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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2023 | VOLUME 39 | NUMBER 9 | AKBIZMAG.COM
10 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
18 TELECOM & TECH
Interest in private security firms steadily increasing
GCI brings the gold standard of internet connectivity to Unalaska
GCI
FE AT UR E S AU-Aleutians Fiber Project
Professional Protection
By Tracy Barbour
By Vanessa Orr
74 TOURISM
Off the Tourist Track
Remote destinations for true Alaska explorers By Rachael Kvapil
82 MAP OF UTQIAĠVIK 84 NALUKATAQ PHOTO ESSAY 98 SMALL BUSINESS
Buy Alaskan? How about Shop Shareholders
Directories promote and connect Nativeowned businesses
90 RETAIL Rural Retail
Stocking shelves in far-flung communities By Gretchen Wehmhoff
Alaska Commercial Co.
By Rindi White
104 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Readying the Next Generation
Tribal support for Southeast workers
118 CONSTRUCTION
Looking Out for the Future
Chugach Naswik project reshapes housing in Valdez
By Alexandra Kay
By Rindi White
110 ENVIRONMENTAL
122 OIL & GAS
Alaska Native corporations receive EPA brownfield grants
Results for the North Slope, Beaufort Sea, and Cook Inlet areas
Clearing the Field By Terri Marshall
Update on Areawide Lease Sales By Tasha Anderson
QUICK READS 8 FROM THE EDITOR 126 INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS 4 | September 2023
128 RIGHT MOVES 130 ALASKA TRENDS
34 OFF THE CUFF
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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2023 | VOLUME 39 | NUMBER 9 | AKBIZMAG.COM
SPECIAL SEC TION: AL A SK A NATIVE Monica Whit t
36 ANCSA REGIONAL CORPORATION REVIEW By Tasha Anderson
48 A PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Organization names as lessons in Alaska Native languages By Scott Rhode
56 FIVE LEFT OUT
A generational fight for Southeast land claims By Vanessa Orr
66 NORTH SLOPE MARKETPLACE Boot camp for Arctic entrepreneurs By Scott Rhode
28 FAR MORE THAN A BUSINESS Koniag’s future focus with centuries-old ancestral ties By Elwood Brehmer
ABOUT THE COVER Ron Unger has been chairman and CEO of Koniag—the Alaska Native corporation for the Kodiak Island region—for only four years, yet he’s already joking about retirement. He expects someone like Kailer Hegna or Keelin Rice, both young Koniag shareholders, will take his place someday. This summer, Hegna has been an intern at Afognak, the corporation for his mother ’s home village, but he
benefits from Koniag’s college scholarship program. So does Rice, studying pre-law at Willamette University when she’s not interning at Koniag’s Anchorage headquarters. A scholarship from Koniag helped Unger, too, when he completed his MBA. As he says in this month’s cover story, Native corporations focus on the future by empowering youth to be leaders and by building on the wisdom of elders.
Cover photo by Monica Whit t
Alaska Business (ISSN 8756-4092) is published monthly by Alaska Business Publishing Co., Inc. 501 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 100, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-2577; Telephone: (907) 276-4373. © 2023 Alaska Business Publishing Co. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Alaska Business accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials; they will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. One-year subscription is $39.95 and includes twelve issues (print + digital) and the annual Power List. Single issues of the Power List are $15 each. Single issues of Alaska Business are $4.99 each; $5.99 for the August & October issues. Send subscription orders and address changes to circulation@akbizmag.com. To order back issues ($9.99 each including postage) visit simplecirc.com/back_issues/alaska-business.
6 | September 2023
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FROM THE EDITOR Some of our eagle-eyed readers may notice a change in the magazine this month. We have adopted a new body font for the magazine. In the past when we have refreshed our design, it was generally to keep pace with the aesthetics of the time. Some may remember that our color choice was quite bold after the magazine switched from a black and white print to full color. At the time, many in the industry celebrated color through using it wherever and however possible, an exuberant use of pigment that to the modern eye can read as garish. Things changed, and so did our design. While we do think the new font is attractive, Art Director Monica Sterchi-Lowman selected it not just for its look but to address a challenge she’s been wrestling with for several years. We have been covering Alaska Native corporations as an industry annually since September 1997, when we published the “1997 Native Corp. Review.” It featured interviews with executives of CIRI, The Aleut Corporation, Chugach Alaska Corporation, and ASRC, as well as a directory that included the Thirteenth Regional Corporation (which reported five employees, 5,500 shareholders, and FY95 gross revenue of $8.9 million). As ANCSA and other Native-directed organizations have grown and transformed, so has our coverage of them. They have expanded far beyond the state and the early industries that they invested in. Increasingly over the years, there has been a movement among Alaska Natives to embrace their traditional languages and names, and we’re fortunate that they have shared their joy for their languages with their Alaskan neighbors. One well-known example was the North Slope community of Barrow choosing to go by the name Utqiaġvik. Note the diacritic overdot above the “g.” Some may wonder: how does one type this character? Fortunately, it’s a common enough special character that popular typing and editing programs list it as an option. However, Alaska’s traditional languages often use a variety of diacritics, many of which are not included as an option in all fonts and word processing programs. More than once, Sterchi-Lowman has spent crucial time right before our print deadline hand-drawing diacritics to make sure our representation of Alaska Native words is as accurate as it can be. For this issue she took a new approach, and we have officially adopted Noto as our new body font. Noto is short for No Tofu; “tofu” refers to the blank boxes, often with Xs in them, that appear in text when a program or font family does not include a character that can accurately represent what should be written in that space. Noto includes fonts for “nearly all of the world’s writing systems,” according to its developers, "from Latin, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, and all Indic scripts, to Egyptian hieroglyphs and emoji.” Noto offers hundreds of styles, forming “a modular, flexible typographic system—for designers, writers, publishers, advertisers, software makers, students, and scholars everywhere.” Sterchi-Lowman carefully reviewed our font options, presenting pages and pages of special characters to the editorial team and asking if any characters were missing that we know we need. All of the special characters that we use when we represent, to the best of our ability, the priceless traditional languages of Alaska seem to be present in Noto—and that is beautiful.
VOLUME 39, #9 EDITORIAL Managing Editor Tasha Anderson 907-257-2907 tanderson@akbizmag.com
Editor/Staff Writer Scott Rhode srhode@akbizmag.com
Editorial Assistant Emily Olsen emily@akbizmag.com
PRODUCTION Art Director Monica Sterchi-Lowman 907-257-2916 design@akbizmag.com
Design & Art Production Fulvia Caldei Lowe production@akbizmag.com
Web Manager Patricia Morales patricia@akbizmag.com
SALES VP Sales & Marketing Charles Bell 907-257-2909 cbell@akbizmag.com
Senior Account Manager Janis J. Plume 907-257-2917 janis@akbizmag.com
Senior Account Manager Christine Merki 907-257-2911 cmerki@akbizmag.com
Marketing Assistant Tiffany Whited 907-257-2910 tiffany@akbizmag.com
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8 | September 2023
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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Professional G Protection Interest in private security firms steadily increasing By Vanessa Orr 10 | September 2023
uarding the lobby of an office building. Watching the entrance gates at a conference venue. P a t ro l l i n g a f a i rg ro u n d , h e a d o n a s w i v e l . Responding in the dark of night to a burglar alarm. Monitoring camera feeds from a remote panopticon. Private security takes many forms, and providers have many tools to protect clients’ assets. According to Gitnux Market Data, more than 1 million security guards were employed nationwide in 2020, and revenues from contract security services totaled around $41 billion. Demand for these services is projected to reach nearly $46.2 billion in North America by 2024. In Alaska, demand is growing as well. “What’s happening in the country in general—with active shootings, defunding police activism, and more—has increased interest in the demand for private security as a result,” says Denali Universal Services (DUS) President and
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CEO Maria Bourne. “We’ve definitely seen an increase in activity due to larger social changes.” Established in the ‘80s, DUS has grown from a small business in Anchorage to a full-service security company that also operates in W a s h i n g t o n , Te x a s , L o u i s i a n a , Oklahoma, Indiana, and elsewhere. In Alaska, the company works in facility management on the North Slope, in addition to providing security services. “ We provide security for a lot of d i f f e re n t i n d u s t r i e s ra n g i n g f ro m upstream and downstream oil and gas to hospitals, schools, corporate services, sports and leisure, tourism, www.akbizmag.com
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September 2023 | 11
local and federal government entities, and more,” Bourne says. Depending on a client’s needs, DUS provides armed or unarmed security officers as well as technological solutions. “We make sure that they work together and augment one another,” says Bourne. Onsite security may be combined with closed-circuit cameras and artificial intelligence options that utilize facial recognition technology and help provide threat analysis. The company also provides emergency response and industrial fire services.
Hall Monitors
Worldwide, about 40 percent of contract security officers are armed, while 60 percent are unarmed. The weapon drawn most often is the skill of de-escalation. Denali Universal Ser vices
Company leaders at Denali Universal Services don’t just sit at headquarters; they are part of field teams, along with a “relationships manager” who interfaces with the client. Denali Universal Ser vices
“There’s a stigma in the industry that security is just a body at the gate… If you’re only looking for a low-cost provider that pays a low wage and makes no investment in training, leadership, and skills, then you’ll get what you pay for.” Maria Bourne, President and CEO, Denali Universal Services
12 | September 2023
Another provider in Alaska, Security Services Northwest, Inc. (SSNW), was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Sequim, Washington. Services for c u s t o m e r s a l o n g t h e We s t C o a s t include armed and unarmed security officers, patrols, and maritime security. SSNW also provides canine services. “This is a great force multiplier,” says P re s i d e n t a n d C E O J o e D ’A m i c o . “Instead of hiring four or five officers, a company can hire an officer and a dog.” He notes that there is a three-month lead time on this service, as training is required at a higher level. In Alaska, SSNW provides services to the legislative building in Anchorage, Nordstrom Rack, and numerous retail locations. “We also do a lot of temporary work; for example, when a building collapsed last winter with loss of life, we provided security to maintain the integrity of the site,” says D’Amico. “We recently did a funeral for a family up near Wasilla, and we provided security at the Tanana Valley State Fair in Fairbanks and the World EskimoIndian Olympics.” During the COVID-19 lockdown, the company was especially busy securing whole floors of hotel rooms to make s u re t h a t f i s h i n g c rew s re m a i n e d in quarantine. “The crews were not allowed to commingle, and they had to stay in their rooms,” says D’A mico. “We had never imagined doing something like that in a security capacity; we felt like hall monitors.” It was an especially trying time because at the beginning of the pandemic, no one knew quite what to expect, according to D’Amico. “It took some brave officers to work in quarantine areas in Seattle and Alaska,
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which we did over multiple years,” he says. While the pandemic may be waning, unfortunately danger remains. Part of SSNW’s temporary work includes preventing workplace violence. “A company might have had a bad termination, and the person made a threat. Or a person gets upset when t h e i r u n e m p l oy m e n t b e n e f i t s a re denied, or there’s a family issue at a child welfare agency,” says D’Amico. “Unfortunately, over the forty-plus years I’ve been doing this, I’ve noticed that things have gotten much more hostile within the workplace and government agencies.”
“Unfortunately, over the forty-plus years I’ve been doing this, I’ve noticed that things have gotten much more hostile within the workplace and government agencies.” Joe D’Amico, President and CEO, Security Services Northwest, Inc.
Taking Responsibility
While some businesses may have their own security—for example, retail stores that employ loss prevention staff—there are numerous reasons to work with outside security firms. “ O n c e w e p rov i d e a n o f f i c e r, i t g o e s a g a i n s t u s a n d o u r g e n e ra l liability policy if something happens,” says D’Amico. “Especially if you are employing armed security, you need to make sure that they have the training and expertise to be there so that you are covered in a lawsuit.” He adds that high turnover makes recruitment a burden. “Some companies spend six months training a person, and then they leave, and they have to hire someone new and start all over. It’s a lot easier to just pick up the phone and say that you need an officer on-site in the next two hours,” D’Amico says. For those worried about the cost of on-premise security, remote monitoring could also be an option. “It costs less to have one person watching twenty properties remotely than it does to have one officer working on site,” says D’Amico. “We’re trying to use technology to mitigate the cost of security.” Questions a business should ask before employing a security vendor include their length of time in business, places worked, and liability coverage. “While the state may only require $300,000 to $500,000 in liability c ov e ra g e ( d e p e n d i n g o n i f y o u ’re hiring armed or unarmed officers), you would want $1 million to $5 million in coverage,” says D’A mico. “If a company doesn’t have at least $1 million in www.akbizmag.com
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liability, you shouldn’t employ them. This separates the men from the boys.” He adds that prospective clients should ask for at least three references, a copy of the company’s Alaska security control license, and a cover sheet showing policy limits. “You should also see if you can talk to someone immediately because that’s an indication of the level of service you may get from the provider,” he says. “We have a 24-hour command center owned and operated by us so that when calls come in for service, they are transferred immediately to my cell or the vice-president’s cell. A lot of times, security needs are time sensitive.”
With clients that include ports, industrial complexes, and other critical infrastructure, Denali Universal Services is careful to screen its personnel. New hires get a trial run during a six-month orientation period. Denali Universal Ser vices
A Body at the Gate
The talent pool for private security includes military and law enforcement veterans. Statemandated trainings for security agencies build on recruits’ previous experience. Denali Universal Ser vices
“It costs less to have one person watching twenty properties remotely than it does to have one officer working on site… We’re trying to use technology to mitigate the cost of security.” Joe D’Amico, President and CEO, Security Services Northwest, Inc.
14 | September 2023
While many companies put off hiring security until something bad happens, D’A mico says it’s better to be proactive than reactive. He suggests doing simple preventative measures like improving lighting and fencing and networking with neighbors to stay aware of anything suspicious. “Even if you think you can’t afford to hire a full-time firm, you can hire someone to come out eight hours a week randomly just to have a presence,” he says. “In many cases, you don’t have to have security eight hours a night, seven days a week.” Bourne adds that clients should always ask about officer training, as well as what type of support is provided by the company: “Do they have solid processes to find, interview, and train new employees? And can they readily support your operation, or is it a rotating door every other week?” She notes that a company ’s leadership is important, as is the chain of command. “There’s a stigma in the industry that security is just a body at the gate, and some companies don’t understand the value of having the right person in place,” says Bourne. “If you’re only looking for a low-cost provider that pays a low wage and makes no investment in training, leadership, and skills, then you’ll get what you pay for.”
Who Wears the Badge?
On a global scale, manned guarding remains the most dominant segment of private security services, with 40 percent of the market (or an estimated
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“Verbal judo” is an established technique to “defuse confrontations and generate cooperation” (according to the 1993 textbook) that SSNW uses at sites it protects, including the Alaska Legislature’s offices in Spenard. Securit y Ser vices Nor thwes t, Inc.
20 million people employed worldwide) carrying weapons, according to Gitnux Market Data. Roughly 60 percent of security officer positions are unarmed. That’s only the private sector; police forces are a different animal, yet police draw from a similar talent pool with the added perk of training academies. Private security can tap into that career track, however. “When we hire, we try to find people who have either military experience or law enforcement experience, such as reserve police officers, Coast Guard officers or Army veterans, or someone who has had at least five years of previous security experience, and we build on that,” says D’Amico. Each state has their own mandated security training requirements that include background checks and a specified amount of training, though some security companies go above and beyond. SSNW started its own academy as a pilot program two years ago, which provides training in use of force, “verbal judo,” and more. “ We believe that this program is helping us to produce higher quality officers, and we’re planning to use 16 | September 2023
this same model in other states,” says D’Amico.
Watching the Watchmen
DUS, because of its clientele, is very selective in its hiring process. “We made a decision when envisioning the future of DUS that we would serve critical infrastructure— industrial complexes, aerospace, ports, et cetera—and that requires that we hire people with good judgement and greater experience,” says Bourne. “People must come to the table with certain skills.” DUS’ rigorous recruitment process includes background checks, behavioral assessments, and in-person interviews, and every employee goes through a six-month orientation period to determine if they are the right fit for the team and can do the job safely and effectively. The company also invests in ongoing training that includes tactical firearms, de-escalation scenarios, techniques of arrest, and more. The entire workforce also goes through an annual refresher course. In addition, DUS provides leadership training, not just for managers but for
those up-and-coming in the field. “We want to provide our people with the opportunity to get leadership training and customer service training, so that they can interact with clients and the public, as well as whatever job-specific training is required by the industries in which they work,” says Bourne. S h e n o t e s t h a t t h e c o m p a n y ’s handpicked leaders are not all in the c o m p a n y ’s h e a d q u a r t e r s b u t a l s o s e r v e a s f ro n t - l i n e s u p e r v i s o r s i n the field, working with both teams a n d c l i e n t s . “ W h e n w e’re h i re d t o provide security at a business, we also assign a relationships manager as the account manager who works with the client through the entire life of the contract. They are d e d i c a t e d s p e c i f i c a l l y t o ov e r s e e t h a t re l a t i o n s h i p a n d m a k e s u re that services are delivered properly,” Bourne says. Private security personnel are more t h a n w a t c h f u l ey e s ; t h ey m a n a g e human behavior. As Bourne puts it, “We place our people strategically with the right accounts; we make sure that their skill sets match what the client needs.”
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TELECOM & TECH
18 | September 2023
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ith the recent advent of fiber optic connectivity in Unalaska, GCI customers in the remote Aleutian town have unprecedented access to ultra-fast internet—and virtually the world. GCI’s customers in Unalaska are experiencing all the benefits fiber has to offer, says Rural Affairs Director Jenifer Nelson. “We launched 2-gig residential
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Alaska Business
September 2023 | 19
GCI crews in Unalaska deploy fiber optic cable through the conduit that was installed throughout the community last fall. GCI
“I think the community is very happy with having options and having more affordable internet… We love it.” Katherine McGlashan, Executive Director, Unalaska Visitors Bureau
internet service in December 2022, but didn’t stop there,” she says. “Just a few months after the service launched in the c o m m u n i t y, w e upped the speeds of our top-tier Jenifer Nelson GCI consumer internet plan to 2.5 gigs in all our fiber-served markets, including Unalaska,” she says. But it’s not just Unalaska’s internet plans that have been taken to the next level. GCI now offers unlimited wireless service in the community as well. “That means GCI customers 20 | September 2023
in Unalaska also have access to our GCI+ plans, which bundle the two services together, making connectivity more affordable than ever before,” Nelson says. GCI is essentially offering its full suite of high-speed internet and wireless plans through the company’s flagship GCI+ product in Unalaska. The availability of these plans in the remote Aleutian community means that residents now have access to urbanlevel connectivity and urban-level prices. “GCI+ combines Alaska’s fastest internet and unlimited mobile service with plans starting at just $99.99 per month,” the company stated in a May press release. “Upgrades for speed and
unlimited usage are available at three additional levels.” The westward extension of GCI’s bro a d b a n d s e r v i c e i s p o s s i b l e b e c a u s e o f t h e c o m p a n y ’s A l a s k a United (AU) Aleutians Fiber Project. The ambitious project aims to close t h e d i g i t a l d i v i d e by b r i n g i n g 2 . 5 gigabit residential internet speeds to some of the most isolated c o m m u n i t i e s i n t h e c o u n t r y. T h e project will deliver 2,500 Mbps internet speeds and affordable, unlimited data plans to a dozen Aleutian, Alaska Peninsula, and Kodiak Island communities. The AU-Aleutians Fiber Project, which has been in the making for several
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years, has two main components: a subsea fiber optic system and onshore n e t w o r k i m p rov e m e n t s . L a s t J u l y, GCI began the process of running approximately 800 miles of subsea optic fiber from Kodiak along the south side of the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands to Unalaska. By last fall, the fiber optic backbone was in place and ready for communities to begin connecting to the new network. GCI is using a two-phased approach to provide broadband internet service for local businesses and residential customers in the region. The first phase of AU-Aleutians involves connecting six communities—Unalaska, Akutan, Sand Point, King Cove, Chignik Bay, and Larsen Bay—to GCI’s fiber optic cable. When complete, the project will deliver super-fast broadband service to the approximately 7,000 Alaskans living in these communities.
Transformative Impact
Nelson expects the launch of highspeed internet to have a profound impact on Unalaska and its 4,400 or so year-round residents. “Before fiber optic service was available in Unalaska, the fastest available internet plan offered 10 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload speeds,” Nelson says. “Now that fiber is available, it’s a nightand-day difference. GCI customers in Unalaska today have access to 2.5 gig residential internet speeds— that’s 250 times faster than what was previously available.” Fiber is generally considered to be the gold standard for broadband connectivity; it provides the fastest broadband internet speeds with the greatest capacity. So it’s not surprising there has been a significant amount of excitement in Unalaska. GCI’s customers are “loving” the new residential 2.5 gig internet speeds, Nelson says. “And to not only have access to lightning-fast internet speeds but also unlimited data, an improved wireless experience, and the same consumer plans and pricing as our customers in urban areas is a total game-changer for the community,” she says. Katherine McGlashan, executive d i re c t o r o f t h e U n a l a s k a V i s i t o r s Bureau, agrees. Getting GCI’s highspeed internet service installed in www.akbizmag.com
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“Now that fiber is available, it’s a nightand-day difference. GCI customers in Unalaska today have access to 2.5 gig residential internet speeds—that’s 250 times faster than what was previously available.” Jenifer Nelson Rural Affairs Director GCI
April has had a major impact on her will also be transformative for GCI’s organization. Now the local visitors residential customers. Residents will bureau—which has an office in the not only be able to use streaming Safeway Plaza and three employees— services, play online games, use home can conduct business much more e-learning platforms, and do other activities online that people effectively. For instance, staff in urban areas have long can complete Zoom meetings taken for granted, but Nelson without their faces freezing, n o t e s t h a t t h ey a re a l s o download photos in seconds going to be able to bring instead of minutes, and themselves, their culture, transmit vital information to their experiences, and their cruise ships more efficiently. economies to the rest of “We chose GCI because of the world. “What’s more is the reliability and the speed… that through the Affordable We’re really happy with it and Connectivity Program [ACP], haven’t run into any issues,” Mike Bertsch qualifying Alaskans will have McGlashan says. GCI access to GCI’s base-level GCI’s lower pricing was also a key deciding factor for the plan, which is more than twenty-five Unalaska Visitors Bureau. Its former times faster than the old satelliteinternet service was not only slower based plan, at no cost to themselves,” and spotty, but it was significantly she says. The ACP is an important Federal m o re ex p e n s i v e . T h e m o n t h l y b i l l often exceeded $500, with one month C o m m u n i c a t i o n s C o m m i s s i o n reaching $1,000. “We pay about $250 benefit program that helps ensure now,” McGlashan says. “I’m very happy households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, that GCI’s internet is up and running.” T h e a v a i l a b i l i t y o f f i b e r o p t i c healthcare, and other purposes. The connectivity in the Aleutian region program provides a discount of up
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to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying tribal lands. Under the ACP, the entire state of Alaska falls under the provisions for “qualifying tribal lands.” In addition, all households t h a t a re e l i g i b l e f o r t h e p ro g ra m can receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer from participating providers.
