 job openings in June 2024, compared to 25,000 openings in May, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Yet more than 10,000 posted jobs are unfilled in Alaska, and the gap is growing. Alaska is poised for more than $20 billion in new infrastructure and resource development projects

by 2030, and an additional 20,000 new workers may be needed to complete those projects.

Dirk Craft, executive director of the Alaska Workforce Investment Board (AWIB), observed last year: “Our current workforce is aging, a concerning number of our youth are disconnected from employment opportunities, and job vacancies have reached unprecedented levels.”

Net out-migration is part of the problem. For eleven years, more people

have moved away from Alaska than into the state, a streak nearly three times longer than any on record. In total, nearly 57,000 more people left Alaska than arrived in that time, according to Alaska Economic Trends , a publication of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD).

Fulfilling its workforce development mission, the department is fostering opportunities to train the Alaskans who remain in the state’s labor pool, with the added benefit of attracting

University of Alaska

newcomers

“Strategic partnerships are addressing Alaska’s workforce demands,” says Labor Commissioner Cathy Muñoz.

Educational institutions and companies have also stepped up to address these economic and retention concerns.

Ambassadors and Academies

Stepping up begins before high school graduation, and Providence Alaska is one of the organizations trying to reach young students.

“Providence collaborates regularly with the Anchorage School District (ASD) and University of Alaska Anchorage to achieve the shared goal of ensuring an adequate and well-prepared workforce,” says Mikal Canfield, external communication senior manager at Providence Alaska. “Through our Community Partnerships program, Providence has been a long-time provider of job-shadowing experiences, career and technical education internships, and gifted mentorship placements for ASD students.”

In the 2023/2024 school year, Providence expanded its work with ASD to include a School Ambassador Program, where Providence employees are matched with a high school and serve as a resource for teachers and a mentor to students who are interested in healthcare careers. For the current school year, the program expanded to seven high schools, and Canfield says Providence hopes the ambassador outreach grows alongside the Academies of Anchorage.

Inviting high school students to explore the many opportunities, Academies of Anchorage is a career education approach that the Anchorage School Board approved in June 2024. This year’s 9th graders are the first to try it.

Students choose a “pathway” that best fits their college or career interests, and they take elective courses related to that field for the rest of their time in high school. Pathways include Business and Innovation, Community Planning and Infrastructure, Leadership in Law and Business, Industry and Construction, Culinary Arts, and Welding. There are twenty-six general pathways and eighty-five specialties within those pathways available.

Another feature of Academies of Anchorage was a Career Expo held in October at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center. About 4,000 students strolled through booths and chatted with representatives from companies spanning the telecom, tech, finance, engineering, and construction industries, among others.

Internship Option

While the expo brought students to a central location to mingle with employers, many companies invite students to visit them directly.

“Coffman Engineers, Inc. provides internships to high school and college students who are interested in pursuing engineering degrees,” says Jessy Post, a marketing and communications specialist with the firm. “Interns generally gain experience through time working with principals and technical staff in the discipline they plan to earn a degree in or are interested in.”

Interns are introduced to computeraided drafting software, and they can spend time in the field, visiting project sites, collecting data, taking notes, or assisting with documents related to design, construction, fabrication, and engineering of Coffman’s projects.

“We provide internships for civil, corrosion control, electrical, mechanical, and structural engineering,” says Post.

The Ol’ College Try

Key to workforce planning, both by ASD and DOLWD, is the recognition that good careers do not require attending college. However, college is still a resource. As an open-access university, the UA System has thirteen statewide community colleges in addition to its main campuses in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. Through its education and training programs, UA aims to support the state economy with well-trained and job-ready students.

“We are really aligned to workforce needs in the state,” says Teri Cothren, UA Associate Vice President, Workforce Development.

Through its course offerings, UA looks to cover just about every career path needed to work in the state.

UA’s key workforce development sectors include fisheries, seafood and marine, healthcare, mining, oil and gas, renewable energy, and teacher education.

And the sectors not offered, Cothren explains, can be accessed by the university’s network of partners, like the University of Washington for medical training and, recently announced, Seattle University School of Law for the legal training program.

Apart from an MD, other healthcare occupations have plenty of local training available. Across the street from the UAA and Alaska Pacific University campuses, Providence Alaska Medical Center has been a tremendous resource.

“UAA has been and will continue to be a very important partner,” says Canfield. “Leaders at Providence and UAA regularly collaborate to help ensure the continued success and industry relevance of UAA's healthcare training offerings.”

Offering paid training opportunities and supportive transition to practice programs for high-need

positions is an important aspect of Providence's staffing efforts. For those interested in starting a career in healthcare, Providence offers paid training opportunities to become phlebotomists, medical assistants, and nursing assistants.

For recent nursing graduates, Providence offers the only accredited transition-to-practice program (Clinical Academy) in Alaska, Canfield notes.

One measure of success is how many Alaskans, once trained, apply their skills in the state. UA reports that 96 percent of its construction program graduates, for example, remain in Alaska.

“They can get very short-term, sixweek intensive training and get a job in a mine making very good money or expand to business development to go into management,” Cothren says.

In January, Cothren was given the 2023 PACE Economic Development Award by the Association for Career and Technical Education. The award recognizes outstanding individuals or teams contributing to economic growth and for their exceptional work in Career and Technical Education.

Thinking Strategically

Government agencies are doing their part, in tandem with the business and academic sectors. For instance, DOLWD is trying to improve the licensure process for electricians and plumbers, especially to build out broadband i nternet connections.

“Recent statutory and regulatory changes have updated the certificate of fitness process, including third party testing, provisional licensure, and reciprocity with other states,” Muñoz says.

DOLWD’s Eligible Training Provider List is a compilation of statewide education and training programs for in-demand occupations. The

department assures that programs on the list are high-quality and proven to have the best success rates for graduates.

For his part, Governor Mike Dunleavy directed AWIB to “reboot” old, inactive workforce development plans. As part of the process, AWIB is assessing the roles and contributions of schools, government agencies, and employers. With that information, the plan will lay out a vision and priorities for workforce development, which is defined as career awareness, exploration, and preparation for students starting in kindergarten, the 18-to-24 age bracket after high school, and eve n mid-career adults.

The Alaska Safety Alliance and the State of Alaska, with support from the Denali Commission, drafted a crossindustry workforce development plan to address critical labor shortages. The document called Workforce 2030 – The Alaska Plan has four stated objectives:

• Develop a workforce compatible with the diverse needs of Alaska’s employers and the workers.

• Build talent pipelines that recruit, educate, and train Alaskans for occupations in high demand.

• Reduce the outmigration of Alaska talent.

• Strengthen economic development through workforce development in every region.

An Industry Advisory Council guides strategic planning; it’s composed of members from the air transportation, trucking, maritime, oil and gas, construction, telecommunications, mining, property management, and healthcare industries. A new Workforce 2030 website, alaskaworkforce.org, serves as an information and communication platform for employers, associations, educators, work ers, and the public.

Assessment, planning, and networking has been part of Providence Alaska’s internal workforce development efforts. “Providence continuously evaluates current and future staffing needs to help determine which training opportunities to offer,” Canfield says. “Providence also offers a variety of training and development options for current employees to improve their skills and advance their careers.”

Key Partnerships

The US Department of Labor has been supporting workforce development in Palmer for years through its Job Corps Center, rededicated last year in honor of the late Congressman Don Young, who was instrumental in bringing the agency to Alaska. Job Corps also retooled its training as an Infrastructure Academy, gearing its offerings toward the anticipated flood of federally funded projects.

Industry stakeholders have emphasized the need to enhance career awareness and training pathways, foster regional workforce development, and retain and attract skilled workers. In response, DOLWD and the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development are trying to expand career awareness at the secondary school level.

Looking to the future, Cothren believes that the statewide broadband network will provide more training opportunities throughout the state with online access and employment opportunities. “The university is going to be a key partner in that,” Cothren says.

From high school and higher education to company-based training, internships, and mentoring, Alaskans— no matter their age—have a wide choice of support to pursue careers, right here in Alaska.

Project Anchorage Business groups back sales tax for public investments

By Mikel Insalaco

An chorage is home to approximately 290,000 residents, which is almost 40 percent of the state’s population. Yet for years the city has grappled with the challenge of how to attract and retain a skilled workforce. A coalition of local business leaders and organizations argue that adding a sales tax is the key to increasing Anchorage’s attractiveness as a place to live, work, and play. The tax would fund Project Anchorage, an initiative to revitalize the city through public investment, which proponents say would improve Anchorage’s livability and draw in new residents, businesses, and tourists.

Oklahoma City as a Model

Anchorage is not the first city to face challenges like economic stagnation and population decline. Oklahoma City once struggled with similar issues but found a path to revitalization through Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS), a public investment program launched in the ‘90s. The MAPS model demonstrated that funding largescale projects through a temporary sales tax could lead to significant urban transformation, encouraging private investment and improving residents' quality of life.

Thus, at the root of Project Anchorage is a temporary sales

tax aimed at raising revenue for projects that would attract and retain residents. Simultaneously, the plan seeks to reduce property taxes, the main source of funding for the Municipality of Anchorage.

Drawing inspiration from Oklahoma City's MAPS, Project Anchorage has been shaped by community input to address diverse needs. In 2022, the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) organized a delegation of more than twenty Anchorage business leaders to visit Oklahoma City.

“What we saw was a city that had once faced many of the same

Felipe Mahecha | iStock

challenges Anchorage is grappling with today, such as a stagnant economy and a shrinking working-age population. But through the visionary MAPS program, Oklahoma City turned the tide,” says AEDC President and CEO Jenna Wright. “Their population grew by 40 percent, and they attracted billions in private investment, fueling a booming economy. We’re passionate about securing that same future for Anchorage—one where strategic public investments spark private investment, economic growth, attract talent, and build a city that thrives for generations to come.”

In 2023, AEDC invited Mick Cornett, a former mayor of Oklahoma City, to its annual 3-Year Outlook luncheon to explain the turnaround during his four terms. As he put it, the MAPS success story shows that strategic public investments can encourage private-sector growth, attract new residents, and provide longterm economic benefits.

Reversing Demographic Trends

The public investment campaign took shape at AEDC’s economic forecast luncheon last January. Board Chair Ryan Strong announced that “AEDC, along with a coalition of business leaders and partner organizations, will be pursuing one of Choose Anchorage’s goals of a public investment strategy through a sales tax mechanism.”

AEDC crafted Choose Anchorage, a nineteen-point action plan, in 2022 in response to a “secret shopper” study that recommended quality-of-life improvements. The study also prompted a response from then-Mayor Dave Bronson, called the Project Anchorage Task Force. For its public investment push, Choose Anchorage took the nam e of the task force.

A key aspect of Project Anchorage is generating revenue from both residents and tourists. As Alaska's largest city and a major economic hub, Anchorage is also a gateway for more than 2 million tourists who visit the state annually. Tourism is vital to the local economy, bringing in more than $2 billion in revenue and supporting thousands of jobs in sectors like hospitality and retail. Project Anchorage aims to leverage this spending, allowing tourists to contribute to funding essential infrastructure and public amenities beyond the current excises on hotel rooms and rental cars.

Anchorage’s demographic shift, characterized by a shrinking workingage population, is one of the most pressing challenges the city faces. According to a report provided by AEDC, in 2023 working-age residents made up just 65 percent of Anchorage’s total population, down from 69 percent

in 2014. A shrinking workforce can lead to lower productivity, reduced tax revenue, and fewer resources for public services. Additionally, Anchorage’s ability to attract and retain younger residents has been hindered by the lack of affordable housing, limited job opportunities, and a perceived lack of modern amenities and recreational facilities.

The initiative seeks to reverse these trends by investing in community spaces, recreational facilities, and cultural projects to boost the city’s appeal to younger residents and families. By enhancing quality of life, the initiative aims to retain current residents and attract new ones.

Reducing Property Tax Burden

The proposal that Anchorage Assembly members are considering for the April local election would impose a 3 percent sales tax. Fuel,

fresh foods, and some childcare costs would be exempt, and the tax would be capped at $30 per item (i.e., only the first $1,000 is taxed).

The levy, much higher than Oklahoma City’s 1 percent MAPS tax, would be a tricky proposition in a city as tax averse as Anchorage. A sales tax proposition failed in 2006, and another attempt in 2016 was withdrawn for lack of support. With that in mind, Project Anchorage is trying to sweeten the bargain.

Anchorage has traditionally relied heavily on property taxes to fund essential services and infrastructure. Under Project Anchorage, two-thirds of the revenue generated from the sales tax, or about $120 million per year, would offset property taxes by up to 20 percent. An average house valued at $450,000 would see a rebate of almost $100 per month. This relief is expected to benefit not only homeowners but also renters, whose housing costs are often influenced by property taxes, and commercial property owners, who have felt a disproportionate share of the tax burden.

Project Anchorage aims to create a more balanced system of taxation. Visitors and commuters would contribute financially to the upkeep costs of Anchorage services and infrastructure now borne by homeowners; Anchorage

properties would become financially more attractive for anyone shopping for a new home; and the assessed funds would be directed into long-lasting comforts and conveniences to revitalize the city.

Funding Capital Projects

To sell voters on the idea of a sales tax, Project Anchorage must clearly explain how the money is to be spent. The group proposes a series of capital investments to enhance the city’s amenities and infrastructure.

Over the summer, AEDC collected public suggestions, which were reviewed by a committee and refined through a third-party poll to identify the most promising projects. AEDC is now collaborating with architects, engineers, and construction professionals to evaluate the feasibility and impact of the shortlisted initiatives. Here’s what’s proposed so far:

Ship Creek Riverwalk: Drawing inspiration from the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas, this project envisions a pedestrian-friendly development along Ship Creek. This proposed plan includes shops, cafes, and event spaces, with heated walkways and eco-friendly features to make it accessible year-round. The Ship Creek Riverwalk would

Eleven 12-foot by 16-foot cabins like this model would house artists-in-residence in Girdwood, one of many spending options shortlisted for Project Anchorage if local voters approve a sales tax.

Girdwood Arts & Recreation District

become a key attraction for residents and tourists alike, showcasing Anchorage’s natural beauty while enhancing urban walkability.

Nordic Aquatic Center: This indoor facility would offer year-round recreational opportunities, featuring pools, water slides, hot tubs, and saunas. Exemplified by Nordic-style spas common in Northern Europe and Canada, an idea already imported to Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, it aims to provide a haven from long Alaska winters.

Four Season Trail Facilities: This project focuses on enhancing key outdoor spaces like Kincaid Park, Goose Lake, and Westchester Lagoon for yearround recreation. Planned upgrades include infrastructure for skiing, skating, and swimming, along with concessions and rental shops. Drawing from the Trailhead Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, it aims to integrate food services and seasonal infrastructure to promote continuous use. Kikkan Randall, executive director of the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage, notes that these improvements would boost winter sports accessibility, fostering year-round outdoor engagement in a city where snow often outlasts the sunshine.

Chester Creek Sports Complex:

A proposed state-of-the-art multisport complex, this facility would accommodate hockey, baseball, football, and more. The design includes commercial spaces and housing, providing versatile venues for local leagues and major events, addressing Anchorage’s need for modern sports facilities.

Downtown Arts and Entertainment Redevelopment: This initiative seeks to revitalize Anchorage's downtown arts scene by upgrading theaters, parks, public art, and pedestrian areas for year-round

events. Inspired by Promenade Park in Fort Wayne, Indiana, it aims to enhance community engagement through vibrant arts and entertainment spaces.

Anchorage Sports Center: A community sports hub featuring courts, an indoor track, and turf fields to support local youth and adult leagues. Anchorage already has one at The Dome, so a new center would add more flexible spaces for basketball, tennis, pickleball, and more, generating revenue through league play.

Children’s Museum: A hands-on museum designed for children, featuring exhibits that promote creativity and scientific curiosity, with a focus on Alaska's culture and diversity. Inspired by the Imaginarium as it formerly existed Downtown, it would include interactive exhibits and educational programs, especially for children under age 5.

Chugiak-Eagle River Sports and Recreation Facility: This indoor facility would support basketball, soccer, volleyball, and other sports, catering to both youth and adult leagues. Inspired by Spooky Nook Sports (three complexes in Ohio and Pennsylvania, one with 14 acres under one roof), it would feature courts, turf fields, and rental spaces, with revenue opportunities from tournaments and events.

Girdwood Arts and Recreation District: This project proposes a community arts and recreation district in Girdwood, hosting artists in residence within a cabin community. It would feature galleries, workshops, and an RV park to support local events and tourism. Inspired by the Pilchuck Glass School founded by Washington artist Dale Chihuly, it aims to blend arts with outdoor recreation, fostering community engagement and cultural growth.

This list is not exhaustive or final, and details may change before reaching the ballot.

Building a Prosperous Future

Of the estimated $180 million in annual revenue that the 3 percent sales tax would collect, Project Anchorage aims to pump $60 million each year into capital projects. How many years?

Wright explains, “The proposal outlines a temporary seven-year tax collection period, which will then sunset. However, supporters are optimistic that once Anchorage residents see the positive impacts, they will be motivated to renew it for another term, much like similar successful initiatives in Oklahoma City.”

Oklahoma City’s MAPS spanned eight years for its first phase before voters approved new phases in 2001 and 2009.

“Proponents of Project Anchorage believe that by enhancing the city's infrastructure and livability, Anchorage can stimulate private investment and economic growth,” Wright says. “Lowering property taxes for residents and businesses will make living and operating in Anchorage more affordable. The proposed capital investments, a once-in-a-generation opportunity, are intended to be funded through a dedicated trust that covers the construction, operation, maintenance, and security of voter-approved projects. This approach ensures future taxpayers won’t bear the costs of maintaining these facilities.”

Once the projects have been selected, and if accepted by the Anchorage Assembly, the initiative will be put to a vote. The success of Project Anchorage will ultimately depend on whether voters choose to support this ambitious plan. Continued collaboration among residents, business leaders, and local government will be crucial to ensuring Anchorage remains a place where people want to live, work, and invest for years to come.

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Spread the Love

Alaska Native corporations' community projects

By Terri Marshall

The Kuskokwim

Al aska Native corporations are for-profit enterprises with a unique community focus.

“All shareholders are entitled to benefits of Alaska Native corporations,” says Andrea Gusty, president and CEO of The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC). In addition to their commercial investments, regional and village corporations invest in community projects that often fill the gaps where business, nonprofits, or government can’t quite reach.

Or, as in the Bristol Bay region, facilitating the reach of a government office.

“In evaluating the needs of our shareholders and their communities, we identified that one of the barriers from getting a job is not having a driver’s license,” says Carol Wren, senior vice president of shareholder development at Bristol Bay Native Corporation

(BBNC). “With the lack of DMVs in many smaller communities, this is a significant issue.”

Thus, BBNC developed the idea of a mobile DMV. Easier said than done. Wren explains, “To get a driver’s license, various driving skills are required. Applicants are required to demonstrate their ability to safely complete right or left turns and parallel park. Not all communities have that ability— especially in remote areas of the state where there are not enough roads.”

BBNC worked with the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles to develop a driver’s test route in communities that could accommodate one, and proctors were trained to tutor locals for the written test. “We had to find proctors before the DMV even showed up,” shares Wren. “This led to a lot of planning and conversations on how we could pull all of these components together.”

The first mobile DMV unit consisted of three employees. “They were just starting to use a mobile unit for taking and downloading photos,” says Wren. “We didn’t have Starlink yet, so we had to make sure we had internet.”

BBNC worked with the local tribe and housing authority to check for an applicant’s physical address, not just a post office box. “Those were the minor things that prevented people from getting the necessary documentation required for Real IDs,” explains Wren.

Access to DMV services continues to be difficult. “Currently, there are only two DMV offices across the thirtyone villages in Bristol Bay,” says Wren. “There is one in King Salmon and one in Dillingham.” While high school students are encouraged to secure their license through proctors and local DMV offices, BBNC continues to get the word out to other communities to determine

Workforce and housing development in one: the Harvest to Home project trains shareholders of The Kuskokwim Corporation in timber work, turning wood from village lands into construction lumber to reduce the cost of building new homes.

The Kuskokwim Corporation

interests in having a mobile DMV in their villages. BBNC intends to expand the program across the Bristol Bay region, bringing the mobile DMV to all communities who need it.

Access to Training

Mobile DMV came about because BBNC companies working on the North Slope and in other areas were recruiting to fill job openings, but too many applicants had trouble getting a driver’s license. “Not having an ID for your hiring paperwork and a driver’s license for getting a transportation-related job makes the process difficult if not impossible,” says Wren. “That served as our motivation to kick-off this program.”

Workforce and professional development also motivated some of TKC’s community projects. TKC is a joint corporation for ten villages in the Middle Kuskokwim region, and those villages remain the focal point of TKC’s ongoing community projects.

Gusty says TKC examined the needs of individual shareholders. “For example, it’s not just providing heavy equipment training; it’s also about making sure they have access to that training closer to home, as family needs cannot be overlooked,” she says.

To address this and other workforce needs, TKC opened the Arviiq Regional Economic Development and Training Center in Aniak. “Utilizing this model, we can provide community members with access to online training,” explains Gusty. “They can complete the first level of training virtually, then come into Aniak for the next level, using the program as a stepping stone to something else. Our goal is to be mindful of the whole person’s needs as we’re providing services.”

