December-2012-Alaska Business Monthly

AGC CONSTRUCTION WINNERS ■ TOP 2012 BUSINESS STORIES

December 2012

Visit Anchorage, Visit Alaska Drawing dollars for communities, explorers for state Page 28

Wrangell’s Recovering Economy Fishing, tourism, forestry all part of revitalization Page 14

Great Bear Petroleum Indie wants long-term production tests on oil shale wells Page 52

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December 2012 TA BLE OF CONTENTS dePArtments

About the cover

From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Inside Alaska Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Right Moves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Alaska This Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Events Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Market Squares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Alaska Trends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Ad Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Visit Anchorage President and Chief Executive Officer Julie Saupe and Seymour the Moose strike a welcoming pose. Our annual Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel special section begins on page 18.

Cover photo: © 2012 Roy Neese / Visit Anchorage

Articles

12 | Dianne Tydings, Co-Owner Dianne’s Restaurant

By Peg Stomierowski

54 Structures for the 57-mile, 138-kilovolt transmission line of the Swan-Tyee Intertie on the docks in 2009.

CONSTRUCTION

48 | Associated General Contractors Name 2012 Award Winners Top construction projects and safety recognition

OIL & GAS Photo courtesy Great Bear Petroleum

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Maxand

ECONOMY

Jeremy Maxand, Wrangell.

14 | Wrangell’s Recovering Economy Fishing, tourism, forestry all part of revitalization

By Paula Dobbyn

CONSTRUCTION

44 | Alaska Transportation Infrastructure Fund Building roads, rails, airports, harbors and ferries

By Susan Harrington, Managing Editor

■ 4

Photo courtesy of Southeast Alaska Power Agency

©2012 Chris Arend

VIEW FROM THE TOP

Great Bear’s Alcor No. 1 well

52 | Great Bear Petroleum Indie wants long-term production tests on oil shale wells

By Vanessa Orr

OIL & GAS

54 | Arctic ‘Gas by Wire’ Generating power for rural Alaska

By Mike Bradner

TELECOM & TECHNOLOGY 62 | Back-Up Plan Implementing strategies for data loss prevention

By Rindi White

ALASKA

66 | Top Alaska Business Stories of 2012 Old standbys, fresh startups and amazing stories Compiled by Mari Gallion

HEALTH & MEDICINE

94 | Heart of the Matter Alaska’s cardiovascular health

By Susan Sommer

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

December 2012 TA BLE OF CONTENTS special section

CONVENTIONS, MEETINGS & CORPORATE TRAVEL

PHILANTHROPY

Staying connected at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge.

22 | Alaska is the Place to Meet Plenty of choices for conventions and conferences

By Joette Storm

Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center.

28 | Visit Anchorage, Visit Alaska Drawing dollars for communities, explorers for state

By Zaz Hollander 32 | ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory ■ 6

Alaskan Brewing Co. volunteers at the 2012 International Coastal Cleanup Day in Juneau.

74 | Alaska Philanthropy Doing good, doing well

By Cassandra Stalzer and Patty Ginsburg

88

80 | Alaska Nonprofits Brainstorm for Funds Adding technology and innovation to hard work

By Zaz Hollander 82 | Children’s Lunchbox Feeding more kids

By Zaz Hollander

© Nicole Geils / Visit Anchorage

28

Photo courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co.

22

74

84

TAPS Torch Run in Prince William Sound when Alyeska reached $600,000.

84 | United Way Workplace Campaign Allowing everyone to make a difference

By Rindi White

Photo courtesy of Allred family

© Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge

18 | Corporate Travel Tools Agencies, airlines add value with technology

By Gail West

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company

18

© Alaska Airlines

special section

Sam with U.S. Rep. Don Young.

88 | Kindness for Kids Alaska child with kidney disease teaches compassion through example

By Michele White 90 | Influencing Public Policy Alaska nonprofits inspire, educate and advocate

By Michele White

CORRECTION In a photo of Alaska Native Brotherhood dignitaries on page 6 of the September issue Joaqlin Estus was incorrectly identified as William Paul’s granddaughter, she is William Paul Sr.’s great niece.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

FROM THE EDITOR

‘Tis the Season

Follow us on and

Volume 28, Number 12 Published by Alaska Business Publishing Co. Anchorage, Alaska Vern C. McCorkle, Publisher 1991~2009

EDITORIAL STAFF

Managing Editor Associate Editor Editorial Assistant Art Director Art Production Photo Consultant Photo Contributor

Susan Harrington Mari Gallion Tasha Anderson David Geiger Linda Shogren Chris Arend Judy Patrick

BUSINESS STAFF

President VP Sales & Mktg.

Senior Account Mgr. Account Mgr. Survey Administrator Accountant & Circulation

Jim Martin Charles Bell Anne Campbell Bill Morris Tasha Anderson Mary Schreckenghost

501 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 100 Anchorage, Alaska 99503-2577 (907) 276-4373 Outside Anchorage: 1-800-770-4373 Fax: (907) 279-2900 www.akbizmag.com Editorial email: editor@akbizmag.com Advertising email: materials@akbizmag.com Pacific Northwest Advertising Sales 1-800-770-4373

So long 2012

H

oliday parties abound in December, and we’ve seen a growing trend for a couple of months now. I guess you could say we started on the first Wednesday of October with our famous Top 49ers Awards luncheon. By the last Friday of October we were at Golder’s annual chili feed. I’ve never tasted so many different kinds of chili in my life, or known there were so many different recipes. I learned that not only do the folks at Golder Associates know how to make chili, they know how to throw a party—as do many other firms in Alaska. Among luncheons, receptions, open houses, retirement parties, dinners, charity balls and flat out holiday parties, there’s hardly time for work. Enjoy as many as possible this month, because come January we may all be working our way back up from the bottom of the ravine after falling off the fiscal cliff.

As we go to press for the December issue we wrap up another year of Alaska Business Monthly, and what a great year this has been. In the spirit of changing things up, we’ve moved the Conventions, Meetings and Corporate Travel special section to December, complete with an extensive directory to go with the articles.

We’re happy to present our second annual Philanthropy in Alaska special section this month, opening with an article showing the correlation between philanthropy and business success. It’s guest authored by long-time Alaskans Patty Ginsburg and Cassandra Stalzer.

Ginsburg is a writer and communications consultant; Stalzer is the communications manager at Rasmuson Foundation and manages the statewide campaign of Pick.Click.Give. Together they have written a primer for companies laying out what to do and how to do it: “Alaska Philanthropy: Doing good, doing well” (page 74). Ever wonder why you should get your company and employees involved in philanthropy? You will know after reading not only this article, but the entire special section, where you can read about raising money, feeding children, United Way, Sam Allred and Kindness for Kids, and nonprofit organizations that influence public policy. Plus three more philanthropy stories are on the website.

This month there are quite a few interesting articles to read in the magazine, as always. In fact, there were so many good ideas that I assigned too many stories to fit in the magazine, you’ll find those extras on the website as exclusive content.

Enjoy reading these on your tablet, phone or computer. It’s our gift to you. Happy Holidays!

ALASKA BUSINESS PUBLISHING CO., INC. ALASKA BUSINESS MONTHLY (ISSN 8756-4092) is published monthly by Alaska Business Publishing Co., Inc., 501 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 100, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-2577; Telephone: (907) 276-4373; Fax: (907) 279-2900, ©2012, Alaska Business Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Subscription Rates: $39.95 a year. Single issues of the Power List are $15 each. Single issues of Alaska Business Monthly are $3.95 each; $4.95 for October, and back issues are $5 each.

Send subscription orders and address changes to the Circulation Department, Alaska Business Monthly, PO Box 241288, Anchorage, AK 99524. Please supply both old and new addresses and allow six weeks for change, or update online at www.akbizmag.com. Manuscripts: Send query letter to the Editor. Alaska Business Monthly is not responsible for unsolicited materials.

Photocopies: Where necessary, permission is granted by the copyright owner for libraries and others registered with Copyright Clearance Center to photocopy any article herein for $1.35 per copy. Send payments to CCC, 27 Congress Street, Salem, MA 01970. Copying done for other than personal or internal reference use without the expressed permission of Alaska Business Publishing Co., Inc. is prohibited. Address requests for specific permission to Managing Editor, Alaska Business Publishing. Online: Alaska Business Monthly is available at www.akbizmag.com/archives, www. thefreelibrary.com/Alaska+Business+Monthly-p2643 and from Thomson Gale. Microfi lm: Alaska Business Monthly is available on microfi lm from University Microfi lms International, 300 North Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106.

—Susan Harrington, Managing Editor

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVES FOR DECEMBER! MORE

PHILANTHROPY

106 | Investing in Alaskan Students PGA Golfer Phil Mickelson and ExxonMobil invest in Alaska’s teachers

By Michele White 108 | Philanthropy through Board Service Understanding what it means to be a board member of a charitable nonprofit

By Renea I. Saade 110 | Social Media for Nonprofits Capturing supporters with Facebook’s Causes

By Amanda Clayton

ALASKA NATIVE CORPORATIONS 111 | Land Use Strategies Protecting assets, maximizing returns

By Nicole A. Bonham Colby

BUSINESS SERVICES

116 | Revolutionizing Home and Office Work Spaces Investing in ergonomic solutions

By Paula Cottrell

CAREER & VO-TECH EDUCATION

118 | Hawsepipers and Skill Builders Career and technical education in Alaska

By Will Swagel

EMERGING FILM INDUSTRY

120 | Training Alaskans for the Film Industry Seven grants awarded, each with a $40,000 ceiling

By Susan Sommer

HR MATTERS

122 | Virtual Employees and Digital Nomads Creating teamwork

By Lynne Curry

REGIONAL FOCUS

123 | Valdez-Cordova Census Area

By Tracy Barbour

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS

SIKU Construction

M

ichael Campbell, General Manager of SIKU Construction, announced the formalization of a new division of SIKU Construction, SIKU CxA. Created to honor respect for nature as one of the Iñupiaq values, SIKU CxA will provide building owners and construction projects with accurate commissioning, systematic building evaluations to reduce energy consumption, thorough evaluations of operations and maintenance practices, and professional training of operations and maintenance personnel.

Utilizing Campbell’s experience commissioning industrial power plants and LEED building projects in the Middle East, SIKU CxA will provide integrated solutions for existing buildings and new construction projects. Additionally, SIKU CxA will be teaming with alternative and renewable energy providers.

T

Alaska DOT&PF

he Alakanuk Airport, providing service to residents and seasonal workers, officially opened Sept. 28. The Department of Transportation and Public Facilities completed the project with funding from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The newly constructed and relocated Alakanuk Airport boasts a number of economic benefits for the community of about 680 people at the mouth of the Yukon River. Larger aircraft can land on the 4,000-foot runway bringing fuel and freight deliveries, which will facilitate faster transportation of fish product from the Yup’ik Eskimo village to market.

The reconstruction, which included demolishing the old airport and building the new airport, runway and snow

Compiled by Mari Gallion

removal equipment building, was a high priority for DOT&PF. The project improved the safety of airport maintenance and operations.

DOT&PF contracted with PDC Engineering Inc. for design and Bering Pacific Contractors, Knik Construction and Ridge Contracting for construction. Work on the $33 million project began in 2002.

totype Integration Facility. The new contract, PIF II, is a three-year base contract with an option of two additional years.

PIF initially focused on missile and aviation improvements, but Yulista has received numerous accolades for their inventions, including developing Humvee crew extraction rings and hardware that allows machine guns to operate in a cold climate.

AIDEA

ANTHC

T

he Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority Board of Directors approved a loan participation to Sea Lion Corp. for a project located in Hooper Bay. The purpose of this loan is for term financing of a 6,390-squarefoot building located in Hooper Bay and leased to the United States Postal Service, the State of Alaska Court System and GCI. This project, which included renovations to create space for a new court house, created 15 construction jobs and five permanent positions.

AIDEA’s Loan Participation Program provides permanent financing, both taxable and tax-exempt, to borrowers through a qualified originator for the purpose of developing, acquiring or enhancing Alaska business enterprises.

R

Calista Corp.

edstone Defense System is a joint venture between Yulista Aviation Inc., a subsidiary of Calista Corporation, and Science and Engineering Services Inc. that was awarded a $4.5 billion dollar competitive federal contract to develop rapid-response hardware for the Department of Defense. The incumbent, Yulista Management Services, spent 10 years in a partnership with SES working on the Pro-

T

he Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Telehealth Technology Assessment Center recently received a $1.2 million grant to serve as the country’s National Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration sought proposals from organizations capable of offering technology appraisals and education to burgeoning telehealth programs nationwide. After a competitive bid process, ANTHC’s TTAC was awarded the funding.

Alaska Regional Hospital

A

laska Regional Hospital’s Orthopedic and Spine Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for its hip and knee replacement programs by demonstrating compliance with the Commission’s national standards for healthcare quality and safety in disease-specific care. The certification recognizes Alaska Regional’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards.

The hospital underwent a rigorous on-site survey. A team of Joint Commission surveyors evaluated the program for compliance with standards of care specif-

Your Project, Our Responsibility.

24/7 Service Pacific Pile & Marine has a robust fleet of marine equipment including our recent addition of a 600-Ton 4600 Ringer.

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From critical lifts to platform support, PPM is sufficiently resourced to deliver a wide range of construction services.

620B East Whitney Road I Anchorage, AK 99501

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS ic to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.

Alaska Small Business Development Center

B

ryan Zak, Alaska Small Business Development Center’s regional director, Kenai Peninsula Borough, has been awarded the highest honor for the state in the national SBDC association as this year’s State Star. This annual award is based on qualities including the results of work performed, accomplishment of Scorecard metrics and leadership within the organization. The Alaska Small Business Development Center provides free business advising and low cost workshops.

A

Allen Marine

llen Marine Inc. has developed a unique modular catamaran workboat that can be shipped disassembled anywhere in the world, quickly reassembled and be ready for action on any number of maritime or offshore jobs.

The standard modular twin hull design is 65’ with a 21’6” beam and a 2’6” draft, and can be assembled by coupling a center section to the bow section, then coupling the stern to the center section; the three sections provide one continuous hull that offers excellent buoyancy.

The overall width and length of the workboat can be reduced, according to the customer’s needs.

Each hull has a supporting deck and the middle and side members can include a cockpit and room for additional equipment. The craft has a large fuel capacity and is powered by two Cater-

Compiled by Mari Gallion

pillar C18 engines with 600HP and two 403 Hamilton Water Jets.

No location for assembly is too remote. The first of the new line was built in 2010 and shipped to the North Slope of Alaska via truck and assembled 200 miles from the closest town using only a rough terrain crane. The aluminum vessel is a sturdy, reliable workboat that can work in the harshest sea conditions and can also be used as an alternative personnel transport ship.

A

NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region

laska Region 2012 Combined Federal Campaign Chair Beth Pendleton presented gold and silver award plaques to NOAA Fisheries Deputy Regional Administrator Doug Mecum at the Juneau Federal Building. NOAA’s Alaska Region received the 2012 Alaska CFC Gold Award for largest increase in total dollars raised for local and worldwide charitable organizations and the silver award for largest increase in average pledge.

The 2011 total for NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region was $39,940 from 40 donors. That beat the regional office’s 2010 total of $27,517 from 32 donors. The average donor pledge increased from $859.91 in 2010 to $998.50 in 2011.

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Pier 1 Imports

ier 1 Imports has opened its northernmost store in Fairbanks. World Eskimo-Indian Olympics two-foot high kick champion for 2012 and Fairbanks native Erica Meckel officially christened the store with a ribbon-cutting ceremony unlike any other, breaking

the ribbon with a demonstration of the traditional Native Alaskan high kick.

The total retail square footage of the store is 11,740 square feet. Aside from the store manager, who has come from one of the retail chain’s successful stores on the East Coast, all employees are from the Fairbanks area. To start, the store will employ three full-time associates and approximately 25 parttime associates. The Fairbanks Pier 1 Imports will also hire additional employees each year around the holiday season and is already hiring for 2012 holiday positions. This store will be the second Pier 1 Imports in the 49th state.

Industrial Roofing Inc.

L

iberty Northwest, a Liberty Mutual Insurance regional company, recently presented Industrial Roofing Inc. of Anchorage with the company’s Gold Safety Award, recognizing Industrial Roofing’s commitment to safety on the job.

Industrial Roofing has not incurred a lost-time injury in more than 10 years or 1 million work hours. The Liberty Northwest Gold Safety Award recognizes workers’ compensation policyholders that demonstrate exceptional safety performance and maintain an active, documented safety program.

Liberty Northwest territory manager Debra Christie and Mike Dennis of Conrad-Houston Insurance in Anchorage presented the Safety Award to Jesse Martin, owner of Industrial Roofing Inc.

S

University of Alaska

teve J. Langdon, professor of anthropology for the University of Alaska Anchorage, is this year’s recipient of the

Your Project, Our Responsibility. 24/7 Service

Pacific Pile & Marine has a robust fleet of marine equipment including our recent addition of a 600-Ton 4600 Ringer.

www.pacificpile.com I (907) 276-3878 276-3873

From critical lifts to platform support, PPM is sufficiently resourced to deliver a wide range of construction services.

620B East Whitney Road I Anchorage, AK 99501

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS University of Alaska Foundation’s prestigious Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence. The Bullock Prize for Excellence includes a cash award of $20,000 and is the largest single award made annually by the UA Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

Langdon is not only recognized as one of the top social scientists in Alaska, but is highly regarded in his field nationally and internationally. He has taught at the University of Alaska Anchorage for thirty-six years. During his tenure Langdon has inspired many students to further their education and contribute to their communities through research and teaching. He has worked with Alaska Native groups in Anchorage and elsewhere to prepare educational materials related to cultural heritage and history for their youth.

N

NORTECH Inc.

ORTECH Inc. environment, energy, health and safety consultants announced their expansion of professional energy engineering services available throughout Alaska. The primary focus of the program is to provide expedient compliant solutions to building owners so they may focus on their primary line of work, whether education, manufacturing, retail, a commercial office or other.

NORTECH’s Sustainable Energy Services allow owners to cost effectively evaluate and manage facility needs while improving overall building health and reducing life cycle costs. Sustainable Energy Services will reduce utility and maintenance costs, improve building safety and comfort, and minimize a building’s environmental impact while providing the owner more insight and control related to the energy use of a building.

T

Compiled by Mari Gallion

The Wilson Agency

he Leading Producers Round Table of the National Association of Health Underwriters announces that Lon Wilson of The Wilson Agency has qualified to receive the association’s Golden Eagle Award.

Wilson has qualified for this award due to his exceptional professional knowledge and outstanding client service. The Golden Eagle Award recognizes NAHU members who demonstrate exceptional professional knowledge and outstanding client service.

NAHU represents 100,000 professional health insurance agents and brokers who provide insurance for millions of Americans. The Wilson Agency is a full service strategic employee benefits consulting firm, helping Alaskan businesses to develop an organized approach to complex employee initiatives.

T

Alaska Timber Jobs Task Force

he Alaska Timber Jobs Task Force released its report to Gov. Sean Parnell recommending steps to improve economic conditions in Alaska’s forest-dependent communities. Key recommendations include placing up to 2 million acres of federal land in a trust managed by the state, and seeking federal legislation granting states the option of running timber sale programs on federal lands. A state-run program would operate under state forestry standards and state laws.

The report looked at the state of the timber industry throughout Alaska.

The industry is small but growing in the Interior and Southcentral Alaska, largely due to a dependable supply from

state-managed timberland, according to the report. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources and businesses are working together as woody biomass becomes a cost-effective heating and energy option in rural Alaska.

In Southeast Alaska, however, the downward spiral of lost jobs and closed schools has continued. Despite federal law requiring enough timber sales to meet demand, the Forest Service choked off the timber supply; two of the last three mid-sized mills have closed.

In the past decade, Southeast Alaska timber jobs declined from 1,500 to roughly 200, the region’s population dropped 12 percent and six schools closed.

The task force provided 34 recommendations to the governor addressing short-, mid- and long-term needs to stabilize and grow the timber industry, including expanding existing state forests and establishing new state forests; revising state statutes and regulations to address the needs of small timber operators; seeking state management of federal timber acreage in Southeast Alaska, or improved federal policies to meet timber supply demand; seeking a 250,000acre state-federal land exchange, with dispersal of the newly acquired lands to Southeast communities for local economic use; and pressing the federal government to advertise additional timber sales and exempt Alaska national forests from the 2001 Roadless Rule.

The task force members include representatives from state agencies, the Governor’s Office, the U.S. Forest Service, the timber industry and Southeast Alaska communities. The U.S. Forest Service representative was a non-voting member of the task force. The 103-page report is available online at gov.alaska.gov.

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www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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View from the Top

Compiled By Peg Stomierowski

Dianne Tydings, Co-Owner Dianne’s Restaurant

D

ianne Tydings of Dianne’s Restaurant moved to Alaska from Minnesota in 1971. With a college friend, she homesteaded 160 acres at Sheep Mountain; there she nurtured her passion for creative food preparation before moving to Anchorage, eventually founding an eatery in 1977. “Our signature bread that we serve at Dianne’s today was one of the results of this time of ‘playing with food,’” she says.

Her initial venture, the original Cauldron, spawned an evening folk club and a commercial bakery. After her son Greg was born, Dianne offered catering from a mobile food kitchen while pursuing a business degree. With her sister and husband, she opened Dianne’s Restaurant & Catering in December 1989. State purchase of the building in 1997 led to challenges, and the last six years of construction surrounding their location often slowed things, she says, but walk-in business is growing again.

VIEW FROM THE TOP: More competition in the food industry keeps us all on our best game. We continue to build on our reputation for quality home-style, “made from scratch” offerings. Clients trust our reliable service and commitment to partner with them for successful events.

ON THE RUN: Dianne’s menus are designed for business meetings, office receptions, home entertaining and memorial gatherings; 35 percent of our efforts involve breakfast and lunch buffets for business meetings, another 25 percent seated dining, and 20 percent each is take-out service and evening or memorial receptions. We are expanding our catering to meet demand.

DRIVERS: Discretionary income is a big factor—especially with the changes in clientele in the building, but also with the shift in spending habits for both business and private sectors. Most of us are more cautious with our spending, with the focus on receiving the best value. The creation of Dianne’s Appetizer Menu allowed us to simplify our operations without compromising quality: customers can choose whether they want us to provide additional services.

PULSE OF CHANGE: In the ‘70s, it was still early enough to enjoy the days before big development. While opening the Cauldron, I read a book by Alice May Brock, “My Life as a Restaurant.” How true it is! Now we find ourselves amid the exciting buzz at the heart of the expanded and redesigned downtown business and arts district.

SECOND HOME: After the restaurant opened—Greg was 8—Dave and I had to accept that much of our family time would be spent working together. At first it seemed unfair to be working so much, but then we focused on the advantages. We grew our business and family together, much as families did before the Industrial Revolution.

CONNECTED: More than half our staff has been with us for eight to 15 years. Our team is built on mutual values and commitment to support one another’s success in life and work. Community involvement has helped us stay connected to what is important. Anchorage really cares about its locally owned businesses.

©2012 Chris Arend

■ 12

NEVER GIVE UP: We care, too, about quality of service. Our families, friends and community have gone before us and stood beside us. We have made a commitment to stay strong, survive and thrive.

R www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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economY

Wrangell’s Recovering Economy Fishing, tourism, forestry all part of revitalization

BY PAULA DOBBYN

W

hen Carol Rushmore moved to Wrangell in 1993, the Southeast Alaska community was buzzing with business activity. Although historically dependent on natural resources—fur, gold, timber and fish—and prone to boom and bust cycles, Wrangell was vibrant at the time Rushmore was unpacking boxes.

Rushmore remembers settling into a picturesque Panhandle town of about 2,400 residents when the community’s primary economic engine was churning—a sawmill that employed nearly 250 workers at its peak. Surrounded by the lush Tongass National Forest, the mill was a good place to work. It paid average wages more than 50 percent higher than most other jobs in town, according to the Alaska Department of Labor.

“When I got here, things were hopping.

You couldn’t get a post office box. You had to do general delivery. The housing market was unbelievably tight. Houses would sell overnight. It was a very busy place,” says Rushmore, Wrangell’s economic development director.

With an annual payroll in excess of $10 million, the Alaska Pulp Co. sawmill in downtown Wrangell provided about 30 percent of Wrangell’s wages.

Besides loggers and sawmill work-

ers, the company indirectly employed many other people, including dozens of longshoremen.

But a year after Rushmore took up residence the mill closed, sending shockwaves into Wrangell’s economy.

“We lost about hundreds of people practically overnight. Our unemployment rate shot up to over 20 percent. It was a dramatic loss and downturn for our community,” she says.

Wrangell’s unemployment rate in 2011 was down to 8.6 percent, and the preliminary September 2012 figures are even lower—6.9 percent. But the recovery has been slow and painful as the remote island town, about 155 miles south of Juneau, attempts to redefine itself and diversify. Still, there are many signs of life in Wrangell and indications that the economy is on the rise.

“We’re heading in the right direction.

Our fishing industry is strong. We’ve made a lot of improvements to our community infrastructure that is going to attract more visitors. We’ve seen nothing but opportunity for growth in our marine services sector,” says Jeremy Maxand, a member of Wrangell’s economic development committee and a former mayor.

There’s also some hope for what’s left of Wrangell’s timber industry. Last fall,

the U.S. Forest Service awarded three small-scale, or “micro,” timber sales in the area to a small group of specialty wood-products producers in the area.

In addition, there’s talk of turning the former Silver Bay sawmill site, about five miles south of town, into a niche wood-projects plant.

“If we begin a real specialty wood products program here, Wrangell could be the center of it for all of Southeast Alaska,” says Ron Franz, owner of Whale Bay Woods. Based in Quilcene, Wash., on the Olympic Peninsula, Franz recently opened a facility in Wrangell that turns Tongass wood into components for guitars, cellos and other musical instruments. He would like to expand his offerings and is looking for a larger space from which to operate.

“We have requests for $150,000 to $200,000 worth of wood that we can’t supply right now,” Franz says.

Besides music wood, Franz wants to sell Tongass lumber for boat building and archery products.

“Boat building is going through something of a Renaissance right now.

There’s strong demand for high-quality wood,” he says.

As part of its transition from largescale old-growth production to smaller

Zimovia Strait seen from Wrangell Island.

Photo by Jeremy Maxand

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www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

timber sales that include habitat restoration work, the Forest Service is currently putting together a Wrangell-area timber sale in collaboration with the community. It’s called the Wrangell Island Project, and a draft environmental impact statement should be out by next spring, says Tim Piazza, a planning forester for the Forest Service. It could offer as much as 91 million board feet of timber, he says.

Because of the potential for job creation and the expansion of a specialty wood-products industry in Wrangell, the city has fostered dialogue among residents, the Forest Service, conservationists, wood buyers, mill owners and others to figure out how best to tailor the Wrangell Island timber sale to suit the community’s best interests.

“We’re putting our heads together to deal with the most sensitive and controversial topic, which is the future of the timber industry on Wrangell Island.

But we’re having those conversations and they’ve been very constructive,” Piazza says.

Wrangell’s newest boat basin, Heritage Harbor, constructed in 2006.

Photo courtesy of the City and Borough of Wrangell

Revitalization Under Way

The signs of Wrangell’s transformation from a one-company sawmill town to more of a fishing and tourism community with some forest-products manufacture are visible almost everywhere.

For example, at the site of the former downtown sawmill now stands an allpurpose marine service center where boats can be hauled out, repaired and maintained. The center includes upland storage for more than 85 boats and houses an array of marine-related businesses to service vessels. Demand has been so high that the marine service center expanded for the 2012 season.

The town also upgraded its existing harbor and built a new boat basin, Heritage Harbor, in 2006. It filled up almost as soon as it was finished, Rushmore and Maxand both say. Because of Wrangell’s marine-infrastructure investments, more commercial fishing vessels as well as yachts and other pleasure boats are using Wrangell as a base of operations, they say.

“It’s been a real success story,” Rushmore says.

Trident Seafoods has also made expansions and improvements to its processing plant in Wrangell. Last sum

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Two views of downtown Wrangell.

mer, it started manufacturing fish-oil capsules, Maxand says.

Trident Seafoods spokesman, Randy Eronimous, declined to comment.

The James and Elsie Nolan Center— a state-of-the-art visitor and convention center built in 2004 that houses the Wrangell Museum—has also served to breathe life into Wrangell’s tourism industry.

Meanwhile, the local federally recognized tribe, the Wrangell Cooperative Association, is nearing completion of a $1 million clan house restoration project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for May 2013.

Near the site of the new clan house, another big construction project is also under way. The tribe has acquired funding to build a new carving facility to train tribal members in the traditional art of wood carving. It’s also a $1 million project, says Tis Peterman, project development director for the Wrangell Cooperative Association.

“It’s really brought the tribe together.

There’s been a real cultural reawakening happening here,” Peterman says.

Until now, Wrangell has lacked a venue to teach young people to carve and it’s been expensive to fly in master carvers, she says. The new carving facility will be a learning center, and with the newly restored clan house, will serve to boost the tribe’s tourism ventures.

“We view these projects as economic development tools for the tribe,” she says.

Last summer, Wrangell also completed what amounts to a community facelift.

“We revitalized the downtown core,” says Rushmore. “We basically ripped up Front Street and put in new sidewalks, new plumbing.”

Dilapidated buildings were torn down. Hanging baskets and flower boxes were installed to spruce up the town’s ■ 16

Photos by Greg Knight

look. Crimson-colored glass chips were placed into parts of the new sidewalks to emulate local garnets that children collect and sell to tourists, Maxand says.

“Everybody loves what’s happened with downtown. Even the people who said, ‘We don’t need flower boxes,’ they support what’s been done,” he says.

Changing Roles

Beyond the array of tangible signs that economic activity is returning to Wrangell, personal stories tell the larger tale of the town’s transition.

Maxand, the former mayor and a current member of the economic development committee, is a case in point.

Born and raised in Wrangell, Maxand, 39, is the son of a longshoreman who serviced log ships that transported Tongass old-growth timber to and from the former sawmill. Several of his family members worked directly for the mill.

Maxand attended college in the Lower 48 on a scholarship provided by the Alaska Pulp Co. He has a master’s degree in history from Boise State University where he teaches online classes in sociology as adjunct faculty. After spending 16 years living in Idaho, Maxand returned home to Wrangell in 2007. The following year he won a seat on the Wrangell Borough Assembly where he served for two years. In 2010, he ran successfully for mayor and last October he completed his two-year term.

Known as a driving force behind Wrangell’s economic recovery and a consensus builder, Maxand wears multiple hats.

The owner of a coffee roasting business, Maxand is also on the staff of the Juneau-based Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, a nonprofit group that was instrumental in reforming

Forest Service timber policies in the Tongass. He is employed by SEACC as a community organizer in Wrangell.

Maxand took the job one month after becoming Wrangell’s mayor.

“Once I took the job with SEACC, I figured there was a pretty good chance I’d be recalled. But in fact, it’s never really been an issue. I’ve had two years of really great work as mayor trying to support the small mill guys in town and trying to engage the Forest Service at a level we’ve never done in the past,” Maxand says.

That a SEACC community organizer could be mayor of blue-collar Wrangell is nothing short of extraordinary and shows how far the town has come in moving beyond its past, many observers say. For years, as Wrangell’s timber industry shrank and finally collapsed, and as families were forced to move away to find work, the tone of public discourse in Wrangell tended to be bitter, especially toward anyone with environmental leanings.

“I couldn’t imagine anyone associated with SEACC living here in the 1990s, much less being mayor. You had death threats being leveled against anyone speaking out on behalf of fish and wildlife conservation,” Maxand says.

But having grown up in Wrangell in a family that was directly tied to the timber industry gave Maxand some street credibility. That, combined with his measured approach to resource issues and his commitment to fostering jobs and supporting existing and new industries, served him well in his role as mayor.

“He’s changed the tone of the conversation. Instead of an us-versus-them approach, which often takes place when you talk about conservation and natural resource issues, he comes at it from the perspective of, ‘What’s good for the

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

community in the long term?’” says Stephen Todd, a Wrangell resident and fisheries technician with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Maxand has been working to create dialogue between the Forest Service, small mill owners, wood buyers and others so that when future timber sales are offered nearby, local residents and wood-product entrepreneurs who want to work in Wrangell can benefit.

Karen Hardigg, who works for the Forest Service as a liaison with conservation groups, is encouraged by what she sees happening in Wrangell.

“Wrangell has an exciting alignment of people working together to try to do some new and innovative things for the local economy. It’s not everyday that you get environmental organizers working side by side with Forest Service officials, forest products people and tourism business owners to make economic change happen,” Hardigg says.

Although the recession took a bite out of his business, as it did for most tourism operators in Southeast Alaska and beyond, Leslie said recently that Alaska Waters Inc. is doing well.

While big life changes are never easy, Leslie said he has no regrets about his move from timber to tourism. In his view, you have to get on with life and find new ways to create opportunities.

“I don’t look back,” Leslie says.

One of Wrangell’s strong points is its resilience, Todd says. The town has an uncanny ability to come together and find solutions, he says.

“There’s a real sense of community here. That’s one of the things that drew me to it when I moved here in 1999. Even though it was still in a kind of hangover from the post-sawmill era, there was a real energy to the place,” Todd says.

“Even though Wrangell has been known for being polarized, when the town needs help, they circle the wagons. They take care of their own.”

R

Freelance journalist Paula Dobbyn lives in Anchorage.

Logger to Tourism Entrepreneur

Jim Leslie is another Wrangell resident whose career has paralleled the town’s transformation.

For many years, Leslie owned a logging company that operated remote camps throughout the Tongass National Forest. Leslie Cutting Inc. employed roughly 75 people and harvested up to 220 million board feet of old-growth timber per year.

Times were good for Leslie and his employees until market conditions, legal cutbacks in logging and other factors forced Southeast Alaska’s two pulp mills and several sawmills, including the one in downtown Wrangell, to cease operation. Leslie, a former board member of the Alaska Forest Association, the state’s largest timber industry trade group, was resentful when the business he had built from the ground up was forced to close in 1992.

“I had a chip on my shoulder,” Leslie recalls.

The worst part was having to lay off men with families to support.

But Leslie found a new career. He opened Alaska Waters Inc., an adventure-based tourism company that offers a variety of options, including jet boat tours of the Stikine River, glacier and bear viewing, rainforest walks and cultural excursions.

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special section

Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel

© Alaska Airlines

Corporate Travel Tools Agencies, airlines add value with technology

BY GAIL WEST

I

n the world of business travel, the pendulum is swinging back again.

Corporations are migrating away from unstructured travel programs so they can track their employees’ travel better and recapture unused tickets to help their bottom lines. There are competing tools to help them do that, and businesses can thank advanced technology for those tools.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., a 42-year-old, 800-employee-strong organization, sends its people to a variety of remote and not-so-remote sites along the pipeline’s route from Prudhoe ■ 18

Bay to Valdez on a regular basis. They can make their reservations in several ways. Among their choices: use their contracted travel agent, use their travel agent’s online reservation tools or use Alaska Airlines’ online reservation tool.

“Our employees have to follow company procedures, but they arrange their own travel,” says Lisa Booth, assistant systems performance manager for Alyeska.

The same holds true for employees who travel outside the state, Booth says.

They’ll go to meet with contractors who may be anywhere in the country—even out of the country. They may also travel

to attend conferences or go to Washington, D.C., for regulatory meetings. “There are a small handful of Alyeska employees who travel overseas,” Booth says. “Currently, most are going to Italy. USTravel generally arranges those trips for us.”

To arrange travel, whether it is by air or car, or a hotel stay, Alyeska’s employees can choose to step into the electronic age and use the Internet or they can use the old-fashioned, more personal method of making a phone call to a travel agent.

“We’re using technology more and more to track our whole trips,” says Katie Pesznecker, Alyeska’s community

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

and public relations manager. “Sometimes I like the convenience of calling the travel agent, but either way we get the complete travel package, the airline reservations, the rental car, the hotel— it’s all in one package.”

Alyeska nixes travel arranged through online agents such as Orbitz or Travelocity, according to Booth. “We can’t track our unused tickets through those sites. We can’t track matching miles or those kinds of things, so we don’t use them,” she says.

A Growing Travel Agency

USTravel Senior Vice President for Business Development Mary Gasperlin says the company has grown since its birth in Anchorage in the 1950s. Today, USTravel has about 170 employees nationwide in six Alaska offices as well as offices in Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane and Portland. In addition, Gasperlin says, USTravel owns a small company in Des Moines, Iowa, that provides largegroup movement for companies.

“Generally, these are companies that provide incentive trips for employees,” Gasperlin says, “but through that

company, we recently moved a major network’s executives to the London Olympics. We work with others such as major car companies and financial corporations—one had to have 3,000 people arrive in Los Angeles within 18 hours for a company meeting.”

Gasperlin also listed a second company under the USTravel umbrella, Visions Meeting Management, which provides everything, she says, from name tags to registration to closing ceremonies—partial or full conference planning.

“They are very specific in their niche,” Gasperlin says. “Visions does a lot of work for organizations throughout the state and specializes in international conference planning.”

A third USTravel company, Explore Tours, provides independent travel for very specific groups, Gasperlin says. “It offers everything from exclusive tours to the Arctic to classic cruise/rail tours.

Each trip is customized to suit the needs of the group or individual and is constructed with the expertise of an Alaskan,” she says.

USTravel focuses its corporate travel efforts primarily on companies in Alas-

ka and the Pacific Northwest, according to Gasperlin, and, she points out, the company is known for its expertise in remote resource travel in Alaska. Companies working in the oil, mining and fishing industries “rely on USTravel to get to remote places in Alaska and in the world,” Gasperlin says.

