ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION | CONOCOPHILLIPS UPDATE | ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2021
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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2021 | VOLUME 37 | NUMBER 9 | AKBIZMAG.COM
FE AT UR E S Alaska Communications
26 ENGINEERING A Critical Spark
How electrical engineers bring their clients’ vision to life By Danny Kreilkamp
92 OIL & GAS Hitting ‘Reset’
Despite difficult year, future is bright for oil production in Alaska By Amy Newman
100 CONSTRUCTION Images of Infrastructure
What the oil and gas and construction industries have built in Alaska By Tasha Anderson
124 MINING
A Framework for Success
Mining infrastructure investment is costly but crucial By Rindi White
136 AGRICULTURE
In Bloom and In Demand
How the peony industry is growing to serve global markets Steve Fink | AVTEC
By Vanessa Orr
10 TELECOM & TECH Terrific Tech
For every industry, there’s a technological innovation supporting its operations By Tracy Barbour
ABOUT THE COVER
18 TRANSPORTATION
Safe at Sea
Numerous precautions keep maritime vessels, passengers in check
By Vanessa Orr
Shot by Madmen Studios, our cover subject is a man who embodies many of the same values and successes as the historic piece of legislation passed back in the early ‘70s: the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. “While each region is different, each region can point to their own localized successes. In a general sense, ANCSA stitched together the Alaska Native communities and created a shared identity that has afforded our peoples a mechanism to come together to utilize and protect our collective land and other assets for the benefit of future generations,” says ASRC’s President and CEO Rex A. Rock Sr. In “50 Years of ANCSA,” Rock—along with a host of other influential Alaskan leaders—reflects on where the act succeeded, areas it may have fallen short, and what its evolution might mean for the state moving forward. Cover Photo: Jeremy Cubas. Cover Historic Photo: DOI | Ted Stevens Foundation
QUICK READS 8 FROM THE EDITOR
146 INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS
150 ALASKA TRENDS
146 ECONOMIC INDICATORS
148 RIGHT MOVES
152 OFF THE CUFF
4 | September 2021
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2021 | VOLUME 37 | NUMBER 9 | AKBIZMAG.COM
SPECIAL SECTION: AL ASK A NATIVE 52 SATELLITES BEYOND THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
34 50 YEARS OF ANSCA
Enhancing connectivity and quality of life in rural Alaska
‘An experiment whose results are not fully realized’ By Isaac Stone Simonelli
By Tracy Barbour
80 ANC CONSTRUCTION
Statewide projects highlight unique expertise By Alexandra Kay
86 ALASKA NATIVE CORPORATIONS: TERMS AND TALES
Specific language reflects unique origins and goals By Isaac Stone Simonelli
Jacquii Lambert
Brian Adams
70 ALASKA NATIVE CORPORATIONS DIRECTORY
62 POSTS WITH PURPOSE
Alaska Native influencers choose substance over likes By Isaac Stone Simonelli
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. © 2021 Alaska Business Publishing Co. All rights reserved. No part of this publication June be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Alaska Business accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials; they will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. One-year subscription is $39.95 and includes twelve issues (print + digital) and the annual Power List. Single issues of the Power List are $15 each. Single issues of Alaska Business are $4.99 each; $5.99 for the July & October issues. Send subscription orders and address changes to circulation@akbizmag.com. To order back issues ($9.99 each including postage) visit simplecirc.com/back_issues/alaska-business.
6 | September 2021
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How to choose the best replacement window company? “Only the rich can afford poor windows,” says Chris Dunn, the local owner of Renewal by Andersen. Dunn quoted Hans Andersen, founder of Andersen Windows in 1903. Renewal by Andersen is the full-service replacement window division of Andersen Windows. “You can replace your windows and patio doors once with a highly engineered product and likely never have to do it again, or you can replace them several times with a low-end product and end up paying more in the long run,” Dunn says. The quality of the Renewal by Andersen window starts with its Fibrex® composite material. “There is a misconception that vinyl is a good choice for windows, but we won’t ever sell a vinyl window,” Dunn says. “Our window material, called Fibrex, is a composite that’s two times stronger than vinyl.” Andersen researched and developed its Fibrex material for 30 years before it was installed in one home. Fibrex is a wood and polymer composite that expands and contracts very little and is warranted not to warp, peel or corrode.2 “Fibrex has the strength, durability and beauty of wood windows combined with the low maintenance aspects of vinyl,” Dunn says. “The process starts with a free Window and Patio Door Diagnosis,” Dunn says. “We’ll assess your current windows; answer all questions; review your style, color and hardware options; and then we’ll give you a down-to-the-penny
Eagle River, AK | July 2021
Performance, Low E-4® SmartSunTM Glass helps to make homes more comfortable in every season. 4. How much will your windows cost?
exact price that we’ll honor for a whole year.” Four questions to ask a replacement window and patio door company 1. What does your warranty cover? Many replacement window companies will warrant their windows and patio doors – but not their installations. Renewal by Andersen has comprehensive protection with the Nation’s best warranty3 coverage which includes installation coverage in easy-tounderstand terms. If an issue comes up, you only have one call to make. 2. What is your window made of and can it withstand Alaskan weather? Many vinyl replacement windows can warp, leak and cause drafts in just a few years. Renewal by Andersen uses their own exclusive Fibrex composite material in all their windows. Fibrex is two times stronger than vinyl and infinitely more beautiful and durable. 3. How will your company’s window make my home or business more comfortable? Many replacement windows will make your home more comfortable at first, but when their seals break and their energy efficiency is lost, you could be back to feeling too hot or cold in no time. Renewal by Andersen’s High-
Many replacement window companies will give you a window estimate, but then the final bill ends up being more than the original quote. As part of its free Window and Patio Door Diagnosis, Renewal by Andersen provides an exact, down-to-the-penny price quote within 48 hours of your call, and the quote is good for one whole year. For more information on how Renewal by Andersen can help solve your window and patio door problems, call 907-885-2720 or visit AlaskaWindowPros.com.
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Renewal by Andersen of Alaska is a locally owned and operated company. Restrictions and conditions apply, see your local representative for details. Cannot be combined with prior purchases, offers, or coupons. No adjustments to previous orders. Offer not available in all areas. Minimum purchase of 2 units required to qualify for promotional offer. Monetary discount applied by retailer representative at the time of contract execution. Offer only available as part of our Instant Product Rewards Plan, all homeowners must be present and must purchase during the initial visit to qualify. Financing available to well-qualified buyers on approved credit only. Not all customers may qualify. Higher rates apply for customers with lower credit ratings. Financing not valid with other offers or prior purchases. Renewal by Andersen of Alaska is an independently owned and operated retailer and is neither a broker nor a lender. Any finance terms advertised are estimates only and all financing is provided by third-party lenders unaffiliated with Renewal by Andersen retailer under terms and conditions directly set between the customer and such lender, all subject to credit requirements. Renewal by Andersen retailers do not assist with, counsel, or negotiate financing other than providing customers an introduction to lenders interested in financing. This Renewal by Andersen location is an independently owned and operated retailer License #1015195. “Renewal by Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are marks of Andersen Corporation. ©2021 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. ©2021 Lead Surge LLC. All rights reserved. 2See Renewal by Andersen® Products and Installation Transferable Limited Warranty for details. 3It is the only warranty among top selling window companies that meets all of the following requirements: easy to understand terms, unrestricted transferability, installation coverage, labor coverage, geographically unrestricted, coverage for exterior color, insect screens and hardware, and no maintenance requirement. Visit renewalbyandersen.com/nationsbest for details.
1
FROM THE EDITOR
VOLUME 37, #9 EDITORIAL STAFF Managing Editor Tasha Anderson
I’m thrilled to officially share the news that I have taken on the role of Alaska Business’ Managing Editor. What I’m looking forward to most is expanding my opportunities to learn about the many intricacies of business in Alaska—and share it with you. While I’m certainly not new to the magazine, this in many ways feels like a fresh start, and I’m optimistic for the future not because I know everything will go according to plan but because I know I will do the best I can. The success of so many endeavors isn’t predicated on everything going right, but on everyone contributing all they can to secure a successful outcome. I can only assume that was the cautious optimism many in Alaska were feeling in 1971 as the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was signed into law in December, closing out the year and bringing a resolution—though not an end—to the aboriginal claims of Alaska Natives across the state. Half a century later, we have a little more insight into what Perry Eaton calls one of the largest social experiments of the 20th century, a milestone deviation from previous US policies in terms of Indigenous ownership. As Rex A. Rock Sr., President and CEO of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, says in our cover feature 50 Years of ANSCA, “Along the timeline of Alaska Native history, fifty years is a short timeframe upon which to judge success. I believe we have yet to see the true potential of ANCSA realized because it is a living law that is constantly evolving.” Not only does the legislation itself change to accommodate current needs, all of the nearly 300 regional, village, and urban corporations formed by the landmark legislation have evolved over the years. They’ve searched out countless, diverse methods to meet their mandate to use what resources they have to benefit their shareholders and traditional communities. ANCSA corporations participate directly, through subsidiaries, or with partners in every major Alaska industry in every region of the state, and many have operations on a national or international scale. It’s important to remember that the corporations formed by ANCSA are run by individuals on behalf of individuals. And it’s those individuals—leaders, community members, Elders, shareholders, advocates, influencers—who are searching out and securing a multitude of platforms to ensure that Alaska Native communities are represented, their goals are respected, and their voices are heard. We’re happy to be one of those platforms. In our annual Alaska Native special section, in addition to exploring the unique nature of ANCSA corporations and some of their projects, we’re featuring prominent, experienced voices as they reflect over the last fifty years, as well as checking in with up-and-coming Alaska Natives as they examine who they are and what they see for the future.
907-257-2902 tanderson@akbizmag.com
Digital and Social Media Specialist Arie Henry 907-257-2910 ahenry@akbizmag.com
Staff Writer Danny Kreilkamp danny@akbizmag.com
Editorial Assistant Emily Olsen 907-257-2914 emily@akbizmag.com
Art Director Monica Sterchi-Lowman 907-257-2916 design@akbizmag.com
Art Production Linda Shogren 907-257-2912 production@akbizmag.com
Photo Contributor Kerry Tasker
BUSINESS STAFF President Billie Martin VP & General Manager Jason Martin 907-257-2905 jason@akbizmag.com
VP Sales & Marketing Charles Bell 907-257-2909 cbell@akbizmag.com
Senior Account Manager Janis J. Plume 907-257-2917 janis@akbizmag.com
Advertising Account Manager Christine Merki 907-257-2911 cmerki@akbizmag.com
Full-Charge Bookkeeper James Barnhill 907-257-2901 accounts@akbizmag.com
CONTACT
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Tasha Anderson Managing Editor, Alaska Business AKBusinessMonth alaska-business-monthly AKBusinessMonth akbizmag
8 | September 2021
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Photo by Sophia Thacker
All Pro Alaska
Forklift sales, rentals, parts and support—with caring and commitment
W
hen the Alaska Railroad needed to replace some of its antiquated rail support equipment, it tapped All Pro Alaska to provide four new Toyota forklifts. The multi-million project was a long time in the making: All Pro initially bid the job in 2005. The project was also complex, requiring meticulous execution from all parties involved. Manufactured in Toyota’s Columbus, Indiana facility, the forklifts had to be disassembled after production and testing and then shipped on about six tractor-trailer trucks to Tacoma, Washington. Then the forklifts—each weighing 228,000 pounds—had to be barged to Whittier and moved by train to
Anchorage and assembled or trucked to Fairbanks and constructed there. “This project was only possible due to the coordination of the Alaska Railroad’s top managerial and technical people,” says All Pro Alaska CEO Jesse Thacker. “They were absolutely the best to work with through the entire process.” All Pro’s stellar managers, parts and sales teams, and mechanics worked fastidiously to finalize the two-year job. Despite the weather, logistics, and other challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company was able to complete the fourth and final assembly and placed the forklifts into use May 2021. “It is a mighty accomplishment that not only the Alaska Railroad and All Pro can be proud of but every Alaskan should be proud of,” Thacker says. “Our great Alaska Railroad not only invested in our country by buying a US product and invested in our state by buying from an Alaska company, but also invested in its customers and suppliers for years to come. All Pro is privileged to have been part of such an endeavor.” With seventeen employees, Anchorage-based All Pro is Alaska’s leading provider of forklifts and material handling equipment. Although it is the official dealer for some of the best forklift and equipment brands—Toyota, Doosan, Sellick, JLG, and AICHI—the company supports all brands. All Pro also offers this differentiating attribute: a caring attitude. “How you treat people is so important, not just because they are a
AlaskaBusiness Profile
customer but because they are people with lives and families,” Thacker says. “Our greatest goal is not just to do good business but leave every person who comes in contact with our business a little bit better.” Serving Alaska since 1997, All Pro’s internal and customer mottos are, respectively, total commitment and total support. Not surprising, the company has achieved the highest customer satisfaction and lift truck sales among all Toyota dealers nationwide. To better serve customers, All Pro is modernizing its operations and planning a future expansion to Fairbanks. All Pro genuinely cares about the success of its customers and the community. During the pandemic, it donated money and services to the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and multiple food banks, including more than $4,000 worth of free services to Food Bank Alaska. Thacker says, “We serviced their machines for six months at no charge, so funds that were normally used for maintenance could be diverted to supporting their core mission: feeding families.”
For more information, contact: Jesse Thacker, CEO 380 E. 54th Ave. Anchorage, Alaska 99518 (907) 338-5438 allproak.com
Alaska Communications
TELECOM & TECH
Terrific Tech
For every industry, there’s a technological innovation supporting its operations By Tracy Barbour
W
hen Samson Tug and Barge needed to modernize its computer network, GCI customized a full-scale solution. The Sitka-based, interstate shipping company had new networks installed in eighteen locations, made upgrades to eighty computers—and gained access to what Vice President Cory Baggen describes as a “legion” of IT people. 10 | September 2021
Thanks to GCI’s team, Baggen was able to take a two-week vacation in Panama this spring—without needing to have her laptop or the internet available to troubleshoot work-related technical problems. “I knew the business support team would cover me, and I wouldn’t have to worry about anything,” says Baggen, who has an IT background and fills multiple roles at her company.
GCI has provided IT and technical support for Samson Tug and Barge’s users, servers, and network for more than ten years. “They’re perfect for us,” Baggen says. “The management of the company is stellar; they really look out for Alaska businesses.”
Each Industry Has Unique Needs Companies like Samson Tug and Barge represent a diversity of economic sectors in Alaska, and they depend on various technology solutions to meet their specific needs. “In a perfect world, having one general technology solution would be wonderful, but it would also be improbable from a practical viewpoint as every industry is different and has distinct requirements,” says Matthew Craig, a senior consultant for CTG, which has an office in Anchorage and
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
other locations worldwide. “There are many technology solution providers in the marketplace trying to achieve a one-stop-shop technology solution,” says Craig, who is working remotely out of the Alaska office from Houston, Texas. “Many of these technology solutions excel in certain areas but are lacking in other areas, which requires organizations to review various technology solutions based on their business objectives.” Choosing a technology solution requires a solid understanding of a business’s workflows and work processes, Craig says. Many organizations may choose a technology solution based on what other organizations use, or worse yet, based on how well the technology performs during a presentation/demonstration. “The important thing to remember is that technology is an enabler to an organization’s work processes,” he says. “As such, it is critical to first evaluate or review new or existing work processes before you identify and evaluate technology solution(s) that complement them.” Industry-specific technology is successful if it meets the customer’s needs, solves problems, and opens new opportunities, according to Jim Gutcher, vice president of strategy and product management at Alaska Communications. Therefore, his company makes a conscious effort to tailor its network solutions to meet the needs of the customer. “Our customers are the experts in their respective industries,” he explains. “Each industry has unique needs and use cases. We collaborate with our customers and our in-house subject-matter experts to create network and IT solutions that enable their success.” For example, some industries use applications that rely on large amounts of real-time data to make decisions, such as artificial intelligence (AI). But for AI to work effectively in real time, a connection with low latency (transmission delay) is a must, Gutcher says. “In this case, we would provide a solution with low-latency, reliable connectivity and the use of cloud resources to drive a business result for the customer,” he says. Customizing business solutions is also the norm at GCI, which caters www.akbizmag.com
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“In a perfect world, having one general technology solution would be wonderful, but it would also be improbable from a practical viewpoint as every industry is different and has distinct requirements.” Matthew Craig, Senior Consultant, CTG
12 | September 2021
to a myriad of industries. Lori Davey, GCI’s vice president of business sales, explains: “Our customers choose the technology that best meets their needs, and we are able to engineer our networks based on our customer requirements for managed and unmanaged circuits. We have a very collaborative relationship and often work together years in advance of technology changes to ensure that our networks are ready to meet their needs.”
GCI Empowers Customers GCI enables the technology of its customers, according to Davey. Its account management team is organized by industry to better understand the unique requirements of the customers in that space and essentially become an extension of their team. “We really try to understand their challenges and come up with creative solutions,” she says. “GCI has the most comprehensive network in the state and can design custom networks utilizing terrestrial, wireless, and sometimes satellite connectivity to meet the needs of diverse geography.”
For example, GCI has diverse fiber going to the North Slope to support oil and gas exploration and production. And as the technology becomes more capable, the need for constant connectivity increases. Remote monitoring and camera sensors can replace road miles to check on unmanned sites with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) as well as the ability to stream video for operational support. These systems of hardware, software, and connectivity enable the company to control industrial processes locally or at remote locations; monitor, gather, and process real-time data; interact with devices such as sensors, valves, pumps, motors, and more through human-machine interface software; and record events into a log file. “These systems are crucial for industrial organizations since they maintain efficiency, process data for smarter decisions and communicate issues, and ultimately mitigate unnecessary downtime,” Davey says. She adds: “Our industry-focused program has specialized and unrivaled knowledge on the delivery
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of technology, telecommunications, and managed services to the most remote regions of Alaska. We empower companies with the robust tools and cutting-edge solutions needed to support operations and meet their business goals. Our working philosophy is based on integration, agility, and customer enablement. Combined, these three traits create a platform for technological service delivery that will be responsive to any present and future needs.”
Alaska Communication Provides Vital Support Technology—industry-specific or not—relies on broadband internet. And as a broadband and IT leader in Alaska, Alaska Communications supports all business sectors with robust network solutions. In the energy sector, for instance, the company facilitates the infrastructure needed to run a successful mine, camp, or exploration enterprise by delivering secure and reliable voice, data, and internet services with IT infrastructure for mission-critical communications. These services can be crucial.
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“Resource developers often operate in demanding remote environments yet need urban-level connectivity. This includes highly reliable solutions for mission-critical operations as well as end-to-end solutions to equip employees with improved quality of life with connectivity to family and entertainment options,” Gutcher says. In the healthcare industry, Alaska Communications provides organizations with technology needed to improve patient care through collaborative tools, interactive technologies to engage patients, and telehealth capabilities. As an E-Rate service provider, the company delivers reliable connectivity and technology equipment to urban and rural school districts. “Each have unique security requirements with solutions that meet both the needs of the customer, students, and patients and criteria to receive government funding,” Gutcher says. In addition to offering wide area network connectivity, Alaska Communications supports its customers with local area networks and IT needs. For example, it is using
Alaska Business
fixed wireless as a “last-mile” solution for one of its customers on the North Slope. It also offers a scalable set of business services from full-service desk support and IT monitoring to proactive environment maintenance and guidance to keep pace with everchanging industry standards. Satellite is often required in the most remote areas, and Alaska Communications is meeting those needs as well. “We’ve been a trusted satellite provider for years and are adding low-earth orbit satellites through OneWeb Technology to our solution portfolio,” Gutcher says. “Being able to provide a service that has fiber-like characteristics enables new use cases that previously assumed low-latency characteristics.”
CTG Accelerates Digital Transformation CTG provides digital transformation solutions—such as information management, cloud solutions, IT operations support, workflow optimization, automation, and testing—that help clients rapidly achieve their IT and business goals,
September 2021 | 13
such as improving efficiency, lowering costs of operations, and enabling datadriven decision making. It helps companies address industryspecific challenges using technology such as “digital twin,” which involves developing a digital replica of physical objects. Digital twin is gaining popularity because it addresses many use cases for improving overall operating performance, monitoring assets, performing predictive analysis, and improving overall value to a business organization. However, digital twin can mean different things to organizations in different industries. Some organizations believe the intelligent 3D CAD model is the digital-twin, and others may believe monitoring devices that provide real-time data of operating equipment represent the digital twin. As a result, technology solution providers are customizing their message to highlight how digital twin solutions can address industryspecific challenges. “CTG works with each organization to develop a digital strategy that will bring value to their business,” Craig says. “Our process of developing a digital strategy includes developing new or updating existing work processes, assisting in evaluating technology solutions that complement the digital strategy, and assisting in developing implementation and execution plans.” In the oil and gas sector, industryspecific technology around digital twin allows businesses to access more accurate and up-to-date information to make informed decisions and mitigate costly mistakes, Craig says. Organizations will have a data source that all stakeholders have access to from anywhere in the world to plan and execute project work (work share) without data duplication or inconsistent data. However, Craig points out, the biggest challenge concerning any technology is having all stakeholders commit to following through and taking ownership and responsibility in accepting and adopting the company’s decision to implement a technology strategy. “New work habits, methods, contracts, and processes are necessary to affect change, and if organizations fail to get the commitment in adopting 14 | September 2021
Students at the Kusilvak Career Academy use technology to facilitate learning. Alaska Communications
the processes required to implement an industry-specific technology solution, then the technology will not be able to achieve its intended goal,” he says.
MTA Tailors Solutions MTA is seeing a growth in the demand for upload bandwidth across the board, according to its director of commercial solutions, Jared Lindman. But the need is critical for finance, healthcare, and engineering as these businesses cannot operate without sufficient bandwidth to move large files in a secure and timely manner. “MTA has helped these industries solve this problem with Direct Internet Access [DIA], which provides a secure ‘private lane’ to the information superhighway,” Lindman says. “And it does so with symmetrical upload and download bandwidth, meaning you send data to the cloud as fast as you could pull it down.” By using a tailor-made solution like DIA, MTA is helping Alaska businesses keep pace with digital transformation. Specific solutions also require a partnership that is much deeper than just “client-seller” so that MTA can anticipate future hurdles to its partners achieving their goals. MTA’s industry-specific technology offerings are also designed to help companies meet the changes and challenges they encounter. “With
the continued globalization of the economy, Alaska and its businesses are faced with more opportunity— and challenges—than ever,” Lindman says. “Having the right tools and technologies will be essential for future success, and secure, reliable bandwidth will be needed to support them. By understanding an industry’s specific challenges, MTA is able to provide the right foundation for their technologies to build on.”
Evolving Use of Technology Alaska providers have watched the use of technology evolve with the shifting needs of their customers. In the oil and gas industry, for example, as technology has evolved, organizations have implemented technology to manage information at various levels. This could be the result of government regulatory requirements for the environment and for health, safety, and security. However, the main reason for implementing technology—especially cloud technology—is to enhance efficiency, lower cost, and improve the quality of the product, Craig says. “The speed of the internet and computer hardware and software continue to improve at lower costs, which is changing how organizations use technology as part
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Danicia Shiryayev
Mike Huston
Commercial Loan Officer
Chief Lending Officer
W E B A NK ON A L A SK A NS When Alaskans were met with COVID-related challenges, Northrim provided Superior Customer First Service to businesses throughout the state by quickly and efficiently processing thousands of Paycheck Protection Program loans. Because powering Alaska businesses with customized solutions is what we do. See how we can help you achieve more.
of their business strategy,” he says. “Providers are challenged to provide solutions that are interoperable with other technology firms and provide common or neutral data formats shared across different platforms.” Davey is also seeing shifts in the way GCI’s customers employ connectivity. Where connectivity was once just about a phone line and being able to access email or search engines, now connectivity is vital to being operational. Many organizations have transitioned from applications on local servers to cloudbased applications—which means connectivity is more important than ever. “Cyber security is one of the reasons for offloading applications to cloud-based systems,” she says. “Many of the IT expertise is based in the Lower 48 or in one location in Alaska, whereas many organizations have operations throughout the state.” Case in point: GCI’s cloud-based applications were instrumental when viruses attacked computer files at Samson Tug and Barge’s Seattle office several years ago. The viruses corrupted file after file at multiple locations and caused the company to temporarily shut down to halt the assault. But GCI had everything back up and running in about a week, enabling the 70-year-old business to survive the attack. “If GCI hadn’t come to help us, I don’t know if we would be in business,” Baggen says. Like many providers, Alaska Communications has noticed accelerated use of the cloud, the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI. And more devices mean more data and opportunities to create insights. “This is only possible with a robust network to collect the data and create robust and ubiquitous pathways to the engines that provide insights,” Gutcher says. Gutcher also says cybercrime is becoming a more serious threat facing businesses of all sizes. While security gets a lot of visibility in some verticals, it is a must for all industries. “Large-scale attacks are happening around the country and even here in Alaska,” he explains. “Staying ahead of the trends and identifying emerging threats is paramount.” Continuing, he says: “We provide our customers with robust end-to-end 16 | September 2021
A student at the Kusilvak Career Academy uses technology to facilitate learning. Alaska Communications
support. We use a layered approach to security, including firewall management, spam filtering, and end-point-detection and response to ensure our customers businesses are protected. In May, the president of the United States issued an executive order aimed at improving the nation’s cyber security. As part of this order, government agencies and private sector businesses that do business with the government are subject to certain standards and regulations. Our network of industry experts can provide guidance, consultation, and remediation to help our customers meet the needed requirements.”
Relevant Trends GCI also watched several recent trends unfold—some driven by technological innovations and others accelerated by the pandemic. For example, there was an increase in demand for augmented reality, and COVID-19 accelerated the need. “When we weren’t able to travel and send experts to the North Slope, we saw a rapid need for smart glasses for remote support with experts somewhere else in the world,” Davey explains. In addition, GCI has noticed a rise in the deployment of drone technology
for remote inspections for towers and pipelines. “The use of drones is able to take the dangerous job of tower climbing for inspections to a much more precise technology with highdefinition cameras and the ability to store the footage,” she says. Technology providers are also witnessing some significant trends around the use of industry-specific solutions. Tech adoption is rapidly increasing in all industries, and most technologies involve connecting to the network, according to Lindman. “Every connected device offers a door into your private network—a door that, if not secured, can become an entry point for unwanted visitors,” he says. “More and more, we see proactive network plans to prepare for risk.” Security, Lindman says, has been and always will be an increasing demand in technology. “But in more recent years, with the increasing adoption of cloud infrastructure, edge computing, remote applications, software defined networking—and, of course, Zoom calls—the requirement for upload bandwidth is beginning to skyrocket,” he says. “For industries like finance, healthcare, and engineering, a solution like DIA has become table stakes.”
