Alaska Business October 2017 by Alaska Business

TOP 49 ALASKA COMPANIES RANKED BY GROSS REVENUE October 2017 Digital Edition

2017

TOP

49 ERS

ements of

En terprise

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Oc tober 2017 Digit al Edition TA BLE OF CONTENTS

DEPARTMENTS

FROM THE EDITOR EAT, SHOP, PLAY, STAY EVENTS CALENDAR BUSINESS EVENTS INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS RIGHT MOVES ALASKA TRENDS ADVERTISERS INDEX

ABOUT THE COVER: General conversation treats “the economy” as a single entity instead of a massive, sprawling network of interconnected activities and interests. Certainly Alaska’s business community is a multifaceted object, populated by companies with varied business lines, rich histories, and a spectrum of cultures, goals, and methods of measuring success. Each of these elements, through independent planning and ongoing interactions, form the foundation of Alaska’s continued success as a state, a home, and vibrant place of business. The Alaska Business Top 49ers embody the Elements of Enterprise that have built and continue to build the Last Frontier.

7 140 144 146 147 150 152 154

Cover design by David Geiger

ARTICLES R&M Consultants provided engineering services for the West Dimond Boulevard Upgrade, which opened for public use in August 2016.

Image courtesy of R&M Consultants

CONSTRUCTION

8 | Offseason Vertical Construction

Construction companies, engineers, project managers, and architects stay busy in winter months By Judy Mottl

16 | Lights Out: Deconstructing the Northern Lights Hotel

TRANSPORTATION

34 | Alaska’s Couriers Keep Alaska Running

Same day deliveries help businesses succeed By Julie Stricker

38 | Drayage from the Port of Anchorage

A vital piece of Alaska’s transportation logistics By Julie Stricker

Anchorage finally bids adieu to the abandoned eyesore By Jessica Rohloff

52 | Commuting to the North Slope

Getting to work by plane, just another day in the life of an oilfield worker By Sam Friedman

Still a good deal all these years later By Will Swagel

PHILANTHROPY

Using expertise and communication to solve problems By Tasha Anderson

126 | Workplace Volunteering Engagement benefits communities, companies, and employees By Tracy Barbour

TELECOM & TECH

28 | Keeping IT Systems Safe

Companies spend billions to keep Alaska oil flowing By Garrison Wells

60 | Alaska’s 150th Anniversary

22 | Engineering Design

Cybersecurity in the workplace is everyone’s business By Tracy Barbour

44 | Cold Oil is Slow Oil

CELEBRATIONS

ENGINEERING

Requires Companywide Buy-in

OIL & GAS

Image courtesy of ConocoPhillips

126

ConocoPhillips Alaska employees volunteering in Anchorage for the Food Bank of Alaska in 2016.

CORRECTION In the September 2017 “Alaska Native Regional Corporation Review”, Cook Inlet Region Inc.’s ownership in Cruz Energy Services was identified as 7 percent. The correct figure is 75 percent.

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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2016 | 2017

O c tob e r 2 017 Digit a l Edition TA B L E

O F

C O N T E N T S

Top 49ers Special Section 2017

49 ERS

TOP

Vitus Energy LLC

55M

TSRP

GWP L Geneva Woods Pharmacy, Inc.

Lynden, Inc.

128M

925M

T&T

Pen Air

100M

89M

UTL

CEa

Chugach Electric Association

197M

TSRP

TOl

ANC

C&E

Delta Constructors, LLC

121M C&E

ANC

Watterson Construction Co.

52M

ANC

Calista Corporation

2.37B

1.52B

1.3B

927M

842M

492M

UTL

Afognak Native Corporation/Alutiiq, LLC

Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation

474M

424M

UTL

ANC

MEa HEa AvEc Oc

ANC

BSNc DL Bering Straits Native Corporation

Doyon Limited

326M

305M

ANC

Gbi

C&E

53M

Chugach Alaska Corporation

ANC

Roger Hickel Contracting, Inc.

ANC

Koniag, Inc.

289M

251M

ANC

FNBA First National Bank Alaska

150M ANC

CiRi K Cook Inlet Region, Inc.

CU1 Credit Union 1

64M ANC

DFcu

Matanuska Electric Association

Homer Electric Association, Inc.

Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Olgoonik Corporation

Goldbelt, Incorporated

Ahtna, Inc.

Aleut Corporation

Sealaska

Denali Federal Credit Union

137M

95M

49M

241M

236M

217M

171M

145M

57M

RWT

TBa ACDc SFL Three Bears Alaska, Inc.

Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Center

Seekins Ford Lincoln, Inc.

173M

79M

52M

ANC

SNc TDX TKc Sitnasuak Native Corporation

Tanadgusix Corporation

The Kuskokwim Corporation

130M

122M

88M

INDS

ANC

BNc CFc Bethel Native Corporation

Cape Fox Corporation

71M

63M

INDS

CRZ CMI UOss Ci Cruz Companies Alaska

Construction Machinery Industrial

Udelhoven Oilfield System Services

Colville, Inc.

183M

98M

97M

96M

66 | Top 49ers

Executive Summary October 2017

Davis Constructors & Engineers, Inc.

64M

Chenega Corporation

DCE

New Horizons Telecom, Inc.

NANA Regional Corporation, Inc.

ANC

C&E

NHt RHC WCc

Bristol Bay Native Corporation

UCM Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc.

80M INDS

INDS

AER

Airport Equipment Rentals

FEATURED 49ERS 116 | Tanadgusix Corporation

65M

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation

ANc UIc

Tatonduk Outfitters Ltd.

C&E

ASRc BBNc NRc Chc CAc Cc

54M UTL

ements

En terprise

MTA PA MTA, Inc.

68 | Employment

Figures, Gross Revenue & Industry Distribution

70 | 2017 Top 49ers

Elements of Enterprise Directory

110 | 5 Year Rank & Revenue

111 | Top 49ers by

Industry Classification

112 | 2017 Elements of Enterprise: Operating in the New Arctic

Building expertise to benefit St. Paul By Tasha Anderson

118 | Tatonduk Outfitters

Flying Alaska and beyond By Tasha Anderson

120 | Doyon Limited

President, CEO Aaron Schutt reflects on Doyonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long history and bright future By Tasha Anderson

124 | Colville

Good people and good leadership make for great results By Tasha Anderson

54M

ARTICLES The Alaska SeaLife Center, located in Seward, is a unique venue for corporate meetings and events. Photo by Tasha Anderson

136 SMALL BUSINESS

130 | Growth Planning for Small Businesses Tips for small businesses navigating growth challenges By Michael A. Branham

WORKPLACE CULTURE 132 | Workplace Appearance

Shifting cultural perspectives By Tom Anderson

MEETINGS & EVENTS

136 | Unconventional Venues Business meetings and events Alaska style By Tom Anderson

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

FROM THE EDITOR VOLUME 33, NUMBER 10 Published by Alaska Business Publishing Co. Anchorage, Alaska

Welcome to the Top 49ers 2017:

EDITORIAL STAFF Managing Editor Kathryn Mackenzie 257-2907 editor@akbizmag.com

Associate Editor Tasha Anderson 257-2902 tanderson@akbizmag.com Art Director David Geiger 257-2916 design@akbizmag.com Art Production Linda Shogren 257-2912 production@akbizmag.com Photo Contributor Judy Patrick BUSINESS STAFF President Billie Martin VP & General Manager Jason Martin 257-2905 jason@akbizmag.com VP Sales & Marketing Charles Bell 257-2909 cbell@akbizmag.com Advertising Account Manager Janis J. Plume 257-2917 janis@akbizmag.com Advertising Account Manager Holly Parsons 257-2910 hparsons@akbizmag.com Advertising Account Manager Christine Merki 257-2911 cmerki@akbizmag.com Accounting Manager Ana Lavagnino 257-2901 accounts@akbizmag.com Customer Service Representative Emily Olsen 257-2914 emily@akbizmag.com 501 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 100 Anchorage, Alaska 99503-2577 (907) 276-4373 | Toll Free: 1-800-770-4373 Fax: (907) 279-2900 www.akbizmag.com Editorial email: editor@akbizmag.com ALASKA BUSINESS PUBLISHING CO., INC. 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; Fax: (907) 279-2900, ©2017, Alaska Business Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Subscription Rates: $39.95 a year. Single issues of the Power List are $15 each. Single issues of Alaska Business are $3.95 each; $4.95 for October, and back issues are $5 each. Send subscription orders and address changes to the Circulation Department, Alaska Business, 501 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 100, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-2577. Please supply both old and new addresses and allow six weeks for change, or update online at www.akbizmag.com. Manuscripts: Email query letter to editor@akbizmag.com. Alaska Business is not responsible for unsolicited materials. Photocopies: Where necessary, permission is granted by the copyright owner for libraries and others registered with Copyright Clearance Center to photocopy any article herein for $1.35 per copy. Send payments to CCC, 27 Congress Street, Salem, MA 01970. Copying done for other than personal or internal reference use without the expressed permission of Alaska Business Publishing Co., Inc. is prohibited. Email specific requests to editor@akbizmag.com. Online: Alaska Business is available at www.akbizmag.com/ Digital-Archives, www.thefreelibrary.com/Alaska+Business+Monthly-p2643 and from Thomson Gale. Microfilm: Alaska Business is available on microfilm from University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106.

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En terprise

laska’s economy often is a reflection of the commodity that runs throughout nearly every aspect of the state’s financial success. Crude oil is composed of an assortment of elements that join together to form volatile, complex molecular structures. Also at times equally volatile and complex, our state is driven by a stunning array of companies, resources, and industries, each of which represents the various elements of enterprise that keep Alaska running strong: innovation, flexibility, strength, and perseverance, to name just a few. And we cannot forget the human element that drives the success of every business: a strong workforce composed of individuals with a vested interest in helping their company rise to the top and their communities thrive. In this special annual issue of Alaska Business, we again honor the Top 49ers—forty-nine unique companies that are 51 percent Alaskan-owned, ranked by gross revenue. For the past three decades Alaska Business has had the honor of proudly presenting the Alaskan companies that help form the basis of our lives in Alaska through the jobs they generate, the goods and services they produce, the revenue they earn, and an array of other, intangible elements that help make each enterprise a success in its own right. For the 2017 Top 49ers rankings, each company provided 2016 gross revenue figures for a combined total of $14.4 billion, a decrease from 2015 gross revenues reported last year, but still a great accomplishment considering the uphill battles many companies continue to face in this lower-for-longer oil price environment. This year we welcome four new companies to the Top 49ers: Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Cape Fox Corporation, New Horizons Telecom, and Tanadgusix Corporation, each of which possesses the elements of enterprise required for entry into this esteemed group of Alaskan companies. To see where your company landed on this year’s list, be sure to check out the Top 49ers Special Section that includes employment figures, gross revenue, industry distribution, a five-year snapshot of rank and revenue, and much more. Thank you to every company that took the time to submit this vital data to Alaska Business, allowing us to again present the Top 49 companies that are the embodiment of successful enterprise in Alaska. And, of course, thank you to everyone here at Alaska Business who worked so hard to make this special issue possible. Also in the October issue we feature profiles of four of the Top 49er companies, each of which gives us an inside look at the particular set of elements that have helped them find success. Finally, we present the “Arctic Outlook—One Year Later” in which our Top 49ers give us insight into how their plans for the changing Arctic environment have evolved over the past twelve months. We hope you enjoy this jam-packed issue as much as we enjoyed creating it.

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—Kathryn Mackenzie, Managing Editor, Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com

October 2017 | Alaska Business

CONSTRUCTION

Offseason Vertical Construction Construction companies, engineers, project managers, and architects stay busy in winter months By Judy Mottl

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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ctober in Alaska is one of the busiest months of the year for the vertical construction industry. The October-November timeframe marks the arrival of winter and the offseason for vertical construction. It also shuts the door on most outdoor building. The final weeks of fall for construction workers, engineers, project managers, and architects are a mad dash to hit project deadlines so spring and summer build tasks stay on schedule. In Anchorage, the offseason typically hits in early November. In Interior Alaska, it comes a bit earlier, in October.

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October 2017 | Alaska Business

A Watterson Construction worksite as of February 27, 2017; erecting steel in the winter is possible though it is often not ideal. Image courtesy of Watterson Construction

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, offseason temperatures this year are expected to be milder than normal, with the coldest periods occurring in early- to mid-January and early February. A mild winter presents the opportunity for a longer exterior-build timeframe, even in the offseason, which is good news for Alaska’s construction industry, one of many industries in Alaska to feel the pinch of continued drops in spending. While some sector projects, including healthcare and national defense, are on the uptick, the majority of construction spending is headed downward, according to the “2017 Alaska’s Construction Spending Forecast” by Scott Goldsmith and Pamela Cravez of the Institute of Social and Economic Research at UAA, written for the Construction Industry Progress Fund and the Associated General Contractors of Alaska. The total value of construction spending “on the street” in Alaska in 2017 is forecast to reach about $6.5 billion, down 10 percent from 2016, according to the report. The good news is the decline will be somewhat less than last year because federal spending, in the form of grants, is expected to increase, especially for transportation and sanitary projects, as well as nonprofit housing and healthcare facilities.

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What’s in Play Weather predictions are critical for the building industry given the starring role weather plays in Alaska-based construction. In fact, Watterson Construction, which began as a small general contracting business in 1981, highlights its knowledge and understanding of Alaska’s unpredictable climate and its ability to combat hazardous subArctic conditions on its website. That said, the company, which has handled 200 commercial construction projects throughout the state— from office buildings to retail stores to military support facilities—hasn’t often faced big offseason winter-related challenges, though this past winter was not the norm. “Most years we really don’t have an offseason, but last winter was an exception,” says President Bill Watterson, who founded the company with his wife Helga. “Most years we make every effort to get the building enclosed

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Image courtesy of Watterson Construction

Watterson Construction is the general contractor for the Kendall Audi Volkswagon Porsche project, shown here in early August. At the time the build was ready for glass curtainwall and finish siding installation.

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October 2017 | Alaska Business

by November 1 and then work inside.” For some projects that isn’t always possible. For example, Watterson is the general contractor for the Kendall Audi Volkswagen Porsche facility; the goal last fall was to complete a concrete foundation in order to start structural steel construction on February 1 of this year. Watterson used advanced workarounds when faced with cold weather obstacles while placing the foundation. “With innovative construction techniques and the use of ground heaters, working in this time frame is doable and doesn’t break the bank,” explains Watterson. Building the foundation included using insulated concrete forms for stem walls to facilitate heating the concrete. Hitting that February deadline for steel construction was vital to this summer season’s proj-

ect tasks. “This allowed completion of the site work amenities this summer so that Kendall can open in winter in 2017-2018,” says Watterson. Another Watterson project, based in Fairbanks, wasn’t so adaptive to cold-weather workarounds, notes Watterson. “You have to be a masochist to do foundation concrete, structural steel erection, and siding in Interior Alaska after November 15,” he says, noting concrete plants shut down in the winter and that the winter season can double the cost of the Redi-Mix Concrete. During the offseason when Watterson is not on a building site, the company works on design tasks, bids for new work, and performs equipment repairs and tune-ups. There are some tasks that simply cannot be

done in the offseason, such as backfill work, due to freezing temperatures and the fact that aggregate is not available from gravel suppliers. Also on the “can’t do” list are asphalt paving and landscaping. Sometimes roofing work can be done, but Watterson describes it as “dicey” and it depends on using roofing materials that can be installed in cold weather. It’s not typically a busy time for buying equipment unless the firm has a job starting the next spring, he adds. When summer arrives, the build strategy is simple. “You go like hell in the summer and get closed in by November 1,” says Watterson.

Designing in the Offseason At the architecture and design firm McCool Carlson Green, which is involved in public bid commercial construction, challenges during the offseason pose a slightly different scenario. “The only offseason is when the money does not justify the effort to meet a need. If a building is critically needed, ways are usually devised to continue construction through the winter in Alaska,” says Senior Architect John McCool, a McCool Carlson Green founding principal who has been practicing design in Alaska for several decades. “Although concrete roofing adhesive and paint need warm temperatures to cure, contactors have devised methods to make that happen in cold weather,” he explains. As an example, McCool points to earthwork being performed and kept warm by buried circulating heated glycol tubing and insulation blankets. He’s even seen roofing substrate and materials installed inside heated tent enclosures. But McCool acknowledges cold weather production is less than optimal given site lighting requirements and higher building costs compared to warm weather construction. “We try to advise building owners to plan for warm weather construction starts and allow at least partial shutdown during cold weather, but they often ask the contractor how much it will cost to continue, and how soon can we use the building,” he says. Alaska drivers who cruise by the University of Alaska in Fairbanks this winter may easily get the impression the winter offseason is posing no challenge to a Davis Constructors & Engineers project. The construction firm, in a joint vertical project with Haskell Corporation, is overseeing a major campus facility upgrade that will decommission the university’s existing Atkinson Heat and Power Plant and replace it with a coal-fired boiler and steam turbine system designed to meet campus heat and power needs for the next two decades. The worksite will be home to a significant workforce this winter—numbering about 200—striving to finish the project in the next twelve months. “To accommodate that in such a cold environment, we have installed temporary exterior insulation on portions of the building shell not yet ready for final siding installation,” says Jed Shandy, a Davis Constructors & Engineers project manager and vice president. “We will be using a combination

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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Image courtesy of McCool Carlson Green

Construction of the Anchorage School District Airport Heights Elementary School in January, 2016. The project was built by Watterson Construction and designed by McCool Carlson Green.

of the building’s permanent heating system, augmented by temporary heaters, to make up for some of the missing insulation,” he adds. The goal is to keep the interior of the structure at 50 degrees Fahrenheit when it is -30 degrees Fahrenheit outside. For Davis Constructors & Engineers, the offseason runs from late-October to mid-April,

and the primary areas of focus in the field are interior finishes and completing the limited tasks that can be done in frigid weather conditions. The firm has completed nearly 300 projects, totaling almost $2.25 billion in the state. “In the office, we prepare for summer months by aligning schedules of material delivery and crews to maximize the limited

amount of days above freezing,” says Shandy. “Vertically we can perform structural steel erection and exterior siding elements. All interior scopes are available as long as temporary heat can be provided to the structure,” he adds. During the offseason, time is money, just like during the summer season. “The weather brings productivity losses to the exterior work that historically averaged about 1 percent of productivity loss for every degree below 40,” Shandy explains. In translation: carrying out siding work at 0 degrees is 40 percent slower than in the summer months. While Davis Constructors & Engineers crews stay busy at the university project this winter, the company’s office staff will be working hard on projects of their own. Shandy says many bid packages for new work hit in the fall and winter and projects already awarded need to start design and permitting efforts so contractors can jump on the projects come April. “It’s also when we are closing out our previous projects and building operations and maintenance manuals for our clients,” Shandy says, adding that staff hiring tends to be slower in the winter while the company builds out its book of work for the following season. “Off seasons are most productive when we have adequately planned and executed the summer season of earthwork and concrete placement.” R Judy Mottl writes about important issues country wide with an affinity for Alaska.

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CONSTRUCTION

The machinery grabs a corner post and pulls.

The first of three stripped sections of the Northern Lights Hotel seconds from being demolished.

Lights Out: Deconstructing the Northern Lights Hotel Anchorage finally bids adieu to the abandoned eyesore By Jessica Rohloff

hile some people call it an iconic landmark in midtown Anchorage, others say it was more of an iconic eyesore. Either way, after sitting empty for fifteen years, the blighted, boarded up Northern Lights Hotel is finally—finally—gone. And truth be told, it was more than just an eyesore. “It’s an iconic problem,” says Charles Wohlforth, a lifelong Anchorage resident, author, and columnist who has written extensively about the Northern Lights Hotel for Alaska Dispatch News. Like many other city residents, Wohlforth is glad to see it gone. “It was kind of cursed.” The building has a tragic history. In the 60s it was a motel. Then, in 1971, it went up in flames (arson, not accident), and several people died. The building also went through a series of bankruptcies. And then there were the ghosts, or reports thereof. Given the number of ghost hunter websites that claim the Northern Lights 16

Hotel is an active source of paranormal activity—and the building’s unremitting bad luck— it’s easy to imagine that perhaps it was actually cursed. Or at least haunted. Even when it was in business, the Northern Lights building wasn’t exactly a showplace or central to the city’s legacy. “There’s no history,” according to Richard Fern, lead code enforcement officer for the Municipality of Anchorage. “It wasn’t a building people marveled at. At one time it was a Ramada Inn.” Cursed or not, there is definitely a consensus that it’s nice to be rid of the bedeviled monstrosity. “It’s been this hideous blight on the city,” says Wohlforth.

Complaints, Violations Lead to Demolition Permit Over the years, there were so many complaints made about the building that city officials were finally prompted to acquire a search warrant to investigate the Northern Lights Hotel for code violations—possibly for the first time. Fern says that entering the building was somewhat anticlimactic. Perhaps he was expecting ghosts. But what he found was a dark, dank, dirty, old building. And a huge mess. “There was water intrusion,” says Fern. “Parts of the kitchen looked like someone may have been cooking there yesterday. And there were piles of broken stuff.” People were camping out in the building. The evidence was everywhere: sleeping bags, clothing, and cigarette packs. With the exception of the homeless population who seemed to have been making use of the Northern Lights Hotel, everyone agreed it had to go for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was safety.

Photos by Kathryn Mackenzie

Fire Inspector James Gray says the fire department wanted the building demolished because it was a nuisance and potential safety hazard. The fire department’s primary goal is ensuring safety. “Public safety and safety for the first responders is our number one responsibility,” Gray says. Fortunately no first responders were sent into the building, according to Gray, which is a surprise considering the increasing number of calls to the police about people inhabiting the building and alleged illegal activity occurring at the former Northern Lights Hotel. According to Gray, the current owners of the building, Emerald Investments, did a good job of securing the building to keep people out. However, he points out, it’s “basically impossible to keep people out for fifteen-plus years.” The only real solution was to tear it down, especially since the search warrant inspection resulted in the issuance of some sixty fire violations. It was easier to tear it down than fix it. Even though the community was eager to have the derelict hotel torn down, there are still people who have fond memories associated with that building. “People have a lot of stories and memories about that hotel,” says Shane Durand, project manager for Central Environmental Inc. (CEI), the company hired to conduct the demolition work. “You meet with them in passing and they’ll tell you, ‘I met my wife there.’” There’s always a story, and Durand heard a lot of them when the old building was being demolished.

The Demolition Plan: Perhaps not as Cool as Anticipated According to Gray, CEI’s original plan was to demolish the building by mid-July; however,

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

it wasn’t until late August that the old Northern Lights Hotel was finally brought down. After the building was stripped to its steel skeleton, it was pulled down in huge, crashing pieces over the course of two days. To the casual observer, it looked like the building was being picked apart piece-bypiece, which may seem unusual, but isn’t. Because there was asbestos in the building, the takedown needed to be handled carefully— ideally it would have been in the winter, since cold weather is better for asbestos abatement. The other reason it may have looked like the building was being taken apart rather

As the structure is pulled apart, dust and debris spill out. Photo by Kathryn Mackenzie

RIGHT: The CAT jaws seek out another good spot to grab.

Photo by Kathryn Mackenzie

Pieces of the building are torn asunder just before it begins to fall.

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than demolished was because that’s exactly what happened. When most people think of building demolition, they picture wrecking balls and dynamite. But that was before the EPA changed demolition requirements. “It is way less exciting to demolish buildings anymore,” laments Chris Schutte, director of the Office of Economic & Community Development for the Municipality of Anchorage. Perhaps there are no more explosions or wrecking balls, but watching the actual structure being torn down by what looks like a giant prehistoric creature was an astounding sight. The jaws grabbed a large, corner piece and just like that, one of three structures left on the lot came crashing down in a cloud of dirt and debris. Prior to that, Phase 1 of the project involved removal of the siding and asbestos. As October 2017 | Alaska Business

With one final pull, the building begins to topple. Photo by Kathryn Mackenzie

of mid-August, CEI had abated as much of the hazardous material as possible and removed all the soft debris, such as furniture, from the interior of the building. As soon as the hazardous material work was complete, the heavy equipment was brought in and the three standing structures that once composed the Northern Lights building were torn down in just days. The steel concrete floors and other materials will be recycled. With the building torn down, CEI anticipated spending about a month cutting out the foundation and backfilling the site. “All told,” Durand says, “when we’re done we’ll probably recycle by weight more than 80 percent of the building.” The goal is to avoid putting the debris from the demolition into landfill, instead processing, recycling, and diverting as much as possible away from Anchorage’s landfills. General debris including interior walls and furnishings went to Central Recycling Services. Durand says they “abate as much as possible to maximize recycling.”

Doing Demo the Right Way “In the past it was cheaper to just throw everything in the landfill,” Durand says. “Landfill fees were cheaper than the alternative.” But CEI started their central recycling business in 2009 to divert and recycle as much as possible, and they are typically able to do that with 75 percent of the material of any demolition project. Demolition materials such as concrete, brick, asphalt, and glass are crushed onsite and then used for new aggregate and fill. Concrete is crushed and used to make new road base, and metal goes to Central Recycling Services to be repurposed. There are incentives for those building a LEED-certified project to use re18

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

cycled materials, although there are no LEED requirements currently in place in Alaska. There’s more effort and time involved to conduct a demolition this way, but, Durand says, “We have the right equipment to do that. Thanks to economies of scale, you can make it work.” Recycling comes at a cost. Durand says that there’s probably a 25 percent premium for completing a demolition this way as opposed to just adding to the landfill. Part of the reason CEI was awarded this project is due to its long-term relationship with the building owners. Considering CEI’s business practices and grand vision, the company is a good fit for the project. CEI is based in Alaska but has an international presence. According to Durand, the company is involved in projects all over the world.

are so the city can deal with them.” The members of the family who own the former Northern Lights Hotel are not strangers to the city, nor to property development, says Schutte. They’ve been long time investors in Anchorage. The Chang family’s ties to Anchorage go back to the 80s. One of the family’s sons, Derrick Chang, chose to make Anchorage his home. The Chang’s strategy for many of their projects has been to acquire distressed buildings in foreclosure, such as the Northern Lights Hotel. Then they take those properties and redevelop them. One example of a successful redevelopment is their flagship property at 188 West Northern Lights, a mixeduse commercial building that has attracted national companies to Anchorage.

Schutte says that before 188 West Northern Lights was redeveloped, the location was home to a Denny’s knockoff called Baltos. The previous owner had some trouble with the law, so the Chang’s acquired it at a government surplus auction and let it sit. Later they demolished it and turned the one-acre site in to a 270,000-square-foot high-rise with heated sidewalks and an elevator core covered in orange glass panels that glow, even throughout the long dark Alaska winters. “It only becomes negative when they sit on a property for so long,” Schutte says. “Developers make more money when they redevelop a site rather than let it sit, but it’s a matter of the environment being right.” Another way to put it is that “they play the long game, and it drives people crazy,” says Schutte.

Why Northern Lights Sat Empty for Fifteen Years There has been some misunderstanding about why the building sat for so long—Wohlforth called it an “outrage” and suggested that Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz “passed a new law specifically to get this thing moving.” According to Schutte, however, the vacant building code “is primarily just a registration tool. There are some health and safety requirements, but the primary motivation was to know where these potential blighted buildings

In seconds one section of the decades old Northern Lights building is nothing more than a pile of debris. Photo by Kathryn Mackenzie

www.akbizmag.com

October 2017 | Alaska Business

One down, two to go. Photo by Kathryn Mackenzie

A Big, Ambitious Vision—Eventually According to Schutte, the Chang’s shared some conceptual designs in December 2016 for what might be built in the future on the Northern Lights lot. “For the short term, it’ll be an empty lot,” he says, perhaps with some parking provided in the interim. “They’re actively looking at how to redevelop that site—what would fit, what might work,” says Schutte. According to Derrick Chang of Emerald Investments, the group is actively seeking potential partners and investors who are interested in redeveloping the site. Chang says they are working on ideas behind the scenes, but they aren’t ready to release news about future plans yet. He wants to be certain the plan will work before making public announcements. Chang says that it’s important to his family that the development is complementary to the business corridor it is part of and to the community. “Our vision is bigger and more ambitious,” Chang says. “That’s why we want to plan carefully and cautiously with this project.” With 188 West Northern Lights they were able to attract tenants New York Life, Verizon, and other national companies, which is great for the city. With the now-demolished Northern Lights Hotel site, Chang says, “We’re hoping to attract similar tenancy for our project.” R Jessica Rohloff is a freelance writer and aspiring Alaskan.

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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ENGINEERING

Engineering Design Using expertise and communication to solve problems By Tasha Anderson

ngineering is a simple word for a huge, complex process. At its core, engineering is functional design; how will a thing be built, how will it operate, and how will it interact with the environment and people that use it? In Alaska, engineering is often associated with natural resource extraction (oil, natural gas, minerals) or public projects (roads, runways, parks, or marine infrastructure). No matter the project, there are similarities to the design process—before a shovel ever touches ground or a single board is nailed in place, Alaska’s engineers are hard at work making sure that Alaska’s entire infrastructure is well-built, reliable, and safe.

Engineers Don’t ‘Bid’ In 1972, the United States adopted the Brooks Act, also known as the Selection of Architects and Engineers statute, which requires that the US Federal Government select engineers and architects based entirely on their competency, qualifications, and experience, rather than price. Traditionally in a bidding scenario, a specific scope of work is evaluated by contractors, who then offer their best price to complete the scope of work. R&M Consultants CEO Len Story says, “We work on qualification-based selection projects pretty much exclusively. For qualifications-based [work] we put together project proposals and submit those to our clients, and they select us based on our intellectual value and our experience. There’s no price involved at all. For us, the word ‘bidding’ is a no-go.” He explains that in this way, the public gets the greatest value for their public projects. “It provides the most value to the public by getting the most qualified individual or team to do them.” Story continues, “Our team is very qualified for a lot of projects, but we’re not the most qualified for every project, and it’s good 22

to have that variety of individuals and expertise out there to select from.” Tom Looney, PE, is the managing principal and vice president at Coffman Engineers; he says, “[Selecting an engineer] is kind of like selecting a doctor. It’s not just about the money. You need to rely on somebody who’s got the experience and qualifications to get the work done the way you want it to get done, and then you talk about price.” About half of Coffman’s work is on private industry projects, which are not regulated by the same laws, and government or public projects make up the other half. He says, “There are times when the number one issue for a client is dollars, and we may or may not be the least expensive firm, if you look at that upfront; if you look at the overall cost of using our company for a project, because of our efficiencies and production of work, we believe that we’re very competitive when you look at the total cost of using us.” Michael Baker International Anchorage Office Executive and Vice President Shawn Snisarenko, PE, says the company likes participating in qualifications-based selection “because we think we can compete with anybody.” He continues that currently Michael Baker’s workload is approximately a 50/50 split between private and public work, which is a shift from the company’s previous business model. “We were almost solely focused on oil and gas clients.” Snisarenko says part of the reason he was invited to join Michael Baker was to help diversify into transportation projects in Alaska, an area in which he has specialized. HDL Engineering Consultants Principal Civil Engineer Mark Swenson, PE, says HDL’s bread and butter is providing services to state and municipal clients, so the majority of their projects stem from qualifications-based selection. “We do a little bit of private development

R&M also provided engineering services for the Valdez New Harbor Development, including the Uplands Facilities, slated for completion in 2017. Image courtesy of R&M Consultants

work, but not as much as we do on the government side.” Swenson himself specializes in aviation and has performed a lot of work for airports for the North Slope Borough, “mostly rehabilitating existing runways and taxiways,” he says.

There’s No Engineering without Communication Once a project is secured, the next step is always communication. Swenson says, “Usually the first thing that happens is the client has a concept of what they want to do, they know

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

R&M Consultants provided engineering services for the Seward Marine Industrial Harbor Improvements (including the breakwater, seen here); Phase I was slated for completion in September and Phase II is currently in design with construction anticipated to begin in November. Image courtesy of R&M Consultants

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a problem that they have—whether it’s their runway’s surfacing is failing or they don’t have enough room on an apron or something like that—they know they have to fix something. So we generally do either a concept design report, or design study report, or engineering design report—they’re essentially all the same thing—which is a preliminary study that evaluates the current situation, the need the client has, and presents alternatives to help solve it with preliminary costs for construction.” From there, HDL works with their client to identify a www.akbizmag.com

October 2017 | Alaska Business

preferred alternative among their design options (which usually includes a no-build option that identifies the cost and risks of not moving forward with the project). Tim Grier, PE, group manager of surface transportation for R&M, says, “Once we get the design contract we’ll negotiate the scope of work with the owner. That really describes what you think the project is going to be, and then you start working on it. Day one the scope changes,” he laughs. “It’s immediate. The schedule changes, the level of work changes, all that. So communication becomes absolutely critical for the project’s success. You talk back and forth with the owner and you have your experts interface with the owner’s experts and just work through it.” Grier uses that com-

munication to put together what is essentially a 35 percent plan, also called a local review. Addressing challenges is just part of communicating, and no project is without challenges. “If you don’t know of any challenges, you just don’t know much about the project,” he says. He gives the example of an Alaska Department of Transportation project in Ketchikan, the Water Street Trestle #2 Replacement, for which R&M is providing their engineering expertise, as particularly challenging. “It’s a very narrow bridge and it’s basically on a cliff. A portion of it has normal bridge girders, some of it is on earthen fill with walls, and some of it is on a hybrid trestle with a wall and trestle; it’s super complex.” One significant complication was that it was necessary to collect geotechni-

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cal data to move forward with the design, but “a lot of the geotech we couldn’t collect because we couldn’t get equipment under the bridge. We couldn’t demo the bridge; the bridge was so rotten that you couldn’t put a drill rig on it, as it would shake it apart and you’d fall in, so some of that data collection we’re doing now during the design.” As of September general contractor Dawson was onsite working on the bridge rehabilitation, and R&M was able to collect the needed geotechnical data. Grier summarizes, “I’ve been doing this for a long time; I’ve never done the same project twice, ever. The same process applies, but the challenges are different.” Looney of Coffman says, “The design process is best when it’s a team approach. That’s when it’s a win-win situation, and when that doesn’t happen, that’s when somebody’s not going to be happy. So we fight hard to try and make it an open discussion, a transparent discussion, with the owner, the other consultants, and the contractor, so we all become a team.” That approach can lead to innovative projects in which all parties walk away happy. Recently Coffman provided engineering services for a biomass project, owned by the City of Galena. In Galena there was an outdated steam plant, originally constructed by the military, which distributed heat to school campus buildings. The city needed to significantly cut heating costs for this system. They had the option of completely updating the oil-fired system to improve efficiency slightly, but that would not have reduced fuel cost significantly or increased energy security. “Instead they put in a biomass [system] fueled with wood, and converted the outdated steam system to hot water,” Looney says. “The fuel is not pellets, it’s wood chips and things like that that they can produce locally. It operates at a fraction of the cost and is using somewhat new technology to heat these old buildings. The original plant used oil-based boilers, steam boilers, and now they’re using about one tenth the amount of diesel fuel, so it’s a huge cost savings for them. It’s old technology that’s kind of being repackaged and redesigned with something they could use reliably up here in Alaska. Since Galena has a significant amount of local wood supply resources, the new wood chip boilers and hot waterbased heating system made a lot of sense.” “As an engineer, communication is one of the biggest things that you do, so you’re always involving the client,” says Michael Baker’s Snisarenko. “Engineering is problem solving, and you have to understand what the client is looking for.” He says that many of Michael Baker’s Alaska projects are linear, such as roads, pipelines, or runways, and often the first step is to find out what data is available and what needs to be collected, typically through a data-gap analysis. Sometimes the client can provide data and sometimes it’s available through federal or state agencies, but often it’s necessary for data to be sourced onsite.

Data Collection Onsite and Inhouse Snisarenko says one of the significant changes he’s seen in the field of engineering in recent years is the availability of data and the ways 24

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

in which data is gathered. “We can get data so fast now where we couldn’t before, so we’re able to go forward on projects much more quickly. We’re able to get at least to a 35 percent design very quickly, compared to waiting for aerial mapping or whatever data. That’s a big change in the last five years—the amount of data that we can get quickly has gone up exponentially.” Michael Baker recently won a term agreement with the State of Alaska Department of Transportation Northern Region for unmanned aerial vehicle data collection. “We actually have the drones in the office here; we have a big drone with a seven foot wingspan [with which] we can collect data and we can make terrain maps.” The company already had a term agreement in place with the Alaska Department of Transportation Northern Region for wetlands delineation projects and constructability and constructability assistance, as well as a term for construction management general contracting, which is a procurement method for the Northern Region. “It’s kind of an innovative term—you actually will procure the engineer and you will hire a contractor at the same time, and then they’ll work together on the project… It gets the contractor in early and gets them involved, and they can suggest money savings, cost savings, that sort of thing.” Robert Pintner, PE, senior geotechnical engineer for R&M, says typically the design team will communicate with the design engineers to inform their geotechnical investigations. For example, if it’s a large worksite they may need specific information on which part of the

site to investigate, or “if we’re looking for any particular types of materials for construction, we’d be talking to the designers to know what we need.” He says that once onsite there can be surprises, but it’s not often that a project simply cannot be done. In one rare case, R&M was investigating a site that was intended to become a Veterans’ Cemetery but discovered the site sat right on top of forty feet of ice. “This site could be used for something else possibly, more easily than burying vaults in the ground, and with our investigation they decided it wasn’t worth trying to make it work and they picked a new site,” Pintner says. When the R&M team has collected soil or material samples, the company is able to analyze them at their in-house lab, located in Anchorage. HDL also has an in-house lab, which is located by their Palmer office. Samples from the field may be tested for their geotechnical properties, including their suitability as a building material. Swenson says he particularly enjoys the challenge of working in rural communities: “The logistics of working in the arctic and sub-arctic environment [are] particularly challenging. There’s only certain times and certain methods of getting equipment and materials into a community,” and often suitable materials cannot be found onsite. “For example, when building a gravel road or airport in a rural community, there’s a discussion that needs to happen, an analysis needs to happen—is there a local material source there that can produce the material you need, or does this material need to come

Image courtesy of R&M Consultants

Construction at the Water Street Viaduct, for which R&M Consultants provided engineering services.

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October 2017 | Alaska Business

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The Water Street Viaduct is under constrution in Ketchikan and scheduled for completion in the summer of 2018.

in from somewhere else and be barged in? So there are two levels of magnitude usually associated with that kind of work. You usually evaluate local material sources first, try and satisfy the needs of the contract or the project from that side; if there are no local material sources and the material needs to come

in from somewhere else, a lot of complicating factors that go into all of that,” Swenson explains.

Solving Problems A love of problem solving is a common attribute expressed by many Alaskan engineers.

“It’s challenging work, and it’s interesting to me, and it’s rewarding to see infrastructure constructed in rural communities that have a definite effect and improvement on the daily lives of the residents out there,” Swenson says. Looney, who is an electrical engineer, says, “I enjoy working with my hands, I enjoy problem solving, and engineering is all about problem solving. I was drawn into the engineering field and have enjoyed it since.” Michael Baker’s Snisarenko says, “I like looking at plans that other people have done, because I think I have the expertise that I can make them better. When somebody gives me something to review, I like getting my calculator out and calculating out grades of highways, making sure that the elevation—if you do the math—is correct as labelled and stuff like that. I think it’s a good teaching opportunity for our young engineers, and it’s important to me to make sure that the younger engineers coming up have the training, because we take this work seriously. I had a professor in college, he said, ‘If you want to cheat, go be a doctor, because you only kill ‘em one at a time,’ but engineering can kill hundreds or thousands of people at a time. We take that seriously, and we take our duty to the public seriously.” R Tasha Anderson is the Associate Editor for Alaska Business.

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TELECOM & TECH

Keeping IT Systems A Safe Requires Companywide Buy-in Cybersecurity in the workplace is everyone’s business By Tracy Barbour 28

s cyberattacks grow in prevalence and sophistication, Alaska companies are using more and varied technologies and strategies to ward off potential danger. Today, cyber protection is steadily growing in importance due to society’s reliance on computer systems, the Internet, wireless networks, and smart devices, all of which are part of the ever-expanding Internet of Things (IoT). In fact, the significance of IT security has led to October being designated National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The campaign—an initiative of the Department of Homeland Security—is designed to engage and educate public- and private-sector partners through initiatives nationwide. Incidentally, the weekly theme for October 9-13 is “Cybersecurity in the Workplace is Everyone’s Business.”

Ransomware Attacks Increase Most companies have a base level of threat if their computer system has access to the

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Image courtesy of Arctic Information Technology

“In some instances, it’s possible that an attacker could lose access to the system that generated the encryption key to begin with and would not have a way to provide you with the correct key. Our organization advises that they not pay the ransom because we rely on the ability to recover. We would isolate the system, identify the damage, and restore the information.”

—Mark Mathis Senior Account Executive Arctic Information Technology

Internet, according Michael Strong, chief information security officer for GCI. The threat can come from seemingly innocuous sources such as emails, websites, and web applications. The magnitude of the potential danger depends on how critical the computer system is to the individual business. Since physical location is inconsequential when it comes to cyberattacks, many of the same security threats that are impacting companies in the Lower 48 are also present in Alaska. “The Alaska community is seeing the same types of attacks as the rest of the world because the attackers are coming at us from all over the world,” Strong says. “They are looking at the IP address, rather than the geography.” In Alaska and elsewhere, one of the most rapidly-expanding areas of attack today is ransomware. This type of encryption-based breach involves an offender essentially taking www.akbizmag.com

October 2017 | Alaska Business

Attackers engaging in spear phishing are often extremely methodical in their approach. They may go on Facebook to glean personal information about their target so they can create more credible emails. “The level of detail and intelligence gathering is increasing.”