Links to the Chain
Now that fiber optic internet service has been activated in Unalaska, the Alaska Peninsula communities of King Cove and Sand Point are next i n l i n e t o g e t connected. As with Unalaska, fiber is destined to have a life-changing impact on the residents and industries of King Cove and Sand Point. King Cove, with a total area of 30 square miles, has about 850 residents. The city’s economy depends heavily on the year-round commercial fishing and seafood processing industries. King Cove is home to Peter Pan Seafood’s largest processing facility, where up
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to 500 non-residents are brought up to work as needed. Sand Point has about 900 yearround residents and occupies less than 10 square miles, yet the community is home to the largest fleet of commercial fishing vessels i n t h e A l e u t i a n r e g i o n . Tr i d e n t Seafoods and Peter Pan Seafood have operations in Sand Point, causing the population to instantly multiply in the summer during the salmon fishing season. The impending installation of high-speed internet in Sand Point will significantly enhance living and working conditions for residents as well as non-residents. Currently, GCI’s installation crews are on the ground in King Cove and Sand Point, where they have made significant progress, says GCI Project Manager Mike Bertsch. The crews have been busy digging trenches, deploying tens of thousands of feet of conduit that will house and protect the local fiber network, and connecting homes and businesses to the new infrastructure. As of June, according to Bertsch, “We’re nearly finished deploying conduit and
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will soon be pulling the fiber through that conduit and will be dropping fiber directly to buildings throughout both communities. We expect to launch fiber optic service in King Cove and Sand Point by the end of 2023.” To support the installation efforts, GCI is working to prepare residents of each community for the launch of 2.5 gig internet in their area. For instance, the company is encouraging interested parties to sign up when fiber is being installed in their location rather than waiting to request it later. Application forms for King Cove and Sand Point re s i d e n t s s t a t e : “ C o m p l e t i n g t h i s form does NOT commit residents to GCI service but does ensure that the necessary equipment is in place should a resident choose to become a GCI customer in the future. Local residents who decide to become GCI customers after the crews leave may face significant wait-times before installation c rew s a n d s p e c i a l i z e d e q u i p m e n t return to the community.” O n c e G C I ’s c rew s a re f i n i s h e d in Sand Point and King Cove, they will continue to the next set of AU-
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The cable-laying ship C.S. IT Intrepid helped deploy the 800-plus miles of subsea fiber from Unalaska, up the Aleutian Islands, along the south side of the Alaska Peninsula, and over to Kodiak Island, where it was connected into GCI’s existing fiber optic network last year. The process to bring the fiber ashore from the ship to landing stations required divers, smaller vessels, and heavy equipment working on shore. GCI
Aleutians communities and begin the groundwork soon after.
String That Tells a Story
The second phase of the AUAleutians Fiber Project will extend fiber optic connectivity to six more communities: Chignik Lagoon, Chignik Lake, Cold Bay, False Pass, Ouzinkie, and Port Lions. These locations have populations ranging from 170 to just 35. The funds to support connecting these areas will come from a $29.3 million federal grant a w a rd e d t o N a t i v e V i l l a g e o f P o r t Lions, in partnership with GCI, from t h e N a t i o n a l Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s and Information Administration. The project award was the result of a s u c c e s s f u l c o l l a b o ra t i o n a m o n g local agencies, businesses, tribal organizations, and leaders from across the region. Exactly when this stage of the AUAleutians Fiber Project will commence has yet to be determined. “We don’t have a timeline on Phase II yet, but our teams are working to connect all AUAleutians Fiber Project communities 24 | September 2023
“We want to deliver transformational change and are committed to closing the digital divide in the state we call home.” Jenifer Nelson Rural Affairs Director GCI
as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Bertsch says. Beyond Phase II of the AU-Aleutians Fiber Project, GCI is seeking ways to enhance its fiber-optic network in other regions. For the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, the company is pursuing an endeavor of similar scale to AUAleutians, in terms of dollar value: the Airraq fiber network.
“ We ’re a l w a y s l o o k i n g f o r w a y s to extend our fiber optic network to more Alaska communities when feasible, and we’ll continue to keep an eye out for those opportunities in the Aleutians,” Nelson says. “Aside from network expansion, we’re very excited that those communities that will be connected through the Aleutians Fiber Project will also benefit from GCI’s commitment to reaching 5 gig and 10 gig residential internet speeds in the coming years.” These aren’t just incremental improvements, Nelson adds. “We want to deliver transformational change and are committed to closing the digital divide in the state we call home,” she says. “Approximately 80 percent of Alaskans currently have access to 2.5 gig residential internet speeds—some of the fastest in the nation—through GCI’s fiber-optic network. And that number will continue to grow as the AU-Aleutians Fiber Project and the Airraq network, which will deliver fiberoptic connectivity to ten Western Alaska communities in the coming years, are complete.”
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Alaska Native SPEC I AL SEC T ION Curating a comprehensive special section that covers all of the projects that Alaska Native organizations participate in is impossible. There are twelve regional and hundreds of village corporations, and beyond those there are tribal and nonprofit organizations, and in addition to those there are a multitude of small businesses owned by Alaska Natives, all of which are working every day to provide goods and services that strengthen our communities and economy. Because the twelve Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) regional corporations are such powerhouses in national and global markets, we have again compiled an annual review of some of their activities. While over the last fifty years those organizations have found their feet and taken off, some argue that five communities in Southeast have yet to be included in the opportunity that ANCSA promised, and we explore what’s being done to address the issue in “Five Left Out.”
26 | September 2023
In “North Slope Marketplace,” we learn how ASRC launched and still supports a program to share its wealth with its shareholder entrepreneurs, working with partners to provide small business education and grants. In “Far More than a Business,” Koniag Chairman and CEO Ron Unger explains how he was supported as he developed as a leader, and how he’s paying that forward to the next generation. Also in this special section you’ll find an Alaska Native pronunciation guide; this guide is in no way comprehensive, as we are certainly not experts. But, as Alaska Business has worked with Alaska Native organizations over the years, we have had the privilege of hearing many Alaska Native words, names, and places, and it has been a deliberate part of our process to pronounce those names (in the few instances that we do) as accurately as possible and to portray those names in print as accurately as possible, with all accents in place.
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Indian Country & Alaska Native Corporations We don’t just settle on knowing your industry. We live it. Spotting trends and navigating turbulent waters can’t happen from behind a desk. The insights come when we put on our hard hats and meet our clients where they are.
Patricia Morales | Alaska Business
We were inspired to share with our readers a few of the things we have learned about the beautiful languages that many Alaska Native o r g a n i z a t i o n s a re w o r k i n g t o preserve and restore. Alaska Native entities are engaged in so many activities that reporting about them naturally spread outside of this special section. Look for Alaska Native sources and stories in our construction, tourism, e n v i ro n m e n t a l , a n d w o r k f o rc e development articles this month, as well. It turns out, if there’s an industry in Alaska, there’s an Alaska Native company excelling in it.
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Far More Than a Business Koniag’s future focus with centuries-old ancestral ties By Elwood Brehmer
28 | September 2023
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those respects, they compete and succeed at the highest levels globally. H ow ev e r, w h i l e t y p i c a l c o m p a n i e s have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders, which ANCs certainly do as well, that’s usually where the corporate obligations end—but not for ANCs. Passed by Congress and signed into law late in 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) resolved Indigenous land claims with the federal government in Alaska
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T
hey are a unique blend of traditional knowledge and business savvy, of local culture and international commerce, of the past, present, and future. They offer a sense of home for their people anywhere in the world. They are Alaska Native corporations (ANCs). On the surface, ANCs may appear quite similar to most investment companies, with familiar management structures and boards that set the vision for their corporations. In
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“If they feel they can put the time and energy into it… I always encourage shareholders to run for the board. At that point, serving your Alaska Native corporation is really a calling.” Ron Unger Chairman and CEO Koniag
largely through the establishment of the 12 regional and more than 200 village ANCs. ANCSA placed not only a fiduciary duty on ANCs to their shareholders, who are the Alaska Native people of a respective region or village, but also the responsibility to work for the betterment of shareholders’ social and cultural well-being. The landmark law further allocated roughly 44 million acres collectively across Alaska for ANCs to own, steward, and develop in a manner consistent with their shareholders’ values. I t a l l a d d s u p t o o rg a n i z a t i o n s that are “far more than businesses,” according to Koniag Chairman and CEO Ron Unger. “The bond between Alaska Native corporations and their shareholders goes so much deeper because it’s ultimately a tie to our ancestors, elders, children, diverse cultures, and lands—and our land is sacred. Land ties us to generations of families and traditions and the way of life of a given region,” Unger says. Koniag’s roughly 4,400 shareholders are the Alutiiq people originally from Kodiak, the surrounding islands, and part of the Alaska Peninsula. For them, the connection to Koniag land and their region goes back at least 7,500 years.
Beyond the Boardroom
To Unger, ANCs offer remarkable, unique opportunities for the longterm financial betterment of their shareholders, but just as important, they are a new chapter in the long, rich story of their people. “At the heart of being a shareholder of an Alaska Native corporation is that you belong to something so much greater than yourself that ’s thousands of years in the making and that’s continuously evolving. As a community, we’re creating our future by building from the wisdom of our elders and empowering our youth to be leaders,” Unger says. “That heritage, that history, that legacy to ultimately make things better for our Native peoples for thousands of years t o c o m e — t h a t ’s t h e ex p e c t a t i o n . ” It’s a future focus on a scale that is unparalleled in the for-profit business world. “ANCs have an extraordinary ability and responsibility to help our 30 | September 2023
people and communities not just on a quarter-by-quarter basis, but for many, many generations to come,” says Unger. Several consecutive years of consistent growth at Koniag resulted in record revenues of more than $800 million last year. “Koniag is culturallycentered and mission-driven, and we are fiercely competitive; we want to win wherever we compete,” says Unger. Using a long-term investment approach, Koniag has developed its business strategy, infrastructure, and employees to generate lasting value for the customers and communities they serve. This success has enabled the corporation to increase not only more traditional shareholder returns, such as dividends, but also a meaningful array of services and benefits that go well beyond what ev e n t h e m o s t g i v i n g c o m p a n i e s would consider. Nearly all ANCs, Koniag included, support a scholarship foundation for shareholders and their families, but that’s just the start. Koniag supports numerous cultural programs, such as youth camps and language revitalization; the company has played a key role in the recent expansion of the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak, a cultural cornerstone of the community; and bereavement assistance is provided for shareholders who have suffered loss. S t i l l , t h e v a l u e t o s h a re h o l d e r s d o e s n ’ t s t o p t h e re . S h a re h o l d e r based internship programs are often the start of long and rewarding careers for employees of ANCs because of deep connections that go beyond the workday and grow l e a d e r s f r o m w i t h i n . “A N C s c a n help ensure our Native people are leading wherever we are. We have the opportunity to shape leaders by how we behave, in leading by example, and in how we support each other,” s a y s U n g e r. “ I c a n s a y f i r s t h a n d , with nineteen years serving Koniag, our elders invested in my future by mentoring me and teaching me the skills and traits that I utilize in every part of my life.”
‘An Awesome Responsibility’
Leading any organization is a big job, but Unger says the added
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We are shareholders. We each have stories to tell, lessons to teach, histories to make, and gifts to give. We share our strengths to protect our region, and our Native way of life. We are the shareholders of Bristol Bay Native Corporation.
But, we share so much more than a corporation.
Visit bbnc.net
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“We have the opportunity to shape leaders by how we behave, in leading by example, and in how we support each other… Our elders invested in my future by mentoring me and teaching me the skills and traits that I utilize in every part of my life.” Ron Unger Chairman and CEO Koniag
scope at Alaska Native corporations makes his leadership of Koniag “an awesome responsibility.” “It’s incredibly humbling to be one of 4,400 shareholders and to be serving as the chairman and CEO. It really can be daunting,” he acknowledges. “Every day we’re formulating strategies, m a k i n g d e c i s i o n s , l e a r n i n g f ro m s u c c e s s e s a n d f a i l u re s , c r e a t i n g positive pressure, allocating our time, sharing our energy and emotions, and so on. In setting the course for the company and knowing that if we’re successful, if the strategies work, if we’re able to execute, if folks are inspired and work every day excited about why we’re here, I feel that I’m honoring our heritage, our elders, and my family.” There is a duality to the mission of ANCs that is unique in the corporate w o r l d , a n d a c c o r d i n g t o U n g e r, fulfilling both sides of that mission requires not only inward confidence but also the leadership ability to instill confidence in all those who are connected to ANCs. He feels his role is to always listen with an open mind to shareholders and employees (many of whom are both) and take what he learns from them to make himself a better leader. In turn, he helps continue to grow Koniag for the betterment of its shareholders, employees, and customers. “I feel I’ve been very fortunate that folks have believed in me all these years, and every day I’m working to exceed their expectations; I have to make sure they made the right choice,” he says. Unger emphasizes that leadership opportunities and the myriad benefits an ANC can provide come full circle when corporate leaders work to support others in the company to reach higher, just as they were supported.
Critical Engagement
Most ANCs celebrated their first fifty years in 2022. Nearly without exception, the milestone represented a rapid adaptation to the corporate world for the first ANC leaders and subsequent challenges overcome, lasting strength, resilience, and growth. It also represents new generations of shareholders and a younger 32 | September 2023
shareholder base that is spread not just across a region or the state, but the world. “ That is why it is more important than ever for ANCs to work to e n g a g e w i t h t h e i r s h a re h o l d e r s , ” Unger says. Similarly, ANCs benefit from engaged shareholders by ensuring the corporations are focused on the right priorities, benefits, and services. That in turn helps ANCs like Koniag better fulfill their mission. While there are some very practical a n d d i re c t w a y s f o r s h a re h o l d e r s to engage with their ANC, Unger stresses that there are countless ways shareholders can stay involved with their corporation for mutual benefit. “ Yo u c a n c h o o s e t h e p a t h t h a t provides the right engagement for you and your family. It can be as simple as reading a newsletter or other materials from the company to talking to board members and learning their views for your corporation. Taking it further, you can serve on a shareholder committee, and, if they feel they can put the time and energy into it,” he says, “I always encourage shareholders to run for the board. At that point, serving your Alaska Native corporation is really a calling.” Ultimately, simply voting one’s proxy is one of the most important ways to stay involved. “A N C s p rov i d e a c o n n e c t i o n t o culture and a place of belonging for Alaska Native people wherever they are,” Unger adds. He explains that is why it’s so important for the companies’ leaders to find new ways to engage new and younger shareholders who may not live in the region. It’s about connecting with their Native people and getting them excited about just one of the many benefits their ANC can offer them. For some, it’s a scholarship or an internship to start a career; for others, it’s learning their traditional language. It can also be as simple, yet important, as a place to belong. “You might have grown up in a village; you might have grown up in Anchorage; you might have grown up in another part of the world, but knowing you have a place—you have a people— is essential,” Unger says. “Everyone needs that.”
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ALASK A NATIVE
What book is currently on your nightstand? A Fire Endless: A Novel by Rebecca Ross. What charity or cause are you passionate about? Storyknife Writers Retreat, Arctic Education Foundation, and UIC Foundation.
Photos by Monica Whit t
What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work? I hug my children and I get into comfy clothes. What vacation spot is on your bucket list? The lagoon houses in—is it Fiji? Bora Bora! That’s where it is: Bora Bora [French Polynesia]. Someday. If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be? I just don’t think we should domesticate wild animals. I’m gonna let ‘em be.
34 | September 2023
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Pearl K. Brower
S
he considers hersel f ma i n ly an educator, yet Pearl K . Brower has prepared hersel f
wel l for t he role of CEO. She went to UA F for bac helor ’s deg rees i n ant h ropolog y and A lask a Nat ive st ud ies, ret u r ned for a master ’s deg ree i n r u ra l development, and ear ned a doc torate i n Ind i genous leadersh ip. She ran a consu lt i ng busi ness and shared her ex per t i se at I ḷ i saġ v i k Col lege, where she was president for ei g ht years and, by t he way, ear ned yet anot her deg ree, t h i s t i me i n Iñupiaq st ud ies. Brower was promoted f rom board mem ber of Uk peaġ v i k Iñupiat Cor porat ion ( U IC) to its leader barely a year and a ha l f ago, yet her roots i n Utq iaġ v i k go deep. She’s among t he many g reat-g randc h i ld ren of Charles Dew it t Brower, t he Yan kee wha ler who fou nd k i nd red spi r its i n t he A rc t ic and helped t u r n t he v i l lage i nto a tow n. H i s g reat-g randdaug hter i s now bu i ld i ng a f ut u re for t he U IC com mu n it y, i nc lud i ng her t wo daug hters. “ We have a ver y large company,” Brower says. “In order to ma ke a l l of t hat r u n smoot h ly, we have to empower ou r ow n people to do t he work t hat t hey need to do, and we have to t r ust t hem to do t hat.”
Alaska Business: What do you do in your free time? Pearl K. Brower: I love to travel. Spend time with my family. I love to read and crochet. AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? Brower: Accepting this position as president of UIC. www.akbizmag.com
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn? Brower: I am developing my skill to lead a billion-dollar company [she laughs]. It’s a work in progress. AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute? Brower: They both will be: I’m very, very organized and systematic, and I think that has its pros and it has its cons that come with it. AB: Other than your current career, if you were a kid today, what would your dream job be? Brower: In another world, maybe, an archaeologist… I really wanted to study volcanoes for a while, so kind of the earth sciences and maybe the social sciences a little bit… That’s the next chapter, maybe. AB: What’s your favorite local restaurant? Brower: We love Spenard Roadhouse [in Anchorage]... In Utqiaġvik our favorite restaurant is Sam & Lee’s. AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert? Brower: Oh my gosh! The Beatles. AB: What’s your greatest extravagance? Brower: [She laughs] I love having my house cleaned… When I have a house cleaner, that’s incredible. Allows more time to be with my family.
Alaska Business
September 2023 | 35
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OFF THE CUFF
By Tasha Anderson
T
he Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) created twelve regional corporations charged with the dual mission of generating profit and providing support to their regions and people. Over the last fifty years, all twelve of the regional corporations have made exceptional strides in meeting those missions: growing to have statewide, national, and international business operations and issuing billions of dollars in dividends and investing millions in education, cultural preservation, training and workforce programs, and regional development. Here are highlights from the ANCSA regional corporations from 2022 and 2023.
Doyon, Limited
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ANCSA Regional Corporation Review
36 | September 2023
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Chugach Alaska Corporation
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Bering Straits Native Corporation
The Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC) region encompasses 23,000 square miles that span most of the Seward Peninsula and the coastal lands of eastern Norton Sound. BSNC currently has 8,128 shareholders, whom the company is highlighting in its “Village Life Stories,” a project meant to encourage the corporation’s people to share their experiences. BSNC has also been working on the “Mazzaq Tigittuaq” video series, which is bringing the
region’s people and culture to life in captivating short films. Also to the benefit of its shareholders, in FY2023 BSNC issued a record high dividend payout of $10.25 per share, for a total of approximately $6.5 million. The company also disbursed a special elder’s dividend of $1,500 per qualifying elder (amounting to $1.7 million) and $631,500 in scholarships. The regional corporation continues its focus on shareholder hire and reports that 46 percent of its corporate employees are Alaska
Building community through phenomenal shared experience (907) 302-2323 info@toastofthetownak.com ToastOfTheTownAK.com Alaska Business
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The Chugach Alaska Corporation re g i o n i n c l u d e s m o re t h a n 5 , 0 0 0 miles of coastline in Southcentral, spanning from Nanwalek at its western point to Icy Bay in the east. In 2022 Chugach made significant investments in its 2,900 shareholders, including approximately $14.6 million in dividends and elder distributions and more than $9 million in wages paid to shareholders employed by the regional corporation, which the company states is a “testament to our commitment to fostering the next generation of leaders of the corporation.” Chugach was able to make such investments through generating approximately $775 million in revenue, which according to the company was an expected downward trend from the year previous as a result of closing out the last of its carbon credit offset sales in 2022. Still, it was a profitable year for Chugach, which reports $19.6 million in operating profit for 2022 despite the “lingering effects of the pandemic and economic headwinds.” Chugach is optimistic for the future, stating, “A fortress of a balance sheet a n d d i v e r s i f i c a t i o n o f o p e ra t i o n s provide a solid foundation on which we stand at the shore of a wide sea of growth opportunities. In 2022 and 2 0 2 3 , t h e c o r p o ra t i o n a p p o i n t e d several new leaders—including President Josie Hickel, Interim CEO Angie Astle, and Chief Operating Officer Peter Andersen— to help us chart a course that will capitalize on these opportunities and set Chugach on a path to success.” One such opportunity is Chugach Naswik, a commercial, multi-purpose, short-term housing facility in Valdez d ev e l o p e d by C h u g a c h , C h e n e g a C o r p o r a t i o n , a n d T h e Ta t i t l e k Corporation that broke ground in May. In July, Chugach—in partnership with the Native Village of Eyak and the Eyak Corporation—also broke ground on an oil spill response facility at Shepard Point. Related to this mission of care for the region’s environment, Chugach, Chenega, and The Tatitlek Corporation, operating in partnership as TCC, renewed a contract with Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. to conduct oil spill prevention and response services protecting Prince William Sound.
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Winners in BSNC's 2023 Photo Contest. Above: "Dooq Contest" by Joanne Hanson; below, "Berry Picking" by Amber Cunningham. Bering Strait s Native Corporation
Native shareholders or descendants o f B S N C , a n d 5 0 p e rc e n t o f t h e executive leadership team are BSNC shareholders. “Additionally we again have another remarkable group of young shareholders and descendants participating in our summer internship program,” the company states. “We are proud to invest in the next generation, providing them with the skills and knowledge necessary for their future success.” The company ’s activities are supported through record revenues of $661 million in FY2023, the first year that BSNC exceeded $600 million in revenue and a 26 percent growth over the year prior (net of CARES Act funds). Net income for FY2023 came in at $25 million, which the company primarily attributes to “the profitability of BSNC’s contracts with the federal government.”
Doyon, Limited
To date, Doyon, Limited has received title to more than 11.5 million acres (of the 12.5 million acres agreed to under ANCSA) in the Interior, primarily around the thirty-four villages within the Doyon
region. Of note in 2023 is Doyon’s voluntary participation in three carbon offset projects: Tsogh (Dot Lake to Tanana: 172,737 acres), Ts’ebaa North (Kaltag to east of Ruby: 96,904 acres), and Ts’ebaa South (Holy Cross to south of Kaltag: 106,607 acres); the projects are all named after white spruce trees, translated into Athabascan languages. All three projects are being managed to ensure environmental benefits for their forty-year time spans. Doyon, Limited is also building up the region for the benefit of its 20,400 shareholders in other ways. In 2022 it was awarded $50 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to install a fiber optic network in the region. In the first segment of this multi-phase project, fiber optic cable will be installed to each home in Beaver, Fort Yukon, Rampart, Stevens Village, and Tanana, and institutions such as schools, clinics, tribal and village corporation offices, stores, and businesses in those communities will also be connected, allowing residents access to affordable broadband service.
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Koniag
The Koniag region includes Kodiak Island, surrounding waters, and coastal lands to the west across Shelikof Strait, and Koniag holds title in that region to 143,000 acres of surface estate a n d a p p rox i m a t e l y 9 9 0 , 0 0 0 a c re s of subsurface estate. The regional
corporation has approximately 4,400 shareholders, to whom it distributed $25.1 million in shareholder benefits in FY2023, including providing fifty-one families with assistance for funeral and burial costs; offering a $1,200 elder benefit to those aged 62 and older; and awarding more than $50,000 to children from age 3 to high school to attend academic events, play sports, and delve into their culture. To date, the Koniag Education Foundation (formed in 1993) has provided more than $6 million in scholarships and grants to Alutiiq students. The company states, “It has never been clearer that our youth are our future,” and to that end the corporation sponsored a culture camp (making it free to Koniag shareholders and descendants) at Dig Afognak, an annual cultural camp developed to regain and carry forward aspects of Alutiiq culture on land previously used for archaeological research. Koniag’s investment in its s h a re h o l d e r s w a s f u n d e d by t h e “strongest financial year in the history of Koniag.” The corporation reports
gross revenue of $836 million for FY2023 with $90 million in pretax earnings. It states, “We are proud to put our resources to work, increasing opportunities for our youth, honoring our Elders, partnering with nonprofits, and investing in our companies… As a ‘forever ’ corporation, Koniag must remain future-focused. This means that we focus on driving financial growth so that we can support benefits to our shareholders and descendants for generations to come.”
Sealaska
Sealaska is owned by more than 25,000 Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian shareholders and represents a region that spans the Alaska Panhandle. I t re c o rd e d 2 0 2 2 g ro s s rev e n u e s of approximately $410 million, and according to the corporation, “Revenue from ongoing business operations is steadily climbing. Our focus on ocean health is working—achieving our vision to improve the place we all live in and doing so profitably, so we can continue to generate a sustainable source of shareholder benefits going forward.”