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
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Steve Fink | AVTEC
T R A N S P O R TAT I O N
Safe at Sea I
Numerous precautions keep maritime vessels, passengers in check By Vanessa Orr
18 | September 2021
t would be almost impossible to live in Alaska without maritime vessels, and while there are different regulations for different types of boats, all of them must meet certain standards to be considered seaworthy and to ensure the safety of crew and passengers. “Commercial vessels like fishing boats, crude oil-carrying tankships, tugboats, and cruise ships all fall under different sets of safety regulations, and it can get a little murky depending on the industry,” explains Mike LaBarge, assistant professor of maritime studies, UAS Ketchikan, whose background includes fifteen years in the maritime industry as a captain and dive instructor. “Private vessels, which are not considered ‘inspected passenger vessels’ by the US Coast Guard, don’t have to follow such stringent rules.” If a ship is considered an inspected passenger vessel, it is required to go through annual Coast Guard inspections and drills.
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“The Coast Guard will come on board on a regular basis to do vessel stability inspections that determine how many passengers can be on board and where they can be,” says LaBarge. “If a vessel has two decks and is qualified to have 100 passengers, for example, they determine if all of those passengers can be safely on the upper deck, or if the vessel needs to limit the number of people or set a weight limit.” The Coast Guard also does regular inspections to determine the integrity 12,000 of vessels, includingDistribution: thru-hull checks to make sure that systems are operating as they should. “If there’s a problem, such as worn fittings or seals, they need to be replaced before the ship will be allowed to get underway, which typically involves pulling the boat out of the water,” says LaBarge. Inspected passenger vessels are required to make sure that crews are properly trained and are mandated to hold drills once a month in firefighting, flooding, man overboard, abandon ship, and more. “The goal is to train muscle memory, so if a fire breaks out or there is a man overboard, crew members
“The goal is to train muscle memory, so if a fire breaks out or there is a man overboard, crew members automatically know what to do.” Mike LaBarge Assistant Professor of Maritime Studies UAS Ketchikan
automatically know what to do,” says LaBarge, adding that the Coast Guard will have crews perform these drills during annual inspections to make sure they are prepared. Inspections also include making sure that all required lifesaving equipment is on board and appropriate types of life vests are available for passengers
and crew members, including children if necessary. Equipment must also be appropriate for the type of water in which the ship is sailing. “Depending on the vessel’s route or the cargo that it is carrying, it may need to meet regulations from organizations other than the Coast Guard as well,” says LaBarge. “These may include International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea [SOLAS] and International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers [STCW] requirements.” SOLAS sets minimum safety standards in the construction, equipment, and operation of merchant ships, and STCW sets qualification standards for personnel on seagoing ships. “STCW ensures that mariners get the same level of training whether they come from the United State or are trained in a foreign country,” LaBarge says. “If a country is a signatory to the STCW convention, it is held to the same minimum standards and training as all other members, which includes using the same vocabulary so that mariners who speak different languages can still
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AVTEC has the only approved ice navigation course in the United State: sea ice, accurately modeled in Polaris software, can be adjusted to any type of thickness, compression, or drag on vessels. Steve Fink | AVTEC
understand each other.”
From Basic Training to Specialized Courses No matter what position a person holds aboard a vessel, it is important that they know how to do their jobs safely and efficiently—and imperative to know what to do in case of emergency. Maritime training programs, such as those offered at the UAS Maritime Training Center at UAS Ketchikan and the Alaska Maritime Training Center at AVTEC in Seward, provide opportunities for mariners to learn everything from the basics of shipboard safety to marine welding and navigation. “We offer a number of shorter courses for those new to the industry or for incumbent workers who want to strengthen their knowledge in areas where they may have weaknesses,” explains Doug Hoftiezer, construction trades instructor at AVTEC. “For example, our Marine Vessel Repair and Maintenance Training program includes fifteen courses in seventeen weeks, ranging from confined space entry and rescue to marine mechanical systems to marine refrigeration and electrical. 20 | September 2021
“We offer a number of shorter courses for those new to the industry or for incumbent workers who want to strengthen their knowledge in areas where they may have weaknesses.” Doug Hoftiezer Construction Trades Instructor, AVTEC
“If they want more in-depth training in a subject, they can come back and take AVTEC’s longer-term courses, such as our nine-month marine welding course,” he adds.
While AVTEC’s courses are classroombased, Hoftiezer says that they are also hands-on, with students working on vessels or parts of vessels, such as sections of a hull. “This training is not specific to any one type of vessel,” he adds. “We have people taking courses who work on large commercial ships or who want to take them for personal use because they own sportfishing boats.” According to LaBarge, the need for these types of maritime classes is in high demand. “Because the state has a primarily maritime economy, it makes sense to have this training here,” he says, adding that students come from all over the state as well as the Lower 48 for instruction. UAS’ student population includes AMHS ferry workers, members of the Southeast Alaska Pilots Association, crews from tugboats and workboats, oil and gas industry workers, charter fishermen, members of the tourism industry, and more. “If you work on a large passenger vessel such as a ferry, you are going to be subject as a crew member to basic safety training; at the very least, you will participate in regularly scheduled emergency drills,” he explains of the
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AVTEC has three full mission bridge simulators, each of which provides users with 300-degree views. Only four or five training centers on the West Coast have full mission bridges, which are required by the International Marine Organization and USCG for their approved courses. Steve Fink | AVTEC
range of courses offered. “If you want to move up in the maritime world and become a mate or master, there is a whole suite of USCG- and STCWapproved courses that are standard for certain types of licenses. If you work in an engine room or as a deckhand, there is a different set of required courses, depending on the type of vessel.” 22 | September 2021
Both UAS and AVTEC boast Class A full mission bridge simulators, which are used for several training courses and can also be rented out by companies in different industries. “One of the best uses of the simulator is for electronic navigation—teaching students to read radar, electronic charts, depth gauges, and more,” explains
Steve Fink, AVTEC maritime simulator technician and operator. “We also use it for our Bridge Resource Management requirement, in which students have a full complement of crew in the bridge and have to safely navigate a ship into or out of port; it is also required for our Rating Forming Part of Navigational Watch course.”
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“You don’t normally see armed guards on vessels, though this is a hot topic in international shipping, especially for container and cargo ships subject to piracy off of places like Somalia. There is a lot of debate about whether there should be an actual security force on these vessels.” Mike LaBarge Assistant Professor of Maritime Studies UAS Ketchikan
24 | September 2021
AVTEC has three full mission bridge simulators, each of which provides users with 300-degree views. “Only four or five training centers on the West Coast have full mission bridges, which are required by the International Marine Organization and USCG for their approved courses,” says Fink. The simulators enable users to adjust to new areas and situations at their own pace. “Almost all courses that use simulation start out with familiarization,” explains Fink. “We don't just throw someone unfamiliar with our simulator into an exercise and expect them to know where everything is located. “Once they get familiar with the buttons, the location of equipment, the handling of the simulator ship, and the area database, then the actual training starts,” he adds. “We may add inclement weather that makes it difficult to see well, or make the electronics fail, or make the GPS off by a couple of degrees. This sets them up to be ready to go back to basics if their navigation systems fail.” All of the simulated ships are designed to react like the real ships they model, including hydrodynamic and aerodynamic characteristics. The area databases use data from NASA for the terrestrial features and the bathymetry (ocean bottom topography) data comes from NOAA, and both are tied to precise GPS coordinates that are reflected accurately within the simulation environment. According to LaBarge, UAS’ full mission bridge simulator, which is used primarily for navigation-related courses, can simulate any waterway around the world. “For example, we can develop training simulations for waterways around San Francisco or simulations that allow users to dock a cruise ship in Skagway,” he says. “These simulators are as realistic as users can get without being on an actual vessel,” he adds of the equipment at the UAS Marine Training Center, which just underwent a $200,000 renovation. “We’ve had people facing heavy seas and rough weather feel seasick—they are that realistic.” In addition to students, outside companies rent the simulators to try out different scenarios for their own vessels. “They may be trying to figure out if they can put a specific boat on
a berth with 40-knot winds from the East or are practicing docking and undocking maneuvers on a variety of vessels because individual ships handle differently,” says LaBarge. “We can also create simulations to deal with traffic management,” he adds, giving the example of navigating a 1,000-foot cruise ship around float planes, tugs, and barges on a busy day in the Tongass Narrows.
Levels of Security Not only do mariners need to protect passengers and vessels from emergencies and environmental hazards, but they also need to keep ships and cargo safe. “Typically, there is going to be some form of security on board a vessel, especially on oil and gas rigs or on those that carry high-dollar items,” says LaBarge, adding that security can also be found on large passenger vessels like ferries. While it is typical to have a security plan drawn up for each vessel, in practice, this can be as simple as having a crew members trained as VPDSD (vessel personnel with designated security duty) or having a master or a mate trained as a vessel security officer (VSO). “A VPDSD or VSO may keep a gangway watch while the vessel is in port, keeping track of who is coming and going from the ship and knowing when to expect deliveries of ship stores, food, water, and fuel,” says LaBarge. “A vessel may also have roving watches onboard, with crew members doing inspections of the interior and exterior, and making sure that the ship is secure. “You don’t normally see armed guards on vessels, though this is a hot topic in international shipping, especially for container and cargo ships subject to piracy off of places like Somalia,” he adds. “There is a lot of debate about whether there should be an actual security force on these vessels.” Port facilities typically have their own security systems in place to keep track of who enters shipyards or major ports. The Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), put in place by the TSA, is also required in some areas and includes a background check as part of the process.
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ENGINEERING
A Critical W Spark How electrical engineers bring their clients’ vision to life By Danny Kreilkamp
26 | September 2021
hy do transformers hum? …because they don’t know the words to the song. This was Jacob Pomeranz’, a senior engineer with Electric Power Systems (EPS), best effort at an electrical engineering joke. While they might not provide much in the way of comedic relief, it’s probably because engineers like Pomeranz are busy taking care of just about everything else. From power generation to microchip design, to telecommunications and industrial lighting, electrical engineers keep the energy flowing for Alaska and its electro-dependent residents.
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“Once you get to the client’s idea or end goal, then you start from the beginning and ask them the basic questions of power consumption: what type of equipment are they going to be operating, what type of fuels do they have access to, can they run natural gas, do they have access to hydro— really understanding the basis of where they’re located and what they need.” Jacob Pomeranz, Senior Engineer, EPS
28 | September 2021
“There’s quite a range of work,” says Pomeranz. “You can take so many paths as an electrical engineer. I focus on power generation, but even in the power industry there are people that design transmission lines, distribution lines, or substations. “And then you go over to the telecommunications side—and that same electrical engineer can focus on communications such as fiber network design, communication based protective relaying, or cyber security design.” “We have to be a jack of all trades,” echoes RSA Engineering’s Associate Principal Jeremy Maxie, who serves as the Illuminating Engineering Society’s district chair for Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. “We kind of do everything and then lean on each other where you need that specialized help.” Although the processes underlying these projects share more similarities than differences, there are some distinctions between bringing a new power plant onboard or outfitting an industrial warehouse with its lighting needs.
Power Generation “A lot more happens than you might think,” Pomeranz says on how EPS brings its clients’ power generation projects to life. “People call with an idea that they need a power plant built, but often they don’t really have an understanding of what it’s going to take to go from that idea to an end product.” What it really comes down to, Pomeranz says, is asking the right questions. “Once you get to the client’s idea or end goal, then you start from the beginning and ask them the basic questions of power consumption: what type of equipment are they going to be operating, what type of fuels do they have access to, can they run natural gas, do they have access to hydro— really understanding the basis of where they’re located and what they need.” He continues: “After that initial conversation, we start with a highlevel design to make sure they have the same understanding that we do, and then we go through high-level drawings with them—what we call a basis of design.”
That basis of design is a collaborative medium of written communication that ensures the client and the firm are clear on expectations and they can comfortably communicate what’s trying to be achieved, as well as the assumptions that the project is built on. But Pomeranz says power generation projects go beyond design and construction aspects. “You have to be able to understand the cost basis, the project management, the client relations, local community needs, as well as direct the technical team to start designing it,” he notes. Where EPS differs from a lot of traditional firms is its ability to oversee every aspect of the process, from design to construction. “What’s unique about us is that we can come in, give you a turnkey project, and hand you the keys at the end of the day, where a lot of other engineering firms focus solely on the design.” One of EPS specialties is providing power solutions to rural Alaska. And while approaching these projects from a high-level design perspective doesn’t change too much, Pomeranz says there are some other challenges to consider. “The key to rural power plant design is reliability, maintainability, cost reduction, and remote support. The project does not end once the system is installed because things break or wear out over time and Alaskans need someone to support them while they figure out the problem. The rural communities in the state need subject matter experts they can call for support and that support needs to be local to Alaska— Alaska’s remoteness and difficult climate are best understood by Alaskans.” And with alternative energy systems being integrated into traditional microgrid fossil fuel plants, Pomeranz says unique designs and automation are required to maximize the use of alternative energy. “You have a lot of cross-trained electrical engineers that understand mechanical as well when you're dealing with power plants—and especially in rural Alaska—because you don't always have a mechanical engineer or vice versa with you
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“It’s funny because of all the things we do in engineering, lighting is the most Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde. There’s this very quantitative engineering aspect to it that says you have to have so many footcandles, reduce glare, et cetera… But the other side of it, this completely subjective aesthetic side, says that you can hit all of those metrics but still run the risk of the client not approving.” Jeremy Maxie, Associate Principal RSA Engineering
30 | September 2021
when you’re going out in the field,” says Pomeranz. But being well-versed and multidisciplined isn’t unique to those concerned with power generation.
Lighting and Telecom Lighting and telecom are two other major sectors of Alaska’s electrical economy. And RSA’s Maxie is one of a few—if not the only—people in the state to have credentials as being both Lighting Certified by the NCQLP and a Registered Communications Distribution Designer through the BICSI. “It’s funny because, of all the things we do in engineering, lighting is the most Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde,” says Maxie. “There’s this very quantitative engineering aspect to it that says you have to have so many foot-candles, reduce glare, et cetera… But the other side of it, this completely subjective aesthetic side, says that you can hit all of those metrics but still run the risk of the client not approving.” Due to its size relative to the rest of the United States, the Last Frontier requires electrical engineers to wear a few different hats. “Alaska’s a little unique—we don’t have dedicated lighting designers here,” he says. “There’s this art to lighting that’s very challenging to engineers because we’re not typically artistic,” he laughs. To address this, Maxie and other Alaskan lighting engineers typically acquire their skills through a few different methods. “It’s threefold—one is the IES.” The IES is the Illuminating Engineering Society: the industry standard for lighting professionals. “They put out the handbook, the guides containing metrics—all the quantification,” he says. “But it’s also this huge community of lighting designers, engineers, sales reps, distributors, and all the people involved in the lighting world,” says Maxie, noting that it’s the oldest professional society in the United States. “The IES is huge for anyone doing lighting design. There’s a wealth of information and ideas.” The second way he’s gained lighting acumen, Maxie says, is through
Alaska manufacturers and their representatives themselves. “We get a lot of them that come in and they do lunchtime presentations in the office. And that’s great for getting hands and eyes on fixtures and ideas: seeing it, asking questions, and being able to visualize things.” Third, is purely work experience and “trying things and seeing how they come out,” says Maxie, who is also quick to praise RSA Principal Channing Lilo’s lighting expertise. With that, executing lighting projects traditionally goes one of two routes: the traditional design-bid-build model, or the design-bid model, where the project owner starts directly with the contractor, bypassing the bidding process entirely. Common to both pathways (and not dissimilar to most engineering projects), it begins with questions concerning the client’s specific goals and communicating a reasonable solution. Though due to the visual nature of lighting projects, Maxie says it’s often a much more iterative process compared to power generation or telecom. “We try to find that balance: we’re there to offer a service, our expertise, and our experience, but also respecting the fact that it’s their facility and they know what they want to see out of it.” Maxie says one of the engineer’s most important aspects of a lighting project is validating what’s available for power—including the compliancy of a potential site’s existing wiring. “The wiring might be thirty years old and we’ve had ten code cycles since then, a lot of things may have changed in terms of what’s allowed in the electric code,” he says. “So when we go rewiring a building or replacing the lighting, in some cases you gotta bring it up to code—and that can be a huge issue if you don’t think about that ahead of time.” Telecom projects are usually a little more straight forward. “You don’t have nearly as much iterative back and forth because a lot of it is pretty black and white,” he says. “There’s standards for telecom— BICSI—they’ve got a whole manual that’s about 1,000 pages long and that’s the telecom standard.”
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He continues: “There’s not a lot of strict code, the standard electrical code like conduit and things like that apply, but for a lot of the low voltage world, you don’t even have to permit because the city a lot of the times doesn’t require an electrical permit if there’s no line voltage involved in the project.” One interesting development Maxie touched on was the emergence of POE, or power over ethernet, which would effectively combine lighting and telecom. “There’s been this push for a while now, but the idea is that instead of running that line voltage and running that signal, you would run all of the light power over ethernet [cable] which goes back to a standard network switch,” he explains. Maxie feels it’s an interesting development but doesn’t think it will be taking over the world any time soon. “The biggest issue I see with it is that we take all of the power that we distributed out into the building and into the spaces above the ceiling, and now we go and move all that power into a telecom room and power a bunch of switches that then go out and power all of the lights—so you’re shifting where all of that load ends up and then you have to run a bunch of telecom cabling whereas before you were running line voltage. “Your infrastructure needs for the telecom system and rooms increase dramatically, but you still have significant cabling to the field and power limitations on the fixtures themselves.”
Education But before an electrical engineer can even offer their seal (or stamp) of approval on any of these projects, they’re looking at a hefty combination of books and on-the-job learning. The shortest amount of time it takes to become a certified electrical engineer? Eight years, according to Pomeranz. “You go to an accredited University, and you typically spend four and a half or five years just due to the workload that is required,” he says. “The first thing they teach you in school is how to think critically; how to work through a difficult problem that 32 | September 2021
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you may not immediately know the answer to given what’s in front of you… which is exactly what you get when someone from a community calls and says, ‘I need a power plant.’” The required course load for a bachelor’s in electrical engineering is, understandably, mathematics heavy—with topics focused on electric machinery, electromagnetic theory, and circuit design, to name a few. Following completion of the degree, graduates can elect to take a sevenhour Fundamentals of Engineering test, also known as the Engineer in Training (EIT) exam, which is generally the first step to becoming a professional licensed engineer (PE). Prior to applying for the PE test (another grueling, seven-hour exam), EITs must spend four years under the supervision of a professional engineer, gaining the necessary skills and working on projects with increasing responsibility. On the power generation side, early projects for EITs typically include basic design and layout training in AutoCAD. “Most of the time, you’re getting familiar with older projects and working off of that to figure out how that applies to the current project you’re working on,” says Pomeranz. “You’d start working on a design or portion of a larger design that’s very basic, putting together drawing numbers and lay it out such that someone that’s going to build it can understand the flow: is it a schematic, is it a wiring diagram, is it a physical layout drawing?” For lighting, Maxie says one of the first things RSA has their EITs doing is light calculations based on IES metrics. “The light fixtures all have a calculation file which is essentially a bunch of distributed values for light from the fixture. So you model this to say, ‘Hey, if I put this fixture in, here is where the blobs of light are going to go and here’s what it calculates out as’—it’s something that’s pretty fundamental on a lot of projects.” Pomeranz, whose own fourteenyear career has seen him work his way up from an EIT to part owner of EPS, explains, “There’s a lot of different things that you don’t necessarily learn in school but that you actually learn starting out as an engineer.” www.akbizmag.com
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‘An experiment whose results are not fully realized’ By Isaac Stone Simonelli
F
ifty years ago, as the Watergate scandal swirled around then-President Richard Nixon, he signed into law the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). It was the largest land claims settlement in the nation’s history and a stark departure from agreements forced on Tribes in the Lower 48. “While each region is different, each region can point to their own localized successes. In a general sense, ANCSA stitched together the Alaska Native communities and created a shared identity that has afforded our peoples a mechanism to come together to utilize and protect our collective land and other assets for the benefit of future generations,” says Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) President and CEO Rex A. Rock Sr. The discovery of significant oil resources in Prudhoe Bay and the desire to bring the newly found wealth to market via what would eventually be the Trans Alaska Pipeline System created an urgency at the federal level to resolve unsettled Native claims and secure land for the project. The origins of these claims dated back to the United States’ purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million, despite Alaska Natives’ protests that it wasn’t Russia’s land to sell. “It would never happen if we had the ability to build that pipeline without their [Alaska Natives’] okay. That was a driving force,” says Congressman Don Young, who was sworn in two years after the passage of the legislation. “I think it's one of the better pieces of legislation that ever came out of Congress. I call it breakthrough legislation: instead of a reservation, it was an onset of a profit corporation. And, I think, it's one of the greatest success stories.”
Brian Adams
A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
50 Years of ANSCA
34 | September 2021
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
out of Congress. I call it breakthrough legislation: instead of a reservation, it was an onset of a profit corporation. And, I think, it's one of the greatest success stories.” Congressman Don Young
Senator Lisa Murkowski also praised ANCSA. “Looking back, it is incredible to realize the effort that it took to pass such a massive piece of legislation. In a time before internet, cell phones, accessible mass transportation, and communication—and in the partisan framework we are working within today—such an accomplishment might not have happened,” Murkowski says. ANCSA did not follow the reservation system generally applied in the Lower 48, in which Native American nations were given limited Tribal sovereignty while the land they were often forced to relocate to was held in trust by the Department of Interior. Instead, ANCSA created twelve geographical regions in Alaska and mandated the creation of twelve corresponding for-profit Alaska Native corporations (ANCs). Additionally, the legislation created more than 200 for-profit Alaska Native village corporations. All corporations were privately owned and have remained separate from publicly traded companies. The shareholders of these corporations were required to be Alaska Natives who met a one-quarter blood quorum or fall under an exception. They were added to a corporation's roll, which was then submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. “The historical intent of ANCSA was to move away from unsuccessful Lower 48 federal Indian policies and structures. ANCSA diverged from the Lower 48 governance triangle model that afforded Tribes economic, social, and sovereign accountability and authority over their financial strength, www.akbizmag.com
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A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
“I think it's one of the better pieces of legislation that ever came
A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
“Initially, ANCSA failed to adequately address the relationships amongst and between ANCs and Tribes regarding the US Federal Government. The separation of economic accountability and land title from inherently governmental functions and sovereignty caused a rift between Alaska Native corporations and Alaska Native Tribes for decades. Only now are we seeing an effort to minimize discord and focus on a more united Alaska Native community.”
A meeting of the Alaska Native Brotherhood. Ahtna, Incorporated
The Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded in 1912. Ahtna, Incorporated
Ahtna joined the Alaska Native Brotherhood in 1954. Ahtna, Incorporated
Rex A. Rock Sr. President/CEO ASRC
Millie Buck, Ruby John, Lisa Nicolai, and Donna Murphy Pennington. Ahtna, Incorporated
36 | September 2021
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About 36 million of the promised 44 million acres have been conveyed. Ahtna alone is waiting on about 180,000 acres of land to be transferred over. Other corporations unknowingly selected federal lands that were contaminated, which further delayed conveyance. “Some of the land they chose, because it was in the proximity of their selection, was actually exmilitary sites,” Young says. “And I've been fighting the battle ever since: either we clean it up, or we transfer
it to the corporations without any liability.” A 2016 Bureau of Land Management report identified 920 contaminated sites conveyed to ANCSA landowners, based on data collected by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and several federal agencies. “It's important to recognize the work of Senator Ted Stevens and Congressman Young at the time when ANCs were first established. They were our seat at the table. They were advocating on behalf
PND
Engineers, Inc. has a proud history, and we are excited to celebrate the Alaska Native Corporations as they continue to grow, push progress, and expand horizons for indigenous people across the state. PND was co-founded in 1979 by Roy Peratrovich, Jr., the oldest child of legendary civil rights activists Elizabeth and Roy Peratrovich, who championed the passage of the Alaska Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945 – the first anti-discrimination law in American history. A member of the Tlingit Indian Tribe, Raven Clan, Roy Peratrovich, Jr., was the first Alaska Native to earn a professional engineering license in the state (1962) – “AKCE-1100: I’m pretty proud of that one,” Roy says. With great honor, PND wishes the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act a happy 50th anniversary.
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lands, and members under a federal trustee model,” Rock says. “From a corporate perspective, ANCSA did not mire down the institutions it created with the shackles of federal trusteeship; yet it did not convey sovereignty to Alaska Native corporations or their land holdings.” The purpose of the Act was the conveyance of land for social and economic well-being, explains Young. ANCs selected more than 44 million acres of land and received about $1 billion in compensation for lost lands. “Maybe the biggest thing that the land claims in Alaska represents is the deviation from the United States norm in how they treat indigenous ownerships,” says internationally renowned Alaska Native artist Perry Eaton, who was the founding president and CEO of the Alaska Native Heritage Center, served on the Koniag board for more than fifteen years, and spent seventeen years as the CEO of Alaska Village Initiatives, among other endeavors. It makes ANCSA one of the largest social experiments in the 20th century, Eaton says. The Act ended up forwarding the concept of economic integration instead of the social integration placed on Tribes in the Lower 48. “The different model was not only built on a westernized corporate front, but it was also built on the ownership of ancestral and indigenous lands,” Bristol Bay Native Corporation President and CEO Jason Metrokin says. Ahtna, Incorporated Chairman Ken Johns, who was a senior in high school at the time ANCSA was passed, says the lands selection process for Ahtna—which ended up being more than 1 million acres of surface and subsurface rights—was a vital step in ensuring the economic and cultural wellbeing of the newly formed corporation’s shareholders.