Koniag, the Alaska Native corporation for the Kodiak Island region, supports workforce development in its

To improve passage of fish on Tyonek Creek near the village dock, Tyonek Native Corporation cut the ribbon in September on a $4.5 million culvert improvement. In the works since 2013, the culvert is nearly 40 feet wider than the previous underpass.

Tyonek Native Corporation

communities. “We have supported CDL [commercial driver’s license] and forklift training programs as well as 6-pack certification classes [for operating boats holding up to six passengers],” says Koniag President Shauna Hegna. “We commit our time to support these nonprofits that are doing good things in our community.”

For careers in natural resources, this year saw the debut of Koniag’s Young Environmental Technician Intern (YETI) program.

“Amy Peterson, a community liaison working with us through a partnership with Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, came up with the idea of creating an internship program focused on getting some of our younger folks interested in careers in the natural resource disciplines, be it timber operations, forestry, biology, or environmental studies,” says Tom Panamaroff, Koniag’s regional and legislative affairs executive.

“In the first year of the YETI program, we had four young people between the ages of 15 and 17 involved.”

Peterson reached out to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center to design the six-to-eight-week internship. “With the input of these groups, we discovered a plethora of things the YETIs could do for their program. All of it involved being outside, working with their hands, and getting a taste of the different kinds of things that can become careers in the natural resource disciplines,” says Panamaroff.

“We hope to add an additional program for the 18-to-21 age group in the future.”

Building Affordable Homes

Another priority for Koniag communities is housing availability.

“We have an incredible lack of housing inventory, which impacts every aspect of life in our communities,” Hegna says.

USE

To interest younger members of the Koniag family in natural resources careers, this year the corporation launched the Young Environmental Technician Intern program in partnership with Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. Koniag

“For example, several teachers have accepted contracts and later rescinded them because of a lack of housing. The same holds true for hospital workers. We’re now at a point at which the lack of housing is impacting the professions that keep our communities happy, healthy, and productive.”

Koniag partnered with Kodiak Island Housing Authority (KIHA) to implement an approach developed by Rural Alaska Community Action Program (RurAL CAP), a statewide nonprofit based in Anchorage. “For decades RurAL CAP has been running mutual self-help housing programs,” shares Hegna. “Through that program, RurAL CAP secures funding from various organizations. Then they recruit families that meet the income and credit eligibility requirements for the program. Families commit to spending 35 hours a week building their own homes. This sweat equity replaces their down payment, transforming unaffordable housing to affordable.”

Finding affordable land to meet the housing needs presents additional challenges on Kodiak Island. Fortunately,

the Kodiak City Council recently approved the sale of 6 acres to KIHA to support the self-help housing program.

“It’s really exciting because the first phase of this program will result in ten new homes,” says Hegna. “This is significant considering they have only had one or two homes built in Kodiak in the past couple of years.”

TKC is also tackling the need for affordable housing in the YukonKuskokwim region. “The regional housing authority estimates that, at the current rate of fifteen new homes a year, it would take 200 years to meet today’s demand for housing,” shares Gusty. “We are currently working with the US Forest Service, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, and the Denali Commission to develop a way to sustainably and responsibly harvest some of the timber on our land to build homes to tackle our housing crisis.”

Utilizing an innovative design, builders would be able to use shorter pieces of wood, which maximizes the use of the tree. “It’s more of a LEGO model than a

traditional log cabin,” says Gusty. “The piece-en-piece system we borrowed and adapted from Canada’s Indigenous communities takes more effort on the milling side but is much more energy efficient and easy to assemble. Each piece is numbered, which corresponds to step-by-step instructions. Three people will be able to build a house in two days.”

Investments in Energy and Food

Apart from housing affordability, TKC launched a project to help reduce the cost of living, called Brighter Futures. “We are actively pursuing ways to help each shareholder household lower the cost of their energy,” says Gusty.

Knowing that energy infrastructure would take time and planning, TKC chose to do something with an immediate impact. “We provided and installed LED light bulbs for every home in our ten communities,” she says. The energy-efficient bulbs instantly reduced monthly electricity bills.

Long-term energy solutions are still part of TKC’s vision. “We’re working

our way up to not only fixing some of the widespread energy issues that lead to power outages but also focusing on renewable energy projects in each community,” shares Gusty. “We’re also in partnership with the local energy company in Lower and Upper Kalskag studying wind and solar energy projects.”

Beyond energy bills, TKC is also helping its communities with their food bills. A subsidiary operates the Kuik Run Store in Aniak with the mission of lowering the cost of living for TKC shareholders. “This is unlike any of our other businesses in the Lower 48,” explains Gusty. “We are not looking to make a profit on this business venture; rather, it is an investment in the community to provide items needed while lowering the cost of living.”

Food prices are also on the agenda for Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI). One of its special projects involved Ninilchik Village Tribe’s Elder outreach program.

“The Elder outreach program provides over 100 Elders food security, connection through gathering, cultural activities, and holistic care,” says Darla Graham, director of stakeholder engagement. The program helped provide locally sourced, traditional foods, like moose and salmon, for Elders.

One of the village corporations in CIRI’s region is addressing food security in another way. Tyonek Native Corporation (TNC) is supporting a garden in the village on the west side of Upper Cook Inlet.

“Every summer an amazing young youth crew works on the Tyonek garden,” says TNC Chief Administrative Officer Connie Downing. “This collaborative project situated on TNC land is really expanding. In the garden they are growing garlic, celery, potatoes, flowers, and traditional plants for the community. A weekly farmers market provides

residents with the opportunity to obtain fresh, healthy food.”

Passage for Fish

Hunting, trapping, whaling, and fishing have sustained the people of Tyonek for ages. On September 29, they cut the ribbon on a $4.5 million project in the works since 2013: the replacement of a vital culvert to improve the passage of fish.

“This is very important to the lifestyle and culture of the Tyonek residents and shareholders,” says TNC’s senior Alaska operations manager Jamie Marunde. “The project was accomplished in collaboration with numerous entities, including the Tyonek Tribal Conservation District, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska

Department of Natural Resources, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, CIRI, the Tyonek Tribal Council, and several contractors including Tyonek Contractors, which employs many of our shareholders and played a significant role in the culvert project.”

The largest fish passage in the state, the new culvert is more than 45 feet wide, replacing a 6-foot culvert. “This expands access to 30 miles of habitat upstream,” says Marunde.

TNC and the village’s tribal council joined forces to create a task force to oversee community projects.

“The task force was developed for us to collaborate instead of working independently,” says Downing.

The partnership’s projects include coastal erosion, economic development, fire protection, infrastructure, natural resources, recreation, and social services.

“We’re working together on an image to show what we would like the village to look like in the future,” says Downing.

“That includes a new fire station, a new building for a grocery store, boys’ and girls’ clubs, recycling stations, and a helipad for medevac.”

Thoughtful and Meaningful

Tyonek’s needs differ from Ninilchik’s or other communities in the CIRI region,

so CIRI recognized the opportunity to support tribes in a more meaningful way.

“We take a thoughtful approach to community outreach and support while striving to be a good community partner. This is what everything is based on,” says Graham, a CIRI shareholder herself.

“Our goal was to find an equitable way to spread the love around to all of the tribes while encouraging and supporting each community.”

As a result, CIRI established a tribal grant program last spring, in addition to its community outreach, and the grants have funded a variety of projects so far.

“The application process is simple, unlike more administratively burdensome grants,” explains Graham. “Funds from the program can be used for any project benefitting the tribe that falls within one of the three categories: subsistence, self-determination, and revitalizing of culture and identity.”

Revitalizing culture is also a goal at Cape Fox Corporation (CFC), particularly through its nonprofit affiliate. Cape Fox Cultural Foundation (CFCF) delivers educational and cultural services to the public to preserve and support the heritage, culture, and future of the village of Saxman and Southeast more broadly.

CFCF also focuses on preserving culture, educating the youth, and strengthening the community, thanks

to recent partnerships and funding opportunities provided by Rasmuson Foundation, Alaska State Council on the Arts, and Museums Alaska.

“We wanted to create an open workshop—a place where everyone can gather on a certain day to learn and work on cultural art traditions,” says CFC board member, shareholder, and resident artist Kenneth White. “The Tier One funding allowed us to get the classroom tables, chairs, benches, cabinets for art materials, and health and safety items needed.”

Jamie White, project manager for CFCF adds, “We established our first workshop on August 24 and have held workshops every Saturday since as we continue to grow.”

CFCF plans to continue its efforts in securing funding through grants and fundraising to further projects in the community.

Whether through a nonprofit foundation or more directly, Alaska Native corporations for regions, villages, or joint areas like TKC fulfill their unique mission alongside their commercial ventures.

“We’re approaching this in a holistic manner,“ says Gusty. “You can’t just build affordable housing if energy is unstable or if the resident doesn’t have a way to pay the mortgage.”

Through its nonprofit affiliate, Cape Fox Corporation delivers educational and cultural services to revitalize the Indigenous heritage of Southeast, in particular its home village of Saxman.

Cape Fox Corporation

The strength of BBNC lies in our collective determination; to invest in our shareholders, honor our Elders, and pave the way for future generations. Together, we celebrate our Elders, share our cultures, and grow our future.

Bristol Bay Native Corporation—always more than a corporation.

BBNC.net

In dividuals, organizations, science, and a caring attitude. The field of healthcare draws upon all those resources. Within these pages, meet the outstanding individuals providing medical services to Alaskans: the Alaska Business Top Docs. Physicians and other professionals collaborate at SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium to improve maternal and infant care, while the Alaska chapter of the American Heart Association continues a century-long mission of extending lifespans. Research is honing new tools for public health and the treatment of disease. See examples such as ultraviolet disinfection and new medications for weight loss. Those technologies go hand in hand with the human touch, and every workplace could use some advice on how to accommodate colleagues with longterm diagnoses or chronic conditions. In that way, healthcare is part of every business.

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Early Start for Healthy Families

SEARHC’s focus on maternal and infant health

By Alexandra Kay

Giving birth if one lives in rural Alaska can be challenging for a variety of reasons, including the need to travel to larger cities and the scarcity of post-partum care for mothers, babies, and young children once they come home. These realities can make it hard for new parents to even know where to turn for help with common topics like breastfeeding, nutrition, and developmental milestones.

According to the Alaska Maternal and Child Death Review committee (MCDR), the rates of pregnancyassociated deaths increased 184 percent in rural areas between 2012 and 2021, compared to an increase of 66 percent in urban areas, and 44 percent of those deaths were associated with barriers t o healthcare access.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, because many rural communities are not equipped with facilities for childbirth, pregnant women must leave their homes a month before their due dates and travel to a community with a hospital. Further, the only place equipped to handle high-risk pregnancies is Anchorage. Once a baby is born, it’s difficult for mothers and babies who have returned to rural areas to access medical exams like well-child check s and dental visits.

SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), one of the largest Native-run healthcare organizations in the United States, is focused on improving maternal, infant, and child health in its service area. Two related pilot programs are aimed at supporting the health and wellbeing of American Indian/Alaska Native families through prenatal, postnatal, and early childhood years.

Funded partly through the US Bureau of Indian Affairs, SEARHC has facilities in twenty-six communities throughout the Panhandle region, from Hydaburg to Yakutat. The consortium's main hospitals in Sitka or Wrangell can handle most pregnant patients and their newborns.

SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium

Baby Shower and Early Start

The first of the programs was a onetime Community “Baby Shower” and Health Resource Fair held on September 21 at the Chilkat Center for the Arts in Haines. The event provided prenatal, postnatal, and culturally appropriate support to help lessen anxiety for women who must leave their homes a month before their delivery dates. New moms were connected to labor and delivery teams and other social services in order to create a warm, comfortable, and welcoming environment to receive maternal healthcare as well as get medical concerns addressed.

“The Haines Community Baby Shower was funded by a one-time grant award called the Build Up Trust Challenge, in which we were able to host an event that encouraged families, expecting mothers, and new moms to utilize our healthcare services,” says Dr. Cate Buley, SEARHC’s chief medical officer. “We held the event

in Haines, and over seventy families joined to learn what is available at the clinic to make sure they’re getting what they need—whether it’s vaccinations or well-baby checks to keep babies healthy in their communities.”

The consortium’s labor and delivery nurses will continue to offer pre- and post-natal education at Sitka Patient Housing and at several SEARHC community clinics to support families through their child’s first two years of life.

The second of the two programs is in the early stages of development. The Healthy Families Early Start program is funded by a $500,000 per year grant from the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.

The program’s initial funding is for five years, but SEARHC hopes to make it part of its regular operating budget once the federal grant runs out.

Using an evidence-based home visiting model to meet families where

they are, nurses and other healthcare professionals will visit families and provide in-home care. Services will include needs assessments and referrals to community-based support and comprehensive care that includes breastfeeding counseling, well-child exams, nutrition assistance, infant safety, dental care, physical therapy, and mental health support. As the pilot program ramps up, SEARHC anticipates that services will be available in early 2026.

“This program was really driven by our OB nurses who take care of those families,” says Buley. “They see expectant moms leave their community approximately four weeks before their due date so they can be close to the hospital for safe delivery. Nurses see how difficult that can be physically and mentally, so they try to provide a welcome environment, provide needed baby essentials, and start breastfeeding support before mom and baby go

home. This grant will help extend that care and connect families to resources in their home communities, making sure mom, baby, and family have the resources they need.”

Allies and Partners

Other tribal entities are already in the third year of Healthy Families Early Start, so SEARHC isn’t alone in its planning. “Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Fairbanks

Native Association, Southcentral Foundation, and the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida—they’ve all formed an Alaska home visitor’s alliance where we can share information and learn from each other,” says Buley. “This is really neat because they’re sharing information, so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”

While SEARHC’s service area includes twenty-six communities and

a population of about 72,000, the grant’s initial five-year period will focus on seven pilot communities: Angoon, Craig, Haines, Klukwan, Klawock, Sitka, and Wrangell. The first year will be dedicated to an assessment that will provide the basis for a customized, evidence-based program.

Buley says, “This first year we are going into these communities and asking what their needs are. We’ll be training and

“This first year we are going into these communities and asking what their needs are. We’ll be training and collaborating with community partners to work with families who want to be enrolled in the program, making sure they are receiving the care they need during those early times.”

Dr. Cate Buley, Chief Medical Officer, SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium

“Instead of just coming into a community or village and telling them

‘This is what we’re going to do,’ this is going to allow us to assess what the village wants and needs and to work with our community partners to develop a homebased visit that they want and own and trust.”

Dr. Cate Buley Chief Medical Officer SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium

collaborating with community partners to work with families who want to be enrolled in the program, making sure they are receiving the care they need during those early times.”

After the initial assessment of community needs, Buley says they’ll be able to set some concrete goals for the program. Some examples of those goals might be to make sure that each mother has a postpartum depression screening and to make sure that mothers are signed up for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program. Other goals might be to look at immunization rates for both sixweek immunizations and those needed throughout the first year of life—and to make sure that babies don’t fall behind on those first-year immunizations.

Home visits are expected to begin in the second and third years of the pilot program, but the program will also provide access to a host of other services. “One of our strategic goals is to bring care closer to home, and this brings care into the home where you can really see what’s going on,” says Buley. “That’s one of the silver linings of the pandemic. It made telemedicine blossom, and you’re really able to see what’s going on in a patient’s life rather than just seeing what’s going on at the clinic.”

While expecting mothers are spending time in the maternal housing next to the hospital in Sitka before having their babies—or waiting for clearance to return home with their new infants—the Healthy Families Early Start program will set them up with a host of comprehensive services including referrals to breastfeeding support; oral health for mom or siblings; pediatric physical, occupational, or speech therapy; and referrals to tribal services or housing support services. “So if you see any issues developing within

that first year, we’ll help with that,” says Buley. “And we also want to partner with early childhood educational services during the first year.”

Looking Upstream

Social determinants are major factors in the health of rural populations, such as health literacy, infrastructure, and environmental factors, so SEARHC cannot ignore them.

“The grant is to address the social drivers of health,” says Buley, who refers to it as “the upstream work. For example, you see someone falling in the water downstream and you try to pick them out and save them, and then you see another and another fall in—so you look upstream to see what’s causing it.”

In a less metaphorical sense, Buley says, “Maybe they weren’t connected to WIC so they could get the resources they need to feed the baby, and maybe they didn’t get vaccines because they didn’t have insurance. Those are the social drivers that will help drive this program. That is working upstream to prevent disease and health risks that occur later in life.”

The overall goal of SEARHC’s focus on maternal and newborn health is to improve outcomes and address those social drivers of health before they develop.

“Something really great about this grant is that instead of just coming into a community or village and telling them ‘This is what we’re going to do,’ this is going to allow us to assess what the village wants and needs and to work with our community partners to develop a home-based visit that they want and own and trust, and I think that will go a lot farther than by just saying ‘This is what we’re going to do.’… Training and partnering locally within the villages will go a long way to sustain the program even after the grant is over.”

AWARD WINNERS 2024 TOP DOCS

AWARD WINNERS 2024 TOP DOCS

North Star Behavioral Health System proudly honors

Drs. Ruth Dukoff and Phil Neuberger with the 2024 Top Docs Award for their exemplary service in the field of psychiatry.

North Star Behavioral Health System proudly honors Drs. Ruth Dukoff and Phil Neuberger with the 2024 Top Docs Award for their exemplary service in the field of psychiatry.

These physicians were awarded by their peers and colleagues for the herculean efforts they have made to improve the services delivered to Alaskans in Anchorage and all over the state.

These physicians were awarded by their peers and colleagues for the herculean efforts they have made to improve the services delivered to Alaskans in Anchorage and all over the state.

Since Dr. Dukoff’s tenure starting in 2005 and Dr. Neuberger’s in 2001, many mental health practitioners have been mentored and encouraged to find their passion in serving others through their example.

Since Dr. Dukoff’s tenure starting in 2005 and Dr. Neuberger’s in 2001, many mental health practitioners have been mentored and encouraged to find their passion in serving others through their example.

Drs. Dukoff and Neuberger are grateful to their peers for this honor, and we are honored to have them inspire, teach and lead us into a brighter future of mental health in Alaska.

Drs. Dukoff and Neuberger are grateful to their peers for this honor, and we are honored to have them inspire, teach and lead us into a brighter future of mental health in Alaska.

Ruth Dukoff, MD

Phil Neuberger, MD

Ruth Dukoff, MD

Phil Neuberger, MD

Invisible Rays of Hope

UV disinfection for healthier spaces

By Rindi White

From sterilizing bottled water to sealing and hardening nail polish for a durable gel manicure, ultraviolet (UV) light is used in many facets of everyday life.

In Alaska, UV light disinfection is becoming more commonly used in healthcare settings, a trend that increased following the COVID-19 epidemic.

Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage uses UV light disinfection technology to protect particularly vulnerable patients in an operating room that serves neurosurgery, vascular surgery, and cardiothoracic patients. For Opus Memoria, an assisted living home, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) fixtures allowed the facility to open its doors to family visits earlier than it otherwise might have, and the technology still keeps residents safe during flu season. Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA) uses UVGI fixtures to disinfect the air in shared spaces such as

Providence Alaska

lobbies, offices, and exam rooms in its two healthcare facilities. It also uses a mobile unit to disinfect exam rooms following visits with patients who might have upper respiratory illnesses or flu symptoms.

As Old as Sunlight

UV disinfection technology is endorsed by the National Institutes of Health and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which notes that UVGI technology has been studied for more than seventy years to eliminate airborne pathogens, initially for stemming tuberculosis.

But UV light as a tool for disinfection predates the UVGI technology. The first documented case of UV being used for disinfection came in 1877, when Thomas P. Blunt and Arthur Downes discovered that exposure to sunlight killed bacteria, and they conducted further testing to explore exactly why. The killer color turned out to be UV, a frequency that humans can’t see (but many birds and insects can). Early research into the use of UV light as a method of treating a form of tuberculosis won Niels Ryberg Finsen the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1903.

There are three primary bands within the UV light spectrum: UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. The three bands of UV light vary in their biologic activity and the extent to which they penetrate skin. The US Food and Drug Administration explains it this way: UV-A and some UV-B rays coming from the sun are transmitted through the atmosphere while all UV-C rays and some UV-B rays are absorbed by the Earth’s ozone layer (and therefore don’t reach the ground), so most casual contact with UV rays (think sunlight and tanning beds) are in the form of UV-A and UV-B.

UV disinfection technology, meanwhile, primarily uses UV-C rays, which have the shortest wavelengths and highest energy of the three types. The light damages the nucleic acids within the cells of microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, rendering them inactive and unable to replicate.

Since radiation from UV-C rays can still be harmful to skin and eyes, UV disinfection technology typically either shields users from direct light, such as in the UVGI fixtures in which the UV light is contained within the fixture itself, or is only used when a room is empty, such as the mobile disinfection units.

Several studies analyze the effectiveness of UV-C treatment

against an array of issues, from fungal spores to multi-drug-resistant (MDR) organisms, as well as against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and seasonal flu. The results were 99 percent or greater efficacy against most of them, according to a 2022 article published by Molecular Diversity Preservation International, a Switzerland-based nonprofit publisher of peer reviewed, open access journals.