Travel Tracking Tools

The ability of USTravel to provide specific tools to help businesses track their travel is one of the big reasons corporations use the travel agency. “We customize for each client,” Gasperlin says. “We can provide structure for their program, save them time and money, and provide a high quality of service. For clients who might need to fly on several airlines, we can consolidate so they don’t have to visit a series of airline websites to make their arrangements. In some cases, we’ve helped clients eliminate six or seven steps in their process.”

USTravel provides a virtually paperless itinerary and helps clients track their travel program at any given point in time. For instance, Gasperlin pointed out, USTravel helps companies track

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19 ■

their unused tickets. If an employee books a flight then has to change plans, that ticket can get lost and never used.

“It’s still out there,” she says, “just like cash and the tickets, if they aren’t used, expire so the money is lost. We’ve calculated the savings and figure we save our clients about $1 million a year with this service.”

Regular reports to clients let them know their available funds on every airline, Gasperlin says, and USTravel individualizes those reports to every traveler on every carrier, going so far as to develop software for some clients, enabling them to track charters.

“We work with the GDS system,” Gasperlin says. “That’s the Global Distribution System. It’s a global inventory of all airline seats—even small carriers load their inventory into GDS. It’s a very powerful inventory management tool. We can see all the possibilities for any given city at any time, so we can save our clients time and money on their travel.

“For all UStravel customers, there’s a travel profile that makes it easier for clients to get their preferences and for

■ 20

“We don’t technically get into corporate travel as such, but we do contract to provide ground-handling services and all the support services that go along with that. We frequently do that for oil companies operating up north. We do that now for North Slope oil companies and we provide all the cargo work for Red Dog mine.”

—David Squier Vice President of Cargo and Ground Services, NAC

the companies for which they work to ensure employees adhere to affiliations, such as Avis or Hertz rental cars, specific hotels and airlines,” Gasperlin says. “We also make sure that all an employee’s airline mileage numbers are registered so they get credit for all the miles they fly.”

Booking Charters

USTravel has worked to book charters at times for their clients. Gasperlin says her company has a partnership with Northern Aviation Services, an offshoot of Northern Air Cargo, to provide ground services for chartered aircraft.

“We don’t technically get into corporate travel as such,” says David Squier,

vice president of Cargo and Ground Services for NAC, “but we do contract to provide ground-handling services and all the support services that go along with that. We frequently do that for oil companies operating up north.

We do that now for North Slope oil companies and we provide all the cargo work for Red Dog mine.”

Squier also says NAC and its subsidiaries work with Alaska General Seafoods to move their fish from Bristol Bay. “Last year, there were 70 flights just to move fish,” he says.

One of the newest pieces of corporate travel business for both USTravel and Northern Aviation, as both Squiers and Gasperlin phrase it, is for “a company

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

that has recently begun exploring the Arctic for oil.” Northern Aviation provides their charter operation, whether to the North Slope or to western Alaska, checking in passengers, ensuring safety requirements and so on, Squiers adds.

Alaska’s corporate air travelers have additional methods they can use to facilitate their trips. Alaska Airlines works with a number of businesses in the oil and fishing industries to help them move large numbers of people at one time.

“We work directly with them to secure large blocks of seats on a flight,” says Scott Habberstad, director of Sales and Community Marketing Alaska.

“One of our oil industry customers recently came to us and said they needed more seats on Mondays to Deadhorse, so we shifted our morning flight from the 72-seat combi (freight and passenger) to an all passenger configured plane at 144 seats.”

VISA card, that earns additional miles.”

Currently, 3,500 Alaska businesses are registered with EasyBiz, and he says the program includes a variety of fields for tracking and reporting, including the ability to track the job for which the employee is traveling.

“If the company has affiliations, such as rental car companies or hotels, there are fields to load those relationships,” he says. “There’s a portal to take you straight through to the rental car company or hotel so you can manage your affiliations online. As another benefit to EasyBiz, the support desk is accessible

seven days a week for toll-free customer service support.”

Corporate travelers today are fortunate to have the support of travel agencies and technological tools enabling companies to recoup costs of unused tickets, earn travel benefits, charge employees’ travel to appropriate jobs, and still give travelers the individualized service they want and need.

R

Freelance writer Gail West lives in Anchorage.

Welcome to

KETCHIKAN

Your Alaska Destination for Meetings and Events. The place where you can accomplish your agenda, while nurturing your soul.

Helping Travelers

To help passengers, whether corporate or individual, Alaska Airlines recently introduced Club 49—a program that gives Alaskans the ability to check two bags free of charge and to take advantage of last-minute travel discounts.

Alaska Airlines also recently offered a mobile app for smart phones. According to Habberstad, one of the features of the new app lets users search for and book tickets for up to seven travelers at a time. This app also lets travelers check in via smartphone and holds an electronic boarding pass that scans through security.

Habberstad says Alaska Airlines recently placed an order with Boeing for 50 new aircraft, including the 737 MAX, to be delivered between 2015 and 2022, giving the air carrier additional flexibility in the use of its fleet.

Specifically to help corporate travelers, he says, Alaska introduced EasyBiz about nine years ago.

“It’s an online tool for companies to manage their travel in-house,” he says.

“There is no charge to sign up, and money spent on airfare earns frequent flier miles. The program also tells businesses whether or not a ticket has been used. If you spend $1,000 on a ticket, your company earns 1,000 miles and you earn the miles you fly. And if you put your ticket on your Alaska Airlines’

Ketchikan Visitors Bureau Helping to serve all your event needs.

Art Lives Here

www.meetinalaska.com

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21 ■

special section

Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel

© Loren Holmes / AlaskaDispatch.com

Asian investors at the Arctic Imperative Summit held in August at the Alyeska Resort.

Alaska is the Place to Meet Plenty of choices for conventions and conferences

BY JOETTE STORM

T

here was a time when finding space for corporate conferences and meetings was a challenge. Today, with more than 2,000 hotels, lodges and venues in Alaska there are plenty of choices. They range from national brands such as the Millennium in Anchorage to the locally-owned Pike’s Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks. Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Valdez, Nome and Kodiak all have convention centers to serve professional associations and business customers.

Anchorage alone has 70 properties from high-rise towers and fancy restaurants to lakeside hotels. Thirty-three hotels market meeting space, among them ■ 22

the newer Embassy Suites and Crowne Plaza. Alyeska Resort, an hour’s drive from the hustle bustle of the city, is everybody’s favorite getaway nestled at the foot of Mount Alyeska. The resort has hosted many international conferences, including the Arctic Imperative Summit in August. The property’s largest meeting/conference spaces are the Kahiltna Court at 3,200 square feet and the Columbia Ballroom at 3,150 square feet.

The rental fee for each room is $1,500, and that is negotiable depending on the amount of meals required for each day.

With so many choices, a meeting planner has much to consider. Crystal

Enkvist, APR, director of Member and Public Relations for the Alaska Power Association, plans eight to 10 meetings a year. They vary in purpose and size so her needs are diverse.

A number of APA meetings each year are in Juneau, making Centennial Hall a logical choice for a venue. The municipally owned center has a 12,000-squarefoot unpillared ballroom, the largest such space in all of Southeast, according to Steven Pfister, general manager.

“Centennial Hall is really a civic center, providing space for hundreds of local events from concerts to the public market,” Pfister says. “We must balance

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Site Selection

Comparing space and rates, the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage offers ballrooms on two levels. The lower level, a comparable hall at 11,228 square feet, rents for $2,995 per day. The Valdez Convention Center, also owned by the city, uses a three-class fee system. Daily rates for the 6,464-square-foot triple ballroom include: commercial, $600; local resident, $480; and nonprofit, $300.

“We are the best bargain around,” says Pam Lunt, Centennial Hall manager. “The facility features a professional performance theatre for large general sessions or evening entertainment. The theatre sets us apart from other conference venues. Catering is provided by local eateries in Juneau.”

One advantage Valdez has over Juneau is that it is accessible by highway. Valdez offers a rural Alaska feeling for conventioneers and corporate travelers. Known for hosting the Last Frontier Theater Conference, the Valdez Convention Center sits on a bluff overlooking Valdez Harbor. One can watch the ferry dock or view oil tankers plowing away from the trans-Alaska oil pipeline terminal.

The island community of Kodiak is promoting corporate business with its relatively new Kodiak Harbor Convention Center. Jack and Judy Johnson, who own the Best Western Hotel, privately own the venue. The largest room is the 3,200-square-foot Pavilion, which rents for $300 per day. Catering is by the Best Western kitchen, which also offers accommodations in partnership with the center.

When the agenda is more about the internal workings of an organization, such as an annual meeting or workshop, Enkvist believes in distributing the economic benefit to communities where she has member electric utilities.

“I’ve planned 12 annual meetings for Alaska Power Association in 10 communities across the state. Each meeting

Photo courtesy of Alaska Power Association

that use with the convention business, which brings in millions of dollars each year to Juneau’s economy.”

As a municipal facility subsidized by the hotel tax and general fund, Centennial Hall rents for well below the cost of other venues. For example, the largest ballroom space is $780 for nine hours, and the local nonprofit rate is $585.

“We have to feel 100 percent comfortable with a venue before we will consider planning a meeting there.”

—Crystal Enkvist, APR Director of Member & Public Relations Alaska Power Association

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

23 ■

Photo courtesy of Pike’s Waterfront Lodge

Hold your next meeting in picturesque Juneau, Alaska and receive 25,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles*.

• Daily jet service on Alaska Airlines • Top-notch dining and catering services • 20,000 sq. ft. Centennial Hall Convention Center • Comfortable and affordable lodging and meeting facilities for up to 600 attendees

Not only will you enjoy all of the GLACIERS, WHALES and WILDERNESS Juneau has to offer, but you will also be rewarded with enough Mileage Plan Miles to come back and visit again!

“We have special room rates for Alaskans, generally at a 10 percent discount, and offer little perks like free ice cream.” *Call today for mileage program details and your FREE Juneau Meeting Planner Guide

Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau • 1-800-587-2201 • www.traveljuneau.com

—Deborah Hansen Director of Marketing & Sales Pike’s Waterfront Lodge

is unique and has its own character,” she says. “It is derived from several factors, including the community in which it is held, the theme for that year, the quality of speakers, the kinds of social events, the characteristics of the venue and the weather. In Barrow in 2003, we had snow in August and several polar bear sightings.”

With all that in mind, Enkvist personally surveys properties herself, inspecting for cleanliness, reasonable prices and venues that are equipped with essentials for business travelers. She gauges whether the sales manager is open to negotiation and inquires about other groups that have held meetings in the venue.

“We have to feel 100 percent comfortable with a venue before we will consider planning a meeting there,” she says.

North by Northwest

Everyone wants to negotiate on price, according to Deborah Hansen, director of marketing and sales for Pike’s Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks. Though popular with tourists in summer, corporate meetings make up 80 percent of Pike’s winter business. There are five meeting rooms with capacities from 15 to 250 people. Rates range from $300 a ■ 24

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Photo courtesy of Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge

day for the smallest room to $500 for the 2,800-square-foot Binkley Room.

“We have special room rates for Alaskans, generally at a 10 percent discount, and offer little perks like free ice cream,” Hansen says.

Pike’s earned a Green Star award in 2009 for reducing its carbon footprint, water use and energy consumption.

Collaborating with the local Future Farmers of America and University of Alaska Fairbanks, Pike’s converted its greenhouse to a hydroponic growing system, added solar panels to supplement power, and converted to ozone laundry equipment. In-room reminders ask guests to save energy by turning off lights and TVs when leaving a room.

Customer service is a high priority for Pike’s. Hansen says the lodge has a supply of loaner laptops and phone chargers for folks who fail to bring them from home.

In many hotels if a guest leaves an item behind, they will never see it again. Pike’s will mail the items to the guest’s home.

Maybe that is just Fairbanks hospitality, because Dave Arnott of the Fairbanks Princess Riverside says his lodge also returns forgotten items. The Riv-

Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge on the Chena River.

erside Lodge is the only Princess Tours Lodge in the state that remains open year-round. It offers five full-service meeting rooms servicing groups from 100 to 400, and adjacent rooms can be configured in a variety of ways to accommodate larger gatherings. The facility features a built-in media center. The Edgewater, at 4,800 square feet, is the largest room and rents for $800 a day.

For those wanting a more exotic experience, the Nullagvik Hotel in Kotzebue could be just the ticket. Touting itself as a hub of Northwestern Alaska, the new structure replaces the original built by NANA Regional Corporation Inc. in 1975.

Built to the scale of a smaller community, the property has 71 guest rooms and seven suites as well as a meeting room that can accommodate up to 100 people. It boasts

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25 ■

an observation room overlooking Norton Sound and many features of other hotels in bigger cities such as an exercise room with cardio equipment and weights, and a restaurant on the premises.

Southcentral Space

with access to the wonderful exhibits, she says. The First Class Theater, which accommodates 25 persons, rents for $75 an hour, including multimedia equipment.

Kenai’s Challenger Learning Center affords an out of this world atmosphere with it high tech décor and equipment.

There are five classrooms ranging from 650 to 2,635 square feet. The Aurora Borealis room rents for $350 for an 8-hour day. The Challenger Center also has staff-led activities to power up any management team.

Enkvist has held an annual meeting there, finding it a nice change of pace for her organization. She is willing to try unusual venues because her participants do not have many special needs that APA cannot meet itself. What is important is the willingness of venue staff to respond when an unexpected issue comes up.

She recalls one instance in Juneau when a room needed to be reconfigured on short notice and the staff responded in record time—attendees never knew there was a glitch. She was sure to praise the staff to both the facility manager and marketing director.

R Author Joette Storm lives in Anchorage.

Photos by Penny McGoey / Centennial Hall Juneau

Anchorage offers spaces for just about any budget. The Millennium Hotel on Lake Hood has a new manager. Carol Fraser, a veteran of the hospitality industry, is directing a $6 million remodel of the entire property. With six meeting rooms and three suites totaling 6,000 square feet, the Millennium can accommodate small conferences such as the University of Alaska hockey coaches or large sessions of 180.

Virtually on the doorstep of the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center is the Marriott, a franchise of Columbia Sussex Corp. The Marriott, which caters to groups such as the Alaska Broadcasters Association, has 12 breakout rooms and a total of 14,000

square feet of meeting space, and a ballroom with seating capacity of 888.

A few unusual venues to add to a meeting planner’s list include the Campbell Creek Science Center located off 68th Avenue and Elmore Road. The public facility occasionally hosts retreats and training sessions like Learn to Return survival classes. The multipurpose room, capacity 120, rents for $825 per day. Staff members can provide Icebreaker and Energizer activities for an extra fee. The facility has a full kitchen, but no catering service.

If a management team or professional association seeks an offbeat atmosphere for an offsite meeting, they can meet in a refurbished Alaska Airlines 737 Combi aircraft at the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum. The cost is $250 per hour with a two-hour minimum, and it is only available in summer, says Shari Hart, marketing manager. Although there is a room in the museum itself

Centennial Hall in Juneau, and (outset) its totem pole.

■ 26

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special section

Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel

Visit Anchorage, Visit Alaska © Mikhail Siskoff / Visit Anchorage

Charity Walk: From national and international conferences to community events like the annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk, pictured here, the Dena’ina Center hosts hundreds of events throughout the year.

Drawing dollars for communities, explorers for state

BY ZAZ HOLLANDER

T

he World Beard and Moustache Championships came for a visit.

So did the Association of Band and Instrument Repair Technicians.

Astronomers, too - more than 1,000 members of the American Astronomical Society including telescope-toting NASA scientists traveled to Alaska’s largest city in June to share their love of the stars.

Conventions and meetings in Anchorage bring tens of thousands of visitors every year. Despite a sagging economy, Visit Anchorage— the city’s convention and visitor organization—has booked $95

■ 28

million to $100 million worth of meetings in Anchorage annually for five years running, according to Julie Dodds, Visit Anchorage’s convention sales director.

“Everybody’s dream is to visit Alaska,” Dodds says. “Having a meeting here provides that opportunity.”

While the majority of Anchorage’s convention traffic comes from in-state groups, roughly 40 percent of the city’s conference and meeting guests hail from the Lower 48 or other countries.

Along with the time they spend in Anchorage on business, those outside guests

tack a few days on to their trips to see a little more of the state—fishing on the Kenai Peninsula, traveling to the Mat-Su for some hiking or taking the Alaska Railroad to Denali National Park & Preserve.

They visit Anchorage — and then explore the state for a few extra days.

Stay, Then Play

Hard numbers on the effect Visit Anchorage has on other tourist destinations are hard to come by.

The state doesn’t track those numbers, according to economist Neal

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Fried, with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

A standard formula established by Destination Marketing Associations International estimates $974 per delegate per day. In-state visitors tend to spend less, more like $470 per delegate per day.

It’s likely, however, that Anchorage visitors spend more. For one, a gift shop on Fourth Avenue selling ulu knives, smoked salmon and birch bowls might drum up more business than a comparable shop in downtown Cleveland.

For another, an unknown but significant number of delegates meet in Anchorage and then leave the municipality for additional travel. Some may bring relatives with them to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

While there is no official marketing campaign to lure convention guests outside Anchorage, Visit Anchorage works with its nearly 1,200 members to promote wider trips, according to Julie Saupe, its president and chief executive officer.

At trade shows, Visit Anchorage sets up a table with information about trips around Anchorage, Saupe says. But members are welcome to advertise their services as well.

CIRI can promote its glacier tours or the Alaska Railroad can talk up a Denali trip.

“In convention sales we really try to sell Anchorage but we know people want to explore,” she says. “We figure if we’ve got ‘em for three or four nights then they can get out and explore the rest of the state.”

2013

Please join us in January for an informative look at Alaska’s economy and a forecast of market trends.

These much anticipated luncheon events will be conducted in Fairbanks (1/15), Anchorage (1/16), and Juneau (1/17).

Get a jump on the competition with the 2013 Statewide Economic Forecast as well as an update on international markets important to Alaska.

Please call (907) 27-TRADE e for details and reservations

,B WTCAK obal! nd Gl Local a

Also visit our website

www.wtcak.org

431 W. 7th Avenue, Suite 108 I Anchorage, AK 99501

Serving Alaska’s Business Community Since 1987

A World-Class Meeting Locale

The Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals brought about 600 members to the Egan Center in September.

The 3,400-member group based in Bethesda, Md., sought out a special destination for its 2012 annual meeting, says Executive Director Cedric Calhoun.

“It was our twenty-fifth anniversary and we wanted to do something in a location that you can’t see and do for the same amount of money much anywhere else in the world,” Calhoun says.

The Egan provided ample room and service, and Alaska’s environmental regulations represent some of the toughest in the country, he says, so the environmental health and safety professionals gathered for the conference had plenty to talk about.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

29 ■

famous for the high-quality Native art

“It’s a true testament to the draw of Alaska—we overshot our room sold there.

AFN draws a peak of 3,500 people, block at the hotel by about 500 room nights.”

—Cedric Calhoun Executive Director, The Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals

Plus the trip actually cost about $200 per person less than a comparable conference in Seattle; airfare cost more, but lodging and food/beverage costs were lower.

Regardless, the real attraction was the destination itself.

“It’s a true testament to the draw of Alaska—we overshot our room block at the hotel by about 500 room nights,” Calhoun says. “People came in a week early or stayed a week late.”

Many traveled to Denali National Park or took glacier tours by helicopter or boat tour. Others spent the night at the Alyeska Hotel in Girdwood. About a dozen took a post-conference cruise from Seward to Vancouver, B.C. With help from Visit Anchorage, Calhoun says conference organizers could lay out different agendas for attendees: “Here are some things that you can do in town with a free day—or if you’re coming in early, here are three- or four-day packages you can take advantage of as well.”

Building in Time to Travel

Anchorage’s twin convention facilities, the Egan Center and the Dena’ina Center, represent the largest such facilities in the state. The city’s hotels boast ample rooms, so it’s a no-brainer that people booking meetings and conferences in Alaska look to Anchorage first—but Anchorage has an additional marketing tool: the rest of the state.

“Anchorage has an advantage as a meeting destination because of the ‘I always wanted to go there’ factor that doesn’t have to do with the meeting; it has to do with pre- or post- additional days at the destination,” says Bonnie Quill, executive director of the Matanuska-Susitna Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Mat-Su bureau’s board supported the construction of the Dena’ina Center, which opened in 2008. Directors knew the additional convention delegates would bring new visitors to the Mat-Su too, says Quill.

The City of Palmer conducted a feasibility study for a convention center but found that limited lodging in the ■ 30

area could prove a challenge. What the area has to offer is its incredible natural beauty: the Talkeetna and Chugach mountains, Denali State Park, funky yet scenic downtown Talkeetna, the Knik and Matanuska glaciers, and salmon streams and sled dog kennels.

“When Anchorage is reaching out for meetings, they’re actually showing pictures of Hatcher Pass or Talkeetna,” Quill says. “We recognize that, they recognize that. So of course we’re both partners in supporting conventions.”

Sometimes delegates attending Anchorage events come out to the Mat-Su for team-building exercises, she says.

Vern Halter, an Iditarod musher who runs the Dream a Dream kennel in Willow, takes conventioneers on dogsled rides in summer and winter—but added travel days beyond the meeting make up most of the benefit that Anchorage conventions give the Mat-Su, Quill says. “People are going to come all this way. They say ‘I travel, I’ll add an additional day just to explore the area.’”

‘Our Best Customer’

Alaska generates more than half the convention and meeting traffic that comes to Anchorage, or about 60 percent of the convention and meeting business.

“Alaska is probably our best customer,” Dodds says. “We love our state meetings. They tend to come back almost annually because we do have the largest facilities and the most hotel rooms.”

The Denai’na Center has a capacity of roughly 2,500. The Egan can hold 1,200 people.

Some examples of in-state groups that convened in Anchorage: the Governor’s Health and Safety Council, the Alaska State School Board and the Alaska Center for the Environment.

The biggest gathering by far is the Alaska Federation of Natives, which holds annual meetings in Fairbanks or Anchorage. Alaska Natives from around the state come together to talk politics and policy but also to reunite and visit. The arts and crafts show is

according to Dodds. The next closest meeting, in terms of numbers, was the 2005 American Fisheries Society which numbered about 2,800.

AFN is also the most fun, says Saupe.

“It’s a gathering. It’s a homecoming.”

Going National

Visit Anchorage handles its marketing for in-state clientele with one sales manager who tracks in-state meeting planners and helps them find space, Dodds says.

Visit Anchorage’s national and international recruiting involves numerous sales managers with different territories throughout the United States, she says.

Three concentrate on the East Coast, including Washington, D.C., home to the largest association base in the world. One manager works out of Chicago, the home base for the American Bar Association and a hotbed for medical meetings. And another focuses on the oil and gas industry in Texas.

National and international clients tend to book three to five years out. The National Right of Way Association, for example, just chose Anchorage for its 2017 meeting.

Meeting and convention guests from Outside tend to return to Alaska, Dodds says.

“A lot of time they don’t add enough days,” she says. “We get a lot of people who come back, both as independent travelers and for meetings.”

Ducks Unlimited, a national wetlands and waterfowl conservation nonprofit with more than 500,000 members, plans to convene in Anchorage in 2016 . That will make the group’s third Anchorage conference in 20 years.

Calhoun, with the Hazardous Materials group, says people who attended the Anchorage conference this year want to return.

“In a number of evaluations and even on site, folks were asking when we’re coming back,” he says. “So it’s definitely on their minds. People who attended absolutely loved it.”

R Zaz Hollander is a journalist living in Palmer.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory AUDIO/VISUAL SERVICES Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Alaska Audio/Visual & Data Supply PO Box 507 Anchor Point, AK 99556 Phone: 907-696-8273 Fax: 866-807-1937

Vicki Wilson, Pres.

Alaska Film Office 550 W. Seventh Ave., Suite 1770 Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-269-8190 Fax: 907-269-8147

Dave Worrell, Develop. Specialist II

Aurora Films 324 E. Dowling Rd., Suite 4 Anchorage, AK 99518 Phone: 907-258-4686 Fax: 907-561-6622

Laurence Goldin, Producer

Capital Community Broadcasting 360 Egan Dr. Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 907-586-1670 Fax: 907-586-3612

James Mahan, Station Mgr.

E Street Audio Visual 315 E St. Anchorage, AK 99501-2306 Phone: 907-277-3331 Fax: 907-277-4447

Mary Rohlfing, Exec. VP

Media Production Associates Inc. 315 E St. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-277-4444 Fax: 907-277-4447

Mary Rohlfing, VP

SprocketHeads, LLC 2907 Iris Dr. Anchorage, AK 99517 Phone: 907-248-4829 Fax: 907-248-0239

Carolyn Robinson, Owner/Exec. Prod.

Talking Circle Media 5630 B St. Anchorage, AK 99518 Phone: 907-245-3209 Fax: 907-245-3339

Jonathan Butzke, Owner

The Chariot Group, Inc. 3120 Denali St., Suite 1 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-222-5300 Fax: 907-222-5301

Rick Thomas, Pres./CEO

AK Estab.

Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Services Business Activity

1989

1

Distributor of office supplies and audio/visual products.

2008

2

State office promoting Alaska's emerging film industry. Website has extensive listings and information.

1974

1

Motion picture and television production, writing and consulting.

1976

25

Live broadcast and web streams of events in Alaska, public affairs programing, full service tv production facility and staff.

1991

6

Camcorders, complete sound systems, computer LCD projectors, courtroom/forensic graphics, front/rear speakers, laptop/PC monitors, microphones/speakers/screens, multimedia projection, TV/VCR combos, technical consultation and more.

1989

8

Commercials, documentaries and training films.

1995

5

SprocketHeads is Alaska's Film, Television & Commercial Production Headquarters.

SprocketHeads produces and provides production services for high-end commercials, network programming, feature films, contemporary documentaries and music videos.

Carolyn Robinson: Owner/Executive Producer. Cinematographer: Steve Rychetnik.

1989

7

Live Internet web casting service, video production, AV meeting/conference equipment rentals and staff, website design, graphic animation, DVD duplication, live TV broadcast, film equipment rentals.

1999

25

Full-service audiovisual integrator specializing in multimedia solutions and collaborative technologies provides communications solutions meeting the operational needs of our clients. We also offer a comfortable, upscale Conference Center conveniently located in midtown Anchorage accommodating a variety of meeting types.

akavdata@horizonsatellite.com www.alaskaav.com

alaskafilm@alaska.gov www.film.alaska.gov

aurorafilms@acsalaska.net

KTOO Productions 360north.org

mpa@alaska.net www.estreet-av.net

mpa@alaska.net

carolyn@sprocketheads.com www.sprocketheads.com

info@talkingcirclemedia.com www.talkingcirclemedia.com

info@chariotgroup.com www.chariotgroup.com

CATERERS Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Alaska Sunset View Resort PO Box 521402 Big Lake, AK 99652 Phone: 907-892-8885 Fax: 907-892-8887

Kathleen J Glines, Owner/Mgr.

Alaskan Events & Catering LLC 8086 E. Timb Cir. Wasilla, AK 99654 Phone: 907-746-4181 Fax: 907-746-4182

Kirsten Pedersen, Exec. Chef, CEM

Cafe de Paris/Lavelle's Bistro 575 First Ave. Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: 907-456-1669 Fax: 907-450-0444

Kathy Lavelle, Exec. Chef

Chiulista Services Inc. 6613 Brayton Dr., Suite C Anchorage, AK 99507 Phone: 907-278-2208 Fax: 907-677-7261

Monique Henriksen, VP AK Ops.

Dianne's Restaurant and Catering 550 W. Seventh Ave., Suite 110 Anchorage, AK 99501-3510 Phone: 907-279-7243 Fax: 907-279-7429

Dianne Tydings, Owner/Gen. Mgr.

Kinley's Restaurant and Bar 3230 Seward Hwy. Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-644-8953 Fax: 907-644-8957

Brett Knipmeyer

■ 32

AK AK Estab.

Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Services Business Activity

1997

11

We have a private unique Lakefront Resort, which offers overnight accommodations for business retreats, family reunions, vacations, romantic getaways, quilting or sewing retreats, weddings & receptions, Christmas parties and special events. "New Rustic Lodge" located next to Meadowcreek/Houston, AK. We have the Alaska Boathouse Restaurant on site.

2001

45

Full-service catering of all types; corporate events, grand openings, holiday parties, business receptions, picnics, wedding receptions and destination events. Full rentals and equipment if required. Specializing in Alaskan grown, locally grown and Alaskan fresh sea foods. A green friendly company!

1984

55

Beverage license, exclusive rights to all services, full-service menu, on-site, off-site, formal, table decorations, punch fountain, Maitre D', ice sculpture, hot line, hors'd'oeuvres, uniforms and tray porters.

1996

150

Primary Naics: Food Services. SIC: BOS, facility support services, fuel services, airfield management, civil engineering, emergency services, security. Experience in camp services and temporary personnel services.

1989

12

Breakfast and lunch buffets for business meetings, catering for open houses, memorial receptions and conferences.

2006

30

Full-service restaurant with wine and beer.

glines@alaskasunsetviewresort.com www.alaskasunsetviewresort.com

info@cateralaska.com www.cateralaska.com

info@lavellesbistro.com www.lavellesbistro.com

info@chiulista.com chiulista.com

diannes-rest@gci.net www.diannesrestaurant.com

kinleys@ak.net www.kinleysrestaurant.com

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory CATERERS

Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Mayflower Catering 1330 Huffman Rd. Unit C Anchorage, AK 99515 Phone: 907-274-2223 Fax: 907-274-9197

Edgar Duero, Chef/Owner

Peanut Farm Sports Bar & Grill 5200 Juneau St. Anchorage, AK 99518 Phone: 907-563-3283 Fax: 907-561-6261

Michael Johnson, Pres./Op. Partner

PubHouse 1200 L St. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-222-8787 Fax: 907-258-4914

Lorenzo King, F&B Director

Savor Alaska 600 W. Seventh Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-263-2850 Fax: 907-644-2842

Gayle Devers, Dir. Food & Bev.

UAA Seawolf Catering 3700 Sharon Gagnon Ln. Anchorage, AK 99508 Phone: 907-751-7492 Fax: 866-620-6933

Scott Evers, GM

Wedgewood Resort Catering 212 Wedgewood Dr. Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: 907-450-2166 Fax: 907-451-8184

Cherie Minakais, Catering Mgr.

Zach's Catering at Sophie Station Suites 1717 University Ave. Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: 907-374-6531 Fax: 907-479-7951

Cathy Schultz, Gen. Mgr.

AK Estab.

Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Services Business Activity

1982

12

Full-service menu, off-site and uniforms.

1960

80

Sports Bar and Grill. Find us at The Peanut Farm on facebook.

2012

15

Bar and restaurant (GastroPub) that serves high quality food. This concept is new to Alaska. Beautiful French decor.

2008

15

Exclusive catering in the Anchorage Convention Centers (Dena'ina and Egan) as well as off-premises for larger events such as Company Picnics.

1997

30

UAA Seawolf Catering is committed to making your event a success. Our team of catering professionals is available to assist you with planning every aspect of your event, large or small. We provide the freshest selections of food items, beautifully displayed, and served professionally by our highly trained staff.

1979

15

Fairbanks' premier choice for meetings, conferences and banquets. With over 9,300 sf of flexible meeting space and 305 residential-style suites, it's the perfect location for any event. The professional and experienced catering staff is known for superior guest service, great food and its dedication to making every event a success.

1984

15

Sophie Station Suites, just minutes from the airport, downtown and UAF, is your solution for small meetings and catering needs in Fairbanks. Featuring 4 meeting spaces, catering from Zach's Restaurant and 148 full suites. From exceptional food to excellent service, the catering staff will make sure your next small meeting is successful.

info@mayflowercatering.com www.mayflowercatering.com

wemustbenuts@ak.net wemustbenuts.com

info@inlettower.com inlettower.com

anchorageconventioncenters.com

Cindy.Marshall@nmsusa.com www.uaaseawolfdining.com

catering@fdifairbanks.com www.fountainheadhotels.com

fb@fdifairbanks.com www.zachsrestaurant.com

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

33 ■

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE & CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAUS Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Alaska State Chamber of Commerce 471 W. 36th Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-278-2722 Fax: 907-278-6643

Rachael Petro, Pres./CEO

Anchorage Chamber of Commerce 1016 W. Sixth Ave., Suite 303 Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-272-2401 Fax: 907-272-4117

J.J. Harrier, VP

City of Houston PO Box 940027 Houston, AK 99694 Phone: 907-892-6869 Fax: 907-892-7677

Sonya Dukes, Clerk

Fairbanks Convention & Visitors Bureau 101 Dunkel St., Suite 111 Fairbanks, AK 99701-4806 Phone: 907-459-3765 Fax: 907-459-3787

Deb Hickok, Pres./CEO

Girdwood Chamber of Commerce PO Box 1313 Girdwood, AK 99587 Phone: N/A

Bud Gibbs, Pres.

Greater Copper Valley Chamber of Commerce PO Box 469 Glennallen, AK 99588 Phone: 907-822-5555 Fax: 907-822-5558

Linda Padie, Mgr.

AK Estab.

Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Services Business Activity

1952

4

We are the "Voice of Alaska" and we are here to promote a positive business environment for the entire state of Alaska, big and small businesses are all welcome.

1915

6

The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit, member-driven business organization with nearly 1,100 members representing 60,000 employees. The Anchorage Chamber serves as a resource to gain business knowledge, insight and strength as business professionals.

1966

30

The City of Houston is able to direct visitors and new residents to business services and the many recreational opportunities in the area. Houston, Alaska - Live, Work, Play!

1977

20

Requests for proposal, assistance and bid presentations, familiarization trips and site visits, promotional and welcome materials, online registration and convention support services.

1996

0

Girdwood Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization supporting the Girdwood community.

1960

2

Visitors Center for the Copper River Valley assisting tourists with information. Bringing the business community together in the Copper River Valley to strengthen business and way of life in the Copper River Valley.

Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Lisa Herbert, Exec. Dir. 100 Cushman St., Suite 102 Fairbanks, AK 99701 info@fairbankschamber.org Phone: 907-452-1105 Fax: 907-456-6968 www.fairbankschamber.org

1952

6

The ChamberÕs mission is to represent our members by building partnerships, advocating for a healthy economic environment and promoting the Greater Fairbanks area as an attractive place for business and community.

Greater Wasilla Chamber & CVB 415 E. Railroad Ave. Wasilla, AK 99654 Phone: 907-376-1299 Fax: 907-373-2560

Lyn Carden , Exec. Dir.

1976

2

GWCC/Business advocacy, network opportunities, printed business directory, online business directory, multiple on-line opportunities for advertising, lead referral system.

WCVB: Leaders in the community are quality and quantity of services provided to our members. Your voice of the community and your partners in success.

Haines Chamber of Commerce PO Box 1449 Haines, AK 99827 Phone: 907-766-2202 Fax: 907-766-2271

Brenda Jones, Pres.

1973

1

The mission of the Haines Chamber of Commerce is to promote economic growth that contributes to the local quality of life.

Homer Chamber & Visitor Center 201 Sterling Hwy. Homer, AK 99603 Phone: 907-235-7740 Fax: 907-235-8766

Monte Davis, Exec. Dir.

1948

5

We work with all types of visitors from independent travelers to small conferences to help make their experience in Homer memorable.

Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau One Sealaska Plaza, Suite 305 Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 907-586-1737 Fax: 907-586-1449

Lorene Palmer, Pres./CEO

Ketchikan Visitors Bureau 50 Front St., Suite 203 Ketchikan, AK 99901 Phone: 907-225-6166 Fax: 907-225-4250

Patti Mackey, Pres./CEO

Kodiak Chamber of Commerce 100 E. Marine Way, Suite 300 Kodiak, AK 99615 Phone: 907-486-5557 Fax: 907-486-7605

Trevor Brown, Exec. Dir.

Nome Chamber of Commerce PO Box 250 Nome, AK 99762 Phone: 907-443-3879 Fax: 907-443-5832

Barb Nickels, Exec. Dir.

Nome Convention & Visitors Bureau PO Box 250 Nome, AK 99762 Phone: 907-443-6555 Fax: 907-443-5832

Dennis Richardson, Manager

Prince of Wales Island Chamber P.O. Box 490 Klawock, AK 99925 Phone: 907-755-2626 Fax: 907-755-2627

Janice Bush, Pres.

■ 34

info@alaskachamber.com www.alaskachamber.com

info@anchoragechamber.org www.anchoragechamber.org

depclerk@houston-ak.gov www.houston-ak.gov

info@explorefairbanks.com www.explorefairbanks.com

girdwoodchamber@gmail.com www.girdwoodchamber.com

info@traveltoalaska.com traveltoalaska.com

contact@wasillachamber.org www.wasillachamber.org

chamber@haineschamber.org www.haineschamber.org

info@homeralaska.org www.homeralaska.org 1985

Our Convention Services Department is an invaluable liaison between meeting planners and the products and services available to them in Juneau. Visit us at www.traveljuneau.com for additional information about the products and services available through our convention sales department.

meetinginfo@traveljuneau.com www.traveljuneau.com 1976

7

Supporting the visitor industry in Ketchikan.

1940

4

Promote development of a strong and diverse economy for the Kodiak region through active leadership and opportunities for membership involvement.

1981

6

The Nome Chamber of Commerce Meetings and Conventions Division offer services for a fee to statewide organizations wishing to host their events in Nome. Services available range from invitations, set up, catering, promotion, public relations, venue selection, budget development, and airline and lodging reservations.