—Robert Thurston, Chief Technology Officer, AlasConnect

a company’s computer system offline, which can be extremely detrimental. “If your technology goes down, it can take the business down,” Strong says. “It’s opportunistic, and they are looking for anybody they can exploit. It involves everyone from the Fortune 500 company down to the local book store.” In addition to causing substantial disruption, a ransomware attack can create liability from stolen data. This can cause extensive damage to a company’s image and leave the company at risk for litigation—especially if the attack involves medical records, financial details, company trade secrets, or other sensitive information, according to Mack Avery, GCI’s senior manager of security operations. “If they get hit by ransomware and it becomes a public event, there is concern about the company’s reputation,” Avery says. Ransomware, Strong says, is growing in occurrence because it’s effective for perpetrators, who often convince victims to acquiesce to their demands. It comes down to the individual company and whether or not it wants

to pay the ransom. “Our recommendation is not to pay, but that’s the standard recommendation that law enforcement gives,” he says. “It’s up to every organization whether it wants to pay.” While ransomware attacks can be extremely detrimental and costly to businesses, cybersecurity expert Mark Mathis recommends not paying the ransom. Mathis, a senior account executive at Arctic Information Technology, says the demand for payment often leverages bitcoins, which are difficult and expensive to deal with. Plus, there’s no guarantee the encryption key that attackers promise to provide will be correct or even work. “In some instances, it’s possible that an attacker could lose access to the system that generated the encryption key to begin with and would not have a way to provide you with the correct key,” he says. “Our organization advises that they not pay the ransom because we rely on the ability to recover. We would isolate the system, identify the damage, and restore the information.”

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Malware, which includes ransomware, is a major area of cyberattacks. A recent example is the Wanna Cry malware that attempted to take advantage of vulnerabilities in Microsoft software. Mathis has standard advice for thwarting such attacks: “Ensure your employees have an appropriate level of training and awareness and make sure your tools are kept up to date and are being properly managed.” Unfortunately, many businesses are not diligent about maintaining their computer system. In some instances, Mathis says, it’s possible to protect a system with standard antivirus and antimalware, but the best solution is layers of protection. Such protection goes beyond having valid security software tools in place. It also includes ensuring that computer users have fundamental training, that important data is backed up and protected, and that the organization has appropriate amounts of cyber insurance to help remediate a security issue.

Phishing Gets More Advanced Phishing, which has been in existence for years, is another type of cyberattack that’s quickly evolving. With phishing—also called social engineering—users may be sent a fake email message prompting them to click on a link or divulge sensitive information such as their Social Security number. Or they might receive an email from the postal service asking them to confirm billing information for a package being held for them. The message might look legitimate, but it’s actually being sent by a nefarious actor trying to infect the computer system or collect private information. “People need to have a healthy level of skepticism and really pay attention to what is coming in,” Mathis says. “When you look at those types of phishing attempts and objectively analyze what is coming in, it will become apparent that this is not likely a legitimate email.” Robert Thurston, chief technology officer for AlasConnect, also feels employees should exercise a higher level of suspicion about incoming emails. In the past, phishing emails were fairly easy to identify because they often contained grammatical errors and misspellings. But attackers are stepping up their efforts and creating more authentic-looking messages. They’re also crafting more specific emails in an emerging type of phishing known as spear phishing. “With spear phishing, they are not trying to mass mail thousands of emails, but they are targeting one person,” Thurston says. Attackers engaging in spear phishing are often extremely methodical in their approach. They may go on Facebook to glean personal information about their target so they can create more credible emails. “The level of detail and intelligence gathering is increasing,” Thurston says. People tend to assume a sense of safety in their personal life that doesn’t hold true in a cybersecurity context, Thurston says. But as they become more connected through the Internet and other connected applications, they can encounter grave threats. For example, Internet users can be exposed to organized

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

A Challenging Issue Despite the serious threat posed by cyber criminals, businesses tend to pay varying amounts of attention to cybersecurity. Organizations get busy and focus on other things; then when an incident happens all of the attention goes to cybersecurity, says Sander Schijvens, president and CEO of Wostmann & Associates. “It’s one of those things that when there is a breach, it becomes a number one priority,” he says. “It should never be a number one priority, but it should not be at the bottom of the list either.” Chris Letterman, principal cybersecurity consultant with Wostmann, has noticed a similar pattern. “We definitely see that ebb and flow,” he says. “It’s unfortunate because a lot of the time businesses are not particularly well-suited and informed to fix a problem.” Cyberattacks create either an incident or a breach, according to Letterman. He explains: “An incident is any cyber activity that results in a compromise in either the availability, integrity, or confidentiality of an information asset. A breach is an incident with confirmed information disclosure to an unauthorized party.”

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Securing hardware from theft, abuse, and attacks can be minimized with good asset management. For example, by keeping servers, network equipment, and phone systems in restricted and locked rooms. Additionally, companies should always make certain such equipment is only accessible to authorized personnel. Software is safeguarded from attacks by having well-managed, host-based security solutions. This used to mean anti-virus software, but today it also includes installing blocking technology such as a firewall as well as intrusion detection capabilities that monitor activity and proactively shut down suspicious activities. However, the most challenging task for any business—regardless of its size—is protecting information, Letterman says. There’s no one-size-fits-most solution, but companies can address the issue in several steps. First, they should identify the kind of information they are protecting—whether it’s personally identifiable information, protected health information, financial data, or proprietary/trade secret information. “Once there is an understanding of the kind of information in the organization, the business should find out if there are rules, laws, or compliance burdens that must be obeyed,” he says. Then companies should consider the hazards to the business and adopt risk management to ensure the risk is acceptably controlled. An example of this would be choosing to encrypt all USB storage devices. “While cybersecurity tends to be portrayed

“It’s one of those things that when there is a breach, it becomes a number one priority. It should never be a number one priority, but it should not be at the bottom of the list either.”

Image courtesy of Wostmann & Associates

crime, outside governments trying to compromise US-based computer systems, and people attempting to steal identities. The public should remain keenly aware of the constant threat of cyber criminals who are committed to launching attacks. “The bad guys out there have time and resources on their side,” Thurston says.

—Sander Schijvens President/CEO, Wostmann & Associates

October 2017 | Alaska Business

Security Strategies and Tactics There are general cost-effective measures that businesses of any size can take to secure their hardware, software, and information. They include educating staff, patching software early and often, and limiting administrators on staff computer and server accounts. Implementing effective cybersecurity measures can be like trying to hit a moving target, Mathis says. Would-be attackers are constantly adjusting their techniques, requiring businesses to continually reassess their protective tools. To combat the latest social engineering schemes, Mathis advocates ongoing engagement and testing to see if employees are falling for bogus phishing emails. Recently, his company began offering an assessment and training component to help companies ensure their employees have a healthy level of skepticism and are paying attention when opening emails. “We provide fake phishing messages to test employees,” Mathis explains. “If they are on their game, they will report it or delete it. If they click on the link, they will receive training.” There’s a wealth of cybersecurity best practices out there, but they must be tailored to the business, Thurston says. On the small to medium side, there are some next-generation, end point protections that use behavior-based

“We definitely see that ebb and flow. It’s unfortunate because a lot of the time businesses are not particularly well-suited and informed to fix a problem. An incident is any cyber activity that results in a compromise in either the availability, integrity, or confidentiality of an information asset. A breach is an incident with confirmed information disclosure to an unauthorized party.”

Image courtesy of Wostmann & Associates

in Hollywood as overly tech-savvy, hoodiewearing people in futuristic office settings, the core of cybersecurity must start in the boardroom and is reflected in management decisions,” Letterman says.

—Chris Letterman Principal Cyber Security Consultant Wostmann & Associates

and real-time analysis of malware packages. In addition, Thurston advocates strongly for businesses to use a solid back-up and recovery solution. They especially need to have an offsite copy of their data and complete periodic testing to ensure they can successfully access their backed up information.

Cybersecurity challenges for large enterprises often relate to compliance and regulatory mandates, which often require more sophisticated security than the average mom and pop shop. Technology such as security and information event management (SIEM) may be a good solution because it provides

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real-time, situational data that allows a security engineer to quickly correlate events across an IT structure and detect possible security problems.

A Never-Ending Problem Despite its obvious importance, cyber security is often an afterthought when it comes to innovation. In fact, Letterman says, it’s fair to characterize it as lagging. The IoT is a perfect example. “The Miria botnet, which was responsible for taking down security author Brian Krebs last year via a distributed denial of service attack, was composed nearly entirely of webcams that were running vulnerable software and out of the box/default administrator accounts,” he says. IoT is essentially the inter-networking of various devices receiving an Internet connection, including personal computers, cars, smart refrigerators, and even children’s toys. Leading IT research firm Gartner predicts that there will be 20 billion IoT devices by 2020. Currently, there are an estimated 8 billion-plus IoT devices in use. The expanding use of IoT in everything from manufacturing and energy grids to healthcare and transportation requires greater computer security. “In the coming future, people with cybersecurity responsibilities will need to have the capability and skills to detect and secure IoT devices as more and more solutions will become networked devices managed via an online IoT portal site,” Letterman says. “This distributed approach will make security for organizations more of a challenge.” Strong of GCI says the complexity and speed of cyberattacks are rapidly evolving. And with IoT, the risks are becoming greater and greater. “It’s only going to continue to be a bigger threat,” he says. He adds that as companies become more reliant on technology, cyberattacks will continue to grow. And cybersecurity will be an area in which companies will require assistance from outside experts. “These things are changing so rapidly and becoming more complicated that companies will have to get help,” Strong says. Thurston agrees. He thinks the challenge around cyber protection is going to be increasingly problematic in the future. “Unfortunately, we have bad guys out there working hard to cause us harm. Look at your risk. Be structured about how you focus on cybersecurity. We need to bring a higher level of thinking and formality to cybersecurity,” Thurston says. According to Mathis, the nature, scale, and frequency of cyberattacks are progressing, and the bad guys are reaping the benefits. “Unfortunately, the defenders [small businesses and IT companies] are still catching up with the bad guys,” he says. “I don’t ever see it not being a concern at this point.” R

Tracy Barbour is a former Alaskan. www.akbizmag.com

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October 2017 | Alaska Business

TRANSPORTATION

Alaska’s Couriers M Keep Alaska Running Same day deliveries help businesses succeed By Julie Stricker 34

ost Alaskans have heard about one of the greatest transportation stories in Alaska history. In winter 1925 an outbreak of diphtheria in Nome threatened the entire community and surrounding villages. With ship travel halted for the season and air travel unfeasible due to inclement weather conditions, the only way for the antitoxin to reach Nome was via some pretty dedicated couriers. The critical serum traveled from Anchorage to Nenana via the Alaska Railroad. From there, a relay of twenty mushers and 150 sled dogs ferried the serum 674 miles overland in blizzard conditions, reaching Nome in 5.5 days, ultimately saving the community. The diphtheria serum run, immortalized by today’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, is Alaska’s most well-known courier delivery. Although today’s deliveries are decidedly less

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

“[Couriers] know exactly where we’re picking up and exactly where we’re supposed to deliver, and there’s a time frame in which to get it done.”

—Charles Ward Jr. Founder, Alaska Northern Courier

Originally called Anchorage Messenger Service, the company was started in 1964 by an Anchorage Court clerk as a service to file legal paperwork. After it was sold in 1995, the

company expanded to include package delivery, warehousing, and last-mile logistics. It specializes in same-day and next-day delivery across the state. Another courier service with statewide operations is Alaska Northern Courier. Charles Ward Jr. started the company in 1993 as he waited out a local and state police hiring freeze. “I needed something to occupy my time while I waited, so I started a courier service,” he says from his Anchorage office. “The impetus? Just luck of the draw.” Ward says the idea germinated after an acquaintance asked how to get mail from a postal center, similar to a Mailboxes Etc., to a home address. Ward offered to deliver mail to a couple of people and thought it would be

dramatic, couriers still serve Alaska in many ways, from timely deliveries of vaccines and construction supplies to quick delivery of jars of mayonnaise and million-dollar parts for oilfield service companies. While FedEx and UPS are the two bestknown national couriers, multiple Alaska companies use their knowledge of local needs and challenges to give their customers the best possible service. Nearly all are locally owned and operated.

Who Are Alaska’s Couriers? AMS Couriers in Anchorage has been in business for more than fifty years and offers round-the-clock service. Touting its delivery “at the speed of life,” AMS employees are OSHA and HIPAA compliant. Medical deliveries, including lab samples and clinic equipment, are a big part of its operations. www.akbizmag.com

October 2017 | Alaska Business

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a viable temporary way to make some money. So he obtained a business license, and by the time the hiring freeze was lifted “about three years later” Ward’s business was thriving with several contracts already underway. “I never looked back,” he says. “I didn’t get into the business because there was a niche. I didn’t get into it because there was a free market, open market,” Ward says. “I went into an entrepreneurship because in Alaska, it’s a little easier to start a business than it is in some other places, competition-wise. There’s less competition to start. And the competition you do have is few and far between. The nature of business in Alaska does allow for people to start a business and do well in the first couple of years rather than waiting for three or four years to see a return.” In Fairbanks, Arctic Couriers was started in 1980 by Pauline Rhodes, whose son Dan now runs the business. The courier service focuses on deliveries in Interior Alaska as well as remote locations, including the North Slope. “She saw a need for it, basically,” Dan Rhodes says. “Just simply, it fills a niche. If you have to have something someplace in a hurry, we can do that. We deliver all sorts of things—electronics, furniture, you name it. As long as it’s deliverable within a radius of 120, 130 miles, about one trip out and back in the same day, we can do it.”

How to Be an Alaskan Courier Local knowledge and customer service are two keys to success in the Alaska courier service field. Alaska Northern Courier employs about twenty people and operates several fleets of different-sized vehicles in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and the Kenai Peninsula. The fleets encompass a range of vehicles, from freight trucks, box trucks, and flat-bed trucks to full-size vans and smaller “express” vehicles such as two-door hatchback cars; the company has a vehicle for just about any job. Alaska Northern Courier can also send packages to locations outside Alaska. A courier is different from an expediter or a messenger service, Ward explains. A messenger is what you would use in a legal firm to go from one legal office to another or to file court documents, for example. An expediter typically works for one company and is sent to pick up items. For example, a construction company will use an expediter to go to various supply stores to look for certain items on a checklist. “[Couriers] know exactly where we’re picking up and exactly where we’re supposed to deliver, and there’s a time frame in which to get it done.” A lot of people don’t know those distinctions, Ward says. “I’ve had people call and ask, ‘Can you curry something over?’” he adds. “I’m like, well I don’t do Indian food but I will be happy to deliver a package from such-and-such to suchand-such. That’s a funny one we get a lot.” “We’ve done all sorts of weird things,” Ward continues. “We’ve done hot shots from Fairbanks to Kenai—what it was was a blood sample. We’ve done all sorts of unusual things, but probably the most unusual is our animal deliveries,” such as delivering

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

shipments of crickets and reptiles to local pet stores. He adds, “One of our companies asked me to deliver well drill-heads. It turns out that each drill-head was worth a couple of million dollars. Of course I didn’t know that as I was loading them onto the back of a flatbed through a winter storm,” he says. “They didn’t mention that to me. It didn’t matter, I got the job done, but we delivered probably $5 million worth of wellheads on the back of the flatbed in the middle of one of the biggest winter storms we’ve had in Alaska in the past fifteen years.” “We like to say we deliver things as small as a 1/2 pound all the way up to 6,000 [pounds],” Ward says. The list of what the company has been asked to do is equally varied. “We do all sorts of stuff for different clients,” he says. “It’s too hard to narrow it down. We have our niche, we have our big clients,” such as oilfield service companies. Sometimes a marine services company that has a disabled tugboat or fishing boat that needs parts picked up and put on a plane, right now, will contact the courier service for help. “There’s a lot of stuff that needs to be done immediately,” Ward says. “That’s what we’re here for. We save them time and money— time, of course, is very valuable to many people. We’re often able to get things done quicker than they could do it themselves.” While items such as machine parts, office supplies, and medical items are staple delivery requests, others are just a little bit odder.

www.akbizmag.com

“The most interesting thing we’ve been asked to deliver,” Ward says, pausing. “That’s hard, there are so many things that are just off-the-wall.” Some of the funniest requests involve alcohol and marijuana deliveries, which the company is not allowed to fulfill. However, Ward says probably the most unusual thing his drivers delivered was a fivegallon bucket of feces from the Anchorage Zoo. He has no idea which species of animal it came from, but it was dutifully delivered. The most fulfilling thing the company does is deliver vaccines for the Department of Defense, he says. The company also works closely with a local clinic to take lab samples to be tested so clients are able to receive results while they wait instead of having to wait three or four days to find out critical test results. “It’s extremely fulfilling to deliver things like puppies and pets like that from the airport to individuals,” he adds. The courier service will also pick up prescriptions and make deliveries to people who are house-bound or in hospice care. For Dan Rhodes at Arctic Couriers, a memorable request was to deliver a jar of mayonnaise from Fairbanks to Fort Greely, a military base 100 miles away. “It was to fulfill a contract,” he says. “On a day-to-day basis, our service is used to provide fast and reliable delivery where time is critical,” the Arctic Couriers website states. “If you are paying a mechanic big bucks for a skill that is more useful in the

shop or on a worksite, our service can easily pay for itself by keeping that trained mechanic supplied with materials.” Arctic Couriers is an important link between Fairbanks and people who live on the North Slope, Rhodes says. “They’ll call down here and purchase things at Sam’s Club, for instance, and we’ll transport it to the airport and ship it up,” he says. The company works closely with local air services to make sure timely cargo makes it aboard before the plane takes off. Recently, Arctic Couriers has been working with the Tagiugmiullu Nunamiullu Housing Authority (TNHA), which is building ultra-energy efficient homes in several North Slope villages. Because transportation costs are so high, some of the homes can cost in excess of $6 million. Arctic Couriers helps keep costs down by getting materials to the job sites in as timely a manner as possible. Another time, work at a job site in Tok was halted because of a safety violation due to a lack of hard hats. All the workers and heavy equipment were left idle, with full pay, until Arctic Couriers arrived that same day with a couple of cases of hard hats. “That basically sidelined the crew until they were delivered,” Rhodes says. “Our goal is basically to keep the work flowing as smoothly as possible so there’s no wait.” R Julie Stricker is a journalist living near Fairbanks.

October 2017 | Alaska Business

Image courtesy of United Freight & Transport

TRANSPORTATION

One of United Freight & Transport’s trucks that are used to haul freight short distances in and around Anchorage and in the Mat-Su Valley.

Drayage from the Port of Anchorage A vital piece of Alaska’s transportation logistics 38

By Julie Stricker

nyone wandering through a retail establishment piling a shopping cart high with Doritos, peaches, pilot bread, and peanut butter should take a minute to thank a trucker. “They’re a very vital link in the supply chain,” says Aves Thompson, executive director of the Alaska Trucking Association. “You go to the store and you ask someone, ‘How do you suppose that got here?’ ‘I don’t know, I’m glad it’s here?’” “We say, if you got it, a truck brought it.” Nearly all of the items on Alaska’s retail shelves were likely touched by one particular type of transportation: drayage. Simply put,

drayage is a specialized type of transport in which a trucking company moves containerized cargo from a port over a short distance— in this case to a business or warehouse. It can be a link in an intermodal transportation system or a direct line between the port and a retail store in south Anchorage. The two main drayage companies in Anchorage are Weaver Brothers and United Freight & Transport, Thompson says. Companies such as Lynden and Carlile, as well as others that specialize in moving household goods, will often pick up cargo at the port, but Weaver Brothers and United Freight are the only two companies with dedicated drayage operations. “We call them drayage because typically they deliver locally,” he

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

“Drayage is one of those terms that evolved over time. That can mean simply taking it from Van Horn Road to the University of [Alaska] Fairbanks. Just across town. It’s a dray movement, it’s not a line-haul movement that would go from Anchorage to Fairbanks. Over-the-road trucking is another of the terms for that, none of which we do. I just do local. I work from Anchorage to Wasilla; occasionally I go to Kenai, but it’s very rare. I don’t go to Fairbanks. I’m not even equipped for it. Mine is all local, small-tractor stuff.”

says. “They pick up trailers and/or containers off the ships and deliver them either to their destination, which may be local, or to a consolidator or to a trucking terminal and from there be delivered. For example, United Freight might pick up a container that’s going to Span Alaska. Span Alaska might deliver that to Fairbanks or to Kenai or to the Valley.” Frank Monfrey, general manager of United Freight & Transport, says the term drayage is today used to encompass any direct, short-haul freight deliveries. “Drayage is one of those terms that evolved over time,” Monfrey says. “That can mean simply taking it from Van Horn Road to the University of [Alaska] Fairbanks. Just across town. It’s a dray movement, it’s not a line-haul movement that would go from Anchorage to Fairbanks. Over-the-road trucking is another of the terms for that, none of which we do. I just do local. I work from Anchorage to Wasilla; occasionally I go to Kenai, but it’s very rare. I don’t go to Fairbanks. I’m not even equipped for it. Mine is all local, small-tractor stuff.” Historically, a dray was a horse-drawn cart with no fixed sides that moved cargo short distances, typically from a harbor. Eventually trucks took over for horses, and in recent years, as more cargo is shipped in containers, drayage has become a small but increasingly important link in the supply chain. In Alaska, nearly all supplies arrive at the 125-acre Port of Anchorage, built in 1961. It is the single largest cargo-handling system in the state, responsible for 80 percent of all food, clothing, construction materials, and consumer goods shipped to Alaska, says www.akbizmag.com

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Port of Anchorage External Affairs Director Jim Jager. Every week four container ships dock, each carrying about 600 containers of goods that are off-loaded from ships and distributed to communities and military bases throughout the state. Containerized cargo is one of the port’s main revenue generators. (The other is refined petroleum products.) Unlike most ports in the Lower 48, nearly all the traffic through the Port of Anchorage is one-way. The state has virtually no exports, so while a cargo ship may have a deck full of containers as it’s heading south through Cook Inlet, they’re almost all empty. Meanwhile, the inbound cargo is being shuttled up and down Alaska’s limited road system, loaded aboard the Alaska Railroad for a trip to Fairbanks in the state’s vast Interior, or repacked en route to an airplane ride to a village in rural Alaska. But the first step is to get the cargo out of the port. The two major shippers, TOTE Maritime and Matson, usually contract directly with the drayage companies. Other retailers or construction supply companies may also have their own trucks that serve as drayage. For incoming cargo, longshoremen do the actual unloading, moving the containers from the ship to the cargo yard. With so much freight coming in to one spot, there’s the potential for a major bottleneck. That’s where Weaver Brothers’ and United Freight & Transport’s decades of experience in Alaska come in to play. Part of their job is to circumvent potential bottlenecks.

Weaver Brothers Weaver Brothers was started in Oregon in 1946 by Ken and Russ Weaver. They moved the company to Valdez by Crowley barge in 1953, growing their trucking services and expanding with a barge line. By the mid-1970s, the operation included terminals in Kenai, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Valdez, and Seattle and was headquartered in Anchorage. The Doyle family bought Weaver Brothers in 1978 and it is still family-owned today. In the 1980s, only two drayage agents were authorized to work at the port, and Weaver Brothers was invited to be the third, says Jimmy Doyle, vice president. His father, Jim Doyle, is president and is still active in the company, as are several other family members. Weaver Brothers operates several business sectors in Alaska, including fuel delivery; cement hauling and petroleum products; and general freight, as well as drayage. Jimmy Doyle estimates drayage is about one quarter of the company’s business. A Shift in the Industry Since Weaver Brothers entered the drayage sector in the mid-1980s, the state has gone through major changes, which have had a big effect on the drayage business, Doyle says. To start with, the population has risen in Southcentral Alaska, especially in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. With the increase in population came more national retail chains 40

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

“I pick up trailers as a representative of [the steamship carriers] and deliver to their customers throughout the Anchorage and Wasilla regions. In many cases we’re dealing with food, refrigerated and/or frozen, and the timing out of the port to the end user—Fred Meyer for example or Walmart grocery—is paramount. We have to be out and delivered quickly so they can off-loaded and put on a shelf.”

The United Freight & Transport crew gathers outside its Anchorage headquarters. The company employs about forty-four people with a fleet of thirtyeight trucks designed to haul cargo for short distances. Image courtesy of United Freight & Transport

—Frank Monfrey General Manager, United Freight & Transport

and restaurants resulting in heavy traffic that can clog local roads. “Two of the biggest things: the big box stores are here and they weren’t here to begin with,” Doyle says. “They take a lot of boxes, a lot of containers. And then in our business in Anchorage, specifically, a lot of the customers that used to be down close to the port have been moved out to the Dimond end, the south end of town. So delivery times take longer. You’ve got more traffic. I think those are two of the things that have impacted us quite a bit.” In the 1990s and early 2000s, Alaska saw an explosion of big box retail outlets and national chains such as Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, Lowes, and Home Depot. And over the years, existing Alaska chains such as Fred Meyer, Safeway, Spenard Builders Supply, Sears, and Johnson’s Tire Service have all expanded as well. “The other thing that has happened is less and less companies use distribution centers,” Doyle says. “They talk all the time about the fact that when the ships come in, they’re depending on us to give timely service. Everybody needs their containers as soon as they can get them because you just don’t have the distribution centers like they used to have where you could go and get stuff like supplies or consumer goods. They expect us to be able to deliver right away. So you’ve got to have a good crew dispatch and a driver crew that understand priority shipments and getting them to the customer [safely] and the way they want them.” Doyle says Weaver Brothers has about twenty-seven drivers and a couple of dispatchers in Anchorage. For freight that’s destined for Kenai or Fairbanks, Weaver Brothers also has a number of hostlers who distribute freight to customers. In Fairbanks, for instance, Weaver Brothers employs half a dozen drivers who take freight from the truck or railroad terminal to customers. www.akbizmag.com

October 2017 | Alaska Business

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United Freight & Transport United Freight & Transport has also been in the drayage business for decades. During that time, the business has changed and grown, says Monfrey. “I think the change is that we’ve obviously grown with the number of pieces of equipment that we need to do the job,” he says. “The change to the large box stores like Home Depot and Lowes and Fred Meyer’s huge expansion, etc., that’s changed the landscape dramatically for everyone, Fairbanks and Anchorage alike.” Monfrey says the company is a sort of middleman. It has contracts with the two steamship carriers that serve Anchorage: Matson and TOTE Maritime. The trailers are offloaded and checked for safety before United Freight steps in. “I pick up trailers as a representative of [the steamship carriers] and deliver to their customers throughout the Anchorage and Wasilla regions,” Monfrey says. Timing of delivery is important, he notes. The company employs forty-four people and has a fleet of thirty-eight tractor-trailers. “In many cases we’re dealing with food, refrigerated and/or frozen, and the timing out of the port to the end user—Fred Meyer for example or Walmart grocery—is paramount,” he says. “We have to be out and delivered quickly so they can off-loaded and put on a shelf.” For non-perishable items such as lumber, a timely delivery may mean the difference between a contractor meeting or missing a construction deadline. Ships arrive on Sundays and Tuesdays. Monfrey says he doesn’t typically know exactly what is in each container, aside from broad categories such as food or general merchandise. “We have to know what we know for [Department of Transportation] reasons, so we’re transporting correct placards,” he says. Drayage Magic Both Weaver Brothers and United Freight operate under a Teamster agreement, Local 959, which gives them port access. All of Monfrey’s employees, with the exception of a couple of staff members, are union employees, he says. Drivers at both companies are highly trained and adhere to strict safety procedures. “It is the policy of this company that no task is so important that employees must violate a safety rule or put themselves at risk of injury or illness in order to do their job,” says Weaver Brothers on its website. Drayage is a pretty simple business, but it is a necessary part of the transportation chain, Monfrey says. “It has to get delivered. It’s just kind of what we do is make sure everybody has their trailers. We do it six days a week. We take Saturdays off, basically. It’s just what we do.” As far as how those Doritos actually get into the shopping cart? Monfrey chuckles and says, “It’s magic.” R

Julie Stricker is a journalist living near Fairbanks.

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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OIL & GAS

Cold Oil is Slow Oil Companies spend billions to keep Alaska oil flowing By Garrison Wells

very year in Alaska ConocoPhillips builds thirty miles of ice road for oil production in an area called CD5. It costs the company between $18 million and $20 million. It’s nothing new for Alaska’s largest oil producer—just another year, another few million dollars. The company is expert at dealing with the climatological vagaries of the state’s northern reaches, where frigid temperatures are the norm and it’s customary to expect the unexpected. 44

Indeed, for companies working in Alaska, dealing with the extreme cold is just part of doing business. They are always on the lookout for better ways to develop oil fields, build facilities, and protect employees in one of the world’s harshest environments. Here is a small sampling of cold climate innovation: Companies are using new internal coating for pipelines; a Finnish company built Polaris, the most powerful icebreaker for the country featuring environmentally friendly dual-fuel engines; and in a race to complete a bridge in a mere two years over a

North Slope channel, ConocoPhillips Alaska used new procedures that extended the work season, trimmed man-hours, and helped protect the environment.

Bridging the Nigliq Channel Alpine, CD5, and the Nigliq Bridge are just the latest examples of how ConocoPhillips devises unique solutions to meet the challenges of working in Alaska. “Alpine is the cutting-edge of development in terms of what a new development looks like,” says Jim Brodie, capital projects manager for ConocoPhil-

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Nigliq Channel Bridge in the early stages of being launched. Image courtesy of ConocoPhillips Alaska

Ongoing construction of the Nigliq Channel Bridge. Image courtesy of ConocoPhillips Alaska

lips Alaska. “It really focuses on minimizing footprint. It’s like an offshore platform, except it only has an ocean three months a year.” Alpine, also known as the Colville River Unit, sits on the western North Slope in the Colville River Delta. It’s about eight miles north of Nuigsut, an Iñupiat village. The cost to build it topped $1.3 billion. It’s a lonely, capital-intensive place to conduct business. There is no permanent road tying the development to other North Slope infrastructure. Every winter, ConocoPhillips must build an www.akbizmag.com

October 2017 | Alaska Business

ice road to connect with Kuparuk to transport supplies for the rest of the year—as much as 1,500 truckloads of equipment, pipeline, and modules. CD5 is an extension of Alpine and is the first commercial development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska on Alaska Native lands. Permitted by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 2011, the Alpine West/CD5 Project was given the funding to go ahead in 2012. The first oil was announced in October 2015. The project includes a six-mile gravel road, four bridges, thirty-two miles of pipeline, and communications and electrical infrastructure connecting CD5 to the main Alpine facilities, in addition to the onsite facilities and drill site. CD5’s biggest challenge was building the 1,405-foot Nigliq Channel Bridge, which was completed during the 2015 ice season. “We have to bring in everything we need for a year that does not fit on an airplane, so material storage is at a premium,” Brodie says. “So we came along and said: Hey, we want to build this bridge.” The project included a unique, four-acre ice pad. “It wasn’t cheap,” he says. “We built the ice pad, then we insulated it and protected it, and then monitored it. We were able to put material on the ice pad.” The Nigliq Channel Bridge was built to provide access to the CD5 project from Alpine. “What makes Alpine unique is that it is a roadless development. You cannot get there

except [by] flying,” Brodie says. “As you can imagine, being in the oil and gas business for a long time, we use a lot of heavy equipment and it has to fit on a C-130 to get it to Alpine, so we end up building thirty miles of ice road every year. One of the main parts of it is the bridge.” The timeline was tight—a mere two years—to complete the project. Because the building season is so short on the North Slope—roughly ninety days from about February to April 30—they were actually looking at two, three-month periods over that two-year span. “To build the Nigliq Channel Bridge, there was so much material required and we were trying to accomplish all this during those two three-month windows. We realized it was going to be very challenging to do that,” Brodie says. ConocoPhillips used the incremental launch method, basically launching the bridge from one abutment. The method is safer than traditional bridge building, is quicker, and also requires smaller equipment. It included a hydraulic system customdesigned specifically for the bridge. The launch concept, Brodie says, “has been around for some time, but our application remains the first and only time it has been used on the North Slope in Arctic conditions. The innovation this method provided was to extend our typical winter ice road construction season. Ice road season begins when the ice roads are complete, providing access to our construction sites.”

The CD5 drill site, an extension of the Alpine field for ConocoPhillips. Image courtesy of ConocoPhillips Alaska

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October 2017 | Alaska Business

A few other bridges have been launched in Alaska, he says, “but it is not a frequent occurrence. Launching remains a unique and rare application, despite how long it has been around.” By using the launch method, the company eliminated a lot of high-risk work, about 50,000 man hours, and minimized potential environmental impact to the channel. Data analytics is also becoming a bigger piece of ConocoPhillips oil production in Alaska, Brodie says. “We are actually in the throes of that, the whole big data trend,” he says. “We’re working to get all of our data in a single warehouse where we can easily access it and look for trends. It will help us better understand what is happening in a very, very complex field. These are big, complex facilities and we have millions of data points.”

ConocoPhillips also is looking at managed pressure drilling. The technique was piloted on CD5. “We set a record for the longest well in 2017,” Brodie says. The well took twenty-four days to drill and set the record for overall measured length of a well in Alaska—at a vertical depth of 7,400 feet and a horizontal leg of 17,288 feet.

Keeping the Heat on at TAPS Diminishing throughput in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) creates challenges for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, the oil company consortium that operates the pipeline. It has responded with innovations that will pay off for years to come. Heat pumps, new processes and devices, internal pipe coating, and data analysis are

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just a few measures Alyeska is taking to resolve the slow-flow problem. “What do you do for a pipeline that was built forty years ago, designed for 2 million barrels a day, and now it is 500,000 [barrels] a day and projected to go lower?” asks Robert Annett, Alyeska appraise engineering manager. “How do you have flow assurance in the future with this oversized pipe? How do you take care of that, so the water doesn’t go to ice, or wax that started as a liquid when it was warm converts to a solid as it cools down on its path through the pipeline?” Tough questions all. Part of the initial answer included heat pumps at the pump stations. But it’s not just the heat pumps. Annett runs teams for Alyeska that came up with the idea of heating oil and then looping it back into the pipeline above the pump stations. “Early on, it was all about trying to get the stuff to move,” Annett says. “Under present conditions, this all matters more because it takes a lot longer to move and now we are using the same pumps, imparting energy into the fluid so it manifests its own heat. Basically, we use that heat of pumping and put a recycle loop on. Now it doesn’t just transport the oil, but heats it up—it’s heated up and dumped back into the stream.” So far, that is being done at pump stations 3 and 4, Annett says, but will be expanded to another pump station and designed “to put the loop so it takes a long enough period of time that the pump will actually protect itself. That’s a distinction over previous applications.” “We’re taking the concept and designing it for the future,” he says. “Now we heat at the pump and protect downstream. In the future, we will help the incoming stream. If you dump the heated oil back upstream, you protect the pumps. That’s something we are looking at.” Annett says engineers are also looking at “providing an innie and outie with the pumps, changing the amount of time the loop takes. But when future flows and colder temperatures affect the crude oil conditions, we can easily install another heater.” At the same time, he says, there is lab work going on “all over the system.” “We are using sophisticated models to help us understand how long we need this to melt ice crystals in our system,” Annett says. Alyeska is using a device called a Canty Camera, a high-definition microscope usually used in the medical field, to analyze flow conditions in pipes and count water and wax particles. “We can say we know exactly how big those water drops are. We can identify the size of crystals and determine how much heat is required and how long at that temperature to melt them completely,” he says. That data is then given to the design team. “It takes you out of the gut level, intuitive space, to what the actual data says,” Annett points out. Internal and external coating is also being used to extend the life of pipelines by companies, including Alyeska and ConocoPhillips. “All of this is uncharted territory for TAPS,” Annett says. “When TAPS was just starting,

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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Alpine main pad (CD1) and central facility, where oil from the five drill sites is processed. Image courtesy of ConocoPhillips Alaska

it was about harder and faster and whatever you do, don’t stop this thing. This is a challenging engineering environment right now.” Alyeska Spokeswoman Michelle Egan adds that it’s not just about now. It’s about the future.

“I like to think of it as, it could just be a valley that we have to make our way through. You still have this very impressive piece of infrastructure available for transportation. It’s a very successful operation and you want to keep it viable for

those good days that we hope are coming.” R Garrison Wells is an award-winning business writer.

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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SAFETY IS OUR LICENSE TO DO BUSINESS. - TOM HENDRIX, VICE PRESIDENT, OIL & GAS

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OIL & GAS

Commuting to the North Slope Getting to work by plane, just another day in the life of an oilfield worker By Sam Friedman

hen employees of ConocoPhillips and BP leave Anchorage to go to work, they make a commute that’s unusual even by oil and gas industry standards. The only practical way to get to work for thousands of employees each week is aboard 52

a company airplane. Shared Services Aviation, the air transportation service for two of the three major oil companies in Alaska, operates three Boeing 737-700 jet airplanes out of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Viewed from the airport terminal, Shared Services Aviation looks and acts much like a commercial airline. Employees go through TSA checkpoints and line up at gates that look just like those at Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines. On board the planes, the flight attendants—who are ConocoPhillips’ employees—deliver safety briefings and serve passengers peanuts during the flight. “Besides there not being a cocktail, it’s very

much like a commercial airline,” says Kevin Robbins, ConocoPhillips’ Aviation Alaska manager. Because these workers are headed to their jobs at North Slope worksites where corporate policy forbids alcohol, it makes sense alcohol is also not allowed on the shuttle taking them there. Shared Services also has a dress code that separates it from the commercial flying world. During the winter months employees may be denied boarding if they’re not wearing heavy coats, gloves, and warm hats. It’s cold and dark in the winter, and employees need to be prepared for the extreme conditions they will likely encounter as soon as they leave the warm jet fuselage.

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

A Boeing 737-700 owned by Shared Services Aviation is seen at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Shared Services is a co-venture of ConocoPhillips and BP. Its three jets and two propeller aircraft are 50 percent owned by each company, but ConocoPhillips operates the service. Image courtesy of ConocoPhillips

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History of Cooperation Unlike much of rural Alaska, most North Slope oilfields are connected to the Alaska road system. The Dalton Highway leads north along the trans-Alaska pipeline from Fairbanks to Deadhorse, near the Prudhoe www.akbizmag.com

Bay oilfield. Private gravel roads, or in some cases seasonal ice roads, stretch out from Deadhorse to most outlying oil fields. But while these roads are useful for construction and for hauling equipment and supplies, ground transportation over the 850

907-276-7667 www.chialaska.com October 2017 | Alaska Business

A de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter owned by Shared Services Aviation at the Ugnu-Kuparuk private airport. Image courtesy of ConocoPhillips

miles between Anchorage and Deadhorse isn’t a practical way to get thousands of highly-paid employees to work. A corporate air service takes the guesswork out of getting employees to job sites, says Dennis Parrish, director of customer and operations support for ConocoPhillips Alaska.

Shared Services Aviation “That’s one thing about corporate aviation: you look at the assets, the individuals you’re transporting, what they’re costing you to be on the payroll, and also how expensive the project is and how timely you need to get the project completed,” Parrish says. “It’s very important that our staff get to work for any number of reasons and so it’s better to have control of our own destiny and get our people where we want them when we want them.”

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

A Boeing 737-700 owned by Shared Services Aviation at the Ugnu-Kuparuk private airport. Image courtesy of ConocoPhillips

Parrish operated an air taxi and an air freight service before going to work for ARCO in 1988. At that time ARCO had its own separate aviation department called the Alaska Shuttle. Before 1992, oil companies each figured out their own transportation to get their employees to work. Shared Services started as a combined effort between ARCO and BP. At that time the service flew Boeing 727-100s, which are jets capable of landing on gravel runways. Today, BP and ConocoPhillips each own 50 percent of Shared Services’ five-aircraft fleet. ConocoPhillips operates the service. Even within the large multinational world of ConocoPhillips’ business, Shared Services stands out. The only other comparable service Robbins is aware of is a much smaller corporate air taxi that shuttles employees back and forth between ConocoPhillips’ headquarters in Houston and the Phillips Petroleum Company’s former headquarters in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Shared Services is not an airline and cannot sell tickets for its flights. But if it were, it would be a respectably-sized airline by Alaska standards. In June 2017 ConocoPhillips logged eighty-four passenger airplane landings at Ted Stevens Anchorage International 56

Airport, according to airport statistics. That’s about 50 percent of United Airlines’ traffic into Anchorage that month and about 5 percent of the passenger landings of the state aviation behemoth Alaska Airlines. According to ConocoPhillips, Shared Services transports more than 16,000 passengers a month. Another significant oil and gas company in the Alaska aviation scene is Hilcorp, which landed planes in Anchorage ninety-nine times in June 2017. Hilcorp operates both on the North Slope and off the Kenai Peninsula in Cook Inlet.

The Trip About an hour and forty minutes after leaving Anchorage, Shared Services employees reach Deadhorse Airport or the privately owned Ugnu–Kuparuk Airport forty miles west of Deadhorse. From Deadhorse or Kuparuk some employees board Shared Services’ two smaller airplanes for east-west service to sites including the Alpine oil field, the village of Nuiqsut, or to ice runways built in different parts of the North Slope each winter. The company uses its de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter or its CASA 212 for these flights. Both the Deadhorse and Kuparuk airports have long paved runways but lack many of

“Our captain made a great choice in conjunction with our dispatch to go, ‘I’ve got to get this jet out of here right now because it’s going to be stuck here in ten minutes.’ So they started up the jet and launched it empty, much to the dismay of the passengers because they’d been working for two weeks and wanted to get home. If we lose two days due to weather, those employees still need to be transported, we just need to play catch-up.”

—Kevin Robbins Manager, Aviation Alaska ConocoPhillips

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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the amenities of Anchorage’s airport. In Kuparuk there’s no heated jetway that links passengers to the terminal, and, more importantly, neither Deadhorse nor Kuparuk have hangars large enough to house a Boeing 737. Because of this, Shared Services holds itself to particularly high maintenance standards to avoid expensive and difficult field maintenance work on the Slope, Parrish says. “If you’re flying in an airline, they’re allowed to have certain equipment items not in commission. It’s legal for an airliner to fly from LA to Boston and have a couple of things that it would be nice to have not work. We don’t do that because we’re flying to the North Slope of Alaska,” Parrish says. In one incident last winter, a Shared Services pilot landed a jet at Kuparuk as weather closed in. Passengers were at the airport waiting to board the plane but saw it land and then take off again without them because of the risk that the plane might get stuck on the North Slope. “Our captain made a great choice in conjunction with our dispatch to go, ‘I’ve got to get this jet out of here right now because it’s going to be stuck here in ten minutes.’ So they started up the jet and launched it empty, much to the dismay of the passengers because they’d been working for two weeks and wanted to get home,” Robbins says. Unlike an airline, Shared Services can’t cancel a flight. “If we lose two days due to weather, those employees still need to be transported, we just need to play catch-up,” Robbins says. In general, ConocoPhillips uses two of the 737s to make about nineteen round-trip flights to the North Slope each week, he says. The company keeps the third jet and its crew ready in Anchorage in case of a backlog of passengers from delayed flights.