Reducing Surgical Site Infection

That high effectiveness rate is what drew Providence Alaska to incorporate UV-C disinfection into a hybrid operating room during a recent renovation, says Ted Walker, senior clinical nurse specialist at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage.

Providence installed the light in a room used for surgery: interventional cardiac catheterization laboratory procedures, neurosurgical endovascular procedures (in which surgeons go in through an artery and work inside the brain), and in major vascular procedures. The hospital began using UV disinfection in 2022.

“It reduces the amount of microbial burden that is on surfaces in the room. The literature now is stating in general that microbial load on contaminated surfaces can be reduced by 99 to 99.999 percent,” Walker says. “It is the latest, greatest technology we can offer to try to reduce infection, especially in those high-risk cases that are going on in that room.”

Walker says the light is turned on when the room is empty. As to whether it has reduced the rate of postoperative infection, he says it’s difficult to say; Providence already has a low rate of surgical site infection. But UV technology is becoming more commonly used in

In the lobby of the Kodiak Area Native Association

Alutiiq Enwia Health Center, upper-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation fixtures, which look like rectangular black boxes emitting a blue glow, hang from the ceiling.

“For those living with brain changes, it’s vitally important that they have connection with their family and loved ones… What [UV disinfection] allowed us to do, in the end of the pandemic, was to have more family members come in.”

Suzanne Hickel, Owner and Administrator, Opus Memoria

surgical settings, and Providence is considering expanding its use in future renovations. Maintenance is minimal, with bulb replacement required on a roughly five-year cycle.

Safer Family Visits

Robert Reid, general manager of Sheet Metal, Inc., sought ways to boost business, which normally focuses on the oil and gas industry, as the COVID-19 pandemic abated. He and company leaders looked i nto UV disinfection.

“We did some research and found a company, American Ultraviolet. They’ve been around for sixty years. We reached out to them to get some in formation,” he says.

Liking what they learned about the effectiveness of the disinfection treatment, Sheet Metal, Inc. took the next step. During the transition from remote work back to in-office work,

many people still had concerns about virus transmission in shared spaces. UV disinfection of fered peace of mind.

“We ended up becoming the first Alaska distributor for American Ultraviolet,” Reid says.

From there, he and his employees reached out to property managers, building managers, and the like, providing education about UV technology and how it could be incorporated into office or clinical spaces.

To help demonstrate the technology, Reid partnered with Suzanne Hickel, owner and administrator of Opus Memoria, a memory care assisted living home in Midtown Anchorage serving ten senior residents. When Reid reached out, Hickel says she and her staff were struggling to find cleaning supplies, gloves, disinfectant, and other items that we re in short supply.

“It was absolutely necessary for us to be sanitizing all of the time,” Hickel says.

Opus Memoria and Sheet Metal, Inc. shared costs to install nearly a dozen UVGI fixtures in the facility, mostly in common areas. The fixtures are unobtrusive, roughly 18-inch-long black boxes that sit near the ceiling and emit a gentle blue glow. The units, which stay on all the time, were installed in January 2021, a process that took just a couple of days.

“We have them throughout the home,” Hickel says. The technology lets the home keep the doors open to family visits as much as possible.

“For those living with brain changes, it’s vitally important that they have connection with their family and loved ones,” she says. “What it allowed us to do, in the end of the pandemic, was to have more family members come in.”

And now that there is less fear of COVID-19 infection, UVGI continues

Sarah Arneson | Kodiak Area Native Association

to shine. Hickel says she has noticed residents experience fewer bouts of seasonal cold and flu.

“We still have flu season, still get colds, grandkids still come to see us—there are always germs floating around,” she explains, “but I do feel like we’re healthier as a result.”

Healthier Healthcare in Kodiak

Both KANA clinics, the Mill Bay Health Center and the larger Alutiiq Enwia Health Center, use UVGI fixtures and mobile disinfection units to keep viruses at bay, says KANA Clinic Operations Director Sarah Arneson.

“Our previous facilities director had all facilities mounted with UV lights in the office space and brought those in for the clinic as well,” she says.

Throughout KANA office space and in shared spaces such as lobbies, UVGI boxes hang high on the walls, glowing with blue light. Air is sucked into the fixture, disinfected, and pushed back out.

The UVGI fixtures are in exam rooms, as well, and the staff takes disinfection one step further. Arneson says they use two mobile disinfection devices on wheels—MRS33-8 units that measure nearly 4 feet tall and about 20 inches wide, each with eight 33-inch-long UV bulbs mounted around a stainlesssteel cylinder—to disinfect exam rooms after patients come in with upper respiratory infections, cold or flu symptoms, or other viruses.

“They look kind of like a little robot, so we call them WALL-E,” Arneson says, referring to the 2008 Disney film starring the eponymous robot tasked with compacting waste on a trash-filled Earth.

The UV lamps on the mobile units are not shielded, Arneson notes, so when a room needs treatment, the unit is

rolled in, a timer is set and the employee steps out of the room while UV light bathes the space for twenty minutes. In addition to post-patient treatment, the disinfection units are used in each exam room twice a week.

Exactly how effective the units have been, in terms of reducing the spread of viruses or infection, is difficult to pinpoint. Arneson says KANA is working on providing a concrete answer.

“Our facilities team is doing a study to be able to see what the rate of disinfection is. We don’t have those results yet. That will affect our decision whether we’re going to continue to use [the technology] moving forward,” Arneson says.

If the data show that UVGI is indeed a practical precaution, expect to see the unseen color shining in more healthcare settings and beyond.

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The Cure for Fat?

New drugs help, but behavior change is key

By Katie Pesznecker

Re search into Gila monster venom (believe it or not) led to a diabetes medication with a tantalizing side effect: hunger suppression. In recent years, medications like Ozempic and other glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists have surged in popularity as a trendy and accessible solution for those struggling to shed pounds.

With promises of rapid weight loss and relief from food cravings, these medications have garnered the attention of many seeking a faster route to their goals. For patients who can avoid the side effects, they work as an almost magical elixir that can deliver fast results with simplicity and ease.

But as these medications take center stage, health professionals like Dylan Webb urge caution. Webb is a certified holistic health counselor and clinic director at Ideal Health, an Anchorage company with offices in Fairbanks.

“These weight loss medications have really highlighted the importance of behavior change and lifestyle change,” Webb says, pointing out that “every single study will show you gain the weight right back upon medication cessation” when taking GLP-1s.

Diabetes Spinoff

Ozempic, a brand of semaglutide, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, a drug that mimics the effects of GLP-1 hormones

naturally produced by the body. GLP-1 plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels, digestion, and appetite. When people eat, GLP-1 is released, promoting insulin secretion and slowing down gastric emptying, which makes them feel fuller for longer.

However, the naturally produced GLP-1 is inactivated within minutes, reducing its impact and allowing natural hunger cycles to proceed.

Medications like Ozempic extend the hormone's effects by resisting its enzymatic breakdown in the body, clearing the way for the GLP-1 to suppress hunger. This means GLP-1’s suppressive effects can last for about 165 hours—a week— instead of a mere minute or two.

Aprott

This prolonged action is why Ozempic is administered as a once-weekly injection. Ozempic suppresses appetite and reduces food intake, resulting in weight loss. It was originally developed as a medication to support patients with Type-II Diabetes and is still only indicated for Type-II Diabetes. But other GLP-1 formulations have been developed and introduced in its wake, including its weightloss drug equivalent, Wegovy. It has the same active ingredient but is administered at a higher dosage.

The allure of quick, effortless weight loss comes with potential downsides. As Webb points out, one of the major concerns with GLP-1 medications is muscle atrophy.

“It’s not really about weight loss,” he says, explaining that muscle atrophy is one of the main issues with any weight-loss program. "Muscle is the engine that burns calories; it’s the centerpiece of your metabolism. Losing muscle just worsens your metabolic health. The focus with any weight loss regimen should be about fat loss and muscle preservation."

The Downsides of GLP-1 Agonists

For many people, the promise of quick weight loss is tempting. Of course, there's a catch: GLP1 drugs can help reduce fat, but they don't discriminate bet ween fat and muscle.

Webb says that "30 to 50 percent of weight loss on these medications come from the loss of muscle tissue. Mostly caused by poor nutrition— specifically not eating enough protein—because the medication can literally make y ou not want to eat."

“These weight loss medications have really highlighted the importance of behavior change and lifestyle change.”

Dylan Webb, Clinic Director, Ideal Health

“People are feeling hopeless. There has been no improvement in our food or the food manufacturing industry… Processed foods are everywhere, loaded with additives that make them addictive and unhealthy.”

Dylan Webb Clinic Director Ideal Health

Losing muscle not only lowers metabolism but also makes maintaining weight harder in the long run. This muscle loss, paired with the fact that most people regain fat when they stop the medication, leaves many worse off than when they started.

“All the weight comes right back,” Webb says. “Every study shows that. They’re gaining fat back, not muscle. Now they’re worse off metabolically.”

This makes a strong case for the importance of focusing on fat loss and muscle preservation rather than simply reducing overall body weight.

“In the physician community, that’s the conversation: focusing more on fat loss than just total body weight reduction,” Webb says.

Another concern is that GLP-1 agonists slow down the digestive system, which can lead to side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, gas, and bloating. Additionally, long-term use may cause nutritional deficiencies due to reduced appetite and food intake. People may not get enough protein or essential nutrients, leading to further muscle loss and electrolyte imbalances.

There are also individuals for whom GLP-1 drugs are unsuitable. People with a history of thyroid cancer or pancreatitis should avoid these medications. Webb says it can be a struggle for some to get the medication covered by insurance based on their medical condition.

Medication Alone Isn’t the Answer

Webb emphasizes that while GLP-1 agonists can be helpful tools for certain individuals, they are not a magic solution.

“People are going to these medications saying it’s the Holy Grail and it’s going to be the solution to my weight problem,” Webb says. But as with any weight-loss strategy, success

depends on making lasting changes to one's diet and behavior.

“There’s no magic pill, no magic protocol, and no magic procedure— including gastric bypass [surgery]. People can gain the weight back,” he says.

Webb’s clinic only recently began offering GLP-1 medications, but Ideal Health uses them situationally and only alongside a comprehensive weight-management program that emphasizes food as medicine and sustained lifestyle changes.

“We do it in combination with our medically designed protocol,” Webb says. “The reason why we do both is to help with reducing hunger and reducing cravings with that medication, which can aid with compliance to the protocol we’re prescribing. We also ensure adequate protein intake to prevent the muscle loss.”

The key to long-term success remains behavior change. “We can give you this medication, but we have to understand the importance of behavior change and lifestyle modification,” Webb says.

The Power of Food and Lifestyle

At the heart of Webb’s clinic’s approach is the belief that sustainable weight loss is built on healthy dietary habits and lifestyle changes. “Our focus is helping people lose weight through food. A disease brought on by food should be addressed through food. It’s really about changing behavior and understanding there is no vaccine against obesity,” he says.

Webb sees food as the best medicine, encouraging his patients to reduce processed foods high in sugar and replace them with healthy proteins and vegetables low on the glycemic index.

Exercise is also a vital component of a healthy lifestyle, but it shouldn’t be viewed as the primary tool for

weight loss. Webb adds, “Exercise is a very important component to healthy lifestyle, but it shouldn’t be a primary piece to weight loss. Weight loss occurs through change in diet.”

This approach has produced remarkable success stories. Webb says one patient in Fairbanks has lost 292 pounds without any medication, strictly through dietary changes and exercise. Another 78-year-old insulindependent diabetic was able to put her diabetes into remission and maintain her weight and healthy blood sugar levels without insulin.

What Drives the Popularity of GLP-1s

Why, despite the potential downsides, are so many people turning to GLP-1 drugs? Webb believes it’s a reflection of the growing desperati on many people feel.

“People are feeling hopeless. There has been no improvement in our food or the food manufacturing industry,” he says. “Processed foods are everywhere, loaded with additives that make them addic tive and unhealthy.”

For those struggling with food cravings and weight regain after repeated failed attempts, GLP-1 drugs offer a lifeline, an option that doesn’ t require willpower.

“I think what leads people to these drugs is, ‘Hey, I’ve tried it all. I’ve done Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, and I’ve tried diet and exercise, and I’ve gained my weight back,’” Webb says. “They become hopeless and go to these new drugs for help.”

Finding the Balance

Ultimately, Webb’s message is that GLP-1 medications can be helpful

as a tool to support lasting lifestyle changes, but they are not a cure-all.

“People just want to use GLP-1s and lose their 10 to 15 pounds,” he says. “But this medication isn’t the fix, the vaccine, the Holy Grail when it comes to weight management.”

Webb’s approach focuses on education, behavior change, and support. He’s proud of his work as a health coach, an industry sector growing in popularity where he is driven by making real difference s in people’s lives.

“I love nutrition, I love science, and I recognize the need,” he says. “I get passionate about this subject. And I like working with people and educating them and providing that support and accountability. I think most people can relate to this idea of, ‘I know what I need to do, I jus t need to do it.’”

When Disease Is on the Team

Long-term and chronic diagnoses in the workplace

By Chuck Green

Ru b a little dirt in the wound and gamely strap on the ol' battered helmet. Flash a stiff upper lip and march into work. Some employees play tough, and no illness or injury will stop them from reporting for duty.

But here’s the rub: often it’s not merely a matter of shrugging off an annoying case of the sniffles or an upset stomach. Some employees might be dealing with chronic or long-term medical issues, which can decisively flip the script on the more nonchalant approach.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 129 million people in the United States have at least one major chronic disease. Half of the top ten leading causes of death in the United States are—or are linked strongly with— preventable and chronic

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diseases. Over the past twenty years, their prevalence has increased—a trend that’s not expected to abate.

A burgeoning segment of those in the country have multiple chronic conditions, including 42 percent with at least two and 12 percent with a minimum of five.

According to a study in Forbes , by 2030 it’s possible that more than 170 million Americans will have at least one chronic health condition, while separate data shows it could approach 230 million. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity are anticipated to spike by 2060. Managing chronic disease comes with a price tag: 90 percent of the approximately $4.1 trillion sunk into healthcare is channeled to chronic and mental health conditions, according to the CDC.

Among Alaskans, two thirds are overweight or obese. According to the Alaska Department of Health’s Alaska Chronic Disease Faces: 2023 Brief Report, high blood pressure plagues nearly a third of Alaska adults, while 27 percent have high cholesterol. Type 2 diabetes costs up to eight years of life. Nationally, $1 of every $4 earmarked to healthcare is directed toward the care of diabetics.

American Indian and Alaska Native communities are particularly burdened by chronic kidney disease at a disproportionate level, according to nature.com.

People with chronic conditions or long-term diagnoses can’t leave them at home when they come to work. Thus, employers have a role in helping employees navigate these choppy waters.

Accommodating Individual Needs

One place to turn for tools and information is the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

“The discussion should not be about the individual’s disability/diagnosis, rather the workplace accommodations they need to be successful.”

Adam Weinert, Special Assistant to the Commissioner Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Care

“It's important to note that each patient's experience is unique, so individualized recommendations are best left to the patient and their care provider.”

Kristin George Executive Director

American Heart Association – Alaska

Its Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) can assist the employer with reasonable accommodations and assistive technology, as well as training to maximize the employee’s success and effectiveness in carrying out their work duties, explains Adam Weinert, special assistant to the commissioner.

“DVR can also provide information on certain tax benefits that are available to employers who hire individuals with disabilities,” Weinert says. He recommends that employers contact DVR to access business services for both themselves and their employees.

Kristin George, executive director of the American Heart Association in Alaska, says her organization has a lot of free information to support employees working through a long-term diagnosis—particularly those related to cardiovascular and stroke.

“It's important to note that each patient's experience is unique, so individualized recommendations are best left to the patient and their care provider,” says George.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, employers must offer necessary accommodations as long as they do not present an undue hardship to the company, adds Laurie Macchello, a physical therapist and ergonomist and the owner of Healthy Ergonomics.

“These are best determined by engaging in a conversation with employee and then assessing any written, identified limitations by physician to the essential duties of the job,” Macchello explains. Some accommodations include modified duties, flexible hours, remote work options, job rotations, and modified equipment.

Macchello adds, “Oftentimes an ergonomic assessment is helpful to help identify worksite modifications that can be of benefit to the employee.”

Some health insurance plans, Macchello notes, also offer access to mental health resources to assist employees. “By leveraging these tools and resources, employers can foster a supportive environment that helps employees manage their health while maintaining productivity,” she says.

Space to Open Up

Obviously, every initiative and piece of information helps, from tobacco cessation to preventive care, especially with the incentive of lower health insurance premiums. However, due primarily to chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, employee health has stagnated or declined for three consecutive years, according to onemedical.com’s 2024 State of Workplace Health Report. More than half of workers surveyed are managing longterm health issues. That includes more than 40 percent of Gen Z and Millennial employees, who encompass those just entering the workforce to those entering middle age.

Yet 58 percent of human resources leaders think the health of their employees is on the uptick. When it comes to supporting employees with chronic conditions, leaders aren’t anywhere near prepared enough, according to a 2021 report from Harvard Business Review . A study of more than 1,000 US individuals found that 60 percent feel their leaders lack the preparedness to be of help to employees with a serious and/ or chronic medical condition due to “a lack of awareness, understanding, and effective tools.”

Part of that lack of awareness is because chronic illness is highly personal, and some people hesitate to voice their needs. To accommodate those who could double clutch, employers shouldn’t ask an employee

Big Ray’s

Outfitting Alaskans for More Than Seven Decades

Alaska outfitter Big Ray’s has come a long way from its humble beginnings when two World War II veterans, home from the war, began selling surplus goods out of their cars on 4th Avenue in Anchorage. Now celebrating its 77th year in business, the company has five locations, 100 employees, and has greatly expanded its product line.

“We are the all-weather outfitter for Alaska, specializing in winter gear, outdoor gear, and work boots, and we’re one of the largest Carhartt dealers in the western United States,” explains coowner and CEO Jessica Rostad. “We’ve got everything you need to enjoy Alaska.”

In addition to two locations in Anchorage, two in Fairbanks, and one in Kodiak, Big Ray’s also does online and catalog sales.

“We’ve been producing a catalog since the early ‘50s, and we still send out copies to roughly 25,000 PO boxes in Alaskan villages,” says Rostad. “Another large component of our business is corporate sales, providing fire-resistant clothing, personal protection equipment (PPE), and more to the mining, oil, and construction industries. We offer embroidery and customization as well.”

Rostad credits Big Ray’s success to being “Alaska born and raised,” which provides the needed knowledge to outfit

the state. “We’re proud of the fact that we live here, recreate here, and know the products locals need,” she says.

Rostad credits GCI with knowing what their business needs, as well, and has worked with the company for the past twenty years through every phase of expansion.

“Because we have five stores statewide, the phones and internet are vital for

communicating with our fellow team members,” she says. “We are constantly calling the other stores to check on inventory and availability of products and transferring goods throughout the state daily. Intercommunication is vital, and we couldn’t do this without GCI.”

She adds, “GCI provides fantastic customer service and really takes care of us.”

Headquartered in Alaska, GCI provides data, mobile, video, voice, and managed services to consumer, business, government, and carrier customers throughout Alaska, serving more than 200 communities. The company has invested more than $4 billion in its Alaska network and facilities over the past 40 years and recently launched true standards-based 5G NR service in Anchorage. GCI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Broadband Corporation. To learn more about GCI and its services, visit www.gci.com.

According to the National Cancer Institute, the median age for cancer diagnosis is 66. In other words, half of cancer patients are working-age adults. During months or years of treatment, these colleagues may require some adjustment in work routines.

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if they are “ill” but instead carve out space for them to open up and express what needs they have that the workplace can accommodate.

In creating that expressive space, Harvard Business Review recommends that employers ask questions and be open to learning and adapting. Managers should challenge and update assumptions about what’s “normal.” Learning of an employees’ illness can bring up uncomfortable emotions in others, so this response should be managed as well.

Clear and open communication is the key to success, says Macchello. Keep an open-door policy and foster a culture where employees feel comfortable discussing their health challenges without fear of stigma.

The Subject of Money

Regarding accommodations, Weinert suggests engaging in discussions

as early as possible. Resources for those discussions include the Job Accommodation Network and DVR’s business specialists. Weinert adds, “Remember, the discussion should not be about the individual’s disability/diagnosis, rather the workplace accommodations they need to be successful.”

Especially in physically demanding occupations, a functional capacity evaluation or “fitness for duty” exam is helpful. Weinert says, “These are examinations performed by a licensed medical professional, typically a physical or occupational therapist, which require individuals to perform the essential functions of their job such as squatting, lifting, carrying, and climbing.”

Typically, these exams provide much more detailed information than a physician can provide as they have been able to observe, rather than speculate, on potential issues. Based on the

results, Weinert says, “The therapist can then make the determination of which tasks the individual is able to do safely, which tasks are unsafe, and which ones require an accommodation to perform.”

All that said, one subject seemingly baked into almost every conversation: money. While the well-being of employees with chronic or long-term conditions is foremost, of course, the bottom line is also part of the equation for employers.