1981

2

The Nome Convention and Visitors Bureau markets Nome and the Bering Strait region by acting as a visitor information distribution center, developing calendars of events, providing contacts for area attractions, and assisting in the promotion of area tour operators, accommodations and businesses.

1988

2

Working for businesses to improve regional economic vitality, for citizens to improve quality of life, and for visitors to enhance experiences.

info@meetinalaska.com www.meetinalaska.com

chamber@kodiak.org www.kodiak.org

director@nomechamber.com www.visitnomealaska.com

visit@mynomealaska.com www.visitnomealaska.com

info@princeofwalescoc.org www.princeofwalescoc.org

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE & CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAUS

Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Seldovia Chamber of Commerce PO Drawer F Seldovia, AK 99663 Phone: 907-234-7612 Fax: 907-234-7637

McGaghey Ian, Pres.

Seward Chamber & CVB PO Box 749 Seward, AK 99664 Phone: 907-224-8051 Fax: 907-224-5353

Cindy Clock, Exec. Dir.

Sitka Convention & Visitors Bureau 303 Lincoln St., Suite #4 Sitka, AK 99835 Phone: 907-747-5940 Fax: 907-747-3739

Tonia Rioux, Exec. Dir.

Tok Chamber of Commerce PO Box 389 Tok, AK 99780 Phone: 907-883-5775 Fax: 907-883-5773

John Rusyniak, Pres.

Valdez Convention & Visitors Bureau PO Box 1603 Valdez, AK 99686 Phone: 907-835-2984 Fax: 907-835-4845

Colleen Stephens, Interim Exec. Dir.

Visit Anchorage 524 W. Fourth Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-276-4118 Fax: 907-278-5559

Julie Saupe, Pres./CEO

Wrangell Convention & Visitors Bureau PO Box 1350 Wrangell, AK 99929 Phone: 907-874-2829 Fax: 907-874-3952

Carol Rushmore, Econ. Dev. Dir.

AK Estab.

Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Services Business Activity

1945

0

Chamber of Commerce.

1951

3

The Seward Chamber operates Seward's year-round Visitor Center and provides event and meeting support to organizations and planners.

1980

4

Meeting planning assistance, liaison between local businesses, service providers and event planners. Promotional assistance.

1980

5

Help the traveling public with information about Alaska and Canada. Direct them to member businesses. Obtain the latest road and weather information for travelers and help them make reservations around the state and the Yukon.

1982

3

Provides assistance for meeting planners. Connect with members to help you with catering and accommodation proposals, as well as general information to help your event be an experience of a lifetime.

1975

38

Attracts and serves visitors to Anchorage, connecting travelers, meeting planners and convention delegates with attractions, services, amenities, and Alaska businesses.

Dedicated to community growth through strategic development.

1985

3

Wrangell CVB provides information about the community and all the things to see and do when visiting the Wrangell area. Stop by the Visitor Center located in the Nolan Center which also houses the Wrangell Museum for brochures and information while in town.

President@seldoviachamber.org Seldoviachamber.org

chamber@seward.net www.seward.com

scvb@sitka.org www.sitka.org

info@tokalaskainfo.com www.tokalaskainfo.com

info@valdezalaska.org www.valdezalaska.org

info@anchorage.net www.Anchorage.net

wrangell@wrangell.com www.wrangellalaska.org

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

35 ■

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory HOTELS, LODGING & VENUES Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum 4721 Aircraft Dr. Anchorage, AK 99502 Phone: 907-248-5325 Fax: 907-248-6391

Shari Hart, Exec. Dir.

Alaska Experience Theater 333 W. Fourth Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-272-9076 Fax: 907-222-4852

Amber Sward, Gen. Mgr.

Alaska Native Heritage Center 8800 Heritage Center Dr. Anchorage, AK 99504 Phone: 907-330-8000 Fax: 907-330-8030

Annette Evans Smith, VP

Alaska SeaLife Center PO Box 1329 Seward, AK 99664 Phone: 907-224-6300 Fax: 907-224-6320

Tara Riemer Jones, Ph.D., Pres./CEO

Alaska Sunset View Resort PO Box 521402 Big Lake, AK 99652 Phone: 907-892-8885 Fax: 907-892-8887

Kathleen Glines, Owner/Mgr.

Alyeska Resort PO Box 249 Girdwood, AK 99587 Phone: 907-754-1111 Fax: 907-754-2290

Mark Weakland, VP, Hotel GM

Anchorage Golf Course 9138 Arlon St., Suite A3-152 Anchorage, AK 99507 Phone: 907-522-3363 Fax: 907-522-3326

Rich Sayers, Gen. Mgr.

Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center 625 C St. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-929-9261 Fax: 907-929-9265

James Pepper Henry, Museum Dir.

Aspen Hotel Soldotna 326 Binkley Cir. Soldotna, AK 99669 Phone: 907-260-7736 Fax: 907-260-7786

Pat Wallace, VP

Aspen Suites Hotel Anchorage 100 E. Tudor Rd. Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-770-3400 Fax: 907-770-3425

Pat Wallace, VP

Aspen Suites Hotel Juneau 8400 Airport Blvd.

Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 907-500-7700 Fax: 907-500-7733

Pat Wallace, VP

Aspen Suites Hotel Kenai 10431 Kenai Spur Hwy. Kenai, AK 99611 Phone: 907-283-2272 Fax: 907-283-2278

Pat Wallace, VP

Best Western Golden Lion 1000 E. 36th Ave. Anchorage, AK 99508 Phone: 907-561-1522 Fax: 907-743-4814

Lisa Michaelson, Gen. Mgr.

Best Western Kodiak Inn 236 W. Rezanof Dr. Kodiak, AK 99615 Phone: 907-486-5712 Fax: 907-486-3430

John Johnson, Pres./Owner

Best Western Lake Lucille Inn 1300 W. Lake Lucille Dr. Wasilla, AK 99654 Phone: 907-373-1776 Fax: 907-376-6199

Carolyn Albersen, Gen. Mgr.

Best Western PLUS Landing Hotel 3434 Tongass Ave. Ketchikan, AK 99901 Phone: 907-225-5166 Fax: 907-225-6900

Linda Peters, Gen. Mgr.

■ 36

AK Estab.

Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Services Business Activity

1988

3

Museum available for tours, school groups and available to rent for private events.

Rental of 737 Jet for events. Flight simulator included with admission. Two theaters, gift store, over 20 vintage aircraft in four hangars plus restoration hangar. Can have the caterer of your choice. Great space for meetings.

1988

2

The Alaska Experience Theater and Port View Banquet Room are available to rent for any occasion from a poetry reading to a business seminar or weddings to movie premiers. The possibilities are endless.

1999

50

The Alaska Native Heritage Center offers a unique and quiet atmosphere to host a business meeting, conference, or luncheon. With a beautiful view of Lake Tiulana and access to our Hall of Cultures, guests will be enriched with Alaska's indigenous culture.

1998

75

While primarily a marine research and wildlife rehabilitation facility, the ASLC operates the only major aquarium in Alaska. Businesses and individuals always enjoy this unique venue for events and meetings, and our staff members are dedicated to providing excellent service and assistance.

1997

11

We have a private unique Lakefront Resort, which offers overnight accommodations for business retreats, family reunions, vacations, romantic getaways, quilting or sewing retreats, weddings & receptions, Christmas parties and special events. "New Rustic Lodge" located next to Meadowcreek/Houston, AK. We have the Alaska Boathouse Restaurant on site.

1959

550

Located 40 miles from Anchorage, Alyeska Resort, featuring the 304 room Hotel Alyeska, is your base camp for summer and winter. Alyeska Resort stands out during ski season with 650' of average snowfall annually and the longest continuous double black diamond ski run in North America.

1987

100

Anchorage Golf Course is the most attractive destination for golf in Alaska. The 18 hole course is challenging and beautiful with 6,600 yards of rolling, tree-lined fairways, to well-guarded undulating greens. Anchorage Golf Course is a public course that offers putting and chipping greens, as well as the only grass driving range in Anchorage.

1967

65

Facilities available in Alaska's finest museum.

2002

20

Aspen Hotel Soldotna offers 63 beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites.

Conference room, wireless Internet, business E-center, indoor swimming pool and spa, fitness room, continental breakfast, access to the Kenai River, Alaska Air miles with every stay. Stay with us, you will be glad that you did.

2012

15

All rooms have full kitchenette. With every stay you receive Alaska Airline Miles, you will be amazed by the size of our rooms. We are located in midtown Anchorage, next to Starbucks. The longer you stay the less you pay, stay a night, a month or longer.

2011

15

In-room microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker and DVD player, guest laundry room, wireless Internet, fitness room, E-center, conference & meeting room, Alaska Airlines miles with every stay, all rooms have a nice kitchenette, you will be amazed by the size of our rooms. Our hotel is located near the airport; stay with us you will be glad you did.

2008

14

Aspen Suites Hotel offers 78 roomy guest suites, all that feature a kitchen complete with everything you will need to create a meal. Wireless Internet, business E-center, fitness room, Alaska Air Miles with every stay. Located just 1/4 mile from Kenai Airport, close to shopping and restaurants.

1977

35

Weddings, private parties and meetings.

1997

38

The Best Western Kodiak Inn & Convention Center with Chart Room Restaurant & Lounge on site. The Kodiak Harbor Convention Center has three rooms, the largest holding up to 400 people. Full food and liquor catering is available. Hotel guest amenities include a free hot breakfast, free WiFi, a fitness center and hot tub.

2000

12

Hotels and motels.

info@alaskaairmuseum.org www.alaskaairmuseum.org

aetmanager@99imperial.net www.alaskaexperiencetheatre.com

info@alaskanative.net www.alaskanative.net

visitaslc@alaskasealife.org www.alaskasealife.org

glines@alaskasunsetviewresort.com www.alaskasunsetviewresort.com

info@alyeskaresort.com www.alyeskaresort.com

golf@anchoragegolfcourse.com www.anchoragegolfcourse.com

rentals@anchoragemuseum.org www.anchoragemuseum.org

info@aspenhotelsak.com www.aspenhotelsak.com

info@alaskahotelsak.com www.aspenhotelsak.com

info@aspenhotelsak.com www.aspenhotelsak.com

info@aspenhotelsak.com www.aspenhotelsak.com

bwgoldenlion@gci.net www.bestwesterngoldenlion.com

info@kodiakinn.com www.kodiakinn.com

info@bestwesternlakelucilleinn.com www.bestwesternlakelucilleinn.com

bwlanding@kpunet.net www.landinghotel.com

1986

80,100 Hotel, restaurant, lounge and catering facility. Luxurious north court expansion with banquet facilities. Complimentary shuttle service within city limits, to and from airport ferry terminal (KTN side) and Alaska Marine Hwy. terminal directly across from the hotel, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Exercise facility, guest laundry, free Wi-Fi, pet friendly.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory HOTELS, LODGING & VENUES

Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Bridgewater Hotel 723 First Ave. Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: 907-456-3642 Fax: 907-451-6376

Buzzy Chui, Gen. Mgr.

Centennial Hall Convention Center 101 Egan Dr. Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 907-586-5283 Fax: 907-586-1135

Steven Pfister, Facility Manager

Chena Hot Springs Resort PO Box 58740 Fairbanks, AK 99711 Phone: 907-451-8104 Fax: 907-451-8151

Connie Parks-Karl, Proprietor

Clarion Suites Downtown 1110 W. Eighth Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-222-5005 Fax: 907-929-6493

Barbara Swenson, Gen. Mgr.

Coast International Inn 3450 Aviation Ave. Anchorage, AK 99502 Phone: 907-243-2233 Fax: 907-248-3796

Dirk Whitehead, Gen. Mgr.

Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge Mile 102 Richardson Hwy. Copper Center, AK 99573 Phone: 907-822-4000 Fax: 907-822-4044

Charlie Ball, Pres.

Courtyard Anchorage Airport 4901 Spenard Rd. Anchorage, AK 99517 Phone: 907-245-0322 Fax: 907-248-1886

Myrna Green, Gen. Mgr.

AK Estab.

Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Services Business Activity

1992

15

Alaska's genuine northern hospitality can be found at Bridgewater Hotel. In the heart of downtown Fairbanks overlooking the Chena River - from a hearty breakfast buffet to the exceptional guest service, business travelers like the Bridgewater's comfortable atmosphere - complimentary wireless internet & lobby internet kiosk - perfect!

1983

14

Established in 1983, our facility and staff cater to any meeting planners' needs.

Centennial Hall Convention Center, located in downtown Juneau, is a perfect location for your next event. Whether you are looking for a facility to host a concert, convention, meeting, trade show or a festival, Centennial Hall can accommodate you!

1905

49

Rustic Alaskan year-round 100+ year old Hot Springs Resort, 80 Lodge rooms, full service restaurant & lounge, natural outdoor hot springs rock lake (ages 18+), indoor family pool & hot tubs. Aurora Ice Museum. Aurora viewing tours. Sled dog rides and cart rides. Lots of year-round activities. Year-round Alaska resident discount rates.

1999

40

All-suite hotel, free shuttle, complimentary breakfast buffet, free parking and free wireless Internet.

1974

71

Hotel located close to airport and convenient to downtown. Full-service complimentary airport shuttle.

2002

91

Hotels and motels.

1997

45

Redesigned lobby with coffee and cocktail bar and media pods. The Courtyard makes it easier to be on the road with a microwave, mini-fridge, coffee-maker, pool, whirlpool, exercise room, a well lit desk, ergonomic chair and wireless; plus it's close to the airport.

Choose one king or two double beds. Complimentary airport shuttle.

hotels@fdifairbanks.com www.fountainheadhotels.com

centennial_hall@ci.juneau.ak.us www.juneau.org/centennial

frontdesk@chenahotsprings.com www.chenahotsprings.com

clarionsales@chenegahotels.com www.clarionsuitesak.com

llarsen@intlinnanchorage.com www.coasthotels.com

aklodges@princesstours.com www.princesslodges.com

hotelreservations@nmsusa.com www.marriott.com/anccy

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

37 ■

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory HOTELS, LODGING & VENUES Company Company

Top Executive Executive Top

Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center 600 W. Seventh Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-263-2850 Fax: 907-644-2842

Greg Spears, Gen. Mgr.

Denali Bluffs Hotel PO Box 8 Denali, AK 99755 Phone: 907-683-7000 Fax: 907-561-1346

Chris Scheffer, Gen. Mgr.

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge Mile 238.5 Parks Hwy. Denali National Park, AK 99755 Phone: 907-683-2282 Fax: 907-683-2545

Charlie Ball, Pres.

Dimond Center Hotel 700 E. Dimond Blvd.

Anchorage, AK 99515 Phone: 907-770-5000 Fax: 907-770-5001

Joe Merrill, Gen. Mgr.

Driftwood Lodge 435 Willoughby Ave. Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 907-586-2280 Fax: 907-586-1034

Frederick Kasnick, Pres.

Egan Civic & Convention Center 555 W. Fifth Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-263-2800 Fax: 907-263-2858

Greg Spears, Gen. Mgr.

Embassy Suites 600 E. Benson Blvd.

Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-332-7000 Fax: 907-332-7001

Bill Remmer, Gen. Mgr.

Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge 4477 Pikes Landing Rd. Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: 907-455-4477 Fax: 907-455-4476

Charlie Ball, Pres.

Fountainhead Hotels Fairbanks 1501 Queens Way HQ Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: 800-528-4916 Fax: 907-451-6376

Becky Kunkle, Reservations Mgr.

Goldbelt Hotel Juneau 51 Egan Dr. Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 907-586-6900 Fax: 907-463-3567

Meghan McCarthy, Gen. Mgr.

AK AK Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Estab.

Business Activity Services

2008

33

Rental space for luncheons, dinners, breakfasts, conventions, meetings, seminars, trade shows, sporting events - and weddings! In-house catering by Savor Alaska and our own Executive Chef. Choose an existing menu or work with our experts to develop your own.

State-of-the-art A/V, dance floors, outdoor Terrace & stunning Chugach Mountain views.

1996

95

Nestled into Sugarloaf Mountain with aerial views of Denali National Park, the Denali Bluffs Hotel offers comfortable rooms, cozy log-beamed lobby, hearty food at the Mountaineer Grill & Bar and Alaskan hospitality. Adventure is just steps away. You won' find these views down at street level. Shuttle service.

2000

500

Hotels and motels.

2002

45

The Dimond Center Hotel provides a unique luxury and competitive pricing . Owned and managed by the Seldovia Native Association we understand the importance of good hospitality and making our guest feel comfortable and a part of our family.

1962

20

Hotel.

1984

33

Rental space for luncheons, dinners, breakfasts, conventions, meetings, seminars, trade shows, exhibits, sporting events. In-house catering by Savor Alaska featuring our own Executive Chef and expert Culinary team. Choose a menu or have Chef develop one with you. State-of-the-art A/V, stages, dance floors, flexible, affordable and convenient.

2008

85

Deluxe full service all suites hotel, Pi Restaurant and Bar, Pi Market and 2,500 square feet of meeting space. Beautiful pool area with hot tub, and workout facility. Offers shuttle services for all guests.

1993

200

Located minutes from the airport, Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge offers a free airport shuttle, free wireless Internet access, space for large events, and great dining options. Landscaped grounds and a deck extending to the water's edge take advantage of the LodgeÕs Chena River setting.

1979

175

Three outstanding properties in Fairbanks. Wedgewood Resort offers 1 & 2 bedroom residential-style suites. Bridgewater Hotel is located downtown & is within walking distance to restaurants, shopping & visitor center. Sophie Station Suites is known for exceptional service, spacious suites & ideal location to the airport for our business travelers.

1997

30

Premier Downtown Waterfront Hotel. Complimentary airport transportation, free Wi-Fi and parking. Onsite: 3 Meeting/Hospitality up to 50 people, restaurant, business center, Jr. suites. Walking distance to downtown, Centennial Hall, capital museums, cruise docks, restaurants and shopping.

Grand Aleutian Hotel and Harbor View Inn Tom Enlow, Gen. Mgr. 498 Salmon Way Dutch Harbor, AK 99692 reservations@unisea.com Phone: 907-581-3844 Fax: 907-581-7150 www.grandaleutian.com

1993

80

Hotels and motels. Mailing address: PO Box 921169.

Grande Denali Lodge PO Box 8 Denali, AK 99755 Phone: 907-683-5100 Fax: 907-561-1346

Chris Scheffer, Gen. Mgr.

2001

95

See panoramic views of Sugarloaf Mountain and Denali National Park. Join us high above it all at the Grande Denali Lodge. Comfortable rooms, timbered lobby with stone fireplaces, Alaskan hospitality and great food at the Alpenglow Restaurant & Peak Spirits Lounge. We sell out early for a reason- the view. Shuttle service.

Hampton Inn 4301 Credit Union Dr. Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-550-7000 Fax: 907-561-7330

Nicholas Schmitz, Gen. Mgr.

1997

43

Newly renovated and conveniently located in Midtown with complimentary parking and shuttle service. The Hampton Inn also offers catering options as well as special guestroom rates, meeting rooms and catering options are available on site.

Hilton Anchorage 500 W. Third Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-272-7411 Fax: 907-265-7175

Mahesh Reddy, Gen. Mgr.

1927

170

In-room safe, 24-hour business center, Starbuck's coffee kiosk and complimentary health spa.

Hilton Garden Inn 4555 Union Square Dr. Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-729-7000 Fax: 907-729-8000

Bryan Guy, Gen. Mgr.

2003

30

125 guest rooms with over 2,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. Full-service restaurant and bar; fitness center, and pool. We provide guests with a business center, complimentary high speed Internet service throughout the hotel. Local complimentary shuttle service from airport and 3-mile radius.

Holiday Inn Express Anchorage 4411 Spenard Rd. Anchorage, AK 99517 Phone: 907-248-8848 Fax: 907-248-8847

Tia Lewis, Gen. Mgr.

■ 38

info@anchorageconventioncenters.com www.anchorageconventioncenters.com

hotelreservations@nmsusa.com www.denalialaska.com

aklodges@princesstours.com www.princesslodges.com

reservations@dimondcenterhotel.com www.dimondcenterhotel.com

driftwood@gci.net www.driftwoodalaska.com

info@anchorageconventioncenters.com www.anchorageconventioncenters.com

deedee.lewis@hilton.com www.anchorage.embassysuites.com

aklodges@princesstours.com www.princesslodges.com

hotels@fdifairbanks.com www.fountainheadhotels.com

meghan.mccarthy@goldbelt.com www.goldbelthotel.com

hotelreservations@nmsusa.com www.denalialaska.com

deedee.lewis@hilton.com www.hamptoninn.com/hi/anchorage

www.hiltonanchorage.com

deedee.lewis@hilton.com www.anchoragehgi.com 1999

Hotel accommodations.

reservations@hieanchorage.com hieanchorage.com

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory HOTELS, LODGING & VENUES Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Homewood Suites by Hilton 101 W. 48th Ave. Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-762-7000 Fax: 907-762-8000

Stiphan Beher, Gen. Mgr.

Hotel Captain Cook 939 W. Fifth Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501-2019 Phone: 907-276-6000 Fax: 907-343-2298

Walter Hickel Jr., Pres.

Hotel North Pole 449 N. Santa Claus Ln. North Pole, AK 99705 Phone: 907-488-4800 Fax: 907-488-4816

Melissa Conatser, Mgr.

Hotel Seward & Ms Gene's Place PO Box 2288 Seward, AK 99664-2288 Phone: 907-224-8001 Fax: 907-224-3112

Mary Kulstad, Innkeeper

Inlet Tower Hotel 1200 L St. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-276-0110 Fax: 907-222-8760

Scott Lee, General Manager

Inn at Whittier PO Box 773 Whittier, AK 99693 Phone: 907-472-3200 Fax: 907-472-3201

Seth Cottrell, Gen. Mgr.

James & Elsie Nolan Center PO Box 1050 Wrangell, AK 99929 Phone: 907-874-3699 Fax: 907-874-3785

Terri Henson, Dir. of Conventions

AK Estab.

Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Services Business Activity

2004

30

All suites, complimentary breakfast daily, evening manager reception M-TH, complimentary airport shuttle, free parking, 1800 square-foot meeting space.

1964

350

Private athletic club, four restaurants and coffee bar, 10,000-bottle wine cellar, fourdiamond dining, 546 rooms including 96 suites.

2009

7

We offer lodging for meetings and or social events for any occasion.

1988

10

Alaskan family owned & operated Boutique Hotel & Restaurant! Enjoy the warm & friendly staff, book a Wes's Fishing Adventure & help with your travel needs, making your stay a memorable one! Located in historic downtown Seward, adjacent to the Alaska SeaLife Center. Pillowtop beds, cozy comforters, great views, unique wildlife & history display!

1957

45

Hotels, motels and apartments.

2004

10

The Inn at Whittier is a beautiful building sitting right on the waters edge in Whittier, Alaska. It is a great place for retreats and meetings. We have 25 guest rooms, a restaurant and bar as well as a meeting room overlooking the water. Catering is available for your group and we do offer discounts on rooms for large groups.

2004

5

We are a full service waterfront meeting facility that gives personalized service to any size meeting. We work directly with the visitors bureau and local businesses to cover all your needs before, during and after the meeting. Make it more than a meeting, make it a memory.

deedee.lewis@hilton.com www.anchorage.homewoodsuites.com

info@captaincook.com www.captaincook.com

info@hotelnorthpole.com www.hotelnorthpole.com

hotelseward@gci.net www.hotelsewardalaska.com

info@inlettower.com inlettower.com

info@innatwhittier.com www.innatwhittier.com

nolancenter@wrangellalaska.org www.wrangellalaska.org

Advertise directly to your customers

Bill Morris Advertising Account Manager b_morris@akbizmag.com

The majority of our magazine subscribers are owners, partners, presidents, chairpersons and CEOs of their business.

Give Bill a call to see how he can help your marketing plans be a success.

(907) 276-4373 or cell (907) 268-0052

www.akbizmag.com

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

39 ■

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory HOTELS, LODGING & VENUES Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Kenai Landing 4786 Homer Spit Rd. Homer, AK 99603 Phone: 907-235-0400 Fax: 907-235-0420

Jon Faulkner, Pres.

Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge 17245 Frontier Cir. Cooper Landing, AK 99572 Phone: 907-595-1425 Fax: 907-595-1424

Charlie Ball, Pres.

King Salmon Visitor Center PO Box 298 King Salmon, AK 99613 Phone: 907-246-4250 Fax: 907-246-8550

Julia Pinnix, Visitor Services Mgr.

Land's End Resort 4786 Homer Spit Rd. Homer, AK 99603 Phone: 907-235-0400 Fax: 907-235-0420

Mike Dye, CEO

Ma Johnson Hotel/McCarthy Lodge Box MXY McCarthy, AK 99588 Phone: 907-554-4402

Neil Darish, CEO

Millennium Alaskan Hotel 4800 Spenard Rd. Anchorage, AK 99517-3236 Phone: 907-243-2300 Fax: 907-243-8815

Carol Fraser, Gen. Mgr.

AK Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Estab.

Business Activity Services

2003

0

1999

105

Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge was designed for the utmost in comfort and relaxation.

Vaulted ceilings, cozy sitting areas with wood-burning stoves and private porches help make any occasion memorable. The perfect mix of tranquility and adventure characterizes your experience at this Alaska Lodge.

1986

2

We provide information about the surrounding region, from charter flight companies and lodges to maps. We have exhibits in the visitor center and can show a wide variety of educational films on demand. An Alaska Geographic bookstore is also on site.

1958

25

Oceanfront resort, spa, restaurant and special events.

2001

15

Hotels and motels.

1986

150

248 deluxe rooms, restaurant, lounge, seven meeting rooms and a beautiful view overlooking Lake Spenard.

Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center Cindy Schumaker, Exec. Dir. 101 Dunkel St., Suite 210 Fairbanks, AK 99701 info@morristhompsoncenter.org Phone: 907-459-3700 Fax: 907-459-3702 www.morristhompsoncenter.org

2008

2

Along the Chena River in Downtown Fairbanks, the Center can accommodate a variety of events. World-class exhibits, cultural and natural history films in 100 seat hi-definition theatre, Alaska Native music, dance, storytelling, artist demonstrations and ÒTaste of AlaskaÓ meals add a unique flair to meetings or receptions.

Motel 6 5000 A St. Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-677-8000 Fax: 907-677-8640

Claudia Abrams

2004

18

Hotel accommodations.

Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge Mile 133 Parks Hwy. Denali State Park, AK 99683 Phone: 907-733-2900 Fax: 907-733-2922

Charlie Ball, Pres.

1997

350

This comfy Alaska lodge invites the ultimate relaxation experience. Each of the guest rooms is nestled peacefully on a hillside in this wilderness getaway. Relax in comfort with amenities like three restaurants, bar and lounge, complimentary wireless internet and knowledgeable tour desk.

Nullagvik Hotel PO Box 336 Kotzebue, AK 99752 Phone: 907-442-3331 Fax: 907-442-3340

Lisa Wright, Gen. Mgr.

2011

40

Experience the Arctic in comfort and style at the new Nullagvik Hotel in Kotzebue.

Located 26 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the hotel features fresh design, comfortable guest rooms, modern observation and exercise rooms, a cultural tour and a full-service restaurant that offers delicious food and fantastic views of the Sound.

O'Malley's on the Green 9138 Arlon St., Suite A-3-152 Anchorage, AK 99507 Phone: 907-522-3324 Fax: 907-522-3326

Christina Lewis, Mgr.

1987

20

We are a full service establishment operating as a seasonal restaurant and bar from May to October and hosting special events and meetings year round. During the golf season we operate a snack shop and beverage carts for the golf course.

Parkwood Inn 4455 Juneau St. Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-563-3590 Fax: 907-563-5560

Randy Comer, Managing Partner

1972

7

Hotel accommodations with 50 studio suites, fully-functional kitchens, pets welcome with room availability, competitive rates, near hospitals and university.

Pike's Waterfront Lodge 1850 Hoselton Rd. Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: 907-456-4500 Fax: 907-456-4515

Patty Weaver, Gen. Mgr.

2000

50

Continental breakfast included off-season. Aveda amenities, individual room air conditioning and heating, coin-operated laundry and free business center. Free Wi-Fi. Flat screen television, newly remodeled rooms; green program.

Quality Suites Convention Center 325 W. 8th Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-274-1000 Fax: 907-274-3016

Barbara Swenson, Gen. Mgr.

1997

40

All suites non-smoking, downtown hotel. Known for our free amenities like airport shuttle, full breakfast, Internet, parking, fitness center, and pool. This is the perfect spot to stay if you are taking in events at the convention center or PAC.

Residence Inn Anchorage Midtown 1025 E. 35th Ave. Anchorage, AK 99508 Phone: 907-563-9844 Fax: 907-563-9636

Laurie Rubino, Gen. Mgr.

1999

45

Newly redesigned lobby, studios and eating areas. Choose from studio, one and two bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens (microwave, stove, dishwasher and refrigerator), desk, pull-out sofa bed, wireless, and voice mail. Enjoy complimentary breakfast buffet and guest reception (M-TH), exercise room, pool and spa. Pets accepted.

Rodeway Inn - Voyager Hotel 501 K St. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-277-9501 Fax: 907-274-0333

Barbara Swenson, Gen. Mgr.

1965

10

Hotel, studio style suites with one queen and one double bed, kitchenette and full bathroom.

■ 40

leceo@alaska.net www.kenailanding.com

aklodges@princesstours.com www.princesslodges.com

becharof@fws.gov alaskapeninsula.fws.gov

At the mouth of the Kenai River, this historic waterfront fishermanÕs destination has the lowest rates on seasonal lodging in Kenai. Great rates on extended stays and RV parking. Event and meeting facilities accommodate any group. Access to world class fishing and boat launch ramps.

lesales@alaska.net www.lands-end-resort.com

help@mccarthylodge.com www.mccarthylodge.com

anchorage@mhrmail.com www.millenniumhotels.com/anchorage

reservations@motel6anchorage.com motel6anchorage.com

aklodges@princesstours.com www.princesslodges.com

hotelreservations@nmsusa.com www.nullagvikhotel.com

clewis@anchoragegolfcourse.com www.omalleysonthegreen.com

reservations@parkwoodinn.net www.parkwoodinn.net

info@pikeslodge.com www.pikeslodge.com

qualitysales@chenegahotels.com www.qualitysuitesak.com

hotelreservations@nmsusa.com www.marriott.com/ancri

lsteiner@chenegahotels.com www.rodewayvoyager.com

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory HOTELS, LODGING & VENUES

Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Seward Windsong Lodge 509 W. Fourth Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 877-258-6877 Fax: 907-224-7118

Nick Hammond, Gen. Mgr.

Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa 401 E. Sixth Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-276-8700 Fax: 907-343-3145

Jon Kranock, Gen. Mgr.

SMG of Alaska, Inc. 1600 Gambell St. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-279-0618 Fax: 907-274-0676

Joe Wooden, Regional GM

Sophie Station Suites 1717 University Ave. S. Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: 907-479-3650 Fax: 907-479-7951

Cathy Schultz, Gen. Mgr.

SpringHill Suites Anchorage Midtown 3401 A. St. Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-562-3247 Fax: 907-562-3250

Pam Morgan, Gen. Mgr.

SpringHill Suites Fairbanks 575 First Ave. Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: 907-451-6552 Fax: 907-451-6553

Karren Pearson, Gen. Mgr.

SpringHill Suites University Lake 4050 University Lake Dr. Anchorage, AK 99508 Phone: 907-751-6300 Fax: 907-751-6399

Lawana Johnson, Gen. Mgr.

Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge PO Box 727 Talkeetna, AK 99676 Phone: 877-258-6877 Fax: 907-733-9545

Sharlene Berg, Dir. Lodging

Tanglewood Lakes Golf Club 11801 Brayton Dr. Anchorage, AK 99516 Phone: 907-345-4600 Fax: 907-345-3435

Billy Bomar, Gen. Mgr.

The Regency Fairbanks Hotel 95 Tenth Ave. Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: 907-459-2700 Fax: 907-459-2720

Dustin Adams, Gen. Mgr.

Tikchik Lodge PO Box 220507 Anchorage, AK 99522 Phone: 907-243-8450

Bud Hodson, Pres.

Valdez Convention & Civic Center PO Box 1849 Valdez, AK 99686 Phone: 907-835-4440 Fax: 907-835-2472

Pamela Lunt, Facility Mgr.

Wedgewood Resort 212 Wedgewood Dr. Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: 907-452-1442 Fax: 907-451-8184

Shane Arnold, Gen. Mgr.

Wedgewood Resort Catering 212 Wedgewood Dr. Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: 907-450-2166 Fax: 907-451-8184

Cherie Minakais, Catering Mgr.

Westmark Anchorage Hotel 720 W. Fifth Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501-2198 Phone: 907-276-7676 Fax: 907-276-3615

Darren Nolan, VP, Hotel Operations

Westmark Baranof Hotel 127 N. Franklin St. Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 907-586-2660 Fax: 907-586-8315

Darren Nolan, VP Hotel Operations

AK Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Estab.

Business Activity Services

1997

26

Seward Windsong Lodge can serve as the perfect location for your next meeting event.

Our glacier valley setting will fuel creativity, encourage team building and inspire ideas.

Offering on-site Internet access, fine meal service and a professional staff eager to help your event succeed.

1979

150

Authentic Alaskan Hotel, crisp comfortable rooms, 42-inch TVs, mini refrigerators.

Luxurious day spa, meeting space, catering services, event planning, weddings.

Museum Quality Alaskan Native Art.

info@sewardwindsong.com www.sewardwindsong.com

info@sheratonanchoragehotel.com www.sheraton.com/anchorage 1977

pontt@sullivanarena.com www.sullivanarena.com

1,000 SMG of Alaska Inc. is the management company for Anchorage's Convention Centers Dena'ina and Egan, Sullivan Arena, Ben Boeke and Dempsey Anderson Ice Arenas and the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. More company information is available at www.smgworld.com.

1984

55

Sophie Station Suites - Where you want to be in Fairbanks! A full service hotel with spacious suites, restaurant, lounge & meeting space. Offering complimentary internet, with high-speed internet access, large workspaces, room service, a 24-hour fitness room, & on-site laundry facilities. Where the staff treats you like you matter!

1998

45

Located in midtown, walking distance to shopping and entertainment. Featuring separate areas for sleeping, eating and working, SpringHill Suites provides guests with a microwave, mini-fridge, desk and pull-out sofa bed. Enjoy complimentary continental breakfast and airport shuttle, as well as pool, whirlpool, exercise room and wireless.

2001

35

Come stay in downtown Fairbanks next to the Chena River. Featuring separate areas for sleeping, eating and working, SpringHill Suites provides guests with a microwave, minifridge, desk and pull-out sofa bed. Enjoy complimentary continental breakfast buffet and airport shuttle, as well as pool, whirlpool, exercise room and wireless.

2009

45

Beautiful lakefront lodging with mountain views, in town. Featuring separate areas for sleeping, eating and working, SpringHill Suites provides guests with a microwave, minifridge, desk and pull-out sofa bed. Enjoy complimentary continental breakfast and airport shuttle, as well as pool, whirlpool, exercise room and wireless.

1999

81

Only two hours north of Anchorage, full-service lodge offers spectacular views of Denali and the Alaska Range. With 212 guest rooms, two restaurants, a lounge, a gift shop and a tour desk for local activities, the spectacular view is only the first course. Enjoy friendly, Alaska hospitality. Group meal programs, banquet menus.

1994

8

Weddings, parties, meetings, wakes and golf, soccer and field sports.

1985

45

Off-site, on-site, full service menu, exclusive rights to all services, beverage license, formal, Hors'd'Oeuvres, hot line, punch fountain, table decorations and uniforms.

1986

2

Guided flyout, sportfishing and accommodations.

1982

4

Ballroom, conference room and performing arts theater available for rent. The theater is also the community movie theater, playing current movies in digital and digital 3D.

1979

65

Wedgewood Resort is Fairbanks' premier choice for events. With over 9,300 sq.ft. of flexible meeting space & 305 residential-style suites, it's the perfect location for any occasion. The latest in AV technology & state of the art high-speed internet. The professional catering staff is known for exceptional guest service & great food.

1979

15

Fairbanks' premier choice for meetings, conferences and banquets. With over 9,300 sf of flexible meeting space and 305 residential-style suites, it's the perfect location for any event. The professional and experienced catering staff is known for superior guest service, great food and its dedication to making every event a success.

1987

77

Westmark Anchorage Hotel is located in the heart of downtown Anchorage. With 198 rooms and suites each with a private balcony, free wireless Internet, fitness center and a full service Solstice Restaurant & Bar on the first floor.