Demand for Transportation Alaska’s oilfield workers come predominantly from out of state (about one-third of the workforce) and Alaska’s largest population centers. Most need transportation from Anchorage to the North Slope. As of 2015, 65 percent worked on the North Slope, followed by 26 percent in Anchorage and 7 percent on the Kenai Peninsula, according to an analysis of oil industry jobs written by State Economist Neal Fried for the February 2017 Alaska Economic Trends. According to Fried’s analysis, the state’s oil industry hit its record employment numbers not in 1988, the year of highest production, but more recently in 2015. The number of Alaska oil jobs, he says “peaked at 14,100 in 2014 and 2015. It was a remarkable run, especially considering production was just one quarter of what it had been in 1988.” Fried’s analysis covers only direct oil industry employees and not the large support industry, including jobs in security, catering, transportation, and pipeline transportation. R Sam Friedman is a freelance reporter. He lives in Fairbanks.

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Photo by James Poulson

CELEBRATIONS

On Alaska Day, Transfer Day revelers swarm Sitka streets.

Alaska’s 150th Anniversary

Still a good deal all these years later By Will Swagel

or more than sixty years, people in Sitka have taken a week in October to commemorate Alaska Day, which marks the transfer of Alaska from Russian control the United States. On October 18, 1867, atop a promontory above downtown Sitka, the Russian double-eagle banner was lowered and the Stars and Stripes was raised in its place. Sitkans observe the occasion with a week of concerts, costume balls, and contests, culminating in a parade to the base of the promontory—called Castle Hill—and a costumed reenactment of the transfer ceremony of 1867. Because 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of Alaska’s transfer to the United States, commemorative events are taking place all year long. And not just in Sitka. In communities throughout the state, Alaskans attend lectures, conferences, and view displays that examine both the importance of the Russian period and the aftereffects of the transfer to the United States. In Juneau in July, a statue of former Secretary of State William H. Seward, the American architect of the sale and transfer, was unveiled across the street from the Capitol. Emanuel Leutze’s 1868 painting “Signing of the Alaska Treaty” was displayed in Alaska for 60

the first time in 2017 and will be in the Alaska State Museum in Juneau starting this month. After resolving to recognize the 150th anniversary (also known as the sesquicentennial) of the transfer, the state Legislature charged the Alaska Historical Commission with encouraging and coordinating commemorative events, though no special funds were appropriated. Alaska State Historian Jo Antonson says the hope was that public-private partnerships would sponsor sesquicentennial activities with an emphasis on high-visibility public events scheduled for March 30, the anniversary of the treaty signing, and October 18, the anniversary of the ceremonial transfer. The Alaska Historical Commission and local partners also developed materials and held events designed to educate school children about the importance of the 1867 signing. After a canvassing, about twenty-five small grants were passed out to communities and organizations. “[The Alaska Historical Commission] wanted the events to be inclusive, to get more of the story from the Alaska Native perspective,” Antonson says. “And there were a lot of cherished myths that needed to be addressed.” One of those famous myths is that William H. Seward was widely ridiculed by his contemporaries for the US purchase of Alaska, calling it “Seward’s Folly” and “Seward’s Polar Bear Garden.” “Historians have looked at editorials in what were then the country’s major city newspapers, and few of them had anything negative to say,”

notes Antonson. “The treaty was approved by the Senate on the first vote: 37-2.” Criticism of the Alaska purchase was actually spearheaded by Seward’s political enemies, she adds. Countering another myth—that few Americans knew anything about Alaska in the 1860s—Antonson says that, in fact, many Americans were aware of Alaska’s vast natural resources and the opportunities they offer, even in the 1800s. Another goal for the sesquicentennial is to explore and to educate the public about some of the hard truths of the past 150 years, such as the experiences of Alaska Natives, to acknowledge a more complete history as a way to move forward.

A Russian Territory Russians took Sitka by force in 1804, shelling the resident Tlingit’s stout timber fort from a warship. The battle could have gone either way, but the Tlingit defenders lost nearly all their ammunition when the canoe carrying it exploded. They made a strategic retreat but prevented the Russians from controlling much of anything beyond Sitka itself. The Russians built their headquarters on the promontory—called Noow Tlein, or Large Fort, in Tlingit—where the transfer of Alaska to the United States would ultimately take place. The Russian hold on Sitka was brief, only sixty-three years, but Sitka (which the Russians named Novo Archangelsk, or New Archangel) was once the most developed European-

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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style settlement on the Pacific Coast of North America. In the 1830s and 1840s, Sitka was a key provisioning and repair port on the sea lanes between Hawaii and Asia and welcomed ships from all over the world, including Yankee whalers. New Archangel boasted a cathedral, a foundry, a hospital, and schools. Russia’s colonies in Alaska were managed by the Russian-American Company. The company originally reaped big profits selling sea otter fur, which was highly valued in China. But by the early 1800s, sea otter was nearly hunted out of existence, and the Russians depended on selling other, less profitable furs as well as salmon, timber, and even ice to booming San Francisco in the 1850s. Even with ice trade, the Russian-American Company saw its profits continue to sag. Further, Russia had just endured humiliation in the Crimean War against England and welcomed an American buffer between British Columbia and mainland Russia. After the transfer, there was a brief period of excitement from Americans about the newlyacquired territory. But that interest did not translate into many new permanent residents, says Rebecca Poulson, vice president of the Alaska Historical Society and a Sitka historian who is researching the decade between 1867 and 1877. From the 1840s to the 1860s, there was a vast westward migration into new territories www.akbizmag.com

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in the Lower 48, making far-off Alaska less attractive to settlers, Poulson says. The poor economy didn’t help. “It was thought Alaska would develop in the same way [as those territories]: the Army would come in, then the gold miners and the settlers,” says Poulson. Antonson says that migration was slower and took longer than in some other US territories. The US Army was stationed in Sitka for ten years beginning in 1867. During this decade, the Army payroll and that of a few federal officials formed the foundation of the local economy. Especially hard-hit were the Alaska-born Russians who decided to stay after the transfer. Formerly employed by the Russian-American Company, many found themselves destitute. When the Army moved out in 1877 to fight the Indian Wars raging in the Lower 48, the economy sank even further. Without the Army, Tlingit locals tore down the stockade separating the Native and “white” towns. Some Sitka residents said they feared for their safety and appealed to British authorities in Victoria to send a gunship and provide them with some stability. Poulson says the real reason for the appeal may have had more to do with getting the government payroll back than actual fear. Indeed, Antonson says, the US Navy sent a ship to Sitka in 1879, where it remained until the civil government was established and beyond. All this year, Hal Spackman, executive director of the Sitka Historical Society, has been hosting special delegations, media teams, and relatives of former residents. These include descendants of the Finnish sea captain who returned the Russians to Russia after the transfer. Relatives of William Seward also visited. Spackman, who can see Castle Hill from his office window, says, “It seems like we have gained as much attention outside of America as from America. In a lot of ways, Alaska grew out of Sitka. Even though they had outposts, Sitka

Photo by James Poulson

Ninth Infantry re-enactor Steve Dalquist at the Alaska Day Parade.

was the Russians’ main place. And when the United States came to Alaska, Sitka was the first place. There [are] all kinds of firsts that happened here—including some of the first marine mammal protection and conservation laws.”

A New Beginning Alaska dignitaries met with federal officials in Washington DC on March 30, 2017, to celebrate the transfer on the same date the agreement was signed 150 years earlier. The Alaskans lunched at the National Press Club and attended a reception at the State Department, William Seward’s old agency. That same day in Sitka, a decidedly less celebratory event was occurring at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi, a traditional Tlingit long house operated by the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and used for many public events.

Called “A Different Perspective on the Transfer: A Time to Heal,” the gathering brought Native Elders and culture bearers before a largely non-Native audience. Pat Alexander, whose roots are in Hoonah and Sitka, served as program hostess. She is vice president of the Sitka Historical Society. “The younger [Native] people will celebrate [the transfer] with you,” Alexander told the audience. “But some of the older ones feel pain in their hearts.” “It is a feeling of Native people that the land was never Russia’s to sell,” she says after the event. “Then somebody else comes in and buys it and it’s not their land [either]. You get the idea.” While the Russians could be cruel to Natives, especially in Western Alaska, they had diplomatic relations and observed some social norms while in Sitka, such as

Transfer ceremony actors Jay Sweeney as US General George Rousseau and Ron Conklin portraying Captain Alexis Pestchouroff of the Russian Navy on Castle Hill in 2016. Photo by James Poulson

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Getting into the swing of things in period costume at the Alaska Day Ball at Harrigan Centennial Hall in Sitka. Photo by James Poulson

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paying compensation to victims and relatives for injury and death. American military leaders largely ignored such norms. Other than in Sitka, the Russians did not control Southeast Alaska. In fact, the Russians held just a small part of the vast territory transferred. They established settlements only at Kodiak, the Pribilof Islands, the Kenai Peninsula, and a few other places. At the Transfer itself in 1867, the Sitka Tlingit are on record protesting the Russians “selling” property they were using only because the Tlingit were letting them, Poulson says. This is why the Alaska anniversary is called the Treaty of Cession, not Sale, says Poulson. The Treaty is more like a quitclaim deed, relinquishing property the Russians had controlled. The spare terms of the treaty laid the foundation for the eventual Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. Alexander, along with other speakers, says she hopes the gathering at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi leads to deeper understanding. “Stories have been told from one side for too long,” she says. Alexander plans to attend the 2017 annual Alaska Day Governor’s Ball, an event at which military and civilian couples in period costumes are formally introduced. Alexander will don her Tlingit regalia. R

Alaskan author and journalist Will Swagel writes from Sitka.

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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SPECIAL SECTION

2017 Top 49ers

Top 49ers Executive Summary October 2017

t’s said, when a person or organization demonstrates extraordinary abilities, that they are in their element. The word element is also used to convey ideas of purity or something that is essential. And of course elements are literally the building blocks of our existence. Alaska Business is excited to honor our 2017 Top 49ers, the elements of enterprise that work tirelessly throughout Alaska to build connections (ranging from infrastructure to partnerships) and maintain economic stability (by air, land, or sea), all while adhering to a strict code of safety for all people, places, and things. The Top 49ers are not just themselves the essential elements proving the Alaska hypothesis a success (the Last Frontier celebrates the 150th anniversary of the US purchase of Alaska in October), they also exemplify the elements of enterprise required for success, no matter how it’s measured: hard work, integrity, commitment, being damn good at what they do, and making money. Every October Alaska Business honors the Top 49ers, which this year report a combined 2016 total of $14.4 billion in gross revenue. Top 49ers employ 73,619 people worldwide, of which just under one third (21,962) are Alaskan. Alaska Business is thrilled to welcome four new elements to the Top 49ers: Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Cape Fox Corporation, New Horizons Telecom, and Tanadgusix Corporation. Congratulations to Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, which has secured the number one spot in 2017, reporting $2.4 billion in gross revenue for 2016, representing approximately 16.5 percent of all revenue reported by the 2017 Top 49ers. The company’s number of Alaska employees remained stable with 3,696 employees reported in 2016 and 3,687 reported this year, but Arctic Slope Regional Corporation’s worldwide employees increased nearly 14 percent from 9,938 in 2016 to 11,316 in 2017.

Transportation For 2017, three companies represent the Transportation industry: PenAir, Tatonduk Outfitters (DBA Everts Air Cargo and Everts Air Alaska), and Lynden. The companies reported $1.07 billion in 2016 gross revenue, a dip from 2015 gross revenues of $1.12 billion; however, the three companies reported an increase in employees compared to last year, with Alaska employees up about 1 percent to 1,646 and worldwide employees increasing from 3,653 to 3,826.

Alaska Native Corporations Arctic Slope Regional Corporation is just one of twenty-two Alaska Native Corporations that made the 2017 list of Top 49ers. All together the Alaska Native Corporations (of which two are new in 2017: Cape Fox Corporation and Tanadgusix Corporation) reported $11 billion in gross revenue. While the Alaska Native Corporations make up just less than half of the Top 49ers, they represent approximately 76 percent of all revenue reported by the fortynine companies. Alaska Native Corporations report a total worldwide workforce of 63,740; one quarter of those jobs, 15,365, are held by Alaskans—a slight increase in employees both inside Alaska and out from 2016.

Retail/Wholesale Trade The Retail/Whole Trade sector remains steady with Anchorage Chrysler Dodge, Seekins Ford Lincoln, and Three Bears Alaska reporting slightly lower revenue but a slight increase in employees. The three companies reported 2015 gross revenue of $334 million and gross revenue in 2016 of $306 million. Employee numbers increased from 687 to 737 and 739 to 782 in Alaska and worldwide, respectively, from 2016 to 2017.

Industrial Services The Industrial Services sector is comprised of five companies which reported gross 2016 revenues of $530 million, a decrease from last year’s combined gross revenue of $676 million. Jobs in this sector have also decreased from last year though they primarily remain in Alaska; together the companies reported 966 worldwide employees, of which 902 (93 percent) are Alaskan. Utility Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, a new Top 49er, is one of four corporations representing the Utility sector. Together the companies reported 2016 gross revenue of $480 million. The Utility industry’s workforce is almost 100 percent Alaskan with 777 Alaska workers and 787 worldwide employees reported. Construction & Engineering For 2017 Construction & Engineering is represented by five companies, including incoming Top 49er New Horizons Telecom. The industry represents 2.5 percent of total Top 49ers revenue, a combined $357 million. For 2017 the five companies in this sector—Davis Constructors & Engineers, Delta Constructors, New Horizons Telecom, Roger Hickel Contracting, and Watterson Construction— reported 373 Alaska employees and 994 employees worldwide.

Financial Services Credit Union1, Denali Federal Credit Union, and First National Bank Alaska again represent the Financial Services sector, which

increased revenue from last year, reporting $256 million in 2015 and $273 million in 2016. The three organizations reported a decrease in employee figures, though their workforce remains almost 100 percent Alaskan with 1,344 jobs in state and 1,364 employees worldwide.

Healthcare The Healthcare sector is again represented by Geneva Woods Pharmacy; the company reported a revenue increase in 2016 at $129 million compared to $106 million in 2015. It saw a slight decrease in employees in and out of state in 2017: Geneva Woods Pharmacy had 238 employees in Alaska in 2017 compared to 242 in 2016 and worldwide employees dropped from 558 in 2016 to 545 this year. Telecom & Tech MTA, Inc. is the sole representative of the Telecom & Tech industry in this year’s Top 49ers. The company had a good year with reported revenue of $100 million in 2016 compared to $99 million the previous year. The company’s 100 percent Alaskan workforce also increased from 339 to 362 this year. Mining Usibelli Coal Mine reported a slight drop in revenue with 2016 gross revenue of $80 million compared to $86 million in 2015. The company increased its number of employees: in 2016 Usibelli Coal Mine employed 112 employees, all in Alaska, and this year the company has 148 Alaska employees and 183 employees worldwide. Energy Our final sector, Energy, once again consists of Vitus Energy. The company reported a 12 percent dip in revenue from $63 million in 2015 to $55 million in 2016. The company’s 100 percent Alaskan workforce of 70 employees remains steady. The ongoing low price of oil has had an impact on the entire state, but the Top 49ers continue to thrive and grow. Even those industries feeling the impact most directly have generally retained their employees and their focus and continue to move forward, remaining vital elements of enterprise in Alaska’s economy. Editor’s Note: Revenue figures in the Executive Summary have been rounded; for exact revenue figures please see the 5 Year Rank & Revenue chart (page 110) and the individual directory listings. R

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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$100,000,000 in 2016

$99,200,000 in 2015

$1,000,000,000 $1,069,035,000 in 2016

$1,122,092,112 in 2015

2015 Gross Revenue $14,597,930,426 2016 Gross Revenue $14,395,144,176

$479,526,705 in 2016

$455,970,495 in 2015

$305,578,578 in 2016

$334,284,737 in 2015

$529,558,722 in 2016

Mining

Utility

$200,000,000

Industrial Services

Transportation

$2,000,000,000

Telecom

$400,000,000

Healthcare

Retail/ Wholesale Trade

$4,000,000,000

$86,000,000 in 2015

$600,000,000

$80,000,000 in 2016

$6,000,000,000

Mining

$800,000,000 $675,874,453 in 2015

$8,000,000,000

Financial Services

Industrial Services

$1,200,000,000

$128,649,000 in 2016

$12,000,000,000

Energy

$106,400,000 in 2015

Construction & Engineering

Healthcare

$273,090,674 in 2016

Alaska Native Corporations

$256,078,512 in 2015

500

1,419 Alaskan jobs in 2016 1,344 Alaskan jobs in 2017 1,416 Total jobs in 2016 1,364 Total jobs in 2017

Retail/ Wholesale Trade

Yearly Totals for 2015 & 2016

1,634 Alaskan jobs in 2016 1,646 Alaskan jobs in 2017

2,500

624 Alaskan jobs in 2016 777 Alaskan jobs in 2017 627 Total jobs in 2016 787 Total jobs in 2017

339 Alaskan jobs in 2016 362 Alaskan jobs in 2017 339 Total jobs in 2016 362 Total jobs in 2017

687 Alaskan jobs in 2016 737 Alaskan jobs in 2017 739 Total jobs in 2016 782 Total jobs in 2017

112 Alaskan jobs in 2016 148 Alaskan jobs in 2017 112 Total jobs in 2016 183 Total jobs in 2017

1,196 Alaskan jobs in 2016 902 Alaskan jobs in 2017 1,573 Total jobs in 2016 966 Total jobs in 2017

242 Alaskan jobs in 2016 238 Alaskan jobs in 2017 558 Total jobs in 2016 545 Total jobs in 2017

70 Alaskan jobs in 2016 70 Alaskan jobs in 2017 70 Total jobs in 2016 70 Total jobs in 2017

2,000

Financial Services

10,000

$55,000,000 in 2016

$10,000,000,000 1,000

Energy

0 1,500

$63,000,000 in 2015

40,000

$442,303,556 in 2015

3,500

373 Alaskan jobs in 2016 373 Alaskan jobs in 2017 776 Total jobs in 2016 994 Total jobs in 2017

70,000

$356,704,428 in 2016

20,000

$11,018,001,069 in 2016

50,000 61,907 Total jobs in 2016 63,740 Total jobs in 2017

60,000

$10,956,726,561 in 2015

30,000

15,267 Alaskan jobs in 2016 15,365 Alaskan jobs in 2017

4,000

Construction & Engineering

Alaska Native Corporations

2017 TOP 49ERS | EMPLOYMENT FIGURES, GROSS REVENUE & INDUSTRY DISTRIBUTION 80,000

Alaskan and Outside Job Figures 2016 & 2017

3,000

3,653 Total jobs in 2016 3,826 Total jobs in 2017

Top 49ers Employment Figures

Telecom Transportation Utility

Top 49ers Revenue

2017 49ers by Industry

Alaska Native Corporations: 22 Construction & Engineering: 5 Energy: 1 Financial Services: 3 Healthcare: 1 Industrial Services: 5 Mining: 1 Retail/Wholesale Trade: 3 Telecom: 1 Transportation: 3 Utility: 4

2016

49ers by Industry

Alaska Native Corporations: 21 Construction & Engineering: 7 Energy: 1 Financial Services: 3 Healthcare: 1 Industrial Services: 5 Mining: 1 Retail/Wholesale Trade: 3 Telecom: 1 Transportation: 3 Utility: 3

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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SPECIAL SECTION

2017 Top 49ers 2017

49 ERS

TOP

ements of

En terprise

he Top 49ers ranked annually in the October issue of Alaska Business need to meet just two important requirements to make this list of distinguished organizations: they are 51 percent Alaskan-owned and are willing to report their gross revenue to Alaska Business. Alaska Business is excited every year to see how the ranks grow and evolve, with some Top 49ers expanding their reach beyond their Alaska roots and others climbing the list for the first time. This special section is only possible through the cooperation of our Top 49ers who, while submitting revenue data, also supply information about their Alaska and worldwide employees, their business activities and noteworthy events, their top executive, and their subsidiaries. Alaska Business sends a big thank you to all of our Top 49ers, not only for being vital elements of the Alaska economy, but for your continued support of Alaska Business and our annual Top 49ers special section. In turn, it is our great honor to share information about each of these Alaskan companies that influence our economy in so many ways, from sourcing local vendors and building or leasing Alaska real estate to creating and sustaining jobs statewide. Alaska is built on the Top 49ersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Elements of Enterprise as they continue to produce positive reactions throughout the 49th State year after year. R

Main Business: ASRC is the largest Alaskan-owned and operated company and has six major business segments: petroleum refining and marketing, energy support services, construction, government services, industrial services and resource development.

ANC

ASRc Arctic Slope Regional Corporation

2.37B

Principal Activities: ASRC has six main lines of business including petroleum refining and marketing, energy support services, industrial services, construction, government services and resource development.

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Rex A. Rock Sr., President/CEO

PO Box 129 | Barrow, AK 99723 Phone: 907-852-8633 | Fax: 907-852-5733

twitter.com/ASRC_AK asrc.com Year Established: 1972

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $2.37B

Subsidiaries: Arctic Slope Regional Corporation ASRC Energy Services LLC; ASRC Federal Holding Company, LLC; ASRC Construction Holding Company; Eskimos, Inc.; Tundra Tours, Inc.; Petro Star, Inc.; Alaska Growth Capital; Little Red Services Inc.; Arctic Pipe Inspection, Inc.; ASRC Industrial Services, LLC

$2,371,164,000

2015 $2,515,377,000 2014 $2,663,540,000 2013 $2,525,615,000 2012 $2,628,929,000 $2.2 Billion

$2.4B

Noteworthy: Three acquisitions in 2016, as well as the creation of a new platform company, ASRC Industrial Services. This year, ASRC subsidiary PSI finalized the acquisition of Terminal 1 at the Port of Anchorage, and in May ASRC announced the acquisition of Lower 48 company, Finite Holdings, LLC.

$2.6B

$2.8B

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

11,316

3,687

33%

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

No Change ď&#x192;&#x2C6;5.7%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

New Horizons Telecom–Alaska’s Telecommunications Infrastructure Solution

ew Horizons Telecom, Inc. provides full-service design and construction work focused on the telecommunications sector throughout Alaska. Based in Palmer, the forty-year-old, family-owned company works with clients such as local and nationwide utilities to lay the foundation for the state’s ever-expanding telecommunications needs. But what exactly does that mean? “It means we install the ocean terminals and beach landings for intercontinental data traffic, we install the towers and antennas for mobile phones, we make 4G LTE possible, we make the cloud possible with data center installations,” says New Horizons’ CEO Leighton Lee. It’s our job to provide the physical pieces needed by our clients so they can continue to serve their clients successfully, says Lee, a third-generation Alaskan. Those physical pieces include hundreds of towers statewide; stand-alone, pre-fabricated, and commercial structures; foundations; logistics; and communications equipment ranging from high-performance microwave and fiber optic network components to high speed wireless systems, among many, many other services. Telecommunications requires a tremendous amount of hardware that most people never see. Veteran-owned New Horizons boasts a staff of highly-trained, professional technicians, engineers, program managers, and field personnel who each possess a wide variety of capabilities unique to working in Alaska. “We have eighty-five employees on staff who design and build these networks, who design and install power systems, they design foundations for towers, and they design communications buildings. And that’s just a part of what we do,” says Lee. New Horizons recently worked with communications giant Quintillion on a project to run more than 760 miles of subsea cable from Nome to Prudhoe Bay, with points branching off to village landings at Nome, Kotzebue, Point Hope, Wainwright, Utqiaġvik (Barrow), and Oliktok Point. “New Horizons was

contracted to design and install the ocean terminals and terrestrial fiber optic cable for the Quintillion project, which will bring high-speed internet and communications capabilities to these communities,” says Lee. “We have succeeded for forty years by providing a solid, quality product and excellent customer service. And that is exactly how we intend to evolve and thrive through the next forty. We always focus on our customers’ requirements. We offer solutions for our clients so they can focus on their customers,” says Lee. “Carriers are not necessarily in the business of building lines, they are in the business of using the lines we install to provide communications to their users. So our function in the fabric of telecom is one of a contractor. Very simply put: they have a specific mission and we help them accomplish that mission,” says Lee. New Horizons’ professionals routinely install and commission communications equipment ranging from high-performance microwave and fiber optic network components to the latest wireless systems and premise cabling for a huge and varied client base including local, state, and federal agencies such as the Department of Defense and the DEA; Local Exchange Carriers; and commercial and private entities such as Alyeska Pipeline. “For us, telecommunications, infrastructure, and logistics aren’t buzzwords. Our expertise helps bring modern, sophisticated communications capabilities to Alaskans everywhere. From a strategic standpoint, we look forward to the [Mat-Su] Valley’s continued growth and the growth of Southcentral in general. When the time comes, we’re ready to build out Palmer and Wasilla as smart cities,” says Lee. As a preeminent Alaskan contractor focused on excellent customer service through a team of highly-trained, expert professionals, there is no doubt New Horizons will help usher in the next generation of technology throughout Alaska. “We see a very bright future for our industry and for our state and our team is really looking forward to being a part that future,” says Lee.

Leighton Lee, CEO 901 Cope Industrial Way, Palmer Phone: (907) 761-6000 I Toll Free: (877) 761-6003 Email: info@nhtiusa.com I Web: nhtiusa.com – PA I D A D V E R T I S E M E N T –

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Construction, government services, industrial services, petroleum distribution and tourism.

ANC

BBNc

Principal Activities: Construction, government services, industrial services, and tourism.

Bristol Bay Native Corporation

1.52B

Bristol Bay Native Corporation Jason Metrokin, President/CEO 111 W. 16th Ave., Suite 400 Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-278-3602 Fax: 907-276-3924

Noteworthy: BBNC’s biggest recent noteworthy event is growing our Corporation through the acquisition of new investments both in and out of state due to Alaska’s financial uncertainty. Subsidiaries: SpecPro Group; Bristol Alliance of Companies; CCI Alliance of Companies; SES Group; PetroCard; Bristol Bay Mission Lodge, LLC; Bristol Bay Industrial; Peak Oilfield Service Company; CCI Industrial Services; Kakivik Asset Management; Bristol Alliance Fuels; Katmailand, Inc.; Alaska Directional; Bristol Bay Shared Services

info@bbnc.net bbnc.net

Year Established: 1972

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $1,525,181,000 2015 $1,512,022,000 2014 $1,736,084,000 2013 $1,835,894,000 2012 $1,961,780,000 $0

$500 Million

$1 Billion

$1.5B

$2B

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

4,383

1,292

29%

1

0.9%

COMPANIES

MARINE LLC

ENERGY SERVICES LLC A CIRI COMPANY

A CIRI COMPANY

BUILDING ALASKA FOR MORE THAN

36 years CONTRUCTION, INC

Experts in Resource Development and Heavy Civil Construction

Cruz Construction | Alaska Interstate Construction | Alaska Aggregate Products Cruz Energy Services | Cruz Marine Original

A CIRI CompanyOption

A CIRI Company

Option 2

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Natural resource development, land management, oil and gas sector, commercial sector, federal sector.

ANC

NRc

Principal Activities: NANA has operations in 50 states, 15 countries and across four continents in our core areas of: resource development/mining, federal, commercial and oil and gas support.

NANA Regional Corporation, Inc.

1.3B

NANA Regional Corporation, Inc. Wayne Westlake, President/CEO PO Box 49 Kotzebue, AK 99752 Phone: 907-442-3301 Fax: 907-442-4161

Noteworthy: 1.3 billion in revenues in FY2016. 5,296 Alaskans employed at a NANA company, partner or affiliate in FY2016. Subsidiaries: NANA Development Corporation

news@nana.com nana.com

Year Established: 1972

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $1,300,000,000 2015 $1,600,000,000 2014 $1,600,000,000 2013 $1,700,000,000 2012 $1,800,000,000 $0

$500 Million

$1 Billion

1 in 8

$1.5B

$2B

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

14,095

5,296

38%

1

18.8%

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October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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kinross.com www.akbizmag.com

October 2017 | Alaska Business

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Professional services contracting for the federal government, including technical & installation services, military, intelligence & operations support, environmental, healthcare & facilities mgt., information technology and telecommunications.

ANC

Chc Chenega Corporation

927M

Principal Activities: Federal contracting: technical & installation services, military, intelligence & operations support, environmental, healthcare & facilitates mgt., info technology. Commercial Services: voice cabling, telecommunications, home healthcare, contract staffing, advanced analytics & software engineering.

Chenega Corporation Charles W. Totemoff, President/CEO 3000 C St., Suite 301 Anchorage, AK 99503-3975 Phone: 907-277-5706 Fax: 907-277-5700

Noteworthy: Two golf tournaments raising $90K for the Wounded Warrior Program. Donations to AFN’s annual conf, Tatitlek’s Heritage Week, ANHC’s events, 1st Alaskans Institute fund raising gala, the Native Village of Eyak in support of their Annual Sobriety Celebration, and $100K to the Chugach School District.

info@chenega.com chenega.com

Year Established: 1974

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $927,000,000 2015 $882,000,000 2014 $885,000,000 2013 $1,044,000,000 2012 $1,100,000,000 $0

$250 Million

$500M

$750M

$1 Billion

$1.25B

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

5,989

287

1

5.1%

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907-754-2208

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Main Business: Lynden is a family of transportation companies with capabilities including truckload & less-than-truckload service, scheduled & charter barges, rail barges, intermodal bulk chemical hauls, scheduled & chartered air freighters, domestic & international air/ocean forwarding, and multi-modal logistics.

TSRP

Lynden, Inc.

925M

Principal Activities: Lynden is a family of transportation companies with capabilities including truckload & less-than-truckload services, scheduled & charter barges, scheduled & charter cargo aircraft, worldwide freight forwarding, heavy haul & oversize services, intermodal bulk chemical hauls, and multi-modal logistics.

Lynden, Inc. Jim Jansen, Chairman 6441 S. Airpark Pl. Anchorage, AK 99502 Phone: 907-245-1544 Fax: 907-245-1744

information@lynden.com lynden.com

Noteworthy: Voted #1 Western Regional LTL Carrier in Logistics Management’s 2017 Quest for Quality Awards. Named Green Supply Chain Partner, Top 100 3PL by Inbound Logistics magazine. Alaska Trucking Association Driver of the Year in 2014 (John Schank), 2016 (Brian Ambrose), and 2017 (John Schank).

Year Established: 1906

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $925,000,000

Subsidiaries: Alaska Marine Lines; Alaska West Express; Bering Marine Corporation; Lynden Air Cargo; Lynden International; Lynden Logistics; Knik Construction; Lynden Transport; Lynden Training Center; Brown Line; Lynden Oilfield Services; LTI, Inc.

2015 $975,000,000 2014 $1,000,000,000 2013 $875M 2012 $885M $800 Million

$850M

$875,000,000

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

2,800

950

34%

1

5.1%

$885,000,000 $900M

$950M

$1 Billion

Be a part of getting wild, healthy, and sustainable seafood from Alaska harvesters to consumers worldwide. Find jobs in Alaska’s seafood industry at jobs.alaska.gov/seafood/

Alaska’s seafood industry is the largest private sector employer in the state employing thousands of Alaskans. We are always looking to increase Alaska hire.

PSPA Member Locations

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October 2017 | Alaska Business

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: The Chugach family of companies provide government contracting, facilities management and energy services. Chugach also manages a diverse portfolio of investments and land/ resource development opportunities.

ANC

CAc Chugach Alaska Corporation

Principal Activities: Government services, facilities services, energy services, investments, land & resource development.

842M

Noteworthy: Sold Chugach coal rights in the Bering River Coal Field; pursuing carbon offset project on 115K acres of Chugach timberlands; acquired Chicago company Rex Electric & Technologies; contributed $2.6 million to Chugach Heritage Foundation Endowment and pledged $24.0 million in future contributions.

Chugach Alaska Corporation Gabriel Kompkoff, CEO

3800 Centerpoint Dr., Suite 1200 Anchorage, AK 99503-4396 Phone: 907-563-8866 Fax: 907-563-8402

communications@chugach.com chugach.com

Subsidiaries: Rex Electric & Technologies; Heide & Cook; All American Oilfield; Chugach Alaska Services; Chugach Tuullek; Chugach Professional Oilfield Services; Chugach Commercial Holdings; Chugach Government Solutions; Chugach Investment Holdings; Chugach Government Services; Wolf Creek Federal Services; Chugach Management Services; Chugach Consolidated Solutions; Chugach Industries; Chugach World Services; Chugach Information Technology; Defense Base Services; Chugach Federal Solutions; Chugach Education Services; Chugach Technical Solutions; Chugach Training & Educational Solutions; Chugach Systems Integration

Year Established: 1972

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $842,000,000 2015 $758,000,000 2014 $626,000,000 2013 $609,000,000 2012 $709,000,000 $0

$200 Million

$400M

$600M

$800M

$1 Billion

Calista Corporation

492M

% Alaska Workforce

6,000

800

13%

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

No Change ď&#x192;&#x2021;11.1%

Principal Activities: Defense contracting; construction; heavy equipment sales, rental, service; real estate; environmental services; marine transportation; oil field services; fiber optic services.

Calista Corporation Andrew Guy, President/CEO

5015 Business Park Blvd., Suite 3000 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-275-2800 Fax: 907-275-2919

Noteworthy: Tunista Construction earns Safety Excellence award from Associated General Contractors of Washington.

calista@calistacorp.com calistacorp.com

Subsidiaries: Ookichista Drilling Services, Inc; Tunista Services LLC; Y-Tech Services, Inc.; Yulista Aviation, Inc.; Yulista Management Services, Inc.; Chiulista Services, Inc.; Brice Incorporated; Tunista, Inc.; Yukon Equipment, Inc.; Brice Construction; Brice Marine LLC; Brice Equipment; Calista Real Estate; Aulukista, LLC; Yulista Tactical Services, LLC; Qagan Lands, LLC; Calista Education & Culture; Brice Environmental Services Corp.; Alaska Crane, Ltd.; Futaris Fibre, LLC; E3 Environmental, LLC; STG, Inc.; STG Pacific

Year Established: 1972

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $492,200,000 2015 $460,100,000 2014 $401,900,000 2013 $368,914,000 2012 $404,231,000

Alaska Employees

Main Business: Calista Corporation is the parent company of more than 35 subsidiaries in the following industries: military defense contracting, construction, marketing and advertising services, communications, real estate, environmental and natural resource development and information technology services.

ANC

Worldwide Employees

$100 Million

$200M

$300M

$400M

$500M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

2,900

788

27%

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

No Change

ď&#x192;&#x2021;7%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

TRAVELING TO A MEETING OR CONVENTION? SHARE YOUR LEAD WITH OUR TEAM.

907.257.2349 meet@anchorage.net

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Afognak Native Corporation, Alutiiq, LLC and their subsidiaries operate government and commercial contracts in the following sectors: leasing, security services, IT, logistics/operations/maintenance, youth services, and timber services.

ANC

ANc

Afognak Native Corporation/Alutiiq, LLC

Principal Activities: Afognak Native Corporation, Alutiiq LLC, and their subsidiaries provide an exceptional track record of services in government and commercial sectors worldwide, including: leasing; facility services; timber; engineering; IT; security; logistics, operations & maintenance; and youth services.

474M

Afognak Native Corporation

Noteworthy: In June 2017, Afognak Native Corporation hosted the second annual Afognak Youth Charity Golf Tournament at the Anchorage Golf Course to raise funds for tribal youth programs. This Fall, we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the merger of two ANCSA village corporations that formed Afognak.

Greg Hambright, President/CEO 300 Alimaq Dr. Kodiak, AK 99615 Phone: 907-486-6014 Fax: 907-486-2514

Subsidiaries: Afognak Leasing, LLC; Alutiiq Advanced Security Solutions, LLC; Alutiiq Construction Services, LLC; Alutiiq Education & Training, LLC; Alutiiq Essential Services, LLC; Alutiiq General Contractors LLC; Alutiiq International Solutions, LLC; Alutiiq Professional Services, LLC; Alutiiq Security & Technology, LLC; Alutiiq Oilfield Solutions LLC; Alutiiq Commercial Enterprises, LLC; Alutiiq 3SG, LLC; Alutiiq Technical Services, LLC; Alutiiq Pacific, LLC; Alutiiq Diversified Services, LLC; Alutiiq Management Services, LLC; Alutiiq Manufacturing Contractors, LLC; Alutiiq-Mele, LLC; Alutiiq Professional Training, LLC; Alutiiq Global Solutions, LLC; Afognak Near Island, LLC; Afognak Arctic Development, LLC; Afognak C Street, LLC; Marka Bay, LLC; Alutiiq Business Services, LLC; Alutiiq Logistics & Maintenance Services, LLC; Alutiiq Solutions, LLC; Alcyon, Inc.; Alutiiq Information Management, LLC; Alutiiq Career Ventures, LLC; Alutiiq Leasing, LLC

alisha@afognak.com afognak.com Year Established: 1977

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $474,271,000 2015 $457M

$457,569,000

2014 $505,346,000 2013 $526,000,000 2012 $534,610,000 $400 Million

$450M

$500M

$550M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

4,687

151

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

No Change 3.7%

Main Business: UIC provides services to clients in a variety of industries, including operations in Barrow, construction, architecture and engineering, regulatory consulting, information technology, marine operations, logistics, and maintenance and manufacturing, and government contracting.

ANC

UIc

Ukpeaġvik In~upiat Corporation

424M

Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC) Anthony E. Edwardsen, President/CEO PO Box 890 | Barrow, AK 99723 Phone: 907-852-4460 Fax: 907-852-4459

Principal Activities: UIC’s main business lines include: UIC Design Plan Build, LLC, UIC Government Services, LLC, UIC Marine Services, LLC, UIC Oil and Gas Support Services, LLC, UIC Lands, LLC, and UIC Arctic Development Services, LLC. Noteworthy: UIC Government Services, LLC reported work on more than 230 federal government contracts. UIC Sand & Gravel, LLC became certified with the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

uicalaska.com

Year Established: 1973

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $424,300,000

Subsidiaries: UIC Oil & Gas Support Services; UIC Marine Services; UIC Lands; UIC Government Services; UIC Design Plan Build; UIC Arctic Development Services

2015 $424,426,000 2014 $356,781,000 2013 $320,716,000 2012 $312,380,000 0

$100 Million

$200M

$300M

$400M

$500M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

2,500

260

10%

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

No Change .03%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

OUR STRENGTH Netiye’ means ‘our strength’ in Ahtna Athabaskan

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Bering Straits was established by ANCSA in 1972. It is owned by more than 7,600 Alaska Native shareholders and actively pursues responsible development of resources and other business opportunities. The Company serves the federal government and commercial customers.

ANC

BSNc Bering Straits Native Corporation

326M

Bering Straits Native Corporation Gail R. Schubert, President/CEO 3301 C St., Suite 400 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-563-3788 Fax: 907-563-2742

Noteworthy: BSNC subsidiary Eagle Eye Electric was awarded a contract by the Alaska Army National Guard to drain and close diesel fuel tanks in 50 Alaska communities. Unused fuel will be donated to local tribal organizations.

media@beringstraits.com beringstraits.com

Subsidiaries: Inuit Services Inc.; Bering Straits Aerospace Services LLC; Bering Straits Logistics Services LLC; Bering Straits Information Technology LLC; Bering Straits Technical Services LLC; Bering Straits Aki LLC; Eagle Eye Electric LLC; Ayak LLC; Global Support Services LLC; Global Management Services LLC; Iyabak Construction LLC; Global Asset Technologies LLC; Global Precision Systems LLC; Bering Straits Development Co.; Global Technical Services LLC; Golden Glacier, Inc.; 4600 Debarr LLC; Alaska Industrial Hardware; Paragon Professional Services, LLC; Arcticom, LLC; Alaska Gold Company LLC; Aurora Inn & Suites; Stampede Vehicle Rentals

Year Established: 1972

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $326,000,000 2015 $304,404,000 2014 $229,482,000 2013 $242,000,000 2012 $213,000,000 $0

$100 Million

$200M

Principal Activities: Logistics, aircraft and airfield services, base operations support services, special training and security, administrative services, it services, communications, construction, environmental and distribution.

$300M

$400M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

1,566

534

34%

1

7.1%

Main Business: Doyon Drilling-Oil & Gas Drilling; Doyon Associated-Construction; Doyon Anvil-Engineering; Doyon Remote Facilities & Services-Camps and Camp Services.

ANC

Doyon Limited

Principal Activities: Oil field services, utility management, engineering management, land and natural resource development, facility management, construction, information technology, telecommunications and commercial laundry services.

305M

Doyon, Limited Aaron Schutt, President/CEO 1 Doyon Pl., Suite 300 Fairbanks, AK 99701-2941 Phone: 907-459-2000 Fax: 907-459-2060

Noteworthy: Doyon Drilling and National Oilwell Varco are currently designing and building a new Extended Reach Drilling Rig for ConocoPhillips, Alaska. It will be able to directional drill to at least 33,000’ with capacity to develop resources within a 125-sq mile area. Scheduled delivery is early 2020.

info@doyon.com doyon.com

Year Established: 1972

5 Year Revenue Review

Subsidiaries: Doyon Oil Field Services, Inc.; Doyon Government Contracting, Inc.; Doyon Natural Resources Development Corporation; Northern Laundry Services; Doyon Tourism; Northstar Manager, LLC

2016 $305,412,000 2015 $378,288,768 2014 $362,816,481 2013 $318,552,461 2012 $338,276,000 $0

$100 Million

$200M

$300M

$400M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

831

537

65%

1

19.3%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: CIRI’s financial expertise spans diverse business sectors, including real estate, oilfield and construction services, land and resources, energy development, environmental services, tourism and hospitality, government contracting and private equity investments.