To overcome that hurdle, DVR business specialists offer different ways to reduce the cost of hiring people with additional needs. As Weinert explains, this can include tax breaks to defray the cost of accommodations.

In a tight labor market, employers can’t afford to be discouraged from hiring and retaining a skilled and enthusiastic team member, so chronic health conditions or long-term diagnoses need not be a barrier.

You bring out the best in us.

Thank you for once again voting for Providence Alaska Medical Center the Best of Alaska hospital. We are honored to receive the platinum award.

We are also honored to be the only hospital in Alaska – and one of just 53 in the nation –recognized for both quality of care and equitable access by U.S. News & World Report. This is in addition to being rated High Performing in the treatment of six conditions.

These accolades reflect the exceptional work of all our dedicated caregivers, providers and community partners who, together, allow us to serve our community with award-winning care.

Learn more at Providence.org/PAMCawards.

100 Years, Still Pumping

A centennial celebration of the American Heart Association

By Amy Newman

From Left to Right:

Sarah Mattie, Survivor, Postpartum Cardiomyopathy

Jimmie Russell, Survivor, Heart Disease

Andrea Witte, Survivor, Marfan Syndrome & Heart Disease

Ella Goss, Board Member, American Heart Association – Western States

Chelsea Hunt, Survivor, Stroke

AHunt was on a FaceTime call with a friend in Idaho in February 2022 when she noticed something was wrong.

“I was walking around the kitchen, and I went to go sit down,” Hunt recalls. “I’m sitting there and all of a sudden she’s like, ‘What’s wrong with your face?’”

Unbeknownst to Chelsea, her face had begun to droop. Not only that, but her entire left side was suddenly immobilized, and she was unable to speak.

“At that point, I remember thinking, ‘What’s going on?’” she says. “I kept taking my right hand and lifting my left wrist and it kept dropping. In my brain, I could hear myself talking, but it was coming out all mumbled. I kept thinking, ‘What is happening to me?’ I had no clue. I had no symptoms or warning signs whatsoever. It just happened.”

Though Hunt and her friend didn’t know it, the then-36-year-old was having a stroke, making her one of the more than 795,000 Americans who experience one each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her friend immediately called Hunt’s mom, who in turn called Hunt’s home and directed her then 12-year-old son James to dial 911.

Paramedics got Hunt to Alaska Regional Hospital within 12 minutes of arriving at her home, and surgeons immediately removed three blood clots from her brain. Hunt’s recovery, doctors told her, was miraculous.

“I was only in the ICU for four days, which they said was pretty miraculous considering how big of a stroke I had,” she says. “I had all of my motor skills back and I had no speech loss, which they said was absolutely amazing for how many blood clots they got out.”

In a very palpable way, Hunt owes her life to the American Heart Association (AHA). A year before her stroke, Alaska Regional became the first hospital in the state to receive a comprehensive stroke certification. Based on standards co-created by the American Stroke Association, a division of the AHA, the certification is given to medical centers that address the full spectrum of stroke care.

100 Years of Heart and Brain Health

When AHA was founded a century ago, heart disease was the leading cause of death for Americans, yet knowledge of the disease and how to prevent it, let alone treat it, was virtually non-existent. This was before common understanding of high blood pressure or cholesterol, when physicians could endorse, rather than warn against, smoking tobacco. Electrocardiograms had just been invented, and CPR was decades away. The prognosis for those diagnosed with heart disease was bleak—a death sentence, essentially.

Six cardiologists were determined to change that prognosis. Convinced that teamwork among medical professionals and heart-focused research would not only increase knowledge of heart disease but improve outcomes, the sextet formed AHA on June 10, 1924, as a scientific society with the goal to save, improve, and extend lives.

A hundred years later, the AHA has expanded in scope and size, but its original mission remains unchanged. It is the largest volunteer organization in the country dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke and is the single largest non-government funder of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular research. Its public outreach and

awareness campaigns have educated Americans on the signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke and the link between lifestyle and heart health. Its financial support of heart- and strokerelated research has reduced the number of deaths due to both—since February 2018, death from stroke is down 13.6 percent and death from heart disease down 15.1 percent.

“The American Heart Association’s primary mission is to invest in science and research, educate the public, advocate for healthy communities, and maintain awareness around the signs and symptoms of heart disease and stroke,” says Providence Alaska CEO Ella Goss, a board member of AHA Western States.

Research and Advocacy

The AHA was a physician-centric organization for its first quartercentury, but as raising public awareness of heart disease became a priority, it morphed into a voluntary health organization. It began funding heart-related scientific research in 1948 and has raised more than $5.7 billion to date. Ten researchers directly funded by the AHA have received the Nobel prize, and the AHA has funded fifteen Nobel prize winners at some point in their careers. AHA-backed research is responsible for numerous procedures and treatment for heart disease.

“The AHA [investments] into research have led to lifesaving discoveries that include implantable pacemakers, artificial heart valve replacements, some of the drugs, like statins [that help lower cholesterol], and drug-coated stents,” Goss says. “Also, they educate people on the signs of stroke and heart attacks, and they invest money into the research of what the true signs and symptoms are,

and what should people be looking for so they can intervene timelier and lessen the damage.”

Awareness for the AHA’s work and the issue of heart disease received an unexpected boost in 1955 when then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a heart attack; the nation watched his public recovery, which was guided by AHA co-founder Dr. Paul White. Another presidential boost came in 1964 when then-President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed February American Heart Month, a designation that continues today.

The AHA’s research and advocacy efforts also center on promoting healthy lifestyle changes. In the late ‘50s it called for a public awareness campaign against smoking. After research showed the link between smoking and heart disease, AHA declared smoking “the most preventable cause of heart disease.” Its support helped add stronger warning labels to cigarette packaging and was instrumental in a major change that recent generations consider a normal part of life since 1990.

“Not a lot of people know this, but it was the AHA that got commercial airlines to stop smoking on their flights and helped stop smoking in public places,” Goss says. “That was all championed by the AHA.”

Arteries and Veins

In 1998, the AHA formed the American Stroke Association. The division was a natural progression of the AHA’s decades-long efforts to battle stroke and the result of advancements in medical understanding.

“As medical research became more sophisticated, we have been able to demonstrate how heart disease or different kinds of heart defects can lead to blood clotting, and then

A volunteer with the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank prepares to freeze dry a tray of vegetables. The organization purchased the freeze dryer with funds provided by the American Heart Association, part of the organization’s efforts to increase nutrition security across the Kenai Peninsula.

American Heart Association

The American Heart Association provided Grow North Farm, a community garden run by Catholic Social Services of Anchorage, funds to help purchase a refrigerated trailer; the funding was part of the AHA’s efforts to boost nutrition security in communities.

American Heart Association

American Heart Association staff and Alaska business and medical leaders at a meeting about the state of health in Alaska. Kristin George, executive director of the American Heart Association, Alaska, is on the far left.

American Heart Association

how those blood clots can become dislodged and travel to the brain, causing a stroke,” Goss explains. “Being able to tie that symptomology of heart disease and blood clots together helped drive that evolution.”

Hunt’s experience opened her eyes to the risk of heart disease and stroke, and she has since become a vocal part of the AHA’s advocacy and outreach efforts. She shares her story publicly to help educate people about the signs and symptoms of stroke. In 2024 she was named a Go Red for Women Ambassador, the organization’s national effort to bring awareness to the issue of heart disease and stroke in women.

“Heart disease is the number one killer of women, which is kind of a shocking thing I hadn’t learned before,” Hunt says. “As women, we do so much stuff for other people that when we

start having any issues, we tend to ignore it. Sometimes, when it gets to that point, it’s irreversible, and it’s too late to fix the problem.”

The AHA in Alaska

The AHA Alaska chapter was officially established in 1998 and is committed to achieving an equitable health impact through five key priority areas: women, readiness, tobacco and vaping, patients, and healthy living. Its work aligns with the priorities of the overall organization but has discretion in how it implements those priorities, Goss says.

“What the local chapter of the AHA does is understand our community and what the community needs are, so we can determine where to focus those efforts,” she explains. “We do have some autonomy, but we stay aligned with what the national association is rolling out.”

The Alaska chapter’s efforts to bring hands-only CPR training to villages is one way it tailors national priorities to best suit local needs. In the ‘60s, the AHA funded research that led to CPR becoming the gold standard for resuscitation efforts. For forty years, First Aid courses taught a 15-to-2 mix of chest compressions to mouth-to-mouth, then 30-to-2. In 2008, updated research showed that omitting rescue breaths and performing hands-only CPR was equally effective, especially for rescuers with little to no training, so AHA has worked to teach the updated guidelines.

“We determined that Anchorage pretty much does a really good job with hands-only CPR training,” says Goss, whose career included time as an emergency room nurse. “Handsonly CPR training in the remote communities was one we really pushed for, to make sure that everybody

Up Your Frequency to Up Your Game!

By Janis Plume, Senior Account Manager

Advertising is a gear with many cogs—an important one is ad frequency. In simple terms frequency is the number of times your ad is seen. The effectiveness of your advertising is improved exponentially when it is run consistently over multiple insertions.

Consider this analogy: if a nail is struck by a hammer once it barely sticks. In a short time it’ll come loose, fall out, and be forgotten. However, if a nail is hammered several times it will stick with permanence. The same goes for advertising.

Lever Brothers’ Michael Naples takes it a step further with the concept of Effective

Frequency: The first time an ad runs it gets the consumer’s attention, the second insertion allows the reader to understand the product and its benefits. And the third time the ad is seen leads to consumer acceptance or familiarity. (Source: aprs. com.au) Sure, there are times when it makes sense to run an ad only once, like when you have an anniversary or a special event. Sometimes you may find an editorial topic that provides a positive association with your business and the message you want to send. However, in most cases your print advertising is enhanced by multiple insertions over a period of time.

Multiple insertions in your campaign will lead to frequency rate discounts. If your budget allows four ads consider applying

a quarterly approach. If a budget allows six insertions then alternating months is ideal. Besides saving your business money, this approach will give repeat impressions to ensure your audience (our readers) knows about your company and products or services. Ultimately, this leaves the reader with a positive impression of your business, even at a subconscious level… so when they are making a buying decision, you’re top-of-mind.

JANIS PLUME

907-257-2917

janis@akbizmag.com

“We know that heart disease and stroke affect everyone. It’s not just the business of healthcare to ensure that we’re taking care of everyone; it’s a community effort to make sure that everyone understands the warning signs.”

Ella Goss CEO Providence Alaska

understands how to help someone having a cardiac event.”

The AHA’s “Get with the Guidelines” program promotes adherence to research-driven guidelines designed to improve outcomes for stroke, heart failure, resuscitation, atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat, or AFib), and coronary heart disease, and it provides organizational and professional healthcare certifications. The Alaska chapter works with hospitals to implement those guidelines and improve patient care; in August, the AHA recognized six Alaska hospitals for their participation—the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Alaska

Regional Hospital, Central Peninsula Hospital, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, and Providence Alaska Medical Center.

The AHA helped the Bethel Family Clinic roll out self-monitoring blood pressure apparatuses for patients to use at home. The association also continues to advocate for expanded postpartum coverage for Medicaid recipients; the Alaska Legislature passed Senate Bill 58 in 2023 to extend coverage for new mothers from 60 days after giving birth to 12 months, which took effect in October, following US Department of Health and Human Services approval.

Through the Stomach

As evidence grows of the link between poor nutrition and illness and chronic disease, the AHA has become invested in promoting nutrition security, Goss says. It works with organizations like food banks and hospitals to ensure that discussions about food security happen before patients are discharged to ensure access to nutritious food won’t be an issue once they return home.

“We know that people who have serious illnesses, or if they have an operation or some type of procedure in the hospital, may not heal timely and properly if there is poor nutrition,” Goss says. “If there’s no food security, then we look at how can we make sure that we provide them with the right levels of nutrition through the food banks and different community programs to make sure that there is access to the nutrition they need while they convalesce.”

The Alaska Chapter has helped local organizations provide residents with that nutrition. It helped fund the purchase of freeze dryers (which extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables) for the Kenai Peninsula

and Fairbanks Community Food Banks and a refrigerated trailer for Grow North Farm, Catholic Social Services of Anchorage’s community farm.

Not Just Hospitals

Like the national organization, the Alaska chapter’s work isn’t limited to medical facilities, and it has worked to make heart and brain health a community-wide effort.

“Anyone who wants to do something within their facility can have a relationship with the AHA. It’s not just hospitals,” Goss says. “An oil company can call and request training in a certain area. So it has a broad and diverse reach into the community because we know that heart disease and stroke affect everyone. It’s not just the business of healthcare to ensure that we’re taking care of everyone; it’s a community effort to make sure that everyone understands the warning signs, the signs and symptoms of heart disease and stroke.”

That community effort includes bringing the AHA’s message to children. During the 2023/2024 school year, more than sixty Alaska schools participated in the annual Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge, which educates children about healthy living.

All of the AHA’s work, from research to advocacy to outreach, has helped improve the health of Alaskans.

“Alaska has benefited from the work that the AHA has done over the last 100 years,” Goss says. “The amount of research that they have done has helped hospitals have the most updated information, research, devices, and things that are needed to provide preventative care, acute level care when needed for procedures, and post-acute care when people are discharged.”

ADDICTION MEDICINE

PETER DILLON Foundation Health Partners FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

ALLERGY IMMUNOLOGY

ANTHONY BONITATIBUS Foundation Health Partners FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

APRIL ARSENEAU Foundation Health Partners PALMER matsuallergy.com

JEFFREY G. DEMAIN

Allergy Asthma & Immunology Center Of Alaska ANCHORAGE providence.org

ANESTHESIOLOGY

BEN MARVIN

Anesthesia Care Associates Of Alaska PALMER acaofalaska.com

BRIAN LARSON

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center PALMER matsuregional.com

DAVID MOSTELLER

Anesthesia Care Associates Of Alaska PALMER acaofalaska.com

EMILY OLSEN

Denali Anesthesia ANCHORAGE bestanesthesiateam.com

FERNANDO TOVAR

Anesthesia Care Associates Of Alaska PALMER acaofalaska.com

We lcome to the second iteration of the Alaska Business Top Docs, a directory of the best doctors practicing in Alaska as nominated by their peers.

To gather this information, we invited local, licensed doctors to tell us which of their peers they think excel in providing healthcare to Alaskans through an online survey. Once the survey ended, Alaska Business vetted the gathered information through both a third-party and internal verification process to ensure all nominated doctors are currently licensed and practicing in Alaska.

The result is approximately 250 doctors in a variety of fields who have demonstrated their passion for providing quality healthcare to Alaskans. This list is not intended as a directory of doctors that are currently taking patients, though many undoubtedly are. It is instead a way to highlight excellence in the healthcare industry in Alaska.

GREGG K. MOTONAGA

Central Peninsula General Hospital SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

JOHN MORRIS Denali Anesthesia ANCHORAGE bestanesthesiateam.com

JOHN NAYLOR

Anesthesia Care Associates Of Alaska PALMER acaofalaska.com

JOSEPH SEELIG Alpine Surgery Center ANCHORAGE alpinesurgery.com

JUSTIN EVANS

Central Peninsula General Hospital SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

KIPP VOTH

Anesthesia Care Associates Of Alaska PALMER acaofalaska.com

LINDSAY COBB

Central Peninsula General Hospital SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

MEGAN GATLIN

Denali Anesthesia ANCHORAGE bestanesthesiateam.com

NICHOLAS WHITE

Providence Anchorage Anesthesia Medical Group ANCHORAGE paamg.net

PETER LUNOE

Anesthesia Care Associates Of Alaska PALMER acaofalaska.com

SCOTT ROISSING

Anesthesia Care Associates Of Alaska PALMER acaofalaska.com

CARDIOLOGY

GENE QUINN

Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute ANCHORAGE alaskaheart.com

JACOB KELLY

Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute ANCHORAGE alaskaheart.com

ROMEL C. WRENN

Tanana Valley Clinic FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

RYAN J. MCDONOUGH

Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute ANCHORAGE alaskaheart.com

STEVEN COMPTON

Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute ANCHORAGE alaskaheart.com

COLON & RECTAL SURGERY

DANIEL C. ROSSI

Alaska Colorectal Surgery ANCHORAGE akcrs.com

DAVID MORROW

Mat-Su Surgical Associates PALMER matsuregional.com

GARTH W. LECHEMINANT

Mat-Su Surgical Associates PALMER matsuregional.com

JUNE M. GEORGE

Alaska Colorectal Surgery ANCHORAGE akcrs.com

REBECCA K. ROWEN

Alaska Colorectal Surgery ANCHORAGE akcrs.com

DERMATOLOGY

COURTNEY BAGAYOKO

Anchorage Dermatology & Cosmetics ANCHORAGE anchoragedermatology.com

GINA BROWN

Alaska Family Dermatology ANCHORAGE akfamilyderm.com

MICHAEL MICHENER

Alaska Center For Dermatology ANCHORAGE dermalaska.com

PETER EHRNSTROM

Alaska Center For Dermatology ANCHORAGE dermalaska.com

ROBERT MORELAND

Alaska Center For Dermatology ANCHORAGE dermalaska.com

DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY

CHAKRI INAMPUDI

Alaska Radiology Associates ANCHORAGE alaskarad.com

GERALD E. YORK

Alaska Radiology Associates ANCHORAGE alaskarad.com

JEREMIAH STRINGAM

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center PALMER matsuregional.com

JONG LIU

North Star Radiology FAIRBANKS northstarradiology.com

MARC BECK

Alaska Spine Center ANCHORAGE alaskaspinecenter.com

WILLIAM PERRY

Alaska Imaging Associates ANCHORAGE alaskaimaging.com

EMERGENCY MEDICINE

AARON WONNACOTT

Central Peninsula

General Hospital

SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

CHRIS MICKELSON

Central Peninsula

General Hospital

SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

DANIEL F. MINDLIN

Providence Alaska Medical Center

ANCHORAGE providence.org

JARON COOMBS

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center PALMER matsuregional.com

RUSSELL JOHANSON

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center PALMER matsuregional.com

THOMAS QUIMBY

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center PALMER matsuregional.com

ENDOCRINOLOGY DIABETES & METABOLISM

JANICE A. KOVAL

Internal Medicine Associates ANCHORAGE internalmedak.com

MUHAMMAD AHMED Foundation Health Partners FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

PATRICK M. NOLAN Alaska Kidney And Diabetes Association ANCHORAGE providence.org

FAMILY MEDICINE

AMBER FIGUEROA Foundation Health Partners FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

ANTHONY K. LARSON

The Alaska Hospitalist Group ANCHORAGE alaskahospitalist.com

BRYAN DAHMS Capstone Clinic PALMER capstoneclinic.com

CORRINE LEISTIKOW Foundation Health Partners FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

ERIC MIKNICH Primary Care Associates ANCHORAGE primarycareak.com

ERIC TUERS Medical Park Family Care ANCHORAGE mpfcak.com

HALE LOOFBOURROW Primary Care Associates ANCHORAGE primarycareak.com

JANE SIMONO Primary Care Associates ANCHORAGE primarycareak.com

JEFFREY COPELAND Primary Care Associates ANCHORAGE primarycareak.com

JILL E. GASKILL Medical Park Family Care ANCHORAGE mpfcak.com

JOHNNA L. KOHL

Anchorage Bariatrics ANCHORAGE providence.org

JON VAN RAVENSWAAY Mountain View Urgent Care Alaska ANCHORAGE mvucak.com

MATTHEW MADDEN

Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium KLAWOCK searhc.org

NATHANIEL BUFFINGTON Foundation Health Partners FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

ROBERT FINCH

The Alaska Hospitalist Group ANCHORAGE alaskahospitalist.com

STACEY NIEDER

Arete Family Care ANCHORAGE afcak.com

T. NOAH LAUFER

Medical Park Family Care ANCHORAGE mpfcak.com

TARO SATAKE

Providence Primary Care - Midtown ANCHORAGE providence.org

TIMOTHY MILLER

Medical Park Family Care ANCHORAGE mpfcak.com

GASTROENTEROLOGY

AUSTIN T. NELSON

Alaska Digestive & Liver Disease ANCHORAGE alaskagi.com

BILL KIM

Central Peninsula Hospital SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

BRIAN F. SWEENEY JR.