1939

77

The Baranof Hotel is a full service hotel located downtown within walking distance of the Capitol, cruise docks, shops and state offices. A gourmet dining experience awaits at the famous Gold Room restaurant or try a relaxing beverage in the Bubble Room Lounge.

cathy@fdifairbanks.com www.fountainheadhotels.com

hotelreservations@nmsusa.com www.marriott.com/ancsh

hotelreservations@nmsusa.com www.marriott.com/faish

hotelreservations@nmsusa.com www.marriott.com/ancum

info@talkeetnalodge.com www.talkeetnalodge.com

tlgc@alaska.net tanglewoodlakesgolf.com

info@regencyfairbankshotel.com regencyfairbankshotel.com

info@tikchik.com Facebook Tikchik lodge

plunt@ci.valdez.ak.us www.ci.valdez.ak.us

wedgewood@fdifairbanks.com www.fountainheadhotels.com

catering@fdifairbanks.com www.fountainheadhotels.com

info@westmarkhotels.com www.westmarkhotels.com

info@westmarkhotels.com www.westmarkhotels.com

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

41 ■

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory HOTELS, LODGING & VENUES Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Westmark Fairbanks Hotel & Center 813 Noble St. Fairbanks, AK 99701-4977 Phone: 907-456-7722 Fax: 907-451-7478

Darren Nolan, VP Hotel Operations

Westmark Hotels Inc. 800 5th Ave. Suite 2600 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-336-6000 Fax: 206-336-6100

Darren Nolan, VP Hotel Operations

Westmark Inn Beaver Creek Mile 1202 Alaska Hwy. Beaver Creek , YT Y0B 1A0 Phone: 867-862-7501 Fax: 867-862-7902

Darren Nolan, VP Hotel Operations

Westmark Inn Skagway PO Box 515 Skagway, AK 99840 Phone: 907-983-6000 Fax: 907-983-6100

Darren Nolan, VP Hotel Operations

Westmark Sitka 330 Seward St. Sitka, AK 99835 Phone: 907-747-6241 Fax: 907-747-5486

Ron Hauck, Gen. Mgr.

AK Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Estab.

1954

95

Westmark Fairbanks Hotel and Conference Center has 400 guest rooms, 13 conference/ breakout rooms, over 17,000 sq ft of conference space, Northern Latitudes restaurant (seasonal), Red Lantern restaurant (year round), fitness center, laundry service and coin operated facility, free WiFi, free Parking.

1987

500

Five year-round locations, four seasonal locations. Cater to business and tourism travelers.

1955

20

Enjoy the gold nugget of Yukon hotels- the Westmark Inn Beaver Creek. The Beaver Creek Inn offers 161 comfortable guest rooms, open mid-May through mid-September.

1950

20

The Inn's 151 guest rooms accommodate travelers in turn of the century style while guests looking for a special dining experience will enjoy the Chilkoot Dining Room where you can find friendly service and fine food for breakfast or dinner.

1978

35

Full service hotel located in downtown Sitka within easy walking distance to the Harrigan Centennial Hall, St. Michael's the Russian Orthodox Church, the Shee"Ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi Community House, the picturesque boat harbor, great fishing, shopping and "Totem Park".

1960

200

Beverage license, full service menu, on-site, off-site, hors'd'oeuvres, tray porters, uniforms, punch fountain, table decorations.

info@westmarkhotels.com www.westmarkhotels.com

info@westmarkhotels.com www.westmarkhotels.com

info@westmarkhotels.com www.westmarkhotels.com

info@westmarkhotels.com www.westmarkhotels.com

info@westmarkhotels.com www.westmarkhotels.com

Westmark Whitehorse Hotel & Conf. Center Darren Nolan 201 Wood St. Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2E4 www.westmarkhotels.com Phone: 867-393-9700 Fax: 867-668-2789

Business Activity Services

PASSENGER AIRLINES Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Air Canada 7373 CÌ«te-Vertu Blvd. W. Saint-Laurent, QC H4S 1Z3 Phone: 888-247-2262 Fax: 514-422-6488

Calin Rovinescu, Pres./CEO

Alaska Airlines 4750 Old Int'l Airport Rd. Anchorage, AK 99502 Phone: 907-266-7230 Fax: 907-266-7229

Marilyn Romano, Reg. VP, Alaska

American Airlines Inc. 4333 Amon Carter Blvd.

Fort Worth, TX 76155 Phone: 800-433-7300

Tom Horton, Chairman/CEO

Frontier Airlines 7001 Tower Rd. Denver, CO 80249 Phone: 800-432-1359 Fax: 720-374-9297

David Siegel, Pres./CEO

H.o.T.H. dba Era Alaska 4700 Old Int'l Airport Rd. Anchorage, AK 99502 Phone: 907-266-8394 Fax: 907-266-8391

Bob Hajdukovich, CEO

Jet Blue Airways Corp.

118-29 Queens Blvd.

Forest Hills, NY 11375 Phone: 800-538-2583

David Barger, Pres./CEO

PenAir 6100 Boeing Ave. Anchorage, AK 99502 Phone: 907-771-2500 Fax: 907-771-2661

Danny Seybert, CEO

Security Aviation 6121 S. Airpark Pl. Anchorage, AK 99502 Phone: 907-248-2677 Fax: 907-248-6911

Stephen "Joe" Kapper, Pres.

Taquan Air 4085 Tongass Ave. Ketchikan, AK 99901 Phone: 907-225-8800 Fax: 907-228-4605

Brien Salazar, Pres./CEO

■ 42

AK Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Estab.

1937

We are Canada's largest full-service airline and the largest provider of scheduled passenger services for flights within Canada, between Canada and the U.S, and to every major international destination. (Seasonal service) South Terminal passenger operations at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Also Find us at: facebook.com/aircanada.

@AirCanada (Twitter) www.aircanada.com 1932

www.alaskaair.com

Business Activity Services

1,700 Alaska Airlines and its sister carrier, Horizon Air, together provide passenger and cargo service to more than 90 cities in Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Hawaii and the Lower 48.

1934

Operations at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. American Airlines, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection carrier serve 260 airports in more than 50 countries and territories with, on average, more than 3,500 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers nearly 900 aircraft.

www.aa.com 1994

1

1948

861

www.Facebook.com/FlyFrontier www.FlyFrontier.com

PR@flyera.com www.flyera.com 1999

(Seasonal) South Terminal passenger operations at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and Fairbanks International Airport.

Scheduled air carrier offering service to nearly 100 communities state wide as well as airfreight and charter service to any suitable runway within the state of Alaska.

(Seasonal) South Terminal passenger operations at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

www.jetblue.com 1955

500

Scheduled transportation throughout Southwest Alaska.

1985

25

24/7 on-demand aircraft charter services: express package service, passenger, freight and medical transportation.

2000

45

Scheduled air carrier, passengers, mail, cargo, flightseeing, fly-out bear viewing, fly-out fishing.

missya@penair.com www.penair.com

sales@securityaviaition.biz www.securityaviation.biz

taquanair.com

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

ABM’s 2012 Conventions, Meetings & Corporate Travel Directory PASSENGER AIRLINES Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

TransNorthern Aviation 4510 Old Int'l Airport Rd. Anchorage, AK 99502 Phone: 907-245-1879 Fax: 907-245-1878

Andrea Larson, Gen. Mgr.

Warbelow's Air Ventures Inc. PO Box 60649 Fairbanks, AK 99706 Phone: 907-474-0518 Fax: 907-474-3821

Art Warbelow, Pres.

AK Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Estab.

Business Activity Services

1995

15

TransNorthern operates Twin Turbine Metroliners and Beechcraft 99 aircraft as well as four Super DC-3£s - all the aircraft are for passengers, cargo and combination charters on demand. They also provide weekday FedEx and UPS freight-delivery service to Kodiak, Kenai, and Homer, Alaska.

1989

25

Small regional airline.

charters@transnorthern.com www.transnorthern.com

info@warbelows.com www.warbelows.com

PLANNERS Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Alaska Destination Specialists 639 W. Int'l Airport Rd., Suite 26 Anchorage, AK 99518 Phone: 907-276-5550 Fax: 907-929-5707

Char McClelland, Pres.

Alyeska Resort PO Box 249 Girdwood, AK 99587 Phone: 907-754-1111 Fax: 907-754-2290

Mark Weakland, VP, Hotel GM

Anchorage Golf Course 9138 Arlon St., Suite A3-152 Anchorage, AK 99507 Phone: 907-522-3363 Fax: 907-522-3326

Rich Sayers, Gen. Mgr.

Art Services North 1100 E. Third Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-279-7500 Fax: 907-279-7600

Gail Palmer, Client Services Mgr.

Aurora Productions Inc. 3401 Denali St., Suite 202B Anchorage, AK 99503-4001 Phone: 907-562-9911 Fax: 907-562-9889

Steve Shepherd, Pres.

SMG of Alaska, Inc. 1600 Gambell St. Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907-279-0618 Fax: 907-274-0676

Joe Wooden, Regional GM

Visions Meeting & Event Management 999 E. Tudor Rd., Suite 200 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-786-0141 Fax: 907-562-2016

Karen Zak, Gen. Mgr.

AK Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Estab.

Business Activity Services

1993

5

1959

550

Located 40 miles from Anchorage, Alyeska Resort, featuring the 304 room Hotel Alyeska, is your base camp for summer and winter. Alyeska Resort stands out during ski season with 650' of average snowfall annually and the longest continuous double black diamond ski run in North America.

1987

100

Anchorage Golf Course is the most attractive destination for golf in Alaska. The 18 hole course is challenging and beautiful with 6,600 yards of rolling, tree-lined fairways, to well-guarded undulating greens. Anchorage Golf Course is a public course that offers putting and chipping greens, as well as the only grass driving range in Anchorage.

1985

610

For over 20 years, the professional and creative team at Art Services North has been impressing Alaska with itÕs event and decor production, styling and coordination. From small private functions to large scale civic events, ASN has the experience, knowledge and skills to truly be AlaskaÕs SOURCE for events and decor.

1984

3

char@alaskadestinations.com www.alaskadestinations.com

info@alyeskaresort.com www.alyeskaresort.com

golf@anchoragegolfcourse.com www.anchoragegolfcourse.com

info@artservicesnorth.com www.artservicesnorth.com

Product launches, convention/meeting planning, event planning and production, incentives, festivals, and promotional products. Alaska's only national award winning meeting and event planning company.

Statewide industry leader in trade show management.

showpros@ptialaska.net www.auroraproductions.net 1977

pontt@sullivanarena.com www.sullivanarena.com 1998

1,000 SMG of Alaska Inc. is the management company for Anchorage's Convention Centers Dena'ina and Egan, Sullivan Arena, Ben Boeke and Dempsey Anderson Ice Arenas and the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. More company information is available at www.smgworld.com.

8

karen.zak@visionsus.com www.visionsus.com

Event consultation, budgeting, audio/video coordination, program development, marketing/promotions, site selection, vendor negotiations, online registration, sales incentives, speaker management, off-site theme events, onsite management, and travel.

Specialize in complex, international events.

TRAVEL AGENCIES

Company Company

Top Executive Top Executive

Explore Tours 999 E. Tudor Rd., Suite 200 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-786-0192 Fax: 907-563-8159

Crystal Javier, Dir.

Holland America - Princess 800 5th Ave. Suite 2600 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-336-6000 Fax: 206-336-6100

Charlie Ball, Pres.

Travel Services Inc. PO Box 1147 Palmer, AK 99645 Phone: 907-745-2148 Fax: 907-745-6051

Donna Button, Pres.

USTravel 999 E. Tudor Rd., Suite 200 Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 907-561-2434 Fax: 907-786-0180

Mark Eliason, Pres./CEO

Viking Travel Inc. 101 N. Nordic Dr. Petersburg, AK 99833-0787 Phone: 907-772-3818 Fax: 907-772-3940

David A. Berg, Pres.

AK Estab. Empls.

Empls.

Estab.

1998

9

info@exploretours.com www.exploretours.com 1965

princess.com hollandamerica.com

Unique, custom tours planned by friendly Alaskans. Specializing in wildlife viewing, national parks, accommodations, cruises, and day tours for individuals and groups.

Explore Alaska your way with the local experts!

3,300 Providing luxury accommodations, transportation and customer service to all Gray Line of Alaska, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises travelers.

1978

5

All other travel arrangement services. Domestic and international airline tickets. Cruises and tours. Vacation packages to Hawaii and Mexico. Group travel. Located at: 1931 N. Hemmer Rd.

1978

95

Largest independently owned travel management company in the Pacific Northwest with headquarters in Anchorage and Regional headquarters in Seattle. Subsidiaries include Air Fulfillment Services (Des Moines, Iowa), Visions Meeting Mgt, and Explore Tours.

USTravel specializes in corporate travel management, vacation and group travel.

1981

8

Last minute air and hotel packages (minimum two nights) on Alaska Airlines. Worldwide travel assistance, tour planning and reservations. Alaska ferry reservations and ticketing.

Alaska tours and cruises all over the world. Without a travel agency, you're on your own.

donna@travelservicesinc.com www.travelservicesinc.com

corporate@ustravel.com www.ustravel.com

reservations@alaskaferry.com www.AlaskaFerry.com

Business Activity Services

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

43 ■

© Port of Anchorage

construction

Port of Anchorage Expansion Project might already be done if it were a 100 percent state-funded project.

Alaska Transportation Infrastructure Fund Building roads, rails, airports, harbors and ferries

T

BY SUSAN HARRINGTON, MANAGING EDITOR

he time for a dedicated fund for transportation infrastructure is long overdue. Building, maintaining, replacing and upgrading Alaska’s transportation infrastructure is an expensive proposition, one that requires an investment of public funds. The federal government’s deep pockets are shrinking, especially for Alaska—we are facing less money from the feds for transportation projects. Creating a dedicated transportation fund would bolster the state’s transportation network while providing more opportunities for natural resources development and the flow of commerce,

■ 44

which in turn would help grow the overall economy and create jobs.

It is possible for state-funded projects to be completed in three years instead of the 10 years it takes for federal-funded projects. The Elmore Road Extension is one example. This is partially due to differences in requirements and sequencing. When the state picks up the tab for the whole project, separate components can be simultaneously completed, whereas federal projects are done one step at a time—no step can be taken until the previous step is completed. It’s a slow hop to progress.

Not a New Idea

The idea of an Alaska Transportation Infrastructure Fund is not new and has been introduced in the Alaska Legislature several times, never making it to the governor’s desk. Year after year final passage of a bill for an Alaska Transportation Infrastructure Fund eludes sponsors. Last time it stalled out in the Finance Committee.

Passage by the State House and Senate, along with the governor’s autograph doesn’t in itself guarantee the fund will come into existence, either. It does guarantee the people of Alaska a voice in the

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

AlAskA’s MArine industriAl Hub

AlAskA ship & DRYDock The largest shipbuilding and repair facility in Alaska just got better.

Ketchikan Shipyard’s new state-of-the-art assembly hall and production center operated by ASD has put Alaska’s first city on the map as one of the most modern shipbuilding, modernization and repair resources in North America. ASD’s skilled workforce offers superior quality and Alaska tough results for vessels up to 500 feet.

907.225.7199

A k s H i p. c o M

i n f o @ A k s H i p. c o M

“What do we have? Natural resources—that’s all we have.

We need roads to resources.”

—Peggy Wilson Alaska House Rep.

matter of the state’s transportation infrastructure. Once legislation passes, the next step is a vote by the people to amend the Alaska Constitution to allow for the fund and provide seed money.

The way it works is much like an endowment. Projects would be financed from proceeds of the fund, which would be initiated by an amount set by the legislation—$1 billion has been proposed in the past, it may be wiser to seed it with a larger investment at this juncture. Alaska now has close to a $17 billion backlog of transportation projects, counting the road to Nome—but not all the new infrastructure the state needs to take us through the end of the century. The roads, rails, airports, harbors and ferries for the next few generations deserve to be built, need to be funded, have already been studied and in many cases, designed.

Widespread Support

Harness the power from the sun.

Solar Products – Ready for Delivery.

Ameresco finances, designs, builds, operates and maintains solar thermal and photovoltaic systems as part of a broader energy management approach that is focused on cost savings through energy efficiency. When solar thermal is used to supplement geothermal as a hybrid system, organizations can often cover the majority of these HVAC functions with clean, renewable energy. http://alaska.ameresco.com 907.278.1880 © 2012 Ameresco, Inc. Ameresco and the Ameresco logo, the orb symbol and the tagline “Green. Clean. Sustainable.” are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All rights reserved.

■ 46

I spoke recently with Alaska House Rep. Peggy Wilson about the Alaska Transportation Infrastructure Fund when she was in Anchorage from her home in Wrangell. I learned this fund is “above and beyond what we’re doing now. It doesn’t do anything with what we do now and it’s the only way to grow economic development.” Wilson has long been a champion of legislation for a dedicated transportation fund, and she will continue to push for passage.

“What do we have?” she asked in November, days after the election, in reference to the Alaska economy. “Natural resources—that’s all we have. We need roads to resources.”

AGC of Alaska Executive Director John MacKinnon loaded me up with a stack of reports detailing the support for a statefunded transportation program when he briefed me about it early this fall. After reading hundreds of pages of studies and comments and details, I am convinced voters would overwhelmingly approve a constitutional amendment for the Alaska Transportation Infrastructure Fund just as they have approved nearly every trans-

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

portation bond issue appearing on the ballot since statehood. Case in point: a few weeks ago Alaskans approved nearly half a billion dollars in general obligation bonods for state transportation projects.

We Alaskans are hungry for transportation infrastructure. We want to get from here to there.

MacKinnon says Alaska needs a state-funded transportation program funded sufficiently and predictably— a fund providing continuity between administrations and considering all modes of transportation. The AGC has been making it an Alaska Legislative Priority for years, something the organization will continue to do until it’s brought into existence.

I talked with Wells Fargo Economist and Vice President Aryam Vázquez, of the Global Emerging Markets Wells Fargo Country Risk Management Group earlier this year when he was in town from his base in New York City. He laughed that there were no more roads than exist in Alaska, telling me: “The first thing you have to do is build roads!”

Our lack of infrastructure development had him shaking his head in disbelief. He was adamant roads must be built to realize resource development. End of story.

The Alaska State Chamber of Commerce supports the establishment of a state fund for transportation—the organization’s policy position is clear: “The Alaska Chamber encourages the Alaska State Legislature and the Governor to create a funding mechanism for maintenance and capital improvements for investment in Alaska’s land, water, and air transportation systems.

Alaska’s transportation infrastructure is pivotal to the State’s economy to access markets, supplies and resources.

Improving and investing in its transportation system will enhance the competitiveness of businesses and economic opportunities for its people.”

The Alaska Municipal League commissioned the Alaska Transportation Finance Study, published in January 2009. Executive Director Kathie Wasserman wrote that the study by Cambridge Systematics, a nationally recognized transportation finance consulting firm, “made three important findings: the maintenance and development of the state’s transportation infrastructure is under funded, resulting

in serious safety and capacity issues.

Second, anticipated changes in federal highway funding could result in decreased federal funding to the state, as funding shifts from low-population rural states to metropolitan and urban locations. Third, the state must examine the creation of a reliable and predictable source of transportation funding to support economic development and social well-being.”

As we go to press, the AML was in Anchorage at the Captain Cook for its annual conference, and one of the things being put forth was Alaska Municipal League Resolution #2013-09 7: A Resolution Urging The Alaska Legislature To Fund A Transportation Infrastructure Fund To Generate Money For Failing Transportation Infrastructure.

The AML resolution asks for the fund to generate investment earnings annually to improve, upgrade and expand State of Alaska roads and highways, the Alaska Marine Highway System, airports, port and harbors, and public transit and local roads.

These are but a few examples of the many leaders and organizations in the state supporting a dedicated transportation fund.

Another Opportunity

The next opportunity to put the issue before voters is the 2014 General Election, two years from now. That should be plenty of time for the Alaska Legislature to archetypically transform into Super Legislators and actually get something done on this front and invest in infrastructure. The legislation drafted for the Alaska Transportation Infrastructure Fund provides sustainability by directing certain transportation fees and taxes into the fund, along with appropriations, to add to the initial seed money to create the fund and keep it growing.

Each passing year the cost of building and maintaining transportation infrastructure increases, every project that is a federal project takes longer to bring to fruition, and every missed opportunity for a 100 percent state-funded project leaves money on the table—over time that has added up to billions of dollars that could be invested in roads, rails, airports, harbors and ferries. We could be building bridges—across our many rivers—to the future.

R

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

47 ■

© Ken Graham Photography.com

AGC 2012 CONS T RUC T ION AWA R DS

Buildings over $15 million—Neeser Construction Inc. for Goose Creek Correctional Center

Associated General Contractors Name 2012 Award Winners

Photo courtesy of F & W Construction

Top construction projects and safety recognition

Hard Hat Award—Robby Capps, Owner, F & W Construction ■ 48

T

he Associated General Contractors of Alaska (AGC), the state’s largest construction organization, named its top construction projects, safety programs and individuals at the association’s annual conference in Anchorage, Nov. 7 through 10.

The Hard Hat Award, given annually to an AGC member who has demonstrated exemplary service to the Association, the community and the industry was awarded to Anchorage contractor Robby Capps, owner of F & W Construction.

In the Alaska USA Insurance Brokerssponsored Excellence in Construction Awards seven firms won eight awards in “Meeting the Challenge of a Job”: Neeser Construction Inc., Roger Hickel Contracting Inc., Davis Constructors & Engineers Inc., QAP, Granite Construction Company, Superior Plumbing and Heating, and STG Incorporated.

In the Marsh and McLennan Insurance-sponsored Excellence in Safety Awards, the following won top honors: ■Small Contractor—Alaska Sheet Metal ■ Medium Contractor—Cornerstone General Contractors Inc. ■ Large Contractor—Granite Construction Company ■ Individual—Ian Langtry, Granite Construction Company AGC also announced winners in the following categories: ■ Stan Smith Volunteer of the Year— Karl Gohlke, Frontier Supply Company, Fairbanks ■ Supplier of the Year—John B. Heafer, Spenard Builders Supply, Anchorage ■ Associate of the Year—Carlile Transportation, Anchorage

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

AGC 2012 CONS T RUC T ION AWA R DS Buildings between $5 million and $15 million million— Roger Hickel Contracting Inc. for APU Glenn Olds Hall Expansion

© Ken Graham Photography.com

Photo courtesy of Roger Hickel Contracting Inc.

Buildings under $5 million—Davis Constructors & Engineers Inc. for Alaska Jewish Center Sanctuary Renovation, Anchorage

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

49 ■

Photo courtesy of QAP

AGC 2012 CONS T RUC T ION AWA R DS

Transportation, Marine, Heavy, Earthmoving over $3 million—QAP for Chefornak Airport Relocation Transportation, Marine, Heavy, Earthmoving under $3 million—Granite Construction Company, Lake Hood Bank Stabilization Project Photo courtesy of Granite Construction Company

Specialty Contractor Vertical Construction with Contractor as Subcontractor— Superior Plumbing and Heating for Goose Creek Correctional Center (pictured on page 48) Specialty Contractor Vertical Construction with Contractor as Prime Contractor— Superior Plumbing and Heating for D/B Solution, Replacing Heating System of AHFC (pictured at right) Photo courtesy of Superior Plumbing and Heating

■ 50

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Photo courtesy of STG Incorporated

AGC 2012 CONS T RUC T ION AWA R DS

Sustainability in Construction Award—STG Incorporated for Kotzebue Wind Farm Expansion

The Associated General Contractors of Alaska is a 650 member statewide association for companies in the construction/contracting business, including buildings, highways/utilities, heavy industrial and specialty areas. Construction is the third largest industry in Alaska, contributing more than $7 billion to the Alaska economy each year, and paying the second highest wages with more than 21,000 in the workforce.

AGC is headquartered in Anchorage with an office in Fairbanks.

R

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oil & gAs

Great Bear Petroleum

Great Bear’s Alcor No. 1 well was drilled to a depth of 10,812 feet, and the company is in the process of drilling a second oil shale test well, the Merak No. 1. The core data from both wells will be combined to help the company plan further operations.

Photo courtesy Great Bear Petroleum Operating LLC

Indie wants long-term production tests on oil shale wells

BY VANESSA ORR

W

hile Alaska has long been known for conventional oil and gas development, one relative newcomer to the state, Alaskabased Great Bear Petroleum Operating LLC, is making news in a more unconventional way. The private company, which has been focused on the exploration, development and production of shale-based oil on Alaska’s North Slope for the past two years, has asked the state to allow it to amend its plan of operations in the hopes of making a faster decision on the viability of fullscale production.

According to Great Bear President and Chief Executive Officer Ed Duncan, the company’s Alcor No. 1 well was drilled to a depth of 10,812 feet. “We encountered all three oil source rocks at the depth that was predicted and at the maturity state that was predicted,” he says.

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“We would like to run a longer-term production estimate on our wells,” he adds. “If we are able to perform longterm production estimates, depending on those results, it could move our decision point forward by up to a year about whether to proceed with a full-scale shale oil development.”

Great Bear has secured approximately 500,000 acres along the trans-Alaska pipeline corridor and is working with oil field services company Halliburton as its venture partner.

Too Early

While Duncan says that it is far too early to estimate reserve numbers for the project, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that Alaska’s North Slope holds up to 2 billion barrels of oil and 80 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in shale; an unconventional resource that has remained untapped until now. Alaska’s

shale formations rank number two for shale potential in the U.S., behind formations in Montana and North Dakota.

If the state gives Great Bear permission to proceed with long-term production testing, Duncan believes that the company may get enough information to move forward at a much faster rate.

“Similar to unconventional plays in the Lower 48, long-term production tests will give us the ability to make higher confidence evaluations as to the estimated recovery per well, what kind of flow rates (daily production rates) we can expect, and how quickly the wells will start and decline. In these types of unconventional plays, the wells start great but decline rapidly, so we need this view before we can make high confidence evaluations about this play’s commerciality.”

Great Bear’s regulatory and permitting groups are working very closely with the state to make amendments

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

to its plan of operations in the hopes that permission will be granted for the company to conduct the long-term production tests. “In my opinion, it is important for the state to bring a decision forward as quickly as possible, rather than to delay,” says Duncan. “It makes sense from a business perspective and from a state perspective. While I don’t know the history of long-term testing requests in Alaska, it is not unusual in the Lower 48; you have to have longterm production tests to get a commitment for development money, even in conventional fields.”

More Rigs Needed

Great Bear is drilling its second test well, the Merak No. 1, which is located next to the Dalton Highway. The core data that is garnered from this vertical well will be combined with the data from the Alcor No. 1 well to help the company plan further operations.

“We plan to drill more exploration and evaluation wells after this current location,” Duncan says. “The challenge isn’t a lack of desire, but the availability of rigs; this is a big problem in northern Alaska. The rig market is pretty tight and the number of rigs that are designed to do what we do are pretty slim.” Great Bear’s current rig contract expires at the end of this year, and the rig is under contract to another company for the winter.

In addition to drilling, Great Bear hopes to be shooting more 3D seismic this year, as they did last winter. “We are working closely with the acquisition company now on plans to shoot in our leasehold in a much larger area than we did last year,” Duncan says. “Because seismic acquisition season requires that the tundra be frozen, the process usually runs from January through April.

Last winter was an exception, however, because Alaska had an incredibly cold winter, so we were able to extend the season into May.”

Workforce Development

Regional development could be a boon to the state’s economy, though Duncan is concerned with finding the skilled workers that would be required if the company ramps up to full-scale production. “It’s no secret that drilling rigs take a lot of people, and the sup

“Alaska is a huge state area-wise, but a small state populationwise,” he continues. “Will there be enough trained welders, pipefitters and construction workers available for full-field development? If you look at where all these people are today, they’re not in Alaska.”

— Ed Duncan President and CEO Great Bear

port industry around rigs take a lot, too,” he says. “A single, full-time crew consists of 40 people in a 24-hour period. If there are a large number of rigs running and each requires 40 people— not to mention the trucks hauling and making deliveries—there’s a significant challenge there.

“Alaska is a huge state area-wise, but a small state population-wise,” he continues. “Will there be enough trained welders, pipefitters and construction workers available for full-field development? If you look at where all these people are today, they’re not in Alaska.”

To this end, Duncan recently went to Fairbanks to meet with community business leaders and unions to discuss workforce development. “There is a tendency, not just in Alaska but in most places, for workforce development to be reactive instead of proactive,” Duncan says. “I’m trying to make sure that community groups, unions and the state know what I think the demands will be in advance of our peak load. We need to get our minds wrapped around these problems now.”

While there are a lot of challenges to face, Duncan is looking forward to Great Bear’s next steps on the Last Frontier. “I’m excited to be here and very happy with our progress to date,” he says. “We’ve got great funding partners and great technical partners, and while there are always challenges, I look at them as opportunities.”

R Vanessa Orr is a writer living in western Pennsylvania.

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oil & gAs

Photo courtesy of Southeast Alaska Power Agency

Arctic ‘Gas by Wire’

Workers stringing conductor on the Swan-Tyee Intertie, which interconnected the Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg electric systems in August 2009, more than 14 years after engineering began. The concept of a North Slope Intertie is under discussion.

Generating power for rural Alaska

F

BY MIKE BRADNER

or years, Alaskans have been trying to figure ways to tap the huge natural gas energy resources known on the North Slope. The oil resource there is being produced, of course, and is being shipped to Lower 48 markets through the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. However, the gas is still largely untapped, although some of it is being used to help produce more oil, when gas produced along with the oil is injected back underground to repressure the oil reservoir.

There are hopes that a large-diameter natural gas pipeline will be built someday to carry the North Slope gas to markets outside Alaska, and that Alaskans could benefit from this because gas to be used locally can ride inexpensively ■ 54

through the big pipeline to offtake points that serve Alaska communities.

But nothing has come yet of many plans to build a gas pipeline over the years.

The latest plan is a large pipeline to a natural gas liquefaction (LNG) project at a south Alaska port. But it is not yet known whether this is feasible, and in any event its completion would be more than a decade away.

Meanwhile, Alaskans are dealing with serious energy issues and no way to tap the gas resource on the Slope.

Energy costs are now a very serious issue in Interior Alaska because most home and building heating is done with oil, and most power is generated with oil. There are similar problems in small, outlying rural villages. In An-

chorage, natural gas is less expensive but supplies are running out. Ironically, gas will have to be imported to the region as LNG or compressed natural gas by 2015.

Two efforts are under way as stop-gap measures until a large pipeline is built, if one is built. These include a shortterm plan to truck LNG from a small plant on the North Slope to Fairbanks where the LNG would be regasified and used for power generation and space heating in some parts of the community. LNG trucking is still in the study phase, however, and a decision by Golden Valley Electric Association, which is leading the project, is expected in 2013.

For the medium-term, a state corporation, the Alaska Gasline Develop-

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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ment Corp., is working on plans for a 24-inch gas pipeline to the Slope that could be built before the big pipeline is built, or instead of one if the big line is never built. A small pipeline is not the optimal solution but as a fall-back plan it would work. The 24-inch pipeline is at the early conceptual engineering stage and is awaiting more funds from the State Legislature before proceeding with more detailed engineering.

Wired Gas

A new idea, or rather an old idea refashioned, has now surfaced for tapping the North Slope gas resource. Absent a gas pipeline, the idea is “gas by wire,” or electricity generated on the North Slope in a large power plant and moved south through a direct current high voltage transmission (HVDC) transmission line to the Interior and points south, and west for that matter. Power is now sent north from Southcentral to the Interior, and sometimes vice versa, over an existing Intertie. A new statewide system could see interties from the main “backbone” system from the North Slope to possible new industrial customers like the Donlin Creek gold mine on the Kuskokwim River, or potential large copper and zinc mines in the Ambler Mining District of the western Brooks Range.

The idea of gas by wire isn’t really new.

The North Slope producers periodically review all ideas for using the gas on the North Slope, but they have settled on a pipeline, for the time being, as being most optimal for their needs. However, Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, a rural electric co-op serving 53 small communities, has recently been working with Marsh Creek LLC—a power systems technology group owned by Kaktovik Inupiat Corp. and SolstenXP—in taking a new look at the long-distance power transmission idea and to bring it up to date. AVEC sees the idea as a way North Slope energy can be moved to many parts of the state in a practical way, particularly to rural Alaska where many of AVEC’s utilities are located.

Technically, the idea of long-distance high voltage direct current power transmission is well grounded.

It has now been shown that HVDC can efficiently transport large quantities of power over long distances with

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

less loss of power in transit than is the case with traditional alternating current (AC) transmission systems. Three examples of long-distance systems that have long been in place include the large Three Gorges hydro project in China, built in 2007 with a capability of transmitting 3,000 megawatts for 662 miles; the U.S. Pacific Intertie from Washington state to California built in 1985 with a capability of transmitting 3,100 megawatts for 850 miles; and the Quebec-New England HVDC system built in 1992 with a capability of transmitting 2,000 megawatts for 925 miles.

HVDC technology was actually developed in the 1950s and it was discussed in Alaska as part of the proposed Rampart Dam project, a very large hydro project considered for the midYukon River in the 1960s. The idea was for surplus Rampart hydro power to be exported to the Lower 48 with HVDC. Rampart was never built, but the idea of power generation distributed over long distances from Alaska has remained.

One challenge for HVDC is that the converters at either end of the line, to

convert the AC current to DC for transmission and then back to AC at the terminus, are expensive. The big advantage of HVDC is the low loss of energy in transit, which is similar to the energy “lost” (consumed) in a natural gas pipeline. HVDC also has lower costs because its transmission “footprint” is smaller. An HVDC system requires less right-of-way, less space, and has a smaller environmental impact. The HVDC systems that were built earlier were so large that the overall benefits of the systems outweighed the conversion costs, which were high.

Things are changing, however.

Newer technologies developed in the 1990s with high power, high voltage transistor devices made it economic to ship smaller amounts of power, in the tens of megawatts, over shorter distances, such as tens of miles. The three major vendors of international HVDC systems all have their own variations of this medium-distance HVDC system, but all are similar.

ABB Group’s technology “HVDC Light”; Siemens AG calls its version “HVDC Plus”; Alstrom Group devel-

oped one it calls “MaxSine.” One ABB HVDC Light system now in place is a 350 megawatt system 66 miles long connecting Estonia and Finland, and operating since 2006. There is also a 78 megawatt, 182-mile line serving a North Sea offshore oil project that was put in service in 2009.

An Alaska Application

The concept being discussed by AVEC and Marsh Creek is for a 800 megawatt to 1,000 megawatt combined-cycle gas turbine generation plant on the North Slope connected to long-distance HVDC transmission lines to send power south to the “Railbelt” region and to western Alaska. This is the backbone of a possible statewide system. The branches, using the new HVDC technologies for shorter systems and smaller loads, would be built to other regions.

A preliminary cut at the economics of a large backbone system, prepared

by AVEC and March Creek, assumes an 833 megawatt gas turbine plant at Prudhoe Bay built for $1.25 billion; a long-distance HVDC transmission line built for $1.86 billion; and $600 mil-

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57 ■

lion spent for converter systems, for a total of $3.71 billion. Operating costs are estimated at $93.17 per megawatthour of power generated and delivered.

This would result in a delivered wholesale cost of power in Fairbanks of about 6.5 cents per kilowatt hour, (this does not include local distribution costs by Golden Valley Electric Association).

To compare this with oil used for space heating, however, there could be dramatic savings: At $5 a gallon, diesel used in a furnace that is 80 percent efficient costs the equivalent of 16.3 cents per kilowatt hour.

In rural communities, the benefits of such a system are even more dramatic.

In many regions diesel costs $7 per gallon, the equivalent of 23.1 cents per kilowatt hour for space heating. Electricity powered by diesel is even more expensive—commercial and institutional power customers, who do not enjoy the benefits of the state Power Cost Equalization program (which helps only homeowners) often pay 50 cents per kilowatt hour, or more.

Wholesale electricity delivered to the Nome and Kotzebue areas via a branch

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transmission line from Fairbanks are estimated at 13.1 cents per kilowatt hour, which includes 6.5 cents for delivery from the Slope to Fairbanks and 6.6 cents per kilowatt hour for delivery to Nome and Kotzebue over the branch line. The branch line cost is estimated at $900 million. Although there would still be local distribution costs, this promises a much less expensive source of energy.

In Southcentral Alaska the estimated wholesale delivery cost is 9.3 cents per kilowatt hour. Comparing this with what is paid today in Southcentral, the regional electric utility, Chugach Electric Association, currently generates its power with natural gas for an average cost of about 6 cents per kilowatt hour. However, this will increase over time because natural gas supplies in the region are depleted, and new, more costly sources of gas are tapped. Another comparison is that wind power is now being sold to Chugach from Fire Island for about 9 cents per kilowatt hour. Again, Chugach’s distribution costs would be in addition to the wholesale cost.

What is being advanced by AVEC and Marsh Creek is that if the power cost were low enough it could encourage the major conversions of buildings, including homes, to electric heat. If this were possible it would have huge economic benefits for Fairbanks and rural communities, if those could be reached by the system, because electricity would replace costly fuel oil that is now being used for space heating and power generation. This isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. In Southeast Alaska communities, where relatively inexpensive hydro power is now available in some communities, many building owners have switched to all-electric and are enjoying considerable benefits.

The environmental benefits of replacing oil-fired systems with electric systems include a sharp reduction of particulate emissions and greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Benefits could be further realized with electric systems in Fairbanks and other communities where there is heavy use of wood for space heating. If a system were statewide it would also allow for the integration of renewable energy systems

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

into a larger electrical grid, such as the proposed Susitna-Watana hydro power project and wind power projects in western Alaska.

Meeting Technical Challenges

In terms of applying HVDC systems to small rural communities, however, there are still technical challenges.

Systems like ABB’s HVDC Light can transmit smaller amounts of power for shorter distances, but there is still no system than can economically work with very small amounts of power, such as 1 megawatt. If the main transmission system from the Slope to the Railbelt is the backbone, and branches are those links to major regions of the state—the Kotzebue and Nome areas for example—the “twigs” of the system are still needed, the links to very small communities.

There is work under way, and in Alaska, on this problem. AVEC again has taken a leadership role in working with an Anchorage-based electrical engineering company, Polarconsult Alaska Inc., in the development of a promising technology system that

could efficiently handle very small loads of DC/AC conversion. Working with funding from the federal Denali Commission, AVEC and Polarconsult have a program under way to develop the technology and test it in Alaska.