ANC

CiRi Cook Inlet Region, Inc.

289M

Principal Activities: CIRI’s investments are primarily in the following business sectors: real estate, oilfield and construction services, land and natural resources, energy and infrastructure, environmental services, government services, specialty finance, marketable securities and private equity.

Cook Inlet Region, Inc. Sophie Minich, President/CEO PO Box 93330 Anchorage, AK 99509-3330 Phone: 907-274-8638 Fax: 907-263-5183

info@ciri.com ciri.com

Noteworthy: CIRI is one of the primary investors in the Middletown Energy Center, a 475 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant under construction in Middletown, Ohio. The plant is slated to begin commercial operations in 2018.

Year Established: 1972

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $289,048,000

Subsidiaries: CIRI Land Development Co. (CLDC); North Wind Group; Fire Island Wind LLC; Cruz Energy Services LLC; Cruz Marine LLC; Weldin Construction LLC; Silver Mountain Construction LLC; CIRI Services Corporation; ANC Research & Development; CIRI Capital Company

2015 $222,810,000 2014 $304,421,000 2013 $214,930,000 2012 $237,849,000 $0

$100 Million

$200M

$300M

$400M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

1,403

283

20%

2

29.7%

AlASkA · NORTh DAkOTA · TExAS An Alaska Corporation

Celebrating 10 years of suCCess in the oil & gas industry

PROJEC T M ANAGEMENT · FABRIC ATION CONSTRUC TION · OPER ATIONS & M AINTENANCE 82

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Main Business: Alaska Native Corporation representing the Kodiak region. Koniag owns several subsidiaries in multiple business lines including government services, information technology, natural resources, tourism, oil field services, and real estate.

ANC

Koniag, Inc.

Principal Activities: Alaska Regional Native Corporation with operations in government services, information technology, natural resource development, oilfield services, real estate services, technical services and tourism.

251M

Koniag, Inc. Elizabeth Perry, PhD, President/CEO

Noteworthy: Koniag established two new Shareholder programs this year. The Richard Frost Youth Scholarship provides Shareholders and Descendants with up to $500 to attend training or camps that will help them reach their goals. The Burial Assistance Program provides up to $1,000 to assist with burial expenses.

194 Alimaq Dr. Kodiak, AK 99615 Phone: 907-486-2530 Fax: 907-486-3325

facebook.com/KoniagInc koniag.com

Subsidiaries: Digitized Schematic Solutions, LLC; Frontier Systems Integrator, LLC; Koniag Development Company, LLC; Koniag Services, Inc.; Professional Computing Resources, Inc.; XMCO, Inc.; Dowland-Bach Corporation; Koniag Information Security Services, LLC; Granite Cove Quarry, LLC; Koniag Technology Solutions, Inc.; Nunat Holdings, LLC; Near Island Building, LLC; Karluk Wilderness Adventures, Inc. dba Kodiak Brown Bear Center and dba Karluk River Cabins; PacArctic, LLC; Open Systems Technology, DE, LLC; Arlluk Technology Solutions, LLC; Eagle Harbor Solutions, LLC; Kadiak, LLC; Tuknik Government Services, LLC

Year Established: 1972

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $251,588,000 2015 $267,460,000 2014 $211,493,000 2013 $202,616,000 2012 $129,234,000 $0

$50 Million

$100M

$150M

$200M

$250M

$300M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

469

12%

1

5.9%

“I’m not talking about years. I’m talking about generations.” People who know, know BDO.SM BDO can work with your business to develop a wide range of economic projects. Our dedicated professionals offer a range of strategic and analytic solutions, including audit and tax consultation and specialized tax services, to help grow your business and achieve long-term results. BDO USA, LLP 3601 C Street, Suite 600, Anchorage, AK 99503, 907-278-8878 Accountants and Consultants

www.bdo.com

www.akbizmag.com

October 2017 | Alaska Business

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Worldwide government contracting and commercial services: construction, oilfield and science program support, logistics, environmental remediation, facility operations and maintenance, professional administrative support, and security.

ANC

Olgoonik Corporation

241M

Principal Activities: Olgoonik specializes in construction, security, logistics and operations, environmental remediation, Arctic science operations, inspections and oilfield support services. We have cultivated a wide range of satisfied customers and have a strong reputation as a reliable and ethical partner.

Olgoonik Corporation Hugh Patkotak Sr., President/CEO 3201 C St., Suite 700 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-562-8728 Fax: 907-562-8751

Noteworthy: Olgoonik increased its Arctic land holdings by purchasing 1,518 acres of land near its coastal community of Wainwright.

communications@olgoonik.com olgoonik.com Year Established: 1973

Subsidiaries: Olgoonik Oilfield Services; Olgoonik Specialty Contractors; Olgoonik Logistics; Olgoonik Inspection Services; Olgoonik Management Services; Olgoonik Technical Services; Olgoonik Global Security; Olgoonik Diversified Services; Olgoonik Development; Olgoonik Solutions; Olgoonik Federal; Olgoonik Oilfield Services; Olgoonik Enterprises; Olgoonik Inspection Services; Olgoonik Holdings; Kuk Construction; Olgoonik Construction Services

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $241,800,000 2015 $260,600,000 2014 $231,900,000 2013 $215,200,000 2012 $198,600,000 $0

SAVE THE DATE

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

$50 Million $100M

$150M

$200M

$250M

$300M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

1,001

101

10%

1

7.2%

Alaska Business Hall of Fame Honoring Thomas Barrett, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. Robert B. Gillam, McKinley Capital Management Charles E. “Chuck” Robinson, Alaska Communications (being honored posthumously) Robert Penney, Real Estate Developer/Investor

Dena’ina Center - Thursday, January 25, 2018 5:30 p.m. reception, dinner/ceremony 6:30 p.m. Purchase tickets online at alaska.ja.org or fteo@ja-alaska.org Call Flora at (907) 344-0101 to ask about sponsorship opportunities

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Main Business: Tourism, hospitality, transportation, security services, 8(a) government contracting.

ANC

Gbi

Principal Activities: Goldbelt has expanded operations into the Pacific Northwest with a construction company based in Tacoma and aims to grow opportunities for shareholders and shareholder-owned businesses in the region. Alaska operations continue to thrive with a focus on tourism and service related businesses.

Goldbelt, Incorporated

236M

Goldbelt, Incorporated Elliott Wimberly, President/CEO

Noteworthy: U.S. Secretary of Commerce presented the President’s “E” Certificate for Exports to Goldbelt in 2016 for “an outstanding contribution to the Export Expansion Program of the United States of America.” Ranked #7 of 4500 8(a) companies for volume of business awarded by the federal government in 2016.

3025 Clinton Dr. Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 907-790-4990 Fax: 907-790-4999

media@goldbelt.com goldbelt.com Year Established: 1974

Subsidiaries: Goldbelt Glacier Health Services, LLC; Nisga’a Data Systems, LLC; LifeSource Biomedical, LLC; Goldbelt Eagle, LLC; Goldbelt Falcon, LLC; Goldbelt Hawk, LLC; Peregrine Technical Solutions, LLC; Facility Support Services, LLC; Goldbelt Security, LLC; Goldbelt Raven, LLC; CP Leasing, LLC; Mount Roberts Tramway; Goldbelt Transportation; CP Marine; Goldbelt Speciality Services, LLC; Goldbelt C6; Nisga’a Tek, LLC; Goldbelt Seafoods, LLC; Goldbelt Professional Services, LLC; Goldbelt Operations Support Services, LLC

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $236,747,520 2015 $220,276,480 2014 $169,063,557 2013 $146,033,239 2012 $156,565,827 $50 Million

vices – Gove

$150M

t– en

ontracting. N at

Res

ource Devel op m www.akbizmag.com

$200M

tC en

Tourism – Oi lF

er dS l e i

$100M

al ur

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

$250M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

1,500

250

17%

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

No Change 7.5%

LEADER In All We Do Doyon operates more than a dozen for-profit companies driving hundreds of jobs in Alaska and beyond. WWW.DOYON.COM | 1-888-478-4755

October 2017 | Alaska Business

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Ahtna’s participates in diverse industry sectors including construction and environmental, facilities management, engineering, government contracting, professional/support services, real estate, and oil and gas.

ANC

Ahtna, Inc.

Principal Activities: Ahtna’s principle activities include construction and environmental, facilities management and support, engineering, government contracting, land management and resource development, and oil and gas pipeline services.

217M

Ahtna, Inc. Michelle Anderson, President PO Box 649 Glennallen, AK 99588 Phone: 907-822-3476 Fax: 907-822-3495

Noteworthy: Ahtna has implemented a forest-carbon sequestration inventory project. The program is called carbon offsetting and allows Ahtna to take advantage of the carbon that’s stored in our land’s trees by selling credits to companies to compensate for some of the carbon they push into the atmosphere.

news@ahtna.net ahtna-inc.com

Year Established: 1972

Subsidiaries: Ahtna Netiye’, Inc.; Ahtna Development Corp.; Ahtna Facility Services, Inc.; Ahtna Enterprises Corp.; Ahtna Support & Training Services, LLC; Ahtna Technical Services, Inc.; Ahtna Government Services Corp.; Ahtna Construction & Primary Products Corporation; Ahtna Design Build, Inc.; Ahtna Professional Services, Inc.; Ahtna Environmental, Inc.; Ahtna Technologies, Inc.; AKHI, LLC; Ahtna Global, LLC; Ahtna Logistics, LLC; Tolsona Oil & Gas Exploration, LLC; Ahtna Engineering Services, LLC; AAA Valley Gravel

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $217,700,000 2015 $188,400,000 2014 $185,000,000 2013 $200,000,000 2012 $190,000,000 $160 Million $170M

$180M

$190M

$200M

$210M

$220M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

1,413

374

26%

2

15.6%

Enjoy Deadhorse, Alaska in Hotel-Style Comfort • • • • • • • • • •

Affordable long & short-term lodging in your choice of three facilities:

Eagle Lodge

Convenient locations near Lake Colleen Sea Lion Facility Large, quiet bedrooms with in-room shower Afognak Express Camp Fitness center with exercise equipment Attractive, reduced corporate rates Laundry room available for blocks of rooms. Flat screen TV, DVD player (907) 350-2746 Free cable & high speed Wi-Fi Three quality meals daily www.afognakleasing.com Stocked Spike Room with quality baked goods Regular housekeeping service Parking with plug-ins

Afognak Native Corporation - Serving the Arctic

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Main Business: Electric utility.

UTL

CEa

Principal Activities: Electric Utility.

Chugach Electric Association

197M

Noteworthy: Power Pooling with ML&P and MEA. Chugach Electric Association, Inc. Adopted sustainability as a business philosophy. Lee Thibert, CEO

5601 Electron Dr. Anchorage, AK 99518 Phone: 907-563-7494 Fax: 907-562-0027

info@chugachelectric.com chugachelectric.com Year Established: 1948

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $197,747,579 2015 $216,421,152 2014 $281,318,513 2013 $305,308,427 2012 $266,971,468 $0

$100 Million

$200M

$300M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

300

290

97%

1

8.6%

$400M

E X P E C TAT I O N S H I G H ? WE CAN REACH THEM! Anchorage 11900 South Gambell St. 907-522-9004 Prudhoe Bay Mile 413 Dalton Hwy, Ste. 204 907-659-6223

alaskacrane.net

www.akbizmag.com

Proud Subsidiary of:

Calista Corporation w w w. c a l i s t a c orp . c o m

October 2017 | Alaska Business

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Experts in resource development and heavy civil construction.

INDS

CRZ

Principal Activities: Resource development and heavy civil construction.

Cruz Companies Alaska

183M

Noteworthy: Through active management and a focused behavioral based safety program, Cruz Companies has been able to reduce its Total Recordable Incident Rate to less than half of the national average for heavy civil construction.

Cruz Companies Alaska Dave Cruz, President

7000 E. Palmer Wasilla Hwy. Palmer, AK 99645 Phone: 907-746-3144 Fax: 907-746-5557

info@cruzconstruct.com cruzconstruct.com Year Established: 1981

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $183,717,140 2015 $213,518,131 2014 $191,860,803 2013 $116,798,739 2012 Not ranked $0

$50 Million

$100M

$150M

$200M

$250M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

226

170

75%

1

14%

Building Alaska’s Future CM/GC • Design/Build • Bid/Build

NEVER MAKE ANOTHER COLD CALL

Holly Parsons (907) 257-2910 hparsons@akbizmag.com

Southcentral Foundation • Nuka Wellness and Learning Center info@wccak.com WattersonConstruction.com 88

Make more sales using my marketing expertise. Contact me to get started.

akbizmag.com

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Retail grocery, general merchandise, sporting goods (hunting, fishing & camping), pharmacy, package stores (beer, wine & spirits), and fuel.

RWT

TBa Three Bears Alaska, Inc.

Principal Activities: Retail grocery, general merchandise, sporting goods (hunting, fishing & camping), pharmacy, convenience stores, liquor stores, and fuel.

173M

Three Bears Alaska, Inc. David Weisz, President/CEO 445 N. Pittman Rd., Suite B Wasilla, AK 99623 Phone: 907-357-4311 Fax: 907-357-4312

Noteworthy: Opened new grocery/convenience store/ liquor store/fuel station in Houston in May. Currently building new grocery store/liquor store/hardware store/fuel station in Healy—scheduled to open in December.

steve@threebearsalaska.com threebearsalaska.com Year Established: 1980

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $173,169,699 2015 $175,279,992 2014 $161,254,283 2013 $136,632,222 2012 $130,268,017 $0

www.akbizmag.com

$50 Million

$100M

$150M

$200M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

574

529

92%

1

1.2%

October 2017 | Alaska Business

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Federal government contracting; fuel sales, storage and related services; rental properties; natural resources; industrial instrumentation & process control equipment sales; oil well-testing services; mechanical contracting & construction; water quality testing.

ANC

Aleut Corporation

171M

Matt Fagnani, CEO

Principal Activities: Federal contracting; O&M; instrumentation for oil and gas industry; mechanical contracting; radiological laboratory analysis, field testing, land remediation; commercial and residential real estate; fuel sales and storage; oil well testing services; information technology; and construction services.

info@aleutcorp.com aleutcorp.com

Noteworthy: Not submitted.

Aleut Corporation 4000 Old Seward Hwy., Suite 300 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-561-4300 Fax: 907-563-4328

Year Established: 1972

Subsidiaries: Aleut Enterprises LLC, Anchorage,Alaska; Aleut Management Services, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Aleut Real Estate LLC, Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Instrument LLC, Anchorage, Alaska; C&H Testing LLC Bakersfield, California; Patrick Mechanical; ARS International

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $171,655,823 2015 $137,942,098 2014 $120,307,293 2013 $116,260,627 2012 $98,098,953 $0

$50 Million

$100M

$150M

$200M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

1,066

188

18%

4

24.4%

Engineering Results for Alaskan Communities since 1979 STORMWATER

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Fairbanks 907-452-5688

ENVIRONMENTAL

HEALTH & SAFETY

Anchorage 907-222-2445

Juneau 907-586-6813

Advertise Keep your company in front of the key decision makers

Janis J. Plume Advertising Account Manager (907) 257-2917 • cell 227-8889 janis@akbizmag.com Ask me to put together an advertising plan that fits your budget and offers high visibility in print and online.

Sustainable Environment, Energy, Health & Safety Services www.nortechengr.com 90

(907) 276-4373 • Toll Free (800) 770-4373

akbizmag.com

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Friendly, knowledgeable Alaskans offering the convenience, service and value of a full range of deposit, lending, trust and investment management services, and online and mobile banking. With 29 branches in 18 communities & assets of more than $3.6 billion, we believe in Alaska and have since 1922.

FNBA First National Bank Alaska

150M

Principal Activities: Friendly, knowledgeable Alaskans offering the convenience, service and value of a full range of deposit, lending, trust and investment management services, and online and mobile banking. With 29 branches in 18 communities and assets of more than $3.6 billion, we believe in Alaska & have since 1922.

First National Bank Alaska Betsy Lawer, Chair/President PO Box 100720 Anchorage, AK 99510-0720 Phone: 907-777-4362 Fax: 907-777-3406

customer.service@FNBAlaska.com FNBAlaska.com

Noteworthy: First National was voted Best Place to Work in Alaska by ABM readers for the second year in a row. The bank was also voted first in four other categories: Best Customer Service, Best Corporate Citizen, Best Family-Owned Business and Best Alaska Ad Campaign.

Year Established: 1922

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $150,499,000 2015 $142,215,000 2014 $132M

$132,305,000

2013 $131M

$131,005,000

2012 $144,330,000 $120 Million

$130M

$140M

$150M

Quyanaqpak

Thank you very much

$160M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

665

100%

2

5.8%

The UIC Foundation wishes to thank all the businesses and individuals who donated their time, money and efforts to make our 4th Annual Golf Tournament a success. AFOGNAK NATIVE CORPORATION • ASHLEY DENTS • ASRC ENERGY SERVICES • BIRD TREATMENT AND LEARNING CENTER • BREANNA TAYLOR • CARI CAYTON • CAROL MURPHREY • CLIFF JOHNSON • DARRELL BROWER • DEB ORTH • DON GRAY • DORIS HUGO • EBONY BROWN • EMILY MCDONALD • GREG SOLOMON • HARRIET LEAVITT • HEATHER HOPSON • HILCORP • HOLLAND & KNIGHT • HOLMES WEDDLE & BARCOTT CALIFORNIA • J.B. GOTTSTEIN • KARLIN ITCHOAK • KASSBOHRER PISTENBULLY • KENDALL TOYOTA OF ANCHORAGE • KLONDIKE PROMOTIONS • KRISTINA BAIBORODOVA • LINDSAY PANIGEO • MARIO GAMBOA • MARTINA HOPSON • MICHAELA MURPHREY • MICHELLE MCCOY • NANA MANAGEMENT SERVICES • NC MACHINERY • NOMADIC STARS • NORTHERN LIGHTS ORIGINALS • NORTHERN PRINTING • NORTHSTAR ALASKA • PARKER, SMITH & FEEK • PIP PRINTING • RISINGHILL MARKETING • ROBERT KANAYURAK • SELMA KHAN • TASHA MICHAEL • TAUQSIGVIK • TEBUGHNA • TENNESSEE JUDKINS • TERRI MITCHELL • TIM MURPHREY • TRISTAN MORGAN • UIC CAR RENTAL • UIC LANDS • UIC MARKETING • UIC UMIAQ • UKPEAĠVIK IÑUPIAT CORPORATION • UNITED RENTAL

One of UIC’s most important imperatives is to maintain a comprehensive program to develop, train, and mentor our shareholders. www.akbizmag.com

Carol Murphrey UIC Foundation Manager 1250 Agvik St Barrow, AK 99723 carol.murphrey@uicalaska.com P: (907) 677-5207 uicfoundation@uicalaska.com

October 2017 | Alaska Business

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Sealaska Government Services. Natural Resources. Seafood and Natural Foods.

ANC

Principal Activities: Sealaska has three business segments: Natural Resources – Create the greatest financial, cultural and community benefit from our lands; Water & Maritime Seafood business maximizes the value and health of the ocean, while enhancing and protecting the capacity of the ocean to sustain resources.

Sealaska

145M

Sealaska Anthony Mallott, President/CEO One Sealaska Plaza, Suite 400 Juneau, AK 99801-1276 Phone: 907-586-1512 Fax: 907-586-2304

Noteworthy: April 2017, Sealaska acquired a majority ownership in Odyssey, a Seattle based seafood and marketing co. Sealaska made its first investment in 2016, as part of its 2012 strategic plan, and purchased a minority interest in Independent Packers Corporation, a custom seafood processor located in Seattle.

webmaster@sealaska.com sealaska.com Year Established: 1972

5 Year Revenue Review

Subsidiaries: Sealaska Timber Company; Alaska Coastal Aggregates; Sealaska Environmental Services; Managed Business Solutions; Sealaska Constructors, LLC; Sealaska Construction Solutions, LLC; Sealaska Government Services, LLC; Sealaska Technical Services, LLC

2016 $145,500,000 2015 $109M

$109,440,000

2014 $121M

$121,540,000

2013 $164,950,000 2012 $311,620,000 $0

$50 Million $100M

$150M

$200M

$250M

$300M

$350M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

264

19%

5

32.9%

Main Business: A member-owned electric cooperative that serves just over 50,000 members across more than 4,300 miles of power lines in the Mat-Su and Eagle River areas. MEA’s mission is to provide safe reliable energy at reasonable rates with exceptional member service and commitment to the community they serve.

UTL

MEa

Matanuska Electric Association

137M

Matanuska Electric Association, Inc. Tony Izzo, General Manager/CEO

PO Box 2929 | Palmer, AK 99645 Phone: 907-761-9300 | Fax: 907-761-9368

facebook.com/matanuska.electric mea.coop

Principal Activities: As Alaska’s oldest existing and second largest member-owned cooperative, MEA serves nearly 60,000 members in the Mat-Su and Chugiak/Eagle River areas. Focus remains to provide safe reliable energy at reasonable rates with exceptional member service and commitment to the community they serve. Noteworthy: With a continued focus on partnership within the railbelt, 2016 marked the year of a formalized agreement with Railbelt neighbors merging generation resources. Modeling shows this could save our region $12-16M in fuel costs with $2-3M of that directly offsetting MEA rates.

Year Established: 1941

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $137,279,126 2015 $142,549,343 2014 $116,570,742 2013 $105,000,000 2012 $106,482,000 $0

$50 Million

$100M

$150M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

190

100%

1

3.7%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Arctic Chiropractic Exemplifies Quality Conservative Healthcare in Alaska

rctic Chiropractic Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy is an Alaskan company with an “authentically Alaskan” origin. Dr. Walter Campbell, a lifelong Alaskan, founded Arctic Chiropractic in 2005 to offer chiropractic services to underserved, rural areas where services were greatly needed. The company has gone from a one man itinerant clinic, servicing a few locations in rural Alaska, to a network of twenty chiropractic clinics and nine physical therapy clinics, spanning the state from Utqiaġvik (Barrow) to Dutch Harbor, Nome to Ketchikan, and most places in between. Dr. Campbell was born in Fairbanks, raised in Utqiaġvik, and now resides in Palmer. Growing up in Utqiaġvik, he was acutely aware of the needs of rural Alaskans and how difficult it can be to receive quality healthcare. “From early on, I knew the next step in advancing chiropractic healthcare in Alaska was to bring it to the areas in Alaska that needed it most and had little access to it,” Dr. Campbell says. “So we have been able to do that, and it’s been the most rewarding aspect of my career. We’ve brought a lot to places that didn’t have many, if any options before. I’m also very proud of our larger clinics in the bigger cities and towns, where we offer many treatment options

and expertise for health and wellness, and usually more than one location, so patients can choose the clinic most convenient for them.” “I’ve been amazingly fortunate to partner with great doctors along the way: Doctors Ed Foster, Rob Lewis, Dwayne Engelbrecht, Chris Twiford, Lew Pagel, Miranda Montejo, James Chavis, and Jamie McNabb, to name a few. They, and the communities both large and small across the state, who have welcomed us, as well as the hard working staff and therapists on the Arctic team, are why we are in so many Alaskan communities today. We provide a service and we do it well, but without them there would be no Arctic.” “Most of our clinics are unique, as well, in that they are owner-operated. We have built a clinic network that is truly a team of doctors and professionals who share the vision of health and wellness for all of Alaska.” Arctic’s commitment to service doesn’t just extend into healthcare— there are several veterans among the doctors and staff of Arctic, including Dr. Walter Campbell (USMC), Dr. Justin Petersen of the Utqiaġvik and Eagle River offices (USMC), Dr. Laura Homaki of the Unalaska and Dutch Harbor clinics (Army), and Dr. Woody Waldroup, formerly of the Dillingham and Eagle River clinics (Navy).

Arctic clinics offer a multi-disciplinary approach, with chiropractic and physical therapy at most locations and other practitioners and therapists, employing massage, deep tissue, naturopathic, and other conservative care treatments to accomplish the best outcomes for each and every patient. “If you are in pain with stiff, sore joints, muscles, headaches, neck aches, back aches, or you have been injured or have limited range of motion, more than likely we can help. The help we offer goes after the cause of your pain or lack of mobility—and doesn’t just treat the symptom. Our primary focus is working with the body to allow it to repair, strengthen, and heal itself. We offer more lasting solutions, not just to get you better, but to get you well.” “Arctic is blessed. This company owes its growth and success to the communities that welcomed us in, the patients who came to us in their time of need, and the many, many people who have worked long and hard to provide the quality care that we strive for,” says Dr. Campbell. “What we have been able to do is a testament to the skill, ethic, love, and goodwill of all those people. That we are able to help the people we help, in all the cities and towns in this state that we love, is as satisfying and rewarding as it gets.” Dr. Walter Campbell (907) 746-7842 1150 South Colony Way, Suite 3 PMB 226 Palmer, AK 99645 arcticchiropractic.com

– PA I D A D V E R T I S E M E N T –

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Village Corporation.

ANC

SNc

Principal Activities: Apparel manufacturing, construction, federal service contracting, financial services, fuel distribution, real estate.

Sitnasuak Native Corporation

130M

Noteworthy: 2016 was a great year for Sitnasuak. Roberta “Bobbi” Quintavell (our new President & CEO) replaced Richard Strutz, who announced his retirement plans early in the year. Sales and profits were up, ALL business lines were profitable and 2017 is turning out to be another great year.

Sitnasuak Native Corporation Roberta Quintavell, President/CEO 400 Bering St. Nome, AK 99762 Phone: 907-387-1200 Fax: 907-443-3063

Subsidiaries: SNC Technical Services, LLC; Fidelity Title Agency Alaska, LLC; GBS, LLC; Nanuaq, LLC; Nanuaq Development, LLC; Sitnasuak Construction Services, LLC; Sitnasuak Health Solutions, LLC; Sitnasuak Properities, LLC; Aurora Industries, LLC; API, LLC; Sound Fabric, LLC; SNC Manufacturing, LLC; Bonanza Fuel, LLC; MatSu Title Agency, LLC; Sitnasuak Financial Services, LLC; Bonanza Fuel, Inc; Mat-Su Title, LLC

snc.org

Year Established: 1972

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $130,210,466 2015 $116,912,297 2014 $88,128,089 2013 $93,147,344 2012 Not ranked $0

$50 Million

$100M

$150M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

950

100

11%

2

11.4%

Main Business: With locations in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, our infusion team provides IV therapy both in our infusion suites and patients’ homes. Our GO Tech team delivers compliance packaged medications and Home medical supplies to patient homes and care facilities. We help you stay healthy at home.

GWP Geneva Woods Pharmacy, Inc.

128M

Geneva Woods Pharmacy, Inc. Dan Afrasiabi, President/CEO

501 W. International Airport Rd., Suite 1A Anchorage, AK 99518 Phone: 907-565-6100 Fax: 907-565-6112

info@genevawoods.com genevawoods.com

Principal Activities: Complete hose of clinical pharmacy services including Home infusion, specialty pharmacy, Sterile and non-sterile compounding and retail. Delivery of Home medical equipment and supplies, including a full respiratory department with clinical respiratory therapists, and a complex rehab department. Noteworthy: Acquisition of additional operations in the pacific northwest including multiple pharmacy acquisitions.

Year Established: 1977

5 Year Revenue Review

Subsidiaries: Geneva Woods Washington LLC

2016 $128,649,000 2015 $106,400,000 2014 $95,000,000 2013 $60,000,000 2012 Not ranked $0

$50M

$100M

$150M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

545

238

44%

4

20.9%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Fairbanks A L A S K A Anchorage

Whittier

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Aquatrain

Prince Rupert

Your Alaska Connection Proudly serving our customers since 1962

• Shortest water route with 5-day service from Prince Rupert BC to Whittier AK • Carload and container service IN and OUT of Alaska • Access to all major U.S. and Canadian markets • Consistent year-round service and operation

Contact Jeff Chow today | 604.679.5684 | jeff.chow@cn.ca

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Village Corporation.

ANC

TDX

Principal Activities: Hotels/tourism, airport parking, civil/vertical construction, environmental remediation/UXO, industrial welding/ cleaning, bulk fuel sales/storage/distribution, remote power generation, alternative, renewable & smart energy, electric utilities & power plants, fiber & wireless technologies, electronic warfare.

Tanadgusix Corporation

122M

Tanadgusix Corp. (TDX) Ron Philemonoff, CEO

Noteworthy: Not submitted.

3601 C St., Suite 1000 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-278-2312 Fax: 907-278-2316

Subsidiaries: TDX Government Services Division; TDX Power Division; TDX Glogal; Bering Sea Group; Hotel and Parking Division

info@tanadgusix.com tanadgusix.com/ Year Established: 1973

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $122,200,000 2015 Not ranked 2014 Not ranked 2013 Not ranked 2012 Not ranked $0

$50 Million

$100M

$150M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

572

141

25%

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

Not Ranked

N/A

Main Business: Delta Constructors specializes in Construction Management (estimating, planning, scheduling and project execution) and direct hire construction for structural, piping, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation disciplines, in support of Up & Mid-Stream Oil and Gas development.

C&E

Delta Constructors, LLC

121M

Principal Activities: Delta Constructors provides execution management and direct hire construction services to the oil and gas industry throughout Alaska, North Dakota, and Texas. Delta is an innovative, results driven company committed to safety, quality, cost, and schedule performance leadership.

Delta Constructors LLC Ed Gohr, CEO

3000 C St., Suite 202 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-771-5800 Fax: 907-771-5911

info@deltaconstructors.net deltaconstructors.net

Noteworthy: Delta has recently expanded its operations to include the Permian Basis in West Texas.

Year Established: 2007

5 Year Revenue Review

Subsidiaries: Palisade Energy, LLC

2016 $121,228,363 2015 $179,492,000 2014 Not ranked 2013 Not ranked 2012 Not ranked $0

$50 Million

$100M

$150M

$200M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

650

ď&#x192;&#x2C6;8

ď&#x192;&#x2C6;32.5%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: MTA is at the forefront of Alaska’s technology revolution, empowering its member-owners to live a connected life. MTA, an Alaskan owned telecommunications cooperative, provides broadband, business solutions/IT services, DTV, local dial-tone, directory and TV advertising.

T&T

MTA MTA, Inc.

100M

Principal Activities: MTA is leading Alaska’s technology revolution, empowering its member-owners to live a connected life. MTA, an Alaskan-owned communications company, delivers broadband, business solutions, data center, IT services, TV, landline, on-line directory and TV advertising.

MTA, Inc. Michael Burke, CEO 1740 S. Chugach St. Palmer, AK 99645 Phone: 907-745-3211 Fax: 907-761-2688

facebook.com/MatanuskaTelephone mtasolutions.com

Noteworthy: MTA was able to gain regulatory stability by working with our fellow Alaskan telecommunications companies and our Congressional Delegation to get the Alaska Plan approved by the FCC. The Alaska Plan restores $8 million in federal high-cost support that will allow us to grow our fiber network.

Year Established: 1953

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $100,000,000

Subsidiaries: MTA Communications; AlasConnect

2015 $99,200,000 2014 $97,100,000 2013 $97,300,000 2012 $96M $94 Million

$95M

www.akbizmag.com

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

362

100%

5

0.8%

$96,000,000 $96M

$97M

$98M

$99M

$100M

October 2017 | Alaska Business

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Construction and mining equipment sales, rentals, service, and parts.

INDS

CMI

Principal Activities: Construction and mining equipment, parts, service, sales and rentals.

Construction Machinery Industrial

98M

Noteworthy: Added Kubota line for engines, compressors, and parts. Added Tioga Heaters and Xtreme Forklifts.

Construction Machinery Industrial, LLC Ken Gerondale, President/CEO

5400 Homer Dr. | Anchorage, AK 99518 Phone: 907-563-3822 | Fax: 907-563-1381

o.prestwick@cmiak.com cmiak.com Year Established: 1985

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $98,000,000 2015 $105,000,000 2014 $127,000,000 2013 $134,000,000 2012 $145,000,000 $0

$50 Million

$100M

$150M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

105

100%

1

6.7%

Main Business: Oilfield services, construction management, electrical & mechanical construction.

INDS

UOss

Principal Activities: Oilfield services, electrical, mechanical & plumbing.

Udelhoven Oilfield System Services

97M

Noteworthy: Jim Udelhoven inducted to Alaska Business Hall of Fame.

Udelhoven Oilfield System Services Jim Udelhoven, CEO

184 E. 53rd Ave. | Anchorage, AK 99518-1222 Phone: 907-344-1577 | Fax: 907-344-5817

Subsidiaries: Udelhoven Inc., Houston; and Udelhoven International Inc., Houston.

rfrontdesk@udelhoven.com udelhoven.com Year Established: 1970

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $97,181,224 2015 $148,746,045 2014 $198,377,193 2013 $166,229,644 2012 $148,165,163 0

$50 Million

$100M

$150M

$200M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

320

312

98%

9

34.7%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Main Business: Colville’s group of oilfield companies provide a full complement of Arctic Logistics capabilities. Our services include fuel, aviation, waste management, transport, industrial supply and camp services.

INDS

Colville, Inc.

96M

Principal Activities: Colville’s group of oil field support and retail companies operate safely, reliably, and efficiently from Prudhoe Bay to the Kenai Peninsula. Our suite of capabilities include fuel and supply chain management, transport and tow services, waste management, aviation support, and camp services.

Colville, Inc. Dave Pfeifer, President/CEO Pouch 340012 Prudhoe Bay, AK 99734 Phone: 907-659-3198 Fax: 907-659-3190

Noteworthy: Colville expanded its logistics capabilities with the purchase of a deicing truck to service both commercial and private aviation clients at the Deadhorse Airport as well as the acquisition of Ben’s Auto in Fairbanks and three additional Napa Auto Parts Stores located in Kenai, Soldotna, and Seward.

info@colvilleinc.com colvilleinc.com Year Established: 1981

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $96,299,358

Subsidiaries: Colville Transport LLC; Brooks Range Supply, Inc.; Brooks Camp, LLC

2015 $132,986,277 2014 $125,690,815 2013 $105,600,000 2012 $110,000,000 $0

www.akbizmag.com

$50M

$100M

$150M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

215

100%

6

27.6%

October 2017 | Alaska Business

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Homer Electric Association is a member-owned electric cooperative serving over 22,892 members on the western Kenai Peninsula from Soldotna, Kenai, Homer and remote communities across Kachemak Bay.

UTL

HEa Homer Electric Association, Inc.

95M

Homer Electric Association, Inc. Bradley Janorschke, General Manager 3977 Lake St. Homer, AK 99603 Phone: 907-235-8551 Fax: 907-235-3313

Principal Activities: Homer Electric Association, Inc., a memberowned Touchstone Energy electric cooperative, provides electric service to 23,494 member-owners on the southern Kenai Peninsula and remote communities across Kachemak Bay. Noteworthy: Homer Electric Association, Inc. has partnered with Touchstone Energy Cooperatives - a resource of larger, national network of electric cooperatives. Making up America’s largest utility network, it has over 30.5 million member-owners and more than 700 local electric co-ops in 47 states.

contact_us@homerelectric.com homerelectric.com Year Established: 1945

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $95,000,000

Subsidiaries: Alaska Electric and Energy Cooperative, Inc.; Kenai Hydro, LLC

2015 $97,000,000 2014 $92,000,000 2013 $92,000,000 2012 $91M $88 Million

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

137

100%

2

2.1%

$91,000,000

$90M

$92M

$94M

$96M

$98M

Main Business: Passenger Transportation throughout SW Alaska, with hubs in the lower 48 in Portland, OR, Boston, MA, and Denver, CO. Also specializing in Charters and Freight service throughout the State of Alaska.

TSRP

PA PenAir

89M

Principal Activities: Schedule passenger service throughout Alaska and the lower 48 with hubs in Anchorage, Boston, Denver & Portland.

PenAir Danny Seybert, CEO 6100 Boeing Ave. Anchorage, AK 99502 Phone: 800-446-4228 Fax: 907-334-5763

Noteworthy: Opened seven new routes/markets in 2016.

missy.roberts@penair.com penair.com Year Established: 1955

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $89,900,000 2015 $89,952,112 2014 $79,700,000 2013 $78,300,000 2012 $81,300,000 $70M

100

$75M

$80M

$85M

$90M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

700

400

57%

2

0.1%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Main Business: Alaska Native Corporation serving the Kuskokwim River region.

ANC

TKc

Principal Activities: Alaska Native Corporation specializing in real estate, investments, aerospace, IO&T services, helicopter maintenance, logistics support, small aircraft repair, environmental and restoration services, and heavy civil construction.

The Kuskokwim Corporation

88M

The Kuskokwim Corporation Maver Carey, President/CEO

Noteworthy: The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC) enjoyed another successful and profitable year, thanks to a strong balance sheet and diverse revenue stream. TKC is now looking beyond current business ventures to the future for our corporation by focusing on internships, training and job readiness for Shareholders.

4300 B St., Suite 207 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-243-2944 Fax: 907-243-2984

info@kuskokwim.com kuskokwim.com Year Established: 1977

Subsidiaries: TKC Development; Tumeq, LLC; Kuskokwim Properties, LLC; TKC Aerospace, Inc.; Suulutaaq, Inc.; Precision Air, Inc.; Swift River Environmental Services, LLC; SIOTS, LLC; Charleston Logistics, LLC; Stony River Technologies, LLC; Green HID, LLC; Holitna Construction, LLC; Precision Heli-Support, LLC

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $88,719,545 2015 $86,423,567 2014 $73,122,018 2013 Not ranked 2012 $95,000,000 $0

$20 Million

www.akbizmag.com

$40M

$60M

$80M

$100M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

135

11%

ď&#x192;&#x2021;3

ď&#x192;&#x2021;2.7%

October 2017 | Alaska Business

101

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Coal Mine and affiliate companies.

UCM

Principal Activities: UCM supplies ultra-low sulfur coal to the six Interior Alaska power plants.

Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc.

80M

Noteworthy: UCM launched a new safety campaign to rebrand, reinforce and reemphasize safety as a top priority for employees and their families: “Everyday Safety – At Work. At Home. At Play.” The University of Alaska Fairbanks recognized the Usibelli Family as one of the three “Philanthropists of the Century.”

Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc. Joseph E. Usibelli Jr., President/CEO 100 Cushman St., Suite 210 Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: 907-452-2625 Fax: (907) 451-6543

lisa@usibelli.com usibelli.com

Year Established: 1943

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $80,000,000 2015 $86,000,000 2014 $97,000,000 2013 $103,000,000 2012 $86,000,000 $0

$25 Million

$50M

$75M

$100M

$125M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

183

148

81%

3

7%

Main Business: Franchised dealer of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Trucks.

RWT

ACDc Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Center

79M

Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Center Corey Meyers, President

Principal Activities: Franchised Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership. Selling new and used cars and trucks. In addition, Anchorage Chrysler Dodge has complete parts and service departments servicing all makes and models. Noteworthy: In 2017 Anchorage Chrysler Center added two new members to their management team. Todd Novak with 28yrs experience was hired as Fixed Operations Director. Robbie Dixon with 15 years in retail vehicle sales was hired as Fleet Manager.

2601 E. Fifth Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-276-1331 Fax: 907-264-2202

KristineHorst@accak.com accak.com Year Established: 1963

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $79,853,962 2015 $89,313,811 2014 $97,752,543 2013 $85,550,000 2012 $78,422,000 $0

102

$25M

$50M

$75M

$100M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

105

100%

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

No Change 10.6%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Main Business: Bethel’s companies engage in many diverse lines of business including government contracting, construction, logistical support, environmental remediation and commercial real estate, with offices in Bethel, Anchorage and the Lower 48.

ANC

BNc Bethel Native Corporation

71M

Principal Activities: Principal lines of business include investments in the securities market; commercial real estate investments; and investments in numerous operating subsidiary companies engaging in construction contracting and environmental remediation and consulting.

Bethel Native Corporation Anastasia Hoffman, President/CEO PO Box 719 Bethel, AK 99559 Phone: 907-543-2124 Fax: 907-543-2897

Noteworthy: Bethel Federal Services, LLC, an SBA 8(a) certified subsidiary providing facility support services, was recently awarded a large construction project by the US Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District to build an F-35A Hangar at Eielson AFB, Alaska. They have partnered w/UNIT Company on this project.

ahoffman@bncak.com bethelnativecorp.org Year Established: 1973

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $71,771,183

Subsidiaries: Bethel Solutions Inc; Bethel Services Inc; Bethel Federal Services LLC; Bethel Environmental Solutions LLC; Bethel Contracting LLC

2015 $54,275,351 2014 Not ranked 2013 Not ranked 2012 $53,581,000 $0

$20 Million

$40M

$60M

$80M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

125

48%

8

32.2%

Innovation at the Speed of Light. It’s here. True, high speed, broadband, fiber optic capacity. Delivering performance Alaskans deserve. Service is currently available in Deadhorse, and Prudhoe Bay where Quintillion’s JV infield fiber system is also available. Coming in 2017: Utqiagvik, Point Hope, Wainwright, Kotzebue and Nome! Explore, produce, innovate and create efficiencies: • More Bandwidth • Lower Cost • Enhanced Security and Reliability

Qexpressnet.com

www.akbizmag.com

October 2017 | Alaska Business

103

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Davis brings a “full service” approach to projects, tailoring services to meet the specific needs of each client from design inception to project completion. Davis brings over 30 years of experience in Design/Build project delivery, representing over 3.5 million square feet of construction.

C&E

DCE

Davis Constructors & Engineers, Inc.

65M

Principal Activities: Davis is able to provide: pre-construction consulting services, constructability reviews, construction management services, CM@Risk Services, design/build, civil and general construction, estimating services (civil and vertical), value engineering/life cycle cost analysis, and CPM scheduling.