Dr. Brian F. Sweeney Jr. MD ANCHORAGE akgastro.com

DARYL M. MCCLENDON

Alaska Digestive & Liver Disease ANCHORAGE alaskagi.com

DOUGLAS B. HAGHIGHI

Internal Medicine Associates ANCHORAGE internalmedak.com

GERONIMO SAHAGUN

Internal Medicine Associates ANCHORAGE internalmedak.com

JEFFERY W. MOLLOY

Alaska Digestive & Liver Disease ANCHORAGE alaskagi.com

KIMBERLY HOUGHTON

Internal Medicine Associates ANCHORAGE internalmedak.com

MICHELLE RANDOLPH

Dr. Michelle Randolph MD PC ANCHORAGE akgimd.com

PRAVEEN KUMAR ROY

Internal Medicine Associates ANCHORAGE internalmedak.com

GENERAL SURGERY

DANTE M. CONLEY

Tanana Valley Clinic FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

DAVID KING

Central Peninsula Surgical Associates SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

GRANT SEARLES

Anchorage Surgical & Bariatric ANCHORAGE anchoragesurgical.com

JASON A. LATTIN

Central Peninsula Surgical Associates SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

JOHN MUFFOLETTO

Dr. John Muffoletto MD PC ANCHORAGE muffolettosurgeryofexcellence. com

KRISTIN A. FLOWERS

Foundation Health Partners FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

MICHELLE P. THOMAS

Michelle P. Thomas MSc MD FACS ANCHORAGE michellethomasmd.com

SEAN M. LEE

Anchorage Bariatrics ANCHORAGE anchoragebariatrics.com

SHERRY JOHNSON

Anchorage Project Access ANCHORAGE anchorageprojectaccess.org

TODD BOLING

Peninsula Surgical Clinic HOMER peninsulasurgicalclinic.com

GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY

JOANIE MAYER HOPE

Alaska Women’s Cancer Care ANCHORAGE alaskawomenscancercare.com

MELISSA HARDESTY

Alaska Women's Cancer Care ANCHORAGE alaskawomenscancercare.com

THOMAS J. BURKE

Alaska Women’s Cancer Care ANCHORAGE alaskawomenscancercare.com

HAND SURGERY

ALAN SWENSON

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

DANIEL J. CEPELA

Anchorage Clinic & Physical Therapy ANCHORAGE afoc.com

DANN LAUDERMILCH

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska WASILLA opalaska.com

JESSIE JANOWSKI

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

M. PATRICIA FOX

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

MICHAEL MCNAMARA McNamara Hand ANCHORAGE mcnamarahand.com

OWEN L. ALA

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

HEMATOLOGY

ELLEN CHIRICHELLA

Katmai Oncology Group ANCHORAGE katmaioncology.com

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

BENJAMIN P. WESTLEY

Alaska Cardiovascular Associates ANCHORAGE providence.org

JACOB GRAY

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium ANCHORAGE anhc.org

MEGAN J. CLANCY

Providence Alaska Medical Center ANCHORAGE providence.org

INTERNAL MEDICINE

DUSTIN M. LANG

Alaska Hospitalist Group ANCHORAGE alaskahospitalist.com

GAIL POKORNEY

Central Peninsula Internal Medicine

SOLDOTNA peninsulaim.com

HARBIR S. MAKIN

Providence Alaska Medical Center ANCHORAGE providence.org

JOHN BRAMANTE

Central Peninsula Internal Medicine SOLDOTNA peninsulaim.com

KATHY J. HURLBURT

Dr. Kathy J. Hurlburt MD ANCHORAGE kathyhurlburtmd.com

LAURIE MONTANO

Alaska Internal Medicine & Pediatrics ANCHORAGE akimp.com

LORETTA L. LEE

Alaska Family Care Associates ANCHORAGE alaskafamilycare.com

MADELEINE GRANT

Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center ANCHORAGE anhc.org

MANDY GARNETT

The Alaska Hospitalist Group ANCHORAGE alaskahospitalist.com

MEGAN ROOSEN-RUNGE

Central Peninsula Internal Medicine SOLDOTNA peninsulaim.com

MICHELE D. O'FALLON

Alaska Internal Medicine & Pediatrics ANCHORAGE akimp.com

SALLY MANGUM

Foundation Health Partners FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

INTERVENTIONAL

CARDIOLOGY

CARSON WEBB

Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute ANCHORAGE alaskaheart.com

KRZYSZTOF W. BALABAN

Alaska Heart Institute ANCHORAGE alaskaheart.com

RICHARD A. ANSCHUETZ

Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute ANCHORAGE alaskaheart.com

STANLEY WATKINS

Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute ANCHORAGE alaskaheart.com

THOMAS K. KRAMER

Alaska Heart Institute ANCHORAGE alaskaheart.com

MATERNAL & FETAL MEDICINE

CORINNA MULLER

Aurora Maternal Fetal Medicine ANCHORAGE auroramfm.com

JAMES T. BARBER

Providence Alaska Children's Hospital - Maternal-Fetal Medicine ANCHORAGE providence.org

NEPHROLOGY

DAVID M. LEFLER

Nephrology And Hypertension Associates Of Alaska ANCHORAGE providence.org

JEREMY GITOMER

Kidney Hypertension Clinic Alaska ANCHORAGE khcalaska.com

STEFANO EMILI

Aurora Kidney ANCHORAGE aurorakidney.com

NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY

JAMES BALES

Anchorage Neurosurgical Associates ANCHORAGE akneurosurgery.com

JENNIFER D. SOKOLOWSKI

Anchorage Neurosurgical Associates ANCHORAGE alaskaregional.com

LE (LUCY) HE

Anchorage Neurosurgical Associates ANCHORAGE alaskaregional.com

MARIUS MAXWELL

Arctic Surgical Group ANCHORAGE arcticlaserspine.com

RICHARD PERRIN

Coastal Neurology & Neurosurgery ANCHORAGE cnnsalaska.com

SAMUEL WALLER

Coastal Neurology & Neurosurgery ANCHORAGE cnnsalaska.com

SUSANNE FIX

Coastal Neurology & Neurosurgery ANCHORAGE cnnsalaska.com

NEUROLOGY

CHARLES ZAROFF

Alaska Neurology Center ANCHORAGE aknc.com

GRAHAM GLASS

Peak Neurology & Sleep Medicine ANCHORAGE peakneurology.com

MARCI TROXELL

Peak Neurology & Sleep Medicine ANCHORAGE peakneurology.com

ROBERT LADA

Peak Neurology & Sleep Medicine ANCHORAGE peakneurology.com

OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY

ALLISON T. GIBBS

Anchorage Women’s Clinic ANCHORAGE anchoragewomensclinic.com

ANDREA WANG

Alaska Women’s Health ANCHORAGE akwomenshealth.com

CAROLYN

RHENE MERKOURIS

Anchorage OB/GYN ANCHORAGE providence.org

CRAIG HINKLE

Alaska Women’s Health ANCHORAGE akwomenshealth.com

DANA ESPINDOLA

Anchorage Women’s Clinic ANCHORAGE anchoragewomensclinic.com

ELLEN FAUCETT

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center PALMER matsuregional.com

JESSICA L. GOLDBERGER Women's Care Of Alaska ANCHORAGE wcakobgyn.com

JILLIAN WOODRUFF

Modern Gynecology & Skin ANCHORAGE moderngynalaska.com

JOHN R. OLIVER

John R Oliver MD WASILLA johnrolivermd.com

KATIE OSTROM

Katie Ostrom MD LLC HOMER katieostrommd.com

KIMBERLY SCHUMACHER Chena Health FAIRBANKS chenahealth.com

LORI LINDSAY

Central Peninsula Women’s Health SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

MATTHEW LINDEMANN

Borealis L.I.F.E ANCHORAGE borealislife.org

NATALIA SAPRYKINA

Denali OB-GYN Clinic ANCHORAGE denaliobgyn.com

SHERIFAT OPE-ADENUGA

Alaska Women’s Health ANCHORAGE akwomenshealth.com

TANYA PASTERNACK

Denali OB-GYN Clinic ANCHORAGE denaliobgyn.com

THEODORE BARTON

Dr. Barton OB GYN SOLDOTNA drbartonobgyn.com

ONCOLOGY

ANUSIYANTHAN MARIAMPILLAI

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium ANCHORAGE anhc.org

JACQUELINE COX

Fairbanks Cancer Care Physicians FAIRBANKS fairbankscancercare.com

KENDAL WEBB

Alaska Oncology & Hematology ANCHORAGE alaskaoncology.com

MAX RABINOWITZ

Alaska Oncology & Hematology ANCHORAGE alaskaoncology.com

NATALIE WALLACE

Alaska Oncology & Hematology ANCHORAGE alaskaoncology.com

STEVEN LIU

Alaska Oncology & Hematology ANCHORAGE alaskaoncology.com

THEODORE KIM

Katmai Oncology Group ANCHORAGE katmaioncology.com

W. WILLIAM ANDREW COX

Fairbanks Cancer Care Physicians FAIRBANKS fairbankscancercare.com

OPHTHALMOLOGY

CARL E. ROSEN

Ophthalmic Associates ANCHORAGE akeyedoc.com

ERIC W. COULTER

Alaska Lasik & Cataract Center ANCHORAGE alaskalasikcenter.com

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

BRYAN HAUGHOM

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

CHARLES HAGGERTY Pioneer Peak Orthopedic Surgery WASILLA pioneerpeak.com

CHRISTOPHER MANION

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

DERYK ANDERSON

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska WASILLA opalaska.com

ELI POWELL

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

EUGENE CHANG

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

JASON R. GRAY

Alaska Orthopedic Specialists ANCHORAGE akortho.com

JEFF MOORE

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

KURT MENTZER

Alaska Shoulder & Orthopaedic Institute ANCHORAGE akshoulder.com

MARK T. CAYLOR

Alaska Orthopedic Specialists ANCHORAGE akortho.com

MICHAEL REYES

Central Peninsula Bone & Joint Center SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

RABUN FOX

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

THOMAS PAYNTER

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

TYLER W. SMITH

Alaska Orthopedic Specialists ANCHORAGE akortho.com

ORTHOPEDICS

DOUGLAS P. PREVOST

Anchorage Clinic & Physical Therapy ANCHORAGE afoc.com

GREGORY STROHMEYER

Pioneer Peak Orthopedic Surgery WASILLA pioneerpeak.com

MICHAEL MONTANO

Pioneer Peak Orthopedic Surgery WASILLA pioneerpeak.com

TUCKER DRURY

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska WASILLA opalaska.com

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

CHRISTINA MAGILL

Alaska Facial Plastic Surgery & ENT

ANCHORAGE drchristinamagill.com

CHRISTOPHER E. KOWALSKI

Alaska Center For Ear Nose And Throat ANCHORAGE providence.org

E. RITTER SANSONI

Alaska Facial Plastic Surgery & ENT ANCHORAGE afpent.com

JAMES ZIRUL

Peninsula Ear Nose & Throat Clinic KENAI enthealth.org

JENNIFER MITCHELL

ENT Specialists of Alaska ANCHORAGE entspecialistsak.com

MARK B. LORENZ

ENT Specialists of Alaska ANCHORAGE entspecialistsak.com

STEPHEN B. SCHAFFER Resound ENT ANCHORAGE resoundent.com

PAIN MANAGEMENT

BENJAMIN G. EKSTROM

Providence Health & Services ANCHORAGE providence.org

CHRISTOPHER M. GAY

Foundation Health Partners FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

HEATH MCANALLY

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska EAGLE RIVER opalaska.com

LUKE LIU

Neuroversion ANCHORAGE neuroversion.com

SOLOMON PEARCE Central Peninsula General Hospital SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

PATHOLOGY

JESSICA G. ROGERS Cellnetix Pathology PALMER cellnetix.com

PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

CORY V. NOEL

Seattle Children’s Pediatric Cardiology Of Alaska ANCHORAGE seattlechildrens.org

SCOTT WELLMANN

Alaska Children’s Heart Center ANCHORAGE alaskachildheart.com

PEDIATRIC SURGERY

DANIEL BROWN Orthopaedic Research Clinic Alaska ANCHORAGE orcaak.com

J. BRENT ROATEN

Alaska Pediatric Specialties ANCHORAGE alaskapeds.com

PEDIATRICS GENERAL

CARLA CARTAGENA DE JESUS Foundation Health Partners FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

DANIEL TULIP

The Children’s Clinic ANCHORAGE tccpeds.com

JANET SHEN

The Children’s Clinic ANCHORAGE tccpeds.com

MICHELLE B. LAUFER

Providence Medical Group Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic ANCHORAGE providence.org

RACHEL WALDEN

Central Peninsula Family Practice & Pediatrics SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION

ERIK OLSON

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

JARED R. KIRKHAM

Anchorage Clinic & Physical Therapy ANCHORAGE afoc.com

SEAN TAYLOR

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

PLASTIC & RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY

AARON BERHANU

Plastic Surgeons Of Alaska ANCHORAGE plasticsurgeryak.com

DANIEL SUVER

Plastic Surgeons Of Alaska ANCHORAGE plasticsurgeryak.com

JAMES LEE

Plastic Surgeons Of Alaska ANCHORAGE plasticsurgeryak.com

PODIATRY

CHARLES C. EDWARDS

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium ANCHORAGE anhc.org

HEATHER KAUFMAN

Anchorage Foot & Ankle Clinic ANCHORAGE anchoragefootnankle.com

JENNIFER JANSMA

Alaska Foot & Ankle Specialists ANCHORAGE akfootankle.com

KRISTIN KLINGENSTEIN

Alliance Foot And Ankle ANCHORAGE providence.org

MARK SHEARER

Alliance Foot And Ankle ANCHORAGE alaskapodiatry.com

MATT HEILALA

Alaska Foot & Ankle Specialists ANCHORAGE akfootankle.com

REGINA C. FIACCO

Anchorage Clinic & Physical Therapy ANCHORAGE afoc.com

PSYCHIATRY

DANIEL ROHLF

Behavioral Health FAIRBANKS foundationhealth.org

DEBORAH GURIS

Greenbrook TMS Neurohealth Centers ANCHORAGE greenbrooktms.com

PHIL NEUBERGER North Star Behavioral Health System ANCHORAGE

RUTH DUKOFF North Star Behavioral Health System ANCHORAGE

PULMONOLOGY

DENISE M. WURTH

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium ANCHORAGE anhc.org

JOHN M. CLARK

Providence Alaska Medical Center

ANCHORAGE providence.org

JON GRACE

The Alaska Hospitalist Group ANCHORAGE alaskahospitalist.com

MAREK A. MARTYNOWICZ

Providence Alaska Medical Center ANCHORAGE providence.org

RAVINDER SHERGILL

Pulmonary & Sleep Specialists Of Alaska

ANCHORAGE passacare.com

RADIATION ONCOLOGY

AARON S. KUSANO

Anchorage & Valley Radiation Therapy Centers ANCHORAGE alaskaradiationtherapy.com

DANIEL SEIBLE

Anchorage & Valley Radiation Therapy Centers ANCHORAGE alaskaradiationtherapy.com

EWA ZABROCKA

Anchorage & Valley Radiation Therapy Centers ANCHORAGE matsuregional.com

JOHN YORDY

Anchorage & Valley Radiation Therapy Centers

ANCHORAGE alaskaradiationtherapy.com

RADIOLOGY

BRITTANY O’STEEN

Alaska Radiology Associates ANCHORAGE alaskarad.com

DARREN SHIRLEY

Alaska Radiology Associates ANCHORAGE alaskarad.com

ERIC WALLACE

North Star Radiology

FAIRBANKS northstarradiology.com

JESSE J. KINCAID

North Star Radiology FAIRBANKS northstarradiology.com

JORDAN C. ROSS

Radiology Consultants

FAIRBANKS alaskaradiologists.com

KEIR FOWLER

Radiology Consultants FAIRBANKS alaskaradiologists.com

KELLEY L. CLINE

Fairbanks Medical Imaging FAIRBANKS northstarradiology.com

RHEUMATOLOGY

CHRISTINA COPUS

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

JOHN BOTSON

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

RYAN RAGLE

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

SLEEP MEDICINE

CLAY M. TRIPLEHORN

Anchorage Sleep Center ANCHORAGE fairbankssleep.com

KRISTIN MITCHELL

Central Peninsula Internal Medicine SOLDOTNA peninsulaim.com

ROSS DODGE

Peak Neurology & Sleep Medicine ANCHORAGE peakneurology.com

SPINE SURGERY

CURTIS MINA

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska WASILLA opalaska.com

DERRICK A. FOGE

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

GENE FALKOWSKI JR. Orthopedic Physicians Alaska WASILLA opalaska.com

JOHN ANDRESHAK

Central Peninsula Kenai Spine SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

MARK FLANUM

Orthopedic Physicians Alaska ANCHORAGE opalaska.com

S. CRAIG HUMPHREYS

Central Peninsula Kenai Spine SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

SPORTS MEDICINE

SHANE CUMMINGS

Alpine Urgent Care & Sports Medicine ANCHORAGE alpineurgentcare.com

SURGICAL ONCOLOGY

CHARLES PORTERA

Alaska Surgical Oncology ANCHORAGE alaskasurgicaloncology.com

MADHU PRASAD

Far North Surgery And Surgical Oncology ANCHORAGE farnorthsurgery.com

UROLOGY

ANDRE S. GODET

Alaska Urology ANCHORAGE alaskaurology.com

J. WESLEY TURNER

Alaska Urology ANCHORAGE alaskaurology.com

JOSHUA E. LOGAN

Alaska Urology ANCHORAGE alaskaurology.com

ROBERT CADOFF

Central Peninsula Urology SOLDOTNA cpgh.org

ZACHARY POSEY

Alaska Urology ANCHORAGE alaskaurology.com

VASCULAR SURGERY

AARON J. BARNES

Alyeska Vascular Surgery ANCHORAGE avs-ak.com

APRIL RODRIGUEZ

Alyeska Vascular Surgery ANCHORAGE avs-ak.com

PRIYA PATEL

Alyeska Vascular Surgery ANCHORAGE matsuregional.com

ZACHARY J. STEINER

Alyeska Vascular Surgery ANCHORAGE avs-ak.com

The Top Docs are Alaska’s best doctors as nominated by their peers. In July and August, local doctors were invited through an online survey to nominate those that they believe excel in their area of practice. The nominated doctor’s eligibility (must be licensed and practicing in Alaska) was verified through third-party DataJoe Research and an internal verification process. We recognize that there are many excellent doctors who are not shown in this list. This is only a sampling of the array of talented healthcare professionals in the state. Inclusion on the list is based on the opinions of responding doctors in Alaska; inclusion on the list cannot be purchased. We acknowledge that the results of the survey are not an objective metric, and we do not discount that many quality, effective doctors may not appear on this list.

WHAT’S THE LAST SHOW YOU BINGE-WATCHED?

Madhu Prasad, MD, FACS

Far North Surgery & Surgical Oncology

PRACTICE AREAS

• Robotic surgery and surgical oncology

• Hernia surgery: inguinal, abdominal wall, hiatal hernia and GERD

• Gallbladder and bile ducts

• Thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal

• Colorectal surgery

WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?

We lived in Boston for many years, and I always dreamed of running in the Boston Marathon. Unfortunately, I hurt my hip and needed a hip replacement which doused that ambition. Recently a patient inspired me to register for the “4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series”, and we are putting a team of friends together to race in the Namib Race in 2026. It’s a 155 mile footrace “within the oldest desert and the largest dunes in the world” that contestants navigate in seven days. My informants tell me that most people walk, hike, and run to get through it. There’s an old saying “if it doesn’t kill you it makes you stronger”. We will see!!

I really enjoy spy and action movies. The first show that I ever binge-watched was “24.” I was in the Army Reserve for many years and spent much of 2024 on Active Duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Now a group of us meet annually and spend a weekend binge-watching action movies.

WHY DO YOU CHOOSE TO WORK IN ALASKA?

My brother lived in Alaska for many years and became Dean of the Business School at UAA. We would visit frequently in summer and I fell in love with the mountains and hiking and fabulous coffee at Kaladi Brothers and Cafe del Mundo. I don’t need a lot to keep me happy, and mountains and coffee are plenty. My family and I have found Alaskans to be incredibly warm, kind, helpful, and down to earth. One of my favorite memories is parking downtown our first summer here, and a passersby offering to help us “feed the meter.” Even in the smallest ways, people in Alaska are large hearted, welcoming, and always looking to help others.

Flower Power

Ten years of legalized cannabis

By Rachael Kvapil

Dr iving through downtown Fairbanks, it's easy to bypass Nature's Releaf, a local cannabis shop nestled between apartment buildings and smaller home-style retail shops. The green-sided building with its black-pitched roof sits unassumingly with a subtle green and white circular logo of a single cannabis leaf poised over two open hands.

Before the legalization of recreational cannabis in Alaska, Barbara Paschall, owner of Nature's Releaf, purchased the historic downtown property for a different kind of business development. However, when Ballot Measure 2 passed in 2014, her vision for the property changed, and she opened a family-owned cannabis dispensary, venturing later into product cultivation. Owning a business in such a highly regulated industry means Barbara understands the social and economic impact cannabis has made in Alaska during the first decade of legal sales.

Courting Legalization

Entering a cannabis dispensary is much like entering any other retail shop, with the exception that all shoppers must be at least 21 years old and show identification before making

a purchase. Other than that, each cannabis shop carries its own vibe. Some larger, statewide stores make a more clinical presentation, while local places like Nature's Releaf are warmer and more down-to-earth. Manager Karissa Paschall says personalized service is essential to ensure customers receive the products that fit their needs.

On display in cabinets and glass counters are a variety of cannabidiol (CBD) products, concentrates, cannabis flowers, and deli-purchased buds that are weighed out at any amount from glass jars. Purchasing via the deli allows the store to keep buds in a humidity-controlled environment, offer a wider selection, and prevent products from getting crushed, as often happens with prepackaged cannabis.

“We were the first to offer the deli service in Fairbanks,” says Karissa. “It's a testament to the high standards we place on delivering an excellent product to our customers.”