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Hector Ewan speaks at an annual meeting. Ahtna, Incorporated
Lilian Boston during the ANCSA land selection process. Ahtna, Incorporated
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work Alaska’s delegation does in the interest of Alaska Natives. Current leadership at many ANCs are quick to pass credit back to those early leaders who laid the foundations they now stand on.
Ruby John. Ahtna, Incorporated
“I really give 100 percent credit to the elders in our area that provide that leadership to us,” Johns says. “I've always said that we were pulled from the fish camp and run into the corporate boardroom. That is truer than most people believe.”
In the early days of Bristol Bay Native Corporation, all its directors were commercial fishermen and women, Metrokin says. “They weren't opposed to hard work. They were very entrepreneurial. And, they weren't shy about getting their way,” Metrokin says. Rock agrees with both Johns and Metrokin. “The visionary leadership executed by the plumbers, electricians, and carpenters that comprised early ANC leadership empowered ANCs to prioritize and emphasize the value of an education,” Rock says. “The sustained evolution of our leadership is focused on constantly growing the knowledge base and experiences of our future generations.” Rock says that the same cultural qualities that sustained Alaska Native people for thousands of years have allowed them to succeed in a corporate setting. “Our eternal drive to serve, provide opportunities, protect our families and communities—as well as the wisdom to acquire expertise and the determination to forge new
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of Alaska Native people, and our rights, and our land base, alongside those early leaders,” Metrokin says. “They were our champions while we were developing our own champions.” Senator Stevens reflected on his role in the development of ANCSA in a 1991 piece published in the Tundra Times: “ANCSA was my baptism of fire as a Senator from Alaska... With my experience working in the Department of the Interior and with the Statehood Act, and my faith in the determination and unity of purpose of Alaska’s Native people, I believed from the beginning that a settlement could be achieved… My memories of the Congressional action as ANCSA took shape aren’t of a battle as much as they are of long hours of tough, hard negotiating, often two steps forward and one step back.” In the fif t y years since the passing of ANCSA , ANC voices have grown stronger. “We've come into our own after fifty years. We have the ability to create a seat at the table, whether it's in Washington D.C. or down in Juneau,” Metrokin says, adding that he is still appreciative of the
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Harry John, Christine “Yazzie” Craig, Robert Marshall, and Henry Bell. Ahtna, Incorporated
boundaries—drove Rock says.
our
success,”
Stumbles and Evolutions But it hasn’t been all smooth sailing: there have been plenty of bumps in the road over the last fifty years. Some village ANCs didn’t make it, a 13th regional corporation was created and subsequently failed, and ANCSA has been updated multiple times.
40 | September 2021
“Hindsight is always 20/20. There have been a number of amendments to ANCSA over the past fifty years that have improved the Act,” Murkowski says. She also points out that there are many more amendments that still need to be made. “As we approach the fifty-year anniversary of the Act, this is a discussion I would like to help facilitate
with leaders and stakeholders in Alaska to help improve the Act for the next fifty years,” Murkowski says. Rock explains that the “beauty of ANCSA” is that it continues to evolve. “Initially, ANCSA failed to adequately address the relationships amongst and between ANCs and Tribes regarding the US Federal Government. The separation of economic accountability and land title from inherently governmental functions and sovereignty caused a rift between Alaska Native corporations and Alaska Native Tribes for decades. Only now are we seeing an effort to minimize discord and focus on a more united Alaska Native community,” Rock says. Some of the most significant amendments to ANCSA came in 1988, though they didn’t take ef fect until 1991, leading to them commonly being called the 1991 Amendment s . T hese changes, among other things, afforded ANCs the ability to expand shareholder eligibility through a process known as open enrollment. The amendment was necessary for the “preservation and perpetuation of
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birth-right assets, cultural identity, and the sheer opportunity to survive as Alaska Native peoples,” Rock says. “Consistent with our Iñupiaq values, ASRC was the first corporation to exercise its option to enroll those born after December 18, 1971 and provide those enrollees with the same rights and benefits as the original enrollees,” Rock says. “Without these amendments, there would be generations of Alaska Natives disenfranchised from their region, assets, and the contemporary bond shareholder status provides Alaska Natives. Although not all the regions have exercised this option, that is one more upside to ANCSA’s potential: self-determination.” The 1991 amendments also prevented the sale of ANC shares. When ANCSA passed, it stipulated that shares can only be passed on to certain relatives as gifts or through wills, and this remains true today. However, it was originally intended that, starting in 1991, shareholders would be able to sell their shares. But the overall profitability and success of the ANCs was not where Congress had
Ahtna’s first annual meeting. Karen Fredrick
anticipated it to be after two decades, leading to the continued ban on the selling of stocks and ANC exemptions from some federal securities laws. While 1991 marked significant amendments taking effect, smaller changes to the legislation have happened somewhat regularly. “It was a negotiation made between Alaska Native leaders
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and the federal government fifty years ago,” Metrokin says. “There's potential that future amendments can be made.” One issue that Ahtna’s Johns is fighting to address is that Alaska Natives don't have sovereignty over their subsistence lifestyle on their lands. “We weren’t given the authority to manage our own lands in regard to
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Early Ahtna leaders Herb Smelcer and Christine “Yazzie” Craig. Ahtna, Incorporated
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the infrastructure, skilled labor force, or economic foundation it has today. ANCSA meant security and certainty for the State of Alaska and the United States of America.”
Economic Powerhouses ANCSA was the foundation for more than ANCs. It was—in some ways—a new foundation for the Alaska economy, a powerhouse piece of legislation that impacted every Alaskan. “The passage of ANCSA enabled the State of Alaska to move forward with its development of the oil and gas resources within Prudhoe Bay and ancillary fields. ANCSA singlehandedly allowed for significant economic growth in the State of Alaska,” Rock says. “Absent a land claims settlement, the State of Alaska would not have
Robert Marshall. Karen Fredrick
In 2018, Regional ANCs distributed more than $217 million in dividends to shareholders and paid more than $705 million in Alaska payroll, according to the ANCSA Regional Association. “Alaska Native Corporations have succeeded economically by
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incorporating Indigenous cultural values into their mission and operations,” Murkowski says. “With a core mission of supporting Native shareholders, ANCs are also an integral part of Alaska’s economy and have helped the State weather economic downturns.” This economic activity takes many forms including investing in Alaska-based companies, providing employment to Alaskans, and bringing dollars back from the Lower 48 through business interests developed Outside. “The corporate structure created an immediate and sustained mechanism which provides employment opportunities for Alaskans, increases Alaskan buying power, and allows for the ANCs to reinvest their capital into growing their businesses,” Rock says. “This growth allows for money to remain in our communities supporting local vendors and small businesses. The collective economic impact has been positive for all Alaskans.” The establishment of a revenue sharing system between the regional and village corporations
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hunting and fishing,” John says, noting that the original Ahtna board had selected lands based on their people's subsistence needs. “That's one of the high priorities for Ahtna.” “This was a contentious issue at the time that could not be adequately resolved prior to passage. It was meant to be resolved after passage, but fifty years later Alaska Native people are still fighting for the right to practice their traditional subsistence ways of life,” Murkowski says.
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that was built into the original Act contributed to how the success of ANCs has “spread the wealth” throughout the state. “Revenue sharing provisions help improve economic conditions in rural villages and create jobs in areas with few employment opportunities,” Murkowksi says. “Mobilization through the ANCs, the tribal governments, and regional nonprofits have led to greater visibility of Alaska Native issues and challenges. With each of these different types of institutions fulfilling different roles, Alaska Native people are better able to meet community needs, such as improving rural infrastructure and protection of natural resources, including subsistence.” The provisions focused on distributing revenue derived from natural resources among the corporations to help balance the issue of some corporations being able to select lands in more resource rich areas. “T h is is a re so urce - o r i e nte d s t ate a n d a lways w ill b e,” Yo un g says . “ I don' t care if it 's fish, tim b e r, m in in g , o il , o r w h ateve r it is , th e i d ea th at yo u're g o in g to
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Roy Ewan. Ahtna, Incorporated
make a living off something else is not realistic.” Young, a non-voting shareholder in Doyon, points toward the vast potential for resource extraction that some ANCs have on their lands. Many ANCs in the last fifty years have become deeply invested in mineral,
gas, and oil production or exploration on their lands. Young explains that he is working on pushing back at federal regulations that limit or hamper the development of natural resources on ANC lands that were provided to the corporations for the social and economic benefit of their shareholders. “We have such a huge piece of the land, and it is resource rich land, if particular corporations chose to go in that direction and develop those, the sky's the limit,” says Gana-A'Yoo CEO Dena Sommer-Pedebone. “The greatest success of the Act, I feel, is the economic sustainability that it provides to Alaska Native people.” While many ANCs over the years have invested in their core industries, such as timber, oil, mining, or fishing, they have also diversified their portfolios creating jobs in construction, IT, engineering, tourism and more. Metrokin points out that ANCs, which represent the largest private landowners in Alaska, are also an industry in and of themselves. “We employ over 1,000 Alaskans and many more outside of Alaska.
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A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N Robert Marshall opens Ahtna’s first land claims check. Ahtna, Incorporated
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We provide opportunities for our shareholders, whether it's employmentbased, educational-based, or other services,” Metrokin says. “We are an economic driver.” Alaska Business’ Top 10 49ers list in 2020, in which Alaskan-owned companies are ranked by revenue, was dominated by regional and village ANCs. ASRC was at the top, followed closely by Bristol Bay Native Corporation and NANA Regional Corporation. Transportation and shipping company Lynden was the only non-ANC to make the Top 5 short list. “ANCSA has had a material impact on Alaska through the growth and development of Alaska Native corporations, and there remains significant potential,” Rock says. “As we look to the horizon, Alaska Native organizations [ANCs, Tribes, Tribal and/ or nonprofit consortia] will assume meaningful roles in the economic stability and viability of our state.” Even with measured success, ANCs must still walk the fine line of cooperating with state and federal governments without absolving
them of their responsibilities to Alaska Natives, Rock says.
A Story Worth Writing While there is plenty of optimism about the future of ANCs, Johns warns the new generation of leaders and younger shareholders about the perils of forgetting where they came from. He says it’s time that ANCs focus more on the history curriculum that its shareholders' children receive in school.
Christine “Yazzie” Craig. Ahtna, Incorporated
“This is time for us, regional corporations, to tell our history,” Johns says. “It’s not the explorers. It’s not the miners. It’s not the Russians. That’s not
our history. Our history extends back to a very proud nation that provided for ourselves and provided for humanity.” He says that without knowing the history and the battles that Alaska Natives fought, it’s hard for the next generation of leaders to know what to fight for. “I think the elders instilled in our mind that the land was the most precious gems out of this, you can lose the money, but don't lose the land,” Johns advises. Eaton points out that the lands conveyed to ANCs are what are known as “fee simple titled,” which in American culture serves the goal of commerce. “Everybody knows that land values, over time, only go up,” Eaton says. “So here we are in Alaska, where that model of land movement is controlled by corporations that have a tremendous ethnic, cultural value system in place today.” An increased pressure to monetize ANC lands, perhaps at the cost of subsistence opportunities, could be one of several points of conflict for shareholders, Eaton explains.
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An Ahtna annual meeting. Ahtna, Incorporated
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A member of the first Ahtna board and past Ahtna President, Christine “Yazzie” Craig signs paperwork for the land claims. Ahtna, Incorporated
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act check monetary awards circa 1972.(L-R) Alaska Lieutenant Governor Red Boucher; Mike Swetzof, Aleut League; Jack Wick, Koniag; Martin Olson, BSNC; George Miller, CIRI; Joe Upicksoun, ASRC; John Sackett, Doyon; Robert Marshall, Ahtna; Cecil Barnes, Chugach Alaska; Robert Newlin, NANA; Bob Willard, Sealaska; Morris Thompson, BIA; Senator Ted Stevens; Don Wright, AFN. Department of the Interior | Ted Stevens Foundation
48 | September 2021
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A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
Sommer-Pedebone sees one of the greatest challenges facing ANCs at this juncture is engaging with younger generations: “Something that's very important to the future is looking at the age demographic of original shareholders and how we can get younger generations involved in leadership.” Reinhard Mueller, an executive with Gana-A’Yoo, points out that Sommer-Pedebone is part of a new generation of ANC leaders who were born after ANCSA came into effect and have the advantage of growing up in a world where the responsibilities and functionality of ANCs was established. These are “leaders that could go toeto-toe with any of her peers in any US business,” Mueller says. Though, like any corporation, ANC leaders must think about their annual growth plan, they are also charged with taking a longer view of their responsibilities. “We set our annual plans and our long-term plans, but we're really thinking generations down the road. We want to be around in perpetuity,” Metrokin says. For Bristol Bay Native Corporation— and others—2020 was one of the most challenging years they’d faced due to the widespread impacts of the pandemic. “But it's also been the most exciting. The world is changing at a very rapid pace, whether it's technology or social issues, investment opportunities, or access to capital,” Metrokin says. “And we have enough of a track record of success behind us that people want to do business with us.” While many ANCs have created strong reputations for themselves in the business world with their robust Alaska foundation and a presence outside of the state, ANCSA is still relatively young legislation. “Along the timeline of Alaska Native history, fifty years is a short timeframe upon which to judge success. I believe we have yet to see the true potential of ANCSA realized because it is a living law that is constantly evolving,” Rock says. “ANCSA was an experiment whose results are not fully realized to date.” 50 | September 2021
Fred John Jr. and Roy S. Ewan during land selections. Ahtna, Incorporated
The Ahtna ANCSA land selections. Ahtna, Incorporated
Sam George at the Ahtna ANCSA land selections. Ahtna, Incorporated
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Satellites Beyond the Northern Lights Enhancing connectivity and quality of life in rural Alaska By Tracy Barbour
52 | September 2021
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
OneWeb Technology
I
nternet access in rural Alaska can be notoriously expensive, slow, and sometimes unreliable, making the prospect of low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite from OneWeb Technology, SpaceX's Starlink, and Amazon’s Kuiper all the more intriguing for people living in remote villages and cities. These impending services, along with next-generation geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO) satellites, promise to dramatically improve internet connectivity and costs—as well as the quality of life for rural Alaskans. But all of this remains to be seen as Alaska’s telecommunications companies and other stakeholders entertain the potential impact that LEO satellite service can have on rural connectivity. Regardless of the implications, industry experts maintain that the state needs LEO/ GEO satellite-enabled broadband, combined with other technologies, to best meet the internet demands of all Alaskans. Some Alaska telecoms are collaborating to support these efforts; others are waiting and watching with guarded optimism. LEO satellites represent a promising technological solution for broadband internet, which is by FCC standards at least 25 megabits per second (Mbps) for download and 3 Mbps for upload speeds. LEO satellites generally orbit less than 1,400 kilometers above the earth—much closer than GEO satellites, which typically operate at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers. Because LEOs circle the earth at lower altitudes, they can integrate with on-ground data networks to deliver internet service with less latency than their GEO counterparts. However, latency—the time it takes data to travel from the consumer to an internet exchange and back to the consumer—can be impeded by trees, poles, chimneys, and other objects.
OneWeb Satellite Constellation Progresses While SpaceX, mostly owned by Elon Musk, and Amazon continue developing their plans to bring LEO satellite broadband to Alaska, Londonbased OneWeb recently fulfilled its capacity to deliver LEO satellite internet to the state. On July 1, OneWeb launched 36 additional satellites, bringing the constellation total to 254 in polar orbit for full coverage of Alaska. This will allow high-speed connectivity to be available from the North Pole to the 50th parallel, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Alaska, and the Arctic Region. OneWeb is on track for full global coverage by June 2022 with a LEO constellation of 648 satellites, according to Lesil McGuire, a OneWeb advisor and former Alaska state senator. This latest development is momentous for Alaska and OneWeb, which was the first licensed LEO satellite constellation back in September 2017. “It’s exciting to be part of something that puts Alaska first,” McGuire says. The prioritization of Alaska makes practical sense given that its 733,000 residents are spread across a massive state that is one-third the size of the contiguous United States. Some communities may have as few as 38 people, and they want connectivity— but they have been left behind in the “digital divide,” McGuire says. “We still have approximately 30,000 Alaskans that are completely unconnected and 150,000 that are under connected,” she explains. “Despite the decades of investments and hard work of existing telecoms, Alaska remains the leastconnected state.” OneWeb aims to change that by providing much-needed, low-latency satellite broadband. And OneWeb’s LEO constellation will generate a constant signal so that customers never lose www.akbizmag.com
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Like GEOs, LEO technology is especially applicable for remote areas lacking access to the speed or capacity from terrestrial systems like fiber and microwave. In the future, LEOs and a new generation of GEO satellite providers aspire to deliver fast, reliable, low-latency, and more affordable internet that is comparable to the broadband service delivered over fiber.
A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N Astranis tests a flight antenna system Astranis
the connectivity, which is crucial for the delivery of telehealth, remote education, and other essential services. OneWeb Technology is owned by the UK government and Bharti Global, and its LEO constellation is a private-sector project that does not rely on funding from US or Alaska state governments, McGuire emphasizes. OneWeb offers the latest advancements in satellite technology, with satellites reduced from the size of a school bus to the size of a washing machine. Its satellites—which will remain in constant communication with OneWeb’s team—will roll over in a six-year lifecycle and then self-destruct once defunct. “Our satellites are designed to burn up completely upon re-entry,” McGuire explains. Broadband internet, McGuire says, has now become a basic human necessity, and the infrastructure needs related to this technology are vast. Early pioneers have made strides with broadband, but each year the demand grows, and laying terrestrial fiber becomes more expensive. “The high latency that enterprises and households demand can only be delivered in short order by a company like OneWeb,” she 54 | September 2021
“What LEO will mean for us is we will be able to have faster speeds with lower ping times with better reliability. It’s going to be gamechanging.” Rolland Trowbridge, Owner Trinity Sails and Repair
says. “You can place a terminal in your community and you leapfrog over the years it takes to complete the permitting to lay terrestrial fiber. We think OneWeb is a perfect complement to terrestrial fiber. OneWeb will be the way Alaskans have the opportunity to experience fiber connectivity from the sky where broadband has not been available.”
So when will Alaskans be able to receive OneWeb’s LEO satellite service? It depends. McGuire explains: “We’re a wholesaler; I didn’t want to be part of something that would displace local economies and jobs. So we work with local internet service providers, and when the service will be available will depend on the local carriers.” Nome resident Rolland Trowbridge can hardly wait to get OneWeb’s service. LEO satellite-based broadband will keep his business, Trinity Sails and Repair (TSR), from having to depend on the local infrastructure to survive. To create redundancy, TSR maintains multiple internet connections from various providers: a broadband connection at $1,000 a month for 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload service; another broadband connection that runs $350 monthly for 10 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload; and a satellite connection that costs $489 per month for 25 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload and with 600 milliseconds of latency or lag time. The redundancy in connectivity is vital for TSR, which operates the Nome Department of Motor Vehicles
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Pacific Dataport, OneWeb Middle-Mile Provider In Alaska, OneWeb’s internet satellite service will not be sold directly to consumers like Trowbridge. Instead, the company will use middle-mile satellite provider Pacific Dataport to offer capacity to telecoms, schools, health clinics, and tribal organizations. Anchorage-based Pacific Dataport will be connected to the OneWeb LEO Network and will act as a wholesale provider, according to Shawn Williams, vice president of government affairs and strategy for Pacific Dataport. GEO satellite technology is also an important part of the equation for enhancing internet connectivity in remote parts of the state, says Williams, a forty-year resident of Alaska, a member of the Karuk Tribe of California, and a former Assistant Commissioner of Commerce for the state of Alaska. That’s why Pacific Dataport is launching Aurora GEO HTS and Aurora GEO VHTS, which are more advanced than the legacy GEO satellite technology. “The Aurora Network will have more than 100 Gbps [Gigabits per second] of capacity, and the OneWeb Network will have about 10 to 15 Gbps of capacity,” William says. “As you can tell, it’s only about 10 to 15 percent of what’s coming to Alaska, but it’s very highquality capacity that provides very fast speeds and low latency for latencysensitive applications.” In the past, telecoms usually deployed fiber or microwave to reach the communities they wanted to serve, William says. But if the cost to install new middle mile was too high and the business case didn’t pencil out, that community was left behind. “By providing telecoms and others with the newest in GEO HTS satellite technology, www.akbizmag.com
CELEBRATING OUR PAST. COMMITTED TO OUR FUTURE. From humble beginnings to Alaska’s most successful locally owned and operated business, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation has built lasting benefits for our Iñupiaq shareholders while helping power Alaska’s economy since 1972. This year, we are proud to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. We look forward to continued growth and success for the benefit of our shareholders and Alaska.
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office, performs automotive repair and diagnostics, and offers a variety of other technical services. If the internet goes down, TSR can’t research data, download software, or perform other critical business functions. “When the connection is down, we’re down,” Trowbridge says. “What LEO will mean for us is we will be able to have faster speeds with lower ping times with better reliability,” he says. “It’s going to be game-changing.”
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Microcom’s Talkeetna Alaska Teleport. OneWeb Technology
they now have a very affordable middle mile that can be deployed anywhere— and no one gets left behind,” he says. The new satellite middle-mile options coming to Alaska will deliver new backhaul capabilities for both cellular and broadband expansion in the most remote areas. “It will enable more than eighty rural communities, which are completely unserved now, to launch their own 2.5 GHz tribal spectrum WISP [wireless internet service provider] systems and deploy broadband to their communities themselves,” Williams says. “This creates a sense of tribal sovereignty and independence knowing they won’t need to wait for a large company to deliver broadband. Satellite also preserves sacred tribal grounds. No environmental impact study is needed, and everything can be done wirelessly, if that’s what the tribe chooses.” The Aurora Network’s GEO HTS satellites will be stationed over Alaska and cover 100 percent of the state. The first satellite is currently being built in San Francisco by Astranis and should launch in March. Alaska customers can expect to receive Aurora GEO HTS service the first quarter of 2022 and Aurora GEO VHTS service some time in 2023. The completed Aurora Network should lower the retail price of 25X3 (or faster) broadband in rural 56 | September 2021
“Before we start moving customers over to these satellites, we need to be confident in the providers’ abilities... There are no live LEO services in the state as of yet, and this is still a very new technology.” William Wailand, SVP of Corporate Development GCI
Alaska to about $99 a month, according to Williams. The Aurora GEO HTS satellite that Astranis is constructing is what’s known as a micro-GEO satellite. The scaled-down GEO satellite will hover 36,000 kilometers directly over Alaska, according to Astranis CEO John Gedmark. “This is the first time Alaska will have its own dedicated satellite,” he
says. “That will mean all the capacity of the satellite is focused on Alaska. We will more than triple the available satellite bandwidth in Alaska. We can get a lot of communities online.”
Microcom to Offer OneWeb LEO Services to Consumers Microcom, the founder of Pacific Dataport, has supplied satellite communication systems in Alaska for more than thirty-seven years. Microcom will be a direct-toconsumer provider of OneWeb LEO services in Alaska as well as Pacific Dataport’s Aurora GEO HTS services. Microcom owns and operates the Talkeetna Alaska Teleport that the OneWeb satellites will connect to in the region. OneWeb LEO and Aurora GEO HTS satellites will have a profound impact on internet connectivity in rural Alaska, says Alexander Schumann, Microcom’s director of satellite broadband. “For the first time, there will be statewide service in Alaska,” he says. “No current internet provider or system serves the entire state or all Alaskans. These new services will be available to all Alaskans. These new services will also offer significantly faster speeds and higher data caps—all at cheaper prices than current offerings where service is available today.”
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Strong and Steady...
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Consequently, more rural stakeholders will be able to engage in digital economies and participate in e-learning and telehealth services, online banking, and remote employment, Schumann says. “Internet connectivity will allow corporations, tribes, and villages better ability to communicate with their shareholders and provide employment opportunities,” he says. “Businesses will be able to expand to remote areas more easily. These satellite services will also provide redundant connectivity to areas where there is only one provider, therefore increasing reliability for critical communications.” But the import of LEO and GEO satellite service extends beyond Alaska; it’s an Arctic issue, says Karen Jones, business and policy analyst at the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation. The independent nonprofit corporation performs objective technical analyses and assessments for various government, civil, and commercial customers, many of whom are keenly interested in the Arctic and how to best leverage new commercial satellite capabilities in the region. “Now more than ever the polar region is increasingly important,” says Jones, who is based in Arlington, Virginia. “Allies have expanded their activities in the polar region. The US has a strong interest in protecting our interests in the Far North. The polar 58 | September 2021
region is developing at a time when this commercial satellite can provide more connectivity.” Naturally, Aerospace has been tracking the activities of OneWeb, Starlink, and other satellite-related entities. “We believe a combination of strategically aligned commercial and government assets can strategically help our connectivity in the polar region,” Jones says.