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“Doyon, Limited is proud of our 2023 successes from our companies,” the corporation states, which include the Kantishna Roadhouse receiving the Adventure Green Alaska certification f r o m t h e A l a s k a Tr a v e l I n d u s t r y Association; developing the Na’-Nuk Investment Fund 2 (in partnership with McKinley Alaska Private Investment) that will focus on supporting companies working to power, feed, connect, heal, and protect the planet; the Doyon/ Aramark joint venture receiving a Superior rating for their 2022 operating season from the National Park Service; and the acquisition of Fairweather, which will support Doyon’s existing North Slope operations related to oilfield support, weather, logistics, and medical services.
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“Every scholarship represents an inspired learner. We are proud to support them and proud of all their current and future accomplishments.” Anthony Mallott CEO Sealaska
One such benefit is education, and Sealaska has announced it’s awarding $1.1 million in scholarships to 462 students for the 2023/2024 academic year. “Every scholarship represents an inspired learner. We are proud to support them and proud of all their current and future accomplishments,” says Sealaska CEO Anthony Mallott.
This year Sealaska also invested heavily in language preservation, with the goal of increasing proficiency of advanced learners of the region’s t h re e I n d i g e n o u s l a n g u a g e s . T h e board approved a one-time increase of $250,000 for language programming, bringing the yearly total contribution to $750,000.
The Aleut Corporation
T h e A l e u t C o r p o r a t i o n ( TA C ) represents a region comprising the Aleutian Islands that stretches more than 1,000 miles into the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The corporation reports 2022 gross revenues of $270 million, an increase of more than $40 million from the year previous. This year the company is embarking on a familiar adventure in a new place, holding its 51st Annual Meeting of Shareholders for the first time outside of Alaska in Bellevue, Washington in October. In addition to shareholders who re s i d e o u t s i d e o f i t s re g i o n , TAC has multiple subsidiaries that offer quality services inside and outside
o f A l a s k a . F o r ex a m p l e , t h i s y e a r Aleut Flood Management secured t w o c o n t ra c t s t o s u p p o r t t h e U S Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District for land- and marine-based construction projects. The indefinitedelivery, indefinite-quantity awards include a scope of work ranging from modifications and reinforcement of existing dams, levees, and locks to construction, remodeling, or demolition of existing land structures. Aleut Building Company secured a c o n t ra c t t h e U S A r m y C o r p s o f Engineers to serve the US Army Garrison Alaska that includes multidisciplinary maintenance and repair services for a range of USAG-Alaska facilities at locations such as Fort Wainwright, Fort Greely, Donnelly Training Area, Yukon Training Area, Black Rapids Training Site, and Seward Military Resort. And Aleut Construction was selected for a contract by the US Bureau of Indian Affairs with task order work, including new construction, offsite design-build construction, offsite c o n s t r u c t i o n , d e m o l i t i o n , r e p a i r,
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90482 U of Alaska • Alaska Business-half pg. horiz Ad • 7”x 4.84” • 7/25/23
Bristol Bay Native Corporation
B r i s t o l B a y N a t i v e C o r p o ra t i o n (BBNC) has title to 27.5 million acres of land in western Alaska surrounding Bristol Bay. The corporation notes that “the abundant resources of the Bristol B a y re g i o n h a v e s u s t a i n e d u s f o r millennia. BBNC ensure that our lands provide for the people who live and work here today—and will continue t o d o s o f o r f u t u re g e n e ra t i o n s . ” Through leveraging these lands and p rov i d i n g i n d u s t r i a l , g ov e r n m e n t , and construction service—in addition to working in the seafood and tourism industries—BBNC was able to generate gross revenues of $2.8 billion in 2022. BBNC has opposed the Pebble Mine since 2009, and in 2023 the corporation is celebrating several obstacles in the mine’s path that likely will prevent its development, such as the US Environmental Protection Agency ’s Final Determination issued in January that prohibits the
discharge of dredged or fill material. A d d i t i o n a l l y, i n D e c e m b e r t h e Pedro Bay Corporation (the village corporation for Pedro Bay, located on the shores of Iliamna Lake) finalized conservation easement transactions with the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Tr u s t , a n d t h e s e t ra n s a c t i o n s w i l l i n t e r f e re w i t h P e b b l e ’s p re f e r re d t r a n s p o r t a t i o n c o r r i d o r. “ W h i l e there have been many voices raised i n o p p o s i t i o n t o P e b b l e ov e r t h e years, from the start, it has been the Bristol Bay stakeholders—our elders, tribes, community leaders, youth, and so many others—who ultimately determined this outcome. This is a victory for all of you,” stated BBNC President and CEO Jason Metrokin in the company ’s “Bay Report” newsletter.
Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) represents a region that surrounds C o o k I n l e t , a n d w i t h i n t h a t a re a CIRI holds title to 529,500 acres of surface estate and 1.6 million acres of subsurface estate.
CIRI is owned by more than 9,000 shareholders of Athabascan, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Iñupiat, Yup’ik, Alutiiq/ Sugpiaq, and Aleut/Unangax̂ descent, and the corporation says this diversity of one of its greatest strengths. In the June/July 2023 edition of CIRI’s newsletter “Raven’s Circle,” outgoing CIRI Board Chair Roy Huhndorf relayed this story: “In 1975, a fellow regional corporation president came up to me and said, ‘I feel sorry for you, Roy.’ I asked him why, and he said, ‘CIRI will be the first regional corporation to fail, mark my words, because you don’t have a homogenous Alaska Native culture.’ As it turns out, what he described as our weakness ended up being our strength. In those early years, our shareholders came from a multitude of geographies and walks of life, including those who had been sent away from home by the federal government for ‘re-acculturation’ in far-away boarding schools. In those schools, loneliness and cultural deprivation instilled a resolve to survive and a commitment to find a better way for their own children. When ANCSA passed in 1971, those
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alteration, and renovations of buildings, systems, and infrastructure.
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very people provided the knowledge that would make the company work.” It continues to work today. CIRI reports that in 2022 it earned gross revenues of $539 million, and its innovative Fire Island Wind project is celebrating ten years of providing renewable, reliable power to more than 7,000 homes in Southcentral.
Ahtna, Inc.
Doyon, Limited currently holds title to 11.5 million acres in the Interior, and in 2023 is participating in three carbon offset projects. Doyon, Limited
Ahtna currently holds title to approximately 1.6 million acres of land (of 1.76 million entitled through ANCSA), the majority of which is in the Copper River region, an Ohio-sized area in the southcentral interior of Alaska. Ahtna reports 2022 gross revenues of approximately $325 million, and in the spring of 2023 the company issued a shareholder distribution of $5.60 per share to its more than 2,000 shareholders. In addition to the shareholder distribution, Ahtna also continued its tradition of distributing $1,500 to every eligible elder (age 62 and older) in 2023, which it has done since 2009. Also in 2023, Ahtna was one of four ANCSA corporations that received b row n f i e l d s f u n d i n g f ro m t h e U S Environmental Protection Agency. Ahtna is targeting lands in the Copper River Valley region for Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments and is also planning to use its $2 million grant for a reuse and revitalization plan, as well as conducting community engagement activities. This year Ahtna Netiye’, the corporation’s business holding company, welcomed a new CEO. Roy Tansy, Jr. is succeeding Tom Maloney, who retired after eight years of service. Tansy is an Ahtna shareholder from the village of Cantwell and is a member of the Caribou (Udzisyu) clan. His professional background includes more than twenty years of executive-level experience in operations, business development, strategic planning, and corporate leadership. Tansy most recently served as Ahtna Netiye’s chief operating officer.
NANA
More than 15,000 Iñupiaq shareholders own NANA, which represents a region in northwest Alaska encompassing 38,000 square miles, 42 | September 2023
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most of which is north of the Arctic Circle. In 1976, ten of the eleven village corporations in the region merged with NANA, while the eleventh, Kikiktagruk Iñupiat Corporation, remains the village corporation for Kotzebue.
“Thanks to the tremendous effort of our employees and partners, guided by the vision of our board of directors, 2022 was a breakout year for NANA. We built upon our success from years past and increased our net income by 13 percent over 2021.” John Lincoln, President and CEO, NANA
NANA approved two dividends in 2 0 2 3 : s h a re h o l d e r s re c e i v e d $ 1 0 per share in May and will receive an approximately $15 per share dividend in November. The two distributions together amount to approximately $45 million. NANA reports 2022 revenues of $2.5 billion, showing an exceptional year of growth following 2021 gross revenues of $1.8 billion. “Thanks to the tremendous effort of our employees and partners, guided by the vision of our board of directors, 2022 was a breakout year for NANA. We built upon our success from years past and increased our net income by 13 percent over 2021,” stated NANA President and CEO John Lincoln in the March issue of NANA’s newsletter “The Hunter.” A s i g n i f i c a n t p o r t i o n o f N A N A’s revenues come from operations at Red Dog Mine, which is forecast to close 44 | September 2023
"Leora Kenick in Cultural Regalia." This photo, taken in Nome by Jake Kenick, was the 1st place winner in the Regalia category in Bering Straits Native Corporation's 2023 Photo Contest, which Bering Straits Native Corporation hosts to showcase the beauty and strength of its people, culture, and region. Bering Straight s Native Corporation
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"Our Cabin Before Merbok" by Tamaira Tocktoo-Austin was the 2nd place winner in the Scenery and Landscape category in Bering Straits Native Corporation's 2023 Photo Contest; Typhoon Merbok hit western Alaska in September 2022, flooding communities and damaging or destroying many structures. Bering Strait s Native Corporation
in 2031. Lincoln says the planned end of mine life “weighs heavily ” on him and reported that the NANA team is planning for economic sustainability beyond 2031, including exploring the Red Dog area for additional zinc and lead concentrates. Currently the company is focused on the Anarraaq and Aktigiruq areas, which according to the company have the potential to extend the mine’s life for decades. However, the company anticipates six years of exploration to determine the economics of this potential expansion.
Calista Corporation
Calista Corporation’s region is tucked between the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers in western Alaska and is the traditional home of Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan people. Calista’s land entitlement is 6.5 million acres, most of which is split estate, with Calista owning the subsurface rights and village corporations owning the surface estate; however, 264,000 acres of Calista is fee estate land, where Calista owns the surface and subsurface rights. Calista operates on behalf of nearly 36,000 shareholders and has more than thirty subsidiaries operating in a variety of industries around the world. In January Calista and Delta Constructors finalized an agreement to work together to expand 46 | September 2023
employment opportunities for Alaska N a t i v e c o r p o ra t i o n s h a re h o l d e r s throughout Alaska. The agreement streamlines communication and aligns the organizations to better inform, encourage, and support the delivery of skill-building opportunities. Initiatives and partnerships such as these, as well as years of building a diversified portfolio of quality services, led to the corporation reporting 2022 gross revenue of $789 million. For example, earlier this year Calista subsidiary Brice, Inc. was awarded a $53 million contract from the Alaska D e p a r t m e n t o f Tra n s p o r t a t i o n & Public Facilities for the St. Mary ’s Airport Improvements Project. Work includes runway resurfacing, drainage improvements, and new electric lighting systems on the runway, taxiway, and aprons; it began in June and is slated for completion in two years.
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation ( A S R C ) h a s a p p rox i m a t e l y 1 3 , 0 0 0 Iñupiat shareholders in the villages of Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright, Atqasuk, Utqiaġvik, Nuiqsut, Kaktovik, and Anaktuvuk Pass. ASRC owns title to almost 5 million acres on the North Slope, “which contain a high potential for oil, gas, coal, and base metal
sulfides,” the company states. “As a steward of the land, the corporation continuously strives to balance management of cultural resources with management of natural resources.” In March, ASRC joined with Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope and N o r t h S l o p e B o ro u g h t o i s s u e a statement supporting the development of ConocoPhillips Alaska’s Willow project within the National Petroleum ReserveAlaska (NPR-A), saying: “The Willow Project represents a new opportunity to ensure our indigenous, Alaska Native communities’ 10,000 years of history has a viable future. Willow is set to provide a generational investment in our people and communities, expected to generate $1.25 billion for the North Slope Borough and $2.5 billion to the NPR-A Impact Mitigation G ra n t P ro g ra m — f u n d i n g t h a t w i l l provide basic services like education, f i re p ro t e c t i o n , l a w e n f o rc e m e n t , subsistence wildlife research, and more. The project will employ hundreds of Alaskans directly and will generate thousands of construction jobs.” ASRC’s six lines of business (government contracting, petroleum refining and marketing, energy support, industrial services, lands and natural resources, and construction) generated 2022 revenues of $4.8 billion, a record for the pacesetting corporation.
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Sivulliqsri Leading the Way
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A Pronunciation Guide Organization names as lessons in Alaska Native languages By Scott Rhode
N
a m e s t i e t h e p re s e n t t o the immemorial past. The founders of Alaska Native corporations kept this principle in mind when they devised brands to represent both their business interests and their communities. The organizations draw their names from (in most cases) the Indigenous languages of Alaska. Since 2014, Alaska has had twentyone official languages: English plus Iñupiaq, two forms of Yup’ik, Alutiiq/ Sugt’stun (also spelled Sugcestun), Unangam Tunuu (Aleut), Tlingit, and fourteen other languages in the Dene, or Athabascan, family. The law that designated these languages as official was a step toward correcting past policies of active suppression. In the last decade, language revitalization programs have trained tribal members (and interested outsiders) in the speech of Alaska’s original peoples. The first lesson might come from re a d i n g a n ew s a r t i c l e a b o u t a n 48 | September 2023
organization with an Alaska Native name. Pronouncing the name correctly is a dip into the vast pool of language learning. That doesn’t mean these names roll off the tongue. Even names from Alaska’s unofficial languages can be difficult for the unfamiliar. How might someone pronounce, say, “New Sagaya” if they had never heard it before? Or “Usibelli Coal Mine” or “Udelhoven Oilfield System Services.” Then there’s the matter of simplifying names. My immemorial forebears in Germany used an “r ” sound foreign to English, as the “rh” in my surname reminds me. German pronunciation also voices the last syllable of my s u r n a m e , s o t h e “e” i s n o t s i l e n t (the former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Jason Brune, understands the cross I bear). For some corporations, streamlining their Alaska Native names makes
good business sense. They introduce themselves daily to potential clients or employees, so a nickname is a g e s t u re o f h o s p i t a l i t y. T h u s , Tanadgusix and K’oyitł’ots’ina Limited abbreviate themselves to “TDX” and “K Corp” for the comfort of English speakers nationwide. Sitnasuak Native Corporation even has offices in Puerto Rico, so “SNC” makes sense for Spanish speakers. Consider this glossary a minimal introduction to Alaska Native languages. Although the Alaska Native Language Center at UAF and the state’s Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council employ experts, they would be the first to say that the best way to learn how to say someone’s name is to ask directly. This guide, however, should allow Alaskans to do business with, and read about, Alaska Native organizations with more linguistic confidence.
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L ANGUAGE, PL ACE OF ORIGIN
Gana-A’Yoo, Limited
(gah-nah aht-yoo)
Koyukon, Middle Yukon River
Toghotthele Corporation
(tahg-ha-TEE-lee)
L ower Tanana, Nenana
Dena’ina Center
(da-neye-nah)
Dena’ina, Cook Inlet
Chitina Native Corp.
(CHIT-nah)
Ahtna, Chitina
The apostrophe in Athabascan languages is a glottal stop; although it is not a “t ” sound (in fact, the voice box makes no sound for a beat), glottal stops are familiar in American English as the implied “t ” in “uh-oh.” However, this is ignored in “Dena’ina,” where the central vowel has been pronounced as the diphthong “eye” since its earlier spelling: Tanaina. The interchangeable “d” and “t” suggests a softer “t” sound than in English. The crossed “ł” in “K’oyitł’ots’ina” links it to the preceding “t ” as one phoneme, the same “tl” in Nahuatl (Aztec) and in Navajo, to which the Native languages of Interior Alaska are
Scan the QR
more closely related than the Inuit-Yup’ik-Unangax̂ family
Code to hear
on the northern and western coasts. Finally, the suffix “-ina”
Athabascan
signifies “people,” common in many inhabited place names;
examples.
however, “Chitina” derives from Tsedi Na’ (Copper River), so “ina” reduces to “na.”
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ATHABASCAN FAMILY examples
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TLINGIT BRANCH examples
L ANGUAGE, PL ACE OF ORIGIN
Tlingit-Haida Central Council
(KLING-kit, HY-da)
Tlingit and Haida, Southeast region
Shee Atiká
(shee AD-ik-a)
Tlingit, Sitka
Klawock Heenya Corp.
(kla-WOCK HAYN-ya)
Tlingit, Klawock
Kootznoowoo, Inc.
(koots-noo-woo)
Tlingit, Angoon
Tlingit is in the Na-Dene family, the same as Athabascan languages, while Haida’s relationship is unclear. A s i n “ H y d a b u rg , ” t h e w o rd “ H a i d a” i s u n c o m p l i c a t e d , w h e re a s “ T l i n g i t ” s t a r t s w i t h a f o re i g n s o u n d : t h e alveolar lateral affricate. Tlingit is partially tonal, so the pitch of a vowel changes meaning. An acute accent indicates h i g h t o n e ; l ow t o n e s a re g e n e ra l l y u n m a r k e d . F o r “ S h e e A t i k á , ” h ow ev e r, E n g l i s h s p e a k e r s c a n g e t a w a y w i t h ignoring the accent. An apostrophe, as in Ch’aak’ (Eagle moiety), marks ejective consonants, p ro n o u n c e d w i t h a p u f f o f b re a t h . T l i n g i t h a s g l o t t a l s t o p s , t o o , w h i c h a re m a r k e d w i t h a p e r i o d , a s i n Juneau-Douglas Yadaa.at Kalé High School. An underscore, as in G̱ ooch naa (Wolf moiety), places the tongue against the uvula. An “x” is the Greek letter chi, spelled in German or Scottish as “ch.” The Tlingit writing system adds “w ” to labialized consonants; the “kw ” in Yak-tat Kwáan (people of Ya ku t a t ) is a s i m p l e exa m p l e , p o s i n g n o q uandary f o r English speakers.
Scan the QR Code to hear
Tlingit examples.
Serving our people and living our values.
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L ANGUAGE, PL ACE OF ORIGIN
Ounalashka Corp.
(oon-a-las-ka)
Unangan, Unalaska
Tanadgusix Corp.
(ta-nad-ghu-sikh)
Unangan, St. Paul Island
St. George Tanaq
(ta-NAH)
Unangan, St. George Island
Unangam Tunuu is the language spoken by the Unangax̂ —the circumflex over the “x” places the sound farther back than an unadorned “x,” which is literally the Greek letter chi, spelled in German or Scottish as “ch.” As in other other Inuit-Yup’ik-Unangax languages, “g” is softer than in English, often spelled “gh” in other languages that use the sound; the dotted “g” used elsewhere is, in this language, topped with a circumflex instead. The writing system was formalized in 1972, and the name of the people and language has shifted within the last twenty years. “Ounalashka” and “Unalaska” are the same word, but the former reflects Russian influence (Unangam Tunuu has no “sh” sound, and “o” is only in borrowed words).
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Unangan/Aleut examples.
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ALASK A NATIVE
UNANGAN / ALEUT examples
ALASK A NATIVE
ALUTIIQ examples
L ANGUAGE, PL ACE OF ORIGIN
Alutiiq Museum
(a-LOO-tikh)
Alutiiq, Kodiak
Chugach Alaska Corp.
(CHOO-gatch)
Alutiiq, Prince William Sound region
Chenega Corp.
(cha-NEE-ga)
Alutiiq, Chenega
Afognak Native Corp.
(a-FOG-nak)
Alutiiq, Afognak and Por t Lions
Koniag, Inc.
(KOH-nee-ag)
Alutiiq, Kodiak Island
The word “Alutiiq” is used by the indigenous people of the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak archipelago, and Prince W i l l i a m S o u n d w h o , a l o n g w i t h t h e U n a n g a x̂ o f t h e A l e u t i a n I s l a n d s , h a d b e e n m i s i d e n t i f i e d by R u s s i a n colonists as Aleuts. The language is more closely related to Yugtun (Central Alaskan Yup’ik). Common to the Inuit-Yup’ik-Unangax̂ family, the terminal “q” sound is more guttural than a “k” sound in English. “Chugach” is not to be confused with the Dena’ina Athabascan “Chugiak,” although that place is near the mountains named for the Alutiiq-speaking Chugach Sugpiaq people. Koniag is certainly an Alutiiq organization, yet the name seems to stem from what the Unangax̂ called their n e i g h b o r s . T h e c o r p o ra t i o n f o r Wo o d y I s l a n d , L e i s n o i ( p ro n o u n c e d “ L E Z H - n oy ” ) , i s a l s o a n exo n y m , m e a n i n g simply “woody ” in Russian.
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Alutiiq examples.
a Chugach company
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52 | September 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
L ANGUAGE, PL ACE OF ORIGIN
Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corp.
(ook-pee-arg-vik in-yoop-yat)
Iñupiaq, Utqiaġvik
Iḷisaġvik College
(ih-yih-sarg-vik)
Iñupiaq, Utqiaġvik
Olgoonik Corp. Inc.
(ool-rgoo-nikh)
Iñupiaq, Wainwright
Kuukpik Corp.
(kooh-pik)
Iñupiaq, Nuiqsut
Sitnasuak Native Corp.
(sit-na-sock)
Iñupiaq, Nome
Kawerak, Inc.
(ka-WAYR-ak)
Iñupiaq, Nome
Maniilaq Association
(ma-nay-lak)
Iñupiaq, Kotzebue
Iñupiaq (the adjective) and Iñupiat (the plural noun) both contain the “enye” sound familiar to Spanish. The writing system also uses “ŋ” which is the same “ng” as in English (and “English”). The “q” is like a “k” (and was originally written with a “k”) but is more guttural. A dotted “g” is more guttural still, the same sound spelled with “r ” in Parisian French, suggesting how far back in the throat it comes from. Even an undotted “g” is velar (from the back of the tongue), softer than “g” in English. Which
Scan the QR
one is in “Olgoonik”? The old spelling of the Iñupiaq
Code to hear
name for Wainwright, Ulġuniq, provides a clue.
Iñupiaq examples.
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September 2023 | 53
ALASK A NATIVE
IÑUPIAQ examples
ALASK A NATIVE
YUP’IK examples
L ANGUAGE, PL ACE OF ORIGIN
Calista Corp.
(cha-LIS-tah)
Yup’ik, Yukon-Kuskok wim Delta
Calivika shareholder directory
(cha-LI-wa-ka)
Yup’ik, Yukon-Kuskok wim Delta
Choggiung Limited
(choo-ghyung)
Yup’ik, Dillingham
Qinarmiut Corp.
(kin-ARGH-mute)
Yup’ik, Tuntutuliak
Nunakauiak Yup’ik Corp.
(noon-aw-KOW-yuck)
Yup’ik, Toksook Bay
Igiugig Native Corp.
(ig-yah-gick)
Yup’ik, Igiugig
Atmauthluak Limited
(uht-mau-THU-uk)
Yup’ik, Atmautluak
Stuyahok Limited
(stew-yah-huck)
Yup’ik, New Stuyahok
Yu p ’ i k i s o n e o f a g ro u p o f l a n g u a g e s w i t h i n t h e I n u i t - Yu p ’ i k - U n a n g a x̂ ( o r E s k i m o - A l e u t ) f a m i l y. A n a p o s t ro p h e i n d i c a t e s a n e l o n g a t e d c o n s o n a n t , w h i c h i s s i m i l a r t o , b u t n o t ex a c t l y l i k e , t h e g l o t t a l s t o p marked by an apostrophe in Athabascan languages. The group includes Siberian Yup’ik on St. Lawrence Island; Central Alaskan Yup’ik (or Yugtun) spoken mostly inland; and Cup’ik in Chevak and along the coast. Right away, “c ” makes a “ch” sound; Choggiung is an alternate spelling of “Curyung” and is pronounced the same; notice that “gg” suggests an r-ish sound. Also notice that “v ” in “Calivika” approximates a “w ” sound. The suffix “-miut ” (also Anglicized to “-mute”) means “inhabitants of ”; “nuna” means “land” in the sense of ground, place, country, and village.