Phase one, now finished, involved development of the new converter by Princeton Power Systems, a New Jersey-based technology company. Phase two, now largely completed, involves a field demonstration by Polarconsult of new low-cost methods of installing DC transmission lines. The third phase, yet to be funded, involves a test installation and field demonstration of one of the new converters and a transmission line built with the new methods.

AVEC is keenly interested in advancing the electrical interconnect idea and sees the big proposed gas-by-wire from the Slope as an idea that could solve energy problems, not just in the Railbelt but in rural areas too, because building transmission lines might be more practical than building spur gas pipelines from a large pipeline. If Alaska pursues such a path of electricity distribution it can look to efforts now under way in

Manitoba, and even Mongolia, where distribution of power to small, remote communities is part of a broader economic development effort.

Meanwhile, AVEC is now demonstrating the advantages of interconnections with its connection of three of its communities, Toksook Bay, Tununak and Nightmute, which allowed AVEC to decommission power plants in Tununak and Nightmute (these are kept on standby) and to rely mainly on a larger, more efficient plant at Toksook Bay to supply all three communities. The intertie also made possible the integration of wind power generated at Toksook Bay into the system for all three communities. Power is still expensive, but the intertie has resulted in efficiencies that are reducing power costs by 6 cents/kilowatt hour compared with other small villages that are not connected, and have their own power generation plants.

R Mike Bradner is publisher of the Alaska Economic Report and Alaska Legislative Digest.

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RIGHT MOVES Denali Alaskan Home Loans

Karla Capellini joins Denali Alaskan Home Loans as a senior loan originator. Capellini has a BBA in international business, is bilingual in Spanish and English and is an active member of the group Latinos in Alaska.

Compiled by Mari Gallion Clinic; Bridget Willet, DDS, has joined the dental provider staff at the SEARHC Juneau Dental Clinic as the consortium’s staff prosthodontist; and Sarah E. Niecko, PA-C, as a physician assistant. She will work with the Cedar medical home at the Ethel Lund Medical Center.

Credit Union 1 Capellini

SEARHC

Taintor

Powell

Trammell

Bell

Breihahn

Beka

graduate of the Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of New Rochelle.

Kautaq Construction Services

Glenn Spangler has joined Kautaq Construction Services LLC as project manager. Spangler has more than 15 years of construction management experience working at remote sites throughout Alaska and the Lower 48 where he’s managed Spangler both private sector and government projects.

Walsh Sheppard

Settles

Willet

The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is pleased to announce that Matt Taintor, MD, has joined the medical staff at the SEARHC S’áxt’ Hít Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital in Sitka; Kevin Settles, Psy.D, joined the staff as Niecko the telebehavioral health coordinator; Pyper M. Powell, LPC, as a behavioral health clinician for the Juneau Behavioral Health

Credit Union 1 is pleased to announce that Cassie Trammell has been promoted to the position of branch manager at the Abbott Branch; Chrissy Bell has become the community engagement and education manager; Tammy Breihahn as the new risk and compliance manager in the Internal Audit Department; and Tiffany Beka to the position of sales and service manager in the Consumer Loans Department.

Providence Health & Services Alaska

Kate Mohr, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, has accepted the role of executive director for The Children’s Hospital at Providence and Women’s Services.

Mohr holds a Master of Science in Nursing Administration from Duke University. She is also a

Kreger

Nolan-Partnow

Walsh Sheppard has hired Jesse Kreger as an account manager. Kreger holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in communication and leadership from Gonzaga University.

Account manager and social media manager Maia Nolan-Partnow has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Portland and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Literary Arts from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

ECI/Hyer

ECI/Hyer Architecture and Interiors announced the addition of several new staff members: Stephanie Cuvelier-Holenda, Carlie Douglas, and Cara Parker.

OH MY! ■ 60

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

RIGHT MOVES Cuvelier-Holenda is ECI/Hyer’s new administrative assistant. She has a background in horticulture.

Douglas received a Bachelor of Architecture, cum laude, from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Master of Arts in Urban Design from Newcastle University in England.

Parker graduated with high honors from the Art Institute of Portland with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design.

North Star Equipment Services

North Star Equipment Services is pleased to announce the hire of Randy Beltz to the position of business development manager for energy and mining markets. Beltz attended the University of Alaska, Anchorage and holds an MBA from the University of Washington.

DOT&PF

Jennifer Anderson has received the Federal Highway Administrator’s Public Service Award.

Anderson, a transportation planner for the Department of Transportation & Public Facilities, earned the honor for her contributions updating the Traffic Monitoring Guide.

AHFC

Alaska Housing Finance Corp. welcomed back Mike Courtney, a former property manager, as the new director of housing operations for its public housing division. Courtney has more than 20 years of experience in real estate, banking, mortgage insurance and construction.

First Alaskans Institute

The First Alaskans Institute board of trustees announced the promotion of Elizabeth Medicine Crow from interim president and CEO to president and CEO. Medicine Crow received her Bachelor of Arts from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., and her law degree from Arizona State University College of Law in Tempe, Ariz.

Golder Associates Inc.

Golder Associates Inc. Anchorage office welcomes three new hires: Ryan Campbell as an engineering

Compiled by Mari Gallion geologist; John Thornley as a project geotechnical engineer; and Jeffrey Levison as an engineer.

Campbell graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a Bachelor of Science in Geology.

Thornley is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno with a master’s degree in geotechnical engineering.

Levison graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a BS in geological engineering and a minor in geology.

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport hired Tim Coons as the Lake Hood Manager. Coons retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2011, following a career that included flying the F-4/RF-4 Phantom and the F-15E Strike Eagle at various posts throughout Coons the world. Coons began working at ANC in Airport Operations last fall.

Pacific Seafoods Processors Association

Pacific Seafood Processors Association announced that Captain John V. O’Shea has joined PSPA as vice president—Alaska. Captain O’Shea spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, much of it dealing with fisheries law enforcement policy and operations at the national and regional levels, including the North Pacific.

Crowley

Captain Alex Sweeney has joined Crowley’s solutions group as vice president, project operations.

His experience spans across all sectors of the maritime industry and includes working in remote locations and the Arctic.

KPMG LLP

KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, promoted Julie Schrecengost to managing director.

Schrecengost holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Wells Fargo

Fairweather LLC

Jaime Pinsonneault has been hired as controller for Fairweather LLC. Pinsonneault graduated Summa Cum Laude from theUniversityofMinnesota, Duluth with bachelor of Arts degrees in Business Finance and Accounting.

She obtained her CPA des- Pinsonneault ignation in 2009.

University of Alaska

Carol Gering, interim director of UAF eLearning and Distance Education, has been appointed to executive director. Gering received her bachelor’s degree in Christian education from Southern Nazarene University and her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from UAF.

Strutz

Everhart

Wells Fargo Alaska regional president Richard Strutz has announced his retirement after 42 years with Wells Fargo, including 20 years as the company’s chief executive in Alaska.

Alaska regional business banking manager Joe Everhart has been named to succeed Strutz as Wells Fargo’s Alaska regional president. Everhart is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Gonzaga University.

R

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telecom & technologY

Back-Up Plan

Implementing strategies for data loss prevention

BY RINDI WHITE

E

ver had a power failure destroy a file that hadn’t been saved? Lost precious photos when a hard drive tanked?

Fought to rebuild a list of contacts when a cell phone unexpectedly quit working?

Losing data, especially irreplaceable or frequently used data, is frustrating.

But what happens when the data lost is key to operating a business?

Statistics abound online about how many small or mid-size businesses fail after a natural disaster or a problem that forces their closure for 10 days or more.

Unfortunately most of the numbers—such as 80 percent of businesses affected by a major incident close within 18 months without a contingency plan in place—have questionable provenance and some appear to be made up by companies that stand to benefit from such shocking statistics.

However, an article from KPMG, one of the four largest international professional services agencies in the world—

■ 62

and one of the “Big Four” firms that audit publicly traded companies—states that their research shows 40 percent of companies that suffer a major business disruption go out of business within two years.

Prevention

Scary statistics aside, any business owner can probably think of a few files that, if lost, might make doing business difficult. So where does one start when considering data storage options?

Mark Mathis, an account executive working with network infrastructure for Anchorage-based Arctic Information Technology, says there’s no single solution for businesses to consider.

“This is not necessarily a simple conversation to have. There are several types of options,” he says. “It’s important to find a vendor … who can walk you through these choices and find the right fit.”

Bill Rondeau, a network engineer with Anchorage-based B2 Networks, says many companies evaluate their data storage solutions when making other hardware or software decisions.

Perhaps they’re incorporating new software that requires more space, are hiring additional employees or are opening a branch office.

“It’s not necessarily the first problem (people contact us with), although it is something we can quickly evaluate,” Rondeau says.

Businesses frequently consult with B2 Networks about their information technology, or IT, setup and, while doing so, B2 engineers consider the company’s data storage setup and how they’re backing up data. Degraded system performance, such as when a simple task takes longer than it used to, is one common sign the network is reaching the upper limit of available storage.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Options

Storage comes in many forms, from flash drives to network-area storage to cloud storage. Here’s a brief rundown that several sources, including Entrepreneur Magazine, have cited as storage solutions: memory drives: A flash ■ Flash drive is easy to use and is a simple

■

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way to take important data offsite, whether as a potential tool for disaster recovery or to operate a business on the road. Encrypted USB flash drives can be purchased to protect files in the event the drive is lost or stolen.

External hard drives: An external hard drive can provide a “plug-andplay” storage solution, connecting directly with a computer. However, they don’t offer a lot of protection – the drive could fail or, in the event of a fire or other disaster at a business, chances are the external drive will be toast along with the computer.

Online storage: Cloud computing is one kind of online storage. Essentially, online storage is provided by a third party over the Internet,

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either in a public setup (like Google Cloud Storage, Dropbox or others), a private setup (access is limited to only your employees and security is closely monitored) or a mix of the two that allows businesses to put non-critical data like websites and other accessible information in a public cloud and keep sensitive data housed in a more secure data facility. The host might be in the same state or in another country. Hosted storage provides security in the case of natural disasters and generally allows businesses to share large files with clients by allowing them access via a password. In many cases the files can be accessed through any Internet-connected computer.

This option depends on local network reliability and speed.

Network-attached storage: A device on your business’ network, typically housed at your business and readily available to employees. Mathis says this solution is popular for smaller businesses, as it provides some capacity for growth and can be easily man-

■

aged even by companies that don’t employ an IT professional.

An off-site backup solution – either cloud-based or tape backup, Mathis says, should accompany this option, since it doesn’t guarantee the safety of data in the case of a disaster.

Storage area network: A network of multiple devices can be linked together to provide a large central storage solution or blocklevel data storage. Rondeau says this setup might benefit larger companies that are running active directories. A SAN allows multiple servers to be more effective by consolidating individual server storage into shared storage space.

Solutions

The right kind of storage for one business might not be the best solution for another business, Mathis says, even if both businesses do the same kind of work.

“There really is no correlation between the type of business and the type of solution,” he says. It all depends

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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on how the company works, how it is poised to change over the next three to five years, and how important it is that backed-up data be readily available.

“It’s unique for every client because each client is different,” Rondeau adds.

“If there’s a system-level problem, what are the requirements for getting that repaired and back online—hours or days?” Mathis says.

Cost, experience and other factors come into play as well. Some businesses have a do-it-yourself approach and are willing to learn how to manage storage solutions. Others might not mind paying to have an IT professional oversee their data storage needs.

Jacob Kelley, general manager of Sequestered Solutions, a secure data and services hosting company based in Anchorage, likened the array of options available to items on the menu at a fi ne restaurant.

“If a guest chooses to order the a-lacarte service, you receive an unmanaged hosting service where our primary function is to provide you with a secure place to store your servers in a redundant, hardened facility. If you elect to order the

entrée, you receive our managed hosting solution where we provide the servers, IT expertise and professional staff needed to run them,” he wrote by email.

The Alaska Factor

As with many things, living in Alaska means taking a few other factors into consideration. If, for example, an Anchorage-based business needs to be connected to an office in Barrow, it might be better to work with an Alaskabased IT professional.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had conversations with other manufacturers who are trying to put together a solution for someone with a business in Anchorage and one in, say, Bethel. They assume Internet connections in Bethel are of the same speed and quality of those in, say, Seattle. But Bethel doesn’t have the same quality, as their Internet connections are typically over a satellite,” Mathis says.

Internet service via satellite might make sharing large files costly and time-consuming, he says, and there are other storage ideas that will likely be more efficient and save money.

Talk or Walk it through

The best approach is to sit down with an IT professional and discuss all the options available.

Mathis says business owners who want to start the discussion should have a working knowledge of the types of applications being run and what the current data requirements are. They should also have an idea where the business will be in three to five years. Is a new software system going to be incorporated? Is the business going to expand or shrink dramatically?

“You want to be able to buy something that fits your needs now, and that will still meet your needs for the next three to five years,” Rondeau says.

The easiest way to have that discussion might be to invite an IT professional to take a look at the network and identify solutions.

“We look at what they use, how they use it and what they will need to use in the future. From that, we will be able to assemble or glean a strategy,” Mathis says.

R Freelance journalist Rindi White lives in Palmer.

Anne Campbell Advertising Account Manager anne@akbizmag.com

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www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

AGENDA

Compiled By Tasha Anderson government spending, and how this will affect communities and jobs. Also hear about the international picture and how it impacts Alaska. Registration required. wtcak.org or info@wtcak.org

DECEMBER 2012

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ASBDC Seminar: What You Should Know About Credit Card Services Dec. 6, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.—Alaska Small Business Development Center Office, Anchorage: Workshops are designed to help new and established small businesses improve business practices. Pre-registration required. aksbdc.org or 907-274-7232

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8th Annual Alaska-China Business Conference Dec. 11, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.— Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage: Among the speakers are U.S. and Chinese government officials, local businesspeople with “from the trenches” reports and academic faculty members presenting their research. Registration required. wtcak.org or info@wtcak.org

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Energy Policy for Alaskans Dec. 12, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.—Anchorage Museum Auditorium: Free Renewable Energy Alaska Project forum. Speaker: Chris Rose, executive director, Renewable Energy Alaska Project.

Contact: Katie Marquette alaskarenewableenergy.org katie@realaska.org

ASBCD Seminar: 40 Years of Lessons in Principled Leadership

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Dec. 12, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.—Alaska Small Business Development Center Office, Anchorage: Workshops are designed to help new and established small businesses improve business practices. Pre-registration required. aksbdc.org or 907-274-7232

January 2013

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Lessons from Iceland—Energy Policy from Our Arctic Neighbors Jan. 9—Anchorage Museum Auditorium: Free monthly Renewable Energy Alaska Project Forum. Speaker: Nils Andreassen, executive director, Institute of the North.

Contact: Katie Marquette alaskarenewableenergy.org katie@realaska.org

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Jan. 11—The Alaska Support Industry Alliance presents this 30th anniversary Alliance event. alaskaalliance.com

Jan. 15-17—This annual event is conducted in the state’s three largest cities, beginning in Fairbanks, Jan. 15; Anchorage, Jan. 16; and Juneau Jan. 17. 2012 is the 10th year World Trade Center Alaska has conducted the luncheon and it has become one of the most anticipated business events in Alaska. Gain a statewide perspective on the prospects for Alaska’s major industries, state and federal

Jan. 23-24—Juneau: This event is designed to give Alaska State Chamber of Commerce members the chance to influence public policy effectively by meeting directly with state legislators and the administration, to seek support for the priorities and positions established at the Legislative Policy Forum, and get to personally know elected officials.

Registration required. alaskachamber.com

Junior Achievement of Alaska’s 27th Annual Alaska Business Hall of Fame Jan. 24, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.—Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center, Anchorage: Four new Alaskans will be inducted and recognized with this prestigious award. Attended by over 400 business representations, the program consists of a networking reception, dinner and awards ceremony. Reservations required. alaska.ja.org

Alaska RTI Conference: Building Student Success Jan. 25-27—Dena’ina Convention Center, Anchorage: Sponsored by the Anchorage School District and the Alaska Staff Development Network. Build momentum and foundational knowledge to move forward with RTI. Learn from nationally recognized experts without the expense of out-of-state travel. Last year 1,000 educators from 26 school districts attended. Registration required. asdn.org

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Alaska Forum on the Environment Feb. 4-8—Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center, Anchorage: Training and information through keynote speakers in plenary sessions covering: climate change, emergency response, environmental regulations, fish and wildlife populations, rural issues, energy, military issues, business issues, solid waste, contaminants, contaminated site cleanup and coastal communities’ issues such as tsunami impacts, marine debris and coastal erosion. Registration required. akforum.com, info@akforum.com or 888-301-0185

Renewable Energy Alaska Project Forum: Updates from Fire Island and Eva Creek Feb. 13—Anchorage Museum Auditorium, Anchorage: Free monthly forum. Speakers: CIRI representative; Michael Wright, VP of transmission and distribution, Golden Valley Electric Association.

Contact: Katie Marquette alaskarenewableenergy.org katie@realaska.org

2013 Alaska Miners Association Conference Feb. 13-15—Juneau alaskaminers.org

2013 Engineers Week Feb. 17-23 anc-aspe.org/eweek.html

A New Look at AlaskaRussian Far East Opportunities Feb. 19—This half-day event takes a fresh look at potential business opportunities between Alaska and the Russian Far East region. It will feature six speakers, a mix of both U.S. and Russian trade specialists.

Registration required. wtcak.org or info@wtcak.org

Arctic Ambitions II Feb. 20-21—This conference concentrates on the theme of international trade and business opportunities that flow from commercial development in the Arctic. Panel discussions address issues such as supply chains, innovation, markets, commerce, and transportation. Registration required. wtcak.org or info@wtcak.org

Safari Club Expo Feb. 21-23—Dena’ina Center: Conference, tradeshow and banquet. Registration required. aksafariclub.org

March 2013

February 2013

Meet Alaska Conference and Tradeshow

2013 World Trade Center Alaska Statewide Economic Forecast Luncheon

Legislative Fly-In

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Governor’s Safety and Health Conference March 18-20—Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center, Anchorage: This year’s theme is “$afety Pay$—at Work, Home and Play.”

Registration required.

Labor.alaska.gov/lss/asac.htm

April 2013

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Rural Alaska Landfill Operators (RALO) Training April 23-25—BP Energy Center, Anchorage: The RALO course is for the designated landfill operator and administrator in a village with a Class III landfill or open dump, and focuses on the duties of the landfill operator, their personal safety, and the safety of the village. There is no cost to attend this training. Limited travel scholarships of up to $500 may be available. Registration required.

Contact: Peter Melde: 907-351-1536 pmelde@akforum.org or akforum.com

Alaska Rural Energy Conference April 29-May 1—Sheraton Hotel, Anchorage: Three-day event offering a large variety of technical sessions covering new and ongoing energy projects in Alaska, as well as new technologies and needs for Alaska’s remote communities. Registration Required.

Contact: Amanda Byrd agbyrd@alaska.edu or akruralenergy.org

Send business happenings to Tasha at surveys@akbizmag.com at least two months prior to event.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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AlAskA

Top Alaska Business Stories of 2012 Old standbys, fresh startups and amazing stories COMPILED BY MARI GALLION 2012 was a year of great progress for Alaska that included inceptions, heroic feats and wild successes, as well as the longanticipated completion of projects of colossal scope and expense.

As always, the biggest news for 2012 was in the oil and gas industry with exploratory drilling, permitting, big contracts and a major gas storage facility coming on-line.

Meanwhile, Alaska Native Corporations, the fishing industry, telecommunications and film continued to hold their traditionally high places in Alaska industry.

However, 2012 also saw the introduction of some new stars walking the Alaska red carpet: wind energy, the 49th State Angel Fund, and a daring collaboration between 22 agencies and offices at the federal, state, regional and local levels to bring relief to an isolated community in a time of need.

In accordance with the Mayan predictions of endings, beginnings and natural disasters, in 2012 Alaska industry saw the kind of stuff movies are made of.

Oil & Gas: Progress and Contracts

F

ollowing several weeks of safe, successful drilling at Shell’s offshore Alaska prospects, Shell concluded its 2012 exploratory drilling programs in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas on Oct 31.

The mandatory close of the offshore Alaska drilling window brings to an end a season in which Shell demonstrated their ability to drill safely and responsibly in the Arctic. The work accomplished in drilling the top portions of the Burger-A well in the Chukchi Sea and the Sivulliq well in the Beaufort Sea will go a long way in positioning Shell for another successful drilling program in 2013.

In support of 2012 drilling, Shell deployed numerous assets and rotated thousands of employees to the Arctic, continuing a long history of safe Arctic operations.

Shell will pick up where they left off when the sea ice retreats next summer.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a record of decision and Section 404 wetlands permit needed for the Point Thomson Project, a massive North Slope liquid condensate project led by ExxonMobil Corp., to begin construction this winter.

The Point Thomson Project is a strategic investment for the state because it will increase the flow of hydrocarbons through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and open the eastern North Slope to new hydrocarbon exploration, development and ■ 66

production with a 70,000-barrel-per-day common-carrier pipeline. This project is expected to create hundreds of jobs throughout the state and more than 1,000 jobs at peak employment.

To advance the Point Thomson project, Exxon has hired nearly 50 contractors, including many Alaskaowned firms. In briefi ngs, Exxon has told state officials that this project will create an estimated 600 to 700 jobs from 2013 to 2016, with up to 2,400 jobs during peak construction.

Golden Valley Electric Association has entered into a natural gas supply contract with North Slope gas producer and Prudhoe Bay Unit operator BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. Under the contract, GVEA may purchase up to 23 billion cubic feet of natural gas each year for 20 years.

Beyond meeting GVEA’s needs for electrical generation, the volume of natural gas available to GVEA under the contract is sufficient to meet both the immediate and long-term needs of Interior Alaska residents and businesses. This historic gas contract enables GVEA, as the aggregator, to supply enough natural gas to meet the needs of nearly 100,000 Interior residents for electrical generation and space heating.

Another major development for the oil and gas industry in 2012 was when the Cook Inlet Natural Gas Storage Alaska facility began pumping gas into

an underground storage reservoir, with a capacity of 11 billion cubic feet, on April 1 of this year.

Construction began on the facility located on the eastern side of Cook Inlet within the City of Kenai in March of last year following the issuance of a Certificate of Necessity and Public Convenience from the Regulatory Commission of Alaska on Jan. 31, 2011. CINGSA also obtained an additional 56 permits from more than a dozen local, state and federal agencies for the $161.4 million project, and worked with a host of surface and sub-surface mineral rights owners.

Financing for the project came from four different sources. SEMCO Energy owns a 65 percent interest in CINGSA. MidAmerican Energy of Des Moines, Iowa holds a 26.5 percent interest while CIRI and First Alaskan Capital Partners each have a 4.25 percent share. The sale of SEMCO Energy and its holdings to AltaGas Ltd., a Calgary, Alberta-based energy infrastructure business, closed on Aug. 30.

R Excerpted from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers press release, Royal Dutch Shell press release, and “Cook Inlet Natural Gas Storage Alaska: Bringing CINGSA on-line for Railbelt utilities,” by Gene Storm, Alaska Business Monthly, September 2012.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Alaska Native Corporations

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laska Native Corporations reaffirmed their economic relevance this year by occupying 20 spots in this year’s Alaska Business Monthly Top 49ers with 8 of those spots being in the top 10.

These ANSCA businesses generated $11.89 billion in 2011, up $573 million over 2010. These businesses, while representing 41 percent of the Top 49 businesses owned and operated by Alaskans, took in 73.6 percent of the $16.2 billion in gross revenues reported and were responsible for 62.4 percent of the 25,138 Top 49er jobs in Alaska and 83.3 percent of the 70,497 total Top 49er jobs worldwide.

Arctic Slope Regional Corp. has remained at the top of the list for 18 consecutive years, this year with a 9 percent increase in gross revenue for 2011—$2.55 billion.

Alaska Native Corporations are the mother lode of businesses owned and operated by Alaskans. ANC interests are spread across nearly all economic sectors in Alaska and the companies offer a business model for successful diversification.

These ANSCA businesses generated $11.89 billion in 2011, up $573 million over 2010.

The 20 Alaska Native Corporations that placed in the Top 49ers, by highest ranking, are: Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, Bristol Bay Native Corporation, NANA Regional Corporation Inc., Chenega Corporation, Chugach Alaska Corporation, Afognak Native Corp./Alutiiq, Doyon, Limited, Calista Corporation, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, The Eyak Corporation, Sealaska , Bering Straits Native Corporation, Cook Inlet Region Inc., Ahtna Inc., Olgoonik Corporation, Aleut Corporation, The Tatitlek Corporation, Goldbelt Incorporated, Koniag Inc., and The Kuskokwim Corporation.

The other 29 Top 49ers for 2012 reported $4.3 billion in gross revenues and 11,756 employees worldwide, 9,455 in Alaska, and are listed by highest ranking: Lynden Inc., Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, Chugach Electric Association Inc., The Wilson Agency LLC, Golden Valley Electric Association, Udelhoven Oilfield System Service, USTravel, Neeser Con-

struction Inc., Carlile Transportation Systems, First National Bank Alaska, H.o.T.H. dba Era Alaska, Three Bears Alaska Inc., Davis Constructors & Engineers Inc., Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. and Alaska Affiliates, Matanuska Electric Association Inc., MTA Inc., Construction Machinery Industrial, Homer Electric Association Inc., Colville Inc., PenAir, Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Center, Seekins Ford Lincoln Inc., Watterson Construction Co., Alaska Industrial Hardware Inc., Tatonduk Outfitters Ltd., Roger Hickel Contracting Inc., Credit Union 1, Denali Alaskan Federal Credit Union, and Cornerstone General Contractors Inc. R Excerpted from “Gems of the North: The brilliant and multifaceted cornerstones of the Alaska economy” by Susan Harrington, Alaska Business Monthly, October 2012.

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www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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Advances in Wind Energy

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nergy generated by wind turbines made significant new contributions to electrical grids in communities and villages across the state in 2012. The renewable energy generated provides, in part, an answer to issues regarding diesel fuel costs and potential natural gas supply shortages that have plagued power providers in recent years.

On Fire Island, three miles west of Anchorage, Cook Inlet Region Incorporated developed the first phase of a wind farm with a generation capacity of 17.6 megawatts. Being developed through CIRI’s subsidiary, Fire Island Wind LLC, 11 General Electric XLE 1.6 MW turbines are expected to supply more than 50,000 MW-hours of power to Chugach Electric Association annually, enough electricity to power about 6,000 homes. It is the first phase of what could be up to 33 turbines, depending on future wind power purchase agreements. All 11 original turbines were online by Sept. 25.

Golden Valley Electric Association built the largest wind farm in the state

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The renewable energy generated provides, in part, an answer to issues regarding diesel fuel costs and potential natural gas supply shortages. at Ferry near Healy, accessible only by the Alaska Railroad or a footbridge. The $93 million Eva Creek Wind Project has a 24 MW capacity from 12 Germanbuilt REPower Systems turbines. The first power from Eva Creek Wind came into the grid at 9 a.m. on October 24.

For the Kotzebue Electric Association, generating power from the wind is nothing new—they have been doing it since 1997. Early this spring, two new Dutch manufactured EWT 900 turbines were added to the mix, bringing the number of turbines installed over the years to 19. The two new turbines have added 1.8 MWs of production to the 1.1 MW already produced by the wind farm located some four miles outside of the Chuckchi Sea coastal city, home to some 3,200 resi-

dents. The $11 million cost of the newest additions to the wind farm along with a 3.7 MW flow battery were covered in part by the Alaska Renewable Energy Grant Fund.

The Kodiak Electric Association has also upped its wind power production with the addition of three new units to its Pillar Mountain Wind Project, a wind farm that began operation 2009 with three General Electric 1.5 MW SLE wind turbines. The new GE turbines doubled the wind farm’s output to 9MW. In combination with the two hydroelectric turbine generators at Terror Lake with another hydroelectric turbine generator slated to come on line soon, the Kodiak utility is making big strides towards fulfilling its vision of achieving 95 percent renewable energy production by the year 2020.

R Excerpted from “Wind Power Making a Difference in Alaska: Wind farm construction under way across state,” by Gene Storm, Alaska Business Monthly, August 2012.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Icebreaker to the Rescue

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n an international multi-entity logistical operation reminiscent of the serum run that inspired the Iditarod sled dog race, 22 agencies and offices at the federal, state, regional and local levels collaborated to bring 1.3 million gallons of fuel to Nome—on what many consider to be an emergency basis—to 3,600 residents living in the coastal community of Norton Sound.

Nome’s regularly scheduled fuel delivery had been thwarted by an extremely powerful storm that hit Western Alaska Nov. 8 and 9, bringing hurricane-force winds, high seas and heavy snow. Vitus Marine co-founder Mark Smith and his employees initiated contact with all the parties that would be involved in what was to be the history making fi rst commercial winter delivery of petroleum through sea ice to Nome.

First, Smith asked the owner of the Russian-flagged tank vessel Renda— a 370-foot, double-hulled, Russian registered vessel—if they would be willing to attempt the delivery. The owner agreed.

In an international multi-entity logistical operation reminiscent of the serum run that inspired the Iditarod sled dog race, 22 agencies and offices at the federal, state, regional and local levels collaborated to bring 1.3 million gallons of fuel to Nome.

Then, Sitnasuak Native Corp. and Vitus Marine appealed for support to Lt. Governor Meade Treadwell and the congressional delegation to do what was necessary to provide regulatory oversight and prevention strategies in order to bless the delivery.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, homeward bound from a seven month scientific mission in the Arctic Ocean, was enlisted for the task of making sure the Renda could make it along the 300mile route through the sea ice to Nome.

The Renda needed to go to Dutch Harbor to get the fuel before heading north to Nome, requiring a Jones Act waiver, which was granted Dec. 30, 2011. An amendment to Vitus Marine’s Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan was expedited

by Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and approved Jan. 5.

There was an “alignment of interests to make a timely and safe delivery,” Smith said.

As the journey got under way, ADEC issued situation reports and the Coast Guard released video and photographs in real time of the progress of the Healy and Renda making their way across the Bering Sea to Nome—first in open water, then through more than 300 miles of the ice pack.

The fuel transfer was completed Jan. 19.

R Excerpted from “Icebreakers Importance in the Arctic: The Healy, the Renda and Vitus Marine,” by Susan Harrington, Alaska Business Monthly, March 2012.

2013 Legislative Fly-In, January 23 & 24, Juneau, Alaska Register today at www.AlaskaChamber.com

Top Legislative Priorities in 2013 The Top Three State Priorities • Reform oil tax policy to encourage new oil production • Reduce the high cost of energy • Increase responsible natural resource development by improving the efficiencies of the permitting process and gaining access to resources

The Top Three Federal Priorities • Support oil and gas exploration and development in Alaska’s federal

Arctic; Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPRA), and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) • Oppose implementation of the Emission Control Area in Alaska by the EPA • Oppose any further federal land withdrawals in Alaska, other restrictive Land 3 Management designations, and preemptive actions by regulatory agencies

Visit www.AlaskaChamber.com for a full list of 2013 Legislative Priorities e f Visit www.AlaskaChamber.com for a full list of 2013 Legislative Priorities and to register for the 2013 Legislative Fly-In

www.alaskachamber.com

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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Alaska’s Fish Top Export

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laska is the world’s top producer of wild salmon, eclipsing Russia, China and Japan, according to research by Gunnar Knapp, an economics professor and fisheries expert at the Institute of Social and Economic Research in Anchorage.

The state produces nearly 80 percent of the world’s supply of wild king, sockeye and coho, all high-dollar species.

Although salmon constituted just 18 percent of the total volume of seafood caught in Alaska in 2010, it accounted for 35 percent of the export value, according to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

Times have been good lately for Alaska’s commercial salmon fishermen with prices on the rise. Wholesale salmon prices jumped from $1.31 per pound in 2002 to $2.45 per pound in 2010, according to the Juneau-based research firm, McDowell Group. During this same period, the total value of salmon permits also rose from $205 million to nearly $521 million.

Salmon is just one of Alaska’s top commercial fish species. The other notables include herring, halibut, shellfish and ground fish.

Alaska’s ground fish harvest is one of the world’s largest commercial fisheries.

Ground fish—namely pollock, cod, rockfish, hake and haddock—are the big kids on the block. Some 43 percent of the export volume of Alaska seafood came from pollock in 2010, according to ASMI. Alaska’s ground fish harvest is one of the world’s largest commercial fisheries.

According to a study published in 2009

by Northern Economics, a research firm with offices in Anchorage and Bellingham, Wash., Alaska ground fish and flat fish made up about one-fifth of the world’s catch of these species in 2006.

All told, commercial fishermen in Alaska harvested a staggering 4.5 billion pounds of seafood in 2010. The fishing industry is Alaska’s largest private-sector employer and fish are the state’s main export product.

Alaska’s Seafood currently represents 56 percent of the total exports to China.

Seafood export to China totaled $517 million in 2010 and only rivals to those to Japan ($523 million). If fish meal ex-

port is taken into account, then China is actually Alaska’s largest seafood customer (larger than Japan) with a little more than $550 million in total exports value.

According to Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, in 2010, 37 percent of Alaska’s seafood exports to China were pink, chum and sockeye salmon; 28 percent groundfish (cod and pollock); 22 percent flatfish and 6 percent snow crab.

Some of the seafood exported to China is being consumed within the domestic market and some of it is being processed and then re-exported to other countries. R Excerpted from “Alaska’s Fishing Industry: The universal relevance of a multi-billion dollar industry,”

by Paula Dobbyn, Alaska Business Monthly, May 2012; and “Working with China: Alaska’s growing export partner,” by Alex Salov, Alaska Business Monthly, February 2012.

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Horizon Lines vessel arriving in Tacoma May 2012 with new reefers and flats for Alaska

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www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

“Alaska Women Mariners” wins Moondance International Film Festival

“This award is a wonderful testament to the world of fishing and maritime industry in Alaska and how integral women have been for apt. Anna Young’s film “Alaska its success.”

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Women Mariners” won the coveted Moondance International Film Festival’s Filmed Television Pilot Spirit Award on Sept. 17 in New York City.

“This award is a wonderful testament to the world of fishing and maritime industry in Alaska and how integral women have been for its success,” Young said. “I’m not only honored to receive the award for our film, but also very proud of Alaskan women who dedicate their lives to this growing market despite abundant risks and harsh environments in a historically male dominated industry,” she added.

Young first arrived in Alaska 50 years ago. She is a mother, grandmother and great grandmother to a third generation Spenard Alaskan, as well as a 100 ton captain and fishing boat owner.

Young was a salmon drift gillnetter in Prince William Sound in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred and was the first responder out of west Prince William Sound in Whittier to

—Capt. Anna Young

assist on her boat F/V The Sugar. Most recently she lent her expertise and services to remove debris from Alaska coastal waters because of the Japanese tsunami disaster.

Beyond her fi lm production, Young is a maritime artist with an exhibit on display currently at the Valdez Museum entitled “The History of Fishing in Prince William Sound.” She is also author of the book “The Lost Art of Alaska Fishing.” “‘Alaskan Women Mariners’ gives the world a bird’s eye perspective of Alaska’s fishing world. It highlights the dynamic abilities of fishing all-stars like Alaska’s youngest 100 Ton Captain in the state, Capt. Lilly Lane of Homer, Chelsea Bollinger of Kodiak, Capt. Sarah Brooks of Ninilchik, Sydney-Jane Armstrong of Homer, and Capt. Lindsey Johnson of Ketchikan, along with the music of

songwriter and singer Sally Wills, also of Homer,” Young said.

The Moondance International Film Festival is an independent annual film festival and awards competition first held in 2000 in Boulder, Colo. The 2012 festival was held in New York City. The festival honors filmmakers, writers and composers who actively increase awareness, provide multiple viewpoints, address complex social issues, and strengthen ties between international audiences.

Capt. Young is now in the process of promoting her film for interest by U.S. and international producers in television and big screen for larger audiences in a multiple-episode T.V. series and cinematic format.

R Source: Press release, September 2012.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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GCI Terrestrial Broadband

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PacArctic/Port MacKenzie ready for your next project.

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4300 B Street, Suite 407 Anchorage, AK 99503 (907) 887-4252 or (907) 306-9314 Info@PacArctic.com www.PacArctic.com

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eneral Communication Inc., and its wholly owned subsidiary, United Utilities Inc., have delivered terrestrial broadband Internet service to the residents of 40 remote, rural communities in Bristol Bay and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

Efforts continue to connect an additional 25 communities to the state’s only high-speed broadband terrestrial service in Western Alaska.

In the first week of October, GCI launched its new broadband service in 16 new communities: Akiachak, Akiak, Atmautluak, Chevak, Hooper Bay, Kasigluk, Kwethluk, Marshall, Mekoryuk, Napakiak, Napaskiak, Nunapitchuk, Oscarville, Pilot Station, Russian Mission and Scammon Bay. The high-speed broadband service is available in these communities as a result of TERRA-Southwest, a network established by more than 400 miles of fiberoptic cable and 13 new microwave towers.

Communities that launched highspeed broadband service earlier this year include: Port Alsworth, Alakanuk, Aniak, Iliamna, Kokhanok, Newhalen, Nondalton, Pedro Bay, Ekwok, Grayling, Igiugig, Koliganek, Levelock, New Stuyahok, Emmonak, Goodnews Bay, Mountain Village, Newtok, Nightmute, Nunam Iqua, Platinum, Saint Mary’s, Toksook Bay and Tununak.