Perspective of Longtime Alaska Telecoms Recently, Alaska Communications entered a distribution partner agreement to provide services directly to its customers in collaboration
with OneWeb. At this time, Alaska Communications can work on LEO solutions for businesses and enterprises, local governments, schools, healthcare systems, and resource developers to meet individual needs, with expected commercial service available later this year, according to Jim Gutcher, vice president of strategy and product management at Alaska Communications. “We’re excited about the opportunities enabled by low-earth orbit satellites, and we believe this is good for Alaska,” he says. “We’re proud to be a distribution partner with OneWeb and look forward to creating new opportunities for Alaskans with this service.” Gutcher says Alaska’s vast geography and terrain present many challenges, as an internet connectivity solution that works for one region of Alaska might not work for the next. “That’s why it’s important for technology providers to diversify their offerings to meet these unique challenges,” he says. “LEO satellites deliver fiber-like connectivity performance to areas that have been inaccessible via terrestrial options.” Alaska Communications specializes in creating robust, reliable networks to fit its customers’ specific needs. In doing so, the company uses a variety of technologies across Alaska to connect customers with the services they want and need. “From traditional fiber to wireless methods like fixed wireless access and mesh fixed wireless, we use the solution that best meets the needs of the customer,
Astranis tests flight defined software. Astranis
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“For the first time, there will be statewide service in Alaska. No current internet provider or system serves the entire state or all Alaskans. These new services will be available to all Alaskans. These new services will also offer significantly faster speeds and higher data caps—all at cheaper prices than current offerings where service is available today.” Alexander Schumann Director of Satellite Broadband Microcom
community, and geography,” Gutcher says. “Low-earth-orbit satellite technology is now one more tool in our toolkit we can offer our customers and use to expand our connectivity solutions across Alaska.” GCI, Alaska’s largest telecommunications provider, is attentively monitoring the progress of LEO satellite technology in Alaska. “Generally, we view it as an exciting development in telecommunications,” says William Wailand, senior vice president of corporate development at GCI. 60 | September 2021
“Anything that has the potential to bring additional capacity into the hard-to-reach places in the state is a positive development.” Wailand says he’s pretty confident that LEOs will eventually become part of GCI’s satellite toolkit. However: “Before we start moving customers over to these satellites, we need to be confident in the providers’ abilities... There are no live LEO ser vices in the state as of yet, and this is still a very new technology.” GCI employs every available resource at its disposal to provide connectivity throughout Alaska. Where it’s possible, the company will use terrestrial middle mile to deliver that service, and it currently uses satellite to provide service to communities not served by terrestrial. And GCI is actively evaluating using LEO services at the middle mile, Wailand says. But ultimately, GCI will use the technology that is the most appropriate fit for its users’ needs. “It’s whatever allows us to deliver the best service at the best value to our customers,” he says. Recently, GCI has been in conversations with various satellite providers about potential partnership opportunities, including Ottawa, Canada-based Telesat. According to its website and press announcements, Telesat has developed an innovative global network composed of 298 state-of-the-art LEO satellites. Telesat’s first LEO satellite, which launched in January 2018, is now supporting live demonstrations across a variety of markets and applications and expects to launch in the next few years. The Telesat Lightspeed Network is about twenty times more responsive than today’s geosynchronous satellites and on par with fiber networks. Telesat leverages a community-based broadband delivery model, focused on bringing affordable, high-capacity backhaul connectivity into a single point in the community where it is then distributed by its local last-mile partner to households, corporate customers, schools, and hospitals, as well as LTE and 5G networks.
Challenges, Partnerships, and Hybridization There bringing
remain challenges to LEO satellite technology
into the mainstream for rural Alaska communities. A key lingering issue is educating consumers and policy makers about internet broadband, which has expanded beyond microwave towers and terrestrial fiber to include LEO and GEO satellites. In the meantime, the budding partnerships between LEO/GEO satellite providers and telecoms will be interesting to watch. This “hybridization” of networks is the wave of the future, says Jones of The Aerospace Corporation. “GEOs and LEOs possibly working with terrestrials to give you the capability, speed, and other things humans need,” she explains. “This is the type of strategic partnering you will see more of in the future.” Microcom’s Schumann is also a strong proponent of hybrid broadband services. “Using LEO and GEO technology together will combine the high-speed, high-throughput, and low-cost GEO service with low-latency LEO service and provide customers with the exact service requirement they need,” he says. He adds: “There is no reason for a customer to purchase only highercost LEO service when they might only need low-latency service 10 percent of the time,” he says. “By combining the two services together, Microcom can average costs down for customers and provide them the service they need at the lowest-possible cost. This also futureproofs customer networks, enabling the ability to increase capacity when needed. Hybrid service is the future of communications in rural Alaska.” The next few months will prove a critical time for tribes in Alaska to deploy broadband in their communities, William says. He explains: “The federal government is offering billions of dollars to deploy broadband to tribal areas, and the new satellite options LEO and GEO HTS will allow a very small community in rural Alaska the ability to get broadband. Microcom can help them plan, purchase, and install the equipment. Pacific Dataport will supply the community with the monthly backhaul needed. Microcom and Pacific Dataport together is like a ‘broadband-in-a-box’ solution.”
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NEW POSSIBILITIES The economic potential of the Arctic is vast, but envisioning a future with abundant opportunities can feel like a dream. The reality is that the next generation of Arctic people could be working in alternative energy, tourism and technology. Change is the only constant and it’s coming to our communities. We need to educate, imagine, innovate and explore. We must develop new opportunities to expand the economy like our future depends on it — because it does.
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Alaska Native influencers choose substance over likes By Isaac Stone Simonelli
W
hat it means to be a social media influencer in Alaska—with its modest population of about 730,000 spread out over more than 663,000 square miles—is a bit different than the Lower 48. That’s even more the case when your target audience is Alaska Natives. Many Alaska Native influencers use the social media platforms TikTok and Instagram for a variety of reasons, often mixing creative entrepreneurship with social justice and environmental causes important to them. “The most important thing to me is that it connects younger Native women to themselves,” says Jacquii Lambert (@jacquiiwithacue). Lambert, a proud Iñupiaq dancer and auntie from Kotzebue, is also an artist who has created a line of products focused on solidarity. “These designs are meant to show that we are a community that transcends the borders of four colonial states (Russia, USA, Canada, Denmark),” she writes in a recent post on Instagram. Embracing one's cultural identity is a cornerstone of the conversations Lambert tries to generate through her social media posts, partially because of her own path to acceptance. As a child, Lambert says she was always sharing her culture with outsiders; she spent the summer performing at the local museum. Then, something changed. “I went through a phase in my life where I didn't want to be Native in any way, and all of that insecurity was projected out by bullying other Natives who are more ‘Native’ than I am,” Lambert says. 62 | September 2021
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Jacquii Lambert
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Posts with Purpose
“I think identity as an Indigenous person is just difficult, particularly since a lot of us are mixed race. I think because I own that part of who I am, people are attracted to that because it makes them feel validated in who they are.” Alyssa London: @alyssaklondon
People. Partnership. Potential.
Alaska Native Identity Grappling with identity and sharing one's identity is a prominent theme among many Native social media influencers. Miss Alaska 2017 Alyssa Yáx Ádi Yádi London (@alyssaklondon) wrote a children's book that “seeks to help children be proud of who they are and increase their confidence in their identity.” The book, “Journey of a Freckled Indian,” follows the path of a young girl forced to walk in two worlds as she discovers how to be confident in her identity. Though born and raised in Seattle, London now lives in Anchorage and was the first Tlingit Miss Alaska USA. She is the founder and CEO of Culture Story, a media and educational company focused on conversation about identity. “I think identity as an Indigenous person is just difficult, particularly since a lot of us are mixed race,” says London. “I think because I own that part of who I am, people are attracted to that because it makes them feel validated in who they are.” London explains that she is attempting to push back against the lack of representation of Alaska Natives in mainstream media and entertainment. “I got a letter from a woman who approached me at the end of a Nalukataq festival and gave me a letter telling me how much it meant to her to see Alaska Native culture represented on stage and how that made her feel beautiful and feel seen.” It’s important to show what it means to be Alaska Native today, London says. www.akbizmag.com
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Lambert has been actively working to reclaim her cultural identity since college, she says. In addition to sharing her culture with other young Alaska Natives, Lambert seeks to create dialogues about mental health. “I like to have the conversation, and I mostly do that through my captions, my photos, my visuals, and my poetry that I share,” Lambert says, pointing out that in doing so she creates important conversations about generational trauma. “I will also talk about my awareness of my Native identity and how much that kind of connects back to my health.”
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Marina Anderson focuses on sharing information about traditional harvesting on her Instagram page. Bethany Goodrich | Sustainable Southeast Partnership
“I'm extending subsistence as not just an event that happens at harvest, but it's also the stories that we tell throughout winter months and the stories that we dance. Within those holds information for climate justice and environmental justice.” Haliehana Alaĝum Ayagaa Stepetin @indigenous_agent
64 | September 2021
“I just need it to be true to what I'm trying to communicate and not whether it's a ton of engagement,” London says about her social media messaging. “Alaska Native identity needs to be something that you claim based on your descendancy and your pride for the values that you uphold. And your commitment to certain tenants of the lifestyle that do involve nature and the land and descendants and reverence for community,” London says.
Sharing Alaska Unlike London’s Instagram page, which is a mix of images that are “classic” Alaska and modern glamour, Marina Anderson’s page (@marina_ alaska) is much more focused on her customary and traditional harvesting lifestyle in Port St. Nicholas Bay on Prince of Wales Island. “My dad died seven years ago, and my siblings and I still harvest for everybody,” Anderson says, noting that her and Heather Douville’s family (@akmoosie) feed the majority of several communities on the island. “We put up freezers full of food and try to share that knowledge with the next generations so that anybody who is missing a step or a piece of
the puzzle can hopefully go grab that from us.” Anderson explains that when she first got on Instagram, she didn’t realize its potential for educating people beyond sharing images of her favorite food and various edits of the same selfie. But when she did, she seized the opportunity. “I started posting things more intentionally. And part of that is like: What do I want the next generation to see? You know—lead by example. What do I want to model as something that is cool?’” Anderson says. “I didn't have those role models when I was in school because it was a predominantly non-Native school. And all the Native kids would just act like they weren’t Native. And most of them would make fun of Native people as well.” For a long time, this meant Anderson focused on sharing images of her harvests, as well as traditional recipes. However, she started to scale that back—posting things out of season—because she was afraid that the knowledge could be abused if it wasn’t paired with an understanding of how to prepare oneself to take part in
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“I know I have a lot of outsiders paying attention to me because consuming Native information, I think, is a very exciting and exotic thing for them to do, but I’m not here to educate them… I'm not here to share with them. I'm not here to perform for them. I'm
Haliehana Stepetin’s PhD work focuses on the deeper cultural implications and meaning behind Alaska Native harvests.
here for these younger Native women who are watching me and learning that they can become like me.” Jacquii Lambert: @jacquiiwithacue
a harvest and how to properly share the harvest. Anderson also uses her platform on Instagram for environmental advocacy on issues that directly affect her and other Haida and Tlingit people, such as trans-boundary mining rivers. Recently Anderson went offline both to make a statement about the Tongass Forest Roadless Rule and to take a personal breather from maintaining her account. As soon as the Biden Administration made the announcement that it was overturning former President Donald Trump’s policy on the issue and reinstating the Tongass Forest Roadless 66 | September 2021
Haliehana Stepetin
Rule, Anderson fired up Instagram and posted about it. Prior to her months-long break on the social media platform, Anderson was a vocal advocate for educating people about the roadless rule. “I got really active trying to just slowly teach people about roadless, teach people about who we are as a people and understand why it's not the trees that matter—it’s everything being intact that matters for us,” Anderson says. Anderson says that by tagging other advocates on Instagram she was able to help amplify their voices on the issue, as well.
Posting for Purpose The deeper cultural implications and meaning behind Native harvests that Anderson embodies in her life is the focus of the PhD work by Haliehana Alaĝum Ayagaa Stepetin (@indigenous_ agent), who is Unangax born and raised on Akutan. “I'm extending subsistence as not just an event that happens at
harvest, but it's also the stories that we tell throughout winter months and the stories that we dance,” Stepetin explains. “Within those holds information for climate justice and environmental justice.” Stepetin says that Instagram has been a generative space for her to share her grad school work, especially when it comes to dismantling academic gatekeeping and recognizing the knowledge production that happens within Native communities. “I felt like it was a really accessible way for me to share about these things that I was writing,” Stepetin says. “It made me feel like I wasn't doing or creating or producing knowledge in a vacuum.” Stepetin says she’s not worried about gaining more followers or if a post loses her any followers because she wants to engage with a very specific audience on her platform. “I want to speak to just Alaska Native communities and Indigenous communities, and speak to the youth,” Stepetin says. “When I was a young
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Alaska Native kid in my village, I didn't think these things that I'm doing were possible. I didn't think it was possible to, you know, leave and to still remain connected when you leave.” Amanda Mitchell (@athabascan. adventures), an Alaska Native photographer and formerly an ambassador for Native Women’s Wilderness, says that the opportunities created through being on Instagram allowed her to better understand the lands she hiked and explored. As an outdoor enthusiast and Athabascan, Mitchell had been regularly posting images of herself out in the wilderness hiking and fishing. When Native Women’s Wilderness contacted her about sharing one of her posts on their account, they had a string of questions: What was the history of the land? Who were the Natives that had a history of using the river? Mitchell says she didn’t know at the time, but she suddenly wanted to. The results were a surprise. “It turns out that the river was fished by my ancestors, my tribe, my people thousands of years ago,” Mitchell says. “And I had no idea, and I was totally blown away.” As Mitchell’s platform gained momentum, she turned the conversation toward engaging followers on seeking justice for missing and murdered indigenous women (#MMIW). The movement is raising awareness and combating the extraordinarily high rates at which Indigenous women experience violence, go missing, and are murdered. While most Alaska Native influencers’ follower numbers are in the thousands rather than millions, their focus is on reaching the right audience content that has substance and meaning. “I know I have a lot of outsiders paying attention to me because consuming Native information, I think, is a very exciting and exotic thing for them to do, but I’m not here to educate them,” Lambert says. “I'm not here to share with them. I'm not here to perform for them. I'm here for these younger Native women who are watching me and learning that they can become like me.” 68 | September 2021
Jacquii Lambert emphasises connecting younger Native women to themselves through her social media influence. Jacquii Lambert
Amanda Mitchell in a traditional ribbon dress that she made. Amanda Mitchell
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Alaska Native Corporations Directory AHTNA, INC. PO Box 649 Glennallen, AK 99588 907-822-3476 ahtna.com Michelle Anderson, Pres. Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 1,320/354 Business Activities: Construction, engineering,
environmental, facilities management, surveying, security, military training, janitorial, healthcare and medical records management, government contracting, land management, resource development, oil and gas pipeline services. Project Worked On: Ahtna has launched the HOPE (Helping Our People Excel) Shareholder Program with a primary goal of getting more shareholders employed and gaining work experience. Supporting education and professional development opportunities is an important aspect of the program. We do this through vocational scholarship funding, apprenticeships and office mentoring, funding for villagebased shareholder hire, a career assistance program, professional resume assistance and job interview tips and coaching. Acreage: 1,579,872 Number of Shareholders: 2,143 Subsidiaries: Ahtna Development Company, Ahtna Facility Services, Inc., Ahtna Support & Training Services, Ahtna Government Services Corp., Ahtna Construction & Primary Products Company, Ahtna Design Build, Inc., Ahtna Professional Services, Inc., Ahtna Environmental, Inc., Ahtna Technologies, AKHI, Ahtna Global, Ahtna Logistics, Ahtna Engineering Services, AAA Valley Gravel, Ahtna Netiye’, Ahtna Infrastructure & Technologies, Ahtna Integrated Services, Ahtna Marine & Construction Company, Ahtna Solutions, Ahtna Technical Services, Inc.
ALAKANUK NATIVE CORPORATION PO Box 148 Alakanuk, AK 99554 907-238-3117 Raymond Joseph, Pres. Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 20/20 Business Activities: Retail. Both native store and
70 | September 2021
tank farm. Sell everything from food to fuel. Project Worked On: Moved into a renovated building just last year. Acreage: 1 acre Number of Shareholders: 150 Subsidiaries: -
ALASKA PENINSULA CORPORATION 2710 Weslyan Dr. Anchorage, AK 99508 907-274-2433 alaskapeninsulacorp.com Dave McAlister, CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 40/40 Business Activities: Environmental consulting and
restoration; administrative and management services; electrical contractor and callout services; construction; remote camp services; geophysical studies; resource development support. Project Worked On: Federal and commercial environmental projects and electrical construction work are our primary projects. Federal projects include remote remediation of petroleum and polychlorinated biphenyl contaminated soil and groundwater. Commercial environmental projects generally evolve around natural resource development projects and logistical support. Construction work is primarily for call-out electrical services, however, we have also completed federal DoD and State of Alaska projects. Acreage: 400,000 Number of Shareholders: 900 Subsidiaries: Talarik Research & Restoration Services, Yukon Electric, Inc., APC Federal, APC Services, APC Professional Services
ARCTIC SLOPE REGIONAL CORPORATION PO Box 129 Barrow, AK 99723 907-852-8633 asrc.com Rex Allen Rock Sr., Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska:: 14,030/2,905 Business Activities: ASRC has six major business segments-government contract services, industrial services, petroleum refining and marketing, energy support services,
construction and resource development. Project Worked On: In line with our goal to find solutions for a sustainable future, ASRC Energy Services (AES) has developed a novel soil treatment technology. The proprietary mobile soil treatment system is capable of remediating large volumes of contaminated soil on-site. This technology is designed for easy, rapid transportation to off-road locations across Alaska. Acreage: ~5 million Number of Shareholders: 13,491 Subsidiaries: ASRC Construction Holding Company, Eskimos, Inc., Tundra Tours, Inc., Alaska Growth Capital BIDCO, Little Red Services, Inc., ASRC Industrial Services, ASRC Energy Services, Petro Star, Inc., ASRC Federal Holding Company
ASKINUK CORPORATION PO Box 89 Scammon Bay, AK 99662 907-558-5411 Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 6/6 Business Activities: Sell heating fuel and gasoline. Project Worked On: Acreage: - Number of Shareholders: 210 Subsidiaries: -
BAAN O YEEL KON CORPORATION PO Box 74381 Fairbanks, AK 99707 907-456-6259 baanoyeelkon.com Janine Avner, Pres. Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 1/1 Business Activities: Village corporation for
Rampart Village. Project Worked On: Shareholders approved the Baan o yeel kon Settlement Trust in November 2019. Acreage: 92,160 Number of Shareholders: 231 Subsidiaries: -
BERING STRAITS NATIVE CORPORATION 3301 C St., Ste. 100 Anchorage, AK 99503 907-563-3788 beringstraits.com
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Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 1,957/504 Business Activities: Government contracting,
logistics, base operations support services, aircraft and airfield services, special training and security, management and consulting services, IT services, construction and renovation, communications. Project Worked On: Alaska Industrial Hardware (AIH) purchased the formerly vacant Sam’s Club warehouse building located on Dimond Blvd. where it opened a retail storefront. This space serves as the largest hardware and safety order fulfillment and replenishment center in Alaska, supplying high-quality equipment, tools, industrial materials, maintenance supplies and safety products to Alaskans, the construction industry, government and commercial customers. Acreage: 2.1 million Number of Shareholders: 8,243 Subsidiaries: Inuit Services, Inc., Bering Straits Aerospace Services, Bering Straits Logistics Services, Bering Straits Information Technology, Bering Straits Technical Services, Eagle Eye Electric, Global Support Services, Global Management Services, Iyabak Construction, Global Asset Technologies, Global Precision Systems, Bering Straits Development Co., Global Technical Services, 4600 Debarr, Alaska Industrial Hardware, Inc., Paragon Professional Services, Arcticom, Alaska Gold Company, Aurora Inn & Suites, Stampede Ventures, Inc., Bering Global Solutions, Bering Straits Global Innovations, Bering Straits Professional Services, Sound Quarry, Inc., Bering Supply Solutions, Northwest Contracting
Bristol Bay Shared Services, Bristol Bay Seafood Investments, Bristol Bay Alaska Seafoods Group of Companies, Bristol Wave Seafoods, Bristol Wild Seafood Company
CALISTA CORPORATION
111 W. 16th Ave., Ste. 400 Anchorage, AK 99501 907-278-3602 bbnc.net Jason Metrokin, Pres./CEO
5015 Business Park Blvd., Ste. 3000 Anchorage, AK 99503 907-275-2800 calistacorp.com Andrew Guy, Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 2,600/700 Business Activities: Calista Corporation is the parent company of 30+ subsidiaries in the industries of defense contracting, construction, real estate, environmental services, natural resource development, marine transportation, oilfield services and heavy equipment. Project Worked On: For two-years in a row, Calista’s holding line Yulista is nominated as one of the “Best Places to Work” in the Huntsville, Alabama area. This year Yulista opened its new facilities in Huntsville including a brand-new 35,000-square-foot aviation hangar and paint facility. The new hangar increases Yulista’s overall aviation capacity to nearly 200,000 square feet, including 123,000 square feet of aircraft hangar space. Acreage: 6.5 million Number of Shareholders: 33,700 Subsidiaries:, Y-Tech Services, Yulista Aviation, Yulista Management Services, Yulista Integrated Solutions, Yulista Logistics Solutions, Yulista Tactical Services, Yulista Services, Yulista Solutions, Yulista Support Services, Chiulista Services, Tunista Services, Tunista Logistics Solutions, Brice Incorporated, Brice Builders, Brice Civil Constructors, Brice Engineering, Brice Environmental, Brice Equipment, Brice Marine, Brice Solutions, STG, Inc., Alaska Crane, STG Pacific,Tunista Construction, Yukon Equipment, Calista Real Estate, Tunista, Inc., Aulukista, E3 Alaska, Nordic Calista, Ookichista Drilling Services, Calista Education & Culture, Inc.
Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 4,043/1,507 Business Activities: Industrial services,
CAPE FOX CORPORATION
BRISTOL BAY NATIVE CORPORATION
government services, construction, seafood, tourism, and natural resources. Project Worked On: BBNC recently announced its partnership with the NHL’s newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken. With this partnership, millions of hockey fans and concertgoers will be introduced to the wonders and cultures of Bristol Bay, and the BBNC community and hockey fans will have access to exciting opportunities. Bristol Bay will be prominently represented throughout the Climate Pledge Arena, including one of the arena’s 13 prime marketplaces. Acreage: 3,011,356 Number of Shareholders: 10,656 Subsidiaries: Bristol Bay Industrial, Alaska Directional, Bristol Alliance Fuels, Cannon Constructors, The Cannon Group, Cannon Construction, Bud’s Hauling and Leasing, CCI Industrial Services, CCI Electrical Services, Kakivik Asset Management, PetroCard, Cal IV Tubulars, Precision Compression, Government Services Group of Companies, Bristol Alliance of Companies (minority ownership interest), SES Group of Companies, CCI Alliance of Companies, Bristol Adventures, Bristol Bay Mission Lodge, Katmai Air, Katmailand,
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PO Box 8558 Ketchikan, AK 99901 907-225-5163 capefoxcorp.com Chris Luchtefeld, CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 991/153 Business Activities: Cape Fox Corporation has
two lines of business, one for tourism in Alaska with restaurants, a lodge, and retail, and one with government contracting with multiple subsidiaries that offer capabilities in IT and cybersecurity, healthcare, professional services, and construction. Project Worked On: In an effort to revitalize Alaska tourism, Cape Fox Lodge and Baranof Fishing Excursions partnered in a new marketing campaign to “Bring Back Adventure.” The campaign offered tourists a unique, adventurous experience in a safe environment with deals at Baranof Fishing along with specials at any Cape Fox Corporation family of businesses, including Cape Fox Lodge. It has been a successful campaign bringing tourists back to Alaska. Acreage: 23,000 Number of Shareholders: 361 Subsidiaries: Cape Fox Shared Services, Cape Fox Federal Integrators, Cape Fox Facilities
Alaska Business
Services , Saxman One, Eagle Health, Concentric Methods, NAVAR, Cape Fox Lodge, Ketchikan Title Agency, Cape Fox Tours, Dockside Galley, Sweet Mermaids, Bar Harbor Ale House, 108 Tap House and Burger Bar, Mountain Point, Kwaan Tech
CHENEGA CORPORATION 3000 C St., Ste. 301 Anchorage, AK 99503 907-277-5706 chenega.com Charles Totemoff, Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 6,449/188 Business Activities: Chenega figures prominently in the diverse government services contracting marketplace supporting defense, intelligence, and federal civilian customers. Project Worked On: Chenega has been recognized with several awards that demonstrate our ongoing commitment to excellence for our employees and customers. Acreage: - N umber of Shareholders: Subsidiaries:
CHOGGIUNG, LIMITED PO Box 330 Dillingham, AK 99576 907-842-5218 choggiung.com Cameron Poindexter, Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 371/98 Business Activities: Commercial real estate and hospitality, commercial and government services-federal contracting, construction, environmental, information technology, facilities services, training, and engineering. Project Worked On: Choggiung Limited has created a new subsidiary company brand, Wood River Federal, to support the federal government with an array of solutions built from our background and experience. Check out our website at woodriverfederal. com to learn more. Acreage: 299,000 Number of Shareholders: 2,223 Subsidiaries: Choggiung Investment Company, Bristol Inn, Bayside Diner, Inland Empire Fire Protection, Umyuaq Technology, Intelligent Technology, Bristol Alliance of Companies
CHUGACH ALASKA CORPORATION 3800 Centerpoint Dr., Ste. 1200 Anchorage, AK 99503 907-563-8866 chugach.com Sheri Buretta, Chairman/Interim CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 4,900/700 Business Activities: Chugach has a portfolio of complementary businesses across a range of industries including government, energy and facilities services. Chugach also manages an investment portfolio, and land and natural resource development projects in the region. Project Worked On: Appointed new President Daniel Fenza in March; established Chugach Natives Trust to serve future generations; supported the region and shareholders during COVID-19 through Chugach Regional Response Group and early dividends; focusing on ANSCA land initiatives that create shareholder September 2021 | 71
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Gail R. Schubert, Pres./CEO
A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
value: Coal sale that retired development rights and generated financial return via dividends and a $30M educational/cultural endowment; granite quarry development; and land exchange. Acreage: 378,000 full fee estate; 550,000 subsurface Number of Shareholders: 2,800 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
Aaron Schutt, Pres./CEO
COOK INLET REGION, INC.
EKLUTNA, INC.
PO Box 93330 Anchorage, AK 99509 907-274-8638 ciri.com Sophie Minich, Pres./ CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 75/75 Business Activities: From energy and
infrastructure to government services, real estate and private equity and venture funds, CIRI’s continued growth lies in its diverse investments in a variety of industries— opportunities made successful by the hard work and ingenuity of our people and partners. Project Worked On: CIRI is partnering with Maple Springs Assisted Living in the construction of a new assisted living facility in Anchorage, addressing the changing demographics of the region and providing needed services to an aging population. In 2020, CIRI subsidiary North Wind Group (NWG) merged the engineering firm LBYD into NWG as a subsidiary. The addition of the well-respected engineering firm provides business development opportunities and synergies across both companies. Acreage: 625,000 Number of Shareholders: 9,100 Subsidiaries: CIRI Land Development Co., North Wind Group, Fire Island Wind
DANZHIT HANLAII CORPORATION 615 Bidwell, Ste. 407 Fairbanks, AK 99701 907-452-2288 Angela Ludwick, Pres. Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 2/2 Business Activities: Tourism and resource
development.