Davis Constructors & Engineers, Inc. Josh Pepperd, President/CEO

6591 A St., Suite 300 | Anchorage, AK 99518 Phone: 907-562-2336 | Fax: 907-561-3620

admin@davisconstructors.com davisconstructors.com

Noteworthy: Davis Constructors will finish the Anchorage Museum Expansion and Alaska Gallery Renovation, Turnagain Elementary School Renovation and the UAF Engineering Building in 2017. Additionally in 2017 Davis held the first Anchorage Barefoot Mile, raising over $200,000 to fight human trafficking.

Year Established: 1976

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $65.4M

$65,497,161

Subsidiaries: Mass Excavation, Inc.

2015 $108,023,675 2014 $136,117,019 2013 $163,639,861 2012 $218,000,000 $0

$50 Million

$100M

$150M

$200M

$250M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

104

100%

10

39.4%

Main Business: Credit Union 1 values responsible, accessible lending as one of our most vital community services. We’re proud to offer versatile accounts and quality loans to match our members’ unique needs and lifestyle, and our many electronic services represent the cutting edge of personal money management.

CU1 Credit Union 1

64M

Principal Activities: Credit Union 1 provides financial services such as savings accounts, checking accounts, auto loans, mortgage loans, personal loans, credit cards, certificates and IRAS to anyone who lives and/or works in Alaska.

Credit Union 1 Paul Yang, President/CEO 1941 Abbott Rd. Anchorage, AK 99507 Phone: 907-339-9485 Fax: 907-339-8522

Noteworthy: In 2016, we raised and contributed $257,000 for charitable organizations across Alaska, and our employees volunteered over 5,300 hours for non-profit projects and events.

service@cu1.org cu1.org

Year Established: 1952

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $64,618,093 2015 $60,879,254 2014 $58,634,026 2013 $52,618,949 2012 Not ranked $0

104

$10M

$20M

$30M

$40M

$50M

$60M

$70M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

374

359

96%

3

6.1%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Main Business: General, electrical and engineering contractor with emphasis in telecommunications. In-house engineering, installation and project management services for urban and remote communications facilities, OSP and ISP cabling as well as electrical and communications equipment installation and integration.

C&E

NHt New Horizons Telecom, Inc.

64M

Principal Activities: Telecommunications infrastructure design and construction. Multi-disciplined engineering and installation of fiber optic, microwave and wireless components including urban and remote RF/tower sites, data centers, long haul OSP, satellite earth stations, back-up power systems, etc.

New Horizons Telecom, Inc. Leighton Lee, CEO

901 Cope Industrial Way Palmer, AK 99645 Phone: 907-761-6000 Fax: 907-761-6001

info@nhtiusa.com nhtiusa.com

Noteworthy: Completion of Quintillion Networks terrestrial fiber and ocean terminal facilities ahead of schedule and under budget.

Year Established: 1978

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $64,530,905 2015 Not ranked 2014 Not ranked 2013 Not ranked 2012 Not ranked $0

$20 Million

$40M

$60M

$80M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

93%

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

Not Ranked

N/A

Main Business: ANC holding company.

ANC

CFc

Principal Activities: Government contractor, hospitality, tourism & retail.

63M

Noteworthy: New Contracts awarded.

Cape Fox Corporation

Subsidiaries: Cape Fox Shared Services; Cape Fox Federal Integrators; Cape Fox Facilities Services; Saxman One; Eagle Health; Concentric Methods; NAVAR; Cape Fox Government Services; Cape Fox Lodge; Ketchikan Title Agency; Cape Fox Tours; Cape Fox Professional Services

Chris Luchtefeld, COO PO Box 8558 Ketchikan, AK 99901 Phone: 907-225-5163 Fax: 907-225-3137

tcline@capefoxcorp.com capefoxcorp.com Year Established: 1973

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $63,532,532 2015 Not ranked 2014 Not ranked 2013 Not ranked 2012 Not ranked $0

www.akbizmag.com

$20 Million

$40M

$60M

$80M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

575

115

20%

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

Not Ranked

N/A

October 2017 | Alaska Business

105

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: Complete financial services for individuals & businesses. 19 branches in AK & WA, more than 40 ATMs, and network access to more than 5,300 branches and 30,000 ATMs make us Alaska’s most convenient financial institution! Check out our website at denalifcu.org or our mobile site.

DFcu Denali Federal Credit Union

57M

Principal Activities: Complete financial services for individuals and businesses.

Denali Federal Credit Union Robert Teachworth, President/CEO 440 E. 36th Ave. Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-257-7200 Fax: 907-222-5806

Noteworthy: Denali’s CUSOs have initiated several analytical programs and products which have been purchased by financial institutions in Alaska and the Lower 48 to assist them with their financial planning programming.

info@denalifcu.com denalifcu.org

Year Established: 1948

Subsidiaries: Denali Analytics; Deep Future Analytics

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $57,973,581 2015 $52,984,258 2014 $49,011,797 2013 Not ranked 2012 Not ranked $40 Million

$45M

$50M

$55M

$60M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

325

320

98%

4

9.4%

Vitus Energy LLC

Main Business: Vitus Marine specializes in meeting the marine transportation and fuel distribution needs of Western Alaska maritime communities. Vitus currently provides fuel and freight delivery services across Western Alaska.

55M

Principal Activities: Fuel Sales and Transportation.

Vitus Energy LLC

Noteworthy: Successfully completed flagship dry-docking in Western Alaska.

Mark Smith, CEO

113 W. Northern Lights Blvd., Suite 200 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-278-6700 Fax: 907-278-6701

Subsidiaries: Central Alaska Energy; Vitus Marine; Vitus Terminals

info@vitusmarine.com vitus-energy.com Year Established: 2009

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $55,000,000 2015 $63,000,000 2014 $69,000,000 2013 $89,600,000 2012 Not ranked $0

106

$20 Million

$40M

$60M

$80M

$100M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

100%

2

12.7%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Main Business: Largest industrial/construction heavy equipment rental company in Alaska. Providing rentals, sales and service for the construction and oil & gas industries.

INDS

AER

Airport Equipment Rentals

Principal Activities: Largest industrial/construction heavy equipment rental company in Alaska. Providing rentals, sales, parts and service for the construction and oil & gas industry.

54M

Airport Equipment Rentals Jerry Sadler, Owner/President

Noteworthy: Paid off the Headquarters building in Fairbanks, now debt free in real estate.

1285 Van Horn Rd. Fairbanks, AK 99707 Phone: 907-456-2000 Fax: 907-457-7609

Subsidiaries: The Rental Zone

aerinc4@alaska.net airportequipmentrentals.com Year Established: 1986

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $54,361,000 2015 $75,624,000 2014 $63,212,586 2013 $55,000,001 2012 $54,000,000 $0

$20 Million

$40M

$60M

$80M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

100

100%

5

28.1%

Main Business: Transportation.

TSRP

TOl

Principal Activities: Everts Air Cargo provides scheduled and charter (domestic & international) air freight services using MD-80, DC-9, DC-6, and C-46 aircraft. Everts Air Alaska provides passenger, freight and charter service out of Fairbanks using Pilatus & Caravan aircraft.

Tatonduk Outfitters Ltd.

54M

Tatonduk Outfitters Ltd. DBA Everts Air Cargo Robert Everts, CEO/Owner

5525 Airport Industrial Rd. | Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: 907-450-2300 | Fax: 907-450-2320

info@EvertsAir.com EvertsAir.com

Noteworthy: The Everts Maintenance Team completed a major dismantling of a Curtiss Wright C-46 Commando in preparation for transport to a museum in Israel. There, it will tell the story of Operation Michaelberg, where in 1947, 150 clandestine immigrants were transported via C-46 from Iraq and Italy to Israel. Subsidiaries: Everts Air Cargo; Everts Air Alaska

Year Established: 1978

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $54,135,000 2015 $57,140,000 2014 $53,150,000 2013 $51,950,000 2012 $50,785,000 $46 Million

$48M

www.akbizmag.com

$50M

$52M

$54M

$56M

$58M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

326

296

91%

1

5.3%

October 2017 | Alaska Business

107

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

Main Business: General contractor; commercial construction vertical and civil work.

C&E

RHC

Principal Activities: General contractor; commercial and road work.

Roger Hickel Contracting, Inc.

53M

Roger Hickel Contracting, Inc. Mike Shaw, President

Noteworthy: Expanded company operations to the State of Washington.

11001 Calaska Cir. Anchorage, AK 99515 Phone: 907-279-1400 Fax: 907-279-1405

contact@rhcak.com rogerhickelcontracting.com Year Established: 1995

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $53,447,999 2015 $50,787,881 2014 $65,585,188 2013 $67,963,073 2012 Not ranked $0

$20 Million

$40M

$60M

$80M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

81%

1

5.2%

Main Business: Automotive sales, service, parts and body shop.

RWT

SFL

Principal Activities: New and Used automobile sales, service and parts.

Seekins Ford Lincoln, Inc.

52M

Noteworthy: In 2016, Seekins expanded their automobile maintenance and repair with a new Quick Lane facility located on Eielson AFB.

Seekins Ford Lincoln, Inc. Ralph Seekins, President 1625 Seekins Ford Dr. Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: 907-459-4000 Fax: 907-459-4057

sales@seekins.com seekins.com

Year Established: 1977

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $52,554,917 2015 $69,690,934 2014 $68,469,689 2013 $67,581,913 2012 $74,556,932 $0

108

$20 Million

$40M

$60M

$80M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

103

100%

7

24.6%

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Main Business: Kendall Audi Volkswagen Porsche; Diamond Animal Hospital; Ft Greely MEB1-Missile Field #1 (nearly complete).

C&E

WCc

Principal Activities: General Contractor - Buildings: Commercial and Military Construction. Design Build and Owner Designed.

Watterson Construction Co.

52M

Noteworthy: Recently awarded: ANTHC Child Care Center and Structural and Architectural portion of Odom Distribution WH and Offices - both in Anchorage.

Watterson Construction Co. Bill Watterson, President 6500 Interstate Cir. Anchorage, AK 99518 Phone: 907-563-7441 Fax: 907-563-7222

bwatterson@wccak.com wattersonconstruction.com Year Established: 1981

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $52,000,000 2015 $104,000,000 2014 $88,000,000 2013 $90,000,000 2012 $89,000,000 $0

$25 Million

$50M

$75M

$100M

$125M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

100%

ď&#x192;&#x2C6;17

ď&#x192;&#x2C6;50%

Main Business: Provide electric power to 58 communities in rural Alaska.

UTL

AvEc

Principal Activities: Provide electric utility services to 33,000 Alaskans in 58 communities.

Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Inc.

49M

Noteworthy: AVEC is pioneering smart hybrid micro-grids in remote rural locations. Using wind to displace up to 40% of diesel fuel, AVEC communities are reducing dependence on fossil fuels and expect to do more in the future. AVEC is connecting communities and promoting development of an Alaska-wide grid.

Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Inc. Meera Kohler, President/CEO

4831 Eagle St. | Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-561-1818 | Fax: 907-562-4086

mkohler@avec.org avec.org

Year Established: 1967

5 Year Revenue Review

2016 $49,500,000 2015 Not ranked 2014 Not ranked 2013 Not ranked 2012 Not ranked $0

www.akbizmag.com

$20 Million

$40M

$60M

Worldwide Employees

Alaska Employees

% Alaska Workforce

160

100%

Change in Rank from 2016

% Change in Revenue from 2016

Not Ranked

N/A

October 2017 | Alaska Business

109

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE DIRECTORY

SPECIAL SECTION

2017 Top 49ers

5 Year Rank & Revenue 2017 2016 2016 Top 49er Rank Revenue Rank Afognak Native Corporation 8 $474,271,000 8 Ahtna, Inc. 16 $217,700,000 18 Airport Equipment Rentals 44 $54,361,000 39 Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Inc. 49 $49,500,000 ~ Aleut Corporation 20 $171,655,823 24 Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Center 36 $79,853,962 36 Arctic Slope Regional Corporation 1 $2,371,164,000 1 Bering Straits Native Corporation 10 $326,000,000 11 Bethel Native Corporation 37 $71,771,183 45 Bristol Bay Native Corporation 2 $1,525,181,000 3 Calista Corporation 7 $492,200,000 7 Cape Fox Corporation 41 $63,532,532 ~ Chenega Corporation 4 $927,000,000 5 Chugach Alaska Corporation 6 $842,000,000 6 Chugach Electric Association, Inc. 17 $197,747,579 16 Colville, Inc. 31 $96,299,358 25 Construction Machinery Industrial, LLC 29 $98,000,000 30 Cook Inlet Region, Inc. 12 $289,048,000 14 Credit Union 1 39 $64,618,093 42 Cruz Companies Alaska 18 $183,717,140 17 Davis Constructors & Engineers, Inc. 38 $65,497,161 28 Delta Constructors LLC 27 $121,228,363 19 Denali Federal Credit Union 42 $57,973,581 46 Doyon, Limited 11 $305,412,000 10 First National Bank Alaska 21 $150,499,000 23 Geneva Woods Pharmacy, Inc. 25 $128,649,000 29 Goldbelt, Incorporated 15 $236,747,520 15 Homer Electric Association, Inc. 32 $95,000,000 34 Koniag, Inc. 13 $251,588,000 12 Lynden, Inc. 5 $925,000,000 4 Matanuska Electric Association, Inc. 23 $137,279,126 22 MTA, Inc. 28 $100,000,000 33 NANA Regional Corporation, Inc. 3 $1,300,000,000 2 New Horizons Telecom, Inc. 40 $64,530,905 ~ Olgoonik Corporation 14 $241,800,000 13 PenAir 33 $89,900,000 35 Roger Hickel Contracting, Inc. 46 $53,447,999 47 Sealaska 22 $145,500,000 27 Seekins Ford Lincoln, Inc. 47 $52,554,917 40 Sitnasuak Native Corporation 24 $130,210,466 26 Tanadgusix Corp. (TDX) 26 $122,200,000 ~ Tatonduk Outfitters Ltd. 45 $54,135,000 44 The Kuskokwim Corporation 34 $88,719,545 37 Three Bears Alaska, Inc. 19 $173,169,699 20 Udelhoven Oilfield System Services 30 $97,181,224 21 Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation (UIC) 9 $424,300,000 9 Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc. 35 $80,000,000 38 Vitus Energy LLC 43 $55,000,000 41 Watterson Construction Co. 48 $52,000,000 31 Grand Total $14,395,144,176

2015 2015 Revenue Rank $457,569,000 7 $188,400,000 18 $75,624,000 44 ~ ~ $137,942,098 28 $89,313,811 30 $2,515,377,000 1 $304,404,000 12 $54,275,351 ~ $1,512,022,000 2 $460,100,000 8 ~ ~ $882,000,000 5 $758,000,000 6 $216,421,152 13 $132,986,277 26 $105,000,000 25 $222,810,000 11 $60,879,254 46 $213,518,131 17 $108,023,675 22 $179,492,000 ~ $52,984,258 49 $378,288,768 9 $142,215,000 23 $106,400,000 33 $220,276,480 19 $97,000,000 34 $267,460,000 15 $975,000,000 4 $142,549,343 29 $99,200,000 31 $1,600,000,000 3 ~ ~ $260,600,000 14 $89,952,112 38 $50,787,881 42 $109,440,000 27 $69,690,934 41 $116,912,297 35 ~ ~ $57,140,000 48 $86,423,567 39 $175,279,992 21 $148,746,045 16 $424,426,000 10 $86,000,000 32 $63,000,000 40 $104,000,000 36 $14,833,534,571

2014 2014 2013 2013 2012 Revenue Rank Revenue Rank Revenue $505,346,000 7 $526,000,000 7 $534,610,000 $185,000,000 18 $200,000,000 19 $190,000,000 $63,212,586 47 $55,000,001 47 $54,000,000 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ $120,307,293 29 $116,260,627 34 $98,098,953 $97,752,543 39 $85,550,000 41 $78,422,000 $2,663,540,000 1 $2,525,615,000 1 $2,628,929,000 $229,482,000 14 $242,000,000 17 $213,000,000 ~ ~ ~ 48 $53,581,000 $1,736,084,000 2 $1,835,894,000 2 $1,961,780,000 $401,900,000 8 $368,914,000 8 $404,231,000 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ $885,000,000 4 $1,044,000,000 4 $1,100,000,000 $626,000,000 6 $609,000,000 6 $709,000,000 $281,318,513 12 $305,308,427 13 $266,971,468 $125,690,815 30 $105,600,000 32 $110,000,000 $127,000,000 25 $134,000,000 26 $145,000,000 $304,421,000 16 $214,930,000 15 $237,849,000 $58,634,026 38 $52,618,949 ~ ~ $191,860,803 28 $116,798,739 ~ ~ $136,117,019 21 $163,639,861 16 $218,000,000 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ $49,011,797 ~ ~ ~ ~ $362,816,481 11 $318,552,461 9 $338,276,000 $132,305,000 26 $131,005,000 27 $144,330,000 $95,000,000 45 $60,000,000 ~ ~ $169,063,557 23 $146,033,239 22 $156,565,827 $92,000,000 35 $92,000,000 36 $91,000,000 $211,493,000 17 $202,616,000 30 $129,234,000 $1,000,000,000 5 $875,000,000 5 $885,000,000 $116,570,742 31 $105,000,000 33 $106,482,000 $97,100,000 33 $97,300,000 35 $96,000,000 $1,600,000,000 3 $1,700,000,000 3 $1,800,000,000 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ $231,900,000 15 $215,200,000 18 $198,600,000 $79,700,000 40 $78,300,000 40 $81,300,000 $65,585,188 42 $67,963,073 ~ ~ $121,540,000 20 $164,950,000 12 $311,620,000 $68,469,689 43 $67,581,913 42 $74,556,932 $88,128,089 34 $93,147,344 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ $53,150,000 49 $51,950,000 49 $50,785,000 $73,122,018 ~ ~ 36 $95,000,000 $161,254,283 24 $136,632,222 29 $130,268,017 $198,377,193 19 $166,229,644 25 $148,165,163 $356,781,000 10 $320,716,000 11 $312,380,000 $97,000,000 32 $103,000,000 31 $86,000,000 $69,000,000 37 $89,600,000 ~ ~ $88,000,000 36 $90,000,000 38 $89,000,000 $15,047,597,497 $15,246,000,000 $16,155,000,000

Notes: The Top 49ers list changes annually. Each yearly total is for the Top 49ers of that respective year, 2014 rank and 2013 gross revenue are adjusted to reflect a reporting correction that occurred after the magazine went to press in 2014.

110

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Top 49ers by Industry Classification Alaska Native Corporations Top 49ers Afognak Native Corporation Ahtna, Inc. Aleut Corporation Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Bering Straits Native Corporation Bethel Native Corporation Bristol Bay Native Corporation Calista Corporation Cape Fox Corporation Chenega Corporation Chugach Alaska Corporation Cook Inlet Region, Inc. Doyon, Limited Goldbelt, Incorporated Koniag, Inc. NANA Regional Corporation, Inc. Olgoonik Corporation Sealaska Sitnasuak Native Corporation Tanadgusix Corp. (TDX) The Kuskokwim Corporation Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation (UIC) Alaska Native Corporations Total

2017 Rank 8 16 20 1 10 37 2 7 41 4 6 12 11 15 13 3 14 22 24 26 34

Construction & Engineering Top 49ers Davis Constructors & Engineers, Inc. Delta Constructors LLC New Horizons Telecom, Inc. Roger Hickel Contracting, Inc. Watterson Construction Co. Construction & Engineering Total

2017 Alaska Total Rank Jobs Jobs

Energy Top 49er Vitus Energy LLC Energy Total

2017 Alaska Total Rank Jobs Jobs 43 70 70 70 70

2016 Revenue $55,000,000 $55,000,000

% Top 49ers 0.38% 0.38%

Financial Services Top 49ers Credit Union 1 Denali Federal Credit Union First National Bank Alaska Financial Services Total

2017 Rank 39 42 21

2016 Revenue $64,618,093 $57,973,581 $150,499,000 $273,090,674

% Top 49ers 0.44% 0.40% 1.04% 1.89%

www.akbizmag.com

38 27 40 46 48

Alaska Jobs 151 374 188 3,687 534 60 1,292 788 115 287 800 283 537 250 55 5,296 101 51 100 141 15

Total 2016 % Top Jobs Revenue 49ers 4,687 $474,271,000 3.29% 1,413 $217,700,000 1.51% 1,066 $171,655,823 1.19% 11,316 $2,371,164,000 16.47% 1,566 $326,000,000 2.26% 125 $71,771,183 0.49% 4,383 $1,525,181,000 10.59% 2,900 $492,200,000 3.41% 575 $63,532,532 0.44% 5,989 $927,000,000 6.43% 6,000 $842,000,000 5.84% 1,403 $289,048,000 2.00% 831 $305,412,000 2.12% 1,500 $236,747,520 1.64% 469 $251,588,000 1.74% 14,095 $1,300,000,000 9.03% 1,001 $241,800,000 1.68% 264 $145,500,000 1.01% 950 $130,210,466 0.90% 572 $122,200,000 0.84% 135 $88,719,545 0.61%

260 2,500 $424,300,000 2.94% 15,365 63,740 $11,018,001,069 76.53%

104 50 79 65 75

104 650 85 80 75

373

994

Alaska Jobs 359 320 665 1,344

Total Jobs 374 325 665 1,364

2016 % Top Revenue 49ers $65,497,161 $121,228,363 $64,530,905 $53,447,999 $52,000,000

0.45% 0.84% 0.44% 0.37% 0.36%

$356,704,428 2.47%

Healthcare Top 49er Geneva Woods Pharmacy, Inc. Healthcare Total

2017 Alaska Total Rank Jobs Jobs 25 238 545 238 545

2016 Revenue $128,649,000 $128,649,000

% Top 49ers 0.89% 0.89%

Industrial Services Top 49ers Airport Equipment Rentals Colville, Inc. Construction Machinery Industrial, LLC Cruz Companies Alaska Udelhoven Oilfield System Services Industrial Services Total

2017 Rank 44 31

Alaska Jobs 100 215

Total Jobs 100 215

2016 Revenue $54,361,000 $96,299,358

% Top 49ers 0.37% 0.66%

29 18

105 170

105 226

$98,000,000 0.68% $183,717,140 1.27%

312 902

320 966

$97,181,224 0.67% $529,558,722 3.67%

Mining Top 49er Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc. Mining Total

2017 Alaska Total Rank Jobs Jobs 35 148 183 148 183

2016 Revenue $80,000,000 $80,000,000

% Top 49ers 0.55% 0.55%

Total Jobs 105 103 574 782

2016 Revenue $79,853,962 $52,554,917 $173,169,699 $305,578,578

% Top 49ers 0.55% 0.36% 1.20% 2.12%

Telecom & Tech Top 49er MTA, Inc. Telecom & Tech Total

2017 Alaska Total Rank Jobs Jobs 28 362 362 362 362

2016 Revenue $100,000,000 $100,000,000

% Top 49ers 0.69% 0.69%

Transportation Top 49ers Lynden, Inc. PenAir Tatonduk Outfitters Ltd. Transportation Total

2017 Rank 5 33 45

Total 2016 Jobs Revenue 2800 $925,000,000 700 $89,900,000 326 $54,135,000 3,826 $1,069,035,000

% Top 49ers 6.42% 0.62% 0.37% 7.42%

Utility Top 49ers Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Inc. Chugach Electric Association, Inc. Homer Electric Association, Inc. Matanuska Electric Association, Inc. Utility Total

2017 Alaska Total Rank Jobs Jobs

Retail/Wholesale Trade 2017 Top 49ers Rank Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Center 36 Seekins Ford Lincoln, Inc. 47 Three Bears Alaska, Inc. 19 Retail/Wholesale Trade Total

2017 Combined Top 49ers Grand Total

Alaska Jobs 105 103 529 737

Alaska Jobs 950 400 296 1,646

2016 % Top Revenue 49ers

49 17 32

160 290 137

160 300 137

$49,500,000 0.34% $197,747,579 1.37% $95,000,000 0.65%

190 777

190 787

$137,279,126 0.95% $479,526,705 3.33%

Alaska Total 2016 % Top Jobs Jobs Revenue 49ers 21,962 73,619 $14,395,144,176 100% October 2017 | Alaska Business

111

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | VITAL STATISTICS

2017 Top 49ers

SPECIAL SECTION

2017 Top 49ers

2017 Elements of Enterprise: Operating in the New Arctic

year after we asked the 2016 Top 49ers about business opportunities in the Arctic, we decided to revisit the question to find out how a pro-resource development, exploration-oriented administration in Washington DC and continued opportunities for expansion have changed this year’s Top 49ers perceptions of the elements they need to find success in the Arctic. What a difference a year makes!

Afognak Native Corporation’s subsidiaries are eager to expand our commercial leasing business in Alaska by providing portable facilities to a range of clients and by either selling, developing, or leasing our C Street property in the heart of midtown Anchorage. Further, with increased potential for the military footprint to grow in Alaska, we look forward to pursuing government contracts in security, engineering, and logistics. Our subsidiaries also have extensive youth development and service work in the Lower 48 that we hope to expand in the Arctic. Finally, we plan to increase our efforts to live out the promise of ANCSA by fostering community sustainability and cultural strength. —Afognak Native Corporation Alutiiq LLC, Kodiak 8

ANC

ANc

Afognak Native Corporation/Alutiiq, LLC

474M

has conducted Environmental Site Assessments, Environmental Remediation, and conducted the disposal of hazardous materials throughout Alaska. We provide commitment to community relations, logistics planning, regulatory compliance, and records management and document control. —Ahtna, Inc., Glenallen [Opportunities for success in the Arctic are] many and varied, from exploration, infrastructure and maintenance support for oil and gas to supporting jobs for the military, roads and bridges, and vertical construction. —Airport Equipment Rentals, Fairbanks 44

AER

Airport Equipment Rentals

54M

Ahtna is performing civil infrastructure work for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System in the Arctic and other work such as Integrity Investigations and Minerals and Mining. If the proposed large Alaska LNG Project proceeds, thirty-eight miles will cross Ahtna-owned lands near Cantwell. Ahtna performed mobilization/demobilization and geophysical labor services to R&M consulting for the AKLNG Project. Ahtna

Ahtna, Inc.

217M

112

ANC

UTL

Alaska’s remote communities

AvEc represent immense Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Inc.

underutilized potential and the key to unlocking that potential is energy—abundant, reliable, affordable energy. A transmission grid connecting Alaskans and their businesses will fuel unprecedented economic development and wealth at the local level that will propel Alaska into a world-class economy. AVEC’s rural electric experience will be instrumental in Alaska achieving its energy potential. —Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Inc., Anchorage 49M

INDS

ANC

The Arctic holds great

ASRc economic opportunity, and Arctic Slope Regional Corporation

ASRC will continue to seek and explore those opportunities with input from our communities. Over the past year, ASRC has actively addressed challenges to further natural resource development in Alaska both onshore and offshore. In an effort to provide continued benefits to our shareholders and increase jobs and infrastructure in our communities, ASRC will continue to focus on these opportunities as well as areas such as broadband technology and deployment. In addition, ASRC recently joined the Arctic Economic Council as its first Northern Partner, allowing the corporation to take part in discussions related to responsible economic development and business activity in the circumpolar Arctic. —Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow) 2.37B

ANC

We are entering into a period

BSNc of change in our region with Bering Straits Native Corporation

the potential for increased vessel traffic through the Bering Strait. A more accessible Arctic presents both opportunities and risks. New economic opportunities include the possibilities of oil and gas, shipping, and tourism. Port Clarence is the only natural deep water harbor along Alaska’s Arctic coast and it will gain importance as shipping and resource development grow in the coming years. BSNC stands poised to meet the Arctic future at the gateway to the Arctic, the Bering Strait. —Bering Straits Native Corporation, Anchorage 326M

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

ANC

Bethel Native Corporation

71M

BBNC will continue to BBNc undertake oilfield service work, construction, and support for telecommunications and utilities in the Arctic, such as the recent acquisition of Alaska Directional. —Bristol Bay Native Corporation, Anchorage 2

ANC

Bristol Bay Native Corporation

Opportunities with companies that are expanding their operations in the Arctic whether oil, mining, or shipping. —Construction Machinery Industrial, Anchorage 29

INDS

CMI

Construction Machinery Industrial

98M

CIRI is a well-capitalized company with experience and expertise in a number of industries that are or will be prevalent in the Arctic. —Cook Inlet Region Inc., Anchorage 12

ANC

CiRi Cook Inlet Region, Inc.

289M

1.52B

Arctic opportunities include marine transportation and construction activities, including heavy equipment operations, sales, service, and rentals. —Calista Corporation, Anchorage 7

ANC

Calista Corporation

492M

Oil and gas development in the Arctic presents an opportunity for our energy services companies to providing drilling, professional, and other general support services to the industry. Arctic development could also create opportunities for Alaska businesses related to infrastructure projects and marine based services. Ultimately, many Alaskans and Chugach shareholders could benefit in terms of economic growth and job creation. —Chugach Alaska Corporation, Anchorage ANC

CAc Chugach Alaska Corporation

842M

Colville believes our opportunities in the Arctic will continue to come from helping our customers lower their costs and increase efficiencies through providing creative logistics solutions. —Colville Inc., Prudhoe Bay 31

CU1 has several eServices CU1 products available that allow members to access and manage their funds from anywhere. —Credit Union 1, Anchorage 39

Credit Union 1

64M

Unfortunately, opportunities in the Arctic will be very limited without a stable fiscal plan from the State of Alaska, supported by both the Administration and Legislature. —Cruz Companies Alaska, Palmer 18

INDS

CRZ Cruz Companies Alaska

183M

With recent large oil finds on the North Slope, such as GMT-1, Horseshoe, and the Pikka Field, Delta believes they could be the contractor of choice to get to production safely and on time. Delta has proven results reducing construction cycle time to first oil in North Dakota and believes they can achieve these same goals in the Arctic. —Delta Constructors LLC, Anchorage C&E

Delta Constructors, LLC

121M

Denali is poised to assist

DFcu businesses which will expand Denali Federal Credit Union

into the Arctic. —Denali Federal Credit Union, Anchorage

57M

INDS

Colville, Inc.

96M

www.akbizmag.com

At Geneva Woods, we see

GWP ourselves as the answer for Geneva Woods Pharmacy, Inc.

rural healthcare in America, and Alaska as the ultimate proving grounds. We continually look for ways to improve the healthcare model in Alaska through strategic partnerships with hospitals, surgery centers, and individuals, where we can help by implementing programs and processes that reduce re-admissions, and improve patient outcomes. We then take what we learn and export those innovations to our facilities in other rural areas around the United States. —Geneva Woods Pharmacy, Inc., Anchorage 128M

and Services provide camp services to industry in remote locations throughout Alaska. Doyon Associated, LLC is a leading provider of arctic pipeline construction and associated infrastructure in Alaska. Doyon Drilling Inc. operates on the North Slope of Alaska with eight advanced rigs designed to drill oil wells in Northern Alaska conditions. —Doyon, Limited, Fairbanks

The Doyon Family of Companies will continue to pursue strategic and environmentally responsible opportunities in the Arctic. Doyon Anvil provides multi-discipline engineering, design, and construction coordination support services throughout Alaska and Western Canada. Doyon Remote Facilities 11

Doyon Limited

305M

ANC

Gbi Goldbelt, Incorporated

236M

Aviation testing, research and development. —Goldbelt, Incorporated, Juneau

NANA is poised to be a leader and partner to organizations expanding into the opening Arctic. The organization will continue to advocate and work towards responsible economic development that supports the inclusion of cultural knowledge and is aligned with our subsistence traditions. —NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., Kotzebue 3

ANC

NRc

NANA Regional Corporation, Inc.

1.3B

ANC

Continue assisting telecommunications providers, carriers, private corporations, and state/federal agencies in the expansion of their communications networks. —New Horizons Telecom, Palmer 40

C&E

NHt New Horizons Telecom, Inc.

64M

October 2017 | Alaska Business

113

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | 49ERS OUTLOOK

The corporation’s mission to BNc grow revenues and capabilities while maintaining a strong and meaningful presence in Bethel has continued to be achieved through management’s efforts to continuously increase local opportunities, provide local services, and contribute to the local economy. —Bethel Native Corporation, Bethel 37

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | 49ERS OUTLOOK

Arctic operations are more Oc than just business for Olgoonik; it is a matter of pride and responsibility to bring new work and resulting opportunities to the North Slope. Leveraging our extensive regional presence and expertise, we partner with public and private clients to help increase productivity, reduce costs, and improve overall performance. We are also maximizing Wainwright’s strategic location as a staging point for future North Slope operations. —Olgoonik Corporation, Anchorage 14

ANC

Olgoonik Corporation

241M

TSRP

PA PenAir

89M

Ad-hoc charter service. —PenAir, Anchorage

Sealaska provides cutting edge water monitoring and data analytics with a focus on maritime. —Sealaska, Juneau 22

ANC

SA Sealaska

145M

Sitnasuak is bullish on Alaska. We see an opportunity for us to continue attracting great talent, build new relationships and expand our businesses throughout the State. —Sitnasuak Native Corporation, Nome 24

ANC

SNc Sitnasuak Native Corporation

130M

TSRP

TOl Tatonduk Outfitters Ltd.

54M

As oil companies expand in the RHC Arctic, Roger Hickel Contracting stands ready to pursue construction opportunities. —Roger Hickel Contracting, Anchorage 46

C&E

Roger Hickel Contracting, Inc.

53M

Providing continued support and service to the oil & gas industry. —Tatonduk Outfitters, Fairbanks

TKC had not been actively involved with Arctic issues and development, however, in preparation for our resource development project and the 2017 34

assessment of our own demographics, our interest in the Arctic has peaked. The Red Dog Mine project has many similarities to the proposed Donlin Gold Mine project, including the desire for shareholder hire and building relationships between mining companies and the local village residents. TKC is ready to learn and share information that will help our corporation and shareholders through building relationships with entities in the Arctic, so that we can all move forward to a brighter future together. —The Kuskokwim Corporation, Anchorage 30

INDS

UOss Udelhoven Oilfield System Services

97M

Provide qualified personnel. —Udelhoven Oilfield System Services, Anchorage

ANC

TKc The Kuskokwim Corporation

88M

Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC) coordinated and planned the UIC Arctic Business Development Tour (ABDT) in Barrow. 9

ANC

UIc

Ukpeaġvik In~upiat Corporation

424M

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2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | 49ERS OUTLOOK

The 2017 tour hosted fifty-seven guests from five Arctic countries (US, Canada, Iceland, Norway, and Greenland). Guest speakers and UIC executive staff spent three days discussing Arctic business development and partnerships, and investment opportunities with potential partners, investors, scientists, and friends. Roundtable discussions included: Arctic Energy and Infrastructure Development, Scientific Research in the Arctic, Tourism, the Future of US Arctic Ports, Information Technology in the High Arctic, Financing Sustainable Development in the Arctic, Wildlife Management, and Reindeer Herding. —Ukpeaġvik In~upiat Corporation, Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow) UCM continues to explore

UCM opportunities that could Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc.

provide added benefits of, as well as diversify the uses for, coal and coal ash through the use of innovative technology. We are supportive of the research endeavors of UAF, particularly through the well-equipped coal laboratory on campus. We remain committed to providing reliable and affordable energy to the people of Alaska. —Usibelli Coal Mine, Fairbanks 80M

Vitus continues to see increased infrastructure development and international shipping. Vitus and the Arctic communities will both reap the benefit. —Vitus Energy, Anchorage 43

Vitus Energy LLC

55M

C&E

F-35 Build up at Eielson—

WCc currently two projects. Watterson Construction Co.

52M

—Watterson Construction, Anchorage R

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October 2017 | Alaska Business

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SPECIAL SECTION

2017 Top 49ers

Tanadgusix Corporation Building expertise to benefit St. Paul By Tasha Anderson

anadgusix Corporation (TDX) CEO Ron Philemonoff recalls hearing about the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in grade school. “Our teachers, who naturally tracked the news, were teaching us and said, ‘You know the lands claims is happening. You guys, when you grow up and get your education, are going to be the ones running these companies,’” he says. It was prophetic for Philemonoff, who has served in a management role at TDX since 1981. “That was my first introduction: the lands claims are coming, there’s going to be corporations and businesses for you guys to run, and you need to be ready for it.”

Building TDX As was typical for many Alaska Native youth at the time, Philemonoff left Alaska for high school, which he attended in Salem, Oregon. ANCSA passed while he was in high school in 1971, which is when he enrolled as a shareholder. He also attended college in Oregon, originally pursuing a career as an electrical engineer before switching to a business management major. The new direction was inspired, in part, by a job offer. “That’s about the time when the pipeline [construction] ended and the economy was in a downturn. The FAA wanted me to come work for them; they wanted me to drop out of school and said, ‘We’ll train you; come work for us as a government employee in the remote sites around the state of Alaska.’ That’s when I realized electrical engineering is probably not a field I want to be in. I don’t want to be out in the middle of nowhere working on a FAA tower,” Philemonoff laughs. “Plus the economy wasn’t good, so I switched to business [as a degree].” In 1978 Philemonoff graduated from college, and the same year he gained a seat on the TDX Board of Directors. “By then I knew I needed to be involved with our village corporation.” TDX is the corporation for the village of St. Paul on St. Paul Island, one of the Pribilof Islands located in the Bering Sea approximately 250 miles north of the Aleutian Chain. Philemonoff served on the Board from 1978 until 1981. “By 1981 it became clear that the company wasn’t going well and that a change in leadership needed to happen,” he says. “I stepped up and said, ‘Ok, I’ll try and run it.’” Since then, Philemonoff says, TDX has been a stable corporation. “We’re effective in maintaining a stable board, and we did turn around the company from losing half a million [dollars] a year to breaking even to eventually making a profit.” When Philemonoff stepped 116

into a leadership role in the early 80s, TDX had roughly $10 million in revenue and was operating at a loss of approximately $500,000 every year. He says within three years, the company had redirected and was able to break even. “We slowly grew the company from $10 million to $20 million and eventually $50 million. Then we realized that we really need to get up to $100 million to gain the benefits of scale—having enough people and mass to drive the machine.” The company broke the $100 million mark about seven years ago, and Philemonoff says TDX has about a 3 percent return on their investment overall. “We set a goal eventually to be 5 percent on $100 million in revenue.” He continues, “We’ve been successful in adapting and changing our cost of business, our infrastructure, our overhead.”

Roots in Fisheries Part of the village corporation’s success can be attributed to diversification, which they identified as a need more than a decade ago. TDX engages in several business lines including tourism, construction, environmental remediation, energy and utilities, IT, and government services. TDX evolved significantly over the years; the company’s initial industry actually no longer exists. “The island was ‘owned’ by the National Marine Fisheries Service for 100 years—they actually stole it from us,” he explains. “The government was managing the fur seal harvest out there, that was the main industry back in the 1800s. The Russians colonized St. Paul and St. George and brought us Aleuts along from the Aleutians to be hunters for them. When America bought it, we became essentially the wards of the government [and were unable to leave the island without permission], and eventually we became the labor force to run the harvest for them.” After a time TDX was contracted to manage the fur seal industry assets on the island and run the harvest, while it lasted. Not long after there was public outcry against fur seal harvesting that destroyed the industry. The government, recognizing how the end of the fur seal industry was catastrophic for the economy of St. Paul, helped develop a community and business plan. “They helped us dredge the harbor and build the breakwater so we could have protection for the boats coming in,” Philemonoff says. TDX expanded their shoreline infrastructure to build docks and leased their land for the fish plants. “It was a whole community effort set around phasing out harvesting seals as a commercial industry to a fishing industry.” Thus much of the company’s early years were focused on fishing and tourism. TDX didn’t participate in the fisheries themselves or the fish processing plants but provided land, warehouse, dock space, and services to the fishing fleets. “We did support our local

Ron Philemonoff

fishermen getting into the boats, and eventually they all got permits to be halibut fishermen,” Philemonoff says. Today, the company is looking back to its fishing roots to once again spur the economy on St. Paul. “The fisheries industry is in turmoil,” he says. Global climate change is reducing the amount of fish available as well as causing the fish to shift north above St. Paul Island. “The old market of catch as much as you can and freeze it as fast as you can and ship it to Seattle or China or Japan is not working anymore.” To combat the problem, the TDX Board “has taxed us with creating an extended economy out there based on the fisheries but at another level, which we believe is value-added fisheries.” One resource on St. Paul that’s currently under-utilized is sea urchin. “We’re looking at technology to enhance the preservation of the sea urchin so it’s fresh when you get it at your table in California or Florida or wherever.” Ideally, TDX would like to bolster the industry to provide jobs beyond a few weeks in the summer to six months or even year round.

Diversification When the federal government began pulling out of St. Paul, the land was transferred back to TDX. Unfortunately, the government left behind significant contamination in the form of diesel and gasoline fumes. “That sprung out an urgent call for the federal government to clean up their mess. So we lobbied congress and got funding for [remediation]; we got $30 million over five years.” Additionally the federal government agreed to give preferential bid rights to local organizations and hiring preferences to the residents for the work. TDX was contracted to clean up their land and in the process became certified as environmental remediation experts. “We became not only certified but we realized by then the 8(a) small business arena was becoming a lucrative business for a lot of the ANCs [Alaska Native Corporations], so we took that experience on St. Paul and certified our first 8(a) company,” Philemonoff says.