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Yup’ik examples.
54 | September 2023
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ALASK A NATIVE
Five Left Out A generational fight for Southeast land claims By Vanessa Orr
56 | September 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
“There is actually more financing available for keeping trees where they are and selling carbon credits… The areas that we’ve chosen would also make wonderful ecotourism stops.” Harriet Brouillette, Board Member, Southeast Alaska Landless Corporation
Land for the Landless
The fight to amend the ANCSA exclusion has ranged from the hills and valleys of Southeast to Capitol Hill itself. In 1997, Representative Don Young introduced the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act (H.R. 3231), which was the first-ever federal legislation introduced on behalf of the landless communities to include maps showing specific lands proposed for conveyance. Young has passed on, but the issue still lives. In June of this year, Alaska’s congressional delegation introduced yet another bill, using the same title as the 1997 act. It would amend ANCSA to allow the five communities t o f o r m u r b a n c o r p o ra t i o n s , a n d each corporation would receive 23,040 acres, or one township, of federal land. According to Representative Mary Sattler Peltola’s press secretary Sam E r i c k s o n , d e c a d e s o f i n a c t i o n by Congress has resulted in unfulfilled promises to the landless communities of Southeast. www.akbizmag.com
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September 2023 | 57
ALASK A NATIVE
I
n 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) divided 44 million acres of land among more than 200 regional, village, and urban corporations to resolve land claims throughout Alaska. While many of these Alaska Native corporations (ANCs) have since made extraordinary strides thanks to these allotments, five communities were left out. Haines, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, and Tenakee are treated differently under Section 16 of ANCSA. The law notes that the Tlingit and Haida Settlement of 1959 had already a w a rd e d $ 7 . 5 m i l l i o n t o t r i b e s i n Southeast, and land ownership patterns were considerably different there than in the rest of the state. Other Southeast cities were included in ANCSA: Goldbelt, Inc. is the urban corporation for Juneau, and Ketchikan’s neighboring village, Saxman, is represented by the Cape Fox Corporation. A 1993 report by the UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research, which was mandated by Congress, found no blatant reason or explanation for the exclusion of the five landless communities.
ALASK A NATIVE Haines was named for the chairwoman of the committee that raised funds for the first Christian mission built in 1881 at the site of a trading post, but the Chilkat Valley had been inhabited long before by the Chilkoot people. More than 10 percent of the town’s population of around 1,700 is Native American, according to the latest US census. RUBEN R AMOS | iStock
“ANCSA was intended to address Alaska Native land claims by conveying land that could be used to provide for the economic, social, and cultural well-being of Alaska Native peoples, but because they were left out, these five landless communities never got the opportunities for economic development or cultural preservation that other communities did,” Erickson says. “Representative Peltola believes that the federal government must keep the promises it makes to Alaskans, and providing these lands i s a c r u c i a l s t e p t o e m p ow e r i n g these communities.” Jaeleen Kookesh, vice president of public policy for Sealaska regional corporation, has spent the past twentysix years of her professional career working on a legislative solution for landless claims. “ With the support of the Alaska delegation, we have made it a top priority and made a concerted effort to advocate for this bill’s introduction in the most recent 58 | September 2023
congresses,” she says. “ This was a longstanding priority of Representative Don Young, and when Representative Peltola was elected, she continued to advocate for this legacy issue.” O f A l a s k a ’s n ew e s t m e m b e r o f Congress, Erickson says, “She is glad to carry on the legacy of Don Young and others who have striven to fix this injustice.”
The Path to Recognition
After the bill’s introduction in June, it was moved to the US House Committee on Natural Resources and the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for review. If hearings take place in September after the legislative recess, the bill could undergo potential markup before winter break, before going to the floors of the House and Senate for a vote. “We are hopeful that it will be heard a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f n ex t y e a r o r become part of the land bills at the end of this current congress,” says Kookesh.
“A l a s k a N a t i v e l e a d e r s i n t h e s e communities are asking for no more than the opportunity granted to other Native communities fifty years ago,” Senator Lisa Murkowski said at the bill’s introduction. “I urge colleagues on both sides of the aisle to look at the facts and help us get this done, so we can finally put an end to more than half a century of injustice in Southeast Alaska.” During the decades-long struggle, the bill has gained the support of Native corporations, including Goldbelt. “ We are helping to advocate for every Southeast Native community to be a part of what we have; there has been an effort to promote unity and collaboration around this effort with Sealaska leading the way,” says Goldbelt President and CEO McHugh Pierre. “While I can’t speak for the other ANCs, I believe that most people support the concept of allowing these Alaska Natives to have representation.” Pierre notes that the Cedar Group, a Juneau marketing firm run by Goldbelt
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Harriet Brouillette, Board Member, Southeast Alaska Landless Corporation
b o a r d m e m b e r To d d A n t i o q u i a , provides communications services for the Southeast Alaska Landless Corporation (SALC), a nonprofit coalition formed in 2006 as an umbrella organization for the five communities. “I hope with Senator Murkowski’s seniority and influence that this is a good time to get it done,” Pierre adds. “She’s been a big champion of this effort, and we’re hoping that the promises that were offered by ANCSA more than fifty years ago can be delivered today.”
Pieces of Forest
Murkowski is more senior now—ranked sixth among Senate Republicans—than her father was when the 1997 bill was first drafted. Generations are turning over while the landless communities wait for redress. “ The original battle started over 100 years ago, with the arrival of missionaries in the late 1800s,” says Harriet Brouillette, tribal administrator for Chilkoot Indian Association and a SALC board member representing Haines. “My personal involvement began in my early 20s when my mother told me that she just couldn’t do it anymore, and it was up to me.” That was in the ‘90s. “Being a young, impressionable 20-something, it was something that I’d heard about my entire life, so I started by meeting with Frank Murkowski when he was a senator for Alaska to discuss the Tongass National Forest and issues in our community regarding federal lands,” she says. “Now I’m in my late 50s, and I have five grandchildren, and I hope that they are not fighting the same battle I spent my entire life fighting.” www.akbizmag.com
Alaska Business
September 2023 | 59
ALASK A NATIVE
“My personal involvement began in my early 20s when my mother told me that she just couldn’t do it anymore, and it was up to me… Now I’m in my late 50s, and I have five grandchildren, and I hope that they are not fighting the same battle I spent my entire life fighting.”
ALASK A NATIVE
As part of the bill, the five landless groups have made their land selections on US Forest Service maps, though these lands may not always match where they live now. “ F o r A l a s k a N a t i v e s i n g e n e ra l , i t ’s m u c h h a rd e r t o s e l e c t l a n d s immediately within their communities because of the passage of time,” says Kookesh. “For example, Haines has mostly private property and state lands, and no federal or Forest Service land, so they had to select land farther from the community. The longer time passes, the more difficult it is to select immediately within their communities or in close proximity.” One of the sticking points with earlier bills was the fact that land in the Tongass National Forest would be deeded to the landless groups. “All of our homeland is within the To n g a s s , a n d t h e re a re i n t e re s t s who want to preserve public land a n d p u b l i c ow n e r s h i p i n s t e a d o f returning it to the Native people,” says Kookesh. “Others assume that putting the land into the hands of Native corporations would mean that
Norwegian settler Peter Buschmann built a cannery and sawmill near a Tlingit fish camp on Mitkof Island. Descendants of the indigenous inhabitants are represented by the Petersburg Indian Association, but they have no corporation to manage tribal lands. V ipersniper | iStock
Commercial Real Estate
60 | September 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Nanc y Hulber t| iStock
“All of our homeland is within the Tongass… It is up to Native shareholders to decide what to do with the land as a matter of Native selfdetermination.” Jaeleen Kookesh Vice President of Public Policy Sealaska
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September 2023 | 61
ALASK A NATIVE
An ANCSA village corporation exists within the Ketchikan Gateway Borough: Cape Fox Corporation in Saxman. Tribal members of Ketchikan proper, just 2.8 miles away, were excluded because of the city’s more urbanized land use.
ALASK A NATIVE
The Wrangell Cooperative Association is a federally recognized sovereign nation with more than 600 enrolled members. Their heritage centers on the mouth of the Stikine River, where Russian America administrator Ferdinand Wrangel established a trading post to obtain furs from the Native people. Today’s tribal members are considering different ways to monetize their local resources. bennymar t y| iStock
“I think that people realize that this is likely not a land grab for the timber economy, which is pretty much nonexistent in Southeast Alaska at this point… The land provides other opportunities that are not extractive; it is a different economic, political, and environmental climate.” Jaeleen Kookesh, Vice President of Public Policy, Sealaska
it would be developed or extracted in some way. That ’s a pretty huge assumption, though at the same time, it is up to Native shareholders to decide what to do with the land as a matter of Native self-determination.” Kookesh has seen a shift in sentiment favoring the landless communities, so she feels more confident that the legislation will pass this time. “I think that people realize that this is likely not a land grab for the t i m b e r e c o n o m y, w h i c h i s p re t t y much nonexistent in Southeast Alaska at this point,” Kookesh says. “ The land provides other opportunities that are not extractive; it is a 62 | September 2023
d i f f e re n t e c o n o m i c , p o l i t i c a l , a n d environmental climate.”
Human to Human
Meeting and working alongside some of the opposition groups has helped sway public opinion, according to Brouillette. “Quite frankly, in years past, we were concerned about sharing our information and our maps with the opposition because we thought the public might react negatively,” she explains. “Over time, we began looking at this not so much as a war with people in the opposition, who are mostly in the conservation community, but as a way to educate
them as to why this is such an important settlement.” D u r i n g CO V I D - 1 9 , t h e l a n d l e s s groups began meeting via Zoom with the Southeast Alaska Conservation C o u n c i l , o n e o f t h e l e g i s l a t i o n ’s biggest oppo n e n t s , t o t a l k a b o u t h ow t h ey c o u l d s u p p o r t a n d h e l p one another. “We got to know them as people; we spoke human to human about our hopes, dreams, who we were, how we were raised, and more,” says Brouillette. “When you talk on a personal level and don’t approach it as a political issue, it makes a big difference. We shared how important this land is for our culture
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ALASK A NATIVE Sitka has an urban Native corporation, Shee Atiká, while being Alaska’s fifth-largest city by population (and, notably, the largest by area in the United States). On neighboring Chichagof Island, and with barely more than 100 residents, Tenakee Springs was excluded when ANCSA corporations were established. Monica Sterchi-Lowman | Alaska Business
and our indigenous identity, which let them get to know us in a broader yet more personal way.” Brouillette says the talks reassured the conservation group that the land settlement has nothing to do with l o g g i n g . “ T h e re a l i t y i s t h a t w h e n Europeans originally arrived in our area, the land was so pristine that they didn’t know it was inhabited,” she adds. “Thousands of people lived in the Chilkat Valley, and they couldn’t tell because it was managed so well.” While logging was once a way to make a living in Southeast Alaska, landowners are now looking at other ways to both preserve and profit off the land. “There is actually more financing available for keeping trees where they are and selling carbon credits,” 64 | September 2023
says Brouillette. “The areas that we’ve chosen would also make wonderful ecotourism stops.”
Justice Issue
Another point of agreement, she notes, is the importance of local control of resources at a time when outside investors have been buying up Alaska. “If someone has no vested interest in what the land looks like in 20 or 100 years, they don’t care about planning or managing for the f u t u re . I w a n t m y g ra n d c h i l d re n , great-grandchildren, and future generations to enjoy these forests,” Brouillette says. She adds that the Alaska Native culture is so entwined with the environment that it is hard to exist c u l t u ra l l y w i t h o u t a c c e s s t o t h e i r own lands.
“Having our lands back would allow us the opportunity to hunt, fish freely, hike, and spend time in the forest looking for trees that are large enough to carve a totem or build a canoe,” she says. “We don’t have access now to large stands of timber for those purposes.” Ultimately, Brouillette says a settlement would return land to its rightful owners. “I consider this to be a human justice issue; these lands were taken from us without our permission—we never released ownership of the lands—yet we are kept off the land,” she says. “We hope that people will reach out to us and let us address their concerns as opposed to simply jumping to objections or opposition,” says Kookesh. “ We’ve happy to answer questions so that everyone understands the issue.”
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ALASK A NATIVE
North Slope F Marketplace Boot camp for Arctic entrepreneurs By Scott Rhode 66 | September 2023
rieda Nageak wishes that visitors to Alaska’s n o r t h e r n m o s t t ow n c o u l d t a k e h o m e authentic souvenirs. “We have a lot of visitors from all over the United States and from Canada and different places. They’re always wanting to buy something that is Barrow related or Iñupiaq related, but they can’t seem to find anything,” she says. Shirts sold at the Alaska Commercial Company store in Utqiaġvik’s Barrow neighborhood, for example, show images of moose in a forest, neither of which are anywhere nearby. The Stuaqpak supermarket across the lagoon in Browerville carries apparel printed with eagles soaring over mountains—again, imagery alien to the tundra.
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Other 2023 finalists include coffee shops in Point Hope and Wainwright, a retailer in Anaktuvuk Pass, and a couple of Nageak’s neighbors in Utqiaġvik: a hauling service and an IT installer. Unlike the souvenir shop, Inu-IT is already operating. Anton Edwardson launched the business last year based on his experience as an IT manager at Iḷisaġvik College. He hooks up wireless and wired networks, troubleshoots printers and security cameras—all the nerd stuff. Anton is a one-person shop, so he hopes to expand. With the assistance of NSM, not only could Inu-IT take on more clients but Anton could train residents to provide IT services locally. That way, clients wouldn’t have to pay extra for travel and lodging to bring personnel to the Slope. Business savvy comes naturally to Anton: his father is president of the Iñupiat tribal government, his mother ran her own company, and his brother www.akbizmag.com
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Alaska Business
September 2023 | 67
ALASK A NATIVE
“It’s general souvenirs, general Alaska stuff that you could get from Fourth Avenue [in Anchorage],” Nageak says. Across the street from the supermarket, the Iñupiat Heritage Center offers a small selection of local handicrafts. Tourists can also find Utqiaġvik swag at KBRW public radio and at Iḷisaġvik College, where Nageak works as external affairs coordinator. Nageak would like to do better, though, so she’s planning a placebased brand to be sold at her NageAK Souvenirs store. “It would include caps, beanies, sweatshirts, magnets, spoons, plates—whatever people collect,” she says. She would use images of wildlife and landscapes photographed by her late father. To m a k e t h a t w i s h c o m e t r u e , she’s enrolled in North Slope Marketplace (NSM), a program for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) shareholders like herself. NSM provides technical training, cash, and financing to entrepreneurs. Nageak was among ten applicants selected to participate in the three-day Business Boot Camp in August. After mentors a n d c o n s u l t a n t s h e l p re f i n e t h e i r b u s i n e s s p l a n s , t h re e o f t h e t e n finalists will be awarded up to $25,000 to grow their businesses.
ALASK A NATIVE Frieda Nageak loves showing visitors around Iḷisaġvik College, where she works as external affairs coordinator. Her idea for a souvenir shop earned her a spot in the 2023 cohort of North Slope Marketplace Business Boot Camp. Alaska Business
From her office at McKinley Alaska Growth Capital, Mary Miner can see the company’s former owner, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, where the North Slope Marketplace program was created for the benefit of its shareholders. Alaska Business
68 | September 2023
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to be based in villages… It is important, if we want to get to the root of these incredible opportunities, to be there on the ground doing it.” Rachel Edwardson, Director/Producer, Amiun
went to Columbia University and became a financial analyst. His sister Rachel Edwardson, by contrast, is more of a creative type than a business type. “My head does not work in that way,” she says. “I really wanted to make films!” Rachel has two films on Netflix right now, and both were nominated for Peabody awards. She has experience in TV and documentaries, with multiple credits in Australia, where she splits her time. Her media brand, Amiun, is growing into narrative projects, as well. She received NSM assistance in its first year, 2009. “The resource that set me up then is still supporting what we’re doing now, what I’m able to do, and what I’m able to offer young makers,” Rachel says. Like her brother, she wants to build a local workforce. Two grants in 2009 and 2013, totaling $25,000, helped her train more than 100 people in the last decade, though only a handful remain in the filmmaking field. Rachel considers herself lucky to have received family mentorship in business, a skill set that NSM added to. Nageak, too, hopes that boot camp will supplement her skills. “I already have a working background in accounting and customer service,” she says. “I would need assistance on finances—where or how.”
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So Much to Learn
The needs of North Slope residents set NSM apart from similar programs around the state, and its form is still evolving. “ H i s t o r i c a l l y, t h e m a r k e t p l a c e program worked with the [UAA] Small B u s i n e s s D ev e l o p m e n t C e n t e r t o provide training for entrepreneurs www.akbizmag.com
NOVAGOLD.COM/SUSTAINABILITY Alaska Business
September 2023 | 69
ALASK A NATIVE
“If we want to nurture local businesses in villages, we need
ALASK A NATIVE
Nothing wrong with the apparel, accessories, and assorted souvenirs sold at Stuaqpak, except that—as Frieda Nageak sees it—they could better reflect the local character of Utqiaġvik. From that observation, the seed of a business was planted, and North Slope Marketplace is helping Nageak nurture the idea. Patricia Morales | Alaska Business
after they received a small business grant as an awardee,” explains Mary Miner, vice president of community development at McKinley Alaska Growth Capital (MAGC). Starting in 2019, more training was provided before, not after, the grant. “Instead of doing it post-award, we’re providing that technical assistance preaward to help ready the entrepreneurs to feel confident and have the resources and skills to write a business plan,” Miner says. Even that schedule was too frontloaded, though, so more work was done in advance of the 2023 boot camp. For instance, in July semifinalists were introduced to a financial projection model. That training was courtesy of Spruce Root, the nonprofit that runs the Southeast counterpart to North Slope Marketplace, called Path to Prosperity. The boot camp in August involved sessions at the Iñupiat Heritage Center and field trips. For example, Miner says previous classes went to the NAPA 70 | September 2023
auto parts store in Utqiaġvik to learn inventory management. Training continues after boot camp w i t h a w o r k s h o p o n b ra n d i n g by Anchorage Community Land Trust, which runs a counterpart to NSM called Set Up Shop. The most helpful training, based o n R a c h e l ’s e x p e r i e n c e , w a s t a x preparation assistance. “It was such a great step up to have that kind of mentorship,” she says. Ronette Panningona, a 2019 awardee for her Arctic Rose Beading business, agrees. “They got us together with mentors, indigenous mentors, that have a small business similar to our own. We were able to ask them anything and have that connection for a lifetime,” she says. Panningona had no business background before NSM, so boot camp was very informative. “Learned what EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization] was, and that is helpful to know for any sort of business or corporation, especially
your small business,” she says. Panningona also learned what factors go into setting prices for her items. Finalists have until November 3 to submit business plans. Contest judges look for feasibility, the value proposition, the quality of finances and personnel, and the social impact. “Businesses could be from different sectors, different industries, but we want our judges to be able to pick up a business plan, get immersed in that business, and understand the entrepreneur ’s plan and passion for their business and how it will benefit their community,” says Miner. Up to three winners will be announced next February.
A Service for Shareholders
In addition to finalists from North Slope communities, the boot camp cohort includes a tax preparation service in Sitka and craft shops in Palmer and Wasilla. Grant awards went to an Anchorage art gallery in 2018 and an Anchorage jewelry maker last year.
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Rex A. Rock Sr., President and CEO, ASRC
The proprietors are all shareholders of ASRC. According to the rules, “The NSM competition is only open to ASRC shareholders who are 18 years of age or older by the annual application deadline” (excluding ASRC employees or board members). Applicants may reside anywhere, but bonus points go to proposals that benefit the North Slope region directly. T h e p ro g ra m w a s c o n c e i v e d i n 2009 to share ASRC’s vast commercial success with its wider community, a direct stimulus of Iñupiatowned businesses. “If we want to nurture local businesses in villages, we need to be based in villages,” Rachel says. “It is important, if we want to get to the root of these incredible opportunities, to be there on the ground doing it.” Last year, ASRC sold the subsidiary that operated NSM, Alaska Growth Capital. The business line was acquired by McKinley Management, becoming McKinley Alaska Growth Capital. MAGC moved out of the ASRC building in Midtown Anchorage and into McKinley’s offices in the JL Tower next door. NSM moved with it. “I thought it disappeared,” says Rachel. “When I was looking for it last year to recommend it to people, I went to the ASRC website and couldn’t find it... I assumed they’d shut it down.” Not to worry; the transaction came with an assurance that NSM would continue. ASRC President and CEO Rex A. Rock Sr. offered this statement: “ We at ASRC are pleased that the w o r k A l a s k a G row t h C a p i t a l d o e s to support the North Slope Iñupiat continues under their new ownership. Our shared commitment to enhancing Iñupiaq cultural and economic www.akbizmag.com
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Alaska Business
September 2023 | 71
ALASK A NATIVE
“We at ASRC are pleased that the work Alaska Growth Capital does to support the North Slope Iñupiat continues under their new ownership. Our shared commitment to enhancing Iñupiaq cultural and economic freedom was a cornerstone of the acquisition process.”
ALASK A NATIVE
“I gained confidence in myself and my
freedom was a cornerstone of the acquisition process.”
Continued Inf luence
Although ASRC no longer has an ownership interest, Miner says the corporation remains involved in NSM. “Members of the ASRC network are part of our judging committee. We definitely get feedback from them,” she says. McKinley was not involved in NSM before, but the transition has been smooth. “It doesn’t really feel like it’s changed at all,” Miner says. “I’m still interfacing with all my same contacts at ASRC, and they ’re being very helpful, continuing this program f o r s h a re h o l d e r s . ” S h e a d d s t h a t being part of the McKinley family o f c o m p a n i e s , i n c l u d i n g M c K i n l ey Research Group, opens the potential for new collaborations. Ta k i n g a p r o g r a m f o r A S R C shareholders out of ASRC’s hands can be unsettling. “I’m a little sad this is not something offered by ASRC anymore,” says Panningona, “but I’m also excited to see what the future holds for NSM.” Ronette Panningona Notably, MAGC is still partly under Owner Native ownership. Bristol Bay Native Arctic Rose Beading Corporation (BBNC) had a stake in the acquisition. Through its Bristol Bay Development Fund, BBNC has ex p e r i e n c e w i t h i t s ow n P a t h t o Prosperity in partnership with Spruce Root. Now BBNC is steering its development fund interests into MAGC. “We’re exploring what we could do in their region,” Miner says. “We’ve had some really good conversations with community economic development groups in the Bristol Bay region. That, to me, is the pre-work we need to do: what’s the need? I want to hear from them first on where we would be the best fit.” The handover from ASRC might enable NSM to extend beyond the North Slope. “As we move forward, we’re open to also having marketplace programs for other regions of the state and shareholders in other regions as well,” Miner says.
business because of the things I’ve
learned. I am also
planning to expand
to more than beaded accessories in the
near future. My small business wouldn’t be possible without the
opportunity given by NSM.”
Vibrant Communities
Since it began, NSM has awarded more than $1 million to more than fifty winners. Are they better off? Is NSM serving its purpose? 72 | September 2023
“I believe it is,” says Panningona. “I gained confidence in myself and my business because of the things I’ve learned. I am also planning to expand to more than beaded accessories in the near future. My small business wouldn’t be possible without the opportunity given by NSM.” ASRC infused NSM with the Iñupiat value of benefiting the whole, so by lifting up individuals, the program builds vibrant communities. “I definitely want to make a living,” Rachel says, “but I would also like to grow something for my community, which is not a classic cash economy business mentality.” By supporting her media productions or her brother’s IT company, NSM develops a workforce and diversifies the North Slope economy. “Some of the entrepreneurs we will work with at our training are bringing products and services to communities for the first time and are extremely passionate and excited about starting their own business,” Miner says. “I’m excited to see how the new model can create this cohort, this community of diverse entrepreneurs on the Slope and around the state, adding to the diversity of our economy and adding their perspective.” While a grant would go a long way toward paying for Nageak’s souvenir shop, the know-how she’s acquired in the process of applying and planning has brought it a step closer to reality. It’s already worked for Panningona. “I encourage all who are thinking of starting a small business to apply and go through the boot camp,” she says. “Very informative, and such a great thing for our people on the Slope to have access to.” Rachel, too, says she’s grateful for the support. “There are some hurdles I could not have gotten over without the help of ASRC and this marketplace grant,” she says. “Let’s learn from what we’ve done, learn what didn’t work, and move to Phase II so we can grow it.” N e i t h e r A S R C n o r M c K i n l ey a re charities. MAGC is a financial institution with a community development mission. Making a positive impact is part of the business proposition. “ We are definitely a for-profit business,” Miner says. “We’re reinvesting our money.”