Project Worked On: We are looking at building
and renting out cabins on the Yukon River. Acreage: 118,000 Number of Shareholders: 188 Subsidiaries: -
DOYON, LIMITED 1 Doyon Pl., Ste. 300 Fairbanks, AK 99701 888-478-4755 doyon.com 72 | September 2021
Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 1,046/708 Business Activities: Doyon, Limited operates a
diverse family of companies in the areas of oilfield services, utilities, construction, information technology, natural resource development, tourism, laundry, real estate, and wireless telecommunications. Project Worked On: As part of our inaugural Voluntary Forest Offset Initiative, Doyon is committed to sustainably managing and preserving up to 250,000 of our forested lands per sale, to be sold as carbon offset credits. As a leader in all we do, we see this as an opportunity to balance economic development and land preservation for the generations of today and tomorrow. Acreage: 12.5M Number of Shareholders: 20,000 Subsidiaries: Doyon Oil Field Services, Inc., Doyon Government Contracting, Inc., Doyon Natural Resources Development Corporation, Northern Laundry Services. Doyon Tourism, Northstar Manager, MidAlaska Pipeline
16515 Centerfield Dr., Ste. 201 Eagle River, AK 99577 907-696-2828 eklutnainc.com Kyle Foster, CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: <50/<50 Business Activities: Largest private land owner/ developer in Anchorage. Owner of commercial buildings, a hard rock quarry, construction company-8(a), gravel and mining site, real estate brokerage, and developer of upscale housing subdivisions. Project Worked On: Overlook Estates 3 is a 40-acre tract of land that Eklutna, Inc. is developing into twenty-eight1.25-acre lots. The tract is located approximately seven miles up Eagle River Road and contains mountainous surroundings, valley views, and backs up against a State Park greenbelt. Watch the Eklutna, Inc. website for further developments on this project. Acreage: 90,000 Number of Shareholders: 176 Subsidiaries: Eklutna Construction & Maintenance, Eklutna Sand & Gravel, Eklutna Real Estate Services
GANA-A’ YOO, LIMITED 1001 E. Benson Blvd., Ste. 201 Anchorage, AK 99508 907-569-9599 ganaayoo.com Dena Sommer-Pedebone, CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 357/27 Business Activities: Gana-A’Yoo and our family of companies serves clients around the globe. From engineering and deploying Air Force training aids to feeding the Coast, we offer an array of services including construction, camp, janitorial, and professional services. Project Worked On: Shareholder perpetuity and preserving our natural resources is our priority. In 2020 we increased educational and vocational funding to shareholders by more than 20% through partnership with Alyeska Pipeline. Over the last two years we have contributed $200,000 to our village schools and dedicated resources to address illegal use of our lands. Through our business we keep the nation’s 2nd longest river navigable and powered the largest
Air Base in Afghanistan until the last troop returned home. Acreage: 437,760 Number of Shareholders: 1,285 Subsidiaries: Gana-A’Yoo Services Corp, Khotol Service Corp, Kaiyuh Services, Kaiyuh Information Technologies, Six Mile, Yukon Management
GOLDBELT, INCORPORATED 3025 Clinton Dr. Juneau, AK 99801 907-790-4990 goldbelt.com McHugh Pierre, Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 1,700/250 Business Activities: Tourism, government
contracting, facility management, IT consulting, transportation, security services, and construction. Project Worked On: Goldbelt expanded operations during the pandemic supporting the federal government’s effort to vaccinate the country. Goldbelt delivered more than 500 million needles and syringes to the Federal government and employed doctors working in critical areas to development and response of COVID-19. Acreage: 32,719 Number of Shareholders: 3,950 Subsidiaries: Goldbelt Glacier Health Services, Nisga’a Data Systems, Goldbelt Falcon, Goldbelt Hawk, Peregrine Technical Solutions, Facility Support Services, Goldbelt Security, Mount Roberts Tramway, Goldbelt Transportation, Cultural Preservation Marine, Goldbelt C6, Nisga’a Tek, Goldbelt Operations Support Services, Goldbelt Integrated Logistics Services, Goldbelt Frontier
HUNA TOTEM CORPORATION 9301 Glacier Hwy., Ste. 200 Juneau, AK 99801 907-789-8500 hunatotem.com Russell Dick, Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 320/270 Business Activities: Tourism and government
contracting.
Project Worked On: Huna Totem Corporation, Icy
Strait Point, and our cruise industry partners worked in conjunction with the Alaska Delegation in Washington DC, the Governor of Alaska, and Alaska Legislature to reform a long-standing law requiring foreign-flagged vessels to stop in international waters (Canada) on a cruise to Alaska. Participating in this conversation resulted in a waiver to the PVSA requirements and restoration of part of the 2021 cruise season for struggling Alaska businesses and communities. Acreage: 23,043 Number of Shareholders: 1,484 Subsidiaries: -
ISANOTSKI CORPORATION 101 Isanotski Dr. False Pass, AK 99583 907-548-2217 Chantae Kochuten, Pres. Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 7/7 Business Activities: Grocery store, liquor store,
crab pot storage. Project Worked On: We have apartments available for rent. Acreage: 1 Number of Shareholders: 108 Subsidiaries: -
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
801 B St., Ste. 401-B Anchorage, AK 99501 907-561-4487 kijikCorp.com Ventura Samaniego, Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 3/2 Business Activities: The mission of the Kijik Corporation is to generate sustainable profits for Kijik shareholders while recognizing the unique diversity of Kijik lands and peoples. Project Worked On: Acreage: 126,000 Number of Shareholders: 511 Subsidiaries: Kijik Aviation Services, Kijik Technical Services, Qizhjeh Heritage Institute, International Data Systems, RISE Communications
management; and investments in various operating companies. Project Worked On: Despite the challenging environment, Koniag continued its trend of profitability by quickly adapting to changing markets. We found innovative ways to expand, acquiring additional businesses for our Energy and Water sector and purchasing the remaining ownership in Open System Technologies, a commercial IT subsidiary. Our Government Contracting sector continued to grow thanks to outstanding contract performance and relationships built on long-term trust. Acreage: 145,000 surface; 990,000 subsurface umber of Shareholders: 4,270 N Subsidiaries: Digitized Schematic Solutions,
Koniag Services, Inc., Professional Computing Resources, Inc., XMCO, Inc., Dowland-Bach Corporation, Koniag Information Security Services, Granite Cove Quarry, Koniag Technology Solutions, Inc., Near Island Building, Karluk Wilderness Adventures, Inc. dba Kodiak Brown Bear Center and dba Karluk River Cabins, PacArctic, Open Systems Technology, DE, Arlluk Technology Solutions, Eagle Harbor Solutions, Kadiak, Tuknik Government Services, Glacier Services, Inc., Koniag Government Services, Koniag Management Solutions, Koniag Data Solutions, Koniag IT Systems, Koniag Professional Services, Koniag Integration Solutions, Koniag Brillient, Big G Electric & Engineering, Great
KIKIKTAGRUK INUPIAT CORP. 3201 C St., Ste. 801 Anchorage, AK 99508 907-277-7884 kikiktagruk.com Thomas Kennedy, CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 305/35 Business Activities: Construction, commercial
and residential rental properties, and retail sales of hardware, lumber, and auto parts. Government JBOS contracts, construction contracts, and professional service contracts. Project Worked On: Recent contract with FDA to provide scientist for COVID and EBOLA research. Able to start summer hire program of teenager again in Kotzebue. Currently employing 18 youth in the program. Acreage: 208,000 Number of Shareholders: 2,021 Subsidiaries: KIC Construction, KIC Facilities Management, KIC Logistics, Alaska Universal Services, Midnight Sun Global Services, Midnight Sun Technologies, JLL-Midnight Sun IFMS, Midnight Sun AUS, MSGS-Trinity JV, MSGS-Centennial JV
KLAWOCK HEENYA CORPORATION PO Box 129 Klawock, AK 99925 907-755-2270 klawockheenya.com Mary Edenshaw, COO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 10/10 Business Activities: Klawock Heenya Corp,
Klawock River Inn, The Bread Box Delicatessen, Klawock Island Dock Company. Project Worked On: Bringing people back into our Island to help our economy recover. Acreage: 23,000 Number of Shareholders: 1,200 Subsidiaries: Klawock River Inn, Klawock Island Dock Company, The Bread Box Delicatessen
KONIAG 194 Alimaq Dr. Kodiak, AK 99615 907-486-2530 koniag.com Ron Unger, Chairman/CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 2,003/157 Business Activities: Koniag’s principal lines of
The Preferred Event Vendor for the State of Alaska
business include commercial real estate investments; ANCSA natural resource
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Alaska Business
September 2021 | 73
A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
KIJIK CORPORATION
A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
Northern Engineering, Koniag Real Estate, Koniag Capital, Koniag Energy and Water, TecPro, Ltd., Koniag Worldwide
KOOTZNOOWOO, INCORPORATED 8585 Old Dairy Rd., Ste. 104 Juneau, AK 99801 907-790-2992 kootznoowoo.com Deborah Atuk, Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 9/9 Business Activities: Commercial real estate,
construction, federal contracting. Project Worked On: Renovation of KPlaza Roof in Juneau; remodeling Angoon Community Association Tribal Office; Painting USCG building exterior, Juneau. Acreage: 11,832 Number of Shareholders: 1,100 Subsidiaries: Chatham Properties
KOTLIK YUPIK CORPORATION PO Box 20207 Kotlik, AK 99620 907-899-4014 Lorrena Prince, Pres. Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 11/11 Business Activities: We operate two businesses:
KYC’s Tank Farm, which sells gas and oil, and L aufkak, which sells mainly groceries. Project Worked On: Acreage: - Number of Shareholders: 247 Subsidiaries: Kotlik Yupik Enterprises
LEISNOI
Dedicated to the success of Alaska Native Corporations and their shareholders. KeyBank has a long history in Alaska and is committed to the success of Alaska Native Regional and Village Corporations. Our experienced, local Alaska team provides meaningful and customized solutions to support long-term financial goals. To learn how we can help you create effective, efficient strategies for now and in the future, call 907-564-0222.
101 W. Benson Blvd., Ste. 202 Anchorage, AK 99503 907-222-6900 leisnoi.com Jana Turvey, Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 23/8 Business Activities: Leisnoi and its subsidiaries are focused on creating ongoing value for shareholders. We provide a range of services: facilities and infrastructure sustainment, restoration, maintenance, construction, and non-/traditional environmental services. Project Worked On: We are collaborating with Tangirnaq Native Village to complete a Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) that addresses the current and future road and trail improvements on Woody Island. The land identified is used for subsistence and recreational purposes by Tribal members and the public. Improvements in this LRTP will enhance access to subsistence, cultural, recreational and economic resources; preserve and promote sites of cultural significance; and reduce conflict with private landowners. Acreage: 50,000 Number of Shareholders: 420 Subsidiaries: Tuyuq, Leisnoi Diversified Services, Leisnoi Professional Services, Napaq, Leisnoi Development Company
MINTO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
©2021 KeyCorp. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
74 | September 2021
210722-1155533
615 Bidwill Ave., Ste. 303 Fairbanks, AK 99701 907-374-0968 mintodevelopmentcorp.com Douglas Isaacson, CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 3/3 Business Activities: Management of companies. Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
Project Worked On: Successfully trained and
deployed more than 50 Alaska native bear guards. Acreage: 1 acre N umber of Shareholders: Subsidiaries: -
NANA REGIONAL CORPORATION PO Box 49 Kotzebue, AK 99752 907-442-3301 nana.com Bill Monet, COO/Interim Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 14,831/4,832 Business Activities: Resource development;
land management; federal contracting; engineering and design; surveying and mapping; food and facilities management; camp services; security; industrial and commercial fabrication and installation; drilling services. Project Worked On: NANA’s mission is to improve the quality of life for our people by maximizing economic growth, protecting and enhancing our lands and promoting healthy communities with decisions, actions, and behaviors inspired by our Iñupiat Iļitqusiat values consistent with our core principles. Acreage: 2.2 million N umber of Shareholders: 14,780 Subsidiaries: Akima, Sivu
NUNAPITCHUK, LIMITED 129 Main St. Nunapitchuk, AK 99641 907-527-5717 Jerry Wassillie, Sr., Pres. Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 32/32 Business Activities: Project Worked On: Acreage: - N umber of Shareholders: Subsidiaries: -
OUNALASHKA CORPORATION PO Box 149 Unalaska, AK 99685 907-581-1276 ounalashka.com Christopher Salts, CEO
We ship anywhere in Alaska
USE WASTE OIL TO HEAT YOUR FACILITY!
®
Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 21/21 Business Activities: Leasing and real estate
development.
ENERGY SYSTEMS The World Leader in Used-Oil Heating Systems
Project Worked On: Geothermal Power at
Makushin Volcano and Valley. Acreage: 135,000 N umber of Shareholders: 464 Subsidiaries: -
– Burns waste oil – Generates more heat – Long service life
PITKAS POINT NATIVE CORPORATION PO Box 289 St. Mary’s, AK 99658 907-438-2953 Bibiana Sage, Pres. Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 4/4 Business Activities: To provide opportunities to all
We are the exclusive distributor for Clean Burn waste oil heating equipment in Alaska. We carry a full range of Clean Burn Genuine OEM parts and offer sales, installation help, unit cleaning and return services.
our shareholders and community members through profitable investments and working together to create economic and educational opportunities while promoting self-determination and pride. Project Worked On: Working with our regional native corporation, for a share of gravel sales. Acreage: - Number of Shareholders: 118 Subsidiaries: Pitka’s Point Native Store
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Nenana Heating Services, Inc. Inc. PO Box 9 • Nenana, AK 99760 (907) 832-5445 or (800) 478-5447 E-mail: NHSI@alaska.net cleanburn.com/nenana-heating Alaska Business
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A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
SEALASKA
Before
After
Sales • Ser vice • Par ts
Transportation Tank & Trailer SERVICE CENTER 3050 Van Horn ~ Fairbanks, AK
• National Board “R” Stamp & DOT Inspections & Certifications • Leak Repairs, Rebarrels & Tank Change Outs • Bottom Loading, Vapor Recovery Conversions, Pumping Systems • Large Parts Inventory
907-451-8265 (TANK) Service – Contact Timothy Hanson
800-692-5844 Parts – Contact Tara Hogan
One Sealaska Plaza, Ste. 400 Juneau, AK 99801 907-586-1512 sealaska.com Anthony Mallott, Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 2,000/100 Business Activities: Sealaska’s businesses are divided into three focus areas: natural resources and land management, environmental services, and sustainable foods. Project Worked On: Sealaska, an Alaska Native Corporation owned by 23,000 Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian shareholders and owner of several food companies, including Seattle-based Orca Bay Foods, and New England Seafood International Limited, a respected, London-based supplier of fresh and frozen premium sustainable fish and seafood to retailers and leading food-service brands, are forging an unprecedented alliance. Acreage: 362,000 Number of Shareholders: 23,000 Subsidiaries: Alaska Coastal Aggregates, Sealaska Environmental Services, Managed Business Solutions, Sealaska Constructors, Sealaska Construction Solutions, Sealaska Technical Services, EcoData Analytics, Gregg Drilling, Pitcher Services, Sealaska Engineering & applied Sciences, Sealaska Remediation Solutions
SHAAN-SEET, INC. PO Box 690 Craig, AK 99921 907-826-3251 shaanseet.com Edward Douville, Pres./GM Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 10/10 Business Activities: Our primary businesses
include commercial real estate, property management, and natural resource management. We also own and operate the Sunnahae Hotel. Project Worked On: We are continuing to promote economic growth and development in our community through housing development, expansion of storage/ship yard, and conservancy and forestry work. Acreage: 24,000 Number of Shareholders: 607 Subsidiaries: -
SHUMAGIN CORPORATION PO Box 189 Sand Point, AK 99661 907-383-3525 shumagin.com Glen Gardner, Jr., Shumagin Pres. Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 15/15 Business Activities: Real estate, rental, and leasing. Project Worked On: Acreage: - Number of Shareholders: 503 Subsidiaries: -
In everything we do—from oil field services, to land management, we strive to nurture our connection to the land and strengthen our Native way of life.
SITNASUAK NATIVE CORPORATION www.doyon.com
76 | September 2021
PO Box 905 Nome, AK 99762 907-387-1200 snc.org Charles Fagerstrom, CEO
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 1,332/100 Business Activities: Project Worked On: Acreage: 232,174 Number of Shareholders: 2,987 Subsidiaries: Fidelity Title Agency Alaska,
Nanuaq, Sitnasuak Properties, Aurora Industries, SNC Manufacturing, Bonanza Fuel, Mat-Su Title Agency, Sitnasuak Financial Services, Nome Outfitters, Bonanza Express, SNC Technical Services
SWAN LAKE CORPORATION Box 31 Nunam Iqua, AK 99666 907-498-4800 Solomon Afcan, Chairman Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 20/20 Business Activities: Retail sales, land
management.
Project Worked On: Descendant shareholder
enrollment. Resource development. Acreage: 69,000 Number of Shareholders: 155 Subsidiaries: Nunam Iqua Trading Post, Nunam Iqua Teen Center
TDX (TANADGUSIX) CORPORATION 3601 C St., Ste. 1000 Anchorage, AK 99503 907-278-2312 tdxcorp.com Christopher Mandregan Jr., CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 595/223 Business Activities: TDX Corporation is owned by and represents the business interests of more than 600 Aleut shareholders of St. Paul Island. TDX business groups are diversified serving technology, government contracting, hospitality, and the seafood industry. Project Worked On: Acreage: - Number of Shareholders: 681 Subsidiaries: TDX Government Services Group, TDX Power Group, TDX Hospitality Group
TELLER NATIVE CORPORATION PO Box 649 Teller, AK 99778 907-642-6132
What can we do
for your brand?
Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 10/10 Business Activities: Project Worked On: Acreage: 115,200 Number of Shareholders: 509 Subsidiaries: -
THE ALEUT CORPORATION 4000 Old Seward Hwy., Ste. 300 Anchorage, AK 99503 907-561-4300 aleutcorp.com Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 900/90 Business Activities: Government contracting; O&M; training and education; logistics; construction; IT/Telcom; environmental; remediation; engineering, prototype and manufacturing; real estate; fuel and port serv; oilfield testing; instrumentation. Project Worked On: Acreage: - Number of Shareholders: 3,900 Subsidiaries: Aleut Enterprises, Aleut Real Estate, Alaska Instrument, C&H Testing, Aleut Patrick Mechanical Holding, Strata-G Solutions, Aleut Federal www.akbizmag.com
GRAPHIC DESIGN SCREEN PRINTING EMBROIDERY PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS
Alaska Business
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• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Annual Reports Newsletters Vinyl Banners Brochures Flyers Mailers Calendars Invitations Posters Signs Presentation Folders Letterhead Envelopes Business Cards Promotional Items
info@colorartprinting.com colorartprinting.com 907-277-2409 430 W. 7th Ave. Ste 10 Anchorage, AK 99501
THE KUSKOKWIM CORPORATION 4300 B St., Ste. 405 Anchorage, AK 99503 907-243-2944 kuskokwim.com Andrea Gusty, Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 318/24 Business Activities: Construction, government
services, environmental services, lighting, aerospace, aircraft maintenance and repair, real estate and rural retail. Project Worked On: The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC) is currently working on project to help solve rural housing needs, energy issues, and cost of living for our shareholders. The need is great, but by combining traditional knowledge with state of the art technology, TKC is committed to collaborative solutions for the people of the Middle Kuskokwim and beyond. Acreage: 919,680 Number of Shareholders: 4,206 Subsidiaries: TKC Development, Tumeq, Kuskokwim Properties, TKC Aerospace, Inc., Suulutaaq, Inc., Precision Air, Inc., Swift River Environmental Services, SIOTS, Charleston Logistics, Holitna Construction, Precision Heli-Support, Green Lighting Group, Air Transport of the Carolinas, MIPPS, Kuskokwim Community Growth Company, Sunitna River, Ciqima Federal Services
THE TATITLEK CORPORATION 561 E. 36th Ave., Ste. 400 Anchorage, AK 99503 907-278-4000 tatitlek.com Roy Totemoff, CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 1,450/50 Business Activities: Information technology,
THOUSANDS OF MILES OF EXPERIENCE COMMITTED TO CLIENT SATISFACTION DEDICATED TO SAFETY EXCELLENCE
satellite-based imagery capture and processing, geospatial solutions, facilities maintenance, security, training scenarios, logistics support, base operations support, supply chain mgmt., transportation and admin support. Project Worked On: Acreage: 108,275 Number of Shareholders: 390 Subsidiaries: Tatitlek Construction Services, Inc., Tatitlek Support Services, Inc., Tatitlek Technologies, Inc., Tatitlek Training Services, Inc., GeoNorth, Tatitlek Logistics Corporation, Tatitlek Response Services, Inc., Tatitlek Federal Services, Inc., Port Fidalgo Constructors, Inc., GeoNorth Information Systems
TATITLEK TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Togiak Natives Limited PO Box 150 Togiak, AK 99678 907-493-5520 togiaknatives.com Jimmy Coopchiak, Pres. Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 12/6 Business Activities: Leasing, fuel sales,
Pipeline Construction & Maintenance | EPC Contracting Powerplant Construction | General Contracting Anchorage | Deadhorse | 907.278.4400 | www.pricegregory.com 78 | September 2021
transportation.
Project Worked On: Togiak Natives Limited
drives innovation and economic growth in our region in order to preserve our Yupiaq culture and language, protect our unique land, and ensure youth, elder, and shareholder well-being. We
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
are committed to our values or respect, honesty, collaboration, and integrity. Our ultimate goal is to build a profitable and growing government contracting business and financial strength for the benefit of our shareholders. Acreage: 156,657 Number of Shareholders: 974 Subsidiaries: Togiak Fuel Distributors, Togiak Bus Services, Our Store Inc., Togiak Management Services, Togiak Fishing Adventures
TULKISARMUTE, INCORPORATED PO Box 65 Tuluksak, AK 99679 907-695-6457 Peter Andrew, Pres. Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 11/11 Business Activities: For profit organization owned
by Tulkisarmute Inc. shareholders. Project Worked On: Extending the building. Acreage: - Number of Shareholders: 200 Subsidiaries: -
UKPEAĠVIK IÑUPIAT CORPORATION (UIC) PO Box 890 Utqiaġvik, AK 99723 907-852-4460 uicalaska.com Delbert Rexford, Pres./CEO Number of Employees Worldwide/Alaska: 4,269/496 Business Activities: Commercial civil and
industrial construction, architecture, engineering, surveying, environmental, marine logistics, real estate, land, natural resources, IT, maintenance and manufacturing, tundra transportation, Arctic support, and government services. Project Worked On: UIC Commercial Services created a new heavy civil construction company, Qayaq Construction. Qayaq is set to complete about $20 million worth of projects in 2021. The largest of these awards is the Richardson Highway Milepost #138 to #148 Rehabilitation Project for $14 million. This project includes large embankment and excavation, drainage improvements, intersection improvements, utilities, roadside hardware and a major realignment. Acreage: 220,398 Number of Shareholders: 3,228 Subsidiaries: UIC Commercial Services, UIC Government Construction, UIC Government Services, UIC Construction, UIC Nappairit, Qayaq Construction, Rockford, UMIAQ Design, UIC Sanatu, UMIAQ Environmental, UIC Oil and Gas, Bowhead Transport, UIC Real Estate, UIC Science, UIC Municipal Services, Qayaq Government Solutions, Johansen Construction Company, Highmark Concrete Contractors
YOUR CLIENTS ARE PROUD TO BE ALASKAN. SO ARE WE. Photo by Amanda Doney Umialik Employee
At Umialik Insurance, we’re proud to offer carefully crafted policies to individuals, families, and businesses across our great state. And your clients can take pride in being protected by a local, Alaska-based company with 40 years of experience. With Umialik Insurance, it’s peace of mind, made in Alaska.
www.umialik.com
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Alaska Business
September 2021 | 79
Ahtna
A L A SK A N AT I V E SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
ANC Construction Statewide projects highlight unique expertise By Alexandra Kay 80 | September 2021
A
s Alaska Native regional, village, and urban corporations have grown and expanded since the early ‘70s, many have taken advantage of traditional knowledge of their lands to build a knowledge base that informs their endeavors across many industries. Particularly for construction projects, the ability of Alaska Native corporations to find local, quality workers and their long history with Alaska’s weather and terrain allows them to successfully complete projects that other companies may not know exactly how to begin. Additionally, Alaska Native corporations can find efficiencies by leveraging their lands—through quarries or other natural resources—to help project owners get projects done on time and on budget. Below, we highlight a few projects taken by Alaska Native corporations and/or their subsidiaries across the state that highlight their expertise and their dedication in making sure Alaskans have access to the infrastructure they need.
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started again this spring, and it’s slated for completion this month. As a critical infrastructure project, Brice’s upgrade of Emmonak roads took place even while the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the world. “We worked with the city to develop a comprehensive COVID-19 mitigation and management plan that would allow our crews in to do the critical work without increasing risk to local residents,” said Project Manager Paul Walsh. “And as a result of those efforts we had no cases of COVID amongst our crews.” Brice, Inc. was awarded the contract for the Emmonak port expansion in January 2021, with work scheduled to begin by mid-July of this year. The company was contracted to expand the city port along about 600 feet of Yukon riverfront. Project Manager Trent Buron is overseeing the expansion, which includes the placement of sheet pile cells, aggregate fill, and armor stone in order to build a retaining wall to prevent erosion of the new, longer port area. Subcontractor STG Incorporated, also a Calista Corporation subsidiary, will be responsible for installing the
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“What could have been problematic with so many players actually went very smoothly… High traffic patterns on base were problematic, but Ahtna solved the issue by turning the replacement into a phased program in order to allow for traffic access.” Justin Dunn, Senior Project Manager Ahtna Environmental
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Brice, Inc. The city of Emmonak sits on the Yukon River Delta just ten miles from the Bering Sea and about 400 miles northwest of Anchorage and is accessible by the Yukon River or by air. Because of its location, city roads have settlement and subsidence issues, and the city’s port is subject to erosion. Brice Incorporated, a subsidiary of Calista Corporation that specializes in heavy civil construction in remote Alaskan locations, is supplying rock materials for the repair and upgrade of Emmonak city roads and won a contract for the project to expand the city’s port, which is vital to providing necessary supplies to the city and its residents. The road project began in August 2020 with Brice Inc. mining and barging aggregate rock materials from the cities of Saint Mary’s and Mertarvik on two articulated tug and barges. Once the material arrived, a ground crew performed the upgrades to the city roads, including placement and spreading of aggregate material in order to raise the elevation of the roads and improve drainage. The project was suspended for the winter season and
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Before construction began, the design/ build team had to come up with a plan for placing the modular components of the [Atka Health Clinic]. While these would normally have been placed with a crane, doing this on Atka would have been prohibitively expensive because the crane that would only have been needed for two weeks would have sat on the island for eight to nine months due to shipping schedules
sheet pile and providing the necessary crane support. The cranes to place the sheet pile cells, along with all the other equipment and supplies, were barged into the community, and the project is also scheduled to be completed by the end of this month.