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

average winds in the United States, just after the Dakotas and Montana. In 1999/2000 TDX installed a 225 kilowatt Vestas wind turbine, a $1.4 million project. Not all of the energy produced by the wind turbine was utilized immediately, and so the excess was used to heat water and, in turn, heat infrastructure, reducing overall reliance on diesel fuel. That first wind turbine feeds a high penetration wind system, “which means that when the wind is blowing good and your load is average, you can shut off the diesel—100 percent wind is supplying the electricity and the heat.” Two turbines have been added since, and they now provide power to the city. Additionally TDX acquired Sand Point Electric Utility, a North Slope company that services all of the electric utility customers in Deadhorse, a power utility in Manley, and a power utility on Adak. Further, in 2007 TDX built Aleutian Wind Energy, a renewable energy utility located in Sand Point, which generates 1 megawatt of renewable wind energy for the island. Combining its military history with the company’s utilities expertise, TDX secured a contract to build the power plant at the Fort Greely missile launch site. TDX has since gone on to operate power plants at US military missile launch sites across the globe. “It’s 99.9 percent up-time that they’re looking for, and we’ve been meeting that every year for the last eight years,” Philemonoff says. From early tourism on St. Paul, TDX expanded to own hotels in Anchorage and Seattle. Their newest venture into the tourism in-

dustry is Alaska Park, located on the corner of International Airport Road and Spenard Road in Anchorage. Alaska Park provides airport valet parking with capacity for 1,300 cars (they currently average about 600). Philemonoff says 500 was the number they needed to roughly break even, and the business continues to grow. “I think next year we’ll be 700 to 800 on average. The economy is going to come back, and we’ll be up to our 1,000 cars easily within two or three years,” he says.

It’s About St. Paul “Our core is sticking to what we know and who we know, doing the best at what we do,” Philemonoff says. And as the corporation for the village of St. Paul, TDX never loses sight of what it’s working for. “TDX sees its primary mission as a protector of the land and ownership of the land for generations to come. Our [second] goal is to create jobs for our shareholders and their descendants. [Our third] goal is the community: we are the village corporation of St. Paul, so our roots and our mission is St. Paul.” Philemonoff continues, “We’re proud to be Alaskans. We’re bullish on Alaska, and I think all the ANCs will say it—we’re here for Alaska. You can look around town and see the ANCs are doing their part to sustain this economy and this state, so we’re proud of it.” R Tasha Anderson is the Associate Editor for Alaska Business.

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TDX leveraged their environmental remediation skills project by project. Initially they remediated contaminated soils on military bases; this lead to cleaning up scrap and rubble at military targeting ranges, back when war games consisted of actually dropping bombs. Because they were onsite for that clean-up, they were able to transition into providing electronic war fighter training and IT services as the war games became more technologically advanced; relying on highly evolved technology, TDX became a leader in air combat training services. Managing electronic training exercises is a service that TDX provides in Fairbanks, across the United States, and at sites around the world. Also while moving earth on military bases, TDX developed the necessary skills to lay cable: “So we got into IT from two angles: one, helping at the war fighter and two, dealing with their fiber optics,” he says. Their newfound expertise with IT inspired the company to address telephone, television, and Internet needs on St. Paul, which were significantly lacking. Philemonoff says he worked with the Board to get TDX to simply develop their own Internet system for the island. “So we set up the whole island with cable TV, we rented satellite time, bought our own satellite dish, and got the first Internet out to St. Paul.” And with that, TDX owned a utility. Energy was the next problem, costing as much as $0.50 per kilowatt on St. Paul. On a trip to Palm Springs, Philemonoff saw a multitude of wind turbines and was inspired. It turns out that St. Paul has the second best

SPECIAL SECTION

2017 Top 49ers

Everts Air Cargo Flying Alaska and beyond By Tasha Anderson

n 1993, the owner of Tatonduk Outfitters Limited, Robert Everts, was at “The Hangar” (the term for his Dad’s facility, formerly known as the Wien Air Alaska hanger at the Fairbanks International Airport). He and his father, Cliff Everts, were talking. Cliff mentioned a good friend who owned a small Part 135 aviation operation and was looking to sell his business. He suggested Everts purchase the business: “It was a well-run operation, it had two small aircraft, a couple employees, and it might be a good way to segue into [my] own air carrier operation. I took him up on that advice, and that was how I got started in the air carrier business. My success has been centered around listening to my father,” Everts laughs.

Expanded Services and Markets Years later, Everts remains the sole owner of Tatonduk Outfitters, which does business as Everts Air Cargo and Everts Air Alaska; Everts Air Cargo operates under a Part 121 certification, while Everts Air Alaska is a Part 135 operation. Everts explains that Part 121 is a classification for large aircraft operations with payloads greater than 7,500 pounds, including cargo and passengers, while Part 135 is less than 7,500 pounds. Most of Everts’ business is in cargo transportation; Everts estimates that 96 percent of the company’s work is on the Part 121 side of the business, the large cargo operations. The Part 135 passenger service represents the other 4 percent, which also includes smaller loads of cargo and US mail. The company’s initial areas of operation were Alaska and Canada. Today, its expanded operations to include the Lower 48, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and soon, Cuba. “Expansion and diversification [are] critical to continued growth and profitability. Aviation can be a tough industry to navigate if you have all of your eggs in one basket,” Everts says. An example of this diversification is Everts’ operation of Zero Gravity flights. “It’s an entertainment program where we take travelers up in a large aircraft and let them experience a weightlessness created by their parabolic flight,” he explains. Everts has been offering the service for approximately two years. “I would say on average, we run about two flights a month down in the Lower 48 at primarily highly populated locations like Las 118

Robert Everts

Vegas, Long Beach, Houston, Orlando, [and] Fort Lauderdale.” As of yet the service isn’t offered in Alaska: “Really there isn’t enough of a population density to warrant bringing a large aircraft such as a [Boeing] 727-200 up to Alaska for the few number of flights that would be flown.” Everts has also contracted with NASA, which uses the zero gravity flights for research. “Right now, the government has tightened their belt—and rightfully so—on spending on certain projects, and zero gravity research has been an area where they have trimmed a bit,” Everts says. Even as it expands to more service locations, Everts Air remains an Alaskan company and maintains its primary administrative and maintenance base in Fairbanks. “All of our scheduled operations are out of Anchorage with large aircraft—all cargo, freight, and mail.” The company also provides ondemand charter operations, which Everts says is “more robust in the summer months, hauling building materials and equipment to remote locations in Alaska, as well as fish destined for Anchorage [and then] continuing on to places like the Lower 48 and Japan.” In past years, Everts completed “a fair amount of work” for the oil and gas industry. “Right now with the prices of crude being low, activity up on the North Slope is slow. In the past though, [oil and gas had] been a pretty large part of our business, but not the only business.” He says expanding into different aviation services in and outside of Alaska positioned the company to weather the reduction of work in the construction and oil industries. “It’s a very difficult thing

to gear up for just one segment of a market and sustain it, especially during down times. So it’s been beneficial to take operations in a different direction as well.” That diversification is also how Everts intends to move the air service company forward. “Our strategy has always been to look at doing niche businesses that perhaps other people might turn their nose up at. Business that is too difficult or the work is too hard. We like rolling up our sleeves and doing stuff that’s uncomfortable for other people. That’s always been our specialty, and we’ll continue to seek out those opportunities that require unique strategies and strengths that are maybe not commonplace in the industry.”

Employees Are the Foundation Everts firmly believes that the success of his business relies on his employees. “Obviously at the foundation of any business is great people; it’s never one person, especially in the aviation business—it’s a team of people that are so outstanding at a particular job that they’re able to carry the day on any given day.” Everts offers employee benefits such as a 401K and flexible paid time off. “Especially during this time of year: hunting season,” Everts says. “If you don’t allow people to go hunting, they’re going to quit and go hunting,” he laughs. “I think the family business part of it, the access to myself, and the ability to voice an opinion and not get sidelined somewhere in the politics or the structure of the company are a big plus. Probably the biggest thing that we offer up is the willingness to listen and be

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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that other aircraft don’t.” Everts operates some planes that are seventy years old. “It’s all a function of the people you have working for you and the ability to not only maintain the equipment but maintain the systems and teach the new pilots how to operate equipment that requires unique flying skills for which there might not be simulators. As long as those individuals are available, we’ll continue to be successful.” Everts says he is truly thankful to the entire team who facilitate daily operations.

History and Passion Everts sold one of their vintage aircraft for display in a museum. He explains: “We recently sold a [Curtiss] C-46 [Commando] to the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites for display at the Atlit Museum, which was once the location of the Atlit Detention Camp for Jewish persons during and after World War II. The Museum was interested in the C-46 aircraft because it participated in Operation Michaelberg, which involved the transportation of Jewish holocaust survivors from Italy and Iraq to Palestine [Israel today]. The primary significance of that operation, which involved 150 people transported during three trips, was that it was the start of the Israeli Air Force. We sold the aircraft back in November, disassembled it here in Fairbanks, and put it on a truck to Anchorage. It was loaded onto a boat, went to the port of Tacoma, transferred to another boat, and then sailed to Israel via the North Pacific

[Ocean], Sea of Japan, and Suez Canal into Haifa, which is the port just north of Tel Aviv. I sent mechanics to Haifa early this summer and they put the airplane back together for display at the Atlit Museum.” Everts participated in a ceremony in Haifa commemorating the seventieth anniversary of the flights, which took place in 1947. Three people who were on the flights were at the ceremony in August. “It’s a unique story, and a worthwhile project,” he says. Aviation has a long history in Alaska, and Everts has deep roots in the industry. While some may be drawn to aviation, “I don’t think I ever knew any different,” Everts says. “Everything that I ever did was with my father, whether it was going out to the airport or flying in an airplane or going to look at airplane parts. I didn’t have anything else in my vocabulary, really.” Today he still loves the industry and his involvement in it. “If I wasn’t in the airplane business, I’m not sure what I would do. Aviation is not necessarily the best business to be in if all you’re looking for is a large rate of return, but I sure love doing it.” He says that while revenue is important, at Everts, “We’ll continue to look at all areas that not only make money but are fun to do.” R

Tasha Anderson is the Associate Editor for Alaska Business.

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flexible with each person on an individual basis.” It doesn’t hurt, he adds, to run an aviation business in Alaska where opportunities for excitement and adventure are right outside the front door. For employees and customers alike, the aviation company’s top priority is safety. “Safety is the cornerstone to any successful airline. We have a very strong relationship with the FAA and Medallion Foundation [a nonprofit aviation safety organization] here in Alaska; we are a Medallion Shield carrier [the Medallion Foundation Shield Program focuses on establishing and sustaining an elevated level of safety performance through the application of system safety and safety management system principles] and we are in the final stages of completing our Safety Management System program with the FAA. We anticipate SMS approval by the first quarter of next year, on target to meet the latest regulatory requirements established by the FAA,” Everts explains. “Safety is an ongoing, dynamic program. It is lived and owned on a daily basis by each of our employees.” A significant part of aviation safety is of course the planes themselves. The company’s fleet of airplanes receives regular maintenance and updates as appropriate. Everts says that his fleet is unique: “A portion of our current fleet has been a part of our family business since the very beginning. Call us sentimental, we admire our legendary aircraft as well as our current jet fleet. They each fulfill a special niche here in Alaska, meeting a need

SPECIAL SECTION

2017 Top 49ers

Doyon Limited President, CEO Aaron Schutt reflects on Doyon’s long history and bright future By Tasha Anderson

he Alaska Business Top 49ers are ranked simply by gross revenue, just one of many indications of corporate success. According to Doyon Limited President and CEO Aaron Schutt, Doyon has annual goals that relate to two measures of success: income and shareholder employment. “We also have longer term goals that are usually project driven, or we want to do an acquisition in the next eighteen months, or something like that. But the two annualized goals that get passed down are our income and shareholder employment.” Schutt explains that while revenue is an important metric, Doyon is focused on their bottom line, and that focus has been successful for them. “We’ve made money for thirty-one straight years and paid a dividend in all of those years,” Schutt says. Doyon’s dividends are formulaic, similar in concept to the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. Doyon pays 50 percent of a five-year average of net income. “This year we just announced our dividend will be $6.19 a share, and that’s up $0.20 a share from last year,” he says. Continuing the trend of having income and increasing dividends are significant achievements, especially considering Doyon’s substantial investment in oilfield operations and the state of the oil industry in Alaska. “We are pleased,” Schutt says of Doyon’s continued success. “It’s been a kind of fightscratch-claw your way through the industry right now with the limited opportunities. It’s certainly been tough to have a lot of layoffs with our field crews.”

Income Sectors Doyon’s wholly-owned subsidiary Doyon Drilling is well known in the industry for its oilfield services, operating eight drilling rigs on the North Slope. Doyon Drilling employs more than 250 people, which is a little less than one-third of Doyon’s workforce. “Doyon Drilling did quite well on the downturn compared to a couple of our other companies that had almost no opportunities, [such as] pipeline construction and camps. There were whole seasons that there just wasn’t a significant job bid at all. You can’t even lose work 120

Aaron Schutt

[to a competitor]—they don’t have any opportunity to do anything,” Schutt says. He continues, “Thankfully for us, we’re a big enough company that we can weather those types of downturns, and we don’t have to lay everyone off or close the business. And I emphasize in our state there are some businesses that have had to make much more difficult decisions than we have.” While the general consensus is that there will be a “lower for longer” price environment

in the oil industry, Schutt is optimistic about the potential for a slight uptick in work this winter season. “This coming winter—winter is always the busiest when the ice road seasons are active on the North Slope—will probably be a little better than the last two winters.” He attributes this not to a rise in oil prices but more to the nature of the industry. “When you have hundreds of wells in your portfolio like some of our clients on the North Slope, a certain amount of them need work and you can

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Jobs for Shareholders Schutt explains that Doyon Drilling, Doyon Utilities, and their IT acquisitions provide an excellent way to meet their second annual goal of providing job opportunities to their shareholders. “Our Roustabout Program at Doyon Drilling has been the most successful shareholder employment program ever. We run at least one class a year and all of our entry-level jobs on our rigs are held by shareholders. We train them, we try to time it so they can all go to work fairly quickly after the training, and that’s created career opportunities for—over the thirty-five, forty years— hundreds of people.” www.akbizmag.com

2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | FEATURED 49ER

only delay that work so long. Another thing that’s going to drive some level of activity is the same type of situation with leases. The primary term of state leases is seven years. If you’re getting to the end of the lease, you have to make a decision: Do we just give it up? Or do we drill the exploration well to keep the lease? So we’re seeing some of that.” He says some of the recent large oil discoveries, while perhaps not moving forward as quickly as they could, may have some work going on, though “it’s probably less than they would do if commodity prices were high.” One important source of work for Doyon is ConocoPhillips. “ConocoPhillips has been pretty diligent and steadfast in developing CD5 and Moose’s Tooth 1 and starting to move toward Moose’s Tooth 2; those are very large fields that will produce for many years. [ConocoPhillips] sticking to their schedule has certainly been helpful to Doyon and helpful to the industry overall.” Of course oil is not Doyon’s only business sector. The company has operations in engineering management, land and natural resource development, facility management, construction, IT, commercial laundry, telecommunications, and the utility industry. For example, in 2007, Doyon subsidiary Doyon Utilities was awarded three fifty-year utility privatization contracts for Fort Greely, JBER, and Fort Wainwright. In 2008, Doyon Utilities officially took over ownership, operations, and maintenance of the twelve utilities (four at each location). Schutt explains that Doyon Utilities is 50/50 jointly owned by Doyon and Corix, a company that provides cost-effective and sustainable water, wastewater, and energy utility infrastructure solutions throughout North America. Schutt says, “[Doyon Utilities’] balance sheet is not consolidated with Doyon Limited’s because it’s a 50/50 ownership structure. It’s almost as big of a balance sheet as our parent company’s balance sheet; it’s quite a large business, and it’s very steady. It’s been a great opportunity for us to invest and have local jobs. It matches our profile as a Native Corporation where we have a long-term perspective. And although we participate in a highly cyclical industry like oil and gas, having that to kind of counter-balance it is quite nice for us.” Within the last few years Doyon has acquired two IT companies: Arctic Information Technology in 2013 (with offices in Alaska, Washington, and Virginia) and designDATA (which has offices in Maryland, Washington DC, and North Carolina) in 2015.

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Doyon recently created training opportunities within its IT companies which appeal to younger shareholders who are interested in working in the industry. “We have three people out in the DC area finishing a long training that will immediately go to work for one of our [IT] companies,” Schutt says. “Those are exciting opportunities for us because they’re really career opportunities; it’s not just a temporary job or a low-level job that has no progression to it, they’re really technical jobs with plenty of opportunity.” At the utility, internships are available, some of which provide more than a typical internship with on-the-job training for field positions, such as at the power plant in Wainwright or the water plant at JBER. “Those, again, are career opportunities because there’s not only demand for our utility but all utilities have demand for those types of jobs. Ultimately, that’s our goal: we’d love to hire shareholders ourselves, but we want them to have the tools and the background to be successful anywhere they choose to work.” Before shareholders can find success in their careers they need to find success in school, and Doyon has initiated back to school events in Fairbanks (which is home to Doyon’s largest community of shareholders), Anchorage, and smaller communities on a rotating basis. At these events children are given backpacks that contain a few items and Doyon has an opportunity to educate them about the corporation. Also, Doyon’s shareholder services are onsite to update addresses,

stock wills, dividend, and other information. “It’s just a nice opportunity for people to see each other and visit. We have our companies there with the recruiters and other things, too. So they’ve been really successful, hundreds of people show up to those events.”

Learning from Doyon’s History Schutt is particularly excited to share a new Doyon project: a new year-round intern who began work at Doyon this summer, a Stanford graduate, is pursuing a project for the year to document Doyon history through video interviews. Schutt says, “We realized a few years ago that many of our original leaders are still alive, luckily, and we need to get their stories down.” Many of these leaders have been lending their wisdom to Doyon since the company’s inception. “Long-term employees, board members, and others—all these tremendous stories of the battles they fought, and the challenges they overcame, especially early in the days of ANCSA when it was not at all easy.” He says the project was inspired in part by a blue tub, one of about twelve dropped off by Georgianna Lincoln, Doyon’s longest serving director. The tubs, which contain Doyon and AFN records, were sitting in Lincoln’s garage before she handed them over to Schutt. “I personally, on early mornings and some weekends, was kind of looking through them and found tremendous stories. It was really a refresher of things I’d heard, but the stories just jump right out.” This, in part, spurred

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Doyon leadership to pursue the video interviews, gathering as much first-hand information on the company’s history as possible. “We certainly have goals of making finished products that we can show, and share, and educate, because kids these days don’t understand the time before computers, much less the time when rural Alaska was really rural… Several of those early records are telegrams to Georgianna when she was in Rampart—I don’t even remember that kind of stuff [such as sending telegrams], and I’m thirty years older than these young people now that kind of can’t deal with the time before computers. But those were some serious handicaps to ‘How do you select land?’ when you can’t even communicate with the people in the villages but via telegram,” Schutt says. “And that’s the credit to those early leaders. They were just tenacious and selfless and really wise. When they didn’t have the business background, they made decisions based on values really, and gut instinct sometimes, and most of the time they got it right.” Since ANCSA, Alaska Native Corporations have branched out and diversified, not just into different business sectors but into different markets in the Lower 48 and worldwide, drawing Outside money back to Alaska. Schutt says, “I personally believe this, and I know a lot of other people share it—one reason this downturn in Alaska is not as bad as the 80s is because you have Native Corporations that have diversified businesses that are headquartered here.” The foundation for those corporations, which are now a huge support system for the state’s economy both in its population centers and rural areas, was laid by early Alaska Native leadership. “We’re approaching fifty years in the grand experiment of ANCSA, and we have an opportunity to talk about how successful it’s been. Of all the land settlements for indigenous people across the world, there’s no doubt in my mind that this is the most successful,” he says. Today, Doyon still benefits from strong leadership that is deeply connected to its land and people. Schutt says, “My personal view of leadership is that I have to empower the people that work with me to do their jobs. I love it when I don’t have to go to a meeting, and I don’t have to get credit for the things that go well. That is what makes me the happiest—that means we have the right people.” Schutt expects Doyon will experience a milestone by the end of the year of enrolling 20,000 shareholders. “We’re over 19,750 and we enroll about one a day. It’s just a round number, but it’s exciting for us.” He continues that it’s a “testament to our board and shareholders in 1991 and again in 2006, taking a tough step to spend the money and take the tough vote to amend the articles and issue new shares, knowing it’ll dilute your dividend and distract your management team... but it was the right thing to do. There’s no doubt that it was the right thing to do and we see that in our company.” R Tasha Anderson is the Associate Editor for Alaska Business.

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

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8/22/17 1:51 PM

Outlook Law: Alaska’s Experienced, Ethical,Cutting-Edge Law Firm

utlook Law, LLC is not your average law firm. Founded by Christine V. Williams, Esq., Outlook Law provides top-notch, cutting-edge legal services to a wide range of clients engaged in government contracting as well as US Small Business Administration programs. As a lifelong Alaskan, Williams possesses a deep understanding of the unique challenges facing her clients, including those based in Alaska. Nationally, Williams is one of the most sought after attorneys in her field and recently received the distinction of being a “Best Lawyer” in the government contracting field as voted by her peers. This recognizes Williams as one of the best lawyers in the entire United States and puts her in the top five percent of all government contracting attorneys. Outlook Law was founded about a year-and-a-half ago by Williams to fulfill her long-time dream of owning and growing her own firm. “I made this strategic decision in response to being a partner at some really big law firms that

have high overhead costs. As a business person, you need to have fixed and realistic costs. I represent large corporations, but I also represent a lot of parallel interests without charge. Just because it’s important to me,” says Williams. With Williams and Outlook Law behind them, clients in Alaska and nationwide can count on receiving the best representation available. Williams possesses a long and stunning list of recommendations, honors, awards, and achievements. Along with serving as past President of the Anchorage Association of Women Lawyers, Williams is one of few nonjudges to be appointed by the Alaska Supreme Court to serve on the Fairness, Diversity, and Equality Committee. She is also Founder and Co-Chair of the Ethics and Compliance Section of the Alaska Bar Association. Because that’s not quite enough for this passionate attorney who always puts her clients’ interests first, Williams is also an Adjunct Law Professor at the Seattle University School of Law, teaching government contracting to third year law students and other lawyers in the community. With a resume like hers, Williams could be and has been partner at some of the world’s most respected law firms, but her unwavering dedication to her Alaska roots and clients prompted her to take the strategic steps to open Outlook Law to make herself available to her highlyvalued client base. Every case Williams takes receives cutting-edge service from a deeply-knowledgeable, discreet attorney who takes her ethical responsibilities seriously and holds her clients’ confidences close. She has led many a client through a crisis when something unforeseen occurs and in doing so has racked up more airplane miles than she cares to count. “I have a lot of loyal clients who stay with me. I was a partner in two international law firms, so now I want to let everyone know that I’m here and I’m – PA I D A D V E R T I S E M E N T –

Alaskan and this is where I’m going to build my business,” says Williams, gesturing to the magnificent view from her Downtown Anchorage offices. “A strong client base that really started me along this path was the Alaska Native Corporations, which have remained a valued and important part of my practice.” When retaining Outlook Law, clients can rest assured they are receiving counsel from one of the preeminent lawyers in the world. “I always ask myself, ‘What can I bring to these clients?’ It’s not about what is better for the attorney; it’s about what’s best for the client. There has to be a loyalty to clients first and they feel that with me because I truly love what I do.” When it comes to Government Contract Law, Small Business Administration programs, Department of Justice litigation, and Alaska Native and Native American concerns, clients can count on Outlook Law for exceptional service and innovative legal advice without the prices often charged by giant, multinational law firms. “What’s unique about what I’m doing is that I’m going to build a practice group—I already have a national practice, that’s foregone, but what’s unique is that I’m building something from Alaska. So the revenue will start in Alaska, and that’s different because a lot of the firms that come here are based [Outside]… they come up here and they take. So it’s a little bit of a different model to plant here and to branch out that way. I feel blessed every day because I get to do what I love,” says Williams. Outlook Law provides the very best to every client, in every case. To learn more about Outlook Law, Christine Williams and the roster of services they offer, visit: outlooklaw.com or call (907) 258-2200.

SPECIAL SECTION

2017 Top 49ers

Colville Good people and good leadership make for great results By Tasha Anderson

olville has comfortably made the Alaska Business Top 49ers list for more than ten years. In 2008 the company ranked number 38, reporting gross revenue of $50 million; 2016 was Colville’s best in terms of rank and revenue, reporting nearly $133 million and ranking number 25 on the list. Throughout the years Colville’s revenue has shown a definitive upward trend as the fuel transportation, storage, and distribution company works diligently on Alaska’s North Slope. What is new at Colville is President and CEO Dave Pfeifer, who joined the company earlier this year. Pfeifer’s background is as an executive in healthcare and Alaska Native

“I met Mark Helmericks, Colville’s owner, and we just hit it off. He appreciated the diversity of my experience and my formal education. I said, ‘I don’t know anything about your business,’ and he said, ‘I’ll teach you.’ I think I’m the beneficiary of this arrangement.”

—Dave Pfeifer President and CEO, Colville

Dave Pfeifer

Corporations, coupled with several graduate degrees “none of which is the oil industry,” he laughs. “I met Mark Helmericks, Colville’s owner, and we just hit it off. He appreciated the diversity of my experience and my formal education. I said, ‘I don’t know anything about your business,’ and he said, ‘I’ll teach you.’ I think I’m the beneficiary of this arrangement,” Pfeifer explains. While Pfeifer is new to the industry, he certainly isn’t new to leadership and organization, skills he’s already making good use of at Colville. “I’m utilizing the same tools and approach I’ve always used,” he says. In September, he was putting the finishing touches on an administrative team for the company, which he says is “about creating the dynamics of the team and putting the right people in the right seat with a shared vision.” Colville already has the technical expertise the company needs to 124

provide quality service to its clients, so that hasn’t been his focus. “It’s really about building the team at the administrative level to support the front-line employees and provide the resources they need to exceed our customers’ needs.” His “marching orders” from Helmericks, as he puts it, are that “[Helmericks] would rather have a well operated company than a very large company. We’re already a relatively large company, but he said, ‘Focus on operational excellence and go where the customer needs us and the rest of it will come naturally,’ which it absolutely will. You can’t build on something that has wobbly legs.”

Vertically Integrated Pfeifer explains that Colville’s primary business is fuel transportation, fuel storage, and fuel distribution. But Colville has several other service lines including aviation, indus-

trial supply, waste management, towing, and other transportation. Many of the company’s recent activities have added to Colville’s capabilities in these areas, including purchasing a de-icing truck to service commercial and private aviation clients at the Deadhorse Airport and acquiring Ben’s Auto in Fairbanks, as well as NAPA Auto Parts stores in Kenai, Soldotna, and Seward. Colville owns and operates a 344-bed mancamp in Deadhorse, of which they utilize a portion for their own personnel and the remainder is leased out to other North Slope companies. Colville also owns and operates Brooks Range Supply (a leader in oilfield and industrial parts and supply on the North Slope and in Prudhoe Bay) and the Prudhoe Bay General Store and is the contract operator for the US Post Office in Deadhorse. Pfeifer says, “If you look at all of these building blocks, they all stack up. For example, we have a solid

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Employees Wellness and Commitment Colville is focused on retaining its core team of employees while the oil industry powers through the low oil price environment. Pfeifer explains, “If we lose the core team, then when the [industry rebounds] we’ll have to replace that team and they will likely have moved on. We’re working really hard to provide stability and job security for our employees.” Bringing work back in-house that was being outsourced is one of the steps designed to keep Colville’s employees working, and he says that now Colville has achieved a model by which they can sustain their operations in a $50/barrel oil environment “somewhat indefinitely. We’re in a good spot.” Beyond keeping work on the horizon, Colville retains its employees by treating them well. Pfeifer says, “It’s all about our people. Helmericks has been very successful in creating a culture that honors its employees.” Colville offers generous benefits including a 401K program; paid time off; healthcare benefits; physical, mental, and emotional health counseling; and flexible time off for sickness and family issues, all of which foster employee loyalty. The goal, Pfeifer says, is a “happy, healthy, balanced workforce.” He continues, “The health and wellness of our team is important to our culture. A happy, healthy, and balanced employee is more productive, engaged with a cooperative attitude, and has increased energy. We also feel it is just as important for employees to be as balanced on their time off as they are while at work. Increasing the awareness of preventative measures and inspiring healthy lifestyles leads to a better www.akbizmag.com

“An excellent safety record is, in our business, our license to operate. If you think of the millions of gallons of fuel that we transport from Valdez to all the North Slope operations along with a 5 million gallon fuel farm [in Prudhoe], the risk for an incident is always present. But we wouldn’t be able to operate on the North Slope if we had incidents. Zero incidents: that’s what we focus on.”

—Dave Pfeifer President and CEO, Colville

balanced life, both personal and professional.” Colville introduced wellness programs including a health screening tool called biometrics. “That was a big step for our company—some of the employees didn’t want to know [their health status]. However, the biometric screens were able to diagnose two early onset and potential chronic diseases which wouldn’t have been known otherwise. Now more people want to know; now it’s not about denial but awareness and taking ownership of it.” To encourage good employee health, Colville provides wellness opportunities and tools including exercise equipment at its North Slope facilities. The company also organizes health challenges among its teams and routinely disperses health information. In the Anchorage office the company made a change for the better when Pfeifer offered to buy every employee a healthy alternative to the afternoon coffee and cookie break. “I said look, I will buy every single one of you a juice every afternoon—no coffee, no cookies, but I’ll buy you an organic juice.” He continues, “Everybody got excited about it; it’s a new way of looking at a vegetable tray that tastes good.” It’s a first step, he says, on the part of the employer and employees to approach wellness a little differently. This dedication to employees has created a workforce that Pfeifer says is committed to Colville, which boasts employees with tento twenty-five-year work histories with the company. In the short time he’s been with Colville, Pfeifer has visited all of their operations at least twice to get to know people and gain insight into how operations are running, what’s needed, what can be improved, and to focus more on customer’s needs. While visiting the North Slope in August, he didn’t have to convince any of the employees of the quality of Colville; “It’s been the employees selling me on it. It’s such a great company.”

Colville Is Good People The company has an eye on safety at all times. “An excellent safety record is, in our business, our license to operate,” Pfeifer says. “If you think of the millions of gallons of fuel that we transport from Valdez to all the North Slope operations along with a 5 million gallon fuel farm [in Prudhoe], the risk for an incident is always present. But we wouldn’t be able to operate on the North Slope if we had incidents. Zero incidents: that’s what we focus on.” According to Colville’s website, its transporta-

tion branch logged more than 2 million miles without incident in 2016. Still, Colville strives to continue to build a culture of safety, emulating the best practices of North Slope oil companies in their approach that safety is everyone’s responsibility, whether that’s safety of personnel, equipment, or the environment. All of Colville’s operations are Alaska-centric. It buys its fuel directly from Alaska refineries; the bulk of Colville’s fuel comes out of Valdez, but it also purchases fuel out of Fairbanks and Anchorage. From those locations, it’s trucked north to the oil fields where it can be stored in Colville’s tank farm. According to Pfeifer, when the farm is fully stocked, the company could provide fuel to North Slope operations for around ninety days of winter operations. In fact, in the spring of 2015 when the Sagavanirktok River flooded the Dalton Highway and shut down northward traffic, “we sold fuel to our competitor to keep their customers operational,” Pfeifer says. “They couldn’t get fuel and because they didn’t have the storage we do they ran out. We kept our prices the same and said, ‘We have fuel, keep your customers going.’ It’s the right thing to do and natural for the Colville culture.” Additionally, he says, Colville delivered fuel free of charge to the many truckers stranded on the Dalton Highway unable to travel north or return to Fairbanks. “All the trucks that had been going up North became bottlenecked. The drivers had to keep their trucks running to keep warm, and we dispatched our fuel trucks and fueled them for free.” He explains, “We said ‘We’ll do our part and help out.’ That’s the character of Mark [Helmericks] and the impeccable reputation of Colville.” Helmericks is the son of Bud Helmericks, who homesteaded in the 1950s on the North Slope on the Colville River, the company’s namesake. Mark Helmericks grew up in Alaska’s far north, something few can say. He was home-schooled until high school and then left the state to attend college at Harvard. He then went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and still maintains his primary residence within the North Slope Borough, Pfeifer says. “I’ve asked him what it was like growing up there, and he said, ‘Well, the neighborhood has changed a little bit.’ Yeah, the neighborhood has changed a little bit,” Pfeifer laughs. R Tasha Anderson is the Associate Editor for Alaska Business. October 2017 | Alaska Business

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2017 TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION | FEATURED 49ER

waste operation on the North Slope, utilizing the same type of trucks, the same type of drivers, the same type of field operations as our fuel operations. I call it being vertically integrated; we’ve got all the components.” Pfeifer says Colville operates within four distinct divisions, and one of his challenges since coming onboard has been to increase collaboration between those operations to further reinforce the benefits of their vertical integration. For example, Brooks Range Supply is one the largest industrial suppliers on the North Slope; but in conversation with some of Colville’s transportation and fuel employees, Pfeifer learned those branches were purchasing supplies elsewhere. Pfeifer naturally asked why. “I’m the new guy. As the new guy, help me understand why are you doing that? How is our internal team not meeting your needs and what resources do you need?” The answer essentially was: “This is how we’ve done it.” Pfeifer has made changes to ensure Colville makes the best use of its own resources. “Those changes have been made, and now we’re reaping the rewards of utilizing our own team.” It wasn’t just supplies; services that Colville provides were being contracted to other companies. “We were paying someone else for various services, and now all of that work is coming back in to us, and that’s how we’re maintaining our core workforce. We have the best-in-class physical assets and it takes leveraging the entire team’s talents to keep the assets in that condition.”

PHILANTHROPY

Workplace Volunteering Engagement benefits communities, companies, and employees By Tracy Barbour

rganizations in Alaska support a plethora of workplace volunteering initiatives that encourage employees to donate their time and talents to charitable causes. Their efforts not only improve the health of communities throughout the state but also enhance the lives of employees and their employers.

United Way of Anchorage Bridges the Gap As a major proponent of workplace volunteerism, United Way of Anchorage meshes together the efforts of numerous companies and nonprofits throughout Alaska. It facilitates volunteer opportunities for organizations in two primary ways: Day of Caring and Be the Change 907.org. Day of Caring is United Way’s signature annual event, and it gives Anchorage companies 126

an organized way to give back to the Miller says. “And we have another community. As part of the initia10 percent to go in the next few tive, United Way recruits projects years. This effort takes everybody from nonprofits and offers them to doing their part.” different businesses. “This is a big Some of the volunteer opporday of companies bringing their tunities involved with 90% by employees to specific organizations 2020 range from one-on-one tuwhere work is needed to be done,” toring and mentoring to providsays Elizabeth Miller, vice presiing homework support. Part of dent of resource development. “The the initiative is ensuring that the companies provide the time off for community is supporting not just Elizabeth Miller, employees to do that work, and it’s their own children but also their Vice President of Resource seen as a great team builder.” neighbors’ kids. The whole comDevelopment, In recent years, twenty to thirty munity must have high expectaUnited Way of companies—and 300 to 400 emtions for Anchorage’s children, Anchorage ployees—participated in Day of Miller says. The Chalk the Walk Caring. program supports 90% by 2020 Image courtesy of United Way of Anchorage With Be the Change 907.org, by having volunteers show up beUnited Way manages an online fore the first day of school to write database of volunteers. The website is part of encouraging words for students on the sidethe agency’s goal to mobilize people and re- walks. “When they come to school, they see sources to make lasting, measurable changes messages like ‘We believe in you!’ and ‘Good designed to improve lives in the community. Job!’” Miller explains. “The volunteers have Another key undertaking of United Way a great time doing it, the kids love seeing it, of Anchorage is 90% by 2020, which strives to and it leads to success.” achieve an Anchorage high school graduation United Way of Anchorage also gives aid to rate of 90 percent by the year 2020. “Over the families to improve their financial stability and last twelve years, we have made huge strides; increase their income by providing a Volunteer we have risen from 59 percent to 80 percent,” Tax Prep service. Offered in partnership with

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

ConocoPhillips employees volunteering at the Westchester Lagoon Family Skate in Anchorage in 2017. Image courtesy of ConocoPhillips

the IRS and AARP, the service helps families save up to several hundred dollars in tax preparation and receive a larger tax refund. Last year, about 5,400 families saved more than $1 million in tax prep services, bringing in $7 million in refunds and tax credits that could be spent on various necessities. Each year, United Way of Anchorage has almost 1,500 volunteers donating more than 25,000 hours of their time. This includes volunteers involved with Day of Caring, its Board of Directors, fundraising, and Volunteer Tax Prep. United Way’s promotion of corporate volunteering has a significant impact on everyone involved, according to Miller. “When we are really able to get a workplace involved in volunteering, we are providing that opportunity to the individuals at that company to see the community with a different perspective, and they are able to provide valuable resources to those organizations where they volunteer,” she says. “It’s a win-win-win-win; it’s great for the company, the employees, the agency, and the community.”

ConocoPhillips Alaska Driven by Accountability ConocoPhillips Alaska believes in being accountable to the people and communities where it operates. “Helping improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work is a fundamental value for ConocoPhillips and our employees,” says www.akbizmag.com

Image courtesy of ConocoPhillips

Portia Babcock, ConocoPhillips Alaska’s director of community investment and public affairs, poses with the Courage Through Canines Service Team in October 2016 in Anchorage.

Portia Babcock, director of government and community affairs. “We do that by funding worthy causes, by lending a helping hand where it’s needed most, and by working diligently to build inclusive, honest, and respectful relationships with our stakeholders.” The company’s employees are friends, neighbors, teachers, and coaches who volunteer for organizations such as The American Red Cross, Bean’s Cafe, Camp Fire Alaska, and Habitat for Humanity. In 2016, ConocoPhillips’ employee-driven programs and volunteerism contributed about $1.24 mil-

lion to Alaska nonprofits, and its employees volunteered more than 3,500 hours helping their neighbors throughout the state, according to Babcock. ConocoPhillips Alaska promotes workplace volunteering through a variety of popular and successful programs. For example, with activity grants it donates $100 per qualifying employee/retiree participant to the 501(c)3 organization hosting the event. The grant funding is often used to support employee/retiree participation in charity runs, walks, and rides. October 2017 | Alaska Business

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Through individual volunteer grants, ConocoPhillips Alaska contributes $500 for every twenty hours an employee/retiree volunteers for a qualifying 501(c)3 organization, with a limit of two individual grants per year. And under team volunteer grants, the company gives $1,000 for a team of four or more eligible employees and/or retirees volunteering on a specific project to support a qualifying 501(c)3 organization. “Each team grant requires a combined total of at least forty hours of volunteer service at the same location on the same date,” Babcock says. In addition, ConocoPhillips Alaska donates $500 for every twenty hours an employee/retiree volunteers for a qualifying 501(c)6 organization. It also maintains a Matching Gift Program in which employee contributions to 501(c)3 organizations and nonprofit schools that have appropriate regional or professional accreditation are matched by ConocoPhillips dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000 annually. Retiree contributions are matched dollar-fordollar to a maximum of $5,000 annually. ConocoPhillips Alaska’s involvement in community projects fuels individual passion, develops new skills, and facilitates teamwork, Babcock says. “Individual involvement in the community benefits our employees because they become more a part of the fabric of the community in which they work,” she says. “The community benefits from the time and skills being contributed. Companyauthorized and -sponsored volunteer efforts also encourage employees to understand and appreciate the interdependence between the company they work for and the communities where we do business.”

First National Bank Alaska Lending a Hand At First National Bank Alaska, employees are lending a hand and supporting community activities where they live, work, and play. For example, bank officers are encouraged to lend their financial and organizational expertise to local nonprofit and civic organizations by volunteering as board members and committee chairs. “The bank donates more than $1 million annually to Alaska nonprofits and community groups in the communities where we do business,” says Community Relations Manager Natasha Pope. “Requests for support from these organizations often originate from or are supported by bank employees involved in the nonprofit’s community work. Last year alone, more than 250 nonprofit and civic organizations received employee volunteer hours and monetary contributions from the bank.” Through optional reporting by employees serving on various nonprofit boards and committees, as well as other bank-sponsored volunteer service activities, First National’s workplace volunteering averages about 6,000 hours annually. “These hours represent an approximate value of nearly $145,000 benefiting our nonprofit partners and communities,” Pope says. That $145,000, incidentally, is based on Independent Sectors’ 2017 estimate that values a volunteer’s time at $24.14 per hour. Inde128

ABOVE: The GCI 2016 Soldotna Toy Drive. LEFT: GCI 2016 Polar Plunge jump. Images courtesy of GCI

pendent Sector is “the only national organization that brings together nonprofits, foundations, and corporations engaged in every kind of charitable endeavor,” says the organization’s website. The value of the bank’s volunteer hours is likely much high than that of some other, lower-paying positions since bank officers provide specialized technical assistance specific to their profession that is typically valued at a higher amount than some other professions, Pope says. First National employees are encouraged to participate in the charities and community organizations of their choice. The bank supports their volunteerism and donates to those charities, in part, through its support of United Way of Anchorage and that statewide organization’s nonprofit affiliates. The bank also considers charitable donation requests from across the state, including charities for which bank employees serve as board members. One example of the bank’s support of workplace volunteering is through its role as a devoted partner of United Way Alaska since its early roots in 1956 when Lucy Hon

Cuddy—the grandmother of the bank’s Chair and President, Betsy Lawer—led the first community drive. Throughout the years, First National’s employees continued the tradition, serving in various roles to support United Way and its community initiatives and affiliated nonprofits. “Employees can be found volunteering in classrooms through Junior Achievement of Alaska, feeding hungry adults at Bean’s Cafe in Anchorage, coaching young athletes at Boys and Girls Clubs, and mentoring young Alaskans in the Big Brothers Big Sisters programs in communities across the state,” Pope says. The value of First National Bank Alaska’s employees volunteering in their community is at the heart of its belief in Alaska, where the success of Alaska is reflected in the success of its citizens, Pope says. The bank’s employees play vital roles in their communities, participating as involved, passionate members of local and statewide community and civic groups as well as knowledgeable volunteer leaders with nonprofit organizations. “The beneficiaries are Alaskans, our friends, neighbors, customers, and fellow citizens,” Pope says. “Reaching out

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

with a helping hand is a long tradition in Alaska. Actions speak louder than words, and First National has always made a point to demonstrate our belief in the success of Alaska.”