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
TOURISM
Off the Tourist Track Remote destinations for true Alaska explorers By Rachael Kvapil
B
oredom is not an issue for visitors in Alaska. Travel along the road system unveils a vast ecosystem, a variety of wildlife, and multiple cultures within rural and urban communities. In Southeast, waterways take the place of asphalt, affording once-in-a-lifetime views to 74 | September 2023
millions of tourists. Disconnected from the main road system, however, remote communities in Southwest, Interior, and Northern Alaska welcome the most dedicated and adventurous travelers. Visits to places like St. Paul Island, Kantishna Roadhouse, and Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow) require more
intensive planning than a casual cruise, but the effort is rewarded with glimpses of Alaska experienced by a select few.
For the Birds
Fans of the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch are familiar with the Bering Sea. While fishing and crabbing
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
TDX Hospitalit y Group
Asia that blow birds off course during migration. In the spring, they stop on St. Paul Island to rest and eat before continuing on." Galik says several exotic species have visited St. Paul Island, including the first North American sighting of a longlegged buzzard from Central Asia and a Pallas's rosefinch. He says lifelong birders often add 5 to 10 bird species to their “life list” in just a few days. Around 320 bird species have been recorded in the Pribilof Islands.
Galik says the best way to explore the area is through the St. Paul Island Tour from May 15 to October 15. Conservation and sustainability on St. Paul Island are top priorities for TDX Corporation, the Alaska Native village corporation that owns and operates the tour company. TDX is partnered with Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the tribal government of St. Paul Island to ensure the preservation of national and cultural resources. One resource in need of preservation
We’re your first step ... to another world. From domestic destinations to foreign travels, ANC connects Alaska with the world. take the spotlight, one volcanic island in the Pribilofs is a stopping point for several rare species of migrating birds. "St. Paul Island became a world-class birdwatching destination," says Gregory Galik, president of the Tanadgusix (TDX) Hospitality Group. "The Bering Sea experiences great winds from www.akbizmag.com
ancairport.com
Alaska Business
September 2023 | 75
A glimpse of the Great One from as far away as Anchorage is majesty worthy of pause; to see the mountain from Kantishna Valley is a rarer privilege. At the end of Denali Park Road, Kantishna Roadhouse Lodge limits overnight visitors to twelve at a time. pkujiahe| iStock
“As an Alaska Native enterprise, Kantishna Roadhouse works closely with the National Park Service to educate visitors about the historical uses of the park by the Native peoples before the arrival of Western culture.” Jordan Sanford, General Manager, Kantishna Roadhouse
is the northern fur seal. Nearly 50 percent of the entire population breeds on the Pribilof Islands; however, the animal is still listed as "depleted" by the Marine Mammal Protection Act after facing near extinction in the 1800s. Travel to view the fur seals is restricted without the proper permits. "Visitors can't go out to the rookeries on their own," says Galik. "We guide visitors carefully into amazing cliffs to see the seals and abundant seabirds like the famous tufted and horned puffins." 76 | September 2023
Experienced naturalists also lead visitors on hikes across the tundra landscape, where they can see more than 100 species of wildflowers and w i l d l i f e s u c h a s A rc t i c f oxe s a n d reindeer. All tours visit the St. Paul community, Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church, and the TDX Museum of Unangan heritage. The tour company reviews special requests and needs for excursions, hikes, and other activities. Custom tour programs are available for extended visits.
St. Paul Island Tours' most popular tour package is for three days/ two nights, but packages up to e i g h t d a y s / s ev e n n i g h t s a re a l s o available. All packages include group transportation on St. Paul Island, f u l l - d a y g u i d i n g s e r v i c e s , s h a re d room hotel a c c o m m o d a t i o n s , e n t ra n c e f e e s t o t h e museum and church, three full meals per full day, and all taxes and fees. There are additional pricing options for hotel room accommodations.
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
“Our goal is to welcome travelers as they discover an inviting home away from home with authentic Iñupiaq hospitality… We also strive to ensure our guests are aware of any community events that may be taking place during their visit, such as traditional celebrations like Kivġiq and Nalukataq.” Marie Duriez, Communications Manager, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation
R a v n A l a s k a f l i e s d i re c t l y t o S t . Paul Island out of Anchorage four times a week. Travelers fly in on a DeHavilland Dash 8-100 twin-engine turboprop aircraft that seats twentyfive passengers. Flying to St. Paul Island with a refueling stop takes about three to four hours. Galik says the tours between May 15 to July 1 fill up before the end of the year; that is the premier birding season, as birdwatchers know all too well. He recommends booking at least six months in advance for preferred tour reservation and flight times. Though St. Paul is a small community, Galik says it has modern satellite t e c h n o l o g y, c o m m u n i c a t i o n s , a n d airport facilities. " We represent the success possible within a small community that decided to develop a tour product over seventy years ago that continues to welcome visitors to this day,” says Galik.
Come Together Your space for any occasion
Take it Outside
Kantishna Roadhouse is connected to the state’s highway system, but the road is unpaved. A 92-mile dirt road ordinarily connects the backcountry destination to the Parks Highway. However, Denali National Park and P re s e r v e o f f i c i a l s re c e n t l y c l o s e d Denali Park Road at mile 43 due to safety issues. Until road construction is complete in 2026, Kantishna Roadhouse is accessible only by plane. Kantishna Roadhouse is owned and operated by Doyon, Limited, the Alaska Native corporation for the Interior region. “As an Alaska Native enterprise, Kantishna Roadhouse works closely with the National Park Service to educate visitors about the historical www.akbizmag.com
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Alaska Business
September 2023 | 77
In the middle of the Bering Sea, St. Paul Island is a haven for migrating birds, like these rock sandpipers on the island’s Big Lake. Consequently, St. Paul is also a haven for migrating birdwatchers, which provides a steady stream of tourism business. Joesboy| iStock
uses of the park by the Native peoples before the arrival of Western culture,” says Jordan Sanford, general manager at the Kantishna Roadhouse. Kantishna is the farthest point inside Denali National Park. When the road is open, the roadhouse is the closest anyone can get to the base of Denali without hiking or flying. The Denali Park Road dead ends in Kantishna Valley. As a remote location with only a few lodges among tall trees and secluded wilderness, the Kantishna Roadhouse rests on the banks of Moose Creek, a crystal-clear stream that gently flows through the valley. Established in 1905, Kantishna served as a gold mining town before becoming part of Denali National Park and Preserve. The Kantishna Roadhouse Lodge is a contemporary facility with all the amenities needed for a comfortable stay. Large white spruce logs harvested from the boreal forests of Interior Alaska were used to build the lodge and all the accommodations. The lodge 78 | September 2023
"We represent the success possible within a small community that decided to develop a tour product over seventy years ago that continues to welcome visitors to this day.” Gregory Galik President Tanadgusix Hospitality Group
is fitted with a modern kitchen and dining area where guests enjoy three meals and snacks provided daily. Cabins
are spacious duplex-style buildings with private bathrooms, nicely appointed rustic décor, down comforters/quilts, and front porches. For guests with special mobility needs, Kantishna Roadhouse has fully accessible cabins outfitted with accessible showers and a larger floor plan to make them easier to navigate. Sanford says the cabins are cozy and comfortable, providing a quiet and pleasant place to sleep after a day exploring Denali or relaxing around Kantishna. The Kantishna Roadhouse’s season runs from mid-June to midSeptember. Only twelve guests are allowed on the property at any given time in order to provide visitors with a unique, intimate experience. Travelers can choose a three-night, fournight, or seven-night trip. Packages i n c l u d e t h e f l i g h t w i t h D e n a l i A i r, accommodations, meals, snacks, guided and naturalist activities, and mountain bike, fly fishing, and gold panning gear.
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“The Interior region is the state’s largest region,” says Sanford. “You have the opportunity to see the continent’s tallest peak, Mt. Denali, with lots of wildlife viewing opportunities. The weather is typically mild, with lots of daylight to do all things Alaskan.” Though booking a year in advance is recommended, Sanford says it ’s always worth checking for last-minute availability.
Go North
Fun fact: Utqiaġvik, the northernmost city in the United States, isn’t as far away as it seems. Hardly more than an hour’s flight out of Anchorage, with 757s departing every day. Located on the shore of the Arctic Ocean, Utqiaġvik is known for its breathtaking tundra landscape. Guests can experience the culture of the Iñupiat people directly through dance and song performances or by visiting ancient sod huts and art exhibits, guided by a local resident who can speak to these unique experiences from the heart. “It 's something guests will n ev e r f o rg e t , ” s a y s M a r i e D u r i ez , communications manager for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC). Tundra Tours and Top of the World Hotel offer tourism services and modern hotel amenities for visitors to Utqiaġvik. Both are owned and operated by ASRC, located next door to the local post office and a short stroll from Whalebone Arch on the beach. “Our goal is to welcome travelers as they discover an inviting home away from home with authentic Iñupiaq hospitality,” says Duriez. Top of the World Hotel has served Utqiaġvik since the early ‘70s. After a fire destroyed the original hotel in 2013, the new hotel was built and re o p e n e d i n 2 0 1 4 . T h e h o t e l h a s seventy guest rooms with WiFi, cable, and free local calls. The hotel also features three conference rooms, a fitness area, and a gift shop. Duriez adds that the Top of the World Hotel is the only hotel in Utqiaġvik that offers airport pick-up; an onsite restaurant t h a t s e r v e s b re a k f a s t , l u n c h , a n d dinner seven days a week; banquet and catering services; and extended restaurant hours if flights are delayed, www.akbizmag.com
Alaska Business
September 2023 | 79
The Iñupiat Heritage Center in Utqiaġvik is a National Park Service site with a small but world-class museum of Arctic history and culture, a workshop where new art is created, and—for the avian enthusiast—an extensive display of taxidermied birds. Patricia Morales | Alaska Business
Utqiaġvik is known for its breathtaking tundra landscape. Guests can experience the culture of the Iñupiat people directly through dance and song performances or by visiting ancient sod huts and art exhibits, guided by a local resident who can speak to these unique experiences from the heart. ensuring guests can have a meal upon arrival. Tundra Tours operates out of the hotel, offering guided tours from May 15 to September 15. Summer tours include a visit to the Iñupiat Heritage Center, a tundra walk, a drive to the n o r t h e r n m o s t p o i n t o n t h e ro a d system, and a chance to meet local artists. Visitors can earn their Polar Bear Dip Certificate by plunging their hands and feet into the Chukchi Sea, where water temperatures are barely above freezing, even in the summer. The truly adventurous can take a full body plunge and earn a Polar Plunge Certificate. 80 | September 2023
“We also strive to ensure our guests are aware of any community events that may be taking place during their visit, such as traditional celebrations like Kivġiq and Nalukataq,” says Duriez. Nalukataq celebrates whaling crews that successfully landed a catch and is held after each spring and fall harvest; the Kivġiq messenger feast is a more elaborate affair, held the first week of February in odd-numbered years and attracting participants from all across the Arctic region. Those visiting Utqiaġvik in the winter months should bring a winter jacket and multiple layers. Even in summer, Duriez recommends that visitors pack
a jacket, sweater, gloves, and hat; June is spring breakup weather north of the Arctic Circle. A typical early summer tourist also packs camouflage coveralls and high-powered camera lenses; like St. Paul Island, Point Barrow is a magnet for migratory birds. Polar bears are liable to wander into city limits on any given day, outside of hibernation season. When wildlife enters the city, guests are promptly notified and kept at a safe distance. The Top of the World Hotel and Tundra Tours take reservations up to five years in advance. Busier times, such as the Kivġiq, typically get booked out, so plan early.
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
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Welcome W
elcome to the northernmost town in the United States, Utqiaġvik. The name, meaning “place where tubers are gathered” in Iñupiaq, was adopted in 2016 by voter referendum. The settlement has also historically been called Ukpeaġvik, meaning “place where snowy owls are hunted.” The old name Barrow comes from the continent’s northern tip, Point Barrow, named in 1825 for English geographer John Barrow. “Barrow” is still commonly used by locals; if nothing else, it refers to the town’s central neighborhood. Three lagoons divide Barrow from Browerville, a mostly residential area extending to Cakeeater Road, which loops around the town’s wild backyard. Contact Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (same building as the Stuaqpak Quickstop) for a permit to set foot on the tundra, and always be wary of polar bears. North of town, on the road to Point Barrow, the former Naval Arctic Research Laboratory forms the outlying neighborhood of NARL, home of Iḷisaġvik College (until its new campus in Browerville is built). The cluster of rusting Quonset huts is worth a look, but it is outside of walking distance. Getting around on foot in Barrow and Browerville is easy enough, right from the airport, but pedestrians should watch out for ATVs, side-by-sides, and (yes) cars and trucks on the unpaved streets. This map shows useful and interesting places in Utqiaġvik, from the Funakoshi Memorial marking ancient sod mounds on the coastal bluff to the Steamdot coffee shop inside the Stuaqpak supermarket. Feel free to remove or photocopy these foldout pages. During your visit, remember to dress for the weather. Mid-June is spring breakup; daytime temperatures can still drop below freezing. That fact should add to the respect for year-round residents who make their homes in the most extreme city in America. Map Design by Patricia Morales
82 | September 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
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Services: 1. Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport 2. UIC Vehicle Rental 3. Eskimos Inc. gas station 4. Tundra Tours (inside hotel) 5. US Postal Service 6. Wells Fargo ATM 7. GCI Store Hotels: 8. Airport Inn 9. King Eider Inn 10. Top of the World Hotel 11. Latitude 71 BnB Restaurants: 12. Mario’s Pizza 13. East Coast Pizzeria 14. Sam & Lee’s 15. Osaka 16. The 57 and B&C Coffee 17. Cruz’s Mexican Grill and Liliana’s Fresh Bake 18. Niġġivikput (inside hotel) 19. Sugar Shack Shopping: 20. Alaska Commercial Co. 21. Ace Hardware – Top of the World
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Alaska Business
22. The Fur Shop 23. Stuaqpak Quickstop 24. Stuaqpak 25. Kannika’s Market 26. KBRW Points of Interest: 27. Funakoshi Memorial 28. Utqiaġvik Presbyterian Church 29. Piuraaġvik Recreation Center 30. Ipalook Elementary School 31. Simmonds Field 32. Whale bone arch & Old Brower’s Café 33. Tuzzy Consortium Library 34. Iñupiat Heritage Center For Emergencies: 35. North Slope Police Department 36. Barrow Fire Station #1 37. Browerville Fire Station #2 38. Simmonds Memorial Hospital 39. Borough Veterinarian
September 2023 | 83
Legend Insets: 40. Ilisaġvik College 41. NARL (defunct) 42. Barrow High School football field 43. Arigilivik Beach 44. Point Barrow
“Happy Nalukataq!̕ ̕ Photos by Patricia Morales and Scott Rhode
Whaling is why people live at the continent’s northernmost point. Utqiaġvik is uniquely situated where the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas meet, allowing hunters to intercept bowheads migrating west or east in both spring and fall. This ancient way of life aligned with the commercial interests of Charles Dewitt Brower, a New Yorker who settled in the Arctic in 1883. He established a whaling station at Point Barrow to satisfy the demand for baleen in the manufacture of women’s corsets.
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That extinct industry left its mark in several ways, as did Brower himself. His grandson, Harry Brower Jr., is now the mayor of the North Slope Borough and a whaling captain. His was one of the thirteen crews that celebrated their successful 2023 spring harvest at Utqiaġvik’s Nalukataq festival in June.
The rescue base that Charles Brower built for shipwrecked sailors served as the town’s first Presbyterian missionary school. The blend of Christian religion and Indigenous spirituality manifests when celebrants join hands in prayer and thank God for providing whales. “Happy Nalukataq,” people say as they gather inside a windbreak built with scaffolding and tarps. Crawford Patkotak, vice chairman of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, serves as master of ceremonies and makes sure everyone gets a helping of soup and bread dished out by the host crews.
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Alaska Business
September 2023 | 85
The main event is the blanket toss; “Nalukataq” means “to toss up” in Iñupiaq. Crews rig a sealskin blanket at shoulder height. Few jumpers can land on their feet more than three times in a row. While in the air, they scatter bags of candy like human piñatas. The spring hunt occurs while the sea is frozen, so crews break trail over the ice and haul boats to open water. There they camp until a whale is spotted. On shore, a support team makes sure everything is organized and prepared; this is usually led by the wife of the captain. The catch is distributed among the community, and the tongue, heart, and kidneys are kept separate from other meat. Cellars dug into the permafrost preserve tons of meat and blubber during the weeks between the successful hunt and the festival. By the time Nalukataq is held, all parts of the whale have been given away. The inedible joint at the root of the tail remains on the ground. With their names, logos, colors, and uniforms, whaling crews are like sports heroes in Arctic communities, and their harvests are hailed like victories. Utqiaġvik has anywhere from twenty-five to forty-five crews registered in any given year. The International Whaling Commission has allotted up to 392 bowhead whales to be taken from 2019 to 2025 in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas. For 2023, the quota for the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission is 93 strikes, carrying forward unused strikes from previous years.
86 | September 2023
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September 2023 | 87
By evening, Nalukataq shifts across the lagoon to Fred Ipalook Elementary, the largest K-5 school in Alaska by enrollment, to conclude with traditional dances. Relatives who returned to Utqiaġvik for the occasion must say goodbye and catch the day’s flight back to Anchorage. Whalers have more work to do before the fall hunt. Crews are busy harvesting caribou and freshwater fish from inland. Walrus and bearded seal add to the cache of winter foods, and the seal skin goes toward a new blanket. 88 | September 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
UNITED WAY OF ANCHORAGE 2023 COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN:
AMPLIFY IMPACT
“This fall, Alaska businesses and employees have an opportunity to unite our philanthrophy efforts through workplace campaigns and amplify impact in our community. As Chairman of United Way of Anchorage’s Campaign Cabinet, I encourage every leader to look into what a United Way workplace campaign can do for their company, their colleagues and their community. Together, we can build a better future for us all.” John Sims President, ENSTAR Natural Gas Company
2023 CAMPAIGN CABINET John Sims, ENSTAR Natural Gas Company Michael Huston, Northrim Bank Lori McCaffrey, KeyBank Daniel Mitchell, Cook Inlet Region, Inc. Andy Pennington, Anchorage Daily News Chris Wilson, Subway Alaska
Learn more and start your own workplace Campaign at LiveUnitedANC.org
United Way of Anchorage
R E TA I L
Rural Retail Stocking shelves in far-flung communities By Gretchen Wehmhoff 90 | September 2023
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asoline in Alaska villages can cost upwards of $10 per gallon. That’s the case in Marshall, a small town of just under 500 people on the lower Yukon River—except twice a year when Willie Fitka, general manager of the Marshall Enterprises store, drops the price, selling at cost. Folks come from as far as St. Mary ’s and Russian Mission on snowmachines, boats, and ATVs to take advantage of the lower fuel price. Villagers fill their tanks for an extra hunting trip, a trip upriver, or just extra fuel for the next season. Fitka likes to deplete the older gas from the tanks before the next refill of newer, higher octane gas, giving his customers a deal in the process. Marshall Enterprises, the smaller of two stores in the village, is the only place for residents and visitors to buy Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Theron Duny, a cashier and stocker at the Marshall Enterprises store, works the front end. In the back, the stockroom overflows when shipments arrive by barge or bypass mail, so inventory must be stored in the aisles. Willie Fitka
fuel. It’s also a place to get a free cup of coffee while shopping. Fitka started working at the store as a clerk when he was 17. He’s managed the store since 2007. At one point his father, Willie Jr., managed the other store in town. When his dad passed, Fitka had the option to fill his dad’s position, but he chose to stay at Marshall Enterprises. He’s been there twenty-four years. In 2019 the City of Marshall purchased the business to maintain the services in the village. The city council kept Fitka on, giving him full charge of www.akbizmag.com
the business. The tiny shop—a 20-foot by 24foot building with a second building attached by a narrow hallway—doesn’t have much room for overflow. When the barge comes up the Yukon River o r w h e n a by p a s s m a i l s h i p m e n t shows up, the hall and aisles serve as extra storage. “We’re just used to it,” Fitka says. Additional shipping containers outside hold stock that can withstand the weather, such as dry goods, tarps, nets, and rain gear. Fitka does almost all of his banking Alaska Business
electronically. He sends for change when needed via registered mail. Without a local bank, the store cashes payroll and government checks for residents, particularly elders. There is no fee for locals who often deposit much of the check into their store credit account. The Marshall inventory changes by season. In winter there will be more snowmachine parts and winter gear; in the summer the parts shift to ATV needs. Stocking snowmachine, ATV, and b o a t p a r t s a t r u ra l s t o re s c o u l d September 2023 | 91
One of the features of the Nome AC store is a deli with freshly prepared sandwiches. Alaska Commercial Co.
“That’s the local hangout. People will just sit for hours to soak up the sun and say hi to everybody that comes in, or, if they're meeting someone to go berry picking, they meet at the bench.” Jacque Malaney, Store Manager, Togiak AC
mean survival for locals in most small villages. These are the realities of retail in Alaska’s remotest communities, whether stores are locally owned or part of a statewide chain.
Togiak Team
Jacque Malaney, store manager at the Alaska Commercial Company (AC) in Togiak, worked with corporate offices to add commercial fishing gear and supplies to the regular inventory. It could mean losing a week's work if a fishing boat must divert to Dillingham for a propeller. 92 | September 2023
“That not only affects that fisherman, it affects his assistant, which affects both of their families. It then reverberates where it affects the village. It actually affects a lot of us when a fisherman is not able to fish for a week during the height of season,” Malaney says. With the right parts in the store, Malaney says she can get them back on the water in two hours. Malaney and her husband, Ron, moved to Togiak (a community of around 800 north of Dillingham on the southwest coast of the state) ten years
ago to manage the store. Ron serves as a part-time welder in his free time, working on boats and other equipment after hours. The demand for welding in the small fishing village is so high that the couple brings a welder to the village for two and a half months each summer. In the winter the store supplies ice fishing gear, augers, and sleds to pull behind snowmachines. T h e M a l a n ey s a re a t e a m . “ We basically split the duties right down the middle. He is far better with numbers and percentages and all that kind of
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stuff. Whereas I am much better with intermingling and getting to know the people of the village and what their needs are and providing that service. I'm more of the face. And he's more of the brains, I guess,” Jacque says. The Togiak AC is one of the chain’s thirty-three statewide locations. AC’s history predates the purchase of Alaska in 1867, when the departing RussianAmerican Company sold its mercantile interests to US entrepreneurs. The chain is now owned by The North West Company, which likewise traces its roots to the Russian-American Company ’s British counterpart in Canada, the Hudson’s Bay Company. The humble Togiak store is a social hub of sorts. Just outside the entrance on the covered porch is a long, wooden bench. Residents sit on the bench greeting their neighbors, sharing news about who had a baby, how the fishing is going, whose ATV is broken down. Jacque can’t recall a time the bench was empty. “That’s the local hangout. People will just sit for hours to soak up the sun and say hi to everybody that comes in, or, if they're meeting someone to go berry picking, they meet at the bench,” she says. “I wish I had a little coffee shop out there. Because, you know, people sit in a coffee shop chatting, and it's the same concept. They hang out at the bench and just catch up with each other.”