Ahtna Environmental A subsidiary of Ahtna Incorporated, Ahtna Environmental specializes in projects with complex logistics and site conditions. One such project was the Atka Health Clinic design and construction. Atka, a city on a small Aleutian Island of the same name, had a population of just 61 at the 2010 Census, and its residents needed a healthcare provider. While the original design/build bid took place in September of 2019, the 4,500-square-foot design came in at double Atka’s available funding, so the city canceled the project. Determined to get Atka the clinic it needed, the design/ build team of Ahtna Environmental, NorthForm Architecture, and PDC Engineers reached out to the city numerous times in order to come up with a plan that would fit its budget. Working in good faith for more than a year, the design/build team was able to modify the project enough for it to come in within Atka’s $2.6 million baseline budget amount. The modification was a switch to a modular building rather than a stickbuilt structure, which reduces costs and better accommodates Alaska’s short construction season and the freight schedule in and out of the remote island. Completed at the end of July, the project certainly took advantage of Ahtna Engineer’s expertise with complex logistics. Before construction began, the design/build team had to come up with a plan for placing the
modular components of the building. While these would normally have been placed with a crane, doing this on Atka would have been prohibitively expensive because the crane that would only have been needed for two weeks would have sat on the island for eight to nine months due to shipping schedules. Knowing they needed to be innovative, the Ahtna Engineering design/build team camp up with a plan to use a 988 loader to set the modular buildings in place. “We then worked with Coastal Transportation out of Seattle, who agreed to build a special ramp for the project capable of loading and off-loading heavy equipment in remote Alaska locations as long as we used them for shipping all project supplies,” says Ahtna Environmental’s Senior Program Manager Michael Selhay. A win/win for both companies, it provided Ahtna Environmental with a way to make equipment do more work and opened a new market for Coastal Transportation. Another challenge was remining 3,000 yards of classified fill for the building site. Ahtna was told the fill was mined and available but discovered it hadn’t been mined correctly for use, so the design/build team worked hand-inhand with the city of Atka in order to remine the fill and minimize monetary damages to the city. This year Ahtna Environmental also completed the replacement of a jet fuel pipeline at US Coast Guard Base Kodiak Site 3. A major shore installation of the Coast Guard, Base Kodiak sits on Kodiak Island about 250 miles southwest of Anchorage. In a 2018 project, Ahtna excavated and replaced the contaminated soil around a fuel pipeline that had been temporarily repaired more than a decade ago. Then in September
Construction of the Atka Health Clinic. Ahtna, Incorporated
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Manager Lori Kropidlowski attributes the smoothness and success of the project to the great communication skills of all involved parties.
Eklutna, Incorporated
Ahtna Environmental performs work at USCG Base Kodiak. Ahtna, Incorporated
A crane barged to Emmonak. Brice, Inc.
Brice, Inc. works on the repair and upgrade of roads in Emmonak. Brice, Inc.
2020, the company was awarded the contract to replace the more than thirty-year-old fuel pipeline because of an EPA requirement. Field work began on May 1, 2021 and required coordination between the EPA, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the Coast Guard, and Ahtna Environmental—as well as several subcontractors and consultants. “What could have been problematic with so many players 84 | September 2021
actually went very smoothly,” says Ahtna Senior Project Manager Justin Dunn. “High traffic patterns on base were problematic, but Ahtna solved the issue by turning the replacement into a phased program in order to allow for traffic access.” The project included the replacement of the fuel pipeline as well as paving and work in the fuel pump buildings on holding tanks and fuel pump systems. Ahtna Senior BD/Marketing Group
Located about 20 minutes outside Anchorage, Eklutna, Incorporated is the largest landowner in the Municipality and represents more than 170 shareholders; it also manages investments in commercial properties and residential developments. Recently, the corporation located a gravel and rock source on its lands and turned it into a business, gaining economic benefit for its shareholders. Eklutna opened a gravel pit, a rock quarry, and a waste dump—all close to Anchorage. In 2019, Eklutna supplied about 50,000 tons of armor rock out of its quarry to the Port of Alaska rehabilitation project. A vital piece of infrastructure, the port is being repaired due to tides and erosion. In 2020, Eklutna supplied all of the blanket rock for Anchorage’s Highland Landfill. Essentially, the rock is used on top of a rubber liner to protect the liner and prevent any waste from leaching into the soil—it’s a specific gradation rock that has to be crushed and washed before being put down. “It took us most of the season to make that rock,” says Dick Weldin, director of mining for Eklutna. Also in 2020, Eklutna provided all of the gravel for a Kiewit Construction project that involved upgrading a bridge on the main highway into Anchorage. The Kiewit project was Phase II of the South Eagle River Bridge Project. More recently, Eklutna Construction and Maintenance, a subsidiary of the main corporation, has been completing earthquake repair work on military buildings in conjunction with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Damaged in the November 2018 7.1 earthquake, the company is working on three old military warehouse buildings that measure 1,000 feet long by 250 feet wide on Joint Base ElmendorfRichardson, a joint army and air force facility in Anchorage. Everything above grade on the three buildings is being repaired, including poured concrete and concrete block walls, says Bill Doss, general manager at Eklutna.
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Alaska Native Corporations:
Specific language reflects unique origins and goals By Isaac Stone Simonelli 86 | September 2021
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“Once you get below one quarter of blood quantum, some people think that you've basically lost the ability to vote, that you're truly not Alaska Native anymore for the purposes of ANCSA—and that's not true.” Brennan Cain, Vice President and General Counsel, Eyak Corporation
Shareholders There are three types of ANC shareholders: original shareholders, voting shareholders, and nonvoting shareholders. Original shareholders are Alaska Natives who met the criteria established when the corporations were created through Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in 1971. These were the people whose names were submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to create the corporations and establish shareholders. “There can be extra perks associated with being an original shareholder for www.akbizmag.com
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A
laska Native Corporations (ANCs) were an entirely new way to resolve long-standing issues surrounding Indigenous land claims in the United States. With this unique solution came new terms, as well as new twists on common corporate words. Understanding the language of ANCs provides deeper insights into the organizations, their origins, and their goals. While many terms only play a role for ANCs, other terms that are shared across corporate entities take on slightly different meanings within an ANC. At the top of the list is shareholder, because a shareholder of an ANC is different from an IBM shareholder or some other company that someone bought publicly traded stocks in. “The rights and responsibilities of an Alaska Native shareholder are different than the rights and responsibilities of a shareholder of Boeing or General Motors or Amazon,” says Bristol Bay Native Corporation President and CEO Jason Metrokin. “In the early 1970s when Alaskan Native people were literally enrolling to be shareholders of this new Alaska Native Corporation, I don't know that people really understood what it was going to be like to be a shareholder of Alaska Native Corporation.” While shareholder benefits for ANCs are similar to other corporations in that many of them choose to pay out dividends, they can also provide additional benefits including scholarships, funeral services, cultural programs, and community development.
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many Alaska Native Corporations,” says Eyak Corporation Vice President and General Counsel Brennan Cain, pointing toward what are known as Elder dividends. Unlike shares a person might own in a publicly traded corporation, the shares established through ANCSA cannot be sold or traded. They can either be handed down through wills when an original shareholder dies or can be gifted to a downstream relative, such as child, grandchild, niece, nephew, brother, or sister. In the case where a shareholder wills their shares to a non-Native spouse, that person becomes a nonvoting shareholder, Cain explains. In such cases, the person will generally receive the same benefits of a standard shareholder but not be allowed to vote in the election of directors and other ANC matters. “I think ANCs would love to address non-voting shareholders in a respectful way,” Cain says. “I think it's fair to say that for the most part, ANCs would often prefer the shares to be held by Alaskan Natives to ensure they remain voting shares.” As long as the shares are willed or gifted to an Alaska Native or a descendant of an Alaska Native, they retain the right s of a standard shareholder. “You're a voting shareholder, even if you have less than the one-quarter blood quantum,” Cain says. There are plenty of terms connected to ANCs that are not typically found in a corporate boardroom. Blood quantum is certainly one of them. However, the concept was baked into the very foundation of ANCs. When ANCSA passed, there was a 25 percent blood quantum requirement, which meant that—barring some exceptions— anyone who was enrolled as a shareholder had to be biologically a quarter Alaska Native. The major exception was for those who were “regarded as an Alaska Native by the Native village or Native group of which he/she claimed to be a member and whose father or mother was regarded as Native by any village or group,” says Cain. Fifty years since President Richard Nixon signed ANCSA into law, the idea 88 | September 2021
of blood quantum can often lead to more confusion than anything else. “Once you get below one quarter of blood quantum, some people think that you've basically lost the ability to vote, that you're truly not Alaska Native anymore for the purposes of ANCSA—and that's not true,” Cain explains. The blood quantum had been used previously in the Lower 48 by the federal government in an effort to limit tribal citizenship. It’s role in ANC was similar in the idea that it established a baseline of who could be an original shareholder in one of the corporations.
“I think the elders instilled in our mind that the land was the most precious gem out of all this cooperation. You can lose the money, but don't lose the land.” Ken Johns Chairman Ahtna
Region and Village The two primary types of corporations created for Alaska Native shareholders were regional corporations and village corporations. The state of Alaska was divided up into twelve regions, each represented by a regional ANC, and more than 200 village, group, and urban corporations. As a general rule, Alaska Natives who lived in villages enrolled as shareholders into their village corporations, as well as shareholders in the regional corporation in which the village was located.
Cain uses the metaphor of a person who is a resident of a city, as well as a resident of the county that encompasses the city. In the same way, an Alaska Native could choose to be a shareholder of a village corporation, as well as of the regional corporation that encompasses the village. Alaska Natives who lived in an area that did not qualify as a village for the purposes of ANCSA, such as Alaska’s bigger cities, became “atlarge” shareholders in their regional corporation instead. Those at-large regional shareholders receive a 7(j) payment directly instead of that money going through the village corporation.
7(i) and 7(j) Both the terms 7(j) and 7(i) are specific to ANCs and are an important element underpinning the system created by ANCSA, as they are the revenue sharing provisions in the legislation. Aware that some regions were richer in specific natural resources than others, and since the goal of creating the corporations was to provide greater economic opportunities for all Alaska Natives, a mechanism was built into ANCSA to provide some equality. The goal was to ensure that all Alaska Native Corporations benefited from the revenues derived from natural resources across the state. “Seventy per centum of all revenues received by each Regional Corporation from the timber resources and subsurface estate patented to it pursuant to this Act shall be divided annually by the Regional Corporation among all twelve Regional Corporations organized pursuant to this section according to the number of Natives enrolled in each region pursuant to Section 5,” the original language of Section 7(i) states. “If you're the one who's producing it, you get the 30 percent and then you also get your portion of the 70 percent,” Cain clarifies. Section 7(j) further distributes revenue from natural resource wealth, as it directs Alaska Native regional corporations to disperse 50 percent of the Section 7(i) revenues they receive
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BSNC President & CEO Gail R. Schubert and AIH President & CEO Terry Shurtleff at the ribbon cutting ceremony of AIH’s new location in Anchorage.
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to Alaska Native village corporations within the region. ANCSA Regional Association notes that while many traditional for-profit organizations might have balked at such a provision, many people believe that ANCSA would not have passed without it.
SBA 8(a) A newer term appearing in conversations about ANCs and their potential to create additional revenue streams comes from the Small Business Administration. The SBA 8(a) program has the goal of awarding at least 5 percent of all federal contracting dollars to small, disadvantaged businesses annually. As many ANCs continue to diversify their portfolios, 8(a) certification for their businesses offer them important opportunities in federal contracting.
Settlement Trusts Another important tool ANCs have in their toolbox for maximizing benefit for shareholders are settlement trusts, which is a trust organized under the provisions of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Matt Mead, a partner with Landye Bennett Blumstein, estimates that more than twenty-five Settlement Trusts have been passed by ANCs in the last few years. While dividends paid out by a corporation are taxable distributions through the settlement trusts are generally not, Mead explains. These distributions end up going directly to the beneficiary— ANC shareholders.
Managing Shares In the corporate world, the dilution of shares can happen by a corporation offering new shares in exchange for acquisitions or services or through secondary offerings to raise additional capital. Because ANC shares are not and cannot be sold, the creation of more shares does not create more capital. However, there are other reasons some ANCs have chosen to expand their shareholder base through something called “open enrollment.” What are commonly known as the 1991 Amendments (despite being passed in 1989) allowed ANCs the ability 90 | September 2021
to expand their shareholder eligibility through open enrollment. One of the ANCs that chose to open their rolls to include descendants is Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, which expanded on its original shareholder enrollment of about 3,700 to more than 13,000 by opening enrollment to those born after the enactment of ANCSA.
“We have unique responsibilities as an Alaska Native Corporation. We're not living quarter to quarter or from financial statement to financial statement, we're thinking about the long-term and always looking at ways in which we can benefit our shareholders—today, and years into the future.” Jason Metrokin CEO Bristol Bay Native Corporation
and cons of expanding the number of shareholders of the corporation
Heightened Responsibility ANCs walk a tightrope in many respects, needing to be both forward looking for the business interests of the corporation and cognizant of the importance of culture and traditional lifestyles. When leaders of ANCs talk of their corporate responsibilities, many of them end up using words rarely found in a corporate boardroom, such as ancestors, tradition, descendants, and subsistence. “From one perspective, that can make ser vice as an ANC director more difficult because of the broad range of corporate and shareholder priorities that can go way beyond what your average corporate director will have to consider at any given board meeting,” Mead says. “In other words, it’s often more complicated than simply focusing on profit and distributions.” Unlike other corporations, ANCs must not only weigh the direct economic opportunities they can create through natural resources extraction but also community needs for food sovereignty through traditional, subsistence lifestyles. “I think the elders instilled in our mind that the land was the most precious gem out of all this cooperation,” says Ahtna Chairman Ken Johns, referring to the land selected by ANCs through the ANCSA. “You can lose the money, but don't lose the land.” When land was selected by Ahtna, Johns says that the corporation focused on securing plots vital to the subsistence lifestyle of the people in the area. “We have unique responsibilities as an Alaska Native Corporation,” Metrokin says. “We're not living quarter to quarter or from financial statement to financial statement, we're thinking about the long-term and always looking at ways in which we can benefit our shareholders— today, and years into the future.”
While open enrollment is a done deal for some ANCs, it is an ongoing conversation for others that are still weighing the pros Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
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ConocoPhillips
OIL & GAS
Hitting ‘Reset’ Despite difficult year, future is bright for oil production in Alaska By Amy Newman 92 | September 2021
C
onocoPhillips is one of Alaska’s most established oil development companies and its largest producer. The oil giant owns approximately 1.3 million net undeveloped acres on the North Slope, holds major ownership interests in Kuparuk and Prudhoe Bay, a 100 percent ownership interest in the Alpine field, and has an extensive inventory of development projects that include Eastern NEWS in the Kuparuk Field, Narwhal in the Western North Slope, and the Nuna discovery east of the Colville River.
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Alongside that is what Nick Olds, senior vice president of global operations, called the company’s “bread-and-butter development work” at an investor presentation in June, including the recently discovered Coyote trend at Kuparuk and the company’s extended-reach drilling program in the Western North Slope. But the company’s size and dominance in Alaska weren’t enough to inoculate it from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which last April forced ConocoPhillips to end its exploration and development projects in Alaska earlier than scheduled, remove workers from the North Slope, and bring operations down to critical function only. “[Last year] was obviously a difficult year for society, a difficult year for our industry, a difficult year for the economy, and all the social aspects associated with the economy,” ConocoPhillips Alaska President Erec Isaacson told attendees at the Resource Development Council’s annual membership luncheon in June. “As we entered 2021, our focus was on safety and protecting our base assets, maintaining production, and minimizing decline.” That makes 2021 a “reset” year for the company, he added, one that so far seems to be working. Production for ConocoPhillips during the first quarter of 2021 was approximately 208,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, with an average price of $60 per barrel and continuing to rise, Isaacson said. That promising start, coupled with the company’s numerous long-term opportunities, including Greater Moose’s Tooth 1 and 2, the Alpine expansion and turnaround, and the Willow Development, makes ConocoPhillips Alaska poised to remain a competitive asset in the global oil and gas industry.
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Hitting Reset in 2021 The oil and gas industry suffered collateral damage when the pandemic sent—and kept—the world indoors last year. According to the US Travel Association, spending on international, domestic, and business travel declined 42 percent from 2019, creating a domino effect: lack of travel meant a decline in the demand for oil, www.akbizmag.com
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“The back-to-back losses of 2015 to 2018 and then COVID and the decline in oil production have really taken a toll on the support industry. I’ve been working here for twelve years and we’re at the lowest numbers we’ve ever been at it. We were at 16,000 members when I started: now we’re down to about 6,900 members. So, it’s devastating.” Rebecca Logan, CEO, Alaska Support Industry Alliance
which in turn caused the price of oil to plummet to record lows. Those reductions, combined with efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 amongst its workforces, created massive disruptions to ConocoPhillips Alaska’s operations.
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“That reduction in demand, it led to curtailments. It led to proration on the pipeline, and because of the reduction in capital spending and the reduction in demand, what we had to do was de-man all of our rigs on the North Slope,” Isaacson
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said in June. “We had to curtail our exploration season early in the middle of our activity there because we didn’t know how the pandemic was going to impact our operations on the North Slope.” As 2020 drew to a close, several events coalesced to indicate a slow return to something resembling normal. The November defeat of Ballot Measure 1, implementation of a robust COVID-19 testing program, and the looming availability of vaccinations allowed ConocoPhillips to restart operations last December, with Doyon 25 resuming drilling activities at CD5 in Alpine. The company began working to bring all of its assets back online in the spring and summer, an incremental process that began with production, and operations then moved on to development and exploration with its rigs, Isaacson says. Doyon 25 moved from Alpine to GMT-2 to complete drilling in anticipation of its projected fourth-quarter completion date; at max production, GMT-2 will provide an additional 35,000 barrels of oil per day, Isaacson said.
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Doyon 26, the extended reach drilling rig known as “The Beast,” also began drilling at the Fiord West Kuparuk development at Alpine in the spring, and in July the company was working to install a slug catcher and expand the facility’s power and natural gashandling capabilities. The company’s reset also includes “working as an organization to become more nimble, to become more efficient, to become more effective, to bring our costs down,” Isaacson said in June, which is necessary to ensure Alaska remains competitive when it comes to capital investment.
Aerial view of the Alpine Field on the Western North Slope. ConocoPhillips
‘The Next Great Alaska Hub’ Located 30 miles from the Alpine Central Facility in the Northeast portion of the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPR-A), Willow was a significant discovery in 2017. With an expected peak production of more than 160,000 barrels of oil per day, the North Slope hasn’t had a project of Willow’s size and scope since the Alpine development in the late 1990s. “Willow is truly a significant discovered resource opportunity that
we have on the Slope,” Isaacson said at the RDC luncheon. “It leverages existing infrastructure with regard
to the pipeline network and the infrastructure that’s already established on the North Slope.”
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“Willow is truly a significant discovered resource opportunity that we have on the Slope. It leverages existing infrastructure with regard to the pipeline network and the infrastructure that’s already established on the North Slope.” Erec Isaacson, Alaska President, ConocoPhillips
In October 2020 the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management authorized construction of up to three drill sites, as well as the necessary processing and support facilities, which would include gravel roads and pipelines to permit access to federal leases. But two federal lawsuits, an injunction that put a stop to construction, and a new administration in the White House almost immediately put the project in jeopardy. Those concerns were predominantly put to rest in May, when the Biden administration intervened in the lawsuit, throwing its support behind the project and the process that led to its approval under former President Donald Trump. “The Biden Administration’s decision to allow Willow to move ahead proves how thorough the permitting process is for Alaska projects,” said Kara Moriarty, president and CEO of the Alaska Oil and Gas Industry. “Clearly, the many hurdles cleared were done so properly and followed a prescribed process that demands strict environmental protections. We often hear about the need for resource development to
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‘follow the science’ and absolutely agree this decision reflects a commitment to solid research, data, and facts.” For industry insiders, the administration’s decision to intervene wasn't viewed as a surprise. Instead, it was the logical outcome of a strong educational and advocacy campaign. “I think [the intervention] really underscores all of the effort that was put out there by the federal delegation, by the State of Alaska, by the North Slope Borough, by the Native communities, by the trade associations, as well as the unions, on the importance of the Willow project for the State of Alaska, in regard to future income and future economic stability,” Isaacson says. “And because of all of that outreach and education that went out to the new administration, we didn’t really see it as too surprising.” Isaacson wouldn’t speculate on the outcome of the pending lawsuits but says ConocoPhillips is moving forward with front-end engineering design so that it can make a final investment decision by the end of the year if the resolution is favorable.
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Based on the company’s timeline, Olds told investors in June that first oil, estimated to require approximately $6 billion in capital to reach, is expected six years after a final investment decision is made. Development of the field will require drilling 200 wells from the three approved drill sites, he added.
Putting Alaskans Back to Work ConocoPhillips’ 2021 reset and the forward progress on Willow is a boost not only to ConocoPhillips but to Alaska’s economy as well, providing an infusion of capital and both short- and long-term jobs. Those opportunities are a welcome respite for the industry, which watched as COVID-19 derailed the gains made following the economic downturn of 2015 to 2018. “The back-to-back losses of 2015 to 2018 and then COVID and the decline in oil production have really taken a toll on the support industry,” says Rebecca Logan, CEO of the Alaska Support Industry Alliance. “I’ve been working here for twelve years and we’re at the lowest numbers we’ve ever been at it. We were at 16,000 members when I started: now we’re
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down to about 6,900 members. So, it’s devastating.” The Willow project will alleviate some of those losses. The construction phase is estimated to provide more than 2,000 jobs over multiple years, the equivalent of 9 million man-hours to get it to the point where it’s ready to produce, Isaacson said in June. Once producing, it will provide 300 permanent positions, he added. “We’re all feeling good about Willow right now,” Logan says of the support industry’s reaction to the Biden administration’s intervention. “That is a lot of jobs for our members.” The project also benefits Alaska in terms of actual dollars being paid to federal, state, and local governments. The Bureau of Land Management estimates that Willow will bring more than $10 billion in financial benefits, more than half of which will flow directly to Alaska. “If you break that [$10 billion] down to its components, it’s $2.4 billion to the State of Alaska, $1.2 billion to the North Slope Borough in property taxes, [and] $2.6 billion goes to the impacted communities through the NPR-A
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Impact Mitigation Grants,” Isaacson said in June. “So, that’s a significant benefit to the State of Alaska.” But Willow isn’t the only ConocoPhillips project putting Alaskans to work. In 2020 the company employed approximately 700 people at its GMT-2 facility, and already this spring and summer it had 500 workers employed at Alpine to expand the facility’s power and gas handling capabilities, Isaacson said.
New Alaskan Leadership ConocoPhillips Alaska also hit reset in 2021 with the appointment of Isaacson as its newest president in January. Isaacson began his career with ConocoPhillips in 1986 when it was still Phillips Petroleum Company, but he is no stranger to Alaska—from 2006 to 2010, he spent time in the state first as manager for the company’s Alaska explorations and later as vice president of commercial assets, with accountability for non-operated, pipeline, and Cook Inlet assets. His initial focus as head of the Alaska division is to get the company’s operations back up and running.
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Facilities at the Kuparuk River Unit, operated by ConocoPhillips Alaska. ConocoPhillips
“As I take a look at what I’m focusing on with my organization, it’s working to simplify our operations and reduce costs in our operations. And then, working with our stakeholders in emphasizing that need to be competitive, to warrant additional capital to keep the industry strong on the North Slope.” Erec Isaacson, Alaska President, ConocoPhillips
“The focus this year is ramping that organization back up after COVID,” he says. “It’s getting those rigs out there and being efficient in the field. That’s a big part of this year’s effort, is really kind of getting the organization back in that execution [phase].” He’s also jumped into working alongside industry partners to advocate not just for ConocoPhillips’ interests, but for the importance of the oil and gas industry to Alaska’s economy. “I think Erec is a great addition to the team here at ConocoPhillips, and our members have worked together so well—obviously on the Willow 98 | September 2021
project, but also on advocacy work in the State of Alaska,” Logan says. “There’s just been a really strong partnership there, and I see that Erec plans to continue with that and really rely on the trade associations and advocating for the industry.” Long-term, Isaacson says his focus is on keeping Alaska competitive. “As I take a look at what I’m focusing on with my organization, it’s working to simplify our operations and reduce costs in our operations,” he says. “And then, working with our stakeholders in emphasizing that need to be competitive, to warrant additional
capital to keep the industry strong on the North Slope.” The passage of Ballot Measure 1 was an important step in that process, and with a stable fiscal regime, Isaacson says Alaska can remain competitive in the company’s overall global portfolio and continue to attract investment for new projects, which is vital to stemming the decline of existing North Slope fields. “There are headwinds that could prevent some of these opportunities, but I’m optimistic that at the end of the day, the outcomes can be achieved that can keep the oil and gas industry in Alaska in the game,” he said.