GCI Giving Back to Friends and Neighbors GCI encourages employees to donate their time to charities and community events through its Community Service Program. The program provides the company’s full-time employees with sixteen hours of paid time each year to volunteer with community organizations. And employees can divide their time however they choose, which gives them the option to volunteer at more than one charity. GCI also donates more than $2 million in cash, services, and scholarships annually, according to company spokeswoman Heather Handyside. Employees of GCI can support any organization or charity of their choosing through the Community Service Program. Over the years, they have participated and donated to a wide range of charities and organizations, including Boy and Girl Scouts of America, Bartlett Regional Hospital [in Juneau], Blood Bank of Alaska, Bread Line’s Stone Soup Café, Suitcases for Kids, Meals on Wheels, the Alaska SeaLife Center, and The Salvation Army. “During the holiday seasons, many GCI employees participate in hosting storefront food drives as well as clothing and toy collections to help local families in need,” Handyside says. In 2016, 485 volunteers participated in GCI’s Community Service Program, more than doubling the number of 2015 participants. GCI employees spent more than 4,000 hours donating to their community, giving back to their friends and neighbors throughout Alaska and beyond. The total volunteer hours in 2016 were valued at more than $185,000 worth of paid leave. Workplace volunteering, Handyside says, gives employees the opportunity to step out from behind their desks and make a difference in the community by donating their time, money, and skills to organizations they are truly passionate about, enhancing the quality of life for Alaskans. GCI strongly encourages the Community Service Program as a way to further impact the communities where it is deeply entrenched. “We are an Alaska-born andraised company; the majority of our employees are Alaskans; and we serve more than 200 Alaska communities,” Handyside says. “GCI started in Alaska nearly four decades ago, and we’re proud to do all we can to support and improve the quality of life for the employees we have and the communities we serve.” In order to be a good neighbor and a valuable part of the communities it serves, it’s important for GCI to give back, Handyside says. “We’re proud that our employees volunteer thousands of hours each year through GCI’s Community Service Program, lending a helping hand to friends and neighbors in need and helping make Alaska a better place,” she says. www.akbizmag.com

Wells Fargo branch managers participate in Habitat for Humanity of Anchorage’s volunteer build. Image courtesy of Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo Alaska the youth to lead the project and Nurtures a Culture of Caring work alongside its team members. A culture of caring is a defining “Afterward, we will have a workquality of Wells Fargo. “We care shop with folks who do affordable for our internal team members, housing,” Crotty says. “Hopefully and, externally, we really and truly this will encourage the youth parlove to volunteer,” says Wells Fargo ticipants that they can one day Alaska Community Development become homeowners.” Manager Judith Crotty. “The other Wells Fargo also nurtures volphilosophy we have is that our sucunteering efforts through team cess as a Fortune 500 company is member networks, which are afJudith Crotty, linked to our success in building filiate groups that anyone can Community healthy communities.” launch or join. Current team Development Wells Fargo has volunteer chapmember networks in Alaska inManager, Wells Fargo Alaska ters that meet monthly in different clude Alaska Native, Asian, Pride, geographic regions throughout and Veterans groups. The netImage courtesy of the state. It also has local volunteer works do not receive monetary Wells Fargo ambassadors who help find oppordonations, but they create an tunities for giving and engage team members internal circle of camaraderie in which emto participate. “I think that it’s very important ployees are able to support activities related because it creates the ability for any and all to their membership group. team members to make a difference whether Like many organizations, Wells Fargo they’re the CEO or a teller,” Crotty says. provides a financial incentive for employee Workplace volunteerism, she says, is about volunteers. Every Wells Fargo employee who employees taking their time, talent, and trea- works thirty or more hours per week receives sure and utilizing them to match their pas- sixteen hours of paid time off for commusion with community need. For instance, nity service, in addition to their regular paid a critical community need across Alaska is time off. “What it encourages in our culture affordable housing. To address that problem, of care is that every team member matters, Wells Fargo operates an Affordable Housing and we want them to go out and be ambassaFoundation with an active team member vol- dors in the community,” Crotty says. “You do unteer program. Through the program, em- not have to be rich to be generous and that is ployees are encouraged to donate their time indicative of our culture of care with volunto a housing building project. For every sixty teerism. Not everybody can write a big check, hours that members work on a building proj- but you can get out and volunteer.” ect, Wells Fargo makes a $15,000 investment Last year, Wells Fargo team members toward the employee’s agency of choice. in Alaska volunteered 11,500 hours in the The Habitat for Humanity team building community. The benefits of their service are program is a prime example of how the bank manifold. Studies show that a company’s sois working to meet affordable housing needs. cial responsibility has a direct correlation to In addition to providing much-needed finan- employee retention, according to Crotty. Emcial support, Habitat for Humanity’s pro- ployees tend to enjoy working where there is gram helps enhance creativity and leadership a specific identified culture of social responskills among employees as well as connects sibility. In addition, workplace volunteering team members to the faith-based population. creates an element of camaraderie and close“We want to do more than just write a check,” ness that employees cannot get from the ofCrotty says. fice alone. And as a bonus, it makes people In November, Wells Fargo is hosting a feel good when they give to others. R team building project that will involve homeless high school students through Covenant Tracy Barbour is a former Alaskan. House. In fact, Wells Fargo will be engaging October 2017 | Alaska Business

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SMALL BUSINESS

Growth Planning for Small Businesses Tips for small businesses navigating growth challenges By Michael A. Branham

ll small businesses must accept and navigate the challenges of growth, though the desired rates of growth and pace of growth may vary. Planning for and achieving growth is a neverending process that requires constant attention. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you build your unique growth plan: 130

 Start with your core values in mind: Every business should have a mission statement and should identify core values. Your growth plan should be centered around your reason for existence and embody the values you communicate to potential customers. These inherent aspects of your business will help throughout the stages of growth by differentiating you from your competition. This will also allow you to identify what your growth

goals should be, over what period of time they should be reached, and what effective growth for your firm will look like.  Understand your ideal client: The most effective growth goals aren’t achieved by trying to please every consumer. Research and planning will help your business formulate an ideal client profile, which could include demographic, psychographic, and intangible

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

characteristics of those who are most likely to use your product or service.  Sow long-term “seeds”: It’s hard to imagine a successful business today that isn’t using various forms of passive marketing. Your company website is the most obvious example, leveraging an online presence to attract and engage with consumers that are looking for the services you provide. An effective website should tell your unique story, as well as clearly explain what you do and how you work with your customers. It should also have an easy method for the perusing public to contact you or initiate business. In addition to an effective website, examples of long-term growth tactics include developing the appropriate external relationships that can provide referral business, building an active profile within your community, and engaging in professional organizations that provide continuing education and connection opportunities. Many of these “passive” techniques take time to develop (as in sowing seeds for a future crop of growth potential) and should be an ongoing focus for your business.  Develop a targeted marketing plan: If you understand your vision and mission, and have a solid profile of your target market, you can better integrate marketing activities that reach your intended audience. Many firms employ ads in print, television, or radio formats in their geographic targets or in a medium frequented by their ideal client. Others might determine

that direct communication through educational outreach is effective. In today’s economy, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and professional list sites are gaining steam as effective marketing and awareness tools.  Coordinate your growth plan with other aspects of your strategic plan: Budget planning and human capital planning in and of themselves can be entirely separate projects. With that said, your plan for adding talent and developing your human capital, as well as in planning your annual budgets, should be directly related to your overall growth plans. From the timing of hires to outlining key positions within the company to ensuring you have the necessary human capital to sustain your growth to the allocation of financial resources, implementing one plan without consideration for the others is a good way to upend your long-term growth potential.  Track your growth with key metrics: Once you’ve identified your growth goals and implemented strategies and tactics toward achieving them, it’s critical to measure the success of strategies that are effectively reaching your target market and, as importantly, identify those that are less effective. These metrics, and your progress toward your growth goals, should be communicated to all key stakeholders within your company to be sure everyone is aware of what is trying to be

achieved and the ongoing progress toward those goals.  Review and adapt: Planning is an ongoing process that requires constant attention and adaptation. Even the best laid plans are unlikely to be executed perfectly or provide consistent and expected results. Your ability to identify strengths and weaknesses within your plan and make the necessary in-course corrections will be the ultimate arbiter of your long-term success. It’s difficult to define or describe what your overall growth goals should be. Your goals will be unique to the circumstances and purpose of your business. But following a consistent process, which includes the key aspects described above, will help set a measurable and repeatable path that can be managed over long periods of time. R

Michael A. Branham, CFP® is a Senior Financial Planner with The Planning Center, Inc. in Anchorage and Twin Cities, Minnesota. Branham provides comprehensive planning services for young professionals and clients in transition and does extensive work with retiring clients on retirement income solutions. Contact him at mike@theplanningcenter.com or by calling 907-276-1400.

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WORKPLACE CULTURE

Workplace Appearance Shifting cultural perspectives By Tom Anderson

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Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

“[Common sense] doesn’t [always] work as Generation Z and future generations mature and enter our Alaskan work force. It’s a good chance if surveyed, most business owners continue to agree purple hair, large-gauge earrings, or bold neck and knuckle tattoos simply don’t mesh with a modern day office in Alaska; this needs to be clarified early on. Most customers and clients at a business are judging the employees as much as products and services.”

—Paula Bradison Owner and Managing Director, Alaska Executive Search

long with helping manage day-to-day interoffice relationships, human resource (HR) managers also contend with a long list of rules and regulations guiding employee health and wellness in the workplace. The HR department is responsible for helping employees understand their health insurance options and learn how to save for retirement. They also keep track of vacation days, leave, and retirement; major life events; attendance and behavioral issues; and a worker’s general appearance. Most businesses have an employee handbook in place that clearly lays out the company’s policies and procedures regarding behavior and appearance. And during the past two decades a new sub-section of the “appearance” section of the employee handbook has surfaced: what is and is not acceptable when it comes to body modification. The most common examples of physical modification are tattoos and piercings. Donning at least one tattoo or piercing is par for

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the course for many employees, regardless of gender, age, or ethnicity. Today, it’s less common that a tattoo and or a piercing will serve as a barrier to nailing that dream job. The Harris Poll in October 2015 surveyed 2,225 American adults and found almost onehalf of Millennials and more than one-third of Gen Xers have at least one tattoo, while 13 percent of Baby Boomers sport a tattoo and one in ten so-called “Matures” have a tattoo or piercing. The 2015 survey reports that three in ten US adults (29 percent) possess at least one tattoo, up from 2012, when two in ten US adults reported having a tattoo. Of those who report having a tattoo, about 70 percent say they didn’t stop at one, with seven in ten people reporting having two or more tattoos.

Alaska Executive Search: What the Pros Say Paula Bradison is a fourth generation Alaskan business owner. She grew up in Wasilla

and launched her career in Anchorage; her business footprint traverses the state, having served hundreds of employers and employees throughout her years as an entrepreneur. One of her newest acquisitions is Alaska Executive Search, a full-service employment company celebrating its 40th year in business. Alaska Executive Search offers employee career counseling and job placement as well as employer staff recruitment and personnel guidance. Bradison attests to the reality that the job market is competitive, particularly in Alaska as natural resource development jobs dissipate and lower paying hourly positions are being pursued by people of all ages with a vast range of experience instead of teenagers or entrylevel employees. As employment competition intensifies, aesthetics and appearance may matter as much as credentials and aptitude. “There is a growing societal acceptance [of] body modification, like tattoos and piercings

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“It’s not just a tattoo these days. What about hair color, length and style, teeth alterations, artificial eye colors, and even odd outfits; the sky is the limit of what an employer may face with her staff.”

—Paula Bradison Owner and Managing Director Alaska Executive Search

in the workplace, but that seldom secures employment,” says Bradison. “Some of the analysis is based on generational perception, like with significant piercings and older employers having an aversion to such an appearance, while arm, leg, and torso tattoos have been commonplace since World War II.” Bradison’s company has been advising employees on appearance and attire for more than four decades, so it’s a familiar topic. “As an employer, finding a balance between engagement and professionalism between employees and patrons is a balance at best,” she says. As a recruitment specialist, Bradison says her company’s primary goal is to put forward the best candidate for a job. Alaska Executive Search advises erring on the side of caution when it comes to appearance. Brash and bold piercings or tattoos that cannot be covered by typical business clothing—such as tattoos on the face or hands—lack conformity with the majority of white collar, professional jobs. She notes there is an obvious difference between a legal secretary or administrative assistant and a building tradesperson who doesn’t engage with the public and clients as often, so body appearance policy absolutely depends on the job position. “It’s not just a tattoo these days,” says Bradison. “What about hair color, length and style, teeth alterations, artificial eye colors, and even odd outfits; the sky is the limit of what an employer may face with her staff.”

Copper River Seafoods: Cultural Diversity Copper River Seafoods (CRS) is a professional food manufacturing business that operates in Cordova, Anchorage, Kenai, Naknek, Togiak, and Kotzebue. The company employs between 800 and 900 employees during peak season and 115 workers year-round. 134

Kimberly Ziegler, HR director at CRS for more than four years, explains that while the company doesn’t have a specific policy regarding body modification at its Anchorage administrative building, its processing facility personal appearance policies are strict because workers are involved in the production of food for human consumption. “Our internal policy is based on compliance with food safety regulations,” says Ziegler. “We are a British Retail Consortium [Global Standards] certified facility, which is a very prestigious and challenging certification to acquire. Essentially [British Retail Consortium Certification] guarantees the standardization of quality, safety, and operational criteria and ensures that manufacturers fulfill their legal obligations and provide protection for the end consumer. We take this seriously.” Ziegler cites examples of the company’s strict policies as prohibiting strong perfume

or deodorant at work and not allowing nail polish or false nails. Jewelry is prohibited except a smooth, solid wedding band, so visible body piercings are problematic. Hair and beard nets must be worn at all times. Ziegler adds that there is no prohibition of tattoos that she’s aware of, although appropriateness of any tattoo is taken into consideration in case a visible tattoo is found to be offensive. “Copper River Seafoods employs a multitude of employees with varied ethnicities and traditions,” says Ziegler. “We embrace the celebration of diversity along with the presentation of cultural art by our employees, particularly since we have locations scattered across Alaska Native communities. The fact someone has body art or modifications is not so much a concern as food safety compliance and ensuring our products are processed, packaged, delivered, and consumed without issue.”

Fatboy Vapors: Venue Latitude Strict appearance and body modification policies may seem commonplace in banks, medical offices, and insurance agencies, but when it comes to a less formal business atmosphere, sometimes latitude is the default. Matt Waggoner owns Fatboy Vapors, a seven-store vaping products company in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. He operates locations in Fairbanks, Wasilla, and Anchorage with more than fifteen employees statewide. Waggoner’s staffing levels ebb and flow by store, so he and his managers routinely conduct interviews and assessments to determine the best person to helm each storefront. “I don’t necessarily care about an employee’s body modifications in this industry,” says Waggoner. “Our patrons are hobbyists and their demographics cover the spectrum, from a 19-year-old who is intrigued by the technology to the 70-yearold grandmother who wants to quit smoking cigarettes. We’ve seen the gamut of tattoos and piercings and treat everyone the same.” Waggoner says a customer-focused perspective in commerce is what matters most to him. An employee’s personality is more important than appearance. But there are exceptions. “Hygiene is important for our staff, and we’ve not had a problem to that end,” says Waggoner. “But I’ve never discriminated against someone applying for a job at one of our stores because they had tattoos or piercings. Granted, a swastika on someone’s neck or something blatantly offensive or vulgar may be a different story.” Waggoner agrees that in professional services organizations and family-oriented businesses, facial tattoos and prominent, sizable piercings may deter some types of manage-

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

ment from hiring an applicant. However, Waggoner sells his products to adults (customers in Alaska must be at least 19 years old to buy from Fatboy Vapors) across a spectrum of the population, so an employee’s physical representation of their artistic expression typically don’t affect customer sales or service and may even enhance the customer experience.

Does Age Matter? “An important question we initially ask our employer-clients is to clearly define ‘business casual’ as related to their desired company culture,” says Bradison. “Many employers don’t have an iron-clad definition of what they envision as appropriate dress and appearance, rather relying on what they deem is common sense and a rational approach.” The difficulty of not defining appropriate appearance and attire is that employees— especially entry-level or young employees— may have no idea or wildly different ideas as to what is or is not appropriate when it comes to appearance in the workplace. “[Common sense] doesn’t [always] work as Generation Z and future generations mature and enter our Alaskan work force. It’s a good chance if surveyed, most business owners continue to agree purple hair, large-gauge earrings, or bold neck and knuckle tattoos simply don’t mesh with a modern day office in Alaska; this needs to be clarified early on. Most customers and clients at a business are judging the employees as much as products and services,” says Bradison. Who also says

she finds more businesses and organizations are developing a “Professional Expectations Policy,” which is an agreement between employer and employee, including temporary workers, designed to spell out what is acceptable in terms of employee appearance. “In a day and age where employee attitudes, preferences, and personal feelings can rule the work environment as much as performance and delivery of services, the most

responsible approach to body modification policy is a crystal clear understanding by employer and employee of the rules. Plain and simple,” says Bradison. R Tom Anderson is a lifelong Alaskan freelance writer for local and national publications and owns a public relations firm.

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October 2017 | Alaska Business

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MEETINGS & EVENTS

Unconventional Venues

The Alaska Zoo has more than one hundred animal and bird species on display, including polar bears and wolves. Organizations that take advantage of the Alaska Zoo’s meeting space enjoy a unique venue with access to stunning creatures from the Arctic. Photos by John Gomes

Business meetings and events Alaska style By Tom Anderson

laska, particularly Anchorage, is a premier destination for hundreds of businesses in search of unique, exciting locations to hold seminars, conferences, and meetings. Both Alaska-based companies and those from Outside take advantage of the state’s exceptional meeting options to escape the office to engage in corporate activities. The good news for the many companies in search of an ideal location to hold their next annual meeting is that there are countless spots statewide that welcome business meetings and events, with the added benefit of a vibrant culture, one-of-a-kind exhibits, and challenging team-building competitions. 136

There’s Always a Time (and Place) for Animals The Alaska Zoo in Anchorage receives more than 200,000 visitors each year and features more than one hundred animal and bird species on display on twenty-five acres of land. While the Alaska Zoo is a popular destination for visitors and locals, it’s also a popular location for businesses and others to hold events including weddings, fundraisers, and corporate meetings. The mountainside property offers business visitors a unique place to hold meetings that allows participants to enjoy the animals, the zoo’s beauty, and time to enjoy the outdoors. Patrick Lampi, the Alaska Zoo’s executive director, says the facility’s Gateway Hall is available for businesses and meetings. Gateway Hall has a capacity of 150 people and provides participants with seating, kitchen facilities, and audio/visual technology. He adds that, beyond amenities such as plasma

screens and a giant screen and projector, the Alaska Zoo can enhance what could be a typical boardroom meeting with tours of the zoo. “We have everything from nature and Alaska animals and birds to a majestic vista overlooking Anchorage and Cook Inlet on your drive departing the property, so holding business meetings and events at our facility goes beyond the boilerplate pen, paper, and conference table,” says Lampi. “Alaska nonprofit organizations like the Alaska Zoo are particularly thoughtful places to hold meetings because we are supported by donations, attendance, and sponsorships. Business meetings held here will generate interest, offer a chance to see how remarkable the property is, and hopefully inspire a return visit and patronage.” Notable clients include the Rasmuson Foundation, Fraternal Order of Alaska State Troopers, and MJ Murdock Charitable Trust. The Institute of Transportation Engineers has also booked the space for an upcoming event.

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

They said it was a bad block. I said it was a good thing they put you back on the job. So I can get back to mine. Yours in health, Samuel

Your heart may fail you. We won’t. P R O V I D E N C E . O R G /D E A R H E A LT H

What’s your story?

Photo by Tasha Anderson

The Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward has space available for corporate meetings and events; the venue routinely upgrades and refreshes their exhibits, such as this display (located on the ground level of the Center) on jellyfish found in Alaska waters.

Pride in Public Safety When it comes to Alaska law enforcement history and archives, there’s no place more comprehensive and packed full of iconic police history than the Alaska Law Enforcement Museum. Located on 5th Avenue in Anchorage, the 4,200-square-foot facility is managed by the Fraternal Order of Alaska State Troopers. Laura Caperton has served as the executive director of the museum for more than eleven years. She says organizations are drawn to the museum’s 42-foot by 28-foot conference room because of its convenient central downtown location and the opportunity to tour law enforcement exhibits and displays before, after, and during meetings. “The museum has hosted business meetings with teleconferencing, projected displays, PowerPoint presentations on our TV screens, and even videotaped board discussions,” says Caperton. “We’re obviously not in the commercial business of facilitating business meetings, but groups like the Alaskan Marine Dealers Association, Alaska Gun Club, and Anchorage Downtown Partnership found value in our conference room and technical set-up, which also has a small kitchen, food service space, and bathrooms.” The Alaska Law Enforcement Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and free of charge to the public, according to Caperton. Any business that uses its conference room and donates a fee is ultimately helping support the Fraternal Order of Alaska State Troopers’ efforts, including the annual CSI Forensic Science Camp for Kids, the Alaska State Troopers Safety Bear Program, and museum operations. She adds that Midnight 138

Sun Cafe offers catering and food service, making the museum a convenient, fun location for any meeting or presentation. The museum’s meeting room seats thirty-five in a conference-style setting or up to seventy for a reception-type event.

The Intersection of Business and Indigenous Culture The Alaska Native Heritage Center is another alternative for business meetings in Anchorage. Located in East Anchorage, ten miles east of downtown, the Alaska Native Heritage Center is situated on twenty-six wooded acres. Camille Hiebert, sales coordinator at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, says the Heritage Center “shares the rich heritage of Alaska’s eleven major cultural groups, allowing business meeting attendees the experience of seeing Alaska Native culture first-hand through engaging storytelling, authentic interactive Alaska Native song and dance, and Native games demonstrations.” Particularly when a state or national business conference is held in Anchorage, because of the Alaska Native Heritage Center, meeting and event facilitators have an alternative to traditional conference and seminar rooms and can choose a property that offers six authentic life-sized Alaska Native dwellings surrounding a lake. “We host an incredible array of businesscentric events including international conferences, statewide summits, business exchanges, and executive board meetings,” says Hiebert. “Our Gathering Place is a gorgeous location for any large event, with floor-to-

ceiling windows overlooking Lake Tiulana. We can also provide our theater for dialogues, films, and other small occasions as an addon or on its own. The Mabel Pike Education Center is one of our newest additions, and we offer two classrooms, a dance studio, and an Alaska Native games classroom that has a partition to split the two spaces,” she says. The Athabascan Ceremonial House is separate from the main building and is the ideal location for any executive board meeting. “Although we don’t provide catering, we do partner with caterers all over the Anchorage bowl and can supply basic A/V equipment, including microphones and speakers for lectures and presentations. We can also outsource for technology and technicians, as required. Ultimately, we want to celebrate the diversity in Alaska Native culture while business participants experience an authentic facility, traditional resources, and a unique location.”

Taking Care of Business while Celebrating Alaska History The Anchorage Museum offers a variety of meeting and event space options, ranging from sit-down events with room for fifty people featuring spectacular views of the Chugach Mountains to a reception space that can host as many as 300 people. Groups can rent a space or the entire museum, which allows attendees to peruse the gallery while learning all about Alaska. In addition to the atrium, Muse restaurant, Chugach Gallery, and a 230-person auditorium (that offers a podium, microphone, chairs, tables, DVD player, overhead projector,

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

slide projector, and even a piano). The recent addition of a new wing in September opened up additional space, including the Art of the North galleries as well as the outdoor A Street Patio. “The museum’s mission is to connect people, expand perspectives, and encourage global dialogue about the North and its distinct environment,” says Jeanette Anderson Moores, the Anchorage Museum’s public relations and marketing manager. “The museum is an important cultural hub and venue for engagement and connecting community. Our primary purpose is to be a museum,” adds Moores. “We complement local hotels and convention facilities offerings, not compete with them. Our proximity to the convention hotels and civic centers makes us an excellent alternative location for receptions, dinners, small meetings, or off-site break-out sessions.”

Beyond the Sea Nestled along Resurrection Bay and home to numerous hotel, restaurant, and fishing charter opportunities, the Alaska SeaLife Center offers a refreshing change of pace for a corporate meeting environment. Marketing and Events Coordinator Nancy Deel explains the center can accommodate small and large business engagements with conference room capacities of up to seventy people. For a dinner or reception, the SeaLife Center can host up to 200 people. Television screens and basic electronics are available, as is seating and coffee. High-end A/V systems and catering can be outsourced locally with ease. “The Alaska SeaLife Center is Alaska’s only public aquarium and it’s night-and-day in experience compared to a convention hall,” says Deel. “Meeting goers can experience, explore, and discover the unique marine world of puffins, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, giant Pacific octopus, and so much more,” says Deel about the incredible post-meeting opportunities that bond participants as they observe nature. “Imagine taking a break from your meeting to go nose-to-nose with playful seals and Steller sea lions in our underwater viewing area, or getting a finger hug from a sea urchin as you explore the Discovery Touch Tank. The water is the limit for experience, and that makes for an indelible meeting that improves attitudes and encourages participation,” says Deel. Deel says the center works with business groups to enrich their experience, including providing personalized tours. In the summer, she adds, the Alaska Railroad can bring guests to Seward, and it’s even more adventurous than driving on the highway. Recently Providence Hospital staff, numerous nonprofits, trade associations, and medium-sized businesses have all converged at the center for business activities and tours. “We know companies and nonprofit organizations have many options for their meetings and seminar-type functions in Anchorage,” notes Deel. “Anchorage has much to offer. But we can provide just as unique of an experience here in Seward. Add to your planning calculus the fishing and trekking services, top tier restaurants, hotels and gift shops, dog mushing kennels and glaciers, www.akbizmag.com

and of course your business meeting at our SeaLife Center as the crowning event, and suddenly business and recreation have conveniently merged.”

Escaping Is the Point Jim and Heather Donner opened Avalanche Escape Rooms in 2016 in Anchorage with both business and entertainment in mind. Their facility is a unique alternative to the formal conference room and seminar-style meeting places typical of business meeting venues. “We have a medium-size room available for meetings, training, seminars, and the range of organizational interaction that companies and organizations often prefer for a different exposure,” says Jim Donner. He adds that variety and new surroundings can make a difference with company synergy and staff attitude. “It shows management actually cares about their employees and staff when you come to our facility for competition and camaraderie.” Donner says his facility comfortably seats thirty-two people and can be expanded to forty people. Complimentary coffee and tea are included, as well as high-speed wireless Internet, dual multiplexed 4k UHD screens, and conference call/speakerphone abilities. The room is equipped with a full-size refrigerator, counter space, and sink. Donner’s support team can coordinate catering or clients can make their own dining arrangements. The fun part of this venue is the challenge. Looking for something to spice up a meeting or conference? Team building in an Escape

Room could be the answer. Donner explains that small teams enter a themed room in which they work together to find clues, break codes, and solve puzzles before time runs out. Avalanche currently has two different Escape Games, and they are designing a third for 2018. “We’ve hosted a lot of businesses,” says Donner. “It’s very rewarding for us to see the faces of staff arriving, typically in a work mode and questioning ‘Why here?’ and then departing with a smile, positive attitude, and clearly the intent to return. The success of a meeting comes as much from details as attitude of employees,” says Donner. Some of Avalanche Escape Rooms’ most recent clients include BP, University of Alaska, Arc of Anchorage, and Waste Management. “Ultimately, Alaska is a remarkable state when it comes to business access and friendliness. Hotels, restaurants, civic centers, and even our local museums and animal-centered parks and zoos offer great options for business connection. What Avalanche Escape Rooms adds is modern infrastructure, excitement, and challenge. We’re proud to be able to fulfill that role as the Alaskan economy thrives and the need for meeting space grows,” says Donner. R

Tom Anderson is a lifelong Alaskan freelance writer for local and national publications and owns a public relations firm.

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TOUR, LEARN, DRINK

EAT 

Compiled by Tasha Anderson

Brewery, Distillery, and Winery Tours

hroughout Alaska, local brewers, distillers, and wineries produce exceptional beverages on a daily basis. While their libations are fantastic on their own, many of these drink masters also provide tours, tastings, and lectures to inform the general public about the process of creating quality beer, wine, and spirits, as well as offer insight into the company’s history and expertise. Big Swig Tours offers two brewery tour experiences during the fall months: The Anchorage Brews tour departs at 2:45 p.m. Monday through Saturday from the corner of Fourth Avenue and F Street to explore downtown Anchorage. The tour

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SHOP

is four hours long and led by a Big Swig Hoperator. Travel “round town and off the beaten path as you explore Alaska’s finest breweries and beer-centric venues,” according to the company. The tour includes twelve beer tastings, a selection of appetizers at Midnight Sun Brewing Co., four hours of stories, and roundtrip transportation. Participants of the Hops on the Rail tour start their adventure in Anchorage by boarding the Alaska Railroad headed toward Talkeetna. Once in Talkeetna, the Hoperator escorts guests to experience a behind-the-scenes look at four breweries. The tour includes rail travel, a minimum of sixteen beer tastings, a box lunch, and local information and insight. bigswigtours.com HooDoo Brewing Co. is located in Fairbanks and offers free, thirty-minute tours every Saturday at 4 p.m. HooDoo Brewing crafts classic English, German, Belgian, and American brews. According to the HooDoo Brewing website, “You won’t find quirky names or labels for our beers. We like to keep it simple—brew quality beers with the best ingredients money can buy, keeping tradition in mind. While we are probably best known for our Kölsch or our American IPA, we have a variety of seasonal releases that just about please any palate.” hoodoobrew.com Denali Brewing Co. in Talkeetna offers guided tours of their brewhouse, cellar, packing lines, winery, and distillery for $10 per person. Their tours take place

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Thursday through Saturday at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and on Sundays at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. Denali Brewing recommends those interested in the tour arrive twenty minutes before the scheduled tour departure and check in with the Top Room bartender, because space is limited and to ensure everyone is kept safe within the production facility. Tours start with an 8 ounce beer and include three 4 ounce tastes through the duration of the tour. Large group and private tours are also available by reservation. According to their website, “Denali Brewing strives to produce the highest quality beer possible. Like all successful breweries, Denali Brewing can contribute those high standards to the continual investment and implementation of lab and quality control. Most importantly, we at Denali Brewing know that our success is held in great part to the passion and love that our brewers put into their craft.” denalibrewing.com Arkose Brewery in Palmer offers free brewery tours every Tuesday at 6 p.m. Additionally, Stephen Gerteisen, Arkose Brewery’s co-founder, head brewer, and beer scientist offers Suds Science lectures about the science of brewing. One session is $25 or all four are $75; the sessions cover malt, hops, yeast, and water. The company states, “Our portfolio of beers is inspired not only by the majestic surroundings and thriving community, but also by the German heritage and Pacific Northwest roots of its founders... [We] strive to bring you the utmost in craft beer consistency and quality.” arkosebrewery.com

Alaska Business | October 2017 www.akbizmag.com

Alaskan Brewing is located in Juneau and offers guided tastings for $20 per person that include a tutored tasting with seven total samples of beer and a souvenir to take home. Tastings start on the hour at the brewery, with the last starting at 6 p.m. Alaskan Brewing’s website says, “We have available for purchase flights for varying prices, 12 ounce pours for $5, or growlers and packaged beer at varying prices. Our tap list is constantly rotating and features favorites like Alaskan Amber, as well as seasonal, Rough Draft, and Pilot Series brews.” alaskanbeer.com 49th State Brewing Company offers private tours of their brewery by reservation for a small fee. Tours are led by their knowledgeable brewers and finish with a guided tasting. The company states, “All of our small-batch handcrafted artisan ales and lagers are brewed in Alaska, onsite at our brewpubs. They draw inspiration from and pay homage to the great brewing cultures of the world, including Belgium,

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the British Isles, and the grand ol’ U.S. of A. We combine the best malt, hops, water, and yeast with our intense passion for the craft to create the liquid gold that stands before you.” 49statebrewing.com Bear Creek Winery & Lodging in Homer provides tours Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 11 a.m. at the bottling works. The country winery makes fruit wines and fruit grape wine blends. According to the company’s website, “We grow, pick, and process some of the best berries in the world and it shows in our hand-crafted, award-winning wines. Guests are invited to visit the wine tasting room, tour the facility, walk the gardens, and take in the breathtaking views of Kachemak Bay.” bearcreekwinery.com Anchorage Distillery offers cocktails daily Tuesday through Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Tasting Room, and on Thursday the distillery also features a free tour at 6 p.m. According to the company, “Anchorage Distillery was founded on old world traditions, hardworking values, and a love for distilling quality spirits. We define our dedication to a superior spirit enriched with unique quality flavors that only can be derived from the pristine terrain of Alaska.” anchoragedistillery.com High Mark Distillery is located in Sterling and offers tastings by appointment. Their signature spirits are Nickel Back Apple Jack, Blind Cat Moonshine, and High Mark Vodka. The company states, “We couple ‘Old World’ distilling methods learned from Ireland, Scotland, and Northern Ireland with technologically advanced German and American

micro-distilling equipment to create ultra-premium spirits for our Alaskans. Our spirits are just as distinctive as our people.” highmarkdistillery.com Alaska Denali Winery offers wine tastings for $20 per person at their Anchorage location. Guests receive a flight of six wines of their choosing. While the winery cannot supply food, guests are invited to bring an appetizer or entrée to pair with their wine tasting. Groups are limited to approximately ten people and reservations are required. According to the company, “Alaska Denali Winery is an on premise wine-making facility. We specialize in crafting personal, microbrewed batches of wine that meet the discerning palates of our customers… The wine is selected by you and your friends and family at a pre-scheduled wine tasting, and once you decide which wines are your favorite, we immediately start the brewing process in our production facility.” denaliwinery.info Alaska Berries is located in Soldotna and welcomes guests to attend a wine tasting any time during their business hours Wednesday through Sunday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. The company says, “Alaska Berries was the first, and currently is the only, winery in the state that is certified as 100 percent Alaska Grown. We grow all of the fruit and berries used in the production of our handcrafted wines. ‘From the bush to the bottle’ allows us complete control of the entire process. This insures the highest quality fruit is picked at its peak of ripeness. Visiting our estate winery, you will see the care and consideration that is given to our farm and our unique wines.” alaskaberries.com R

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TOUR, LEARN, DRINK

Midnight Sun Brewing is based in Anchorage and offers free tours every Thursday, no reservation required. The tour begins in the Loft, the brewery’s in-house restaurant and bar that offers sixteen beers and two sodas on tap, all house-made. According to the company, “Our eclectic beers range from 4 percent wheat beers to over-12 percent imperial stouts and barley wines with many beer styles in between. And, in keeping with the 36 ounce per person limit [as mandated by the brewery’s license], we serve our beers in 6 ounce and 12 ounce glasses as well as a sampler paddle (four 3 ounce pours) that counts as a 12 ounce pour.” midnightsunbrewing.com

LODGING WITH AMENITIES

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STAY 

Hotel Suites

Grand View Inn & Suites offers tired travelers a number of suite options, including standard, double, Jacuzzi, and corporate suites. All suites feature TV with premium cable, high-speed Internet access, free local calls, refrigerator, microwave, and climate control options. Wasilla-based Grand View’s corporate suites, which are rented by the week, have one or two bedrooms. The one bedroom features a queen size bed and double sleeper. The two-bedroom has two queen size beds and a double sleeper. All corporate suites are equipped with a desk and fully-stocked kitchen, including a bar and bar stools as an eating area, fullsize refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave, dishwasher, cookware, dishes, and utensils. alaskagrandview.com Wedgewood Resort in Fairbanks specializes in the extended stay experience. The resort’s one and two bedroom accommodations offer guests fullyequipped kitchens with a full-size refrigerator, electric range, microwave, cookware, dinnerware, flatware, toaster, and coffeemaker. The spacious living area includes a fifty-inch flat screen cable HDTV. Wedgewood Living provides guests with additional services and amenities including 24-hour onsite staff, complimentary enhanced-speed Internet access, housekeeping, onsite laundry facilities,

secure parking, and complimentary 24-hour fitness center. Wedgewood Resort is centrally-located near the University of Alaska Fairbanks, downtown businesses, and shopping (just one mile from major shopping districts). Wedgewood Resort is an ideal home base for students, military, business travelers, and seasonal workers. fountainheadhotels.com/extended-stay Homewood Suites by Hilton Anchorage is centrally located in midtown Anchorage, near Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, and provides a complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport, as well as access to local attractions such as downtown shopping and dining, Merrill Field, convention centers, and the Alaska Railroad train station. Homewood Suites provides a complimentary full breakfast daily as well as a 24-hour business center. The hotel’s 122 newly-updated suites each have a separate living room with sofa bed, workspace, and HDTV. The fully-equipped kitchen includes a two-burner cooktop, refrigerator, microwave, and all necessary utensils. Suites are one or two bedrooms and include high-speed Internet access with desk and ergonomic desk chair, Neutrogena bath products, and black-out curtains for those seeking an extra-long snooze. homewoodsuites3.hilton.com

Compiled by Tasha Anderson Embassy Suites by Hilton Anchorage is a newlyrenovated hotel located in midtown Anchorage. This modern all-suite hotel is less than five miles from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and just a short distance to the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Alaska Zoo, and the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. The hotel’s spacious suites feature a separate living room with sofa bed plus WiFi, LED TV, mini-refrigerator, and microwave. Some suites feature mountain views and a whirlpool bath. Guests are able to access the fitness center, indoor pool, and 24-hour business center. Every morning the hotel provides free, made-to-order breakfast and later in the day a complimentary evening reception. embassysuites3.hilton.com The Hotel Captain Cook, located in downtown Anchorage, boasts ninety-six suites, all of which feature stunning views of downtown Anchorage, Cook Inlet, or the Chugach Mountains. Every suite features plenty of space for relaxing with separate sleeping and living areas furnished with a sofa, desk, and two televisions. The hotel’s executive suites, which are one or two bedroom and spacious enough for a family or large group, have three bathrooms. Executive suite guests receive complimentary access to the Athletic Clubs and free valet parking. Each room comes with a credit to be used at the Café. The Captain’s Deck is comprised of rooms and suites on the sixteenth and seventeenth floors and provides guests with secured entry as well as exclusive access to the Captain’s Deck lounge, which

Barrow

Kotzebue Fairbanks

Nome

Delta Junction

Mat-Su Anchorage Valdez Soldotna

Bethel Dillingham

Juneau Sitka

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The Sheraton Anchorage offers suites with comfortable furnishings and upgraded features for travelers in need of some extra space. An enhanced seating area includes a sofa and coffee table and beautiful Anchorage views. The Sheraton Anchorage’s suites are 430 square feet and can sleep up to four guests in the one king and two standard beds. All Sheraton Anchorage rooms are equipped with a flat screen TV, refrigerator, and high-speed Internet access. Guests are also invited to use the 24-hour fitness facility and 24-hour business center. Also onsite is the Ice Spa, where weary travelers can wind down with a massage, facial, salon services, and full-body treatments. sheratonanchorage.com The Residence Inn Anchorage Midtown offers one and two bedroom suites. The one bedroom suites provide visitors with one queen bed and a sofa bed and are approximately 300 square feet. They are air conditioned and offer a dining area and a living/sitting area separated from the bed by a privacy wall. Furnishings include sofa, chair, table with seating for two, desk, bathroom, and fullyequipped kitchen with a dishwasher and necessary pans, glasses, dishes, and flatware. The Residence Inn Anchorage Midtown’s twobedroom suites are 700 square feet and feature two queen beds in two separate rooms, as well as a sofa bed. There are two bathrooms in addition to the living and dining spaces and a kitchen. Residence

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Inn provides free high-speed Internet, complimentary shuttle service to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, and guest receptions Monday through Wednesday. It also offers business center access and many fitness areas including a fitness center, indoor pool, and sport court. marriott.com

include continental breakfast, free luggage storage, and the free Park ‘n Fly program. alexhotelalaska.com

Aspen Suites Hotel operates multiple Alaska locations in Anchorage, Kenai, Juneau, Sitka, and Haines with fully-equipped kitchen suites that are 20 percent larger than average hotel rooms. Aspen Suites offers single queen and double queen suites, all of which have a kitchen with full-size refrigerator, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, cook top, dishes, pans, and utensils. The suites are also equipped with a dining area complete with a large dining table and other furnishings including a desk, large bathroom, flat screen TVs, and free WiFi; some suites also offer sofa beds. aspenhotelsak.com

The Lakeshore Inn & Suites is located in Anchorage and offers one bedroom, two bedroom, and kitchenette suites. The one bedroom queen suite has one queen bed and a full size bed in the living room, as well as full size couch and dining room table. The two bedroom suite offers visitors two full bedrooms (each with a queen bed) as well as a full kitchen. The kitchenette suite has one queen size bed and a fully equipped kitchen. All of the rooms feature TV with free Showtime, high speed Internet access, and private bathrooms. There are also self-service laundry facilities, luggage storage, and an arrival/departure lounge onsite. The hunter/fisherfriendly Lakeshore Inn & Suites provides a courtesy shuttle to the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and Lake Hood and complimentary morning beverages and pastries. lakeshoremotorinn.com

Alex Hotel & Suites features 123 guest rooms conveniently located in close proximity to the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and Lake Hood seaplane base. Rooms come with complimentary WiFi and local calling. The hotel has a business center and large walk-in freezer for use by hunting and fishing guests. Alex Hotel & Suites offers complimentary shuttles to and from the airport and train depot. The hotel is only ten minutes from downtown Anchorage for easy access to sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment. All suites offer an inroom coffee maker, refrigerator, microwave, hair dryer, and dressing mirror in addition to a large flat screen cable TV. Other complimentary services

Frontier Suites Airport Hotel, a newly renovated Hotel in Juneau, offers something for everyone, whether traveling for leisure, business, or extended stay. The hotel offers a variety of comfortable nonsmoking rooms and suites, all with full kitchens, a shuttle to and from the airport, a fitness center, business center, and a host of other amenities, including free lodging for children under of the age of twelve traveling with an adult. Large deluxe rooms offer visitors king size beds and Jacuzzi baths. The hotel also has a laundromat onsite and freezer storage for fish and game. Frontier Suites Airport Hotel is only a five minute drive from Mendenhall Glacier. frontiersuites.com R

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offers complimentary hot breakfast, around-the-clock refreshments, and a nightly wine and beer reception complete with appetizers for snacking. captaincook.com

EVENTS CALENDAR OCTOBER 2017

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Anchorage OCT

Oktoberfest

The German Club of Anchorage hosts Alaska’s largest, most traditional Oktoberfest. This two day event is much more than a beer fest—it’s a celebration of German culture. This Oktoberfest, held at the Egan Center, is family friendly but those younger than 21 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. facebook.com/AnchorageOktoberfest

6-8

OCT

6-8

Make it Alaskan Festival

OCT

PLAY  Harlem Globetrotters

Harlem Globetrotters 21-22 The bounce into Anchorage as part of their world tour. Games are at 7 p.m. on October 21 and 2 p.m. on October 22 at the Alaska Airlines Center. alaskaairlinescenter.com OCT

Kids Halloween Train

the Alaska Railroad for 21 & 28 Join some Halloween family fun: a ride on the rails complete with costumes, crafting, and tasty treats. The Alaska Railroad Kids Halloween Train will travel

This festival features more than 120 booths showcasing arts, crafts, food products, jewelry, produce, and homegrown products made by artisans from Barrow to Ketchikan. Entry to the festival at Dena’ina Center is free to the public. makeitalaskanfestival.com OCT

Great Alaska Beer Train

Take a scenic journey along Turnagain Arm with a local designated driver—the Alaska Railroad. The Great Alaska Beer Train makes a round-trip journey from Anchorage to Portage and features an impressive assortment of local microbrews and a multi-course dinner from the Glacier Brewhouse. Must be 21 years of age or older. alaskarailroad.com

The best network is now in more places. Alaska’s Largest 4G LTE network is now in the Kenai.