Alaska has a complicated history with recreational cannabis. In 1975, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in Ravin v. State that the privacy protection added to the state constitution in 1972 allowed adults to possess, cultivate, and consume small amounts of marijuana in the home. This ruling became the first and only state or federal court to announce a constitutional

Nature’s Releaf

privacy right that protects some level of marijuana use and possession. Challenges to this ruling followed, though.

In 1990, Alaskan voters approved a ballot initiative recriminalizing marijuana possession; however, in Noy v. State, the Alaska Court of Appeals held that ballot initiatives are subject to the same constitutional limitations as legislative enactments, so the portion of the amended statutes criminalizing possession of less than four ounces of marijuana in the home was unconstitutional. By that time, Ballot Measure 8 had legalized marijuana for medical use in 1998, but initiatives for recreational use failed in 2000 and 2004.

In June 2006, the Alaska Legislature amended the law to prohibit the possession of more than one ounce of marijuana and to make possession of more than one ounce of marijuana a class A misdemeanor. A month later, Juneau Superior Court Judge Patricia Collins struck down the law, ruling it unconstitutional. In April 2009, in a 3-2 ruling, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in State v. American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska to vacate the lower court's ruling, finding that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue in the first place. It wasn't until 2014 that voters approved Ballot Measure 2 to legalize the possession and sale of recreational marijuana, regulating it like alcohol sales.

Tax Facts

As a cannabis retailer that also started cultivating in 2022, Nature's Releaf is well-versed in local and state tax law. Under the City of Fairbanks Ordinance 6172, cannabis retailers within city limits are subject to a 5 percent retail sales tax on all sales of marijuana and marijuana products. A similar 5 percent retail sales tax exists for cannabis retailers within the Fairbanks North Star Borough; however, it exempts retailers within the Fairbanks and North Pole city limits that pay local taxes. North Pole’s is set at 6 percent.

Local and borough sales taxes vary throughout the state. Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough are also set at 5 percent; however, sales within the cities of Palmer, Wasilla, and Houston are partially exempt from borough sales tax by the amount of tax the city separately levies, up to 3 percent of the sales price. Each dispensary is responsible for abiding by marijuana retail sales tax law in their area and any exemptions that may apply.

For cannabis cultivators, a state sales tax is imposed when marijuana is sold or transferred from a grow site to a retail store or manufacturing facility. The state tax rate is $50 per ounce on marijuana bud/flower, $25 per ounce on immature, seedy, or failed marijuana bud/flower, and $15 per ounce on other parts of the marijuana plant (“trim”). Clones are taxed at a flat rate of $1 per marijuana plant. The current

version of the state tax law evolved between 2016 and 2018 through legislation and through regulations by the Alaska Department of Revenue.

“Although the ballot initiative passed in 2014, the first taxable transfers of marijuana didn’t happen until October of 2017,” says Brandon Spanos, deputy director of the department’s Tax Division. “That gave us time to prepare.”

Taxing and Tiring

Barbara has no qualms with the tax rates, but she is perplexed by the challenges of making tax payments. Federally regulated banks cannot accept funds from cannabis businesses because federal law still prohibits the possession, distribution, and sale of the drug. Any bank that attempts to receive funds from the cannabis industry risks criminal liability for "aiding and abetting" a federal crime and money laundering. This has created a cash-and-carry situation where retailers and cultivators must pay taxes via wire transfer, cashier's check, money order, bank check, or cash. Until federal laws change, Automated Clearing House debit payments ordinarily used for electronic funds transfers aren't an option.

“It's difficult, and sometimes you're made to feel like a criminal,” says Barbara. “If you need a money order over $2,000, then you're asked for ID, and they put your name down on a special list. It took some getting used to during the first year.”

Spanos says the most significant hurdle following the approval of Ballot Measure 2 was developing a more efficient way to accept tax payments in cash. Alaska was the third state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, with the other two states already dealing with major issues around cash collection.

Spanos says the division had heard about lines out the door in other states, as taxpayers with cash payments waited to process payments. In Alaska, cultivation operations began the same year the state entered a deficit situation, so the Department of Revenue didn’t receive additional positions or appropriations to stand up the new tax. In fact, the department had to cut positions over the next four years.

“We were literally doing more with less,” says Spanos. “It was a very big lift. And our solution to lines of taxpayers with cash was to install a drop safe for cash payments.”

Spanos says Alaska is the first state to take payment this way. He says it's proven to be an efficient use of state resources. Cultivators can deposit their tax payments in seconds, and Department of Revenue staff can process them in batches.

Pass Around on the Left-Hand Side

State tax revenue on cannabis cultivation increased rapidly from FY2017 to FY2019, peaked at nearly $30 million in FY2022,

and decreased slightly in the following two fiscal years. In FY2024, which ended June 30, state tax revenues were calculated at just more than $27 million.

Revenue collected from the marijuana tax goes into the General Fund. Every month, 50 percent of the marijuana revenue is transferred into the Recidivism Reduction Fund and 25 percent into the Marijuana Education and Treatment Fund. The latter program is patterned on tobacco cessation campaigns, including population surveys, while the former program supports case managers for individuals in the justice system, substance abuse treatment in state prisons, and the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. The Alaska Legislature may also use the annual estimated balance in the fund to make appropriations to the Departments of Corrections, Public Safety, Health, and Family and Community Services for recidivism programs.

While the use of state revenue is clearly spelled out, Barbara wishes local governments were more transparent in how city and borough sales taxes are used.

Bottom Line of Getting High

Alaska is notorious within the legalized cannabis market for having the highest retail prices. Industry tracking site LeafLink puts the average at $2,400 per pound for premium-grade flower, more than $300 more than nextranked Missouri. (Nevada has the cheapest at $691 per pound.)

Taxes influence product prices, and while there are more dispensaries than when Nature’s Releaf first opened in 2018, Barbara says quite a few have closed in recent years. Both Barbara and Karissa suspect that the reason is competition with a resurging illicit market that allows sellers to dodge taxes. This trend led to industry leaders advocating for a change in the state’s marijuana tax system from a per-ounce tax to a sales tax.

House Bill 119 passed in May, replacing the $50 per ounce tax with a 7 percent tax on cannabis sales, which would drop the excise below $12 per ounce (on par with the state tax on a gallon of highproof liquor). Four days later, House members tried a different approach: Representative Jesse Sumner of Palmer offered an amendment to Senate Bill 89,

originally meant to raise the legal smoking age from 19 to 21, that would slash the $50 per ounce tax to $12.50. However, the legislative session ended before the Alaska Senate could finish either bill.

Starting a Sister Industry

Barbara says other policies besides taxes affect the profitability of dispensaries in Alaska. She points to the Industrial Hemp Program, which the Alaska Legislature enacted last year. Through the Alaska Plant Materials Center in Butte, part of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, the program was meant to promote cultivation, production, and marketing of marijuana’s non-drug variety, used for fiber and oil.

However, Barbara has seen some unintentional consequences. She says the application and fee structure for manufacturers and retailers, in and out of state, is cumbersome and expensive and has affected CBD inventory in many retail stores. For instance, manufacturers of industrial hemp products and extracts must pay an annual registration fee of $25 per product unit, and a new

Left: When Nature’s Releaf first opened in 2018, it operated a small retail shop in a historic downtown Fairbanks building. The shop had a single L-shaped counter with additional products lined up deli style.

Right: Nature’s Releaf now operates in a retail space double its former size. The retailer completed the expansion last year, allowing the display of a greater variety of products.

Nature’s Releaf

registration is required yearly for every registered product.

“Paying $25 per item gets expensive fast for a manufacturer,” says Barbara. “And few retail stores have enough employees to spend time completing extensive paperwork and arrange fee payment.”

Furthermore, retailers carrying CBD products must pay an annual registration fee of $100 per store or location and submit a list of products intended for sale, including the product name and brand. She says these are just a few examples of the program's requirements and fee schedule that also applies to the testing, processing, and transporting of hemp products.

The legislature budgeted $375,000 for a pilot program to increase the instate production of industrial hemp, particularly CBD oils that cannabis manufacturers now source from the

Alaska Owned & Operated Since 1979

www.chialaska.com info@chialaska.com

Lower 48. In August, Governor Mike Dunleavy struck the funding out of the budget, saying it was being spent on a non-existent industry.

As CBD inventories have shrunk, Barbara says more people are ordering their products online. She says this workaround allows them to purchase preferred brands, regardless of whether they are quality products.

“That defeats the purpose of the program, which is to contribute to the Alaskan economy,” says Barbara. “It also drives more people to black market sellers or to venues that are selling items that claim to be CBD but aren't.”

Natural Neighbors

Though people have strong opinions about legalized cannabis, Barbara says the downtown Fairbanks community has always been friendly to her company. She says people in nearby apartments

and buildings have appreciated Nature’s Releaf’s efforts to improve the area.

Last year, Nature's Releaf completed an expansion that significantly increased its retail space. The original shop was a single L-shaped counter with select jars on the wall and an additional locked cabinet. The expansion increased the counter and wall space, which allowed Barbara to double the number of products available. In addition to bringing in more cannabis product lines, Nature's Releaf also started offering a small selection of branded clothing.

Barbara expects that cannabis policy will continue to evolve as the public becomes more aware of issues and understands more about the industry.

Ten years from now, the market will have shaken off the early growing pains. At twenty years, the industry will almost be old enough to legally buy its own product.

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10 Years of SB21

Fiscal stability appears to pay off

By Tasha Anderson

Th e Alaska legislature passed Senate Bill 21 in 2013, overhauling the state’s taxation scheme with the More Alaska Production Act. As with any legislation, especially related to taxes or oil, some opposed the act, and a citizen-led initiative to repeal it appeared on the ballot in 2014, putting it to a public vote: keep SB21 in place or repeal it? Alaskans opted to give it a chance, and it has remained in place for ten years.

The decade prior had seen massive swings in Alaska tax law. In 2006, the Petroleum Production Tax on net profits wiped away the previous fifty years of taxing gross value. The following year saw Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share, which kept the net profits tax while increasing progressivity as prices went higher, relying on enhanced credits for new exploration as an incentive for investment. In 2010, lawmakers repealed some restrictions on tax credits and added a new one specifically for Cook Inlet. Within a few years, though, the state was

skimming 45 cents from every dollar of gross wellhead production value, significantly higher than the 30-to40-cent range since the ‘70s. Lower profitability for energy companies, and the risk of scaled-back investment, led policymakers to recalibrate the system one more time.

Real Investments

In 2014, when voters were deliberating whether SB21 was an appropriate tax structure, advocates made the argument that keeping SB21 would make Alaska more attractive as an investment option for oil companies, both because of the tax structure itself and because sticking with a consistent tax policy would create an environment of stability that’s critical for longterm project planning. So did it?

“Yes, investment has increased in the past decade; that is certain,” says Larry Persily, who has extensive experience in oil and gas policy and reporting. “Santos is spending on Pikka; ConocoPhillips is

spending on Willow; Hilcorp is spending to boost production at the operations it purchased from BP. The great unknown is whether exactly the same investments would have occurred if the initiative had passed and SB21 had been repealed.”

As a specific example of that investment, in a 2024 Q3 ConocoPhillips Alaska earnings review release, ConocoPhillips Alaska President Erec Isaacson stated, “Year to date, we’ve invested more than $2 billion in Alaska projects, which surpasses our total 2023 capital expenditures.” He added, “Continued progress on projects like Willow and Nuna… demonstrates the effectiveness of the stable fiscal regime.”

In October, ConocoPhillips Alaska announced the acquisition of Chevron’s interests in Kuparuk and Prudhoe Bay, which will add an estimated 5,000 net barrels of oil equivalent per day to ConocoPhillips Alaska’s portfolio. Isaacson said at the time of the announcement, “This transaction once again demonstrates our investment in the state” and it represents the

Champc

company’s “sustained commitment to Alaska for more than fifty years.”

Hilcorp, another major player on the North Slope, started its operations in Alaska in 2012, also through an acquisition of Chevron assets, albeit in Cook Inlet. It immediately invested approximately $200 million revitalizing its acquired wells. But it was in 2019 that Hilcorp then ramped up its investment in Alaska through the acquisition of BP’s Alaska assets, a massive shakeup that some thought spelled trouble for the oil industry. Bill Popp, who at the time was the President and CEO of the Alaska Economic Development Corporation, said in an op-ed, “This is far from the death knell for Alaska’s oil and gas industry. It’s a transition… Hilcorp didn’t buy this asset to take it down to zero. Hilcorp’s investment is indicative of confidence in its ability to produce additional revenue.”

True to that prediction, Hilcorp has followed the pattern of behavior it established in Cook Inlet, investing in aging infrastructure to increase production. As just one example, by the end of 2020 the company had doubled production at Milne Point to approximately 40,000 barrels of oil per day.

Since 2014, Hilcorp has also partnered with Doyon, Limited for oil and gas exploration in the Yukon Flats; it has continued to bid on new leases in Cook Inlet and was, in fact, the only bidder in the state and federal Cook Inlet areawide lease sales in January 2023; and it has recently entered an agreement with two Japanese companies to study the feasibility storing carbon dioxide emissions from Japan in Alaska’s underground reservoirs.

Under the SB21 tax regime, Oil Search saw the value of investing in Alaska’s North Slope, acquiring in March

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2018 a 25.5 percent interest in the Pikka Unit (and adjacent exploration acreage) and a 37.5 percent interest in the Horseshoe Block at a cost of $400 million. Peter Botten, then-managing director for Oil Search, stated, “The Alaskan interests acquired provide a unique opportunity for Oil Search to participate in a world class, high returning, proven oil province that can add material value to the company.”

Oil Search’s commitment to Pikka carried on through the 2021 acquisition by Santos, and a fresh set of corporate eyes also saw the value of Pikka—but not immediately. Santos’ Alaska President, Bruce Dingeman, stated at the Resource Development Council’s 2023 annual conference, “If you asked our CEO or some of our senior leadership team, when the acquisition occurred, the intent was likely to sell Alaska [assets] or to exit because it really didn’t clearly fit with the company’s portfolio.” However, with further review, their opinion shifted: “What fell into the company’s hands was a shovel-ready project.” Thus Santos, along with partner Repsol, issued a final investment decision—a $2.6 billion investment—for the Pikka project in 2022. Santos spudded its first well at Pikka in 2023 and anticipates first oil in 2026 (if not sooner), adding to other projects that are boosting production on the North Slope.

Production versus Prices

Production on the North Slope has met practical predictions from 2014. As Alaska Department of Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum reported at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association’s annual conference in August, North Slope production peaked in 1988 at 2 million barrels per day and has generally been in decline since. The most recent reversal of that trend was

in 2022 when production increased to 483,000 barrels per day, which was only the fifth increase since 1988.

Production in 2013 averaged 530,000 barrels per day, and the tenyear forecast published after SB21 passed estimated that production from then-currently operating fields would decline to fewer than 300,000 barrels per day, with new oil bringing the total forecast up to approximately 500,000 barrels per day.

“What actually occurred in production in 2023 was 479,830 barrels per day,” Crum said, and that included oil from projects like Greater Mooses Tooth 1 and Greater Mooses Tooth 2, which began production in 2018 and 2021, respectively.

There were some predictions in 2014 that production would hit 1 million barrels per day by 2024; “That was not a promise but an aspirational goal,” Crum explained, “that included production from the Outer Continental Shelf, ANWR, and heavy oil, made while oil prices were booming over $100 per barrel. Let’s be honest, there are no bad ideas for oil projects if oil is consistently over $100 per barrel; we had a twoyear window of very high oil prices that looked ver

Instead, oil prices started to crash by the end of 2014 and have yet to recover. Low prices, Crum said, “really affect production tax; that number is based on where the price sits.”

“The impact of oil price on revenue obscures any impacts or changes in tax regime. It was such a drastic decline in overall price— remember we hit negative for awhile— that it’s hard to actually evaluate the tax regime aspect.”

Thus, while production volume met and in some ways exceeded expectations, low oil prices resulted in lower revenue than was forecast under the SB21 tax regime. As Crum put it, “Low prices have reduced state revenue, company profits, and industry investment.”

Even at lower prices, the amount of money the State of Alaska collects is nothing to sneeze at. According

Your Business. Your Life. Your Team.

to ConocoPhillips Alaska, since 2007 it has paid approximately $45 billion in taxes and royalties, of which approximately $35 billion went directly to the state treasury, and in the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 alone ConocoPhillips incurred $251 million in taxes to the state.

According to Crum, against the general downward trend, the current forecast does expect increased North Slope production. “We see, for the first time in a while, an increase in future production, and it comes from in field development, new projects coming online like Pikka and Willow. We forecast a ten-year increase in production up to 640,000 barrels per day by 2034,” Crum stated. “This is good news.”

Did SB21 Do That?

The general atmosphere on the North Slope is one of high expectations

for increased production; but how much credit is due to SB21? “There is no uncontested formula for determining if the tax changes in SB21 have been successful,” Persily says.

He continues, “I expect that some investments would not have happened… tax rates are among the many factors companies consider in making investment decisions.”

As Crum said, “The impact of oil price on revenue obscures any impacts or changes in tax regime. It was such a drastic decline in overall price— remember we hit negative for awhile— that it’s hard to actually evaluate the tax regime aspect.”

In the face of global commodity prices and other external factors, how much does Alaska’s position on taxes matter?

“Federal lease sales and regulations probably matter more for Alaska’s

future production than moderate changes in state taxes,” Persily says. “Having said that, any massive changes in state taxes would be a factor.”

The state constantly changing its tax structure, as it did multiple times between 2006 and 2013, creates an environment of unpredictability that works against it. Instead, Alaska’s tax regime since 2014 has been one of the few predictable things in the oil industry. In the last decade, oil operators have contended with changes in federal policy, the war between Russia and Ukraine; the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of renewable energy production, a trend toward decarbonization, and massive fluctuations of oil prices. Alaska holding steady in tax policy was at least one island of stability in a decade of massive change, and the result appears to be more oil to prop up Alaska’s coffers.

On the Shoulders of Giants

Mentors develop employees, leaders, and work environments

By Lincoln Garrick

Classically, a mentor is someone who has come before you and done what you want to do. They share their experience and knowledge, and they guide a mentee’s professional and personal development. Mentors can act as role models, teachers, counselors, advisors, sponsors, advocates, and allies. But being an effective mentor is not easy. As the adage states, “a mentor is a compass that guides you without telling you which way to go.”

The concept of mentorship dates to ancient times. Homer's Odyssey provides an early fictional example when Odysseus entrusts his son to a loyal friend named Mentor when he departs for the Trojan War. Spoiler alert: in the story Mentor is actually Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Alaska Native and Indigenous cultures have other examples of mentorship which live on today in the revered roles for Elders, grandparents, godparents, and aunties and uncles. Lived wisdom from ancestors carried through stories, art, dance, music, craft, and in other forms

of remembrance can be a time-honored version of mentorship.

Mentorship Is a Landscape

A singular definition of mentorship is hard to nail down. A 1991 study, Mentoring and Undergraduate Academic Success: A Literature Review , by Maryann Jacobi identified fifteen different definitions with the following shared characteristics:

• Helping the individual grow and accomplish goals using multiple approaches to do so;

• Providing professional and career development support, role modeling, and psychosocial support through planned activities; and

• A relationship that is personal and reciprocal.

Mentorship differs from other forms of training like workshops, seminars, or traditional courses in that it often has no defined curriculum or expected outcomes, and mentorship is generally anchored with a personal relationship. There are many other positive connections that do not quite come up

to the level of mentor, including coach, advisor, guide, and role model. Coaches tend to focus on specific skills or behaviors. Advisors provide general and intermittent counsel. A guide generally has less experience than a mentor. And role models provide an inspirational ideal but often without a personal relationship. Similarly, sponsors and mentors are not synonymous. Both can contribute to personal and professional growth, but their roles differ. Sponsors, typically senior colleagues, actively advocate for the advancement of their protégées. They use their influence to secure high-profile assignments and leverage their political capital to champion and propel their protégées’ careers forward.

The Leadership Research Institute, a global consulting firm, makes the following distinction:

“A mentor might show you where the door is, describe it to you, and support you with advice as you attempt to go through it. In contrast, a sponsor will take you by the hand and walk you through the door. In some cases, the sponsor will even bust down the door for you.”

Prospering from Business Mentorship

The benefits of mentorship on the receiving side are invaluable. By learning from experienced professionals, mentees gain deep industry insights and develop essential skills. Mentors also help mentees build a strong network of connections, provide objective feedback, and boost their confidence and motivation. A mentor can also be a reliable source for letters of recommendation for school, promotion consideration, or a new job search. In these and many other ways, mentorship can play a pivotal role in achieving career goals.

Less obvious are the perks for mentors in this relationship, but they are there. Maddy Stokes, program manager for the Elder Mentor and Senior Companion programs at Rural Alaska Community Action Program, says, “I’ve seen firsthand the connection to community and improved mental health that being a mentor provides. It goes beyond sticking to a schedule and having something to look forward to; mentors get energy and joy from sharing knowledge and experience with the next generation. It is rejuvenating and puts your life into perspective unlike anything else.”

In the most equitable mentorship arrangements, “reverse mentoring” also occurs, which is the senior person learning from the more junior one. This recognizes that there are skill gaps on both sides, and each person can address their weaknesses with the help of the other's strengths.