GCI and UUI offer a range of new Internet service plans in these recently launched communities. Download speeds will be eight to 16 times faster than what is available today on similarly priced plans for those served by the satellite-based WISP system. Customers will experience a substantial increase in service quality because TERRA-Southwest eliminates satellite-related latency.

The next communities scheduled to receive high-speed broadband service are: Aleknagik, Anvik, Chefornak, Chuathbaluk, Clarks Point, Dillingham, Eek, Holy Cross, King Salmon, Kipnuk, Kongiganak, Kwigillingok, Lower Kalskag, Manokotak, Naknek, Pitkas Point, Quinhagak, Shageluk, South Naknek, Togiak, Tuluksak, Tuntutuliak, Twin Hills, Unalakleet and Upper Kalskag. R Source: GCI press release, October 2012.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

49th State Angel Fund

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he Municipality of Anchorage is looking to become a city of angels.

The Municipality has created the 49th State Angel Fund with $13.2 million in federal stimulus funds from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Anchorage is the first city in the country to get such funds.

The 49SAF, as it’s called, seeks to stimulate the development of small, innovative startups that benefit the Anchorage economy through a type of financing called angel investment.

Angel investment targets startups struggling to find traditional financing. An established investor buys a partnership in the company, providing funds but also advice.

Big risk and big returns can follow: a third of angel-invested startups fail completely but companies that succeed can generate a 10-fold return on investment.

The city will spend $12.6 between now and May 2014 on the Angel Fund.

Roughly $480,000 will go toward the cost of running the program. The municipality won’t have to pay anything besides some minimal labor costs, according to municipality managers.

“Businesses really have to make a compelling case for this investment, this isn’t a giveaway.”

—Joe Morrison 49SAF Program Manager

The municipality hopes to see about a third of the 49SAF funds go to early-stage, high-growth businesses showing significant economic potential. The city plans to make direct investments, not grants. Recipients must achieve a 10:1 private capital leverage ratio by 2017, and applicants need to demonstrate that a $1 investment from 49SAF will lead to $10 of new private lending or equity investment.

“Businesses really have to make a compelling case for this investment,” says 49SAF program manager Joe Morrison, who works out of the office of Anchorage CFO, Lucinda Mahoney. “This isn’t a giveaway. This is us taking an equity position in your business and with the gains from that investment helping fund other high-growth businesses in the city.”

Managers hope to distribute about two-thirds of the federal funds by taking a partnership interest in locally focused

angel or venture capital funds that participate in the application process.

As part of that segment, the city hopes to draw out individual and corporate investors looking to take part in an angel investment network that will outlast the life of the stimulus funds.

The Anchorage Economic Development Corp. and 49SAF program staff review applications. Select plans are then sent to the 49SAF Advisory Committee.

Potential investments then undergo due diligence and are forwarded to Mayor Dan Sullivan and Municipal Chief Financial Officer Mahoney for final approval. R Excerpted from “49th State Angel Fund: Giving flight to Anchorage innovators,” by Zaz Hollander, Alaska Business Monthly, August 2012.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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special section

Philanthropy in Alaska

Alaska Philanthropy The Brew Crew picked up nearly 2,000 pounds of debris from local beaches during Alaskan Brewing Co.’s contribution to the 2012 International Coastal Cleanup Day in Juneau, Sept. 15.

Photo courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co.

Doing good, doing well

BY CASSANDRA STALZER AND PATTY GINSBURG

D

“

o good and you will do well.”

That principle has attained the status of axiom in the business world. A singular focus on profits and the bottom line is old-school, say the business gurus, and it’s no longer enough to ensure long-term success.

Consumers today expect businesses to provide societal benefits in addition to products or services; a national study released in October found that 91 percent of Americans believe companies should invest socially and operate responsibly.

This means businesses’ efforts to ensure fairness and safety for workers, to care for natural resources, and to partner with causes to address problems or pursue opportunities can build trust and loyalty, improve employee morale and, ultimately, increase profits.

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Consumer expectations are a compelling reason for companies to do good, but not the only one. Generation Y workers, in particular, expect their employer to be involved in good works and consider the company’s corporate social responsibility program an important component in employer selection.

A study by Cone Communications found that nearly 80 percent of Millenials working fulltime “want to work for a company that cares about how it impacts and contributes to society, and 56 percent would flat out refuse to work for an irresponsible corporation.”

Doing Good by Alaska

Everywhere you look in Alaska, businesses large and small are engaging in the world, whether it’s a mom-and-pop

supporting Little League or multinationals fighting hunger and offering microloans in developing countries.

Companies face what can be a bewildering array of options when it comes to doing good: straight donations, sponsorships, event support, employee match programs, donations of products and services, loaned executives and scholarships.

Many of Alaska’s largest employers have staff devoted to philanthropy and social responsibility, as well as formal guidelines and policies to guide their effort. Others, especially smaller businesses, take a different approach, setting flexible criteria that make room for a wide range of community requests.

The latter describes the community service approach of Skinny Raven, a popular and successful Anchorage running store.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Philanthropy in Alaska

Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC)

T

Photos courtesy of ANHC

he Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) continues to be Alaska’s premier cultural center providing opportunities for all to discover the vibrant Native cultures of our unique state. In its 14th year of operation, ANHC actively develops new programming to further its mission of sharing, preserving and perpetuating Alaska’s indigenous cultures, languages and traditions.

Alaska Native Languages Strengthened A new language revitalization program is under way at the Center to address the rapid loss of Alaska Native languages. Our state has more than 20 distinct languages and most of these languages are in danger of being lost. The loss is accelerated by the migration of large numbers of Alaska Natives to urban areas—migration results in less opportunity to continue speaking or mastering their NaNa tive language.

Under the guidance of a Language Advisory Committee, ANHC staff plans to research language programs in Alaska and around the

Teaching culture, language and art so future generations will stay connected world to create a sustainable and accessible program here in Anchorage where individuals across the state can access language learnlearn ing opportunities. “I am excited to see where the research takes us. It’s vital to create innovative ways to preserve these languages,” said Lead Language Coordinator Ember Thomas.

Taking it to the Next Generation Key to ANHC’s goal of perpetuating and preserving Alaska’s Native cultures is engaging Alaska Native youth to embrace their rich heritage. Currently the Center has two programs targeted to middle and high schoolaged students that build esteem and develop cultural identity.

Walking in Two Worlds, an afterschool program for middle school students helps Alaska Native/American Indian students at risk of failure in school due to high absenteeism, behavior problems, poor adjustment or those facing disciplinary action such as in-or-out of school suspension or expulsion.

Efforts to work with students and connect school staff and parents ensure that students stay motivated to attend school and eventually graduate. Counseling, tutoring, mental health and social services are provided as needed.

A major component of the program connects students with their cultural roots through Alaska Native arts, games and dance. “This combined effort of social support and cultural identity improves students social-emotional skills, personal responsibility and positive identity,” said Program Director Glenn Olson.

Connect cultural pride and understanding with Alaska Native teens and the result is young adults powerfully equipped to preserve their culture. That is exactly what ANHC accomplishes through its afterschool high school program. The program provides enriching cultural activities and teaching in in three areas: Alaska Native dancing, Alaska Native art and Alaska Native games.

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experience in the program.

Opportunities for Alaska Native youth to develop cultural identity abound at ANHC. “When youth make a cultural connection they are enriched in way that grows their selfesteem and impacts their lives for the better,” said ANHC President and CEO Annette Evans Smith. “In this way, Alaska’s cultural wealth is preserved for generations to come.”

A L A SK A NAT I V E H E R I TAG E CENTER A nonprofit organization We invite you to get involved, learn more, volunteer or donate to Alaska Native Heritage Center.

To learn more please contact us at 907-330-8000 or 800-315-6608 www.alaskanative.net

“We were always community minded.

At first, it was just a few athletic events, but with time and focus, we’ve been able to expand that over the years,” recalls Daniel Greenhalgh, now president of Skinny Raven. “Now we can reach deeper into the community unrelated to running events.”

Greenhalgh said Skinny Raven hasn’t formalized and still doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about or planning its strategy for giving back to the community.

“We do have a general budget, but it’s flexible and driven by a variety of factors. We have a number we hit in cash contributions, and another for goods donated. We don’t have committee meetings, but employees are actively aware of what we’re doing,” he says.

Skinny Raven sponsors a slew of running and walking events; contributes to charity auctions; and donates shoes to Catholic Social Services, Covenant House, the Women’s Resource Center and school teams for students who can’t afford footware.

Why do they do it? “We want to be a very active and supportive member of the community we live in. Because it’s the right thing to do,” Greenhalgh says. “We need to give back to those who we rely on.”

That approach—and motivation—are echoed by Alaskan Brewing Company of Juneau. Communications Manager Ashley Johnston says the company has always contributed to local nonprofits.

“Starting a business in a rural town is not easy. Marcy and Geoff (Larson, the owners) say they never would have made it without support from Juneau and Alaska. We are just as happy to give back to the community that has given us so much,” Johnston says.

Alaskan Brewing uses a combination of direct support, employee volunteerism and cause marketing in their corporate social responsibility program.

Each year, the Alaskan Brewing crew gives more than $100,000 in time, product and monetary donations to hundreds of nonprofit groups. The company also pays staff to assist with nonprofit fundraisers throughout Alaska.

Additionally, all tips collected at the brewery’s tasting bar each year—more than $10,000—along with proceeds from several fundraising events, are donated to a local nonprofit selected by the employees.

Beneficiaries have included Hospice and Home Care of Juneau, Cancer Connection, AWARE Inc., Red Cross of Southeast ■ 76

Alaska, The Glory Hole Shelter and Soup Kitchen, and Gastineau Humane Society.

Alaskan Brewing joined its corporate values of environmental responsibility and philanthropy to align itself with the cause of clean oceans and coastlines through their foundation Coastal CODE, a partnership with The Ocean Foundation funded by 1 percent of proceeds from Alaskan IPA (India Pale Ale).

Through Coastal CODE, the company hosts high-profile events that engage stakeholders and partners along the West Coast around coastal cleanup activities and makes grants to nonprofits for activities that focus on clean beaches.

“The goodwill generated by our charitable giving earns us customer loyalty, but that is not the reason we do it,” says Chief Financial Officer Ann Metcalfe. “We do it because we are proud to be a responsible corporate citizen. We recognize we have a moral and social obligation to support our local nonprofits in their fundraising efforts. It makes Alaskan Brewing a better place to work and it makes us feel good.”

Other Alaska companies prefer a much narrower focus—and a lower profile. Fountainhead Development is a real estate development and management company in Fairbanks. The company builds hotels, strip malls and industrial properties, and owns and manages most of the properties it builds. It also has an antique auto museum and a wildlife sanctuary contiguous to Creamer’s Field Wild Life Range. Fountainhead Development participates heavily in the community through financial contributions, loaned executives and management support, according to owner Tim Cerny.

“Rather than give out a lot of $250 checks, we like to focus on a specific need and concentrate directly on that to make a significant change,” Cerny says. An example of that focus was Housing First, which provides housing for chronically homeless alcoholics in Fairbanks. Fountainhead worked closely with Tanana Chiefs Conference on the project, seeing it through to completion and occupancy.

Fountainhead Development contributes in other ways, as well. Employees are involved in decision-making and the company prefers to support local causes in which an employee has already demonstrated personal commitment. “We’re much more likely to support charities in which our employees have skin in the game,” Cerny says.

Some companies believe their philanthropy does help the bottom line, but Cerny says that has nothing to do with his company’s motivations.

“We believe in community involvement and activity. What do we get? We get a better community,” Cerny says.

Where to Start

What’s right for your company? Tom Knowlton offers a few suggestions to start the process. Knowlton heads up the corporate practice for the TCC Group, an international consulting firm that includes some corporate philanthropy programs in Alaska as clients.

Every business has multiple stakeholders, Knowlton says, so the first step is to determine which of them you want to reach through community philanthropy: Your customers? Business leaders? Employees?

Figure out if there’s something specific you hope to accomplish. Maybe you want to build employee morale and foster teamwork among them, or contribute to the nonprofit sector related to your business. Maybe you want to make a significant difference in a certain sector of the community, or build a reputation for your company as one that cares about the community. Each calls for different considerations and approaches.

Take an inventory of resources you could make available. Can you contribute products and materials? Computers? Expertise?

Decide whether your philanthropic efforts should relate to your line of business. Fountainhead Development contributed tremendous value to Housing First in ways that only it could do, precisely because Fountainhead is in the business of property development.

At some companies, the philanthropic efforts reflect the interests and values of the chief executive officer. However, sometimes that approach misses the opportunity to engage your employees as partners in community philanthropy.

According to Knowlton, the best approaches are those that involve the employees in meaningful ways and inculcate contributing to the community as a bedrock value of the company culture.

One of the best examples of that systemic approach is Credit Union 1. Granted, the credit union is a not-for-profit business and its mission aligns easily with contributing to communities.

Even so, Credit Union 1 has taken com-

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Philanthropy in Alaska

Alaska Resource Education

A

laska Resource Education, formerly AMEREF, is a nonprofit entity founded more than 25 years ago with the mission of educating students about Alaska’s natural resources. Supported jointly by the Alaska Department of Education and private industries and businesses here in the state, Alaska Resource Education plays an important role in enabling future generations to understand the importance of natural resources in their daily lives and specifically their role in Alaska.

“Our goal is to encourage students to discover an interest in natural resources and the role they play in Alaska in a fun and interesting way,” says Michelle Brunner, Executive Director. Our curriculum and programs center around the Alaska Resource Kit, Alaska Resource Education’s hallmark item provided free of charge to educators here in the state.

Consisting of an array of nearly $400 worth of literature and hands-on materials to assist teachers in the instruction of mining, energy and forestry, the kit’s most well-known piece is likely our “Box of Rocks.” This is a collection of Alaska specific minerals and rocks that has proved to be a popular teaching tool throughout the years. Both the curriculum and the kits have been designed with the flexibility to be used from kindergarten through eighth grade (adaptable to grades nine through 12) for sciences, social studies and Alaska studies, among other subjects. Most recently, Alaska Resource Education (ARE) has incorporated the Alaska science standards into our curriculum.

Committed to the education of future generations about Alaska’s natural resources

Alaska School District Acceptance Alaska Resource Education’s kits have been accepted in all of Alaska’s school districts and demand continues to grow. More than 200 kits are distributed each year and more than 1,500 Alaskan educators currently use materials from the kits. These include samples of oil, minerals and rocks indigenous to Alaska; refvideos; an interactive CD; posters; maps; ref erence books; and hundreds of lesson plans and learning activities.

Additionally, ARE provides a continuing education course called “Rock & Roll Around Alaska” for educators here in the state. Certified as graduate credit with University of Alaska statewide and applicable for recertification requirements, Rock & Roll educates teachers about the use of our curriculum in the classroom, provides them with tools and ideas for teaching about resources, and often includes an industry site visit.

ARE has also created two youth programs called “Minor Miners” and “Energy Einsteins,” developed to give students interactive and hands-on experiences with minerals in their daily lives, the cycle of energy processes, and the chance to interact with industry professionals and learn about career opportunities in their own backyard.

— PAID ADVERTISEMENT —

Each year, we bring the Minor Miners to the Alaska Miners Association Convention and it was exciting to bring the Energy Einsteins to the Resource Development Council’s annual conference this year.

Alaska Resource Education is grateful to our supporters and partners in the mission of educating Alaska’s students and teachers about the resources of our state. Without their generous donations and support, we would not be able to give the students of today the tools they need to answer the resource questions of tomorrow. Join our list of corporate and individual donors and partner with us today.

Michelle Brunner, Executive Director Alaska Resource Education 601 E. 57th Place, Suite 104 Anchorage, AK 99518 907-276-5487 www.akresource.org

Photo courtesy of Rick Boots

Some common corporate social responsibility programs include:

Marko Cheseto crosses the finish line at the 2012 Twilight 12-K road race in Anchorage. Skinny Raven’s community service doesn’t usually benefit specific individuals, but exceptions have included fundraising to assist Cheseto, the UAA runner who lost his feet to frost bite.

munity engagement to an extraordinary level under the leadership of President and CEO Leslie Ellis. Credit Union 1 has received numerous awards for its community engagement efforts, which run the gamut from corporate contributions and fundraising projects, to employee scholarships, and a new initiative—the One For All Alaska Fund, which raises funds each year for a single focus.

A culture of volunteerism and community service permeates Credit Union 1. “Employees feel engaged and involved,” Ellis says. “When we interview ■ 78

prospective employees, we also do a cultural interview. The culture attracts people and they’re proud to work here.”

Ellis believes Credit Union 1’s community engagement is good for the bottom line. “It does attract more business. Members join because they want to be part of it. People look to local solutions. And people respect that we do things for the community. They want to be part of it.”

Surveying the Possibilities

Companies face a bewildering array of options when it comes to doing good.

Pro Bono Services and Space: Law firms contribute pro bono services as a matter of course, but other professionals can and do offer their services either free or at deep discounts for charitable organizations. If you are in a building with great event space, make it available to nonprofits to help boost their bottom line for fundraisers and gatherings.

Matching Gift Programs: These programs match donations from their own employees. This is a great way to allow employees a say in corporate philanthropy and elevate the interests most important to them.

Paid Volunteer Opportunities: A company allows an employee to spend a day or two volunteering in the community during normal work hours and getting paid as if it were a regular work day.

United Way of Anchorage’s Day of Caring is a good example. Another variation on this idea is to make a contribution to a nonprofit based on employees’ volunteer hours outside of their work day.

Non-Cash Donations: These donations can include products or materials. Alaskan Brewing Company donates beer, Skinny Raven donates shoes, and Fountainhead Development donates materials.

Company-Wide Day of Service Events: Not all businesses can participate in a day of service, but they’re especially helpful for major volunteer events in the community.

Corporate Community Fundraisers: This is the jar with a sign asking customers to donate change or a dollar to the charitable cause. These are easy to implement but they make sense only for businesses with lots of counter or check-out traffic, such as grocery stores and busy retailers or banks.

Cause Marketing: Cause marketing is a mutually beneficial relationship between a business and a cause or nonprofit. In most cause-marketing programs, the role of the business is to use its resources to bring greater awareness to a program or issue; the role of the nonprofit is to deliver an important and valued service and, in doing so, cast a positive glow back on its business partner.

Alaska has several successful sporting events partnerships that fall into this category, including Sadlers and Challenge Alaska promoting the longest wheelchair race in the world; and Carrs/Safeway and

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

the University of Alaska Anchorage promoting the Great Alaska Shootout.

Education also has supporters: the BP Teachers of Excellence program recognizes the importance of teachers, and ExxonMobil has staked a position as a supporter of STEM education through support of the National Math and Science Initiative.

And being a state of very physical people, we see Iditarod mushers adopting a cause and the Alaska Aces skating on pink ice for breast cancer awareness.

Still, Alaska is not oversaturated with local cause-marketing campaigns, and these types of programs can bring great rewards to communities and businesses.

The arts, our cultural heritage sites and conservation programs are just some areas that could use business champions and would return great rewards.

A Uniquely Alaskan Option

An easy way to do good, engage employees and have impact in Alaska is to align a strategy with Pick.Click.Give., the Permanent Fund Charitable Contributions Program. Pick.Click.Give. encourages charitable giving among Alaskans when we file for our Permanent Fund Dividend.

40th year of empowering young people to own their economic success

There are more than 400 individual causes eligible to receive donations, and Alaskans can choose to donate as little as $25 up to their entire PFD to the cause they choose. In just four years, $5.24 million in donations have been made through the program.

Here are two low-cost, high-impact ways for businesses to participate in this well-known program:

1

Matching employees’ Pick.Click.

Give. donations promotes employee philanthropy, builds morale by doubling the employees’ impact, and benefits Alaska causes. BP, Wells Fargo and ConocoPhillips Alaska match their employees’ Pick.Click.Give. donations.

2

Get behind a single nonprofit on the list or carve out a group important to your business or your employees. Display signage, use ad or billboard space, put a notice in your newsletter, or use your social media and website to raise awareness of the organization(s) you support and your active involvement in the campaign.

To raise awareness of nonprofits eligi-

ble for Pick.Click.Give. donations in Fairbanks, where it is headquartered, Doyon Ltd. crafted radio PSAs encouraging local giving and put the Pick.Click.Give. logo in its electronic and print advertising.

Whatever path you choose to explore, remember that the most effective company programs are authentic and embedded into the culture of the business.

Employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders must be informed about the program’s goals and feel their efforts are meaningful. Remember to report back about outcomes; stakeholders don’t just want to know what you are doing, but also the impact you are having.

By doing good, you will do well.

R Patty Ginsburg is a communications consultant and writer. She has lived in Alaska for 32 years. Cassandra Stalzer is the communications manager for Rasmuson Foundation and manages the statewide communications campaign for Pick.

Click.Give. She is a 20-year resident of Alaska.

Celebrate Junior Achievement’s Business Hall of Fame Laureates Dena’ina Center - January 24, 2013 5:30 p.m. reception, dinner/ceremony 6:30 p.m.

Honorees Mark Eliason – USTravel Byron Mallott – Alaska Air Group Rick Mystrom – Business Owner, Former Anchorage Mayor Joe Usibelli, Jr. – Usibelli Coal Mine

Sponsorship opportunities for the gala induction ceremony on Jan. 24 at the Dena’ina Center.

Call (907) 344-0101 to reserve a table or purchase tickets online at http://www.ja-alaska.org/hof.

Platinum Sponsorship – $4,000 Gold Sponsorship – $3,000 Silver Sponsorship – $2,500 Table – $1,500

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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Philanthropy in Alaska

Alaska Nonprofits Brainstorm for Funds Adding technology and innovation to hard work

A

BY ZAZ HOLLANDER

n uncertain economy has Alaska’s charitable organizations brainstorming new ways to ensure fundraising keeps pace with the community’s skyrocketing need for help.

A handful of local nonprofits say any recipe for fundraising success these days includes ingenuity, technological savvy—and a major dose of hard work.

Take Beans Cafe for example: The Anchorage nonprofit provides meals for adults and children through two separate programs, Beans Cafe and the Children’s Lunchbox. Last year, Beans Cafe saw a 30 percent increase in people and meals served, according to development director Ken Miller. The Children’s Lunchbox provided 150,000 meals to school-aged kids last year and expects to serve more than 200,000 this year, according to program director Lynette Ortolano.

Did fundraising keep up? Yes, Miller says, but only through a combination of the generosity of individual donors and “working his butt off ” at keeping Beans on the cutting edge, communicationwise. Fundraising generates about 70 percent of the annual $2 million budget at Beans Cafe Inc. Beans is the leading beneficiary of the state’s Pick. Click. Give program, Miller says. The nonprofit received more than $100,000 from the program that allows Alaskans to give some of their Permanent Fund Dividend money to the organization of their choice.

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Beans also relies on the popular Empty Bowl Project fundraiser at the Egan Center every March, where participants pay $20 for an artist-crafted ceramic bowl filled with soup donated by Beans. That event is part of a community spirit of giving that provides significant revenue, he says.

“The key thing is that individuals assisted Beans Cafe and the Children’s Lunchbox by giving everything from $5 to $25,000,” Miller says. “We had over 4000 individuals giving to us last year.”

Beans also made a priority of engaging with younger donors through social media and new marketing.

“We are probably the number one nonprofit in terms of social media and technology,” he says.

Tech-Savvy Targeting

Miller ticks off a list of technology-inspired fundraising techniques he says Beans pioneered: Text donating through the state of Alaska, mobile giving, a Groupon grassroots campaign and a Google ad words campaign. Beans also hired a marketing firm to do Facebook marketing programs.

“We’ve been real fortunate,” Miller says. “We have the resources. We can ask 2,500 people on our Facebook page, 5,000 people on my email marketing list. So it’s easy for me to get utilization by a large group of people.”

Events are time-consuming: the logistics, the facility and the guest list.

Each event generates in the neighborhood of maybe $30,000 tops.

“I hate to say, (but feeding children at) one school is $30,000 for me,” Miller says. “I need almost bigger chunks and I’d rather have a sustainable model. I can send out a 10,000-piece mailer, it takes me half an hour, and I bring in $20,000—$30,000, but it takes me three weeks working on an event and I only get $20,000.”

‘A Definite Challenge’

Giving to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Alaska tapered off significantly as the economy soured in 2008 and 2009. While numbers are coming back up, the nonprofit’s fundraising success remains down.

Its signature annual auction gala used to draw about $400,000 in donations, says Jennifer Brown, marketing and public relations director.

“This year, I think we probably netted around $140,000,” Brown says. The gala, held at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa in September, featured live and silent auction items including trips to Las Vegas and New York City, Alaska Native art and hotel or wine packages.

She notes that the event, which also included a “fund a need” presentation from a young club member, serves a purpose beyond raising money. The gala helps build relationships with donors and communications between the Boys & Girls Club mission and participants.

Still, Brown says, any drop in fundraising has a “huge impact” on the organization. Unlike grant money or federal fund-

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

ing, money from donations can be spent on anything: infrastructure, building improvements or staff. It’s especially difficult to get sustainable funding for employees.

“We’ve lost all kinds of funding in the last few years,” she says. “That makes us cut back our staff, starting at the top.”

Boys & Girls runs programs throughout the state, from Barrow to Ketchikan and out to the Aleutians. The organization dropped from several regional area managers to one person who oversees programs in different parts of the state.

It also cut a coordinator who supported clubhouses all over Alaska.

Such cuts, in turn, make it more difficult to provide support for big fundraising events, Brown says.

“More people on the ground raising money brings in more money,” she says.

“But if we can’t afford to hire those people... We have to pay the front line staff because that’s what we’re here for.”

Bringing Old-School Up-to-Date

Kathy Kingston may have difficult news for nonprofits that rely on “the same old approach” to fundraising auctions year after year.

Kingston’s is a familiar name to veterans of Anchorage’s government and giving circles.

She spent time working as cultural/ recreational services director in the administration of Mayor Rick Mystrom.

She also spent a lot of time as a fundraising auctioneer in Alaska, and now operates a consulting business from her home base in New Hampshire.

A marketing dynamo, Kingston publishes newsletters and books full of advice for clients looking to make the most of their charity auctions.

The lessons behind her success stories? New approaches work best, especially in today’s economy.

“If you’re doing it the same way as last year, it’s probably not as effective: 50 percent,” she says. “If you’re doing it the same way as five years ago, it’s probably all obsolete.”

Kingston advises clients to hire auctioneers with experience handling charity events, preferably someone with a benefit auction specialist designation from the National Auctioneers Association.

A commercial auctioneer and a benefit auctioneer preside over auctions

in totally different ways, she says. She starts with the “chant,” that rapid-fire patter that auctioneers are known for.

While, say, a cattle auction takes that machine-gun speed chant, a benefit auction is slower, more singsong.

People at a fundraising event aren’t just there to buy something. They want to visit with each other, eat a nice meal. A nonprofit staging a benefit event should want to make the most of every dollar in the room, Kingston says, but they should also make guests feel so good about supporting them that the guests continue to donate after the doors close. It takes a good auctioneer ex-

perienced in fundraising auction methods to accomplish all that, she says.

Nonprofits need to “pre-promote” any auction items so guests come not only ready to bid but with their calendars cleared for that trip to Hawaii.

Kingston also encourages clients to make use of giving strategies that focus donor energies on specific areas where they feel they can make a difference.

She likes the special appeals or funda-mission techniques that encourage guests to give cash collectively to benefit a cause instead of competing against each other to win something.

Now in your neighborhood.

Introducing Alaska Public Television.

A unified television service, broadcasting to 85% of Alaska.

Be our neighbor at alaskapublic.org

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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Children’s Lunchbox Feeding more kids

BY ZAZ HOLLANDER

T

he Children’s Lunchbox has operated under the radar for years, but now a growing number of families make use of the free meals provided to hungry kids in Anchorage and, more recently, the Mat-Su. Children’s Lunchbox will deliver about 200,000 meals this year through earlymorning breakfast, lunch and after-school meals plus weekend meals handed off to school children on Friday afternoons. The nonprofit recently partnered with the Boys & Girls Club in Wasilla to offer meals in the Valley as well.

Program managers are hoping to increase the program’s visibility in the fundraising community too.

Beans Cafe is the program’s parent organization. Operated since 1988, Children’s Lunchbox allowed Beans to expand its meal-serving programs from adults to children. But where Beans does fundraising through its dynamic development director, Ken Miller, Children’s Lunchbox is just now starting to focus on expanding its public profile.

“It’s been a small program for a long time ... (but) we’ve grown 170 percent in the last two years,” says director Lynette Ortolano. “We’re just kind of starting to become more significant in the community and more recognized.”

Children’s Lunchbox operates on a $500,000 annual budget today, Ortolano says. That number was $200,000 just two years ago. More than half of the program’s funding—about 65 percent—comes from U.S. Department of Agriculture child nutrition programs. Need is only expected to increase, so program coordinators hope to boost fundraising efforts to match.

As its first fundraising event, the program launched Nourish Their Dreams last year and is planning a second one at Bridge Seafood restaurant in March.

The event features local chefs creating tasting menus for attendees. The first event made about $22,000, Ortolano says.

Children’s Lunchbox also holds the “Sack It to You” lunch fundraiser where businesses buy lunches from Subway or other vendors, with donated ingredients. Some community members take it on themselves to organize fundraisers for individual programs.

Ortolano says she’s ready to take the program to the next level. “We could still R use that push—that branding excellence—that really launches us.”

Kingston says she’s seen revenues from fund-a-need events “far eclipse” live auctions “if it’s done well.”

Matching the Mission

During her time in Alaska, Kingston served as benefit auctioneer for more than a dozen local organizations such as The Humane Society, STAR, AWAIC and the Anchorage Opera.

She also presided over the very fi rst Alaska Native art auction to raise money for Koahnic Broadcast Corp., which produces national Native programming and operates KNBA 90.3, ■ 82

the fi rst Native radio station in an urban market.

The Koahnic art auction began 17 years ago. The venue was New Sagaya’s Midtown Market. People crammed in, standing room only, to see eventual Nammy winners Yupik musical group Pamyua at their premier public performance. When it came time for the art auction, Kingston stood atop an overturned blue plastic milk crate.

Since then, the auction has moved to the Dena’ina Center —Anchorage’s largest convention facility. It’s the only significant fundraising Koahnic does all

year, says Larry Cleland, Koahnic’s director of corporate support. KNBA conducts a twice-annual fund drive as well.

The auction, like any fundraising event, takes a lot of time and staff energy but remains a solid funding source for Koahnic, Cleland says.

“It’s a really good fundraiser for us, partly because it’s perfectly aligned with the mission of Koahnic,” he says.

“It’s still effective, partly because we have really great Native art.”

He also credits the devoted corps of volunteers for its success, some of whom have helped out with the auction since its early days.

“As you can imagine, there’s a core of listeners and members that just love public radio,” Cleland says. “It’s not too hard to get people to help.”

A Sheer Drop to Raise Funds

Last year, the Anchorage Community YMCA held a first-ever fundraising event that proved so popular the organization repeated it again over the summer.

The “Over the Edge” fundraiser took charity to new heights. As trained event coordinators looked on, participants roped up and rappelled off the edge of the JL Tower in Midtown Anchorage.

Businesses and individual participants gathered donations beforehand.

All told, Over the Edge 2012 generated about $35,000 for the Y. The nonprofit’s financial development and membership director, Taryn Perez, chose the unorthodox fundraising method because she liked its combination of adrenaline and ease. A national company runs the event; Perez got local sponsors to cover that company’s $24,500 bill.

The Y will conduct its third annual Over the Edge fundraiser next August.

Perez says the fundraiser works for her because it tracks with the YMCA’s mission.

Participants sometimes overcome fears of heights and most step out of their personal comfort zones, she wrote in an email.

“Members seek out a healthier lifestyle and come to the YMCA to achieve that,” she says. “There are many reasons why someone seeks to be healthy, such as a healthy mind, body or soul. It’s the same reason people rappel 14 stories down an office building: to seek something.” R Zaz Hollander is a journalist living in Palmer.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

special section

Philanthropy in Alaska

United Way Workplace Campaign Allowing everyone to make a difference

BY RINDI WHITE

M

A Resource in Good Standing

United Way is one of only four organizations in Alaska to be recognized

by Charity Navigator with a four-star rating, and it’s the only one to have received that rating three times in a row.

According to its website, Charity Navigator is the nation’s largest and most frequently used charity evaluator, using professionals to analyze the financial documents of thousands of non-profit organizations.

Charity Navigator’s President Ken Berger said in a recent announcement about the recognition that only 9 percent of the thousands of charities his ■ 84

Photo courtesy of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company

ore than 325 businesses across Anchorage participate each year in United Way of Anchorage’s Workplace Campaign, a yearly push to encourage workers to donate a little—or a lot—out of their paychecks to help charities in the community.

The program is popular and helped the organization meet its goal of raising $9.8 million last year. Part of the reason for its success, United Way organizers say, is that it allows anyone, even the lowest wage-earners, to contribute to charities and United Way of Anchorage initiatives they feel are important.

“It allows that individual to be philanthropic, and to make that decision to be philanthropic very easily,” says Elizabeth Miller, resource development vice president for United Way of Anchorage.

Alicia Williams, a member of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s accounting team, got hands-on for Habitat for Humanity, along with others from her department, during Alyeska’s United Way Day of Caring this year.

organization rates have received three consecutive four-star ratings.

“This ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator differentiates United Way of Anchorage from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust,” Berger wrote.

Building up the Community Chest

Founded in 1887 by a Denver woman, a priest, two ministers and a rabbi who wanted to raise money to benefit 10

health and welfare agencies in their area, the organization that became United Way began a movement that spread across the nation.

The organization was initially known as Community Chest. Yes, that’s the same Community Chest as is seen on Monopoly board games, according to Monopoly historians.

In 1943, America was fighting World War II and citizens used payroll deductions to purchase war bonds to support the war effort. That year, the process of

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Where Does the Money Go?

Photo courtesy of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company

Barbara Dubovich is the chief executive officer of Camp Fire Alaska, one of 39 charitable groups that receive money from United Way of Anchorage. She says the money is indispensable for

The Alyeska accounting team displays their “Live United” wristbands during the Alyeska Day of Caring this year.

Photo courtesy of Camp Fire Alaska

withholding federal income and Social Security taxes from employee checks also began.

The same machines for deducting those payments had room for additional deductions, so Community Chest workers persuaded employers to authorize charitable deductions be taken out of paychecks as well. Thus, the popular United Way payroll deduction plan was born.

In Alaska, United Way of Anchorage was founded in 1955, four years prior to statehood. The first payroll deduction option began in the fall of 1956.

Miller said about half the money United Way brings in comes through its annual Workplace Campaign. Of that pool, about half is from corporate gifts. The other half comes directly from employees, about 90 percent of whom give through the payroll deduction campaign.

United Way of Anchorage stands out among other similarly sized United Way organizations elsewhere in the nation, Miller said. For most of the last two decades the Anchorage organization has collected more donations per capita than other communities of our size.

Children paint at Camp Fire Alaska’s Tyson Elementary morning program. The program is one of a handful Camp Fire Alaska runs. Organizers say the programs depend on United Way funding.

Camp Fire’s Community Centers in tough Anchorage neighborhoods such as Fairview and Mountain View.

“If it weren’t for United Way, I cannot imagine that our community center program would be able to survive,” she says.

The program serves between 150 and 200 kids in those two communities and in a new program at Loussac Place, the new mixed-income Cook Inlet Housing Authority development in Anchorage. A new after-school program began there in August.

Camp Fire Alaska, through its community centers, provides children from low-income families with homework assistance, nutritious snacks and meals and youth development activities that build decision-making skills or teach how to be a good citizen. Some children receive scholarships so they can attend summer camps—an adventure that’s often unattainable to low-income families.

Dubovich says United Way provides Camp Fire Alaska with about $200,000 a year. It’s about 4 percent of the organization’s $6 million annual budget, but most of the money is undesignated, meaning Camp Fire can use the United Way funding to help pay for operating expenses.

“In the philanthropy world, the donor world, that’s the hardest kind of money to raise,” she says.

The portion that is designated funding, she says, goes toward Camp Fire’s family strengthening programs.

“We provide opportunities for fami-

lies to come together and meet others from their neighborhoods or who have similar interests,” she says. “What we hear families saying is, there’s not enough time to be together as a family.”

So Camp Fire might host a community meal where families can just show up and spend time together.

“It’s a proven method, in terms of working with families and improving their ability to cope, certainly under times of duress and also in times of noncrisis. It makes them stronger,” she says.

Dubovich says Camp Fire has been partnering with United Way for decades. She’s been with Camp Fire Alaska for 31 years “and we were receiving United Way funds long before I came,” she says.

Getting money isn’t as simple as just asking for it. Even with their long history of partnership, Camp Fire, like all charities receiving United Way funding, must prove it’s using charitable donations wisely. In addition to annual financial reviews, United Way requires organizations it funds to set clear goals and track progress.

“We report outcome measurements, very specific outcomes we’re working on,” Dubovich says. “We’re assessing and measuring and making constant improvements based on the information we gather. They have a really good reporting system.”

Dubovich says receiving money from United Way is “kind of a gold stamp of

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85 ■

Photo courtesy Alyeska Pipeline Service Company

For more information about United Way’s Workplace Campaign, contact United Way of Anchorage Campaign Director Annalisa Hood at ahood@ak.org.