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CONSTRUCTION
Images of Infrastructure What industry has made of Alaska
A
laskans are both connected to, and disconnected from, oil and gas in a way that isn’t replicated anywhere else. The development of oil and gas resources directly impacts every Alaskan resident through dividends paid out from the Alaska Permanent Fund. This was a deliberate choice made by Alaskans for the benefit of generations to come. According to the History of the Alaska Permanent Fund by the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, “In 1974, as construction of the Trans Alaska Pipeline neared completion, Alaskans were looking towards the future and deliberating on how to best utilize the anticipated mineral royalties… Alaska’s Constitution does not allow for dedicated funds, so in order to direct these oil revenues into a permanent fund, the Constitution had to be amended.” In 1976, “by a margin of 75,588 to 38,518, a Constitutional Amendment establishing the Permanent Fund was approved.” The Alaska Constitution now states: “At least twenty-five percent of all mineral lease rentals, royalties, royalty sale proceeds, federal mineral revenue sharing payments and bonuses received by the State shall
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be placed in a permanent fund, the principal of which shall be used only for those income-producing investments specifically designated by law as eligible for permanent fund investments. All income from the permanent fund shall be deposited in the general fund unless otherwise provided by law.” The first deposit into the fund, on February 28, 1977, was $734,000. The first dividend check of $1,000 was distributed two years later. It has since grown: as of December 31, 2020, the total fund value was approximately $71.7 billion. Over the years, as production and oil prices have waxed and waned, how much money every Alaskan finds in his or her pocket has varied significantly. The lowest individual payment to ever come out of the fund was $331.29 in 1984. The highest was $2,072 in 2015 (though in 2008 when then-Governor Sarah Palin signed Senate Bill 4002, which distributed a one-time payment of $1,200 to every PDF-eligible Alaskan, it made the total for that year higher). But although the amount has varied, every year since 1978 Alaskans have had direct access to funds provided by oil and gas development,
which they use in countless ways: paying down debt, funding vacations, purchasing luxury items, catching up on bills, building savings accounts—and the possibilities have only expanded over the years through Alaska Permanent Fund programs like Pick.Click.Give, which connects Alaskans to nonprofits, or the Education Raffle, a quick and convenient way for Alaskans to opt into supporting public education. Oil money is everywhere, and not just through the Permanent Fund Dividend. According to The Role of the Oil & Gas Industry in Alaska’s Economy, published in January 2020 and prepared by McKinley Research (formerly McDowell Group) for the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, “Combined, [in 2018] the employment and wages impacts of Primary Company spending in the private sector together with taxes and royalties to Alaska’s state and local governments totals 77,600 jobs in Alaska, or 24 percent of all wage and salary jobs in Alaska [and] $4.8 billion in Alaska wages (including all multiplier impacts and jobs related to taxes and royalties). For every Primary
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Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
By Tasha Anderson
Company job, there are eight more jobs supported by Primary Company activities in Alaska, and seven more jobs supported by oil-related taxes and royalties.” And yet, despite the many ties Alaskans have to the oil and gas industry, relatively few interact with it directly. Most oil production and exploration takes place on the North Slope, hundreds of miles north of the state’s population centers in Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, and the Mat-Su. The nature of the Slope requires workers to fly in and reside in local camps a few weeks at a time, literally separating the workforce from their home communities. The Dalton Highway does make northern travel possible, but the road isn’t built out for casual traveling or sightseeing as it lacks rest stops, gas stations, options for food—portions of it still have no cell service (though Alaska’s telecommunications providers are working on that). Even the Trans Alaska Pipeline, an iconic, massive piece of oil and gas infrastructure, is primarily out of sight south of Fairbanks. And while there is some oil and gas production in Cook Inlet, the majority takes place offshore in the inlet itself. Indirectly we all have ties to the oil and gas industry, but according to The Role of the Oil & Gas Industry in Alaska’s Economy, in 2018 the “primary” oil and gas companies employed approximately 4,111 Alaskans and there were just fewer than 5,800 Alaska resident jobs in the oil and gas support services sector. Several factors build (literal) distance between oil and gas production and the majority of Alaskans: required safety and security precautions, the fact that production primarily takes place in areas with incredibly limited access, and the relatively few people that work directly in those spaces. These all combine with the result that, while the money is everywhere—the work is often out of sight. In the following photo essay, we want to give our readers a better vision of the oil and gas industry infrastructure behind their last vacation to Hawaii or that final push to pay off a college loan. The images have been generously provided by ConocoPhillips Alaska, Hilcorp, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., and Judy Patrick Photography. www.akbizmag.com
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N O R T H S TA R I S L A N D Northstar Island, 6 miles offshore of Prudhoe Bay, was constructed in 2000/2001 by BP and is operated today by Hilcorp. Judy Patrick | Hilcorp
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P H0O1E 2B0A1Y MRI U L ED 8 1 The Central Compression Plant (foreground) and Central Gas Facility (background) at Prudhoe Bay. Judy Patrick | Hilcorp
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C E N T R A L G A S FAC I L I T Y The Central Gas Facility at Prudhoe Bay, the largest gas handling facility in the world, behind which is the Prudhoe Bay Discovery Well. Judy Patrick | Hilcorp
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P R U D H O E B AY Flow Station 1 at Prudhoe Bay. Judy Patrick | Hilcorp
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M I L E 0 O F TA P S On the North Slope, Milepost 0 of the 800-mile TAPS. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
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ALPINE OIL FIELD ConocoPhillips’ Alpine Oilfield; construction and development took three years, 6 million man-hours, and more than $1.3 billion. Judy Partrick | ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc
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K U PA RU K O I L FI E L D ConocoPhillips’ Kuparuk River Unit; it’s the second largest oilfield in North America and began production in 1981. Judy Partrick | ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc
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VA L D E Z M A R I N E T E R M I N A L Valdez Marine Terminal; here oil from the Trans Alaska Pipeline System is transferred from the pipeline to tankers for marine transport. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
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D E A D H O R S E A V I AT I O N C E N T E R Deadhorse Aviation Center and a Shared Services Aviation aircraft in 2016; today, Alaska Airlines transports workers to and from their shifts on the North Slope. Judy Patrick
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P R U D H O E B AY The Control Room at Flow Station 1, operated by Hilcorp. Judy Patrick | Hilcorp
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MILE 801 Mile 800, or “The End” of TAPS in Valdez; colloquially, the journey the tankers take when leaving the Valdez marine Terminal is known as “Mile 801.” Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
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Commitment is always a winner. Based on reader rankings, Logistics Management magazine awarded Alaska Air Cargo a 2021 Quest for Quality Award. The award underscores our commitment to keep your cargo moving, even in unpredictable and fluctuating environments. A big thank you to our cargo operations and customer service teams. For more information or to book your shipment online, go to alaskacargo.com. Or call us at 1-800-225-2752.
MINING
A Framework M for Success Mining infrastructure investment is costly but crucial By Rindi White
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ining has been going on for a long time, from flint pebbles extracted in France and Britain about 10,000 years ago to Egyptian copper mines roughly 5,000 years ago. The Encyclopedia Britannica pegs the oldest mine in the world to be a 40,000-year-old ochre mine in Swaziland. But no matter what substance is being mined, all mines rely on infrastructure to provide access to the mineral deposit and ways to get it out of the ground. Today’s mines are much more advanced than those early ochre, flint, and copper mines. From roads wide enough to accommodate heavy duty equipment to remote vehicle operations, mines today are operate on the cutting edge of technology.
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Workers Vital A mine might be able to operate without roads or power, but it couldn’t operate without people. And although some Alaska mines are close to existing communities, all need to have onsite facilities to accommodate the needs of employees, from bathrooms and break areas to camps serving hundreds of people. Fort Knox, a gold mine operated by Kinross, employs about 730 people. It’s a surface mine, one of very few coldweather, sub-arctic heap leach mines operating in the world. It’s located 26 miles from Fairbanks, so workers can commute to the mine. Contrast that with Coeur Alaska’s Kensington Mine, about 45 miles north-northwest of Juneau on the Lynn Canal, which employs about 400 people year-round but houses about 250 people at a time at the camp throughout the year. Fort Knox utilizes existing infrastructure—namely area roads—to transport its workers to the mine each day, while those who work at the Kensington mine arrive there via a twice-daily boat service.
Mark Kiessling, Kensington Mine’s general manager, says Coeur Mining uses the Juneau highway system to bus employees to a leased port facility at Yankee Cove, then a contracted boat transportation service takes workers to the mine. Many of the administrative employees work four days on, three days off, he says, and many commute via the boat daily. But most workers spend their two-week shift at the mine. The 255-bed camp also offers an onsite medical clinic and gym facility, as well as a helipad and
“ FUEL
helicopter support. Summer means exploration, and the contracted helicopter service assists with drilling and exploration activities. Healy, about 100 miles from Fairbanks, is a town whose infrastructure exists almost exclusively because of mining—coal seams visible to those passing through the Healy valley were documented by 1908, but it was another ten years before a railway came through that could transport the coal to market, often to supply the railroad with a reliable source of coal for its steam engines.
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Alex Legrismith, and engineer for Usibelli Coal Mine, flies a drone over an active mining area to obtain real-time insight. Usibelli Coal Mine
A worker washes down wheels on a large dump truck used in Kensington Mine. The mine’s tunnels are 15 feet wide and 17 feet tall to accommodate the large equipment. Coeur Alaska
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Healy River Coal Company opened a mine in 1919 and shipped the first load of coal to Fairbanks in the winter, a celebrated event. Emil Usibelli, founder of Usibelli Mine, began as a Healy River Coal employee in 1936, working at the mining operation nearby in Suntrana and, seven years later, opened a mine east of Suntrana. He and his partner, Tad Sanford, established the first Usibelli camp there in 1949. The town of Healy, its one-room school, coal-fired power plant, and other infrastructure primarily existed because of Usibelli; it supported other mines in the area and the railroad for many years, according to an article, “Healy History,” by Beverly Hall Mitchell. Usibelli Vice President of External Affairs Lorali Simon said in an April 1 breakfast presentation to the Alaska Resource Development Council that Usibelli remains Alaska’s only operating coal mine, employing 100 year-round workers. When the Parks Highway was built to Fairbanks in 1971, the community’s economy diversified. Fourteen years later, the town, formerly owned by the railroad, was auctioned off into private ownership.
Transportation Crucial While Healy may be a relatively extreme example of infrastructure created to assist a mine, with a railroad and entire town created around Usibelli and other nearby mines, transportation infrastructure will always be a necessary part of mine development. Most mines have miles of roads both on the surface and—in the case of underground mines— below. Usibelli Coal Mine operates and maintains about 25 miles of road throughout its holdings to facilitate its mining and reclamation processes. Fort Knox has a 5.6-mile access road, plus about 30 miles of active road within the mine holdings, along which more than thirty enormous CAT haul trucks rumble daily, as well as three shovels and two giant CAT loaders. Expansion, like the Gil deposit at Fort Knox, means building more roads, says Anna Atchison, external affairs manager for Kinross. Although roads are extended all the time, building a new, long road is infrequent she says— only twice in twenty-five years has www.akbizmag.com
“We’re preparing ourselves for future possibilities—one is the concept of automation, allowing underground equipment to be operated from the surface.” Mark Kiessling, General Manager, Couer Mining
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Coeur Alaska operates Kensington Mine’s dock facility at Slate Creek Cove. Coeur Alaska
A train is loaded with ultra-low sulfur coal from Usibelli Coal Mine's tipple facility for transportation to power plants in Interior Alaska. Usibelli Coal Mine
Kinross built new roads for its surface mining activities. Kensington, with a 5.7-mile access road, has about 13 miles of roads on the surface and about 30 miles of tunnels within its underground development. Building a mining access tunnel is a significant undertaking, Kiessling says. Tunnels are blasted 15 feet wide 128 | September 2021
and 17 feet tall, large enough to allow Kensington to use underground trucks to haul out ore and diesel trucks to carry workers and supplies into the mine.
A Power-hungry Operation Mines require power—lots of it. Usibelli uses a Bucyrus-Erie 1300W walking dragline, which the company
says is the largest land-mobile machine in Alaska. When the electric dragline was connected to the Golden Valley Electrical Association system in 1977, GVEA’s power production could not keep up with the draw from the machine, which draws 6 megawatts when digging and regenerates 2 megawatts when the bucket is extended. Every time the
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4-million-pound dragline dug into the dirt, removing the sandstone and clay lying atop the coal seams, lights in houses would flicker. To combat this, Usibelli built a 40-ton flywheel system and installed it parallel to the drag line to feed power back into the electrical system and even out the drain on power. Kiessling says the Kensington Mine has significant power needs. It takes a significant amount of power to operate a ball mill and crusher and provide power for electric drills and pumps to move water within the mine. Treating water is a power-intensive action, and so is operating the camp, particularly in winter when more heat is needed. The mine site is too distant from Juneau to tap into an existing power source and, even if it were close enough, there isn’t sufficient power supply to provide permanent firm power. As a result, the company produces its own power, he says. For many years it used a diesel plant with seven generators. But that system was dated and the mine, ready to expand, needed more power. Coeur in 2019 finished a significant power plant upgrade, with four high-efficiency diesel generators. The new plant decreased fuel consumption by 25 percent and improved emissions by 85 percent and has room to expand, he says. Typically, only two generators are needed in the summer and a third in winter. And more improvements are in the works. “We’re looking at other technology as well, including hydropower and energy storage banks, to store any excess power that we could generate,” he says.
“We’re always looking for ways to continue to feed our mill and extend the mine life. What we have permitted is about eighty years of coal production at our current levels, but that larger number of coal reserves—those are in our lease boundary.” Lorali Simon, Vice President of External Affairs, Usibelli Coal Mine
Water: Byproduct, Essential Tool, and Closely Monitored Waste Product Adequate water is vital to a successful mine operation. Most mines require water to help separate materials either through centrifugal force or a chemical separation process, and some use water to transport ore and waste in a slurry from one area to the next. Water is also needed to suppress dust at mine sites and for workers’ personal use. In many cases, finding water is the easy part—moving it to mine efficiently can be a larger problem. www.akbizmag.com
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“Mother nature is the only source of added water through rain and snowmelt,” Atchison says. “Water is not hard to find, as the site acts as an 8-mile drainage system that collects either in the ground or in the ponds.” Atchison says Fort Knox requires about 7,000 gallons a minute, which circulates from the mine’s collection ponds to the mill and back. Additional water generated at the mine is treated with reverse osmosis before discharge. Kiessling says Kensington, located in the middle of a temperate rainforest, does not lack for water. “We intercept subsurface water as we mine. We reuse water through our processes, either through drilling or milling. Before we’re done with it and ready to discharge it, we treat it,” he says, giving a simplified overview. Kensington operates two process water treatment plants, one that treats the excess water produced and a second that treats water at its tailing treatment facility. At both places, excess water is treated to drinking water standards before discharge. Between the two plants, Kiessling says Kensington treats
about 3.2 million gallons of wastewater a day. Comparatively, the City and Borough of Juneau treats around 5 million gallons of wastewater a day at three treatment facilities.
Keeping It Together: Connectivity Communication between the mine site and the administration buildings, wherever they are located, is important for mining. Roughly a century ago, Palmer residents knew of an accident in the mines nearby because a train whistle would blow in town, where most of the miners’ wives lived. The whistle still blows today, blowing at 8 a.m., Noon, and 5 p.m.—a nod to the region’s mining history. Communication today is markedly different, and much more personal. Kiessling says Kensington has onsite cell towers to bring wireless and internet connections to the mine. The mine has two internet providers: one for the workers and the other for camp needs. It might seem like duplication, but it’s really a backup supply to make sure the mine is always connected. Within the mine itself are two communication
Trade Shows Are Back
M
ark your calendars, brush up on your social skills, and grab your lanyard! Tradeshow season is upon us. Next month, thousands of people from around the globe will file into downtown Anchorage for the trifecta of trade shows. This year’s lineup is being considered a contact sport, aka in-person. What makes a good trade show? People! Organizers are betting attendees will come back back in droves for the three major November events: Alaska Miners Association will host its annual convention at the Dena’ina Center November 1-5. The four-day conference will showcase dozens of vendors and speakers, as well as offer short courses on the minerals industry and Mine Safety and Health Administration courses.
By Christine Merki, Account Manager The Annual Alaska General Contractors of Alaska Conference is scheduled for November 10-13 at the Hotel Captain Cook. This group knows how to build—and how to throw a respectable after-hours soiree! And the 41st Alaska Resources Conference, hosted by Resource Development Council, is scheduled for November 17-18, also at the Dena’ina Center. It will be teaming with industry leaders and experts on everything it takes to develop and drive resource development and Alaska’s economy. If you do business with any of these businesses that heavily contribute to the state’s economy, it’s critical to advertise in this edition of the magazine, which is distributed at these events. Ad space
for the November magazine closes on September 20. Contact me or your account manager for rates and to reserve your space. Christine has worked in Anchorage media for almost 20 years. Her writing talents have earned her top honors as a recipient of the Alaska Broadcasters Association Goldie Awards. Her sales and marketing skills have helped countless clients connect with their target audience to achieve annual goals. She unapologetically lures clients in with her homemade raspberry jam and lives with her salmon slaying beau and a ferocious cat named Maggie.
CHRISTINE MERKI
907-257-2911 | cmerki@akbizmag.com – SPO N S O R E D C O N T E N T–
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A miner operates a jumbo drill at Kensington Mine. Coeur Alaska
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networks, he says. One is an IT network with a fiber backbone and the second is a radio network that runs other operations. “We can push data from the underground environment to the surface really rapidly, and from our facility to our office in Juneau or to corporate headquarters in Chicago,” he says. “It has required a lot of thought about how we handle our network.” That thought and planning is becoming ever more important, he says. “We’re preparing ourselves for future possibilities—one is the concept of automation, allowing underground equipment to be operated from the surface,” he says. That’s already happening to some extent. Kensington has been using automated loaders underground to move recently blasted rock away from a blast site in preparation for loading onto a truck. The automated loaders, controlled remotely by operators on the surface, do not interact with vehicles that have drivers in them, he says. Automation is one way Kensington has maintained a high safety rating.
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The freshwater facilities at Fort Knox—thousands of gallons of water are processed each minute at the Fort Knox mine. Greg Martin | Kinross
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Coeur Alaska recently installed a new, more efficient four turbine power plant at its Kensington Mine. Coeur Alaska
“We can push data from the underground environment to the surface really rapidly, and from our facility to Kensington in Juneau or to corporate in Chicago. It has required a lot of thought about how we handle our network.” Mark Kiessling, General Manager, Couer Mining
134 | September 2021
“It allows us to mine in areas right after blasting, without people in there,” he says. Blasting—which happens twice a day—creates a lot of dust, which must be removed before workers can safely enter these areas hour, he explains. Driverless vehicles allow the company to capitalize on time that was previously lost. Estimating the cost of infrastructure within a mine’s yearly budgeting process is never an easy task, but Kiessling estimated infrastructure, including underground mine development, averages about 15 percent of Coeur Alaska’s total operating and capital budget. The Kensington Mine was permitted in 2005 with an estimated mine life of ten years and a projected yield of 1,400 tons of ore daily. But Coeur Alaska has been mining for more than ten years now and produced 125,000 ounces of gold last year. Kiessling says the revised mine life is now through 2023, although Coeur
Alaska is working on some advanced exploration projects that the company hopes will further extend Kensington’s operational lifespan. Likewise, Fort Knox is currently permitted until 2024, Atchison says. That mine was also given an estimated life of ten years, and the estimated yield was 4 million ounces of gold. The mine has been operating for twentyfour years—and it poured its 8 millionth in 2019. “We’re always looking for ways to continue to feed our mill and extend the mine life,” she says. Simon says Usibelli has enough coal reserves to supply Alaska’s coal needs for another 1,000 years. “What we have permitted is about eighty years of coal production at our current levels, but that larger number of coal reserves—those are in our lease boundary,” Simon says. All mines are required to have a closure and reclamation plan on file with and approved by the State of Alaska.
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
A G R I C U LT U R E
In Bloom and In Demand How the peony industry is growing to serve global markets
Alaska Peony Cooperative
By Vanessa Orr
T
hough peonies have been growing in Alaska since the Gold Rush, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that raising the flowers became a commercial industry. Since then, peony growers have worked diligently to develop both national and international markets for the flowers based not only on the quality of their products but on the fact that peonies are available in Alaska when they can’t be found anywhere else. “In the Lower 48, peonies bloom around Memorial Day, so they are available in May and June,” explains Ron Illingworth of North Pole Peonies. “Our
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peonies in the Interior pop out of the ground in late May and are harvested in late June and early July; in some parts of the state, they may be delayed even further. And because our flowers are available when no one else has them, we get a better price.” “As long as the weather cooperates, we can produce flowers at a time when the Lower 48 and European supply is not available,” adds Martha Lojewski, sales manager at the Alaska Peony Cooperative, based out of Willow. “This year, things are really late, and we shipped as a co-op through August 24 and heard that others were even shipping in September, though this is not typical.” Alaska peony growers work with a number of different markets, ranging from individual clients to wholesale purchasers. They also ship all over the nation and the world and are working to expand those markets as the burgeoning industry grows. “Most of the peonies grown in Alaska are actually sold elsewhere; if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that 90 percent of them leave the state,” says Illingworth. “They may go to individual brides who contact growers or to florists who contact us directly or who work with us through buyers. Even more are sold wholesale.” Boreal Peonies, located in Two Rivers, sells wholesale to markets in New York, Maryland, Washington, Florida, and Washington, DC. Owner David Russell and his wife, Jill, both teach at Miami University in Ohio part of the year, offering them a familiarity to the area. “Our presence is largely based on the availability of Alaska Air Cargo coolers,” explains Russell, who also serves as president of the Alaska Peony Growers Association. “When we first started our farm, we looked at cities east of the Mississippi that had coolers at their airports and we marketed to them. That way we can fly our flowers directly from the Alaska Air Cargo cooler at the Fairbanks Airport to airports where the flowers can be stored for client pick-up.” Boreal Peonies also sells to Marks & Spencer in London through an intermediary company. Shipping fresh flowers can be a logistical nightmare, and it has been made even worse by the pandemic. www.akbizmag.com
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“We still sold out; we
Giggly Roots Gardens grows nineteen different cultivars of peonies. Alaska Peony Cooperative
sell out every single year. We shifted our marketing plan and had several backup plans, and we also adjusted our financial plans to sell everything—just differently. We had to get a lot more creative.” Martha Lojewski, Sales Manager Alaska Peony Cooperative
Add to this the difficulties in keeping plants healthy before and during harvest, keeping them at the proper temperature during transport, and getting enough employees to help— and there are a lot of things that can go wrong. “The Alaska peony industry has been publicized really well, but at times it’s been over-glorified,” says Lojewski. “So many people think you just plant a $3 root and grow a $6 stem, and then sell them until the cows come home, but that’s not the reality. “There are really long days of harvest on weeks of no sleep and torrential downpours. There are significant risks to mature plants each winter, which can devastate a farm financially since it can take four years before they can harvest a new root. Then there’s the heartbreak when a box of perfect white flowers doesn’t make it to a bride’s wedding,” she adds. “We put our first roots in the ground in 2013, and it was the driest year on record—like planting on the Sahara,” says Russell. “The next year was the first or second wettest year on record. The third year was full of forest fires. 138 | September 2021
North Pole Peonies was founded by Ron and Marji Illingworth in 2003 and is located 15 miles outside North Pole. North Pole Peonies
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
“It’s been a truly Alaskan experience and I’ve loved every minute of it,” he continues, adding that Boreal Peonies now has somewhere north of 20,000 roots in the ground. “But there’s no doubt that there are a lot of challenges.”
Martha Lojewski harvesting. Alaska Peony Cooperative
From Field to Final Destination Just as with any plant, peonies need to be protected from pests and disease. Keeping the flowers free of fungal disease, especially botrytis, is always a challenge. “We spray the field before we harvest because this in-the-ground fungus is everywhere—you can’t get away from it,” says Illingworth. “Some of us also use ozone to treat the flowers periodically while they’re in the cooler to kill botrytis and bugs. “You try to be as careful as possible, but when you put new flowers in the chiller, you can track in botrytis just from walking through the grass,” he adds. “And this is just one potential failure point.” While Alaskan farmers are committed to keeping flowers chilled to the proper temperature after
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Alaska Business
September 2021 | 139
“When you have a large venue, you go for lower-cost flowers, so since people were doing smaller events, they chose to spend the extra money they saved on the more expensive flowers they really wanted—peonies. We sold our entire crop
The Alaska Peony Cooperative sells out of stems every year, and this year was no exception despite having to deal with issues relating to the pandemic. Alaska Peony Cooperative
two to three weeks earlier than expected… They’re being sold as fast as we can grow them.” Ron Illingworth, Owner, North Pole Peonies
harvest—roughly 33°F to 34°F with high humidity—they have no way of guaranteeing cold chain management. “This is the weak link in the floral industry,” says Illingworth, adding that his farm normally ships by FedEx next-day air or with Alaska Air Cargo. “The product is shipped with gel packs frozen in shipping boxes, but they warm during the process.” With the pandemic, growers are finding that there are fewer flights and fewer trucks on the road, limiting delivery options. “The whole transportation industry is still recovering from COVID, and it’s got a ways to go,” says Illingworth. 140 | September 2021
One of the advantages of growing peonies in Alaska is that they come out of the ground later, making them available to national and international markets when no other growers have them. North Pole Peonies
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
MEETINGS PAY
IN ANCHORAGE Craig Fredeen THE MEETING: 2023 Ice Cold Climate Conference March 5-8, 2023 150+ delegates Estimated Economic Impact: $163,000
A
laska’s a pretty cool place. Craig Fredeen knows that firsthand: As a consulting mechanical engineer, he’s spent 25 years designing systems for communities across the state. So when it came time to plan the HVAC Cold Climate Conference 2023, Fredeen knew Anchorage would be the perfect place to meet. Working with Visit Anchorage and fellow members of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Alaska chapter, he made it happen, bringing the gathering to Anchorage for the first time ever.
ARE YOU A MEMBER OF AN ASSOCIATION? CONTACT VISIT ANCHORAGE TO BRING YOUR GROUP TO TOWN: MEETINGS@ANCHORAGE.NET | 907.257.2349
“We wanted to hire fifteen people this year, and barely got half that. The last two weeks of harvest, we were working 100-hour-plus weeks. So this winter, we’re going to need to spend as much time
This past year, the Alaska Peony Cooperative made inroads into the Canadian market by creating a perishable alert program so that trade documents could be electronically uploaded for Customs to approve before packages arrived, decreasing inspection time. Alaska Peony Cooperative
marketing our farm to prospective employees as we spend marketing our product to the Lower 48.” David Russell Owner Boreal Peonies
Growers are also seeing a backlog at airports and seeing storage facilities stressed to the limit, resulting in increased product loss. “We shipped to Austin, Texas a few days ago, and the flowers got stuck in Dallas-Fort Worth,” says Illingworth. “They got to the client and a few had already opened, which wasn’t too bad— I’ve seen a lot worse. They were still pleased, but it took about twelve hours longer to get to them than it should have in normal conditions.” “While this is a PR problem for the transportation company, the monetary loss isn’t necessarily significant for them,” says Russell. “But for us—the grower that is impacted by flowers that didn’t get there for a wedding—it’s a big deal. It’s our reputation on the line.” 142 | September 2021
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Just surviving is not good enough. “The recovery is not being experienced equally. Too many neighbors remain vulnerable to falling
into ever-increasing hardships.