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Air and Water
Shipments arrive at the store as in most coastal and river villages: by barge, air freight, or bypass mail with US Postal Service. Bypass mail, which allows freight to “bypass” the post office and ship as freight on other carriers, is less expensive than air freight, but it is not as predictable. If weather delays a flight, the cargo gets backed up at the last hub. Most planes that fly into Togiak are Cessna 207s or Caravans. Bypass freight must fit around the mail and any passengers on the planes. Larger planes used to serve the community, bringing cargo on pallets, but the rough airstrip and economic challenges have left Togiak with the smaller planes. Pallets that used to come in on the larger planes are now broken into smaller loads, changing the www.akbizmag.com
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The shopping experience in Togiak is not unlike what customers are accustomed to at urban retailers. Shoppers browse shelves and then check out using modern point-of-sale technology. Alaska Commercial Co.
Dave Harvey, manager of the Point Hope AC store, transports goods from St. Michael to Stebbins on the shore of Norton Sound. Alaska Commercial Co.
nature of retail goods—particularly frozen consumables. “We can't carry ice cream because s o m e h ow i t c o m e s i n c o m p l e t e l y melted about 80 percent of the time, and you can't live on that kind of margin,” Ron says. Barges wait for high tide to come into Togiak. When a barge does show up, it could be in the middle of the night. No matter when it shows up, “it’s all hands on deck,” Jacque says. It ’s a community effort. Everything must come off before the tide goes back out. 94 | September 2023
Togiak also serves the village of Tw i n H i l l s a c ro s s t h e w a t e r. F o l k s c o m e by b o a t i n t h e s u m m e r. AC employees pick up shoppers at the shore and return them to their boats with their goods. In the winter w h e n t h e b a y i s f ro z e n , v i l l a g e r s snowmachine across, pulling sleds to stock up on supplies. T h e M a l a n ey s a l s o s u p p o r t a r t projects and events at the school. AC pays for the supplies, and store volunteers work with different age groups over the course of the school year. Jacque’s favorite project this year
was string art forming the shape of Alaska with a small heart over Togiak.
Arctic Handover
Just north of the Arctic Circle and far to the west on the coast of the Chukchi Sea, Dave and Heather Harvey work in the Point Hope AC. Dave is the store manager and his wife, Heather, is the front end manager. “We came up together. And we've been in stores together since we started,” Dave says. The Harveys have worked in St. Michael, Gambell, and Pilot Station.
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From Heavy Hauling to Precision Docking...
A shipment just arrived in Marshall, but pallets of soda pop must wait until the ME store can scrounge some storage space.
We’ve Got You Covered.
Willie Fitka
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The Marshall Enterprises store serves as the hardware store, snowmachine and ATV parts store, and subsistence outfitter in addition to providing groceries. Willie Fitka
They came to the Point Hope store when AC purchased the business in March from Tikigaq village corporation. “We'll get one barge delivery this year. I don't know whether it 'll be up to two next year. And it'll be the first one for us here in Point Hope [AC], of course. I think we're going to get that in August, and it'll be a couple containers. Mostly furniture, large appliances, stuff like that,” Harvey says. Point Hope keeps a supply of appliances such as microwaves, stoves, washers, freezers. It could take months www.akbizmag.com
Alaska Business
September 2023 | 95
“It's colder longer here. Our mix of oils and stuff like that are a little different because there's more winter weather here than in some of the southern parts of Alaska. So you end up selling more snowmachine oil and other things.” Dave Harvey, Store Manager, Point Hope AC
Customers line up at checkout inside the Togiak AC store. Alaska Commercial Co.
for appliances to ship, so having a supply on hand for the community is important. Freezers are also vital inventory. If a resident’s freezer goes out, an entire season of food is at stake. There is no time to wait for a shipment. Freezers larger than 9 cubic feet are not permitted as air freight due to Federal Aviation Administration restrictions on refrigerant chemicals, so large freezers come by barge. M o s t r u ra l s t o re s c a t e r t o t h e i r community needs. “We stock more winter gear than we had in Pilot Station [a village on the lower Yukon River], for instance, because it's colder longer here. Our 96 | September 2023
mix of oils and stuff like that are a little different because there's more winter weather here than in some of the southern parts of Alaska. So you end up selling more snowmachine oil and other things, just small things like that. But you just have to know your market and listen to your customers,” Harvey says. The current building “is getting old and tired.” AC plans to build a replacement store in two years or so. Harvey believes the new construction will most likely incorporate the storage needs for the store, including coolers and freezers. “It will be new and fresh for the community,” Harvey says.
Strait Goods
Mike McNally manages the Nome AC. McNally has been with AC for twentysix years. The Nome AC is one of the five largest in the chain, and it’s one of two grocery stores along with two convenience stores in Nome. McNally says competition is good for residents. If one store is out of something, the other might have it. F u r t h e r, “ N o m e h a s f i f t e e n surrounding villages, and we supply groceries for community members and all those villages,” McNally says. Customers can call in their order or use an online system launched last year. The items are shipped out daily
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via small plane, but one destination is accessible by helicopter only. On Little Diomede, an island in the Bering Strait just east of the International Date Line, a village of eighty people depends on the Diomede Native Store. S t ev e n A h k i n g a r u n s t h e s t o re . He grew up in the village and started working as a clerk; he's been managing the store for more than a decade. Ahkinga orders inventory for the store via fax through Alaska Native Industries Cooperative Association, which works as a distribution contact for multiple rural stores in the state. Diomede’s food used to arrive by plane during winter on a runway plowed out on the ice. Now—due to thinning sea ice—shipments, mail, and passengers arrive via helicopter from Nome. The villagers all know Mike and Zack, the two pilots with Pathfinder Aviation who venture more than an hour each way over Arctic waters to reach the island. T h e o r i g i n a l s t o re b u i l d i n g w a s getting old and hard to maintain, so it was demolished and everything in the store was transferred to the village church until a new store can be constructed. The timeline on the new building is vague. “ P ro b a b l y n o t t h i s y e a r, ” Ahkinga says. Inventory is mostly canned goods and dry goods such as flour and sugar. There are no refrigerated items or fresh produce in stock. Diomede can be weathered in for long periods, so keeping the store stocked with food is imperative. While the store doesn’t take personal checks, they do cash payroll checks. Ahkinga says the residents will usually spend their entire check on food. The store is the hub for announcements, catching up with neighbors, and general news. Ahkinga spends a lot of time listening to his neighbors share s t o r i e s a n d v e n t w h e n t h ey n e e d to. It ’s an important job when the town is so small and everybody knows everyone. Ahkinga says with a chuckle, “I just stand there and listen.” www.akbizmag.com
Alaska Business
September 2023 | 97
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rom buying coffee that supports military veterans and law enforcement to wearing clothing brands that benefit Ethiopian former sex-trade workers, the choices for conscious consumerism are dizzying. “Buy local” is another way shoppers can support their beliefs, supporting friends and neighbors. The state-run “Made in Alaska” program provides a relatively easy way for makers to promote the Alaska authenticity of their goods. How about getting even more local? Alaska Native corporations have launched shareholder directories that allow members and nonmembers to look up and support businesses owned by other corporation shareholders or descendants. Unlike the consumerfocused mindset of purchasing goods, the directories let service-related businesses tap into the “buy local” mindset—not just offering handmade items but also directing users toward Native-owned lawn services, event planning, accounting: everything under the Midnight Sun.
SMALL BUSINESS
Koniag
Directed Support
Buy Alaskan? How about Shop Shareholders Directories promote and connect Native-owned businesses By Rindi White 98 | September 2023
Member directories aren’t a new idea; following the advent of the telephone came the yellow pages, city business directories, and collections such as Dun & Bradstreet’s Reference Book of American Business. Alaska Native corporations (ANCs) offering searchable directories for shareholder businesses and t h e i r d e s c e n d a n t s i s a re l a t i v e l y re c e n t a d d i t i o n t o t h e “ b u s i n e s s directory” format. Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) is a pioneer in the field. Prior to 2021, BBNC offered a list of shareholder businesses on its webpage, says Carmell Engebretson, BBNC’s director o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . T h e re w a s n’ t much to it, she says; it was a list of s h a re h o l d e r b u s i n e s s n a m e s a n d contact information. BBNC significantly rev a m p e d t h e w e b p a g e i n 2 0 2 1 , allowing users to search by keywords, locations, or business category. “It really started as part of a larger strategy to elevate our shareholders and the influence they have, not only in Bristol Bay but b ey o n d , ” E n g e b re t s o n s a y s . “ O u r ongoing priority is to support our
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shareholders, and this seemed like a natural fit to help promote the great things they are doing across Alaska and beyond.” T h e i d e a i s p re t t y s i m p l e , a n d similar, across the board for other ANCs: fill out a short form listing the kind of information that might be found on a business card, attach a brief description of the business and a few photos, and submit it to t h e c o r p o ra t i o n . S t a f f c h e c k o u t the submissions, verify that the business is owned by a shareholder or a shareholder descendant, and the business is added to the corporation’s online directory. Most directories i n c l u d e s h a re h o l d e r d e s c e n d a n t s and spouses, not just limiting it to shareholders. It’s simple to add to and update, Engebretson says. That’s the point. “We get submissions pretty regularly. Right now we have more than 150 businesses on our site,” she says. “We get pretty constant submissions. It doesn’t take much work on our end or their end, really, to get their business listed.” E n g e b re t s o n s a y s t h e re a re n o plans to add a printed directory; the online directory offers a much more updated—and updatable—format.
Working Together for Individual Success
Thom Leonard, vice president of corporate affairs for Calista Corporation, says Calista launched its online shareholder and descendant directory in December 2022 after a suggestion from a regional economic development group of which Calista is a member. “Small businesses can really drive communities,” he says. Ta k i n g t i p s f r o m e s t a b l i s h e d directories, such as those operated by BBNC and Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC), Leonard and his team developed an attractive directory featuring thumbnail photographs of each business which, when clicked on, take readers to another page for more information. Calista’s directory, Calivika, which m e a n s “m y w o r k p l a c e ” i n Yu p ’ i k , currently includes nearly sixty businesses, including shareholder businesses in six other states. www.akbizmag.com
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Rolf Christiansen, a carver from Old Harbor, sells artwork from his Red Raven Creations through retailers like the Alutiiq Museum Store. He’s also the face of koniagbizdirectory.com, the top image on the corporation’s website. Koniag
“It’s fun to see that broad reach,” Leonard says. Leonard says the corporation hopes to quickly grow the number of businesses represented. Information about Calivika was available at Fur Rondy and Bethel’s Cama-i Dance Festival, and it will likely be available at the Alaska Federation of Natives conference. Calista also placed advertisements in The Delta Discovery newspaper. “We have plans to do a lot more campaigns to encourage others to sign up,” Leonard says. “We developed a QR code, so when we hand out postcards, people can go right to the website and enter information that way.” L e o n a rd s a y s C a l i s t a w a n t s t h e directory to be as dynamic and useful as possible. “Being able to provide for yourself is something that is very culturally strong,” he says. “Being able to support [shareholders] in different ways, like doing this website, is very important.” The BSNC directory is also used to find businesses that might place young shareholders as summer interns. “In these mentorship activities, business owners provide valuable information on business ownership and entrepreneurship to our interns,” says 100 | September 2023
associate communications director Ana Grayson.
Regional Beauty
Koniag, Incorporated has offered two pages promoting shareholder businesses for at least eight years, says Stacey Simmons, senior director of shareholder services. It wasn’t as searchable as BBNC’s, so Simmons recently decided to revamp the listings, bringing two pages together and giving the Koniag directory a more functional spin. Koniag partnered with public relations firm Strategies 360 to create t h e n ew w e b s i t e , w h i c h f e a t u re s stunning photography for each business category. “I said, ‘I wanted to reflect our people and to be a useful resource,’” Simmons says. “We have beautiful vibrant photos that really represent our home.” The website also has a link to the Alutiiq Museum, which sells shareholder art. In the future, Simmons says, Koniag will have a “featured business” area. For now, she’s focusing on growing the directory beyond its current twentyfive businesses—and doing so in a particularly Kodiak fashion. “We’re using all forms of communication to get our shareholders
and descendants to register their businesses. We did a piece in the Kodiak Daily Mirror recently, there was a radio piece, and we’re using our social media,” she says. “Now we’re getting creative, whether it ’s coldcalling shareholders or having our team call their family members to get them registered. A core goal of Koniag’s is to improve economic opportunity for shareholders, descendants, and more broadly in our region; the business d i re c t o r y i s o n e w a y t o a d v a n c e that goal.” It’s not just for Alaskans, she points out; it is open to businesses owned by shareholders and descendants in Alaska and the Lower 48. “ We h o p e j o i n i n g t h e b u s i n e s s directory will help some shareholders and descendants become more engaged in the corporation they own,” Simmons says.
Shareholder Spotlights
As the Christmas shopping season nears, Simmons says she hopes to highlight two or three businesses from the directory online and promote them in Koniag’s shareholder newsletters. BBNC also features shareholder businesses monthly on social media and in its quarterly newsletters and
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Nick McDonald’s screen printing machine, with several appendages and cords spilling out of its core, became known as The Kraken, which suggested the name for his business. Kraken Shirt Company is listed in the directory for Koniag shareholders; however, McDonald is reorganizing to become Alyeska Outfitters Inc. Koniag
Listings for Koniag’s business directory include fly-in lodges, an auto repair shop, and resources for training phlebotomists, all owned by the corporation’s shareholders. Also there is Jeff Peterson’s seafood retailer, Peterson Plus, which sells his Kodiak Combos brand. Koniag
runs online ads during the holidays to boost directory visitors. Shareholder spotlights are something many directories do—and even several ANCs without directories feature shareholder businesses. Boosting Alaska Native craftspeople is a natural thing during Christmas, when many Alaskans want to send handmade, uniquely Alaskan items to friends and family. Engebretson says BBNC’s website has seen 22,000 unique page visits, and during the holiday season it saw a boost with each visitor spending an average of two minutes on the page—an eternity in internet time. Nick McDonald, whose Kraken Shirt Company is listed in the Koniag d i re c t o r y, s a y s a n a r t i c l e i n T h e A l e u t C o r p o ra t i o n’s “ T h e A l e u t i a n Current” newsletter in July provided an unexpected result: his friends and family members flooded him with calls to say they liked the article, in which he shares some of his personal struggles that led him to become a screen printer in Anchorage. I t ’s d i f f i c u l t t o i d e n t i f y ex a c t l y where customer traffic comes from, McDonald says. In the thick of tending to customers, it can be difficult to remember to ask how they heard about his company, so it’s difficult to say if he’s received business as a result of the Koniag shareholder directory listing. 102 | September 2023
“That’s one of the toughest things, is trying to make sure I ask, because it’s important to know where [customers are] coming from,” he says. One thing is for sure: no matter how a customer finds a business, treat them right and they’ll likely come back for more. The story in “The Aleutian Current” mentions a client in Unalaska who, unhappy with an out-of-state printer, tried McDonald’s business. Happy with his work, that’s where she returns, job after job. In the summer, McDonald was in the process of moving his shop and partnering with another business to become Alyeska Outfitters in Anchorage.
Procurement Preference
Promoting shareholder- and d e s c e n d a n t - ow n e d b u s i n e s s e s i s definitely one function of directories, but they also support ANCs themselves. The bigger corporations need goods and services, too—office artwork, a plumber, someone to help coordinate a conference in a village. The directory is where ANCs turn. BSNC has a procurement preference policy for companies that are shareholder-owned or employ a large number of shareholders. In October 2021, BSNC’s Shareholder Development Department began collecting data on shareholder-owned businesses to
support this preference, Grayson says. For example, BSNC connected with Fish On Camp Grill, which has operated a salmon bake at the Alaska State Fair, to cater a corporate picnic. And when the snowfall got deeper and deeper in Anchorage last winter, Grayson says BSNC shareholders reached out to Xavier Topkok, owner/operator of Plow Now AK, after seeing his business in the corporation’s February newsletter. To p k o k , w h o s e b u s i n e s s i s a l s o listed on Facebook Marketplace, says it was an unexpected blessing to be highlighted by BSNC. He’s tried other promotional methods before—radio ads and different media—and wasn’t sure it paid off. “I didn’t really believe in the positive reaction from word of mouth, but it is really reactive, especially with social media,” he says. Topkok prides himself on being a lifelong Alaskan, having grown up in Spenard. It’s not easy to find lifelong Alaskans, he says, and many of his competitors have deep pockets and are financed Outside. The boost from BSNC helped. “The highlight from Bering Straits was really nice. It does go a long way,” he says. “It gives small non-corporate businesses a chance to shine. You never know what kind of residual work you can get out of it. For seasonal operators like me, every little bit can help.”
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Readying the Next Generation Tribal support for Southeast workers By Alexandra Kay 104 | September 2023
Michael Xiao | iStock
WORK FORCE DE VELOPMENT
B
y the middle of this century the population of Southeast is forecast to drop by 13 percent. All other parts of Alaska are expected to grow, but every community in Southeast is projected to decline. (The notable exception is Skagway, where the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development anticipates a 45 percent population increase, the biggest percentage gain of any municipality or census area.) The largest population drop is forecast for Prince of Wales Island, which could lose 31 percent of its residents by 2050. The only areas with comparable losses are the YukonKoyukuk area of the Interior, the Denali Borough, and the Kodiak Island Borough. Neighboring areas are forecast to grow, but Southeast is a huge swath of depopulation. To counter that trend, tribes and corporations in Southeast are promoting workforce development. Programs that cultivate the human capital of the region open up work opportunities and even remote jobs, so Southeast residents can earn enough to remain in their communities.
Reasons to Stay
The Alaska Native corporation for the Southeast region, Sealaska, trains students through its Alaskan Youth Stewards summer employment program, providing a range of handsAlaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Altman Rogers ABM 1/3 Page Hor 4.63” wide x 4.84” tall 2-7-23 on projects from which students can learn. Recently students were able to participate in a restoration project to rehabilitate salmon habitat, build trails for access and subsistence, and practice tree coring to learn about the lifecycle of trees and what may have happened while specific trees were growing. The program, mostly managed by tribal partners, also provides science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning opportunities. Beyond knowledge and skills, the program demonstrates possible career pathways for students. “We have a lot of people who leave,” says Tesla Cox, senior director of shareholder d ev e l o p m e n t f o r S e a l a s k a . “ We’re showing them opportunities so they know they can stay. We look at everything as a lifecycle, so we start with youth for education and access. Later we have internships.” This year Sealaska has thirty-five internships, including an international intern program with three students in the United Kingdom working for fishing companies. “We look at our scholarship data and, if we don’t have positions to fit those students, we work with community partners and have externships so we can create opportunities for everyone,” says Cox. Sealaska’s workforce development has included a forestry curriculum in schools for some time, and this year saw the addition of a mariculture curriculum. Students took a field trip to explore what mariculture careers look like, visiting a kelp farm and an oyster farm. Students were able to see and participate in each part of the farming process. This is meant to help students see the opportunities available to them when they leave school. S e a l a s k a a l s o o f f e r s a p ro g ra m called Codefy, which provides twelve weeks of intensive training in computer programming. Those who take part in this program can get certifications in Java, databases, and other specialties. The program feeds into a summer internship, which can lead to paid employment. “They go straight into really good jobs that they can do remotely,” says Cox. This provides shareholders access to high paying remote opportunities, so they won’t have to leave the state. www.akbizmag.com
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Full Range of Services
“The biggest thing and the thing that brings us the most joy in workforce development is when we see success.” Sonya Skan Education and Training Director Ketchikan Indian Community
The corporation’s workforce development programs work in parallel with the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Tribal programs “provide a full range of educational, training, and employment services to address the unemployment, under-employment, and economic needs of Alaska Native/American Indian clients residing in Southeast Alaska,” according to the council’s website. The “full range” fills the gaps that direct training or scholarships don’t c o v e r. S e r v i c e s i n c l u d e f i n a n c i a l assistance to cover basic needs while clients work towards self-sufficiency, career assessment testing, job skills development, and on-the-job training. A job placement service offers training assistance to eligible clients. Distance learning for office skills is also provided, as are interview and résumé writing workshops. For members of the Ketchikan Indian Community (KIC), a tribal youth program offers an after-school space, homework assistance, workshops for students and their parents, and an
opportunity to attend both community and school events. According to the Ketchikan Education and Training Program, “The goal of [the] Tribal Youth Program is to increase attendance and graduation rate of our Alaska Native/American Indian students” with these activities. F u r t h e r m o re , a Tr i b a l S c h o l a r s Program offers “a supportive, engaging, and culturally-enriched educational alternative” open to all Native secondary students in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District. The program provides students with traditional core credits for a high school diploma, and it adds lessons in the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian languages as well as college science credits for traditional gathering and subsistence practices. The community ’s Summer Youth Training and Employment Program provides tribal youth between the ages of 14 and 18 with on-the-job experience by partnering with local employers to strengthen job and life skills through weekly workforce training workshops. “We teach them things like banking and saving money and
Ice Cream, Anybody? was $20 billion, more than the Gross Domestic Product of many countries, such as Nicaragua or the entire West Bank and Gaza. Additionally, Top 49ers last year employed nearly 85,000 people worldwide. These are significant figures that help illustrate the importance and power of these businesses.
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oin us at the 2023 Alaska Business Top 49ers Luncheon on September 29, 2023, at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center in downtown Anchorage! This premier business event honors and celebrates the top local (established and headquartered in Alaska) businesses recognized for exceptional performance ranked by gross revenue. Last year, the combined gross revenue of the businesses on the Top 49ers list
The Top 49ers include numerous Alaska Native corporations, which are true powerhouses and pillars of our economy. The ranks also include locally established giants in the transportation, construction, mining, and oilfield support industries. Tables and individual tickets for the Top 49ers Luncheon and Networking Social event are now available through our website. Reserve early, as space is limited and will sell out. The 2023 –SP ON S OR E D
106 | September 2023
Top 49ers Luncheon is sponsored by Alaska Airlines, Bering Straits Native Corporation, Marsh McLennan, MTA, NANA, NCB, Northrim Bank, PNC Bank, and RISQ Consulting. Come and celebrate Alaska’s leading companies, enjoy lunch, network, and get your photos taken with your peers. You might even win a pair of tickets courtesy of Alaska Airlines. And did I mention the ice cream?
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CON T E N T –
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résumé writing,” says KIC Education and Training Director Sonya Skan. The Re-Envision Program provides education, training, and other supportive services to tribal members returning to the community after incarceration, treatment, or aging out of the foster care system. The p ro g ra m f o c u s e s o n e m p l oy m e n t support services, education and training services, and integration into the community so tribal members can successfully integrate into society and sustain meaningful employment. KIC also provides workforce development opportunities for its shareholders and members of any age. There are training and educational opportunities, such as medical coding and billing, maritime certificates and licenses, safety trainings for various industries, commercial driver’s license (CDL) training, welding certification, and more.
Scholarships and Sponsorships
Direct cash assistance doesn’t hurt, either. One of the standard methods
for Alaska Native corporations to return profits to the community is through scholarship programs. KIC, as a federally recognized tribe, helps students pay for postsecondary education, too. The Mary Jones Excellence in Healthcare Scholarship provides continuity of care in KIC’s Tribal Healthcare Clinic by s u p p o r t i n g t r i b a l m e m b e r s i n obtaining education in the medical field. Members enrolled in accredited healthcare-related degree programs receive supplemental support and agree to one year of full-time service in the clinic for each year of funding awarded. The Esther Shea Cultural Studies Program is a scholarship that encourages tribal members to explore and perpetuate their cultural heritage, including language and arts studies at local institutions. KIC also offers an Advanced Educational Opportunities Scholarship, which provides supplementary financial assistance to tribal members who are attending (or plan to attend) a nonprofit college or university to obtain an undergraduate or graduate degree.