Alyeska workers in Valdez gather around the pipeline workers’ memorial at the Alyeska Pipeline Terminal, holding the torch from the company’s United Way Torch Run and doing Jamaican triple Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt’s signature victory move. Workers passed the torch from pump station to pump station along the pipeline’s route, raising more than $620,000 for United Way.

approval. They are monitoring to be sure that a nonprofit is truly spending dollars in the way the community would want it to,” she says.

On top of monetary donations, United Way offers nonprofits a way to tackle problems that might otherwise be shelved year after year. As part of its Workplace Campaign, United Way organizes Day of Caring projects where volunteers come together to meet a need.

A group of ConocoPhillips employees recently repaired Camp Fire Alaska’s program cabinets, which get heavy use at Camp Fire’s program sites. So Camp Fire officials asked United Way to add it to their project list.

“They do the connecting and the organizing, so we’re not having to find people,” Dubovich says. “They provide the opportunity (to do that) annually.”

Community Connections

Alyeska Pipeline is one of the companies United Way looks to when projects need to be completed. With more than 800 employees and participation from many of its 1,000 contractors, the company raised $630,000 this year and volunteered hundreds of hours.

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“We have blown completely through our goal,” says Michelle Egan, corporate communications director for Alyeska and a co-chair for the company-wide United Way Workplace Campaign.

Alyeska, the company in charge of operating and maintaining the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, has employees working all over the state, from Prudhoe Bay to the pipeline terminus in Valdez. Each community has its own local United Way campaign, but they team up to raise money for the organization on a statewide basis.

This year, Egan says, it’s the 35th anniversary of the pipeline. So company officials decided on an Olympic theme and made a big effort to focus on how the company gives back to the communities in which employees work over 35 days this summer.

“We wanted to get the point across that the pipeline is not just this huge economic engine, but that the people who work here really make a positive impact in the places they live,” Egan says.

With a torch made from a toilet plunger adorned with flames (and paint), the torch run began at Pump Station 1. The torch stopped at every pump station along the pipeline, Egan says.

“As we passed various fund raising milestones, we sent out a photo that signifies geographically where we were in the campaign,” she says. “People had a lot of fun with it.”

Alyeska doesn’t just encourage employees to donate and leave it at that.

“We do a lot of internal communications and push, and draw for incentive prizes,” Egan says.

Employees can win an iPad or an extra week’s vacation, or contractors who contribute can win airline miles.

Like many workplaces, some fund raising events revolve around food—bake sales, chili cook-offs and the like. In Valdez, Egan said, Alyeska employees organize the 5K Donut Run, where runners celebrate with donuts. In Fairbanks, employees hold raffles for heating fuel, a valuable commodity where fuel costs are high.

The company matches—dollar for dollar—all employee pledges. It also encourages and supports employees who want to donate their time or nonmonetary items. Employees in Anchorage might volunteer at a Boys and Girls Club whereas Fairbanks employees bring canned goods and other needed items to fill a cross-section of the pipeline pipe in its “Pack the Pipe” event.

During the campaign and throughout the year, Alyeska matches volunteer hours or otherwise matches employee giving, doubling the impact.

“It really helps people get connected with the community,” Egan says. “It’s our employees who really drive those volunteer efforts.”

Egan says Alyeska does its best to give back to the community. But the best part is, it’s not alone.

“Alyeska is just one company in Alaska that does this sort of thing. We’re really proud of what we do but … there are many, many others. We live in a really hands-on community,” she says. R Rindi White is a writer living in Palmer.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

“Much credit is due the volunteers and professionals who dedicate their talents to non-profit endeavors. Everyone in the state benefits from their hard work. Rasmuson Foundation is glad to lend a hand.”

ElmEr rasmuson

Connect with us at www.rasmuson.org

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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special section

Philanthropy in Alaska

Photo courtesy of Allred family

Kindness for Kids

Sam and family with Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Alaska child with kidney disease teaches compassion through example

BY MICHELE WHITE

S

am Allred is an ordinary 13-yearold boy with an extraordinary story. He likes to play baseball. He is a boy scout. He likes to read and cook.

He enjoys playing board games. Sometimes, he even likes to annoy his sister.

It was one of those occasions of playful mischief that launched Sam into social media celebrity and changed his life.

With the help of his mother, Sam is now an author, an advocate and a co-founder of a nonprofit organization.

What is not ordinary is that Sam suffers from Nephrotic Syndrome, a rare and incurable kidney disease, the treatment for which includes high doses of steroids that stunt his bone growth and make his face puffy. One day, when his sister was playing a song repeatedly—The Cuppycake Song—Sam lip-synced the lyrics. His sister thought it was funny so she recorded it and posted the video on YouTube. The video—and Sam—became a hit. Only ■ 88

8 years old at the time, he couldn’t have anticipated the response. Many people posted mean and hurtful remarks about Sam’s appearance.

“People just thought he was fat,” recalls Angie Allred, Sam’s mother. However, there were others watching Sam’s video. “(The television show) The Doctors called and wanted me on their show so they paid for me to go to California,” says Sam, adding a reminder of his innocence and age, “and we got to stay in a hotel where all the movie stars stayed.”

Sam talked about his disease on The Doctors and a few months later on The Tyra Banks Show.

“They asked [the guests on The Doctors] if anyone wanted to be treated differently …and I told them, ‘Don’t judge others just by how they look because you don’t know what they’re going through,’” Sam recalls.

During that visit to California, Angie had an idea about Sam writing a

children’s book as a vehicle for that message. Together, she and Sam wrote Opening Hearts, which tells Sam’s experience of living with a chronic illness.

“I wrote the book to teach people to be kinder to people,” Sam says.

It was while driving with his mother to one of his visits with his doctor that Sam’s nonprofit organization was born.

“I was deep in thought, thinking, ‘There has to be a reason why I’m going through this,’’’ recalls Sam. He recounts stories from his mother about her pregnancy with him and dreams she had about him before he was born.

“Anytime during my mom being pregnant with me, I could have died,” he says, “I just thought of all those things and that’s when I said, ‘Maybe I got this disease so I can help people.’”

“That’s when I started thinking about ways that I might be able to help him accomplish that,” says Angie.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Photo courtesy of Allred family

Photo courtesy of Allred family

Sam with pillows he collected for sick children in hospitals.

Kindness for Kids

Sam wanted to send pillows to sick children staying in hospitals around the country to make their stay more comfortable, an idea that came from a time when he was in the hospital. “(A few) Girl Scouts came in with pillows and they gave me one and it meant a lot to me that someone cared about kids in the hospital,” says Sam. Angie thought of starting a nonprofit organization to provide a way for people to contribute money to realize Sam’s ideas. She named the nonprofit Kindness for Kids.

Since then, Sam has taken pillows to children staying at Providence Hospital in Anchorage. He has visited schools in Wasilla, Palmer and Anchorage to read his book to students and enlist their help in stuffing pillows and writing getwell cards to attach to them.

Sam’s father, Scott Allred, owns a small business that contracts shipping services with FedEx Ground. He asked the company for help.

“FedEx Ground learned about Sam’s pillow project and how he really wanted to get these pillows shipped to different hospitals beyond his hometown,” says Erin Truxal, manager of public relations for FedEx Ground. “We thought, ‘What a perfect way for us to get involved.’”

Through Kindness for Kids, FedEx Ground provided shipping services for him to ship approximately 5,000 pillows to hospitals in the Lower 48.

Sam has big dreams for his nonprofit organization. He wants to send more pillows to all of the children’s hospitals

in every state. He wants to purchase updated video game systems and newly released movies to entertain children who are in the hospital. He also wants to provide patients with specialized laptops that have programming to teach children about the medical procedures they are about to have.

His goal is simple: “Kids in the hospital as happy as they were before they got sick,” he says.

At the same time, Sam also has advocated for federal funding for research to find a cure for his disease. He raised money to travel to Washington, D.C., last year to team up with the NephCure Foundation to speak to nine Senators about the need for funding for research for a cure for his disease. He also starred in a video produced by the NephCure Foundation to raise awareness of his and other kidney diseases, which has been posted on YouTube for the last year.

“The videos with Sam are a conduit for finding people like Sam. It’s a terrific way to use that celebrity to move around the social media environment and engage different people experiencing the same thing,” says Steve Griffith, public relations director for the NephCure Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funding for research for a cure for kidney diseases.

Still Making Friends

Sam’s video on YouTube is still getting visitors. He also has a Facebook page (facebook.com/Cuppy-Cake-

Sam at a signing for the “Opening Hearts” book he wrote.

Sam) and a Twitter account (Allred_Sam). His nonprofit’s website is kindnessforkids.org and his personal website, where he sells his book, is cuppycakesam.com.

All of Sam’s advocacy and charitable efforts have earned him recognition at home as well. Last year, Sam was selected and honored as a hero in the Summer of Heroes, which is a partnership program between Boys and Girls Clubs Alaska and Alaska Communications.

“We chose Sam because he truly has made an impact in Alaska and his work on Kindness for Kids and (his pillow project), along with his strength, courage, initiative and persistence—all of those qualities really stood out and made him a hero in all of our eyes,” says Heather Cavanaugh, director of corporate communications at Alaska Communications.

What started with negative comments about his appearance Sam has turned into a crusade for understanding and kindness. Through it all, Sam says he wouldn’t change a thing about having his illness.

“I’ve learned how to deal with things like this,” he says. “I have grown and became more mature. I’m doing things that other kids haven’t been able to do, with helping other people and helping them understand more.”

R Michele White writes from Anchorage.

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special section

Philanthropy in Alaska

Influencing Public Policy

Photo courtesy of the Institute of the North

Institute of the North Executive Director Nils Andreassen (far right), moderating at a panel on Alaska-Canada collaboration.

Alaska nonprofits inspire, educate and advocate

BY MICHELE WHITE

A

laska’s many nonprofit organizations are not limited to charitable foundations. In a state rich in natural resources, there are many groups whose work is to feed the minds of Alaskans and represent their interests in relation to those resources.

Two such nonprofit institutions were founded by former governors. Governor Walter Hickel founded the Institute of the North, which is an international organization that participates in activities around the circumpolar north.

“Currently our mission is to inform public policy and cultivate an engaged citizenry consistent with our focus on the north and belief that commonly owned resources should be managed for individual and community prosperity,” says Nils Andreassen, executive director of the Institute of the North.

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To that end, the institute frames its work within three programs.

The first is focused on Arctic policy and infrastructure and development.

One example is its work with the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Arctic Caucus —a collaboration between Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

PNWER Arctic Caucus meets annually as a means of identifying those three jurisdictions’ priorities in terms of northern living and economic development.

“People come away more informed,” says Andreassen, “and that education goes into pubic policy at the same time there’s an action attached to the priorities.”

The Institute is also involved with Arctic Council projects with all eight of the other arctic nations: Russia, Canada, Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

“We’re working on a project that looks at marine and aviation response capacity for emergencies and also for community and economic development,” he says.

Its second focus is on Alaska resource governance and economic development.

“One of our interests is how do we use great energy wealth to address energy poverty,” says Andreassen.

To foster conversations that address this and other critical issues facing the state, the Institute hosts an Alaska Dialogue every fall.

The Institute’s third focus is providing civic engagement opportunities for the next generation of Alaska leaders. One of its future projects is called an Investment Inquiry. It’s an outreach to young leaders between the ages of 21 and 40 who are interested in Alaska’s competitiveness and investment environment.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Photo courtesy of Resource Development Council for Alaska Inc.

The institute will bring together a group of about 20 professionals from all industries in order to inform them about these issues and discuss their questions.

Commonwealth North

The Institute of the North’s sister organization is Commonwealth North, which was founded by former governors Walter Hickel and William Egan in 1979.

“Traditionally, they both had big ideas for the development of the state,” says Jim Egan, executive director of Commonwealth North, “but, they tended to come from different perspectives.”

Egan says they founded Commonwealth North to act as a think tank to incubate the high-level policy ideas for the state in a non-partisan manner while sustaining a bias for the state of Alaska.

That bias focused on development.

Its mission is to educate its members and all Alaskans on significant public policy issues affecting Alaska and its future and to assist in their resolution.

Commonwealth North focuses on the process of policy making. Its focus is not on developing legislation but on finding a course of action that will carry Alaska to its goal, he says.

“We do strongly believe that policy in those courses that we take require diligence from the private sector in coordination with the legislative body and with the administration,” says Egan.

The organization tries to accomplish that in a few different ways. It develops studies of issues that are difficult to understand or critically important to the development of the state. It also delivers public programs and forums where subject matter experts from the public and private sector present a one-hour discussion of concept ideas. The goal, Egan says, is a deliberative approach to public policy for the general public and its membership.

“The studies are really what guide the organization and what move forward those policy discussions and follow where the changes in Alaskan policy are going,” he says.

Those studies bring together a diverse group of its members across many professions and industries. They deliberate and discuss the information presented in the study, challenge one another and together create the language of a final report.

Egan and Program Director Josh Wilson present those reports to other

Resource Development Council Executive Director Rick Rogers (center) testifying before a joint House-Senate field hearing on National Ocean Policy.

organizations in the private sector, corporate and industry sectors in the state, and to the Legislature.

World Affairs

Another nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization is the Alaska World Affairs Council. Founded in 1958, it predates statehood and is one of a network of 94 world affairs councils in the U.S., which also includes the Juneau World Affairs Council. The national council is the World Affairs Council of America in Washington, D.C. “We work toward stimulating interest in world affairs and inspiring people to be involved in what is happening in the world,” says Lise Falskow, president and chief executive officer of the Alaska World Affairs Council.

To accomplish that mission, the council presents two programs per month featuring speakers from around the world to talk about their areas of expertise. The council will present a global business series on Dec. 14.

“We identified a need in our community for more information on business and what’s happening around the world, and what that means for Alaska,” Falskow says.

The council usually hosts speakers as a lunch program at the Hilton Hotel in Anchorage on Fridays at noon.

“What’s so great about the Alaska World Affairs Council is that it gives people the opportunity to be in the same room with people like the President of Iceland and listen to him speak

first hand and ask him questions and not have any of the information censored,” she says. “We give proximity to these world leaders. It’s quite amazing.”

BP sponsors the student program, which allows all students to come to the council’s programs for free.

Sometimes, the council brings its speakers to the students. Through relationships with teacher-liaisons it has at every high school, the council informs other teachers who would be interested in its featured speaker. At the teacher’s request, the council brings the speaker to the school for the students to learn and engage in dialogue.

Resource Development

The Resource Development Council is a nonprofit trade association focused on education and advocacy.

“We’re unique among trade associations in that we represent five different industries,” says Rick Rogers, RDC executive director. “Oil and gas, mining, tourism, fisheries and forestry—industries critical to the foundation of Alaska’s economy.”

Its goals are to promote responsible resource development in Alaska. To do that, RDC engages with the Alaska Legislature and the administration to work on public policy issues it values as important. RDC conducts a board fly-in to Juneau early every legislative session to communicate its legislative priorities to lawmakers and administration officials.

Another part of its mission is to educate Alaskans on issues affecting Alas-

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ka’s resources. In that spirit, RDC sponsors breakfast meetings twice a month, (except in the summer) featuring speakers from different industries and agencies. One of its two major events during the year is its annual board meeting in June, where it holds a public luncheon with a keynote speaker. Its biggest event of the year is the RDC conference.

This year’s conference was Nov. 14-15.

In wrestling with some of the policy issues, RDC collaborates with other nonprofits with overlapping missions.

“A lot of these policy issues are not easy,” Rogers says. “There’s no quick answer for many of them. And at RDC, we really try to be thoughtful and we don’t necessarily just jump to a position without giving it a lot of thought. So, resources and input and ideas from groups like Institute of the North and Commonwealth North can be really helpful as we deliberate at RDC.” As the federal government manages a significant land base in Alaska, RDC often interfaces on behalf of its membership with Alaska’s Congressional delegation and federal agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service, among others.

“We’ll periodically facilitate level meetings with a number of our members and high-level officials to express our views and propose solutions that we

“A lot of these policy issues are not easy,” Rogers says. “There’s no quick answer for many of them. And at RDC, we really try to be thoughtful and we don’t necessarily just jump to a position without giving it a lot of thought.

So, resources and input and ideas from groups like Institute of the North and Commonwealth North can be really helpful as we deliberate at RDC.” —Rick Rogers RDC Executive Director

Roll Around Alaska courses for teachers. The curriculum—comprised of more than 140 activities—is available to any Alaska teacher, including homeschooling ones, to download from ARE’s website. To supplement the curriculum, ARE has a resource kit—paid for by industry sponsors — that contains samples of resources and provides a hands-on way of science instruction.

“We have a kit in every school district statewide,” says Michelle Brunner, executive director of Alaska Resource Education, who sends the kits on behalf of industry

© Judy Patrick

“Our purpose is to promote the long-term viability of the oil and gas industry here for the benefit of all Alaskans; we work on issues that are of common interest to everyone.”

—Kara Moriarty AOGA Executive Director

might see or emphasize where we think things could improve,” Rogers says.

Resource Education

A nonprofit organization supported

by RDC is Alaska Resource Education, which is a partnership between industry and education to provide teachers and students with a curriculum on oil, gas, mining and forestry for kindergarten through 8th grade.

The organization does this by offering approximately nine of its Rock and ■ 92

donors into the communities where they do business. “That’s part of the industry education partnership that we have.”

The organization also offers two youth programs: the Minor Miners and the Energy Einsteins.

With the Minor Miners program, Brunner and her staff bring a class to the Alaska Miners’ Association in Anchorage in November and to the AMA Conference held in Juneau in March. For the Energy Einsteins program, ARE staff bring a class to the RDC Conference in November.

ARE also hosts events with teachers to help them implement their curriculum.

“When you get 20 plus teachers in the room, they all come up with some really great ways of thinking about an activity or how they might do that activity for grade level four versus grade level six,” says Brunner. “That’s when you really get excitement in the room when you’ve got teachers learning from teachers.”

Oil & Gas

Alaska’s Oil and Gas Association is a business trade association for the industry in Alaska. Its members are oil and gas companies who are exploring, producing, refining and transporting oil and gas in the state.

“Our purpose is to promote the longterm viability of the oil and gas industry here for the benefit of all Alaskans,” says Kara Moriarty, executive director of AOGA. “We work on issues that are of common interest to everyone.”

She says AOGA’s biggest priority in the state is educating the public and the Legislature about Alaska’s decline in oil production and the production tax system.

“We think it is too high and not competitive,” she says.

AOGA also works on federal issues, most of which involve access and permitting regulations.

“We work on access issues, environmental issues, tax issues, legislative issues, health and safety issues,” says Moriarty. “Issues that are facing everybody in the industry where we can have a collective voice working with a state agency, a federal agency and legislators.”

To educate Alaskans about the industry, AOGA reaches out to the public through its newsletter, its booth at the state fair, its website and social media. Moriarty says she tweets the daily oil price and the production every day. During the legislative session, she tweets and posts on Facebook daily throughout legislative hearings to encourage public involvement.

“We are here for Alaskans,” says Moriarty, “We want to be a resource. We want to be the one-stop shop where people come and get information about the industry.”

R Michele White is a journalist living in Anchorage and a member of Commonwealth North.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

heAlth & medicine

Heart of the Matter Alaska’s cardiovascular health

B

BY SUSAN SOMMER

esides being famous, Jerry Garcia, Mother Theresa, Dick Cheney and Larry King have something else in common: they all had heart attacks.

Most of us know someone who’s suffered from a heart attack or other cardiovascular issue. The good news for Alaskans is that modern cardiac care is available right here in-state. The bad news is that many people struggle with a multitude of risk factors for heart disease.

Put 100 Alaskans together in a room and chances are that 70 don’t get enough exercise. Approximately 65 are overweight or obese. High cholesterol plagues 38. About 22 are smokers.

Heart attack or stroke will kill 22.

Each year, approximately 700 Alaskans die of cardiovascular disease, which consists of a group of diseases and conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels. Heart attack and stroke are the most common forms.

A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped due to blocked arteries. Cells in that part of the heart die and do not regenerate.

Disability or death can result, depending on how much heart muscle is damaged. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel bringing oxygen and nutrients to the brain bursts, or is clogged by a blood clot or some other particle.

Many factors influence heart disease: family history of coronary disease or heart attack, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity, obesity or being overweight, smoking and being 65 or older. These risks are not mutually exclusive; almost half of Alaskans have two or more of them.

Although mortality from heart disease has been declining in Alaska and nationwide for the past several decades,

■ 94

and the decline has been most dramatic among men, stroke rates in Alaska have shown a gradual increase. The overall stroke rate is higher for women than for men.

Treating cardiovascular disease is expensive. The most recent State of Alaska update on heart disease and stroke reports that hospita l i z at ions for heart disease here cost $515 million in 2007, just over one-third of the total for all hospitalization costs in that year; hospitalizations for stroke cost over $80 million.

Medical Treatments for Heart Disease

Cardiac patients get the same treatment in Anchorage as they’d get out of state.

The only exception is that for very uncommon heart issues, patients would be referred to a doctor specializing in their particular condition.

Diagnosing symptoms such as chest or arm pain, shortness of breath, cold sweat or lightheadedness typically starts with imaging. Th is can include everything from an electrocardiogram to a chest X-ray to a cardiac CT scan. Each type of imaging procedure shows different aspects of what’s happening with the heart. Dr. George Rhyneer, a cardiologist in Alaska since 1971, views the cardiologist’s role as that of a gatekeeper who then directs the patient to whatever type of specialist is needed.

Not all cardiac conditions require major surgery, but when they do, it means opening up the chest cavity to expose the heart.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Prior to the advent of the heart-lung machine in the mid-1960s, all cardiac surgery was open chest but not open heart, meaning surgeons could repair anatomy around the heart but not inside it. The heart-lung machine allows doctors to stop the patient’s heart to stabilize it for surgical procedures while “the pump,” as it’s commonly referred to, takes over the function of the heart and lungs to remove carbon dioxide and pump oxygenated blood through the body.

Types of heart surgery include bypass, in which blocked sections of coronary artery are bypassed by adding new sections; angioplasty, in which a catheter is used to install a balloon or stent inside a blocked artery to open it up; and valve replacement done via catheter, still in the experimental stage and not available yet in Alaska. Arrhythmias, or erratic heartbeats, can also be treated via catheter rather than openchest surgery, and pacemakers are now remotely controlled and programed.

Although many risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes

are regularly treated with pharmaceuticals, Dr. Rhyneer thinks that pharmacology will play an even larger role in prevention and treatment of heart disease in the future.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Less than one-third of Alaskans who have a heart attack participate in a formal cardiac rehabilitation program after treatment. Such a program would include evaluation, exercise, education, health coaching and motivational support.

Under a doctor’s care, patients visit a rehabilitation clinic such as The Harry and Sally Porter Heart Center at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, which opened in 2010, allowing area residents to stay close to home for treatment and rehab services rather than traveling to and staying in Anchorage. Regular exercise sessions that include heart rate and blood pressure monitoring, as well as diet and stress management education, are typically part of a cardiac rehab program.

Formal cardiac rehabilitation programs are also available through Alaska Regional Hospital and Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage,

Heed These Warning Signs!

HEART ATTACK ■ Chest discomfort ■ Discomfort in other areas of the upper body ■ Shortness of breath ■ Cold sweat ■ Nausea ■ Lightheadedness

STROKE ■ Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg ■ Sudden confusion, or trouble speaking or understanding ■ Sudden trouble seeing ■ Sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance or coordination ■ Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer/Wasilla, Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau and Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna.

Healthy Habits & Prevention

Most individuals have the power to keep or get their hearts in shape

Alaska’s Preferred Healthcare Provider Alaska Regional Hospital is proud of the partnership we have built with the State of Alaska and its AlaskaCare health plan members. From providing preventative healthcare and treatment to hosting free health fairs, seminars and screenings, we are committed to providing plan members and all Alaskans with high quality, cost effective healthcare.

www.alaskaregional.com

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

95 ■

In 1998, the State of Alaska developed a comprehensive plan to reduce heart disease and stroke, collaborating with the American Heart Association, Alaska Health Fair and representatives from hospitals, tribal organizations and governmental offices, as well as with help from experts in cardiology, wellness, nutrition and physical activity. The plan provides staffing and support for the statewide coalition, Take Heart Alaska.

C

M

2211 E. Northern Lights Blvd.

Y

• General Medicine • Immediate Care • Aesthetic Services • Women’s Health • Men’s Health

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

• Children’s Health • Occupational Health • On-Site Lab • Digital Radiology • Insurance Billing

Our patients always see a doctor

through lifestyle choices. Exercising, eating right, not smoking and getting regular medical check-ups are all habits more Alaskans need to foster for cardiovascular health.

In 1998, the State of Alaska developed a comprehensive plan to reduce heart disease and stroke, collaborating with the American Heart Association, Alaska Health Fair and representatives from hospitals, tribal organizations and governmental offices, as well as with help from experts in cardiology, wellness, nutrition and physical activity. The plan provides staffing and support for the statewide coalition, Take Heart Alaska.

Take Heart Alaska is a partnership of agencies, organizations and individuals working to promote healthy hearts, prevent cardiovascular disease and improve related care. The coalition coordinates efforts with other groups including Eat Smart Alaska, Alaskans Promoting Physical Activity, the Alaska Tobacco Control Alliance and the Obesity Prevention and Control Workgroup.

State health officials recognize there are gaps in its knowledge about Alaska’s overall cardiovascular health and have made these recommendations: ■ Keep “tackling risk factors head on”

Same Day and Walk In Appointments Available

(907) 279-8486 • 1(888) 382-8486 Proud to be Alaska’s Medical Home for over 40 Years

■ 96

20

09

■ Support more work-site-based prevention strategies to improve heart health

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

■ Develop standardized stroke diagnostic guidelines and a comprehensive stroke treatment plan to offset the rising cost of long-term care for stroke patients ■ Learn why Alaska’s women with coronary artery disease are less likely than men to receive surgery for the same condition ■ Improve coverage and availability of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programs ■ Renew efforts to encourage heart health among poor and undereducated Alaskans

ier. Encouraging each other to bring healthier snacks to work; doing 5-, 10-, or 15-minute exercise breaks; parking a car farther from the door; and taking the stairs instead of the elevator can make a difference. Studies have shown that advice and encouragement from a health care provider in making lifestyle changes really makes a difference. So the message to health care providers is to talk to your patients about diet, weight management, tobacco cessation, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and physical activity.”

Despite a person’s best efforts to be heart-smart, sometimes fate intervenes. “No one is immune” to heart disease, says Dr. Rhyneer. Even people who practice healthy lifestyles can have heart problems. “If it doesn’t feel right, get it checked,” he says. Also, “no food additives or supplements are miracle cures or defenses” against cardiovascular disease, he says. “They’re just wishful thinking.”

R Susan Sommer is a freelance writer and editor living in Eagle River.

Take Heart Alaska’s Public Education Committee recently developed a healthy community initiative focusing on helping the public “Know Your Numbers,” for use at health care facilities, health fairs, health care provider offices and clinics. Though each person is different, basic guidelines include keeping blood pressure less than 120/80, maintaining a waist circumference of less than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women, and get at least two hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per week.

This year, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Obesity Prevention and Control Program launched its “Play Every Day” campaign to increase public awareness about the risks of childhood obesity and the importance of being physically active as a family to prevent childhood obesity.

The department is also partnering with Healthy Futures, an Alaska-based organization that promotes physical activity among children through school-based challenges and community events. The goal is to encourage children to make physical activity a routine part of their week, track that activity and make it a lifelong habit.

Representatives from Take Heart Alaska, including Janice Gray, Karol Fink, Ann Potempa and Russ Stevens, note that “many Alaskans know they could be healthier and they know that their behavior is connected to their health. Getting support at work, at home and from friends can make a big difference in becoming health

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

97 ■

ALASKA THIS MONTH

“When the food is fabulous they remember the occasion.

If the food is terrible they only remember the food.”

Compiled By Nancy Pounds

dining

Alyeska Features Special Events for Holidays

Leslie Pruett • 907 688-2005 • platterscatering@me.com

It’s easy to join our email list!

Text ABM to 22828 to get started

The Pond Cafe at Alyeska Resort will offer special holiday buffets on Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

E

Photos © Jonathan Gurry

Just send your email address by text message:

ase and elegance mingle for December dining at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. Seven Glaciers Restaurant is serving a five-course, prix fi xe dinner on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. The epicurean adventure begins with a tram ride to the restaurant, which is perched atop a mountain at the ski area. The restaurant has won the AAA Four Diamond Award, ranking the facility based on service and food quality.

Also, the Pond Café will present traditional Christmas and New Year’s holiday buffets on Dec. 25 and Dec. 31. A New Year’s Day buffet will be served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 1.

Winter holidays with some time off from school or work afford time for skiing or snowboarding at Alyeska. Ski area officials have planned several events this month.

“The holidays are a magical time at Alyeska Resort,” says Amy Quesenberry, Alyeska’s marketing manager.

Alyeska Resort will offer “Santa Skis Free Day” on Dec. 24 for all skiers or snowboarders who dress up in a complete Santa costume.

The annual New Year’s Eve torchlight parade and fireworks show will illuminate the slopes beginning at 9 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public. The resort also extends night-skiing hours until 9 p.m. from Dec. 21 to Jan. 5. (alyeskaresort.com) R

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www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

ALASKA THIS MONTH Compiled By Nancy Pounds

trAvel

Photo courtesy of Eagle River Nature Center

Celebrate Solstice at Eagle River Nature Center

The Eagle River Nature Center offers several winterthemed events in December, including the annual Lantern Walk to celebrate winter solstice. View from the back of the nature center building in winter.

A

journey to the Eagle River Nature Center offers an accessible gateway to adventure. The center, located at the entrance to Chugach State Park, is about a 45-minute drive from Anchorage. Trails wind around the area for easy loops with mountain views and the center features displays of Alaska animals. Center operators schedule a bevy of outdoor-related events each month, including several children’s activities. December events include classes on avalanche safety and winter bird identification.

“Our most popular event in December is our Lantern Walk,” says Laura Kruger, operations manager.

The 17th annual Winter Solstice Lantern Walk is Dec. 15 at 5 p.m. Participants, many with homemade lanterns, trek down snowy trails lined with candle-lit ice lanterns to a bonfire for marshmallow roasting and singing. The heated yurt serves as a warm-up station. A sparkling winter beauty encompasses the family-oriented event.

“The trails are lit up by dozens of ice lanterns made by volunteers and staff,” Kruger says. “We can’t think of a better way to ring in winter solstice and welcome back the sun.”

The center offers lantern-making classes for children and adults before the event.

Winter activities include cross-country skiing on groomed trails or snowshoeing. The center rents snowshoes for $10 per day. Additionally, the center rents three public-use yurts and one cabin year-round so wintertime visitors can ski out for an overnight stay, providing firewood at each rental.

“December is just a really beautiful time of year back here in Eagle River Valley,” she says.

Kruger’s favorite wintertime adventure at the center is skiing on the frozen Eagle River under a full moon beneath the northern lights. “There’s also nothing better than coming inside the log cabin visitor center to warm up next to the fire,” she says. (ernc.org) R

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

99 ■

ALASKA THIS MONTH Compiled By Nancy Pounds

entertAinment

Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific

Military Musicians Perform Seasonal Concert

Performers with the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific will feature holiday music at the Sounds of the Season concert.

M

usicians with the U.S. Air Force band will again perform the long-running community tradition of a free performance for the holidays. The Band of the Pacific will play the Sounds of the Season on Dec. 3 and 4 at 7 p.m. at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts Atwood Concert Hall.

The Band of the Pacific has performed the Anchorage concert for more than 25 years, says Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Castle, who handles publicity for the band. The PAC and the Atwood Foundation have provided support for the concert during those years.

This year the band will enliven the concert hall with holiday music and feature a history of the band. Event organizers have invited past members to participate in the winter concert.

“There are so many members of the local community that served in the Band of the Pacific-Alaska, many whom have elected to retire in Alaska after leaving military service,” Castle says.

Currently, 14 members are assigned to the band, but Castle anticipates about 30 performers will take the stage for the concert.

The Band of the Pacific has three locations: Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii and Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, Japan. Earlier this year military officials reorganized the band, relocating the band’s jazz group to Japan, Castle says. Future changes may be in store for the band, which was slated for deactivation next summer, although plans have not been finalized yet, he says.

The Christmas concert is a gift to Anchorage from the Air Force band.

“Our Sounds of the Season concerts present a great opportunity to thank the community for its support of the military all year long as well as thank those who have served,” he says. (bandofthepacific.af.mil) R ■ 100

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

EVENTS CALENDAR

Compiled By Alaska Business Monthly Staff

Anchorage 11/23-12/23

Homer My Three Angels

Written by Samueal and Bella Spewack, this Christmas comedy is set in French Guiana. A family faces a dire situation, but their plight is heard by three angels up above—actually three warm-hearted convicts working on the family’s roof who do their best to set matters right. Anchorage Community Theatre, various times. actalaska.org

15

Freezin’ For a Reason

Organized by Special Olympics Alaska, this event benefits Alaskan athletes through giving individuals, organizations and businesses an opportunity to gather pledges and then plunge into the freezing waters of Goose Lake. Proceeds benefit Special Olympics Alaska.

Goose Lake, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. specialolympicsalaska.org

26-29

STOMP

This event is a high-energy percussive symphony coupled with dance and played entirely on unconventional instruments such as garbage can lids, buckets, brooms and sticks. It is movement made original through the use of everyday objects in non-traditional ways. Alaska Center for the performing arts, various times. myalaskacenter.com

31

Eagle River

Fairbanks 7

Pink Martini

Drawing inspiration from the golden era of Hollywood musicals and cocktail lounges of the ‘50s, the musical adventure known as Pink Martini blurs genres and captivates audiences. The 12-piece mini orchestra performs their diverse sound with a blend influenced

by Cole Porter and Duke Ellington. Hering Auditorium, 8 p.m. fairbanksconcert.org

15

Gingerbread House Contest

Winners in the five divisions will be determined by viewer voting, with overall grand champion selected by the Daily News-Miner Gingerbread House Committee. Carlson Center, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. explorefairbanks.com

21

Winter Solstice

Events include live music, reindeer, Santa photos and a fireworks display.

Downtown Fairbanks, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. downtownfairbanks.com

21-22

Christmas Party for Children

This event is geared toward children with disabilities. A gift and free buffet is provided for every child. Santa comes to visit both nights. Chatanika Lodge, 6:30 p.m. explorefairbanks.com

Haines 7-8

Community Christmas Celebration

Events include a candy and cookie contest, letter writing to and photographs with Santa, Mrs. Claus at the Haines Borough Public Library for stories and songs, trains at the Sheldon Museum & Cultural Center, a parade and holiday shopping. Various locations and times. haines.ak.us

31st Annual Gallery Walk

Explore Juneau’s many galleries, shops and museums. Featured artists are available to demonstrate or answer questions about their work. downtownjuneau.com

14-16

The Nutcracker

Juneau Dance Unlimited presents this holiday favorite. JuneauDouglas High School Auditorium, Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. juneaudance.org

15

Community Barn Dance

Tom Paul will call the dances to live music. All dances are taught and no experience or partners are required. St. Ann’s Parish Hall, 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. juneaucontras.org

Kodiak 16

Currier and Ives Old Fashioned Christmas

Events include ice-skating, sleigh rides, hayrides, caroling around a bonfire, refreshments and a live nativity. Kodiak Baptist Mission Complex, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information call 907-486-5920.

Nome

Merry Merchant Munch

This event is an old-fashioned holiday competition among downtown Eagle River businesses. The public is invited to go on free horse-drawn sleigh rides, enjoy the sounds of holiday carolers from Chugiak High School, and visit each of the 45 to 55 participants and sample their culinary creations. Downtown Eagle River, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. anchorage.net

Nutcracker Ballet

Juneau 7-9

NECA/IBEW Fire & Ice New Year’s Eve Celebration

This New Year’s Eve celebration features fire jugglers, silk acrobats, a light show, live music, fireworks and more. Downtown Anchorage, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. anchoragedowntown.org

7-8

8-9

The Homer Nutcracker Production Co., a local community group, performs in this annual event. Homer High School, 12 p.m. homeralaska.org

5

Christmas Extravaganza

Events include Christmas music by Nome’s local artists and visit with Santa Claus and his favorite reindeer. Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum. visitnomealaska.com

North Pole 12/1-1/6

Christmas in Ice

Attractions include food and beverage, Christmas themed ice sculptures in the Ice Park, Icy Kid’s playground with ice maze and ice slides, Santa on Christmas, fireworks on New Years Eve and on-site heated facilities. Various locations and times. christmasinice.org

Palmer 5-9

Colony Christmas

Events include arts and crafts fairs, gingerbread and cookies competitions, Christmas parade, snow shoe obstacle race, triathlon, horse drawn sleigh rides, nativity displays, fireworks and more.

Various locations and times. palmerchamber.org

Talkeetna 8

Taste of Talkeetna

A ticket allows you a small sampling at each participating eatery.

This year’s “Taste” is combined with the Second Saturday art event.

Get your ticket fully stamped and qualify to win a prize. Various locations, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. talkeetnachamber.org

19

Great Bake-N-Take Cookie Exchange

Join other bakers for a three hour session of cookie making and baking. A $10 donation is suggested to cover ingredients and a light supper of soup and bread. Talkeetna Roadhouse, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. alkeetnachamber.org

Valdez 9

Community Christmas Program

Local community members perform holiday inspired songs, dance, and poetry, and the event features a dog act on stage. Free admission; canned goods donation for the Valdez Food Bank is encouraged.