As this year’s Chair of the Community Campaign, I believe we can do better. Let’s build a community where ALL of our neighbors have the opportunity to thrive.” John Sims, President ENSTAR Natural Gas Company
United Way of Anchorage
“The Alaska peony industry has been publicized really well, but at times it’s been over-glorified. So many people think you just plant a $3 root and grow a $6 stem, and then sell them until the cows come home, but that’s not the reality. There are really long days of harvest on weeks of no sleep, and torrential downpours. There are significant risks to mature plants each winter, which can devastate a farm financially since it can take four years before they can harvest a new root. Then there’s the heartbreak when a box of perfect white flowers doesn’t make it to a bride’s wedding.” Martha Lojewski, Sales Manager Alaska Peony Cooperative
144 | September 2021
Like in many other industries, Alaska peony growers are also having trouble finding employees. “We wanted to hire fifteen people this year and barely got half that,” says Russell. “The last two weeks of harvest, we were working 100-hour-plus weeks. So this winter we’re going to need to spend as much time marketing our farm to prospective employees as we spend marketing our product to the Lower 48.” Having the proper equipment—from reefer trucks in the field to cold storage facilities throughout the state—can also make a difference in getting flowers to market. While a new cold storage facility is slated for construction at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, it’s only one step in the right direction. “While the facility in Anchorage has a place going forward, we need a lot more cold storage in the state as well as discussions about who will run them,” says Russell. “Will it be private enterprises that buy our stems, or a co-op type arrangement where eight to ten farms store their stems there and collectively hire a facility manager? If I have 50,000 stems in a facility and the compressor goes out, who is responsible for that loss? It’s critical to have facilities, but it’s just as important to have a blueprint on how to make them successful.” When dealing with a lot of stems, it’s also critical that farms have field chilling capacity, or reefer trucks, to allow the cut flowers to cool before being moved to a packhouse. “If you harvest peonies on an 87°F day and put them directly into a packhouse tote, you’re warming up all of the flowers already in there,” says Russell. “One of the problems that we’re facing as a fairly new industry is that we’re undercapitalized so we don’t have multiple chillers on multiple farms.” He adds that this year there was only one reefer truck available in the state during harvest time. “All of them were being used for salmon, and when the truck we had previously scheduled cancelled, we had 100,000 stems at immediate risk with no field chilling,” says Russell. “While Lynden Transport was able to free up a 53-foot trailer to save us this time, there are another 200 growers in the state, some of whom easily exceed our capacity, who could also face this problem.”
Increased freight costs are also an issue, as is the US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency’s Reimbursement Transportation Cost Program, which reimburses partial shipping costs for peony growers. “While it was put in place to help the industry, it has lost its steam and there is not enough money in the kitty to make it a viable program,” says Russell, adding that burdensome paperwork requirements also make it difficult for smaller farms to participate.
A Blooming Success Despite all of these obstacles, the Alaska peony industry has still had a banner year. “We still sold out; we sell out every single year,” says Lojewski, adding that this success didn’t happen without a lot of shuffling. “We shifted our marketing plan and had several backup plans, and we also adjusted our financial plans to sell everything—just differently. We had to get a lot more creative.” The Alaska Peony Cooperative focused on markets in the Lower 48 and worked on improving its hold in the Canadian market, creating a perishable alert program so that trade documents could be electronically uploaded for Customs to approve before packages arrived, decreasing inspection time. The co-op also negotiated a new rate with a different transportation carrier than it had been using, with a better delivery result. “The first part of the year, we ended up with a lot of cancellations, so we thought it would be a terrible season,” says Illingworth of how North Pole Peonies fared. “But then we started getting in orders for smaller events. “ When you have a large venue, you go for lower-cost flowers, so since people were doing smaller events, they chose to spend the extra money they saved on the more expensive flowers they really wanted— peonies,” he continues. “ We sold our entire crop two to three weeks earlier than expected. “The market is holding up really well, and though people are now able to do larger events, we haven’t seen any slowdown,” he adds. “They’re being sold as fast as we can grow them.”
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
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INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS Crowley Pioneers of innovative, highpowered ship assist tugboats, Crowley Maritime Corporation will lead the next generation of industry sustainability by building and operating eWolf, the first all-electric powered harbor tugboat that can complete a job without expending a drop of fuel. The 82-foot vessel with 70 tons of bollard pull advances Crowley and the maritime industry’s efforts toward sustainability and decarbonization. Over the first ten years of its use, the operation of the new eTug will reduce 178 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), 2.5 tons of diesel particulate matter, and 3,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) versus a conventional tug. The electric tug will replace one that consumes more than 30,000 gallons of diesel per year. The eTug will operate at the Port of San Diego’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal and will be operational by mid-2023. crowley.com
GCI GCI recently completed the first marine survey for the AUAleutians Fiber Project, which will deliver high-speed broadband connectivity to some of the most remote communities in the nation. The survey, conducted by Benthic GeoScience, an Alaskabased company and crew, marks another significant step towards the completion of the multi-year, multimillion-dollar project. With a crew of sixteen—including five ship crew members, ten survey crew members, and one GCI representative—Support Vessels of
Alaska repurposed a former crabber and fish tender called the Norseman II and set out from Homer on May 12. Since departing, the survey team has successfully mapped a route from Mill Bay in Kodiak through Unimak Pass, joining up with a 2017 survey that ends in Unalaska. gci.com
AKNG The Alaska Army National Guard Divestiture Program handed over its 37th site, a Federal Scout Readiness Center built during the Cold War, to Sivuqaq Incorporated, the village corporation for Gambell, in May. The St. Lawrence Island community will continue to use the building as the Native Village of Gambell Office and headquarters for their search and rescue operations, but now the building belongs to them. “The building is older than me,” says Kristi Apangalook, tribal coordinator for the Native Village of Gambell, who mentioned the possibilities of now being able to paint and spruce up the building. The divestiture of armories began in 2011 due to federal regulation dictating disposal of government property when it is in excess of government needs. Rural communities which have received divested armories have turned the buildings into public infrastructure for safety and emergency operations, community centers, classrooms, and other utilization options that benefit local Alaskans. ak.ng.mil
DiamondGrid DiamondGrid is now an approved vendor for Ace Hardware. “We are
pleased to join Ace Hardware as a vendor to their many locations in the United States, Canada, and around the world,” said John Horjes. “Our EDI system is currently ‘onboarding’ with Ace, and we expect to be available for purchase within thirty days.” DiamondGrid is an 100 percent recycled polypropylene surface, engineered for load of up to 100 tons per square foot, that can be used for driveways, hardstands, and shed flooring, and has been proven for heavy static and high-frequency traffic load for mining, construction, and agriculture. Ace Hardware Corporation is the second-largest dealerowned cooperative in the United States. The co-op pools buying and promotions for its 5,100 local hardware, home center, and lumber stores. diamondgrid.com | acehardware.com
Bean’s Cafe Bean’s Cafe, a grass-roots organization that focuses on feeding the hungry and homeless, served its millionth meal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meals have been distributed at emergency shelter sites, non-congregant shelter sites, and to hungry children and families throughout the city. “In just over sixteen months, we’ve served a million meals to the hungry and homeless in Anchorage. That is a huge milestone,” says Scott Lingle, chief operating officer. “The pandemic changed everything, and we had to adapt and quickly change our model to best meet the needs of our community.” beanscafe.org
ECONOMIC INDIC ATOR S ANS Crude Oil Production 405,446 barrels -15% change from previous month
ANS West Coast Crude Oil Prices $75.87per barrel -1% change from previous month
Statewide Employment 350,664 Labor Force -6.6% Unemployment
8/1/21 Source: Alaska Department of Natural Resources
7/30/21 Source: Alaska Department of Natural Resources
6/1/21. Adjusted seasonally. Source: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development
146 | September 2021
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
RIGHT MOVES Alaska Business Tasha Anderson has been named Alaska Business's new Managing Editor. Having served the company for just under a decade in a variety Anderson of roles, Anderson was the clear choice for the job. She’s excited to lead the magazine to new heights and looks forward to keeping Alaska’s business community in the loop on the latest and greatest in the Last Frontier.
Tlingit & Haida The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is pleased to announce the hire of Dr. Tina Woods as the Senior Woods Director of Community & Behavioral Services. In this position, Woods is responsible for the strategic development of the new Community & Behavioral Services Division which will provide leadership oversight of the Reentry & Recovery and Tribal Family & Youth Services departments. Woods is a licensed clinical psychologist and holds a PhD in clinical-community psychology with a rural Indigenous emphasis from the UA system.
United Way United Way of Anchorage recently announced two new appointments. Aminata Taylor was hired as its CFO. Taylor, a certified public accountant, most recently served as CFO for Camp Fire Alaska. She has worked in finance, information technology, and human
resources in both nonprofit and for-profit enterprises, including CliftonLarsonAllen, where she specialized in tax compliance for nonprofits. A Taylor 2012 graduate of Coe College in Iowa, Taylor earned a master’s in accounting at the Kaplan University School of Business in Chicago in 2016. Kayla Green joined United Way of Anchorage as Director of People and Culture. Green now helps build an organization that both responds to an ever-changing Green Anchorage and achieves United Way’s constant mission to improve lives. She earned a master’s in human resources at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University in 2014 and a bachelor’s in psychology at Brigham Young University–Idaho in 2011.
McKinley Alaska Private Investment Penny Gage joins McKinley Alaska Private Investment as a Private Equity Associate working from the Anchorage office. She brings a diverse Gage background in Alaska economic development; entrepreneur support and training; federal and state government; the nonprofit sector; energy policy; and international affairs. Gage most recently worked at the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development. Gage received her bachelor’s from the UAF and a master’s in foreign service from Georgetown University with a certificate in international business diplomacy.
AK NSF EPSCoR Alaska NSF EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) has named Dr. Brenda Konar as the new Principal Investigator and Project Director of its Fire & Ice research project. Konar is a professor of marine biology with the UAF College Konar of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. She has served since 2018 as a co-PI of Fire & Ice, an interdisciplinary effort to study climate-driven changes to Alaska’s boreal fire regimes and its coastal ecosystems. Konar holds a bachelor’s in biology from San Jose State University, a master’s in marine biology from Moss Landing Marine Labs in California, and a PhD in biology from UC-Santa Cruz.
BDO BDO USA announced Chad Estes has been named Tax Office Managing Partner for the Anchorage office. In his new role, Estes oversees the local tax practice and continues working with clients in various industries including construction, government contracting, real estate, natural resources, Estes retail, and hospitality. Estes works with many Alaska Native corporations and their subsidiaries on federal and state corporate income tax, ANCSA, ANST, and M&A issues. Estes received his bachelor’s in accounting and Master of Accountancy from the University of Wyoming.
Ampersand Ampersand announced the hire of Keith
RIGHT MOVES IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY NORTHERN AIR CARGO
148 | September 2021
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Ziolkowski as its new Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. In his new position, Ziolkowski is responsible for shaping and implementing business initiatives relative to strategic IT/business alignment planning for clients as well as Ziolkowski strategic engagement with Alaska Native corporations. Ziolkowski brings more than twenty years of experience and expertise in information technology, leadership, cybersecurity, and network infrastructure. He holds a bachelor’s from the University of Notre Dame and was awarded the Top 40 Under 40 professionals in 2009 from the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
DNR Helge Eng joined the Department of Natural Resources as Director of the Division of Forestry and Alaska state forester after a Eng twenty-one-year career at California’s forest management and wildlife firefighting agency. He has served in a variety of membership and leadership roles in forestry, including registered professional forester and member of the Society of American Foresters, chair of the Northern California Society of American Foresters, and state representative on the Society of American Foresters Policy Committee. Eng earned a bachelor’s in forest resources management from the University of British Columbia. At Oregon State University, he earned master’s and doctoral degrees in forest management, as well as a master’s in statistics.
Fairweather Science Fairweather welcomed Jennifer Henderson as its new Senior Permitter.
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She earned a degree in Natural Resource Management from UAF and worked for the US Forest Service and State Department of Environmental Conservation before she started working in the oil and gas industry. Henderson has Henderson more than twenty years of experience as an environmental scientist in environmental permitting with federal, state, and local environmental regulations and laws.
Department of Law Attorney General Treg Taylor appointed Jessie Alloway to the position of Solicitor General for Civil Appeals. In this role, Alloway serves as the state’s chief appellate lawyer for civil appeals and supervises the Opinions, Alloway Appeals, and Ethics Section of the Alaska Department of Law. Alloway joined the Alaska Department of Law in 2011 as a member of the Natural Resources section, where she represented the Alaska Departments of Natural Resources and Fish and Game in state and federal trial court on a range of issues. She received her JD from the University of Montana School of Law and is a graduate of the University of Montana School of Forestry.
R&M Emery Schramm recently joined R&M Consultants as an Engineering Associate in the firm’s Construction Services Department. She now provides construction oversight, field inspections, and materials testing on a variety of building, bridge, transportation, site development, utility, and waterfront projects. Her experience includes inspections of seismic-resistant systems,
Alaska Business
anchor bolts, fireproofing, and laboratory testing for proctor tests, gradations, concrete strength, slump, air and unit weight, as well as soils, aggregate, asphalt, and concrete inspection, sampling, and testing services. Schramm Schramm’s various skill sets allow her flexibility in performing multiple inspection and sampling and testing activities.
KPB KPB Architects announced the hiring of Korynn Applegate as Project Designer and Brad Nygaard as Architect. Applegate brings sixteen years of experience as a designer. Her technical skills include an expertise in various architectural and graphic mediums for K-12 schools, preschools, and early childhood development facilities, as well as multifamily and mixed-use housing projects. Applegate has proficiency in architectural site planning, Applegate drafting, and building techniques and excels at tasks requiring strong interpersonal skills, leadership, project design, and coordination. She holds bachelor’s and master’s in architecture from Savannah College of Art and Design. Nygaard has more than twenty-eight years of experience in the field of design. He brings a wealth of experience providing full-service architecture and managing all aspects of projects. Nygaard recently spent most of 2019 and 2020 managing a design and Nygaard contractor team on largescale earthquake repairs which included damage assessment, seismic-restraint strategies, and implementation of those strategies.
September 2021 | 149
ALASKA TRENDS As Alaskans, the importance of Bristol Bay Salmon might be obvious. These slippery critters are some of the most soughtafter seafood in the world—and they charge a premium. But when was the last time you dived into the numbers that support this notion? The Economic Benefits of Bristol Bay Salmon is McKinley Research’s latest report detailing just that. It’s packed with a plethora of information underlining just how crucial this industry truly is. If you’re going to take one number away from the report it should be this: $2 billion. $2 billion was the total economic value of Bristol Bay’s wild salmon resource in 2019. Fish on.
Total Labor Income in 2019 COMMERCIAL FISHING $293.7M SEAFOOD PROCESSING $80.8M VISITOR INDUSTRY $67.9M
32' Max.
$990M
The bulk of the Bristol Bay fleet is designed specifically for this fishery since regulations limit their size to 32 linear feet.
32'
$800M
$300M
$2B was the total economic value of Bristol Bay’s wild salmon resource in 2019 in the US. STATE OF ALASKA $990M P. NORTHWEST $800M OTHER $300M
7 New Operators The commercial operators purchasing salmon has grown over the last 20 years, with 33 operators reporting they purchased Bristol Bay sockeye in 2019, up from 26 in 2000.
Sockeye Products Headed/gutted processed salmon grew from 65% to 72% while canned salmon fell to 8% in 2019. 150 | September 2021
50M Salmon return annually to Bristol Bay rivers. Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
in 2019 by borough are Dillingham (439), Anchorage (254), and the Kenai Peninsula (218).
DILLINGHAM
produce 157M pounds of processed salmon during a typical season.
254 218
ANCHORAGE
6K Workers
439
KENAI PEN.
Top 3 Commerical Permit Holders
Global Contribution Bristol Bay provides the majority of sockeye product worldwide. It has increased from 49% in 2015 to 57% in 2019.
$9K per Household Bristol Bay's subsistence fishery harvested 116,303 salmon in 2017. The replacement value of this harvest was $5M-$10M. This translates to about $4,500 to $9,000 per participating household.
$1.1B Economic Output Employment and labor income from commercial fishing, seafood processing and the salmon-driven visitor industry totaled $442M in 2019, with 16,900 seasonal jobs. Total economic output was $1.1B.
$82M is the total annual spending by visitors to the Bristol Bay region. The most common trips are overnight sportsfishing or to view bears feeding on salmon.
Subsistence Salmon Harvested in 2017 SOCKEYE 89,704 CHINOOK 12,985 COHO 8,154 CHUM 4,907 PINK 553 SOURCE: The Economic Benefits of Bristol Bay Salmon prepared by McKinley Research for Bristol Bay Defense Fund, February 2021
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Alaska Business
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AT A GLANCE What book is currently on your nightstand? Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust by Edgar H. Schein and Peter A. Schein; The Technology Fallacy: How People Are the Real Key to Digital Transformation by Gerald C. Kane, Anh Nguyen Phillips, Jonathan R. Copulsky, and Garth R. Andrus; and 50 Things to Do When You Turn 50. What charity or cause are you passionate about? We support as many charities as we can, typically those that support veterans and children: Wounded Warriors, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. We also support several cancer research clinics and charities, local food banks, and homeless shelters. What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work? I locate my wife and give her a kiss. What vacation spot is on your bucket list? I guess it’s got to be Fiji, right? Who doesn’t want to go to Fiji?
Images ©Kerry Tasker
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be? A gorilla: they’re intelligent, family-oriented creatures that are strong and smart. And the fact that they can actually communicate just makes them so unique.
OFF THE CUFF
Daniel Fenza D
aniel Fenza stepped into the role of Chugach Alaska’s President and Chief Operating
AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert? Fenza: It would be Buddy Holly. He’s relatively tame by today’s standards, but he was very controversial and in the ‘50s he was the groundbreaker for the music I listen to today.
Officer in March, though this coming January marks twenty-two years that he’s been with the corporation: “Like many who have been with a company this long, I’ve worked my way up through different roles and responsibilities and worked at most all of the different levels within our organization.” With this relatively new role, he says he’s most excited to implement strategies that can have a positive impact for the entire company. Alaska Business: What do you do in your free time? Daniel Fenza: When I do have free time, I’m usually working around the house, like doing handyman work. Landscaping keeps me busy and keeps my mind clear. But when I’m not doing that, I’m usually on the golf course. AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn? Fenza: I’ve been working on my guitar playing skills off and on now for thirty-five years. One day I hope to be able to play in front of somebody other than myself [he laughs]. AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? Fenza: I’m not really an adrenaline junkie, but the most daring thing that I think I’ve done is I went on what’s called a sky coaster—this was in central Florida—and it’s basically a 300foot swing, and they bring you to the top and let you go. When you’re at the top, you can look to the left and to the right and you can see both coasts of the state at the same time, you’re so high up. AB: What’s your favorite local restaurant? Fenza: Southside Bistro. AB: Other than your current career, if you were a kid today, what would your dream job be? Fenza: That’s easy for me: I’d be a professional athlete, either in soccer or golf. Realistically it would have been soccer over golf. AB: What’s your favorite way to exercise? Fenza: I like to do cardio and I’ll do some light weights just to www.akbizmag.com
maintain muscle tone. I’m not a big runner per se, but walking or using elliptical machines or something.
AB: What’s your greatest extravagance? Fenza: My wife would easily say golf… when I do get an opportunity to play a really nice golf course like a Pebble Beach or Harbor Town, I will do it. AB: What are you superstitious about? Fenza: I’m very superstitious about sports, I have my favorite teams and I have lots and lots of superstitions—we joke about some of them. I’m a huge Tampa Bay Lightning fan and we just finished winning a second Stanley Cup. But I’ll set my TV to a certain volume to match the jersey number of the player who I think needs to score next. [AB: Does that work?] It works in my mind more than it doesn’t [he laughs]. AB: Have you ever had a supernatural experience? Fenza: I can’t honestly say that I have, but I wouldn’t mind one under the right circumstances. AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute? Fenza: I would say my best attribute is being a devout family man. For the worst, as my wife would remind me, I’m always in a hurry, I’m always looking to get work done quickly, to do something quickly. And sometimes I need to remind myself to slow down.
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ADVERTISERS INDEX Afognak Leasing LLC........................ 95, 101 afognakleasing.com
Conrad-Houston Insurance Agency..... 131 chialaska.com
Northrim Bank.......................................... 15 nor thrim.com
Afognak Native Corp................................ 43 afognakgolf.com
Construction Machinery Industrial............ 2 cmiak.com
NOVAGOLD............................................ 127 novagold.com
Ahtna Inc................................................... 83 ahtna.com
Cook Inlet Tribal Council.......................... 63 citci.org
Oxford Assaying & Refining Inc.............. 131 oxfordmetals.com
Airport Equipment Rentals..................... 155 airpor tequipmentrentals.com
Cook Inlet Tug & Barge Inc...................... 74 cookinlet tug.com
Pacific Dataport........................................ 17 pacificdatapor t.com
Alaska Air Cargo - Alaska Airlines........... 123 alaskacargo.com
Crowley Fuels......................................... 125 crowley.com/AB
Pacific Pile & Marine............................... 147 pacificpile.com
Alaska Communications Systems.............. 3 AlaskaCommunications.com/Alaska Cloud
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP....................... 53 dwt.com
Parker Smith & Feek.................................. 21 psfinc.com
Alaska Drilling & Completions.................. 93 ak-dc.com
Design Alaska............................................ 27 designalaska.com
PND Engineers Inc.................................... 37 pndengineers.com
Alaska Executive Search (AES)................ 135 PeopleAK .com
Donlin Gold.............................................. 45 donlingold.com
Price Gregory International Inc................ 78 pricegregory.com
Alaska Native Village Corporation Assoc................................... 55 anvca.biz
Dorsey & Whitney LLP.............................. 42 dorsey.com
Quintillion Networks................................ 35 qexpressnet.com
Doyon Limited.......................................... 76 doyon.com
Ravn Alaska............................................... 27 ravnalaska.com/cargo-rates
Engineered Solutions Group.................... 29 epc@epconstructors.com
RESPEC..................................................... 32 respec.com
Equipment Source Inc............................ 145 esialaska.com
Renewal by Andersen..................................7 AlaskaWindowPros.com
First National Bank Alaska (FNBA).............. 5 fnbaalaska.com
Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt................... 59 schwabe.com
Foss Maritime............................................ 75 foss.com
SeaTac Marine Service.............................. 19 seatacmarine.com
Ilisagvik College........................................ 69 ilisagvik.edu
SmithCo Side Dump Trailers.................... 99 sidedump.com
JAG Alaska................................................ 40 jagmarinegroup.com
Stellar Designs Inc.................................... 77 stellar-designs.com
Jim Meinel CPA PC................................... 93 meinelcpa.com
The Kuskokwim Corp............................... 87 Kuskokwim.com
KeyBank.................................................... 74 key.com
The Plans Room....................................... 32 theplansroom.com
Koniag Inc................................................. 47 koniag.com
Toast of the Town..................................... 73 toastofthetownak.com
Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP................ 39 ancsa.lbblawyers.com
UA Local 375 Plumbers & Pipefitters....... 85 ualocal375.org
Leonardo DRS........................................... 65 leonardoDRS .com/Alaska
Udelhoven Oilfield System Services Inc..... 97 udelhoven.com
Brilliant Media Strategies.......................... 33 brilliantak.com
Lynden.................................................... 156 lynden.com
Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corp............................ 57 uicalaska.com
Bristol Bay Native Corp. (BBNC)............... 67 BBNCShareholderBiz.com
Material Flow & Conveyor Systems Inc..... 94 materialflow.com
Umialik Insurance Company.................... 79 umialik.com
C & R Pipe and Steel Inc......................... 101 crpipeandsteel.com
Matson ..................................................... 25 Matson.com/Alaska
United Way of Anchorage...................... 143 liveunitedanchorage.org
Calista Corp.............................................. 91 calistacorp.com
MTA – Matanuska Telephone Assoc..11, 49 mtasolutions.com
USI Insurance Services............................. 46 usi.com
Carlile Transportation Systems................ 23 carlileconnect.com25
NANA Regional Corp................................ 33 nana.com
Usibelli Coal Mine................................... 133 usibelli.com
Central Environmental Inc....................... 96 cei-alaska.com
NCB........................................................... 79 ncb.coop
Visit Anchorage....................................... 141 meetings@anchorage.net
Chugach Alaska Corp............................... 12 chugach.com
Nenana Heating Services Inc................... 75 nenanaheatingservices.net
Voice of the Arctic Inupiat........................ 61 voiceoftheinupiat.org
CIRI............................................................ 81 ciri.com
New Horizons Telecom, Inc..................... 13 nhtiusa.com
West-Mark Service Center........................ 76 west-mark.com
Color Art Printing, Inc............................... 78 colorar tprinting.com
Northern Air Cargo........................ 148, 149 NAC.aero
Yukon Equipment Inc............................. 137 yukoneq.com
Alaska Pacific University......................... 129 alaskapacific.edu/apply Alaska Travel Industry Association......... 139 alaskatia.org Alaska USA Federal Credit Union............. 51 alaskausa.org/business ALL Pro Alaska............................................. 9 allproak.com Altman, Rogers & Co................................ 77 altrogco.com Anchorage Chrysler Dodge..................... 41 accak.com Anchorage Sand & Gravel...................... 132 anchsand.com fairbanksmaterials.com Arctic Slope Regional Corp. (ASRC)......... 55 asrc.com AT&T.......................................................... 31 at t.com/cybersecurity Avis Rent-A-Car........................................44 avisalaska.com Bering Straits Native Corp........................ 89 beringstraits.com aih.com
154 | September 2021
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
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