Organizations can also benefit from mentorship programs since they help develop a resilient team culture, which can adapt to competitive and market challenges. Such programs have the potential to create a pipeline of leaders equipped with

“The

Sue

Manager

McIntosh, Program

Alaska Statewide Mentor Project

Mentorship is generally anchored with a personal relationship. There are many other positive connections that do not quite come up to the level of mentor, including coach, advisor, guide, and role model.

and perspectives to thrive. This can boost employee retention, increase engagement and satisfaction, and positively impact the professional lives of the people in your company.

How to Find a Business Mentor

An early step in finding a mentor should be identifying your needs and goals. What specific areas are you looking for guidance in, and what are your long-term career aspirations? A good mentor can make a huge imprint on your life, but you should first roughly know your strengths, areas for development, and how well you receive feedback. Reflecting on this is a good starting point for your initial conversations with them.

Think about who might be the best fit for you. Consider individuals in your industry who inspire you and have the qualities you wish you had. Prioritize

those that you’ve seen who are willing to collaborate with and value growth in others. A good place to start your search is in your existing professional network: current colleagues, former associates, and professional connections, including from online networking platforms.

The next step is making the ask. A surprising number of people get stuck here. Sure, it can be intimidating, but the worst that can happen is that they say, “No, thank you.” You can put your best foot forward by making a compelling pitch that includes your goals, how the mentor’s experience aligns with yours, and what you hope to accomplish during the relationship. A pro tip is to include how you will both mutually benefit. If they decline, be respectful and ask if they can make a recommendation.

Not Everyone Is Cut Out to Be a Mentor

A bad mentorship relationship often comes down to a mismatched pairing that results in ineffective communication and poor goal clarity, which can stall the development process early. It is also crucial for mentors to maintain confidentiality and protect the trust of their mentees—especially in a state where there are often just one or two degrees of separation. Mentors should avoid forcing their views or agendas, and they should recognize that they are not trying to create clones of themselves. This is often easier said than done.

Mentees might also have to adapt their mentor’s advice and feedback for their particular situation. This code switching, a strategy to alter selfpresentation in different contexts and situations, can be significant when a mentor’s background is remarkably different from their mentee. On the other end of the spectrum, mentors need to

take care and to keep their mentee from developing an unhealthy dependence as part of the growing relationship.

Making the Most of It

It is important to set clear expectations early on, including how often you wish to meet and your preferred meeting methods, which could include face-to-face meetings, video conferencing, or email. Mentees should be willing to take the initiative and come prepared with questions and topics to discuss. Be open to feedback, but understand that you may need to code switch for your particular situation. The strength of a mentorship relationship is that it goes beyond business networking and other forms of training, so be open to building a strong genuine relationship that includes being respectful and appreciative of a mentor’s time and guidance.

Sue McIntosh, program manager for the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project, a mentorship system supporting earlycareer teachers throughout Alaska since 2003, sums it up well: “The best mentorship programs dedicate time to the process, knowing that connection, communication, and collaboration doesn’t just happen. Mentors build on strengths and understand they are not creating copies of themselves but rather supporting the next generation.”

Lincoln Garrick is an assistant professor, MBA director, and alumnus at Alaska Pacific University. He has more than twenty years of experience in the business, marketing, and communications fields providing public affairs and strategy services for national and Alaska organizations.

Lifting Spirits Specialty whiskey (and whisky) at Allocated

By Joseph Jackson

Ui sge beatha . It’s a Scottish Gaelic term meaning “water of life.” Today, it’s known worldwide as whiskey (spelled “whisky” outside of the United States and Ireland).

It’s a drink with a storied history. The credit for the first distilled alcohol likely belongs to the ancient Mesopotamians around 2000 BCE, who used it not as an imbibement but as a perfume. Cultures

like the Greeks and the Chinese made use of distilling technology (probably for medicinal purposes), and by about 1400 CE, some well-traveled Irish monks brought the concepts home and adapted them for their own enjoyment. These days, the water of life is widespread across the world as aqua vitae, akvavit, eau de vie , and whiskey’s descendants: Scotch, bourbon, malt, rye, and good ol’ mountain dew, also

known as moonshine or white lightning.

In July 2023, just over 4,000 years after humanity’s first foray into distilled spirits, entrepreneurs Long Lam and Ylli Ferati opened the doors to their long-schemed Anchorage whiskey shop, Allocated.

Lam and Ferati wanted the shop to become a portal to the history of whiskey and to the varied cultures and places that have made the drink

their own. A wall of Scotch varieties transports shoppers to wind-whipped Scotland; the Australian whisky shelf is like a trip Down Under (albeit to a lush, vineyard region of the Outback). The shop features a robust collection of wines evoking the cobbled walkways of Venice or the grassy plains of Argentina’s Tierra Del Fuego. Within this portal, Lam and Ferati also wanted to provide a haven where customers

could learn to appreciate the fine spirits on display.

In the year-plus that Allocated has been in operation, they’ve achieved both goals. When I first walked in the doors of Lam and Ferati’s shop in Spenard last winter, I was promptly stricken. I wanted about fifteen more eyes to take in the sheer quantity and variety of bottle offerings, and while that should’ve been overwhelming, I was immediately placated by Lam himself shaking my hand and asking, “Want some coffee?”

It was clear that nobody wanted to sell me anything. They wanted to learn my name and help me decipher my preferences. They wanted to talk about whiskey, a subject they are palpably passionate about. When I left perhaps a half hour later, it felt like I’d received a masterclass in Scotch. And I hadn’t bought a thing.

Born from One Barrel

Lam and Ferati share a guiding dictum: whiskey is built on relationships. This is a cornerstone principle of their business, and one that Lam and Ferati first began discussing back in 2019. The two share boundless knowledge of the business and whiskey worlds— Lam from his career as an accountant and financial consultant, Ferati from his immersion as a mixologist and bar manager at his family’s restaurant, Fiori D’Italia—and they wanted to turn that into a bottle shop.

Ferati, by that point, already had some experience in delivering unique spirits. He’d spent years curating an extensive collection of whiskies at Fiori D’Italia, receiving recognition from Whisky Advocate magazine as one of the best bars in the nation. He took it a step further just before the COVID-19 pandemic; he ordered an entire barrel from the vaunted bourbon producer Maker’s Mark, used it in his famous

premium cocktails (much to the delight of his customers), and managed to go through the barrel in two months.

“That’s when the wheels started to turn,” Ferati says. The timing was fortuitous; while whiskies worldwide had suffered a recession of interest near the turn of the 20th century, enthusiasm for high-quality spirits was renewed around 2005. More distilleries currently make whiskey in America (roughly 2,300) than at any time since the late 1800s, says Charles Cowdery, author of multiple books about bourbon. London-based wholesaler Cask Trade reports that Scotland has more than 150 distilleries today, compared to just 81 in the ‘80s. New global offerings, such as Korean whiskies, surged 46 percent in sales in 2022 and are continuing to climb, according to Bloomberg.

Locally speaking, it was clear to Ferati that Alaskan customers wanted not only allocated whiskies—that is, specific selections of rare and/or highdemand spirits, often directly from the producer—but a unique experience when it came to selecting and buying the product as well. This is where Lam came in. He envisioned a shop where customers would feel comfortable and at ease, a place where they could get educated about whiskey and receive a personal touch according to their preferences.

In the summer of 2023, after years of mutterings and discussions, Lam and Ferati united under another crucial philosophy: “Whiskey is meant to be shared.”

Focus on the Customer

In the spirits world, the “X factor” describes a whiskey that’s got something special about it. It may be distillate-driven (empowered and influenced by the original distillation

process), or it may be perfectly aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The fundamentals are all there, but something about it—the X factor—is at once indescribable yet integral to the experience. Maybe it’s the passion of the makers. Though just a year old, Allocated seems to have a similar X factor.

Perhaps it’s the company’s focus on the oh-so clichéd yet entirely indispens able “small things.”

“They add up in the whisky industry,” Lam says.

Allocated is devoted to the details. The shop space is elegantly sophisticated—how could it be anything else with hand-picked spirits adorning the walls?—yet feels like a friendly, small-town diner. Even during subsequent visits, I’m still hit with that same aura of camaraderie that I detected during my first visit: a handshake and the appreciable sense that I’m not being sold to. For any returning customer, there’s a good chance they know your name, and if you’re not, t hey’ll know it soon.

Lam, Ferati, and their staff members Chris and Matt are all experts on all of their products—and they’re not all brown liquor. Allocated offers an array of gins, vodkas, tequilas, wines, beers, and mixers. I once asked for a wine recommendation for my mother-inlaw, and the Allocated team whipped out a well-worn notebook of wine tasting notes to help me make an informed decision. By now the whole crew has my Scotch preferences memorized, too, and they are quick to report any new offerings that m ight suit my palate.

Spirits for All Lam and Ferati’s goal of educating their customers and the general public has remained a mainstay.

Top: The Allocated retail space.

Middle: Allocated's portal to Scotland: the Scotch wall.

The Allocated ownership team: Ylli Ferati nosing a whiskey, with Long Lam looking on.

Allocated routinely offers a variety of tastings, ranging from Korean whisky explorations to rare selecti on dinner pairings.

Lam and Ferati place particular emphasis on opening the world of fine spirits to all. While certain whiskies have been touted as “the rich man’s drink,” Allocated does its best to make it economically accessible, and it encourages historically marginalized groups to participate. In such events, Allocated pairs with a local nonprofit and donates a portion of the proceeds to that organization. Lam and Ferati have also teamed up with institutions like UAA to offer courses in whiskey history, technolog y, and appreciation.

One thing Allocated doesn’t do is “push alcohol,” in the words of Lam and Ferati. They are sensitive to alcohol’s entanglement with abuse and misuse, which can be especially detrimental in a commercial economy driven by quantities and volumes. With Allocated, Lam and Ferati make a conscious effort to oppose this viewpoint and change the paradigm of shopping for whiskies, wines, and other spirits. They consistently advocate for “quality over quantity,” ensuring that whiskey receives the respect it deserves, such as being consumed on joyous occasions with family and friends.

Lam and Ferati do not compromise on their original vision for the business, and they say they have parted ways with distillers who haven’t sh ared the philosophy.

Lam and Ferati have ambitious plans to make sure that Allocated lasts. They want to continue growing their customer base, hosting more tastings and educational events, and even obtaining a sampling endorsement to better connect cust omers to products.

Leave No Trace

Prioritizing sustainability with Adventure Green Alaska

By Vanessa Orr

On e of the biggest reasons people choose to visit Alaska is because of its natural beauty. The pristine environment, variety of wildlife, and gorgeous views attract travelers from all over the world—and so do the tourism companies that hope to share this experience.

Adventure Green Alaska (AGA) recognizes those companies that practice economic, environmental, social, and cultural sustainability with the goal of preserving the land for future generations. Started by a group of volunteers in 2009, AGA came under the management of the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) in 2013.

“The businesses who choose to apply to AGA are particularly mindful of ‘leave no trace,’ good practices around wildlife viewing, and minimizing their environmental footprint as much as they can in day-to-day operations,” explains Jillian Simpson, ATIA president and CEO. “Efforts can range from operating electric vehicles to not using plastic bottles to using sustainable

cleaning products and encouraging guests not to be wasteful.”

Good practices also include respecting Indigenous cultures and supporting the local economy.

“Alaska always has been and always will be an Indigenous place; it is the foundation of who we are as a destination,” says Simpson. “Sustainable tourism businesses work closely with the local Indigenous people in their communities, making sure that the information they provide about their lifestyle and culture is accurate and partnering with them when they can.”

On the business side, local hire is a primary goal, and sustainable businesses work with other businesses in their communities and within Alaska.

“Generally, tourism businesses are already supportive of local economies simply by the nature of what they do, bringing new dollars into the state that get reinvested into communities, spread out through various economic impacts,” says Simpson.

Supporting Sustainable Beliefs

To receive AGA certification, businesses fill out an application and self-audit their sustainability practices. Their answers are submitted to ATIA, which reviews them twice a year. If the business has a high enough score, they are certified as an AGA business, which is good for two years. Applicants do not need to be a member of ATIA to apply.

Certified businesses appear on the AGA website, adventuregreenalaska. org, and are also on the state’s tourism marketing website, TravelAlaska.com, which reaches 3 million consumers.

“In general, consumers are interested and motivated by sustainable travel, and many are looking for businesses that have sustainable practices,” says Simpson. “For the businesses that earn this recognition, this Alaska-based certification has meaning for them. Sustainability is at the core of what they are and what they believe in, and they want to support it.”

Wilderness Lodge & Cabins

Stephanie Millane, owner of Sunny Cove Kayaking, says her company joined because, while it already had some sustainable practices in place, she also knew it had room to grow.

“One of our philosophies is that it is important to introduce people to wild places and for them to understand the importance of wild places,” she says of the company, which offers tours in Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park. “When they get to Alaska, they’re in a truly natural landscape. It’s the perfect place to help them understand why we should protect spaces like this.”

Being Green Is Easy

While kayaking already has a low impact on the environment, Sunny Cove also hosts community cleanups and trail work programs, and it has an incentive structure for staff members to volunteer for local community programs.

“We try to minimize our impact on the locations we visit: dropping off and picking up guests from the same beach every time and cleaning up the beaches even when the mess isn’t our own,” says Millane. “We also eliminated having guests drive to some of our locations, offering pick-up and drop-off, so that fewer vehicles visit these locations.”

According to Kirk Hoessle, president and chief exploration officer of Alaska Wildland Adventures, operating in a low-impact manner has always been important to the company, which started in 1977.

“My first career was in environmental education, and I decided if I was going to do this, I would run a responsible business that treated its employees and the environment well,” he explains. “The more businesses that do this, the better. And if we all band together and support other businesses that want to do things right, it’s good for all of us.”

Alaska Wildland Adventures offers lodge-based, small-scale experiences including rafting, hiking, and kayaking. Hoessle says that by keeping activities low impact, guests can go to the same places for years without degrading the experience or the environment.

In addition to using landfill-friendly or recyclable wrapping materials and cloth bags for guests’ lunches, and consciously making purchases of goods with forethought to pre-cycling as well as reusing and recycling, the company also briefs guests before their trips about how to interact with the land and how to treat wildlife with respect.

“Once they’re here, we share information about the different animals we see and why this habitat is so important to them. Our trips become environmental educational experiences for people on vacation, without them even knowing it,” says Hoessle.

Living in Nature

For Michael and Victoria Rego of Wrangell Mountains Wilderness Lodge, located in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sustainability was already a way of life, so joining AGA seemed like a natural step.

“Because we live in a park that is 100 miles from groceries, we reuse everything we possibly can,” says Michael Rego, noting that they have also updated the lodge with renewable energy sources including solar panels, a wind turbine, and biomass heaters.

“We wanted to make it sustainable because we recognized the value in having visitors come over and over again without taking from the environment,” adds Victoria Rego of the property, which was once a hunting and fishing lodge. “We recognize this area’s incredible scenic value and the opportunity it provides for tranquility,

silence, and reconnection with the natural world. But that only exists when it’s taken care of, when you don’t take anything physical away from it.”

The Regos also work to educate guests on the importance of the tribal lands of the area, sharing ethnographic accounts that the National Park Service published in partnership with local tribal entities.

“Our guests appreciate learning about the areas here that are culturally significant, both in the past and at present,” says Victoria Rego. “There are still active Indigenous groups who use this area, and we make sure to educate guests on areas they would be best to avoid and areas where they can share in what’s made this place so special to the original Athabaskan people.”

Sustaining the Goose

For Howard Carbone, owner of Alaska Nature Guides, making sustainability a priority is not only “the right thing to do,” it’s also good business.

“I learned early on to leave places better than you found them. And if we take care of the places we go, we will continue to attract visitors long into the future,” he says. “We can continue to contribute to a diversified economy, and when we retire, we can pass the business down to our kids. If we don’t, we’ve killed the goose that laid the golden egg.”

The company, which provides guided hikes around Talkeetna and Denali State Park, helps the state park system by doing trail maintenance and picking up litter. Alaska Nature Guides has adopted a section of the Parks Highway for the past twenty years. It also supports the community and local economy by sourcing supplies locally whenever possible and contributing to community organizations.

“We try to improve the place for everyone who uses it—not just

tourists but Alaskans as well,” says Carbone, who worked as a ranger in Denali National Park and Preserve before starting his business.

A Growing Market for Sustainable Tourism

According to the Sustainable Travel Report 2023 from booking.com, which collected responses from more than 33,000 travelers around the world, the majority of those who travel are looking to do so in a more sustainable manner, with approximately 76 percent of respondents hoping to travel sustainably over the next twelve months. The survey also found that many travelers are looking into more ways to reduce their impacts while traveling, from reusing linens to turning off air conditioning in their hotels and other accommodations.

Alaska Wildland Adventures has witnessed the trend firsthand. “The segment of this market has definitely grown; not only does research back it up, but anecdotally we’ve seen our business grow every year from the year before. We let people know our ethics and how we operate, and, if anything, it seems that people are attracted to that,” says Hoessle.

“At first, I was surprised by the research showing how many people wanted to do the right thing, even if that means they need to pay more for sustainable practices,” he adds. “But that information is validated by what I’m experiencing as a business. And that’s a very ripe market we can serve.”

While some travelers seek out sustainable businesses on their own, others work with tour operators that prioritize using sustainable businesses, according to Simpson. “The Alaska experience is very conscience-driven; people are very much aware of the choices they’re making, where they’re going, and the businesses they are working with,” she says. “Travelers are mindful of wanting to support the environment and small businesses that operate sustainably.”

She notes that AGA’s membership reflects this trend. There were 26 certified businesses when ATIA began administering the program; today there are 125.

The Regos, for example, are among the operators working to connect with more travelers who value sustainable options.

“It seems like, for many of our guests, their preferred travel practices align with the idea of being green,” says Michael Rego. “They are already connected with the concepts of recycling, sustainability, and conservation, and they appreciate our efforts in this direction.”

“It’s more than just slapping a green leaf on a printout in a hotel room or asking guests to reuse towels, like some of the bigger hotel chains do,” adds Victoria Rego. “We are conservation-minded in everything that we do.”

A yurt is just part of the low-impact lifestyle inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

Wrangell Mountains Wilderness Lodge & Cabins

Guided hikes out of Talkeetna around Denali State Park observe the Boy Scouts' campsite rule: leave a place cleaner than you found it.

Sarah Ann Loreth | Alaska Nature Guides

Sunny Cove Kayaking makes a point of cleaning the Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords beaches where it guides guests, even if the mess isn't their own.

Sunny Cove Kayaking

The Rewards of Sustainable Travel

As times have changed, so has the cost of becoming a sustainable business. In some cases, sustainability efforts can save tourism businesses money.

“When we first started doing this in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, it cost more to have recycled content for brochures, and you really had to search it out. We did it because it was important to us,” says Hoessle. “Now with the electronic age, we don’t publish brochures; we just get online. We used to send a lot of advance material, and now that’s done digitally. We can reduce costs as well as protect the environment at the same time.”

He adds that with the lodge’s solar array and hydropower, it rarely has to use a gasoline-powered generator for extra power. “We’re running off of renewable resources, which saves us money and time,” he explains. “Every gallon of gas we use has to go many miles to get to this lodge, so we’re saving on fuel and the transportation of fuel. We save money by being environmentally responsible.”

Responsibility sometimes entails keeping tourists away. AGA businesses work to make sure the areas they represent don’t become “over-touristed.”

“We’ve been carefully marketing and are very thoughtful about how much traffic we bring to the area; we want to

maintain and preserve the tranquil aspect of it,” says Victoria Rego. “Denali, on the other side of the range, has been loved to death. Now there are lotteries to access it because there is so much traffic, tour buses, and crowds of people. We don’t want to see that happen here, so we’ve worked with the National Park Service to align our practices to preserve what makes this park special.”

Preserving Alaska’s wilderness helps attract more visitors and employees as well, according to Carbone.

“A lot of businesses have a hard time finding employees, but being part of AGA helps us to attract guides who have a passion for the outdoors and who are responsible and professional people themselves,” he says. “While it’s important that our clients know we are part of AGA, it’s even more important for everyone we work with to know, because it demonstrates that we care about the state we all depend on.”

Carbone says AGA sends a message about what’s important to Alaskans and to visitors. “People come to Alaska not for its museums and cathedrals, but for the wildlife and scenic beauty—the unspoiled nature,” he adds. “They want to know that the businesses they use are helping to take care of that and not detract from it.”

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ISAFETY CORNER

Every Effort Counts

Four elements of an employee misconduct defense

By Sean Dewalt

t happens. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducts an inspection of your company’s workplace and discovers that an employee is not wearing their personal protective equipment (PPE) needed for the job task the worker is performing. The Certified Safety and Health Official discussed the potential hazards that were observed at the closing conference and has made a recommendation as to what citation or citations will be issued.

Three months later, the company receives a violation in the mail from OSHA along with a cover letter noting that a citation is enclosed; a reference to OSHA’s publication Employer Rights and Responsibilities Following an OSHA Inspection; the Citation and Notification of Penalty; the phone number of the area office to request an informal conference; information on how to pay OSHA penalties; a notice to employees of an informal conference that must be posted if an informal conference is requested;

and the Certification of Corrective Action Worksheet that employer uses to show abatement of the alleged hazards. It is quite overwhelming for most employers, especially if one has never dealt with an administration like OSHA.