STAY

Compiled by Tasha Anderson

2.5 hours round-trip from Anchorage to Indian. Passengers enjoy monstersize fun, including entertainment from a magician, crafts, balloon animals, Halloween-themed bingo, a raffle, and coloring contest. alaskarailroad.com OCT

p.m. Dress warm and carry a flashlight to help illuminate your way around the zoo while visiting the animals in this nocturnal setting. alaskazoo.org.

Fairbanks

Zoo Boo

Don a costume and visit the Alaska Zoo to celebrate Halloween. Enjoy spooky trail decorations, event staff in costumes, and trick-or-treat stations throughout zoo grounds. The fun gets underway at 5 p.m. and runs until 8

OCT

Arctic Innovation Competition

The UAF Arctic Innovation Competition (AIC) is Alaska’s original idea contest launched in 2009. The AIC is run by the UAF School of

Palmer OCT

OxToberfest

The Alaska Farmland Trust and the Musk Ox Farm present the 3rd Annual OxToberfest Farm-to-Table Feast, Brew Fest, and Polka Bash, a joint fundraiser for two Alaska nonprofits. Feast on brats made with Alaska Grown locally sourced meat, Palmer cabbage in the sauerkraut, Mat-Su grown potatoes in the German potato salad and chips, Alaska grown mustard, and even local wheat in the buns. Six of the top Alaska brewers will be on hand offering the best selection of seasonal ales and brews to keep the polka toes hopping. The music features a twelve-piece lederhosen-clad brass oompah band. oxtoberfest.brownpapertickets.com

JOIN THE ANCHORAGE CHAMBER! ADVANCING BUSINESS. ADVANCING ANCHORAGE.

Serving Anchorage for 102 years!

PARTNERING IN YOUR SUCCESS! The Anchorage Chamber provides opportunities for members to grow their business. From advertising to connectivity, there is a multitude of reasons to be a member with the Anchorage Chamber. Call 272.2401, email info@anchoragechamber.org or go to AnchorageChamber.org to inquire about membership.

ask about the new multi-tiered investment structure! anchorage chamber of commerce 1016 w 6th ave., ste. 303 anchorage, ak 99501

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Octoberfest Artshare, an arts and crafts fair featuring handmade items by artists and crafters around the state; the Rain Country Quilters Quilt Show; and other events and activities. petersburg.org

Fairbanks

Skagway OCT

Fall Festival

Festival is a celebration 20-22 Fall of art, music, and life in OCT

the North that includes art and craft classes, zombie walks, fundraisers, burger feeds, a cribbage tournament, and other activities. skagway.com

Halloween at the Museum of the North

Costumed superheroes, zombies, and scary monsters of all kinds are invited to see bones and bugs, bats and birds in the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research labs and explore the galleries at the Alaska Museum of the North. Admission is free. uaf.edu/museum/

OCT

International Friendship Day

diversity with performances and ethnic food booths 21 Celebrate at the Pioneer Park Centennial Center from Noon to 5 p.m. explorefairbanks.com Management and currently awards $30,000 in cash prizes to winners in three divisions: AIC Main, AIC Jr., and AIC Cub. Finalists are invited to present at the Final Competition on October 21 to compete for first, second, third, and fourth places. arcticinno.com

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OCT

Go Winter! Expo

event focuses on winter: 28-29 This how to get through it safely and sanely while having some fun. This year will include the Interior Alaska Gun show, as well as indoor and outdoor activities, food, and

information about winterization, home care, and travel ideas, all at the Carlson Center. fairbanksevents.com/go-winter-expo/

Petersburg OCT

Octoberfest Celebration

1-31 Petersburg celebrates Octoberfest throughout the month with concerts; gallery walks; Beat the Odds, a race against cancer;

Wasilla OCT-NOV

Arsenic and Old Lace

This comedy revolves around the Brewster family, descendants of the Mayflower, who are now composed of homicidal maniacs. Mortimer Brewster, a local drama critic, must deal with his crazy family, and the police, while he debates whether to go through with marrying the woman he loves. His family includes two spinster aunts who have taken to murdering lonely old men by poisoning them, a brother who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt digging locks for the Panama Canal in the basement, and a murderous brother who has received plastic surgery performed by an alcoholic accomplice to transform him into a double for Boris Karloff. All shows are at Valley Performing Arts. valleyperformingarts.org R

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EVENTS CALENDAR OCTOBER 2017

Fairbanks

Business Events OCTOBER

OCT

AAHPA Annual Conference

OCT

Alaska Snow Symposium

Petersburg: This is the annual conference of the Alaska Association of Harbormasters & Port Administrators. alaskaharbors.org

2-6

Dena’ina Center, Anchorage: A one-day trade show for the snow and ice management industry brought to Alaska by the Snowfighters Institute. Learn about the latest in technology, education, and equipment for every branch of the business. alaskasnowsymposium.com

OCT

Arctic Ambitions

Sheraton Anchorage Hotel: This annual event uniquely focuses on business and investment opportunities flowing from developments in the Arctic. wtca.org/world-trade-center-anchorage

3-4

OCT

3-5

ATIA Annual Convention & Trade Show

Kodiak Harbor Convention Center: The Alaska Travel Industry Association is the leading nonprofit trade organization for the state’s tourism industry; this year’s theme is “Alaska Untamed.” alaskatia.org

OCT

Alaska Chamber Fall Forum

Sitka: Open to the public, the Alaska Chamber’s Annual Conference is the state’s premier business conference. The conference draws 200 to 225 attendees and features keynote speakers, panel discussions, and breakout sessions on issues of statewide concern to Alaska business. alaskachamber.com

10-12

OCT

All-Alaska Medical Conference

Lakefront Anchorage: A continuing medical education conference put on by the Alaska Academy of Physicians Assistants, providing up to twenty-five CMEs. akapa.org

12-15

Compiled by Tasha Anderson OCT

18-20

Alaska Forest Association Annual Convention

The Landing Hotel, Ketchikan: The Alaska Forest Association can be characterized as a high profile industry trade association. Its members hold in common general business interests in the timber industry of Alaska. This year is the 60th annual convention. akforest.org

OCT

19-21

Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Convention

Dena’ina Center, Anchorage: The Alaska Federation of Natives Convention is the largest representative annual gathering in the United States of any Native peoples. Delegates are elected on a population formula of one representative per twenty-five Native residents in the area, and delegate participation rates at the annual convention typically exceed 95 percent. nativefederation.org

NOVEMBER

NOV

Sitka WhaleFest

Sitka: Presented by the Sitka Sound Science Center, WhaleFest is a science festival that celebrates marine life. The core of the festival is a unique science symposium blending local knowledge and scientific inquiry concerning the rich marine environment of our northern oceans. sitkawhalefest.org

3-5

NOV

5-11

Alaska Miners Association Conference

Dena’ina Center, Anchorage: The fall convention includes technical sessions, short courses, a trade show, and networking opportunities. alaskaminers.org

NOV

AGC of Alaska Annual Conference

Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage: The mission of AGC of Alaska is to advocate for their members and the Alaska construction industry; to provide educational opportunities for their members; and to make the public aware of their members’ skills, responsibility, and integrity. agcak.org

8-11

NOV

AASB Annual Conference

NOV

AAMC Conference

NOV

AML Local Government Conference

NOV

RDC for Alaska Conference

Anchorage Hilton: The mission of the Association of Alaska School Boards is to advocate for children and youth by assisting school boards in providing quality public education, focused on student achievement, through effective local governance. aasb.org

8-12

Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage: The Alaska Association of Municipal Clerks is an organization that focuses on providing educational training and mentoring and professional growth opportunities. alaskaclerks.org

13-14

Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage: The Alaska Municipal League is a voluntary, nonprofit, nonpartisan, statewide organization of 162 cities, boroughs, and unified municipalities, representing more than 97 percent of Alaska’s residents. akml.org

13-17

Dena’ina Center, Anchorage: RDC’s purpose is to link various industries together to encourage a strong, diversified private sector and grow Alaska through responsible resource development. akrdc.org

15-16

DECEMBER

DEC

ALASBO Annual Conference

3-6

Anchorage: Annual conference of the Alaska Association of School Business Officials. alasbo.org

DEC

2017 Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit

6-8

Anchorage: AYFS is designed to provide training, information, and networking opportunities for commercial fishermen early in their careers. seagrant.uaf.edu R

BUSINESS EVENTS IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY CIRI

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Inside

Alaska Business October 2017

Compiled by Tasha Anderson

USCG

S Coast Guardsmen and US Navy sailors conducted shipboard dive operations from Coast Guard Cutter Healy in the Arctic on July 29 for the first time since two Coast Guard divers perished in a subsurface accident almost eleven years ago. Shipboard Arctic dive operations increase the Coast Guard’s ability to assure year-round access for national security, sovereign presence, and increased maritime domain awareness in the region. The shipboard dive operations also highlighted the interoperability between joint Coast Guard and Navy Photo courtesy of the US Coast Guard/ dive teams. by Petty Officer 2nd Class Meredith Manning Divers are the Coast Guard’s primary resource for the service’s subsurface capabilities and perform a full spectrum of Coast Guard missions, including maintenance and repair to aids to navigation, underwater inspections and maintenance on icebreakers and other cutters, surveying critically-endangered species habitats, assistance to marine casualty investigations, and supporting search and rescue operations. Healy, home ported in Seattle, is a 420-foot long medium icebreaker with extensive scientific capabilities and is the nation’s premier high-latitude research vessel. Healy’s missions include scientific support, search and rescue, ship escort, environmental protection, and the enforcement of laws and treaties in the Polar Regions. pacificarea.uscg.mil

ENI

fter a comprehensive review and consideration of comments received from the public, stakeholders, and Federal and state partner agencies and tribes, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in July conditionally approved a Beaufort Sea exploration plan (EP) from Eni US Operating Co. Inc. In its plan, Eni describes its intent to drill four exploration wells into the federal submerged

lands of the Beaufort Sea from its Spy Island Drillsite, a pre-existing facility located in Alaska state waters. Drilling will be conducted during the winter months only and is scheduled to begin in December 2017. boem.gov/eni-ep-2017

AGDC

he US Internal Revenue Service has determined that the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) qualifies as a tax-exempt

political subdivision of the State of Alaska under new, more stringent proposed IRS regulations. “This is great news for the corporation and the Alaska LNG project,” stated AGDC President Keith Meyer. “Receiving a favorable tax ruling from the IRS was one of the expectations of the transition of the Alaska LNG project to state leadership. The favorable ruling from the IRS will provide significant maneuvering room as we shape the financial structure of the Alaska LNG project. This is our next great energy project as a state and important for America to move into a position of major energy supplier to our overseas trading partners.” As a political subdivision, AGDC will not be subject to federal income tax and can issue taxexempt debt. The federal tax exemption can further reduce the cost of service on the system and can increase the competitiveness of the project while also improving overall returns to project stakeholders. agdc.us

KONA ICE

ringing tropical tunes and cups of Hawaiian shaved ice everywhere it stops, Kona Ice pulled its first mobile truck into Alaska in August, introducing Anchorage to its distinctive blend of entertainment and gourmet frozen treats. “Bringing Kona Ice into my home state makes me very excited,” said Amanda Sato, the local resident and entrepreneur behind the new food truck franchise. “Despite the cooler climate, we Alaskans love our cold and sweet deserts.” The truck utilizes Flavorwave, an interactive dispensing system located on the side of the Kona Ice truck that allows individuals to create their own custom shaved ice by choosing as few or as many flavors as they desire. With an additional

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INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS 20-plus flavors inside the truck, there are more than 500 possible unique flavor combinations available to shaved-ice lovers. In addition to maintaining regular weekday and weekend routes, Sato’s truck also stops in Anchorage at fairs, festivals, corporate events, neighborhood socials, church events, and birthday parties. kona-ice.com

NORTHRIM BANK

n August Northrim BanCorp Inc., the parent company of Northrim Bank, announced that Northrim Benefits Group sold substantially all of its assets to Michigan-based Acrisure. Northrim Benefits Group will be Acrisure’s second affiliate agency in Alaska. “We purchased our ownership in Northrim Benefits Group in 2005 to provide additional financial services to our growing customer base,” said Joe Schierhorn, president, CEO, and COO of Northrim BanCorp. “Today, we believe there are benefits for Northrim Benefits Group to align with Acrisure, as the health insurance industry continues to evolve. We believe that our customers have benefited from Northrim’s relationship with this complementary business services group, and Northrim Benefits Group has been a solid contributor to revenues.” Northrim is selling its interest in NBG’s assets for $4.6 million, generating a net profit after tax of $2.7 million, or $0.39 per share, in the third quarter of 2017. In 2016, Northrim Benefits Group contributed $3.8 million, or 3.8 percent of Northrim’s total revenues. Current management and staff of Northrim Benefits Group will remain in place following the transaction, which closed on August 14. northrim.com

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

n August Governor Bill Walker signed Senate Bill 33 (SB33), which officially names the two new Alaska Class Ferries currently under construction M/V Tazlina and M/V Hubbard. Walker introduced SB33 after he and Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott reviewed hundreds of essays submitted by Alaskan students in a ferry-naming contest. The winners were 7th-grader Malea Voran and 10th-grader Taylor Thompson. Voran chose the Tazlina Glacier, which is named for the Ahtna Athabascan word for “swift river”; Thompson chose Hubbard Glacier, which has been ad-

vancing for one hundred years. All Alaska ferries are named for glaciers. gov.alaska.gov

ASSOCIATION OF FUNDRAISING PROFESSIONALS

he Association of Fundraising Professionals Alaska Chapter is proud to honor the following Alaskans for their commitment to bring about lasting community change at the 30th annual Alaska Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon. Award nomination Categories: Outstanding Business or Foundation in Philanthropy:  ASRC Outstanding Small Business in Philanthropy:  Design Alaska Outstanding Volunteer in Philanthropy:  Pete Pinney Outstanding Individual or Family Philanthropist:  Jack and Carol Wilbur Outstanding Youth or Youth Group in Philanthropy:  Rebekah and Victoriah Haakenson Outstanding Professional in Philanthropy:  Megan Riebe, CFRE Eugene R. Wilson Lifetime Achievement Award:  Governor William Sheffield The individuals and organizations selected will receive their honors at the Association of Fundraising Professionals Alaska Chapter’s Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon in November. afpalaska.afpnet.org

ALASKAN BREWING

eer drinkers throughout Illinois will soon be able to enjoy a taste of Alaska, as Alaskan Brewing was on tap and on the shelves in the Land of Lincoln as of September. Alaskan Brewing is partnering with a network of fourteen distributors statewide, including Lakeshore Beverage

in Chicago, to bring to Illinois brews made from the glacier-fed waters of Juneau. The move into Illinois will mark the 20th state in which Alaskan Brewing products are distributed. alaskanbeer.com

UMYUAQ CONSTRUCTION

myuaq Construction, subsidiary of Choggiung Limited, announced a Small Business Administration approved 8(a) mentor-protégé and joint venture relationship between Umyuaq Construction and CCI Energy and Construction Services, a subsidiary of Bristol Bay Native Corporation. Under the relationship, Umyuaq Construction will be provided tools, procedures, financial support, and executive leadership by CCI-ECS to deliver exceptional service with low performance risk at the project level to the federal government. choggiung.com

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF ALASKA

our outstanding Alaska business leaders will join the Alaska Business Hall of Fame at the annual Junior Achievement recognition event in January. Business peers recently selected Thomas Barrett, President, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.; Robert B. Gillam, Chairman and CEO, McKinley Capital Management; Charles E. “Chuck” Robinson (being honored posthumously), founder of Alaska Communications; and Robert Penney, Real Estate Developer/Investor. These business leaders are honored for their direct impact toward furthering the success of Alaska business, demonstrated support and commitment to Junior Achievement’s programs, and demonstrated commitment to Alaska business. juniorachievement.org

SEARHC

outhEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) was recently awarded a $927,871 grant for breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. The annual grant supports breast cancer screenings (mammograms), cervical cancer screenings (Pap tests), diagnosis, and case management at SEARHC facilities throughout Southeast Alaska for five years, potentially bringing more than $4.6 million to the region to

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Compiled by ABM Staff help patients. This funding includes support for the mobile mammogram vehicle that travels by ferry to multiple rural Southeast Alaska communities without access to mammography. CDC also awarded SEARHC a $761,410 grant for the WISEWOMAN women’s cardiovascular health screening and lifestyle intervention program. In partnership with National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, WISEWOMAN provides screening for heart and blood vessel disease, followed by individualized programs and coaching to help women reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease. Both CDC grants provide services to women who meet age, income, and insurance eligibility guidelines. searhc.org

ALASKA MARINE LINES

laska Marine Lines stepped in to help the Bristol Bay Historical Society move a 1932 sailboat from Anchorage to Naknek for display in the Bristol Bay museum. The 26-foot by 9-foot, fully restored wooden vessel was used for salmon fishing more than eighty years ago. It still has the bright orange streak identifying it as cannery boat. The Anchorage Museum conducted the restoration work on Koggiung #5. It was scheduled to go into permanent storage there when Fred Anderson of the Bristol Bay Historical Society heard about it and decided to bring it home to his museum. It will join an older wooden sailboat in a collection there with plans to create an entire display of historic wooden fishing vessels. It took about two years of negotiations and planning to move the boat, but with Alaska Marine Lines’ donation of barge transport, it is now back in its native waters and ready for all to enjoy. lynden.com

APD

he Anchorage Police Department announced a new unit called the Community Relations Unit. “Community relations are a critical component to this department’s success in fighting crime,” said Chief Justin Doll. “Whether it’s the media, an Anchorage resident, a business, or a community organization, this new team’s main mission is to ensure APD remains connected to the community it protects and keeps safe.” The new team is headed by Communications Director MJ Thim, newly hired Deputy Commu-

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nications Director Nora Morse, and Crime Prevention Specialists Anita Shell and Renee Oistad. muni.org

SUBWAY

· Subway restaurant opened in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) in August. The new restaurant is located at 1611 Okpik Street and features a metropolitan design in the Northernmost city in the United States and the 11th Northernmost public community in the world. In addition to submarine sandwiches, the new Subway restau· rant at Utqiagvik will also offer breakfast, a variety of salads, soups, chips, soft drinks, milk, and sliced apples. “I am excited to be able to bring Subway restaurant’s delicious, nutritious prod· uct to the people of Utqiagvik ,” said John Mas· terson, local resident of Utqiagvik and co-owner of the new sandwich shop. subway.com

ALASKA SUPREME COURT

he Alaska Supreme Court issued a decision August 25 upholding Governor Bill Walker’s action last year to reduce the permanent fund dividend appropriation in the budget bill. Previously, the Alaska Superior Court upheld the reduction of the permanent fund dividend, but on different grounds than the Alaska Supreme Court. The superior court determined that regardless of whether the earnings of the permanent fund were subject to the constitutional prohibition against dedicated funds, the constitutional appropriations clause required that the legislature appropriate the money, which meant the governor could also veto the appropriation. Instead of looking at the appropriations clause, the Alaska Supreme Court focused solely on the anti-dedicated funds clause. It held: “… the 1976 amendment did not exempt the legislature’s use of Permanent Fund income from the Constitution’s anti-dedication clause…The legislature’s use of Permanent Fund income is subject to normal appropriation and veto budgetary processes.” This means that the action taken by Governor Walker last year and the action taken by the legislature this year to reduce the permanent fund dividend appropriation was constitutional. Article 9, section 7 of the Alaska Constitution is known as the anti-dedicated funds clause. The clause reads: “The proceeds of any state tax or license shall not be dedicated to any special

purpose…” with certain exceptions. The Court’s opinion clarifies that none of the exceptions apply to the earnings of the Permanent Fund. Any money to be spent from the permanent fund earnings reserve account must go through the normal budgeting process whereby the legislature annually appropriates specific sums of money for certain purposes, and the governor can then strike or reduce those sums under the veto power in article 2, section 15 of the Constitution. law.alaska.gov

TRAVEL JUNEAU

ravel Juneau released the Juneau Visitor Profile (Summer 2016). Travel Juneau contracted the McDowell Group to analyze data collected from the recently released statewide Alaska Visitor Statistics Program (AVSP) to provide a snapshot of visitors’ decision making, satisfaction with destinations, and spending, among other items. The document provided new insight and affirmed anecdotal information regarding Juneau’s visitors. One of the surprises in the report was the planning timeline, which was shorter than previously estimated. On average, cruise visitors to Juneau took 8.8 months to decide to come to Alaska, while independent visitors to Juneau decided in 5.3 months. Additionally, cruise visitors booked major travel 6.6 months in advance, while independent travelers booked only 3.1 months in advance. “Travel Juneau will use this first-round data to refine marketing efforts to independent travelers,” said Travel Juneau President and CEO Liz Perry. “For example, while the majority of our visitors arrive from the Western United States, we see untapped potential in other areas of the United States, including the South.” Travel Juneau will conduct a Juneau-focused survey during the 2018 summer season, which will include Alaska residents (unlike the statewide survey). Additionally, the organization has contracted the McDowell Group for a winter survey directed at meeting planners and attendees to more accurately gauge their site-selection process and spending habits. That data will be used to generate a fresh calculation of a meetings’ estimated economic impact to Juneau. traveljuneau.com R

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RIGHT MOVES Tlingit & Haida

Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is pleased to announce Sarah Dybdahl as the Tribe’s new Cultural Heritage and Education Manager. In this position, Dybdahl will oversee the coordination of Tlingit and Haida’s cultural activities and develop cultural programs in collaboration with tribes and other Native entities. Dybdahl grew up in Klawock and holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Southern Oregon Dybdahl University.

First National Bank Alaska

Tom Sullivan was recently appointed Vice President and named Regional Branch Manager for Cordova, Haines, Juneau, and Sitka by First National Bank Alaska’s Board of Directors. Sullivan is based out of the downtown Juneau Regional Branch. He is responsible for lending activities, business and com- Sullivan munity development, bank outreach, and branch operations. Sullivan has worked in finance since 1986 and he graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in business administration. After a year spent managing the Federal Branch in downtown Anchorage, Krissi Estrada is the new Branch Manager at the Parkway Branch. Estrada will be responsible for business development, consumer loans, branch operations, and customer service. Estrada Additionally, Stephanie Good is Mortgage Lending’s newest Senior Mortgage Underwriter and Loan Officer. Based at the bank’s Anchorage corporate headquarters building, she’ll help customers secure loans. She’ll do so by examining and analyzing loan documentation to ensure accuracy Good and completeness and that each loan meets market and company standards. Good has worked in the industry for nearly fourteen years.

Coffman Engineers

Coffman Engineers announced the addition of four new employees: Edward Lightwood, PE, joined the civil engineering department; Nicholai Smith, PE, rejoined the electrical engineering department; and Ryan Gilchrist

and Korey Hughes have been hired as Drafters/Designers. Lightwood is a professional licensed engineer in Alaska with thirty-plus years of experience. He has vast knowledge in project management, contracts, planning, engineering, procurement, and construction. He has worked in a wide variety of areas and projects including highways, aviation, site development, environmental, and oil Lightwood and gas. Prior to joining Coffman Engineers, Lightwood worked at R&M Consultants, successfully operated a small engineering firm, and then managed and delivered EPC projects and programs for ConocoPhillips. Smith, a prior employee of Coffman Engineers, received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wyoming. He is responsible for electrical design of power, lighting, and communication systems. Smith has worked on commercial and industrial facilities and is a certified commercial Smith energy auditor. Gilchrist obtained an associate degree in architectural and engineering technology from the University of Alaska Anchorage and previously worked at CH2M in Anchorage. He will work in the civil engineering department utilizing his eight years of experience providing CAD expertise in Autodesk programs, 3D Modeling, and Gilchrist BIM software. Hughes completed the Architectural Engineering Technology (CAD) Program at the University of Alaska Anchorage and is a certified drafter for civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering. Hughes will work directly with the mechanical and piping department at Coffman Engineers as well as electrical Hughes and instrumentation design teams.

Alaska eHealth Network

The Alaska eHealth Network Board of Directors unanimously selected Laura Young as the organization’s Interim Executive Director, effective July 31. Young has a background in leading health information exchange initiatives and in using technology to coordinate patient care across multiple providers and organizations. Previously, Young held the role of executive director for Behavioral Health Information Network of Arizona, managing the

merger with Arizona Health e-Connection to form a single statewide health information exchange organization in Arizona.

Stantec

Ryan Cooper recently joined Stantec in its Anchorage office as an Associate and Environmental Scientist, focusing on transpor tation, oil and gas, and hydroelectric projects in the Northwest. With more than a decade of experience working mostly in Cooper Alaska, Cooper will help expand the firm’s environmental efforts throughout the state and Pacific Northwest region. Prior to joining Stantec, Cooper spent the previous five-plus years working for an Alaska Native Regional Corporation, with a focus on regulatory permitting for approximately ten major projects annually, including multiple oil and gas projects. Cooper earned a pair of bachelor’s degrees from Colorado State University in biology and business and earned his master’s degree in biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Northrim Bank

Northrim Bank President and CEO Joe Schierhorn announced the hiring of Kathleen Stilwell, AVP—Card Services Manager. Stilwell joins Northrim Bank with more than thirty years of banking experience. She comes to Northrim after working in the Card Lending Stilwell Department at First National Bank Alaska, where she was the assistant card lending manager for twenty-five years.

The Growth Company

Jennifer Yuhas recently joined The Growth Company team as a Senior Consultant. Yuhas possesses an extensive background in executive coaching, negotiations, liaison work, team building, group processes, policy assessment, advocacy, communications, change management, crisis management, image consulting, speech coaching, capacity development, and strategic planning. Yuhas will be based in Fairbanks. Additionally, The Growth Company announced that Scott Stender has recently returned to their team as Senior Consultant following a planned hiatus designed to round out his resume in the nonprofit and fundraising sectors. Stender possesses a sound understanding of organizational needs analysis and needs analysis driven design

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Cha

Compiled by Tasha Anderson change in addition to excellent planning, networking, coordination, and communication skills. He also has experience in law enforcement, emergency services, and as a dean of faculty and curricula development at the Career Academy in Anchorage.

GCI

GCI recently welcomed Lori Davey to its GCI Business team as Vice President of Enterprise Markets. Davey brings management experience from Alaska’s investment, oil, and telecom industries to the GCI team where she will lead its business enterprise and midDavey market commercial sales teams as GCI Business launches a new suite of innovative services, products, and capabilities. With bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Alaska Anchorage, she was recognized in 2009 among Alaska Journal of Commerce’s list of “Top 40 under 40” honorees.

Department of Law

The Department of Law announced the appointment of Gustaf Olson as the new Kodiak District Attorney as of September 1. Olson began his career in 2004 as an Anchorage municipal prosecutor. He joined the Department of Law in 2006 as an assistant district attorney under then District Attorney Leonard “Bob” Linton. In 2011, Olson became an assistant attorney general focusing on the prosecution of alcohol-related offenses in Northwest Alaska. Since 2013, when he rejoined the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office, Olson has been a leader in the office, prosecuting some of the most complex and high-profile cases in the Anchorage area.

Alutiiq Museum

The Alutiiq Museum hired Christina Thompson as its Events Specialist. Thompson will coordinate and advertise the museum’s events, working in collaboration with staff to host both recurring museum programs and special initiatives. Thompson is a Thompson 2009 graduate of Kodiak High School and a 2016 graduate of Central Washington University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a minor in museum studies. Her previous experiences include commercial fishing around Bristol Bay and Kodiak and internships for the Kitsap County Historical Museum, the Museum of Culture and Environment in Ellensburg,

Washington, and the Roadside Gallery and Studio in Seattle.

Bristol Bay Native Corporation

Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) announced the promotion of Nancy S. Schierhorn and the hiring of Gladys Lind, Jerry Golden, and Cindy Mittlestadt. BBNC employee Schierhorn was recently promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer. In this role, Schierhorn will direct the overall corporate development strategy, including acquisitions, new investments, portfolio oversight, and other strategic growth initiatives. Schierhorn joined BBNC in November 2012 as associate general counsel, advising BBNC and its subsidiaries on all aspects of its business enterprises, including construction, government contracting, and oilfield services. Just two years later, she was promoted to vice president, associate general counsel. Schierhorn holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Puget Sound and a JD from Willamette University. Lind is a BBNC shareholder and was recently hired as Workforce Development Specialist to work in BBNC’s Shareholder Development department. Lind comes to BBNC from the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, where she worked in HR as a recruiter and HR generalist for the past three years. Prior to that, Lind worked in the education system at the Dillingham City and Southwest Region School Districts and has more than twenty years of HR experience. In her new role, she will focus on delivering career and professional development program services for shareholders and descendants predominantly living in the Lower 48. Golden was hired as Director of Corporate Development and will provide the strategic direction and management of BBNC’s corporate development efforts and activities. Golden comes to BBNC from Southern Ute Alternative Energy where he most recently served as the vice president of finance/investments. Golden has more than twenty years of investment experience, spanning the renewable energy, investment banking, and private equity industries. He received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Rutgers University and an MBA in finance from New York University. Mittlestadt was hired as the Bristol Bay Development Fund Manager and will identify and support potential small business investments focused on the Bristol Bay region and manage the investment fund to meet internal investment goals. She spent the last ten years in the community lending sector, managing nonprofit organizations designated as Community Development

Financial Institutions (CDFI) by the US Treasury. Mittlestadt is founding director and secretary of the Native CDFI Network. She is a graduate of the Foraker Institute’s program Catalyst for NonProfit Excellence and has served on nonprofit boards such as Special Olympics Alaska, Assets, Inc., and Green Star.

Choggiung Limited

Choggiung Limited announced Cameron Poindexter as its new CEO. Poindexter will also be heading Choggiung’s new SBA 8(a) certified subsidiary company Umyuaq Construction as its General Manager. Poindexter brings extensive experience to Choggiung including leadership positions in management, business development, and investment roles at another Alaska Native Corporation. Poindexter has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus in management and organizations from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a master’s degree in business administration with a focus in leadership from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

ENSTAR

ENSTAR announced the appointment of John Sims, previously vice president of corporate resources, to the role of President of ENSTAR Natural Gas Company. Sims graduated from Chugiak High School in 1996 and from Hillsdale College in Michigan in 2001. In 2009, he received his MBA from the Sims University of Alaska Anchorage. Sims began his career at ENSTAR in 2005 in the business development and public affairs department, assuming leadership roles as director and vice president in business development, customer service, and HR departments before being named President.

RIM

RIM announced hiring Ubon Boutsomsi as Chieft Technology Officer. Boutsomsi brings more than twenty years of experience in the IT industry including serving as the IT Manager at Alaska Interstate Construction, director of IT at Pebble Boutsomsi Limited Partnership, chief information officer at Sitnasuak Native Corporation, and vice president of IT for Petro 49. Boutsomsi received his undergrad in information technology engineering from Alaska Charter College and his master’s in telecommunication management from Alaska Pacific University. R

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ALASKA TRENDS ANS Crude Oil Production 08/27/2017 05/01/2015 01/01/2014 09/01/2012 05/01/2011

Alaska Population Projection: 2015-2045

01/01/2010 09/01/2008 05/01/2007 01/01/2006

ANS Production per barrel per day 517,364 Aug. 27, 2017

0 400,000 800,000 1,200,000 SOURCE: Alaska Department of Revenue Tax Division

ANS West Coast Crude Oil Prices 08/27/2017 09/01/2014 09/01/2012 09/01/2010 09/01/2008 09/01/2006

ANS West Coast $ per barrel $52.41 Aug. 27, 2017

Development, Research and Analysis Section

$80 $100 $120 $140 $160

SOURCE: Alaska Department of Revenue Tax Division

Statewide Employment Figures 10/1976—7/2017 Seasonally Adjusted 07/01/2017 11/01/2012 01/01/2010 03/01/2007 05/01/2004 07/01/2001 09/01/1998

Labor Force 366,228 July 2017 Employment 340,476 July 2017 Unemployment 7% July 2017

11/01/1995 01/01/1993 03/01/1990 05/01/1987 07/01/1984 09/01/1981 11/01/1978 01/01/1976

Alaska Population 1946-2016

800,000 700,000 600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0

0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 SOURCE: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research & Analysis Section; and US BLS

Source: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis Section

Oil Boom Pipeline Construction

End of WWII

Pipeline Completion

Vietnam

Korean War

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1985

$60

1980

$40

1975

$20

1970

1965

09/01/2002 09/01/2000

1960

09/01/2004

Components of Alaska Native Population Change Average Annual 2015-2045

1955

01/01/2002 09/01/2000

1950

05/01/2003

1946

09/01/2004

he Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis has released population projections for Alaska between 2015 and 2045 by age and sex as well as for the Alaska Native population. Because Alaska is unique in that its population is dependent upon a number of unpredictable events (such as oil and gas industry fluctuations, seasonal work demand or lack thereof, and the political climate, especially with regard to resource development) these particular projections are based on past and hypothetical future population trends, according to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Alaska ranks 48th in the country in terms of total population, according to the 2017 World Population Review. With its immense surface area of more than 665,000 square miles, Alaska is by far the largest state in the Union. With a population less than that of most major US cities, Alaska is also the most sparsely populated state in the United States, with an average of 1.2 people per square mile. For those seeking space, Alaska is clearly the place. Alaska’s population is expected to see a relatively small increase over the thirty year period from 737,625 Net in 2015 to 899,825 in 2045, keeping the state’s vast rural Population Growth regions intact. As the population ages, annual natural Births Deaths Migration Change Rate growth is expected to slow. Alaska’s population aged 65 2015-2020 3,225 987 -805 1,433 10% and older is expected to grow at the fastest rate at 86 2020-2025 3,293 1,093 -829 1,371 0.9% percent, followed by those ages 0 to 19 at 19 percent. 2025-2030 3,359 1,180 -835 1,344 0.8% The slowest growing populations by age are the 20 to 64 2030-2035 3,460 1,266 -866 1,328 0.8% year olds at just 13 percent, the organization reports. The Alaska Native demographic represents ap2035-2040 3,571 1,332 -923 1,316 0.8% proximately 20 percent of the state’s total population. 2040-2045 3,711 1,371 -994 1,346 0.7% With high fertility and relatively low rates of migration, Note: Average annual numbers are rounded to whole numbers. population growth for Alaska Natives is expected to Source: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce remain stable during this time period. R

Compiled by Alaska Business Staff Alaska Population by Race 1.3% 3.9%

Race

6.26% 7.17%

14.8%

Race Population White 491,362 Black or African American 28,825 American Indian and Alaska Native 109,515 Asian 46,191 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 9,612 Two or More Races 52,927

Percentage 66.54% 3.9% 14.83% 6.26% 1.3% 7.17%

According to 2015 US Census Bureau estimates, just one county in Alaska has seen population growth of over 10 percent since the 2010 Census was taken—the centrally-located Mantunuska-Susitna Borough, which registed growth of 12.63 percent. Trailing behind but still posting growth of 8.78 percent is the Kusilvak Census Area along the state’s western border, which experienced growth of 8.78 percent. Counties along the southern and eastern borders of the state experienced declines in population. The Lake and Peninsula Borough, the southernmost region of the state, exhibitied the highest decline of 4.52 percent while the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area and ValdezCordova Census Area along the eastern border posted population declines of 3.27 percent and 3.07 percent, respectively. Source: http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/ alaska-population/

Great Recession

1989-91 Recovery

1950

Net Migration

Korean War

Natural Increase

1955 1960 1965 1970

Vietnam

1975

Pipeline Construction

Pipeline Completion

1980 1985

Oil Boom

Oil Bust

1990

1989-91 Recovery

1995 Base Closures

2000

Base Closures

l ust

2005 2010

Great Recession

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

-10,000

-20,000

-30,000

2016

2010

2005

2000

2016

1995

1990

End of WWII

■ White ■ Black or African American ■ American Indian and Alaska Native ■ Asian ■ Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander ■ Two or More Races

Source: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis Section

66.54%

Components of Population Change for Alaska 1947-2016

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ADVERTISERS INDEX Advanced Dental Solutions Inc................61 Afognak Native Corporation....................86 Ahtna Inc............................................................. 79 Alaska Air Cargo - Alaska Airlines.......... 65 Alaska Center For Dermatology.............. 39 Alaska Communications (ACS)................ 67 Alaska Crane Ltd............................................. 87 Alaska Mergers & Acquisitions LLC........ 53 Alaska Miners Association..........................12 Alaska Photobooth Company............... 133 Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium.................................................24 Alaska Railroad Real Estate Division..... 36 Alaska USA Federal Credit Union.........131 Aleut Corp........................................................121 All American Oifield Services...................45 ALSCO...................................................................89 Alyeska Resort...................................................74 American Marine / Penco........... 152, 153 Anchorage Chamber of Commerce...144 Anchorage Chrysler Dodge................... 145 AMS Couriers.................................................... 39 Arctic Catering & Support Services.....117 Arctic Chiropractic........................... 93, 142 Arctic Office Products..................................31 AT&T.......................................................................21 Avis Rent-A-Car............................................140 BDO....................................................................... 83 Bering Straits Native Corp..........................41

Bradison Management Group (BMG)...42 Bristol Bay Native Corp............................ 155 C & R Pipe and Steel Inc..............................30 Calista Corp........................................................19 Canadian National Railway........................ 95 Carlile Transportation Systems......51, 57 Central Environmental Inc. (CEI)............ 25 CH2M.................................................................... 47 Chugach Alaska Corp.................................101 CIRI......................................................................146 Conrad-Houston Insurance Agency..... 53 Construction Machinery Industrial (CMI).............................................2 Cornerstone Advisors.................................. 55 Cruz Companies.............................................. 72 Dale Carnegie...................................................42 Davis Constructors & Engineers Inc......10 Deadhorse Aviation Center....................... 35 Delta Constructors........................................82 Doyon Limited.................................................. 85 Equipment Source Inc.....................................3 First National Bank Alaska.............................5 Foss Maritime....................................................40 Fountainhead Hotels....................................64 GCI......................................................................156 Global Diving & Salvage Inc.....................45 Great Originals Inc........................................ 36 Historic Anchorage Hotel.......................142 Insurance Brokers of Alaska.....................48

Judy Patrick Photography......................154 Junior Achievement of Alaska.................84 Kinross Fort Knox........................................... 73 LONG Building Technologies...................20 Lynden Inc.........................................................69 Mechanical Contractors of Fairbanks...11 Medical Park Family Care Inc................122 Microcom.........................................................121 N C Machinery...................................................15 NCB......................................................................141 Nenana Heating Services Inc...................20 New Horizons Telecom, Inc.......................71 Nortech Environmental & Engineering............................................90 Northern Air Cargo.........................150, 151 Olgoonik Corp.............................................. 135 Outlook Law................................................... 123 Pacific Pile & Marine.........147, 148, 149 Pacific Seafood Processors Assoc..........75 Parker Smith & Feek...................................... 59 PDC Inc. Engineers........................................ 23 PenAir....................................................................37 Personnel Plus.............................................. 143 Petrotechnical Resources Alaska (PRA)....46 Port of Anchorage...........................................81 Providence Health & Services Alaska.137 Quintillion Networks................................. 103 Ravn Alaska........................................................29 Resource Development Council.............50

Samson Tug & Barge.........................................9 Shoreside Petroleum....................................26 Sitnasuak Native Corp...................................13 Span Alaska Transportation LLC.............99 Stellar Designs Inc...................................... 143 Superior Group.................................................61 T. Rowe Price.................................................... 43 Tanana Chiefs Conference......................115 TDX -Tanadguisix Corp./Alaska Park.....119 The Lakefront Anchorage.......................... 23 Thomas Head & Greisen.............................40 TOTE Maritime Alaska.................................. 27 UA Local 367 Plumbers & Steamfitters.14 Udelhoven Oilfield System Services Inc................................................ 97 UIC Foundation................................................91 United Way of Anchorage.......................... 33 Vera Whole Health......................................... 63 Verizon..............................................................144 Vigor Alaska.......................................................58 Visit Anchorage................................................77 Vitus Marine.......................................................24 Washington Crane & Hoist.........................54 Watterson Construction.............................88 Wells Fargo Bank Alaska.............................49 West-Mark Service Center.........................58 Westmark Hotels - HAP Alaska.............139 Wostmann Associates.................................. 32 Yukon Equipment Inc.......................................9

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