Tlingit & Haida has a College Student Assistance program that provides financial aid to tribally enrolled citizens who are attending or plan to attend an accredited college or university in the pursuit of postsecondary education. The program serves communities in Haines, Juneau, Kasaan, Pelican, Saxman, and Tenakee. Sealaska also invests in youth with its scholarship awards. More than $1.1 million was awarded to 462 recipients for the 2023/2024 academic year. The scholarships allow shareholders and their descendants to pursue their educational goals and dreams. To sweeten the bargain, Sealaska signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Alaska that offers students 10 percent back on their degree courses. Apart from tuition support, Sealaska has a student sponsorship program, where it sends thirty to forty people each year to conferences that are relevant to their educational journey. “The feedback we’ve gotten from the students is that it’s important to see people that look like you who are
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Training for a commercial driver's license is one of the many workforce development opportunities that Ketchikan Indian Community provides for tribal members of any age. Debora Vandor | iStock
“We have a lot of people who leave… We’re showing them opportunities so they know they can stay. We look at everything as a lifecycle, so we start with youth for education and access. Later we have internships.” Tesla Cox Senior Director of Shareholder Development Sealaska
108 | September 2023
working in the field that interests you,” says Cox. Sealaska’s workforce development opportunities are meant to help Alaska Natives to stay and work in their communities. “The goal is that we can do something, especially if we start young and get them that exposure t o w h a t ’s o u t t h e re a n d p rov i d e opportunities for them so they can go right into a position,” says Cox.
Seeing Success
Sealaska provides another workforce development program within its corporate suite. A youth advisor serves alongside the board of directors as a non-voting member. During the twoyear term, the youth advisor learns about the corporation for the first year and gets a mentor that helps them navigate and continues to help them later in their career path. Outside of the office, Sealaska offers a Surf and Turf camp on Prince of Wales Island. The camp teaches waterand land-based survival skills that are essential for living and working on the island. “We’re making sure if we’re training our kids for careers on the water that they’re safe,” says Cox. I n t h e h o p e s o f b r i n g i n g m o re classes and opportunities to the island, Sealaska also recently started p rov i d i n g f u n d i n g f o r a f u l l - t i m e director at the Prince of Wales Vocational and Technical Education Center, which was previously underutilized. The corporation also supports
island communities based on need. For example, it brought heat pump installation training into two different communities and has done commercial drivers’ license training in others. “Every one of our rural communities has needs based on their community,” says Cox. Employment and training assistance can take the form of childcare, transportation, or healthcare. It also involves job placement, on-the-job training, and apprenticeship programs. KIC’s job readiness services include everything from résumé writing and practice interviews to providing gently used work clothing or interview clothing vouchers. “In the first three months of this year, we’ve already given out well over 100 vouchers,” says Skan. In addition to its direct employment services, KIC awards Vocational Training Grants of up to $8,000 for Tribal members to pursue a certificate or license that will either lead to employment or to increased success in the workplace. “The biggest thing and the thing that brings us the most joy in workforce development is when we see success,” says Skan. “And success looks different for everyone. Sometimes it’s ‘I signed up and got my own email.’ Sometimes it’s someone getting a CDL license and getting a job and making enough money to support their family, so they can stay in their community. That’s huge success, and we love seeing that.”
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Clearing the Field
F
Alaska Native corporations receive EPA brownfield grants By Terri Marshall 110 | September 2023
or the first time since the US Environmental P ro t e c t i o n A g e n c y ( E PA ) e s t a b l i s h e d i t s Brownfields Program in 1995 to clean up polluted properties, four Alaska Native regional and village corporations were awarded grants. This year, grants of $2 million each were awarded to Ahtna, Inc., The Aleut Corporation, Cook Inlet Region, Inc., and Ounalashka Corporation. The funds allow the corporations to address contaminated lands conveyed through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). The grants were awarded through EPA’s Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup program and the Technical Assistance to Brownfields program. Both programs received funding boosts from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. In 2022, Congress added a new avenue specifically for ANCSA corporations and tribes in the Consolidated
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The Aleut Corporation
Appropriations Act. The new program makes $20 million available to build on the work started under the brownfields grants. The EPA definition of a brownfield is “a property where the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.” Examples of possible brownfield sites in Alaska include abandoned tank farms, old US Bureau of Indian Affairs schools, old canneries, former dry cleaners, former gas stations, or former military sites. EPA Region 10 administrator Casey Sixkiller says, “These grants will help www.akbizmag.com
Alaska Business
September 2023 | 111
At the height of World War II, Adak Island hosted at least 32,000 military personnel, equivalent to the populations today of Fairbanks or Juneau. By the time Naval Air Facility Adak shut down in 1997, about 500 military and 50 civilian personnel worked there. An environmental site assessment is the first step in revitalizing the city. The Aleut Corporation
“This funding from the EPA enables CIRI to assess what is needed to restore and protect these lands for CIRI shareholders and descendants, today and for future generations.” Sophie Minich President and CEO Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
112 | September 2023
communities assess and clean up contaminated properties, which is often a catalyst for revitalization.”
Ahtna, Inc.
The Ahtna grant is meant for as many as twenty Phase I and up to seven Phase II environmental site a s s e s s m e n t s . T h e g ra n t w i l l a l s o fund a reuse and revitalization plan and for conducting community engagement activities. The Ahtna region encompasses the entire Copper River Basin. Historically, after gold and copper miners swarmed the region, the federal government and private developers built telegraph lines, roads, bases, and airports to support mining. Additional roads, trails, and camps were built for Cold War training, and in 1974, the Trans Alaska Pipeline System was built across Ahtna lands. With the pipeline came construction camps, equipment, and unexpected spills.
Contamination left behind from these events impacted the fish, land, wildlife, and the cultural heritage of the Ahtna people. Ahtna communities still do not know the extent of contamination on their lands. The grant provides Ahtna the necessary funds to begin the cleanup process. Through a collaborative effort between the corporation and the tribes and villages in its region, priority sites have been identified and grouped into three target areas. These target areas are along the highway systems and include an airport dump site, a cemetery, a depleted material site, a fire lookout tower, a former laundromat, a former railroad dumping ground, and a salvage yard.
The Aleut Corporation
T h e A l e u t C o r p o ra t i o n ( TAC ) i s using the funds on Adak Island for e i g h t P h a s e I e n v i ro n m e n t a l s i t e assessments, developing an area-wide
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plan, completing Hazardous Building Materials Surveys, and conducting cleanup planning and community outreach activities. The TAC region spans 1,100 miles from the western part of the Alaska Peninsula throughout the Aleutian Islands, including the Pribilof Islands. In 2002, TAC entered into a land exchange agreement with the US Department of the Navy and the US Department of the Interior which resulted in the conveyance of 47,150 acres of the former Adak Naval Complex, which was closed in 1997. When the Navy departed Adak, it not only left behind vast remnants of base infrastructure, including barracks and base housing containing hazardous materials, but a large metal disposal and scrap yard, fuel-soaked lands, and numerous drums suspected of containing hazardous substances. In some areas, unexploded munitions were left, too. Contaminants such
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September 2023 | 113
as arsenic, asbestos, lead, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) continue to pollute the area. “The community-wide assessment grant will be used to evaluate sites throughout the city and will benefit not only the small rural community, which includes the Unangax̂ (or Aleut), the Indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands who fight to exist there, but also the extraordinary and fragile
114 | September 2023
ecosystems that has been impacted ov e r s ev e ra l d e c a d e s , ” s a y s J u l i e Toomey, TAC’s vice president of regional affairs. “Being an EPA grant recipient jump starts the long overdue effort to rehabilitate Adak Island.” While there are numerous c o n t a m i n a t e d a re a s a c ro s s A d a k Island that need to be assessed, the grant funding will focus on five specific target areas that are believed to both
present the highest risk of hazardous m a t e r i a l s a s w e l l a s p re s e n t t h e greatest opportunity for reuse. Most of the sites are in the heart of the Adak community and are central to the revitalization of the population center. The grant funding will be used to work cooperatively with the community to provide the most meaningful impact to Adak. The EPA Brownfield Community-
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The Aleut Corporation
Wide Assessment grant allows TAC to identify, evaluate, prioritize, and select brownfield sites whose cleanup and reuse will result in the greatest and most meaningful impacts to health, safety, and economic welfare of the Adak community. The site assessments will: • Identify and categorize abandoned and unlabeled waste at the legacy Navy facilities. It is anticipated
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2,331 containers, including 682 unknown liquid wastes, will be evaluated as part of this assessment. • Identify and report recognized environmental conditions, which may include hazardous or toxic waste or raw chemicals stored, spilled, or dumped at the site. • Complete a hazardous building materials survey at twenty-
Alaska Business
seven buildings. • Identify a suitable location, design, and permit a monofill at one or more of the Adak brownfield sites. “As an Alaska Native corporation, seeing our lands and people thriving in our region is of utmost importance. The burden of cleaning up our land is financially overwhelming and should not be passed on to our shareholders. Restoring and protecting our lands
September 2023 | 115
“The burden of cleaning up our land is financially overwhelming and should not be passed on to our shareholders. Restoring and protecting our lands is vital for the Unangax̂ community today and for generations to come.” Julie Toomey Vice President of Regional Affairs The Aleut Corporation
116 | September 2023
is vital for the Unangax̂ community today and for generations to come,” Toomey says.
Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
C o o k I n l e t R e g i o n , I n c . ’s ( C I R I ) funds will be used to inventory sites and to conduct twenty Phase I and eighteen Phase II environmental site assessments; prepare eight reuse plans, eight cleanup plans, and one area-wide plan; and develop a community involvement plan. The target area for this grant is the Kenai Peninsula Borough in a remote area on the west side of Cook Inlet. CIRI is Southcentral Alaska’s largest private landowner with 529,500 acres of surface estate and 1.6 million acres of subsurface land. “These lands are rich in natural resources, and the Athabascan people have relied on its streams and rivers for subsistence for thousands of years,” says Ethan Tyler, CIRI’s director of external affairs. The focus of the grant is a s s e s s m e n t f o l l ow e d by c l e a n u p and eventually remediation. “From a broad perspective, receiving the EPA
Brownfield grant is a first step in a process with the ultimate goal being remediation,” says Tyler. “It begins with assessment and planning for what it will take to rehabilitate these contaminated areas.” CIRI will continue working with the federal government to complete cleanup and remediation. “CIRI has a responsibility to be good stewards of our land, part of which is to ensure that the promise made by the federal government to clean up these contaminated lands is fulfilled,” Tyler adds. CIRI sees potential for both the development and conservation of its lands. The organization will continue to seek opportunities for its lands that benefit CIRI shareholders and descendants, while balancing development and conservation. “The Alaska Native people of the Cook Inlet region have spent generations in accord with the land, growing with it, harvesting plants and animals from it, acting as its stewards,” says CIRI president and CEO Sophie Minich. “This funding from the EPA enables CIRI to assess what is needed to
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restore and protect these lands for CIRI shareholders and descendants, today and for future generations.”
Ounalashka Corporation
Ou n a l a s h k a C o r p o ra t i o n’s g ra n t is for twenty-four Phase I and fifteen Phase II environmental site assessments, eighteen cleanup plans, twelve site-specific reuse plans, o n e a re a - w i d e re u s e p l a n , a n d a redevelopment-focused brownfield site inventory within the City of Unalaska. The target areas for the grant include Bunker Hill/Little South America, Pyramid Valley, and Strawberry Hill. Subjected to intensive use by the U S m i l i t a r y d u r i n g Wo r l d Wa r I I , a l l t h re e s i t e s p re s e n t a re a - w i d e contamination concerns that remain l a rg e l y u n i n v e s t i g a t e d . A d d i t i o n a l investigations include potential contamination associated with individual former military buildings. Upon completion of the environmental site assessments and cleanup, the area-wide reuse plan will commence. The south end of the 190-
acre Bunker Hill peninsula is a targeted area for the development of marineo r i e n t e d c o m m e rc i a l b u s i n e s s e s . The west side of the peninsula is the planned location of a new cruise ship dock. The north end of the peninsula is a key power distribution point for the Makushin Volcano Geothermal project that Ounalashka is developing with Chena Power. H o u s i ng is a key component of planned reuses in the Pyramid Valley and Strawberry Hill target areas. In Strawberry Hill, projected reuses for the target areas include a mix of singlefamily and multi-family houses along with commercial and institutional uses, including a regional medical center. Plans for single family housing are in place in Pyramid Valley. The lack of quality and affordable housing in the City of Unalaska has been repeatedly noted as a major obstacle for economic development. The city ’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan included the following statement: “More housing—and more affordable housing—needs to be created within the city limits. This is the key to our
future, without which Unalaska will not be able to retain its current residents or accommodate additional residents. Therefore, over the next ten years, it will be essential to make more land available for the development of quality, affordable housing.” The city and the village corporation expect direct economic benefits from jobs created during construction of houses on remediated brownfield land. However, the indirect benefits are equally significant. The current housing shortage impacts residents and major employers in the Bering Sea fishing hub. With insufficient housing, Unalaska has difficulty hiring and retaining teachers, doctors, and other essential workers. Increased housing re m e d i e s t h a t s i t u a t i o n a n d w i l l benefit the community for generations to come. W h e n t h e E PA g ra n t s w e re announced this spring, Senator Lisa Murkowski commented, “By cleaning up previously unusable lands, Alaskans will have access to cleaner and safer lands that their communities can finally use.”
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September 2023 | 117
CONSTRUCTION
Looking I Out for the Future Chugach Naswik project reshapes housing in Valdez
n Sugt’stun, the language of the Alutiiq people on Alaska’s southern coast, “Naswik” means “lookout.” The four-story Chugach Naswik building will be one of the tallest buildings in Valdez when it is completed. From the intersection of Meals Avenue and Egan Drive— the southern terminus of the Richardson Highway—the property affords a tremendous view of Valdez Harbor and the surrounding Chugach Mountains, making it an ideal place to look out from, indeed. Watterson Construction is building the 23,000-squarefoot building, a mixture of nightly and short-term residential units and common space. It will have thirty-six units; six on the top floor will be two-bedroom, two-bath units, and the rest will be studio apartments, each with their own kitchens, and with a shared
Seed Media | Valdez Native Tribe
By Rindi White
118 | September 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
laundry room on each floor. The lobby and lounge area below will have a small kitchen and café space and seating area. As a joint project of three Alaska Native corporations, Chugach Naswik is also a physical manifestation of looking out for a community in need, be they shareholders or others who dwell in the Land of Waterfalls.
WE’RE MORE THAN JUST ALASKA'S PREMIER METAL FABRICATION FACILITY
Housing Workers and More The partnership group developing Chugach Naswik is called TCC. The name stands for two village corporations, Tatitlek and Chenega, and the regional Chugach Alaska Corporation. The corporations originally formed TCC to service the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), and the housing project furthers that mission. TCC workers need a place to live while they work one-week-on, one-week-off shifts, but Valdez has a severe lack of short-term housing. “Naswik represents the kind of development we imagined when TCC began providing oil spill response services to Alyeska in Valdez nearly three decades ago—affordable, shortterm housing amid the region’s scarce options to support training to expand employment opportunities for our Alaska Native shareholders,” said Chugach President Josie Hickel at the groundbreaking ceremony on May 22. “Most importantly, it is rooted in the Valdez community where Chugach Alaska Services and TCC recently renewed long-term contracts on TAPS.” Chugach Board Chairman Sheri Buretta added, “This facility will help our three corporations maintain the longterm contract we have on TAPS, create future development opportunities, and give us the ability to play a more active role in one of our region’s largest communities.” Buretta relates the project directly to the corporations’ origin, which was tied to the land claims settlement that allowed TAPS to be built. “Chugach gave up land at the terminal… for promises of jobs with TAPS when the pipeline was being conceived,” she says. “Our people lived off the land; our capacity to have contracts with TAPS in those early days was limited. Our founders really envisioned us having a presence www.akbizmag.com
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Focus on Building
during the construction phase and, after completion, workers will be needed to maintain the building and manage the front desk, in addition to indirect jobs that get a boost by having the facility located in Valdez.
After the groundbreaking, major work on the project had to wait until spring road weight restrictions were lifted to haul in the heavy materials for the steel structure. Construction is expected to continue through July 2024. The building design is focused on representing the natural environment of Prince William Sound. Hickel says the interior will feature artwork recognizing the history and heritage of the Chugach region’s people. Unit rentals will first go to accommodate TCC workers, Hickel says. There has also been discussion with other Valdez employers interested in leasing some of the units, and some units will be set aside for nightly rentals. “There is plenty of opportunity, but we want to focus on building the space first,” she says. In addition to workforce housing, Hickel says local jobs will be available
TCC employees are not alone in the scramble for living quarters in Valdez. Mayor Sharon Scheidt says the lack of short-term housing has led to shortages in other housing categories, which ripples throughout the entire real estate market and makes economic growth difficult. “One of the struggles with not having enough housing on the market in the community is the struggle for employers, large and small, bringing people to our community,” she says. It’s difficult to bring qualified employees to the hospital or into local schools, for example, if there aren’t homes to move into. With the lack of short-term housing, she explains, some single-family homes get turned into short-term housing for multiple shift workers. That isn’t the best alternative
in Valdez that we just have not had. Fifty years later, we are able to have that presence. This event will help direct the highest need for the housing.”
Helping Valdez
for the short-term workers; moreover, it removes single-family homes from the market, making it difficult to entice well-qualified, long-term employees and families to the area. With more short-term housing on the way, the mayor hopes more singlefamily homes will become available. “This is just one step; it obviously doesn’t solve the whole problem, but we are grateful to TCC for helping to solve the problem,” Scheidt says.
Rising to the Challenge The Valdez City Council is working on other ways to address the housing shortage through public-private partnerships and incentives. Scheidt points to a twenty-eight-unit senior housing project by Cordes & Company and Valdez Senior Housing Associates and to a planned-unit development called the St. Patrick Subdivision, being built by Valdez developer Bill Harris. That phased development will include multi-family and single-family housing. Valdez City Council donated the land for the senior housing development, along with other incentives, and with
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A groundbreaking ceremony for the Naswik building was held at the intersection of Meals Avenue and Egan Drive in Valdez on May 22. Seed Media | Valdez Native Tribe
the St. Patrick Subdivision, Harris can take part in a new incentive program the city council created to help developers offset higher infrastructure costs related to housing projects in Valdez. “He may receive up to $1 million to help fund infrastructure costs related to the development of the subdivision,
and can receive a $10,000 rebate per completed unit,” Scheidt says. TCC also plans to keep going in this direction. Another building across the street from Chugach Naswik could hold a cultural facility and support training and other programs or events. But that’s a future project.
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“We’re going to get this done first,” Buretta says. Once Chugach Naswik is finished, though, look out. More housing is on the rise in Valdez—or, as the Alutiiq people named it, Suacit, which in Sugt’stun means “place that rises into view.”
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September 2023 | 121
Update on Areawide Lease Sales
Eric Benz | iStock
OIL & GAS
Results for the North Slope, Beaufort Sea, and Cook Inlet areas By Tasha Anderson
I
n July, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Oil and Gas released the final, adjudicated results of its November 2022 Beaufort Sea, Cook Inlet, and North Slope areawide lease sales. The lease sales were successful in that each generated bids that resulted in acreage awards, an essential part of the process of oil and gas development on state lands and waters. In the final tally for the Beaufort Sea areawide sale, five of the six companies that submitted bids received at least one tract: • Savant Alaska bid on three tracts and was awarded two totaling 2,987 acres • Hilcorp North Slope bid on three tracts and was awarded all three totaling 6,400 acres • Hilcorp Alaska bid on one tract and successfully won that award for 2,501 acres • Lagniappe Alaska bid on one tract successfully for a total of 2,560 acres • Samuel Cade bid on one tract 122 | September 2023
successfully for 2,324 acres • ConocoPhillips Alaska bid on two tracts but was not awarded either The Beaufort Sea sale area comprises primarily offshore acreage on the north shores from the border with Canada to east of Point Barrow, up to 3 miles offshore (the boundary between the State of Alaska and federal waters); in total it contains 1.7 million acres of state-owned land and 570 lease tracts. The November 2022 North Slope Areawide sale attracted seven bidders, all of which secured at least one tract: • Great Bear Petroleum bid on twenty-seven tracts and won them all, with a total acreage of 39,540 • Captivate Energy Alaska bid on ten tracts and was awarded all ten, for a total of 25,431 acres • Hilcorp North Slope bid on eight tracts and successfully secured all eight, totaling 19,013 acres • Lagniappe Alaska bid on seven and was awarded seven tracts, for 17,695 acres • Arctic Circle Exploration was awarded all five of its bids,
securing 12,679 acres • Santos bid on four tracts and was awarded three, a total of 3,817 acres • Finnex bid on two tracts and was awarded one of them, a total of 1,840 acres The North Slope sale area comprises 5 million acres of state-owned land and 3,121 tracts ranging from 160 acres to 5,760 each. It’s primarily onshore acreage with an eastern boundary of the Canning River and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and the Colville River and National Petroleum ReserveAlaska (NPR-A) form the westward border. It extends from the Umiat Meridian baseline on the south to the southern boundaries of the Beaufort Sea sale area. Wrapping up results from November 2022 is the Cook Inlet Areawide Winter sale, for which Hilcorp Alaska was the only bidder. The company bid on and was awarded six tracts in Cook Inlet for a total acreage of 22,744. Unlike the North Slope and Beaufort Sea areas, the Cook Inlet area offers onshore and
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offshore leases; in this area, 3.3 million acres of state-owned land are divided into 833 tracts.
Another November, Another Sale All three of these areas will have tracts available in the upcoming November 20 oil and gas lease sale, and in addition to those, the upcoming sale will also have tracts available in the North Slope Foothills and Alaska Peninsula sale areas. The North Slope Foothills borders the North Slope lease area at its northern border and extends south to the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The sale area contains onshore acreage between NPR-A and ANWR and approximately 4.3 million acres of state-owned land and 818 lease sale tracts. Similar to Cook Inlet, the Alaska Peninsula lease sale area has onshore and offshore acreage, extending from the Nushagak Peninsula in the north and down the west side of the Alaska Peninsula to just north of Cold Bay, within the 3-mile boundary between
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state and federal waters. The state owns 5 million acres in this area, and there are 1,004 tracts ranging from 1,280 to 5,760 acres. It is one of the newer areas of oil and gas development, as the first areawide state lease sale was held there in 2005.
The Business of Leasing When the state conducts a lease sale, it offers up to interested parties all available acres in the area. According to the Division of Oil and Gas, “Areawide leasing allows regularly scheduled competitive sales within specific oil and gas basins without a nomination process. Offering oil and gas leases in each sale area annually allows Alaska to have a stable, predictable leasing program.” Through regularly scheduled areawide lease sales, the Division of Oil and Gas meets its obligations as recorded in Alaska Statute 38.05.177, which states in part: “The legislature finds that the people of Alaska have an interest in the development of the state’s oil and gas resources to maximize the economic and physical recovery of the resources; maximize competition
Alaska Business
among parties seeking to explore and develop the resources; [and] maximize the use of Alaska’s human resources in the development of the resources. [It also finds that] it is in the best interest of the state to encourage an assessment of its oil and gas resources… and to offer acreage for oil and gas leases.” Because a foundational element of all lease sales is the assumption that they are in the best interest of the state, it offers several resources to any interested bidders to aid them in making informed decisions. For example, DNR’s Energy Resources Section (which operates within the Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys) “generates new, unbiased information on the geologic framework of frontier areas in Alaska that may host undiscovered oil, gas, coal, and geothermal resources.” Six full-time geologists generate data through their expertise in depositional systems, sequence stratigraphy, structural geology, geochronology, petroleum geology, and coal geology. At present, the Energy Resources Section manages three petroleum-focused basin analysis
September 2023 | 123
Competitive Geothermal Lease Sale Approved at Mount Spurr
T
Alaska DNR | Division of Oil and Gas
he Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Oil and Gas has designated 38,315 acres on the south side of Mount Spurr as a competitive geothermal area, and Derek Nottingham, director of the Division of Oil and Gas, has issued a final decision approving a lease sale for the area. It ’s not the first time the state has encouraged geothermal development in the area. DNR held lease sales in the Mount Spurr area in 1983, 1986, and in 2008, and in 2021 the Division of Oil and Gas awarded two noncompetitive geothermal prospecting permits (one to Raser Power Systems and the other to GeoAlaska). The 11,070-foot volcano occasionally threatens the Anchorage area, 75 miles away, by spewing ash, most recently in 1992. That proximity also makes Mount Spurr a tantalizing source of energy. Approval for the upcoming lease sale is based on the history of commercial exploration interest and available geologic information that indicates a substantial likelihood of commercial geothermal resources. In addition, the timing is right, as there are incentives in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act for geothermal energy production. The final decision states: “One of the effects of [the Inflation Reduction Act] includes the geothermal federal tax credit to a bonus rate of 30 percent until 2032. Geothermal power plants are eligible for either a production tax credit for clean electricity at $25 per megawatthour for the first ten years of operation of the facility, or an investment tax credit for clean electricity equal to 30 percent of the investment in a new geothermal facility. Manufacturers of geothermal technologies like geothermal drills are eligible to apply to the Department of Energy for an advanced energy manufacturing credit. This includes up to $40 billion in Department of Energy Title 17 Loan Guarantee Program for large-scale energy projects that use innovative technology to reduce, avoid, or sequester greenhouse gas emissions, including for geothermal projects. In sum, federal energy policy has shifted significantly since the noncompetitive permits were issued in 2021, which has generated renewed interest in geothermal exploration.”