It can also be discouraging as a business owner when this occurs. After all, you have formal training for workers on wearing the company-issued PPE that includes a written plan, PPE exposure analysis, and a required signature of the safety manual by each worker. You

Slphotography

provided the worker a nice pair of ANSI Z.87-rated safety glasses suitable for the exposure. You even have a supervisor who regularly enforces this common workplace rule and disciplines workers who do not wear the required gear. Unfortunately, that supervisor was in a different location that moment and did not observe the worker without the necessary PPE. The employee was simply caught at the wrong place and time without the necessary (and required) safety gear.

The company is now facing a significant penalty. OSHA recently raised the penalties for serious and other-thanserious violations in 2024 to $16,000 per violation. In addition, the clock has just started ticking, as a company has five days to formally contest the violation—or it stands.

Affirmative Defense

Is there a potential remedy for employers in this situation? The following affirmative defense allowed under administrative law can potentially counter the violation.

The "unpreventable employee misconduct" defense is a legal argument that employers can use to defend themselves against OSHA citations. If an employer successfully proves an affirmative defense, they can be relieved of some or all responsibility for the alleged violation. There are four key points to establish the unpreventable employee misconduct defense in most jurisdictions, and employers must show all the following elements:

• A work rule adequate to prevent the violation

• Effective communication of the rule to employees

• Methods for discovering violations of work rules

• Effective enforcement of rules when violations are discovered

OSHA has strict definitions for this part of the OSHA Act. According to OSHA, a work rule is an employer directive that requires or proscribes certain conduct and that is communicated to employees in such a manner that its mandatory nature is made explicit and its scope clearly understood. This means that an employee should be trained on the work rule before the start of the job task. Verification that the employee understands each work rule is key in this process.

These rules should be part of a formal written safety plan that is part of the onboarding of the worker and should be an appropriate control for the hazard. The worker should sign safety manuals, acknowledging that they have read and understand the plans contained therein.

To pass the “methods for discovering violations of work rules” section, an employer will have to demonstrate that work rules are not just in place but that inspections and routine supervision of safe work practices exist. This is where many companies fail the four-part test.

Prudent inspections and workplace observations should not just be conducted but should be recorded. Each job site should have mandatory pre-work tailgate or safety meetings that are documented. These should include the hazards presented at that worksite for each job task, controls for the hazards that are present, and employee input regarding the workplace. The company should also have a stop-work authority policy to allow for uncontrolled hazards to be mitigated when observed. All workers should be able to recognize and report hazards that are then mitigated and recorded to document the actions taken to reduce the potential risk. These actions could ultimately help prove that

The

“unpreventable employee misconduct” defense is a legal argument that employers can use to defend themselves against OSHA citations. If an employer successfully proves an affirmative defense, they can be relieved of some or all responsibility for the alleged violation.

Using a formalized near-miss reporting and investigation plan is another means of proactive risk management.

By studying the causation of the incident and correcting the hazard, accidents that cause injury can often be mitigated.

the company does seek out isolated misconduct and can help control systemic safety failures in the workplace.

Adequate oversight of work rules has traditionally been a very effective means of reducing worker injury rates because it is active involvement on the jobsite and can prevent occurrences before they happen. Using a formalized near-miss reporting and investigation plan is another means of proactive risk management. By studying the causation of the incident and correcting the hazard, accidents that cause injury can often be mitigated. Be sure to document this process, as that will aid in the argument that this violation was unavoidable.

Diligence and Discipline

Bear in mind OSHA will assess whether a supervisor or company official overlooked a work rule or safety process. According to OSHA’s Field Operations Manual, “the knowledge requirement can be established if there is evidence that the employer could have known of it through the exercise of reasonable diligence.” Certified Safety and Health Officials also attempt to determine the extent to which the supervisor was trained in the rule and supervised regarding compliance to prevent such conduct. The investigator will also attempt to determine whether the employer knew, or with the exercise of reasonable diligence could have known, of the presence of the hazardous condition. Haphazard exposure assessments can poke holes in the company’s attempt at using the affirmative defense.

Implementation of discipline is the final element for those who do not follow the work rules. When workers do not follow established work rules, using a progressive discipline approach for “just cause” is likely the best approach.

Progressive discipline is a process that employers use to improve employee performance and conduct by increasing the severity of consequences for repeated offenses. Regardless of the discipline policy, it should be a formalized and written policy. It should also be consistent and documented every time. This includes any verbal warnings. By using this prudent approach, the company can justify actions in the all-important fourth step of the "unpreventable employee misconduct" defense. It will also help solidify the company’s culture of safety and allow for the solid coaching of workers for improvement on the job.

This affirmative defense is not a silver bullet. It should also be used very sparingly, as it is doubtful this argument could be made over and over. The best methods for avoiding an OSHA violation have always been to have a safe work environment that has good controls for the exposures that are present. Protecting the worker as a primary goal and ensuring that the employees can protect themselves and one another. Everyone wants to go home safely. That should be the outcome.

But things happen. It is good to know how to protect the company when good efforts are made but employees do not do the right thing. OSHA can see that effort was made.

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. This column is intended to be informational and is not intended to be construed as legal advice.

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INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS

Panther Minerals

A state permit lets Vancouverbased Panther Minerals explore for uranium at its Boulder Creek and Fireweed Creek claims northeast of Nome. Uranium in the Koyuk Mining District has been the focus of exploration since the ‘40s. To further define the deposit, Panther Minerals’ five-year plan includes drilling thirty to fifty holes, up to 1,000 feet deep, at eleven different drill pads on state and federal mining claims. The campaign is scheduled from June to September each year, starting in 2025. pantherminerals.ca

Peter Pan Seafood

Rodger May mustered $37.3 million for Peter Pan Seafood facilities in Dillingham, King Cove, and Port Moller, outbidding rival Silver Bay Seafoods by $257,000 at a receivership auction. May’s seafood trading company, along with private investment funds run by Anchorage-based McKinley Management and Los Angelesbased RRG Capital Management, bought Peter Pan in 2020 from a Japanese conglomerate. By 2024, the company suspended operations due to unpaid debt, and fishermen protested May’s intent to buy back the assets. A county judge in Seattle approved the deal, in which May pays $25.3 million in cash, with the balance from $12 million that May previously lent the company. ppsf.com

ConocoPhillips

A $300 million purchase agreement puts Chevron’s 5 percent nonoperating interest in the Kuparuk River Unit and 1.2 percent share of Prudhoe Bay into ConocoPhillips’ portfolio. While Chevron exits the North Slope, ConocoPhillips Alaska consolidates its working interest in Kuparuk to between 94 and 99 percent, and its Prudhoe Bay share increases slightly to 36.5 percent, approximately equal to ExxonMobil’s share. That translates to about

5,000 more barrels of oil equivalent per day for ConocoPhillips Alaska. The deal followed a reported attempt by a smaller Texas-based company, Pontem Energy Capital, to buy the Chevron assets. alaska.conocophillips.com

The Landing Hotel

Local co-owners of The Landing Hotel in Ketchikan sold the business to an Outside real estate firm. The 100-room hotel near the Ketchikan International Airport and the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry Terminal becomes the first Alaska enterprise for Utah-based Philo Ventures, which also owns one property near Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah and another in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The firm hired Ketchikan Visitors Bureau board member Christa Hagan as general manager; Terry Wanzer, who co-owned the hotel for decades, remains involved as an advisor. landinghotel.com

Spruce Root

The Coalition for Green Capital (CGC) made Southeast-based Spruce Root the first network investment in its nationwide green bank. A memorandum of understanding outlines CGC’s commitment to a $10 million line of credit to facilitate Spruce Root’s clean energy projects, such as the transition from diesel generators to electric heat pumps.

The US Environmental Protection Agency awarded CGC $5 billion in seed funding from the National Clean Investment Fund to establish a national network of self-sustaining green lenders. Spruce Root, a nonprofit community development financial institution, is the first to sign a network partner agreement. spruceroot.org

Alaska Village Electric Cooperative

A grant of $2.2 million from the US Department of Energy’s Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs lets Alaska Village

Electric Cooperative upgrade energy systems in the Southwest village of Mekoryuk. Two 200 kW wind turbines will be refurbished, nearly doubling output. The utility will install 540 kWh of battery storage, allowing diesel generators to idle for 3,380 hours per year while also converting excess wind generation to heat, offsetting an estimated 1,900 gallons of heating oil annually. The project, part of the Clean Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands program, is estimated to save $4.7 million over the life of the system. avec.org

Alaska Chamber

Workforce development earns honors for recipients of the Alaska Chamber’s 2024 Premier Business Awards. The Bill Bivin Small Business of the Year award goes to Palmerbased Northern Industrial Training. For a company with more than 100 employees, the Rita Sholton Large Business of the Year award goes to Trident Seafoods, which has grown to more than 6,000 workers at its processing plants since starting in Kodiak more than fifty years ago. The Local Alaska Chamber of Commerce of the Year award goes to the Greater Sitka Chamber of Commerce, and the Ted Stevens Public Service Award goes to Alaska Hospital & Healthcare Association Senior Vice President Jeannie Monk, credited with spearheading initiatives to strengthen the state’s healthcare workforce. The William A. Egan Outstanding Alaskan of the Year award goes to Jeff Cook, a leader in Fairbanks real estate before transitioning to public affairs for ARCO Alaska and MAPCO. A longtime advisor to Alaska Airlines, Cook also led an $88 million expansion at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. alaskachamber.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: Look for exciting updates to Inside Alaska Business in January 2025.

ULTIMATE ALASKAN MACHINE

RIGHT MOVES

Tommy’s Express Car Wash

· The first Alaska location for the Tommy’s Express Car Wash national franchise opened this summer under the management of a US Air Force veteran. Local franchisee Wild Spruce Ventures selected Steven Udall as General Manager in Alaska. Udall is managing the first of eight Tommy’s Express locations planned for Anchorage. Udall returns to Anchorage, having been previously stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in 2010.

Alaska Public Media

· A voice familiar to public radio listeners joined the leadership ranks at Alaska Public Media (AKPM). Lori Townsend was promoted from news director to Chief Editor and Senior Vice President of Journalism, facilitating collaboration within the statewide public radio news network while extending the reach of AKPM’s reporting. Townsend has been a fixture at AKPM for twenty-one years as a reporter and host for Alaska News Nightly. She now manages that operation and the local Anchorage newsroom while hosting Talk of Alaska for radio and Alaska Insight for television.

Goldbelt Heritage Foundation

·Goldbelt Heritage Foundation (GHF) selected Neilgáa Koogéi Taija Revels as Executive Director. Previously a member of the GHF board of directors, Neilgáa Koogéi brings experience from working at the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and the US Bureau of Indian Affairs. Neilgáa Koogéi holds a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies from Portland State University and a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Tlingit & Haida

·The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska hired Ethan Petticrew as Senior Director of Early Education to oversee all early education programs and initiatives. This new position follows Tlingit & Haida’s announcement that it will build two early education campuses on Prince of Wales Island. Born and raised in Wrangell, Petticrew is Unangax̂ and Yeil of the Kiks.adi from Gagaan Hit, and his Tlingit name is Daayoosh. He holds a master’s degree in education and previously served as executive director for Cook Inlet Native Head Start.

Old Harbor Native Corporation

·The village corporation for Old Harbor on the south side of Kodiak Island expanded its senior leadership team by appointing Kristina Woolston as Executive Vice President. In this role, Woolston works alongside Old Harbor Native Corporation CEO Carl Marrs while taking on some of the CEO’s administrative duties. Woolston spent the past five years as external affairs manager at Donlin Gold. She also spent ten years on the leadership team at Chenega Corporation. Woolston was external affairs manager at Quintillion and worked on statewide broadband connectivity with the Rasmuson Foundation.

Sitnasuak Native Corporation

· The former COO of Afognak Native Corporation is taking the same job in Nome. Sitnasuak Native Corporation appointed Matt Thorpe as its COO, Corporate Development, responsible for team building, strategic planning, and shareholder development. Thorpe is credited with building Afognak’s commercial division from zero revenue to more than $112 million annually. He founded Delta Leasing, a vehicle and equipment leasing company now majority owned by Old Harbor Native

RIGHT MOVES IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY NORTHERN AIR CARGO

Neilgáa Koogéi

Petticrew

Thorpe

Udall

Townsend

Corporation, and he served as general manager for Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.

GCI

Two executives join GCI’s leadership team.

· Maureen McCabe Moore was promoted to Senior Vice President & Chief Customer Experience Officer. In this role, Moore reviews the company’s strategy initiatives through the lens of GCI customers. Moore began her career at GCI in 1997 as an advertising manager and was promoted to vice president of consumer services. A graduate of Georgetown University with a degree in business administration, Moore also serves as the executive sponsor of GCI’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.

· GCI selected Moira Smith as Senior Vice President Law and Chief Administrative Officer. Smith most recently served as general counsel for ENSTAR Natural Gas Company since 2012. In her new role, Smith directs GCI’s state and federal external affairs strategy, leads the company’s HR department, and oversees legal and compliance functions.

A graduate of Juneau-Douglas High School, Smith completed undergraduate studies at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and earned her JD from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

RSA Engineering

Promotions at RSA Engineering augment the mechanical and electrical consulting team in Anchorage, serving clients throughout Alaska, the Lower 48, and Antarctica.

· Jeremy Maxie is promoted to Principal Electrical Engineer. Maxie, who has been with RSA for fourteen years, now provides principal-level oversight and leadership while managing his own projects. Maxie specializes in designs for security, door access, video/camera, and fire alarms.

A licensed professional engineer, Maxie holds a certification from Registered Communications Distribution Designers.

· Evan Mathers is now a Senior Mechanical Engineer at RSA, responsible for leading project design as well as managing staff assigned to his projects. A licensed professional engineer, Mathers joined RSA in 2021 with six years of previous experience. His background includes HVAC and plumbing consulting, manufacturing experience, and programming and coding knowledge.

· AJ Schirack is promoted to Associate Principal Mechanical Engineer, leading the mechanical engineering department while overseeing his own projects. With a decade of dedicated service, Schirack

has demonstrated a reputation for exceptional skill and leadership.

· Steven Bassler received a promotion to Senior Engineer, taking on greater responsibilities such as overseeing key projects and developing strong client relationships. A licensed professional engineer with eight years of experience, Bassler brings extensive infrastructure experience as well as engineering experience from all over Alaska.

·Frank Silberer successfully passed the Professional Engineering exam, becoming a licensed professional engineer and earning a promotion to Project Engineer. With ten years of experience, Silberer has been instrumental in delivering innovative electrical engineering solutions.

HDR

· An engineer at the Anchorage office of Nebraska-based architecture, engineering, and construction firm HDR is now in charge of its global highways program. Matt Stone was named Technical Leader, overseeing more than a thousand highway professionals across North America, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and Australia. Stone earned his degree from UAF and is a registered professional engineer in both civil and environmental design. He began his career in the US Army as an engineer officer.

Moore

Smith

Mathers

Bassler

Silberer

Stone

Maxie

Schirack

ALASKA TRENDS

Like clockwork, the Alaska Department of Revenue publishes its report and forecast on the state’s income sources twice a year, in spring and fall. Data in these reports are the public’s most essential indicators of the state government’s fiscal health. Because of the vast reliance on petroleum revenue, the upshot of the forecast is how much tax the State of Alaska expects to collect at a given oil price and production volume. The department is preparing the latest edition this month, in advance of the next legislative session.

The public policy aspect of the oil and gas industry is generally outside the purview of Alaska Business, but the decennial check-in with the tax regime established by Senate Bill 21 in 2013 (and upheld by voters in 2014) affords an opportunity to examine this interface between government and industry.

At the annual Alaska Oil & Gas Association conference in August, Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum presented a slideshow called “A Decade of Stable Oil Production.” The title served as a reminder that the tooth-and-nail battles over oil taxation that grabbed so much attention in Alaska political circles starting in 2002, when global oil prices surged, had calmed to a background hum after the price retreat in 2014. The last decade has been comparatively quiet. The "dog that didn't bark" has been easy to ignore.

Crum’s presentation relied on the spring 2024 forecast, the most current available at press time. This edition of Alaska Trends illustrates production and taxation from the last decade and projecting for the next, as revenue declines while new production comes from federal lands with a smaller cut for the state. Fill ‘er up with fiscal facts!

SOURCES: “A Decade of Stable Oil Production” by Alaska Department of Revenue, August 28, 2024, and Alaska Department of Revenue - Tax Division

$15.5 Billion

Total State Revenues, FY2023

25% Petroleum

North Slope Oil

What book is currently on your nightstand?

The Naked Don’t Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees by Matthieu Aikins.

What charity or cause are you passionate about?

Lots. Homelessness is something that is an area of great concern [as well as heart disease and cancers].

What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?

Put on my comfy clothes and wash my face. Then I typically sit with my husband to have dinner, and we watch the evening news.

What vacation spot is on your bucket list?

One of those huts over the ocean, either in Tahiti or the Maldives.

If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?

Elephants are pretty cool. Dolphins. Orcas. That’s a tough one.

by Kerry Tasker

Photos

Ella Goss OFF THE CUFF

Up she goes, ascending the switchback path.

Reflecting on opportunities in healthcare careers, Ella Goss says, “I’m the poster child for coming in as a frontline nurse and now overseeing the entire Providence Alaska region.”

The CEO began her climb in Newfoundland, where she grew up. “I have the ability to have my foot in both worlds,” she says of her Canadian citizenship. She and her American husband have discussed getting naturalized, but for now, “I’m a proud green card carrier.”

Seeking the American “county hospital” experience, Goss found her way to Kotzebue. She worked in emergency medicine in Anchorage and then joined the flight team. “It’s kind of the top of the food chain for nursing,” she says, because of the relative autonomy.

But she gravitated toward administration.

“I love, love patient care,” Goss says, but “I didn’t just want to be at the bedside; I wanted to have a voice in decisions.”

She takes very seriously her role as the first woman, and the first nurse, to lead the state’s largest private employer since its founders, the Sisters of Providence—an order of nuns from, as it happens, eastern Canada.

Alaska Business: What do you do in your free time?

Ella Goss: I really love to hike or run… When I’m not doing that, if there’s an opportunity for fishing or RVing, I do that.

AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?

Goss: Some sort of dancing, like salsa or ballroom… To be able to, at a gala, be like [snaps fingers], “Look at what we can do!”

AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?

Goss: I don’t know if this is daring, but we just did a jetski tour out to Blackstone Glacier… [From Whittier] you go 25 miles out on a jetski to the glaciers… I had the most fun riding up a wave and crashing down.

AB: What are you superstitious about?

Goss: Never walk in the emergency room and say, “Oh, it’s quiet in here.” Never.

AB: What’s your favori

Goss: Little Italy on 88th.

AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert?

Goss: Tom Petty.

AB: What’s your greatest extravagance?

Goss: I’m at a point in my life where, if I want to drink a really good bottle of wine, I will buy a really good bottle of wine… I’m a true Cabernet person… At our house, white is for when there’s no more red.

AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?

Goss: I think that I have the ability to make whoever I’m standing in front of feel very important and very valued… [But] when someone brings me a problem, I go to the problem solving, thinking, “Oh, I’ve done this before.”

ADVERTISERS INDEX

Airport Equipment Rentals 103 airportequipmentrentals.com

Alasconnect 45 alasconnect.com

Alaska Mergers & Acquisitions, LLC 49

Alaska Pacific University 21 alaskapacific.edu

Alaska School Activities Association 31 asaa.org

American Heart Association 27 heart.org

Anchorage Convention Centers 79 anchorageconventioncenters.com

Bristol Bay Native Corporation ................... 33 bbnc.net

City of Valdez 85 valdezak.gov

Conrad-Houston Insurance Agency 73 chialaska.com

Construction Machinery Industrial 2 cmiak.com

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge Inc 85 cookinlettug.com

Craig Taylor Equipment............................... 95 craigtaylorequipment.com

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP ......................... 93 dwt.com

Denali Commercial 9 denalicommercial.com

Denali Industrial Supply 107 denali-industrial.com

Doyon, Limited 29 doyon.com

Far North Surgery And Surgical Oncology .. 69 farnorthsurgery.com

First National Bank Alaska............................. 5 fnbalaska.com

Foundation Health PartnersPain Treatment Clinic 68 foundationhealth.org/services/clinics_centers/ specialty_care/pain

GCI .......................................................... 7, 53 gci.com

Lennon Crane and Equipment Company 75 lennoncrane.com

LifeMed Alaska 51 lifemedalaska.com Lynden 104 lynden.com

Manley Brautigam Bankston P.C ................. 76 mb-lawyers.com

Material Flow & Conveyor Systems, Inc. 77 materialflow.com

MICROCOM. 3 microcom.tv Nenana Heating Services, Inc 29 nenanaheatingservicesinc.com

Star Behavioral Health System ... 35, 41 northstarbehavioral.com

Air Cargo

nac.aero

Bank 15 northrim.com

ALASKA’S

southcentralfoundation.com