124 | September 2023
programs—North Slope and Brooks Range Foothills, Cook Inlet, and Frontier Basins and Rural Energy—and data from these programs is disseminated to the public for free. As another resource, the state has a collection of seismic and well data. While the 2D and 3D seismic information is available for free to qualifying research, education, or government institutions, private entities that would like to use the data as part of their decision-making can purchase it from the state. All of the seismic data is recent (in geological terms), with most of what’s available being conducted in the 2000s or 2010s, and it is available at a variety of prices. There is also well data available for approximately 100 wells, all of which is free, at present.
Players Welcome The state does not find value in overly-restricting who can acquire oil and gas leases. Individuals do not need to be a resident of Alaska or even a citizen of the United States, as a non-citizen who intends to become a citizen qualifies, as does a noncitizen who lives in a country where laws grant privileges similar to those of citizens of the United States. The restrictions for a business are slightly more stringent, as corporations, LLCs, and other business entities must be organized under the laws of the United States or one of its territories, and it must be qualified to do business in Alaska. The Beaufort Sea areawide lease sale results demonstrate the possible variety of qualifying entities, ranging from publicly traded ConocoPhillips Alaska to privately owned exploration company Lagniappe to individual Samuel Cade. Conducting routine lease sales, making quality data readily available, and establishing a broad range of qualified entities all work to create an environment that promotes the development of our state’s resources. As the Division of Oil and Gas states, “The Division of Oil and Gas manages lands for oil, gas, and geothermal exploration and development in a fair and transparent manner to maximize prudent use of resources for the greatest benefit of all Alaskans.”
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Chrissy Senior Environmental Coordinator, Biological Sciences
More than oil We’re building the next generation of Alaska’s workforce through investments in educational programs and vocational training. By creating thousands of good jobs right here at home, ConocoPhillips Alaska is more than oil. alaska.conocophillips.com © ConocoPhillips Company. 2023. All rights reserved. © ConocoPhillips Company. 2023. All rights reserved.
INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS Northern Pacific Airways The newest Anchorage-based airline is off the ground, although flights through its hub city might not begin until 2024. After the original early June launch date slipped, Northern Pacific Airways carried its first paying passengers on July 14 for a one-hour hop between Ontario, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Unfortunately, mechanical trouble canceled the return trip, so the airline scrambled for alternative transport and accommodations. The weekend round-trip enables the sister airline of Ravn Alaska to generate revenue while arranging routes between the Lower 48 and East Asia via ANC airport. np.com
Chugach Electric Association | MEA Batteries are included at a new power storage facility for Southcentral. Chugach Electric Association installed twenty-four Tesla Megapacks at its generating facility near Midtown Anchorage; Matanuska Electric Association is chipping in with a 25 percent ownership stake. The $63 million project is meant to provide a quicker backup than gas-turbine generators, but it will take until October of next year before the 80 MWh batteries are operational. The system could discharge enough electricity to power 15 percent of Chugach’s summertime demand for two hours. chugachelectric.com | mea.coop
Microcom After sea ice severed Quintillion’s fiber optic cable 34 miles offshore in the Arctic Ocean on June 14, Anchorage-based telecom supplier Microcom reported its busiest day ever. Microcom is a retail outlet for Starlink, the satellite internet solution operated by SpaceX. The North Slope Borough declared an emergency due to the loss of communications and quickly ordered 25 Starlink units to restore service in affected villages. The state ordered 75 for its 126 | September 2023
emergency response. Altogether, Microcom shipped 400 units in one day, according to a spokesman, compared to usual sales of a few dozen per day. Microcom has its own satellite internet company, Pacific Dataport, that is preparing statewide service via the Aurora 4A geostationary satellite launched in April. Starlink uses a different approach, with thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit. microcom.tv
Fastwyre | Copper Valley Telecom | MTA Alaska gets a $100 million share of federal funds to help rural areas connect to the internet. The US Department of Agriculture announced in June that four Alaska utilities are among thirty-three projects nationwide receiving grants from the ReConnect program. Interior and Mukluk Telephone Companies (both subsidiaries of Fastwyre Broadband, formerly Telalaska) each get $35 million; Copper Valley Telecom gets $17.9 million; and Matanuska Telephone Association gets $12.6 million. fastwyre.com | cvtc.org mtasolutions.com
Turnagain News A website covering news and events in Girdwood, Whittier, Hope, and Cooper Landing is hoping to get some ink on its fingers. Turnagain News, published by radio personality Jon Scudder and journalist Soren Wuerth, launched in May with a commitment to hyper-local reporting. Plans call for expanding into print editions this fall. The area between South Anchorage and the Upper Kenai Peninsula has been covered before by the Turnagain Times and Glacier City Gazette, but the latter paper ceased printing at the end of 2020. turnagainnews.org
Tlingit & Haida A Juneau company that distributes salmon, halibut, black cod, and caviar worldwide is now under tribal
ownership. The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska purchased the Alaska Seafood Company. The transaction price was not disclosed. Tlingit & Haida President Richard Chalyee Éesh calls the investment a way to enhance the tribes’ economic sovereignty. In business since 1987, Alaska Seafood Company operates a small storefront in Juneau and distributes fresh, frozen, and smoked seafood through gift shops and big box retailers throughout Alaska and the Northwest. ccthita.org
Foundation Health Partners The Denali Center in Fairbanks is the first skilled nursing facility in Alaska to receive a Silver Achievement in Quality award from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. The ninety-bed facility is operated by Foundation Health Partners, which also runs the nearby Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. Sixty-three skilled nursing care centers, eight assisted living communities, and one combined skilled nursing/assisted living providers in twenty-seven states achieved the Silver level of quality. foundationhealth.org
OneWeb The London-based company bringing broadband internet connectivity to rural Alaska using satellites in low-Earth orbit is joining with a not-for-profit organization that shares its vision. OneWeb is the newest member of the Connecting Alaska Consortium, which also includes software, digital infrastructure, and financial partners as well as the Alaska Native Village Corporation Association. With more than 600 satellites in orbit, OneWeb’s broadband network delivers highspeed connectivity to wholesale internet providers across Alaska through its preferred distribution partner, Pacific Dataport. oneweb.net
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RIGHT MOVES Chugach Alaska Corporation
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The Alaska Native regional corporation for the Prince William Sound and the northern Gulf of Alaska promoted CFO A s tle Angie Astle to Interim CEO. Astle is also Chugach Alaska’s executive vice president of finance and president of Chugach Investment Holdings. As interim CEO, Astle is responsible for all Chugach Alaska’s federal and commercial business lines and the 4,500 employees who support them. She continues to work closely with Chairman of the Board Sheri Buretta and President Josie Hickel, while the board has launched a nationwide search for a permanent hire. Astle has been with Chugach Alaska since the ‘90s and became a member of the executive team in 2010. Prior to joining Chugach, she worked at Deloitte and Touche as a senior auditor. Astle holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance and a master’s in accounting from the University of Montana.
Doyon, Limited
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The largest private landowner in Alaska has a new Vice President of Lands. Doyon, Limited promoted forestry scientist Molly Redilla Redilla to lead the department she has been working in since November. Redilla has a PhD in forestry and spatial ecology from Michigan State University, where she previously earned her bachelor’s degree in fisheries and wildlife with a concentration in wildlife biology and
management. She was a postdoctoral research fellow at North Carolina State University, where she researched ways to help stop the spread of invasive insects. At Doyon, Limited, Redilla has overseen the Carbon Forestry Project as a Lands and Natural Resources Specialist IV. She also led forestry, fire, and invasive species-related programs.
Koniag Energy & Water
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A subsidiary of the Alaska Native regional corporation for Kodiak Island has a new CEO. Phil Vollands is now in charge at Koniag Energy & Vollands Water (KEW), which provides operational support in the oil and gas and water and wastewater industries. KEW does design, engineering, automation, fabrication, and installation in Alaska and in Texas, New Mexico, North Dakota, Georgia, and Ohio. It includes secondtier subsidiaries Dowland-Bach, Glacier Services, Inc., Big G Electric & Engineering, Great Northern Engineering, and TecPro. Prior to joining KEW, Vollands held executive positions in prominent energy companies. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Oxford and a Master of Management from the University of Michigan.
Ketchikan Indian Community
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Ketchikan Indian Community (KIC) selected Trixie Bennett as the next Tribal Health Administrator. Bennett was the tribe’s president in 2022. In her new role,
Bennett is responsible for managing a multimillion-dollar annual budget and overseeing healthcare services, including the KIC Tribal Health Bennet t Clinic, for more than 6,400 members. KIC is the second largest tribe in Alaska by enrollment. Bennett first came to work for KIC in 2000 as quality management coordinator and worked in clinic administration from 2000 to 2018. She served on the tribal council from 2018 to 2023. Bennett attended UAS Ketchikan, receiving an associate degree in applied science, and she completed her bachelor’s degree in business administration and management at Alaska Pacific University. Bennett is also the owner and operator of Trixies Tongass Tonics.
Tlingit & Haida Two new officers are among the leadership at the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Karen Taug accepted the position of Acting Chief Financial Officer. Taug is serving until the tribe can permanently fill the position. Taug She replaces former CFO Theresa Belton, who retired in April after more than twenty years of service. Taug, a tribal citizen, retired as finance controller for Bartlett Regional Hospital after more than five years of service, and prior to that she was a finance controller for SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. “We are grateful Karen is willing to step out of retirement and assist us while we recruit
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RIGHT MOVES IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY NORTHERN AIR CARGO
Committed to the Alaska Spirit 128 | September 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
a new Chief Financial Officer,” says Tlingit & Haida President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson. A tribal citizen is promoted to the position of Procurement Officer. In that role, Myrna Gardner oversees all operations of Gardner Tlingit & Haida’s procurement department and its business enterprise T&H Logistics. Gardner is a George Washington University certified contract manager and holds an industry certification in contract management, federal level 1 from the National Contract Management Association. She brings more than twenty years of experience in business management, logistics, and operations.
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Northrim Bank
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Northrim Bank opened a new Loan Production office in Homer, staffed by Jennifer McLay, who joins the team as Vice President McLay - Commercial Loan Officer. McLay began working for Northrim in April after more than thirty years in the financial industry in Alaska. She holds an associate degree in accounting and small business administration from UAA. McLay is a past Kachemak City Council member and board member of Hospice of Homer. She has volunteered with a number of organizations over her career, including Junior Achievement of Alaska, the Snomads, and the Homer Racing Association.
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Davis Wright Tremaine
An attorney with more than two decades of labor and employment-related experience joined Davis Wright Tremaine’s employment services team in Anchorage. Michael O’Brien comes to Davis Wright
from Perkins Coie, and he previously spent eleven years as associate general counsel for the UA System. He began his career as a State of Alaska O’Brien public defender. A significant portion of his work involves advising clients on complex labor challenges: union organizing, collective bargaining, arbitrations, and responding to unfair labor practice allegations. O’Brien received his JD from Vermont Law and Graduate School, where he also received a master’s degree in environmental law and policy. He also has a master’s degree from St. John’s College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana. He began his career in Alaska leading trail crews in Kenai Fjords National Park and writing for The Seward Phoenix LOG newspaper.
R&M Consultants R&M Consultants expanded its planning capabilities by adding to its Juneau and Fairbanks offices. Beth McKibben joins R&M as a Senior Planner in Juneau. McKibben has more than thirty years of experience in all aspects McKibben of community planning, permitting, rezoning, code revisions, grant applications, and program development. McKibben has worked for several rural, urban, small and mid-sized Alaska communities. Most recently, she was a planner for the City & Borough of Juneau, where she led development of the Blueprint Downtown Juneau Area Plan and Douglas/West Juneau Area Plan. McKibben earned a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from Washington State University and is a member of the American Planning Association.
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Bryant Wright joins the Fairbanks office in the position of Planner. Wright previously worked for Fairbanks North Star Borough as trails Wright coordinator, where he was responsible for parks and trails planning, project management, programming, rightsof-way research, and code compliance. He has ten years of experience in natural resources planning, agency coordination, and public outreach in Alaska. Wright earned a master’s degree in natural resources management from UAF and a bachelor’s degree in art history and studio art from Trinity University. In addition, Wright owns and operates Northern Alaska Packrafts in Fairbanks.
The Nature Conservancy
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The Nature Conservancy in Alaska (TNC-Alaska) promoted a conservation forester at its Juneau office to become Southeast Alaska Program Nave Director. Julia Nave has worked for TNC-Alaska for the past three-and-ahalf years, where she has collaborated with federal, state, Native corporation, and other land managers to improve habitat for wildlife like deer and salmon. As Southeast director, Nave serves as the primary contact for TNC-Alaska’s partners in the region. The Southeast Alaska team’s work includes an ambitious carbon mapping project and supporting community and economic development and cultural healing work through its relationship with the Sustainable Southeast Partnership. Nave graduated from Juneau-Douglas Yadaa.at Kalé High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in geology from Colorado College and a master’s degree in environmental management from Western Colorado University.
Northern Air Cargo is committed to getting your cargo where it needs to be, on time, so you can worry about what really matters.
For more information, please visit us at www.nac.aero. www.akbizmag.com
Alaska Business
September 2023 | 129
ALASKA TRENDS
I
n common parlance, “top of the food chain” is the best place to be. Better to eat than be eaten, right? The top is precarious, though, dependent on every level below. Weakest link, et cetera, et cetera. Alaska is at the top. Yay! But also… uh-oh. If constant resupply shipments ended suddenly, grocery store shelves would be emptied within a week, according to the Alaska Food Policy Council. The stuff of nightmares, yet closer to reality in the furthest reaches of the state. Gretchen Wehmhoff’s article “Rural Retail” visits some of the remotest communities to discover how their local stores operate. Whether it’s the Alaska Commercial Company outlet in Togiak, Nome, or Point Hope, the ME merchant in Marshall, or the Diomede Native Store, these are the final links in the chain. They are mission-critical services for their customers’ survival, purveyors of fuel and spare parts for vehicles used in subsistence hunting and gathering, to say nothing of household sundries and foods. This discussion of food is making us hungry. Hungry and curious. The final report of the Alaska Food Security Task Force, formed last year by Governor Mike Dunleavy, documents the links in Alaska’s supply chain. The shortest links are for local foods, the smallest fraction of most Alaskans’ diets. Small like a seed, and therefore with the most potential for growth. This edition of Alaska Trends digests the task force report and additional data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service statewide census (e.g., 375 turkeys as of 2017) and annual bulletin for 2022. Anyone with the munchies for numbers should be sated by this buffet. Bon appétit! SOURCE: (2023) Alaska Food Securit y and Independence Task Force 2022 Repor t. w w w.alaskafoods ys tems.com SOURCE: 2022 Alaska Annual Statis tical Bulletin ( June 2022) complied by the USDA , National Agricultural Statis tic s Ser vice - Nor thwes t Regional Of f ice
Average Size
Against the Grain
43% of growers produce on less than 10 acres.
The number of farms in the state increased 30% between 2012 and 2017. There was a 3% decline nationwide between 2012 and 2017.
Positive and Negative
In the past 8 years, the number of farms in the state has increased by 240 farms but the average acreage per farm has decreased by 190 acres.
1,000
1-9
ACRES
750
10-49
Number of Farms
ACRES
50-179 ACRES
500
180-499 ACRES
500-999 ACRES
1,000+ ACRES
100 Farms
400 Farms
Average Size of All Farms
250
0
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
A Future in Seed Potatoes
Alaska is well-positioned to become a distributor of seed potatoes. In addition to optimal growing environments, Alaska is unique in that producers do not spray pesticide or fungicide like other potato-producing states. 130 | September 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Animal Husbandry Quandary
A person can process up to 20,000 birds without USDA inspection, making it fairly easy to raise and sell commercially. All other meat falls under the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service for commercial sale. To sell direct-to-consumer, producers must sell a whole or half animal. For smaller portions, packaged, and/or processed portions, the animal must be slaughtered in a USDA-certified slaughter facility. There are only 3 USDA-certified slaughterhouses in state - Palmer, North Pole, and Delta Junction. There are also USDA-certified mobile processing units in Kodiak (for cattle) and Nome (for reindeer).
Dwindling Dairies
First Cut Rule
The pasteurization process is expensive, cumbersome, and prohibitive for small-scale dairy producers. As of August 2022, there are only 2 FDA certified dairies left in the state, and one is a goat dairy.
Alaska Grown
Importing Food
95% of purchased foods are imported, sending $2B out of
Alaska’s agriculture industry is valued at $40M including food and fiber.
Reaping and Sowing
state each year.
15,000
5,000
0
Species Sold in Alaska: Pacific Oysters Blue Mussels Pacific Geoduck Seaweed Sugar Kelp Bull Kelp Ribbon Kelp Five-Ribbed Kelp Bull Kelp Red Ribbon-Dulse Kelp Split Kelp Sugar Kelp
Additional approved species:
10,000
Oats
Barley
Hay
20,000 Acres Harvest
Potatoes
The production of potatoes, oats, and barley declined between 2014 and 2017, while the production of hay increased.
Farmers are not required to purchase permits or certifications to sell raw, whole produce. This is commonly known as the “first cut rule” since the only cut to the plant is the harvest cut.
2014
2015
2016
2017
Littleneck Clams Scallops Cockles Sea Urchins Sea Cucumbers Three-Ribbed Kelp Giant Kelp Pyropia Palmaria
Oyster Farms
The first farms were oyster farms established in the 1980s. Oysters accounted for more than 90% of Alaska aquatic farm sales in 2015.
Growing Interest in Mariculture
In 2020 and 2021, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, Alaska Sea Grant, and other partners held several mariculture training webinars and workshops; 485 Alaskans applied, indicating that interest in new lease applications will continue. www.akbizmag.com
Alaska Business
September 2023 | 131
ADVERTISERS INDEX Afognak Native Corporation.......... 53 a fognak .com
Color Art Printing, Inc..................... 29 colorar tprinting.com
Ahtna, Inc...................................... 103 ahtna.com
ConocoPhillips.............................. 125 alaska.conocophillips .com
Airport Equipment Rentals.......... 133 airpor tequipmentrentals .com
Conrad-Houston Insurance Agency........................................... 117 chialaska.com
Alaska Air Cargo - Alaska Airlines.. 81 alaskacargo.com Alaska Argo Rentals LLC................. 99 alaskaargorentals .com Alaska Communications Systems.... 3 ac salaska.com Alaska Dreams Inc........................ 123 alaskadreamsinc.com Alaska Pacific University................. 99 alaskapaci f ic.edu Alaska Professional Construction, Inc.......................... 113 apcconcrete.com Alaska Travel Industry Association...................................... 39 alaska tia.org Altman, Rogers & Co.................... 105 al trogco.com Alyeska Pipeline Service Co........... 95 al yeska- pipe.com
Matson Inc...................................... 73 ma t son.com Minto Brawley Services JV.............. 71 mintode velopmentcorp.com
Sheet Metal Inc............................. 117 sheetmetalinc.com Sitnasuak Native Corporation........ 79 snc.org Southcentral Foundation............... 57 sou thcentral founda tion.com
Construction Machinery Industrial.2 cmiak .com
Nana Regional Corp....................... 47 nana.com
Stellar Designs Inc.......................... 97 s tellar- designs .com
Cook Inlet Tug & Barge Inc............ 95 cook inlet tug.com
NCB................................................ 111 ncb.coop
T. Rowe Price................................... 15 alaska529plan.com
cowork by RSD................................ 15 co work by r sd.com
Nenana Heating Services, Inc..... 119 nenanahea tingser v icesinc.com
Davis Wright Tremaine Llp........... 109 d w t.com
New Horizons Telecom, Inc............ 23 nhtiusa.com
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport...................... 75 dot.alaska.gov/anc /
Denali Commercial........................... 7 denalicommercial.com
Northern Air Cargo................128,129 nac.aero
Donlin Gold................................... 116 donlingold.com
Northrim Bank................................ 33 nor thrim.com
Dorsey & Whitney LLP.................... 38 w w w.dor se y.com
NOVAGOLD..................................... 69 novagold.com
Doyon, Limited................................ 50 doyon.com Equipment Source, Inc................... 45 esialaska.com
Anchorage Chrysler Dodge........... 22 accak .com
First National Bank Alaska............... 5 fnbalaska.com
Anchorage Convention Centers.... 77 anchorageconventioncenters.com
Gana-A' Yoo Ltd............................... 49 ganaa yoo.com
Anchorage Sand & Gravel........... 114 anchsand.com
GCI..................................................... 9 gci.com
ASRC Construction......................... 21 asrccons truc tion.com
Global Credit Union........................ 13 alaskausa.org
Bristol Bay Native Corporation...... 31 bbnc.net
Great Originals Inc......................... 93 grea toriginals .com
BSI Commercial Real Estate, LLC....................................... 60 bsialaska.com
JEFFCO Inc....................................... 21 jef fcogrounds .com
Calista Corporation...................... 101 calis tacorp.com
Material Flow & Conveyor Systems, Inc.................................. 121 ma terial f lo w.com
Kelley Connect.............................. 113 kelle yconnec t.com
Chugach Alaska Corporation......... 52 tccalaska.com
Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP................................. 41 lbbla w yer s .com
CIRI.................................................. 51 ciri.com
Lynden........................................... 134 l y nden.com
Nu Flow Alaska.............................. 120 nu f lo walaska.com Oxford Assaying & Refining Inc.... 43 ox fordmetals .com Parker, Smith & Feek...................... 17 ps f inc.com Personnel Plus Employment Agency........................................... 105 perplus .com Price Gregory International Inc........................... 111 pricegregor y.com Resolve Marine............................... 61 resol vemarine.com Samson Tug & Barge...................... 97 samsontug.com Satellite Alaska................................ 19 Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, P.C......................................... 27
schwabe.com/locations-anchorage-alaska
The Pape' Group........................... 127 w w w.pape.com Think Office..................................... 59 thinkof f icellc.com Toast of the Town............................ 37 toas tof theto wnak .com Tongass Federal Credit Union....... 79 tongass fcu.com Udelhoven Oilfield System Services, Inc.................................. 117 udelhoven.com Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation..... 55 uicalaska.com Umialik Insurance Company........ 107 umialik .com United Way of Anchorage.............. 89 li veuni tedanc.org University of Alaska Office of Public Affairs............................... 40 alaska.edu US Ecology.................................... 115 usecolog y.com USI Insurance Services.................. 11 usi.com
Sealaska Corp................................. 65 sealaska.com
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC.................................. 63 w w w.wes tinghousenuclear.com
SES Space & Defense..................... 25 sessd.com
Yukon Equipment Inc..................... 67 y ukoneq.com
Top 49ers Ticket Sales September 29, 2023, Dena'ina Center Anchorage, AK
akbizmag.com/top49ers 132 | September 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Thank You Alaska! Thank you to our friends, neighbors, and valued customers for your ongoing support and partnership, and special thanks to each of our dedicated employees for their continued care, expertise, and ingenuity as we all work together to keep Alaska moving. We look forward to continuing to serve our communities by providing multi-modal transportation and logistics solutions across the entire state!