Valdez Civic Center, 4 p.m. valdezartscouncil.org

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

101 ■

HR MATTERS

Creating Teamwork among Virtual Employees and Digital Nomads

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Land Use Strategies Protecting assets, maximizing returns

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BUSINESS SERVICES

Ergonomic Solutions Revolutionizing home and office workspaces

By Paula Cottrell

EMERGING FILM INDUSTRY

Alaska Crew and Cast Advancement Program Training Alaskans for the film industry

By Susan Sommer

Alaska’s Premier Photobooth Rental Company

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Hawsepipers and Skill Builders Career and technical education in Alaska

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By Michele White Philanthropy through Board Service Understanding what it means to be a board member of a charitable nonprofit

By Renea I. Saade Social Media for Nonprofits Helping businesses and organizations flourish

By Amanda Clayton

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www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

ALASKA TRENDS

By Paul Davidson

Government Spending

T

Alaska Trends, an outline of significant statewide statistics, is provided by the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development.

Growing with GDP since 1960

2008 2011

2004

2000

1996

1992

1988

1984

1980

1976

1972

1968

1964

1960

otal United States govGovernment Expendeture and GDP ernment expenditure is 1960-2011 recorded by the Office of Management and Budget and 16 includes federal, state and local 14 government spending. Government expenditures peak in times 12 of war with spending at more than 50 percent of Gross Domestic 10 **GDP (USD in Product during WW2. Total fed8 trillions) eral government revenue for 2011 is $2.3 trillion and total federal Total Gov. Spend 6 spending is $3.6 trillion.

(USD in trillions) The 2011 $1.3 trillion deficit ac4 counts for 8.7 percent of U.S. GDP, 2 the third highest deficit as share of GDP for the federal government in 0 the past 40 years. Total government expenditure has been 30.78 percent of GDP, on average, for the past 50 years; this percentage is lowest in 1960 at 26.2 percent and highest in 2007 at 37.1 percent.

GDP rate in this data-set, according to the Office of ManThe chart, in current dollars, shows government ex- agement and Budget and the World Bank. The increased penditure growing predictably with GDP since 1960 with government expenditure as percent of GDP from 2008 declines from 1970 to 1971 and from 2008 to 2009. Gov- and on is likely influenced by slower GDP growth. As GDP ernment expenditure does not decline as sharply as GDP growth normalizes, government spending should make up in 2008-2009 accounting for the highest expenditure to a smaller part of the economy.

R SOURCE: U.S. Office of Management and Budget, World Bank

ALASKA TRENDS HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU THIS MONTH COURTESY OF AMERICAN MARINE/PENCO

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

103 ■

ALASKA TRENDS

Indicator

GENERAL Personal Income – Alaska Personal Income – United States Consumer Prices – Anchorage Consumer Prices – United States Bankruptcies Alaska Total Anchorage Total Fairbanks Total EMPLOYMENT Alaska Anchorage & Mat-Su Fairbanks Southeast Gulf Coast Sectorial Distribution – Alaska Total Nonfarm Goods Producing Services Providing Mining and Logging Mining Oil & Gas Construction Manufacturing Seafood Processing Trade/Transportation/Utilities Wholesale Trade Retail Trade Food & Beverage Stores General Merchandise Stores Trans/Warehouse/Utilities Air Transportation Information Telecommunications Financial Activities Professional & Business Services Educational & Health Services Health Care Leisure & Hospitality Accommodation Food Services & Drinking Places Other Services Government Federal Government State Government State Education Local Government Local Education Tribal Government Labor Force Alaska Anchorage & Mat-Su Fairbanks Southeast Gulf Coast Unemployment Rate Alaska Anchorage & Mat-Su Fairbanks

■ 104

By Paul Davidson Previous Report Period (revised)

Year Ago Period

Year Over Year Change

Units

Period

Latest Report Period

US $ US $ 1982-1984 = 100 1982-1984 = 100

1st Q12 1st Q12 1st Q12 1st Q12

34,271 13,370,344 205.22 228.85

33,971 13,236,324 202.58 226.28

32,846 12,944,090 200.28 223.60

4.34% 3.29% 2.47% 2.35%

Number Filed Number Filed Number Filed

August August August

42 33 9

77 54 12

74 59 11

-43.24% -44.07% -18.18%

Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands

August August August August August

366.42 182.32 44.01 42.16 40.38

349.05 183.53 43.64 42.22 40.56

348.08 185.18 45.25 42.13 38.96

5.27% -1.54% -2.75% 0.07% 3.65%

Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands

August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August August

351.8 53.2 298.6 17.4 17.0 13.5 16.0 19.8 17.7 69.3 7.0 37.2 6.4 10.4 25.1 6.4 6.5 4.1 15.4 29.1 46.1 32.6 40.3 10.5 23.4 11.1 80.8 16.8 25.2 6.6 38.8 20.5 4.3

351.0 54.1 296.9 17.4 16.9 13.5 16.0 20.7 19.3 69.2 6.9 37.5 6.5 10.8 24.8 6.5 6.5 4.1 15.7 29.0 46.2 32.5 40.0 10.5 23.0 11.1 79.2 17.0 24.7 5.8 37.5 18.9 4.5

352.4 58.5 293.9 17.2 16.7 13.6 19.1 22.2 15.0 69.7 6.7 37.9 6.5 10.5 25.1 6.4 6.6 4.5 15.0 28.7 42.9 31.9 40.8 8.3 24.0 11.0 79.2 17.5 24.3 5.7 37.4 19.2 3.8

-0.17% -9.06% 1.60% 1.16% 1.80% -0.74% -16.23% -10.81% 18.00% -0.57% 4.48% -1.85% -1.54% -0.95% 0.00% 0.00% -1.52% -8.89% 2.67% 1.39% 7.46% 2.19% -1.23% 26.51% -2.50% 0.91% 2.02% -4.00% 3.70% 15.79% 3.74% 6.77% 13.16%

Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands Thousands

August August August August August

390.97 194.10 46.74 44.61 43.31

376.77 197.38 46.86 44.84 43.41

372.19 196.06 46.56 44.56 43.55

5.05% -1.00% 0.38% 0.13% -0.56%

Percent Percent Percent

August August August

6.6 6.1 5.8

7.2 6.6 6.6

6.7 6.3 6.1

-1.49% -3.17% -4.92%

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

ALASKA TRENDS

By Paul Davidson Year Ago Period

Year Over Year Change

Units

Period

Latest Report Period

Percent Percent Percent

August August August

5.5 6.8 8.2

6.1 7.4 8.6

5.6 6.9 9.1

-1.79% -1.45% -9.89%

Millions of Barrels Billions of Cubic Ft. $ per Barrel

August August August

12.54 8.23 110.79

12.87 8.93 103.75

16.31 8.28 106.95

-23.12% -0.57% 3.59%

Active Rigs Active Rigs $ Per Troy Oz. $ Per Troy Oz. $ Per Pound

August August August August August

6 1913 1,667.25 28.69 0.91

6 1944 1,593.35 27.43 0.93

6 1957 1,757.65 40.30 1.11

0.00% -2.25% -5.14% -28.81% -17.97%

Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $

August August August

29.67 17.09 12.58

30.62 16.94 13.68

23.63 12.98 10.65

25.56% 31.59% 18.21%

Total Deeds

August

No Data

No Data

883

N/A

VISITOR INDUSTRY Total Air Passenger Traffic – Anchorage Total Air Passenger Traffic – Fairbanks

Thousands Thousands

August August

590.55 119.20

624.58 119.08

614.91 110.75

-3.96% 7.63%

ALASKA PERMANENT FUND Equity Assets Net Income Net Income – Year to Date Marketable Debt Securities Real Estate Investments Preferred and Common Stock

Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $

August August August August August August August

41,450.80 42,130.80 251.9 547.9 (1.2) 0.70 374.3

40,856.70 41,648.00 64.5 464.6 140.5 32.40 173.9

38,889.70 39,504.90 125.1 (1,325.8) 3.5 15.9 (1,397.7)

6.59% 6.65% 101.36% -141.33% -134.29% -95.60% -126.78%

BANKING (excludes interstate branches) Total Bank Assets – Alaska Cash & Balances Due Securities Net Loans and Leases Other Real Estate Owned Total Liabilities Total Bank Deposits – Alaska Noninterest-bearing deposits Interest-bearing deposits

Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $ Millions of $

2nd Q12 2nd Q12 2nd Q12 2nd Q12 2nd Q12 2nd Q12 2nd Q12 2nd Q12 2nd Q12

2,100.47 56.74 163.91 1,129.26 8.21 1,832.07 1,787.23 5,270.79 1,260.16

2,085.52 38.36 138.30 1,124.51 7.98 1,820.76 1,775.89 509.26 1,266.63

2,050.03 51.85 158.58 1,098.51 6.21 1,796.24 1,758.69 643.96 1,114.74

2.46% 9.42% 3.36% 2.80% 32.26% 1.99% 1.62% 718.50% 13.05%

FOREIGN TRADE Value of the Dollar In Japanese Yen In Canadian Dollars In British Pounds In European Monetary Unit In Chinese Yuan

Yen Canadian $ Pounds Euro Yuan

August August August August August

78.68 0.99 0.64 0.81 6.33

79.06 1.01 0.64 0.81 6.32

77.07 0.98 0.61 0.70 6.40

2.09% 1.27% 4.23% 15.83% -1.05%

Indicator

Southeast Gulf Coast United States PETROLEUM/MINING Crude Oil Production – Alaska Natural Gas Field Production – Alaska ANS West Cost Average Spot Price Hughes Rig Count Alaska United States Gold Prices Silver Prices Zinc Prices REAL ESTATE Anchorage Building Permit Valuations Total Residential Commercial Deeds of Trust Recorded Anchorage–Recording District

Previous Report Period (revised)

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special section

Philanthropy in Alaska

PHOTO: Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy

Group photo of the Mickelsons with attendees at the Jersey City Academy (eight of the attendees were Alaska teachers).

Investing in Alaskan Students PGA Golfer Phil Mickelson and ExxonMobil invest in Alaska’s teachers

T

BY MICHELE WHITE

wenty-seven Alaskan elementary school teachers from around the state became students for a week at two of the three sessions of the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy held in Jersey City, N.J., and Houston this summer.

Twenty teachers—10 from Anchorage and 10 from Fairbanks—were chosen from a pool of applicants by their school districts to attend the regional academy in Houston June 18-22.

The teachers who attended the national academy in Jersey City July 22-27,

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applied through www.sendmyteacher. com. They were chosen from more than 1,000 applicants by a panel of judges from the National Science Teachers’ Association (NSTA) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Alaskan teachers who went to the national Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy in Jersey City are Jean Clifton, Northern Lights ABC School, Anchorage; Kelly Dau, Houston Middle School; Courtney Forbes, Susitna Elementary, Anchorage; Patricia McKenzie, Hogarth Kingeekuk Memorial School, Savoonga;

Holly Miner, Hermon Hutchens Elementary School, Valdez; Teresa Monrean, Bear Valley Elementary School, Anchorage; and Lydia Wood, Chugiak Elementary School.

The teachers from the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District who attended the Houston academy are Barbara Keller, Pearl Creek Elementary School; Harvey Kurzbard, Pearl Creek Elementary School; Paula Addis, Pearl Creek Elementary School; Raeann Edwards, University Park Elementary School; Julie McHenry, North Pole Elementary School; Sandra Boyle, North Pole Elementary

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

School; Alison Koss, North Pole Elementary School; Karen Mobley, Barnette Magnet School; Andra Rice, Crawford Elementary School; and Amy Summers, Curriculum/Content Coach for the Fairbanks North Star Borough District Anchorage School District teachers who attended the Houston academy are: Laura Barron, Abbott Loop Elementary School; Kathleen Bell, Abbott Loop Elementary School; Marci Milwicz, Abbott Loop Elementary School; Shelby Theriault, Abbott Loop Elementary School; Sarah Baumeister, Susitna Elementary School; Nelson Hubbell, Susitna Elementary School; Virginia Hughes, Susitna Elementary School; Madeline Mott, Susitna Elementary School; William Shea, Campbell, Elementary School; and Virginia Gates, Anchorage School District STEM Department

Academy History

The Mickelson ExxonMobil Academy began in 2005. PGA Tour star Phil Mickelson and his wife Amy, along with executives at ExxonMobil, approached NSTA and Math Solutions to develop a professional development academy for 3rd through 5th grade science and math teachers.

NSTA is a nonprofit professional society of science teachers with chapters around the U.S. and Canada. Math Solutions is a provider of professional development for pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade math teachers.

“We worked together as a team to figure out how to integrate this whole thing,” says Gerry Wheeler, executive director of NSTA. “What kinds of things can we do in science that are particularly rich in math? The experience the teacher gets is not science or math but an integrated experience.”

“Math Solutions recognizes that the key element in student achievement is the teacher,” says Patricio Dujan, vice president and general manager of Math Solutions. “When we were approached

by ExxonMobil we welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of classroom teachers.”

NSTA and Math Solutions designed the curriculum for the three academies: the national academy in Jersey City and two regional academies in Houston and New Orleans. Teachers who attend the regional academies are chosen from the communities around the country where Mickelson plays golf tourna

ments and where ExxonMobil has a significant presence.

Teachers as Students

For one week, the teachers who attend one of the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academies are treated as students.

“Not only were we discussing the pedagogy and the learning,” says Kelly Dau, who teaches seventh grade math at Houston Middle School, “but we were also experiencing it.”

The teachers conducted experiments in forces and motion. Academy instructors gave the teachers a set of materials and guided them to figure out what to do with them to reach a particular solution.

“Having to do it backwards made me do a lot more thinking about what was going on—and for those students for whom direct instruction and teacher talk and all that doesn’t work, this could really turn a child on, who is creative and likes to figure out things,” says Patricia McKenzie, reading and response to intervention facilitator at Hogarth Kingeekuk Memorial School in Savoonga.

“For a long time, learning has been focused on just getting the right answer,” says Amy Summers, content coach for the Fairbanks North Star Borough school district. “This type of learning is engaging students to think about why they got the answers they got and how they got the answers they got.”

The teachers took part in kinesthetic learning activities. They graphed how people walk. They collected data and learned how it can be manipulated and reported. They learned a way of science and math notation in grid-paper notebooks that provides their students with a place to record their thoughts and drawings on their experiments.

Nelson Hubbell, who teaches fourth grade at Susitna Elementary School in Anchorage, attended the Houston academy. He said the teachers worked hard at the academy, particularly on a 10-hour web-based assignment extending their lessons on Newton’s Laws. The experience has changed his posture in the classroom and his students have responded.

“I think (the kids) like being given questions to answer and inquiries to resolve on their own,” says Hubbell.

“I think they like the respect inherent in my standing back and letting them figure things out. They get a little frus-

trated sometimes but that’s the nature of learning, I guess.”

ExxonMobil’s Involvement

Truman T. Bell was the project manager for ExxonMobil who worked with NSTA and Math Solutions to put the academies in place. He says the company’s involvement is an investment in future leaders in math and science.

“Our goal for the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy is to ensure that teachers have the confidence and tools to inspire young people in math and science, encouraging lifelong learning in these subjects and hopefully even preparing them for careers in these fields,” says Bell, now headquarters manager for community relations at ExxonMobil.

Mickelson says he wanted to fund these academies because he has always been fascinated by math and science and he understands the important role they play in maintaining the strength of our country as a world leader in those fields.

“Our programs give (teachers) ways to become inspired and to inspire their students in math and the sciences,” says Mickelson, “and that’s crucial because studies show that if we don’t capture kids’ imaginations and enthusiasm before they get to junior high, then it’s very difficult to get them involved later.”

He and his wife Amy have taken part in the Jersey City Academy, which he says is one of the highlights of the couple’s year.

“To see (the teachers’) enthusiasm, their passion and their joy, is incredible,” he says.

The partnership between the NSTA, Math Solutions, the Mickelson Foundation and ExxonMobil has conducted 20 sessions of the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy since 2005. Together, they have trained more than 3,600 teachers.

NSTA hired an independent observer, David Heil and Associates of Portland, to study the impact of the academy.

The firm projected that the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy has impacted the lives of more than 230,000 students across the country.

“If a good portion of those kids go on to a life in science,” says Mickelson, “then our program is a success.”

R Michele White is a journalist living in Anchorage.

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Philanthropy in Alaska

Philanthropy through Board Service Understanding what it means to be a board member of a charitable nonprofit

BY RENEA I. SAADE

A

nthropologist Margaret Mead is well known for her statement, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” The board of directors for a nonprofit organization epitomizes this kind of group commitment to effect change. Donating one’s time to serve on a nonprofit board is a rewarding way to make a significant contribution to your community.

While board members are often asked to make a financial commitment to (and help raise funds for) the nonprofit they are volunteering with, their nonmonetary contributions can result in a greater impact.

Nonprofit Obligations

Nonprofits receive tax-exempt status and other similar benefits because they exist to serve the public. Nonprofits are created under state law and can remain in existence only if they comply with the requirements of the state law under which they were created as well as any applicable federal law. Every nonprofit must fulfill three preliminary obligations in order to be incorporated.

■ First, it must create “Articles of Incorporation” that spell out the purpose of the nonprofit and other preliminary information about the organization.

■ Second, the nonprofit must adopt “bylaws” that set out the detailed rules of how it will be governed.

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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

—Margaret Mead Anthropologist

■ Third, the nonprofit must create and maintain a board of directors.

A board of directors is also referred to as a board of trustees. A board of directors is composed of individuals referred to as “members” or “directors” of the board.

The specific number of individuals on a board of directors will vary depending on the size and kind of the nonprofit involved, but most states require at least three individual members on the board, and many states have a cap on the number (the limit ranges from 15 to 21 members). Alaska Statutes § 10.20.086 confirms that Alaska follows the three-member minimum but does not place any restrictions on how many members can serve other than to require the size to be consistent with the rule set by the organization’s bylaws.

“When a community member commits to board service, one shares his or her passion and engagement to carry out an organization’s mission.”

—Stephanie Berglund CEO, thread

Board Responsibilities

While each board member usually has an equal voice and vote, the board is led by a chairperson or president. Other officer or executive committee member positions may also be required by law and/or the organization’s bylaws. Staff members of the nonprofit rarely serve on the board, and many states prohibit such a dual role because of the risk of a conflict of interest. Under Alaska law, an out-of-state resident may serve on the board of an Alaska nonprofit unless the nonprofit’s bylaws specifically require state residency.

Board members are usually community members who believe in the nonprofit’s purpose or mission and want to show their support by getting involved. As Stephanie Berglund, the CEO of thread (a nonprofit that connects Alaskans with information and training related to early childhood care and education), explains, “When a community member commits to board service, one shares his or her passion and engagement to carry out an organization’s mission.”

The responsibility for the day-today affairs of the nonprofit rests with the nonprofit staff members, but the board of directors manages and directs the organization’s affairs. This generally means the board of directors is

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Fiduciary Duties

Many people refrain from serving on a board of directors for fear that ser-

is making educated, prudent and thoughtful decisions.

For example, not all board members need be certified public accountants, but all board members are expected to carefully review the financial data provided to them and speak up if the staff ’s plans for future operations are not financially sound. To be effective and to fulfill one’s legal obligations, a member must be willing to actively serve on the board, not just passively sit on it.

Rewarding Experience

Board service is an incredibly rewarding experience. The time, energy and resources that a board member donates to an organization have an instant impact and often start a domino effect as others learn more about the organization through the board member. A board member is in an ideal position to expand the network of individuals, corporations, foundations and other groups that know about the organization.

A board member’s passion and support for the organization can inspire others to get involved. A board member

Stoel Rives LLP

required to ensure that the nonprofit’s mission remains consistent with the organization’s inherent purpose.

A board of directors also clarifies the nonprofit’s specific mission, prioritizes its goals, develops strategies for achieving those goals and helps ensure that its programs are implemented and managed responsibly.

In order to work together, a board will meet on average once a month and discuss and/or vote on issues. In an effort to enable the board to address discrete issues efficiently, smaller committees are often created within the board to research, evaluate, analyze or work on a particular issue and report their findings, recommendations and/ or activities back to the entire board.

For instance, a committee may be created to recruit a chief executive officer or executive director for the nonprofit, or there may be a committee that is solely focused on fundraising for a particular need.

Renea I. Saade

stage in life (although minors are usually unable to serve). There is likely an Alaska nonprofit that would welcome the skills, background and experience you have to offer. If you need help identifying a nonprofit that speaks to your interests, the United Way of Anchorage and The Foraker Group are great places to start, as both entities

“Board members, as leaders in the organization, set the stage for other people to join the cause. Board member giving, at any level, is a true sign of a successful organization.”

—Stephanie Berglund CEO, thread

vice will expose them to personal legal liability. It is true that there are legal obligations referred to as “fiduciary” duties associated with board service.

But the legal obligations are not that daunting and are consistent with what one would reasonably expect.

In general, a board member’s legal obligations or duties boil down to a requirement that the member exercise reasonable care and act in good faith when acting on behalf of or serving as a representative of the nonprofit. A board member also has duties of loyalty and confidentiality and must refrain from self-dealing.

A board member must be willing to ask questions, review the information provided to the board by the nonprofit’s staff; be prepared to discuss, evaluate and decide issues when they arise; and ensure that the board

acts as a steward for the organization, helping expand its reach and, hopefully, increasing its donor base.

As Ms. Berglund says, “Board members, as leaders in the organization, set the stage for other people to join the cause. Board member giving, at any level, is a true sign of a successful organization.”

Getting Involved

There is no shortage of nonprofits operating here in Alaska. Their missions are as diverse as the people who live here. Boards thrive when there is diversity among the members. If you have an interest in getting involved in board service, there is likely a nonprofit that addresses a cause or issue you are passionate about. There is no requirement that board members be working professionals or at a certain

partner with a large number of Alaska nonprofits. A directory of various nonprofits is also available at www. nonprofitlist.org. So, do not hesitate.

Get involved today. Together, we can effect change.

R Renea I. Saade is an attorney with the Anchorage office of Stoel Rives LLP. She regularly assists nonprofit and for-profit corporations with their contract disputes and employment law needs. She is also a board member of YWCA Alaska (www.ywcaak.org). Renea may be reached at risaade@stoel. com. The foregoing is provided for educational purposes only. It does not serve as an adequate substitute for legal advice.

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Philanthropy in Alaska

Social Media for Nonprofits Capturing supporters with Facebook’s Causes

BY AMANDA CLAYTON

F

rom blogs to social networks, businesses large and small are using a number of social media platforms to increase their visibility and connect to their audiences today. For that reason, social media was the point of discussion at a recent Key4Women forum hosted by KeyBank in Anchorage in September, when nearly 300 guests gathered for useful insights served up by social media experts Dr. Debra Jasper and Betsy Hubbard of Mindset Digital.

Making Connections

Hard numbers illustrate how pervasive social media really is, considering that Americans spend 25 percent of their time online using social networks and only 8 percent of their time online using email. LinkedIn, the popular business social media site, has 161 million members worldwide.

Jasper and Hubbard say today the challenge isn’t getting your message out—it’s getting your message in. It’s tougher than ever to get busy clients and customers to tune in to what you have to say. “That’s why this space truly is about connections, not commercials,” Hubbard says. Customers and clients want information to be presented in an engaging, conversational way. And if you’re listening, the interactive nature of social media will let you learn a great deal about what your audience wants and how they view your brand.

Suzi Pearson and Melissa Emmal of Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis in Anchorage started using social media tools a few years ago to get the word out about their services and fundraise for their nonprofit.

Go-To Tool

Their go-to social media tool? The Causes application for Facebook. The world’s largest online platform for activism, Causes enables users to create grassroots groups to take action on issues or fundraise. It is one of the largest applications on Facebook, with 90 million users.

“When we decided we needed to jump ■ 110

into social media, we started using Causes,” says Melissa Emmal, AWAIC deputy director. “With it we captured the attention of more than 2,000 supporters. It was a great way to tell people about our services and reach potential donors and volunteers.”

In 2010, Emmal says, AWAIC was required to create a traditional Facebook page in order to qualify for a grant from Toyota. “We found it was really easy to move our supporters from our Causes page to our traditional Facebook page.”

Converting Causes followers to Facebook likes proved to be easy and AWAIC won the grant money. Shortly thereafter, the nonprofit also won another contest by driving members to vote on a short video they created online.

“Without Facebook, we wouldn’t have the sustained group of supporters and we would not have been able to enter and win those two contests,” Emmal says.

Efficient Communication

AWAIC has also used the networking site to communicate with its community of supporters and members more efficiently. Since 2010, the page has grown to almost 1,000 fans reaching more than 5,000 through connections generated by the social platform.

Once the Facebook page was set up, program staff could answer questions about specific services in real time. “We’ve had a lot of recent Facebook conversations about the services we provide for men in the community. As a result we’ve seen more men come in and use our services.”

The organization has also taken advantage of the platform’s privacy settings to connect anonymously with those seeking services.

The interactive nature of social media allows users to learn what their audience wants and how their brand is viewed. When asked for a response, users receive real-time feedback.

Another benefit AWAIC sees is the ability to track a quick and impactful re-

sponse. “When we put out a call for snow boots or warm jackets, donors show up on our doors the next day. In the past, we would have to rely on our newsletter or phone calls,” says Emmal. AWAIC’s traditional newsletter is now online and linked to social media applications.

Affordable & Measurable

Social media is both affordable and measurable. Like, fan, friend—all of those action words have become tools used to monitor response and reaction.

Users of these tools can also track comments, retweets and link sharing.

AWAIC Executive Director Suzi Pearson notes that analytics provided through Facebook also have given the organization additional insight to tailor its content. For example, the analytics showed that Facebook users respond well to posts that include images, so AWAIC now posts more photos and images to its page.

Key4Women forum speakers Jasper and Hubbard and AWAIC’s Pearson and Emmal all agree that social media offers something for every business and organization.

Even thought the array of social media opportunities and tools is vast and can sometimes seem overwhelming, the experts advise starting small and doing something.

AWAIC did that and you can too.

Social media is all about building and strengthening relationships with customers and clients, and Facebook’s Causes is a proven method to help nonprofits flourish.

R Amanda Clayton is Assistant Vice President, SBA Relationship Manager for KeyBank in Anchorage and a Key4Women ambassador.

Key4Women is a complimentary service for women in business, providing them with access to capital, customized solutions, ongoing education and networking opportunities that help them succeed.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

AlAskA nAtive corPorAtions

Land Use Strategies

Photo courtesy Tyonek Native Corporation

The south beach at the mouth of the Chuitt River is a landscape indicative of the subsistence resource that has been vital for generations of Tyonek Native Corporation shareholders.

Protecting assets, maximizing returns

W

BY NICOLE A. BONHAM COLBY

hen it comes to management of lands and natural resources, Alaska Native Corporations face a sometimes uneasy balance of protecting cultural assets while still answering a duty to maximize returns for shareholders and to ensure the ongoing health of the corporation itself.

On the ground, several Alaska Native Corporations are doing just that, using newfangled technology and innovative practices to create corporate opportunity while caring for their ancestral land and resource heritage.

Whether it be transitioning land resources from historic extraction to tour-

ism-focused industry, researching forestry management techniques to ensure healthier and more lucrative long-term harvest results, or even planning for the peripheral impacts of nearby resource development, Alaska Native Corporations are using industry best-practice tools to manage assets across the state.

Into The Woods

In the state’s southern panhandle, Sealaska Corp. is employing some progressive techniques not only to ensure the future of its sustainable forest harvest, but also to acknowledge the cultural importance of several tree species

in the art, ceremony and subsistence of its members.

“Our silviculture that we do is, in fact, a cornerstone to the forest management efforts that will last through rotation,” says Ron Wolfe, Natural Resources manager for Sealaska Corp., which oversees 290,000 acres of ancestral lands across the length of the state’s Panhandle among its other diverse corporate portfolio holdings.

For the lay person, a rotation is the lifespan between seedling and maturation when the tree crop is next ready for harvest. Traditionally, that may range between 70 to 100 years. In Southeast,

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Basal pruning is among techniques used by Sealaska since 1996 as part of its silviculture program to promote sustainable timber harvest and healthy forest. Basal pruning involves selectively removing lower tree branches to promote added sunlight to the forest floor. The concept is designed to promote diversity of undergrowth, straighter trees for ultimate harvest, and to encourage wildlife habitat.

says Wolfe, it may occur at 60 years, given the region’s favorable environment for forest growth. The primary takeaway point is that decisions made now in forest management will determine the results for generations into the future.

The corporation’s interest in handplanting is one tangible silviculture practice that takes into consideration a very specific ancestral touchstone. As the U.S. Forest Service defines it, silviculture is the practice of approaching forest management from a holistic standpoint, taking into consideration various factors to control the health, quality, growth, and composition of forest lands to meet a ■ 112

diverse set of values established by landowners and society. In essence, at the micro level, it involves acknowledging cultural, socioeconomic, environmental and other values of the landowner—in this case, Sealaska shareholders—and managing the forest to honor and best maximize those priorities.

Wolfe describes how hand planting, as a silviculture method being used by Sealaska, allows the corporation to adjust the composition of those tree species that grow in areas recently harvested.

The corporation has hand-planted more than 1.6 million seedlings on 8,300 acres, with plans to expand that method

of practice into the future as it learns more about its long-term results. To that end, Wolfe says that Sealaska has joined with the U.S. Forest Service in a reforestation study to best learn where to plant red and yellow cedar—tree species that have specific cultural significance to corporation shareholders. “If we get the hang of this and know where we want to do it,” he says, “we would hand plant the first growing season after harvest.”

Red and yellow cedar have long been used by Southeast Alaska Native populations for canoe building, construction of longhouses and the like. Through silviculture practices like hand-planting

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Photo courtesy Sealaska Corporation

and thinning, forest managers are able to adjust forest composition to ensure long-term sustainability of important regional species.

For example, says Wolfe, the natural regrowth composition of a particular plot may be 10 percent cedar, 30 percent spruce and 60 percent hemlock. “By hand planting, we have opportunity to determine if we want to change that percentage of cedar to a major number,” he says.

As the trees mature, managers can then tell their thinning crews to favor keeping cedar seedlings as a priority so as to further adjust the percentage share of long-term cedar growth. During thinning, if the forest worker spots a healthy crop tree and it is cedar, they will keep it. Using such methods over time, forest stands are managed to ensure a crop

composition that honors regional cultural priorities while providing an economic return for the corporation.

“Same thing with Sitka spruce,” Wolfe says. Forest managers will look to the ongoing results from the hand-planting of cedar to see if it is a method to consider with other species.

As a side benefit, many of the corporation’s forestry silviculture contractors are shareholder owned and largely try to hire locally. “We can’t do it at 100 percent, but we are getting there,” Wolfe says.

Cut Now, Grow Later

Other silviculture practices include pre-commercial thinning, or PCT. The concept is long established in many agriculture scenes. The general idea is to carefully thin the crop to ensure a

healthy, sustainable result that complements, and is complemented by, the surrounding environment.

“We entered into a long-term study with Oregon State University to measure the effects of thinning...on tree form,” says Wolfe. “What we find is that, if we take these steps early in the forest... we set the forest on a growth trend that is very favorable...there is a tremendous amount of deer understory that blossoms and grows and flourishes.”

By conducting pre-commercial thinning at tree age 15—earlier than the traditional 30-year practice—forest managers believe that they are able to prolong that benefit longer into the stand. “The innovative part of that prescription is that we are achieving multiple-use benefits by this cornerstone

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Photo courtesy Sealaska Corporation

Klaus Puettmann from Oregon State University and Brian Kleinhenz of Sealaska (rear), among others, review the status of forest growth on Prince of Wales Island recently. Sealaska and OSU teamed up to research the benefits of forest thinning efforts on forest wildlife, particularly deer. The effort is among various projects underway by the Alaska Native corporation to manage its forest lands for sustainability and maximum utilization.

practice...wildlife and forest growth,” Wolfe says.

Even with early pre-commercial thinning, the crop trees will eventually see their crowns begin to connect in the forest canopy, diminishing the sunlight that flows to the forest floor, Wolfe says.

“So what can we do to extend (the benefits started with the pre-commercial thinning) is to work with basal pruning—to remove the branches from the lower portion of the tree.”

The practice involves removing all lower tree branches up to 13 to 17 feet, while leaving 60 percent of the tree crown. The pruning lends itself to straighter crop trees that have greater value, he says, cultivating a sunnier forest floor so as to maintain healthy undergrowth and wildlife habitat. One aspect of this forestry practice is to improve winter range for the islands’ deer population. To keep on track, the corporation builds a 5-year pruning plan for its even-aged forestlands. The OSU 12-year research study of pre-commercial thinning described earlier was set up to also be paired with a pruning study in the future.

Wolfe says it’s important for shareholders and the public to see the tangible forest-health results of such innovative practices. Ultimately, the corporation hopes to offer interpretive signing and a network of trails for self-guided tours that help relate some of Sealaska’s silviculture methods for visitors. For now, however, visitors can walk trails in the Big Salt forest area near Klawock on Prince of Wales Island to view the results of pruning and PCT, he says.

Photo courtesy Sealaska Corporation

On The Beach

Beyond realizing the long-term benefits of sustainable forestry practices such as basal pruning shown underway here, many shareholders of Sealaska Corporation also work in the forest as employees for various silviculture subcontractors.

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Far from the rainforest of Southeast Alaska, the stewards of Tyonek Native Corp. are similarly focused on managing that entity’s some 200,000 acres of land, located primarily on the west side of Cook Inlet. But where Sealaska’s Ron Wolfe is concerned with timber harvest and related island-based natural resources, Tyonek Chief Executive Officer Bart Garber and his team are challenged with managing a landscape of heavy mineral and urban development nearby juxtaposed with the traditional ancestral lifestyle of The Beach People. While the ecosystem may be different, the same pressure to balance cultural values and corporate stewardship applies.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Photo courtesy Tyonek Native Corporation Photo courtesy Tyonek Native Corporation

Like its counterparts throughout the state, Tyonek Native Corporation, whose lands include the subsistence-valuable Chuitt River, faces the challenge of balancing cultural values and development of corporate assets.

A moose walks along the winter road south of Tyonek. The village, considered one of the most traditional in the basin, also faces the impacts of being located near the state’s primary urban corridor.

“We constantly balance those things,” says Garber, adding that land managers are, at once, considering how any decision will affect the fish, the tribe, and, at

the same time, how it may create a job to help stabilize the local economy. “Culture doesn’t last if you don’t have a job.”

While the village of Tyonek is one of the “most traditional villages in the basin,” according to Garber, it is also very close to the state’s primary urban zone.

That consideration, along with several high-profile natural resource projects on the horizon—the PacRim Coal Co. shoreside coal mine north of Tyonek, and oil and gas exploration in Cook Inlet, among others—requires the corporation’s land managers to walk a metaphorical tightrope, balancing corporate duty and cultural stewardship. In the foreground always looms the benefit of cultivating a stable local economy for the village.

From a conversation with Garber, the importance of communication is apparent—communication from the village level to and from the corporation, and between Tyonek and its other regional counterparts.

“We have a very, very strong tribal community. We know who our clans are, we know who our families are,” says Garber.

“Our interests as a group are very similar.”

The ongoing land reconveyance effort and related selection process to complete the corporation’s land entitlement of an additional 75,000 acres is the largest issue concerning land management, he says. “We’ve been waiting 30 years for that land.”

Corporations like Tyonek are utilizing industry best-practices and tools, like complex GIS (geographical information system) mapping, for example, to best manage lands for development and sustainability. These businesses are also increasingly working together to consider creative solutions, he says: potentially unitizing land selections, for example.

At the end of the day, however, while resource management strategies may occur using new technology and approaches, the priority remains at the micro level. “Our main concern right now is to make sure the village has what it needs,” Garber says. “That will be the start for a larger plan for all of our lands.”

R Nicole A. Bonham Colby writes from Ketchikan.

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business services

REVOLUTIONIZING HOME AND OFFICE WORK SPACES

Investing in ergonomic solutions

BY PAULA COTTRELL

A

laska has some of the highest injury rates for administrative and professional personnel, according to the U.S. Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics. What was once thought of as a relatively safe industry is proving to be more costly to employers with increases in workers’ compensation claims, lost time and insurance premiums.

Research has proven that prolonged sitting shortens life spans, increases the likelihood of diseases such as metabolic syndrome, and greatly contributes to excessive weight gain. But office functions are a critical component to modern life and eliminating the office is near impossible in today’s fast-paced technological world.

“Unfortunately, a lot of companies expect people to get their jobs completed with the tools of yesterday,” says Marc Giampaoli, sales manager for Scan Office Interiors in Anchorage.

“The standard World War II desk with the drawers down both sides were designed before computers. People try to make them work by utilizing creative solutions—like using phonebooks as monitor stands—but in the end they

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“You shouldn’t have to take pain relievers to have a normal life, work stations can be designed to suit a person’s body mechanics.”

—Marc Giampaoli, Sales Manager, Scan Office Interiors

are just too inefficient and do not meet minimum ergonomic standards.”

Statistics show that people who have worked over the years in offices are suffering today with more health problems.

Common complaints from office workers range from poor posture, debilitating pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, joint stiffness, musculoskeletal problems, headaches and general body discomfort. “You shouldn’t have to take pain relievers to have a normal life,” says Giampaoli. “Work stations can be designed to suit a person’s body mechanics.”

To address the health concerns of their staff, many companies are turning to more ergonomic solutions.

Ergonomically Speaking

Ergonomics, the study of efficiency in work environments, focuses on neutral body positioning and creating a comfortable working posture where joints are naturally aligned so as to

avoid strain on muscles, tendons and the skeletal system. Considerations for proper body positioning include ensuring the top of monitors are at or just below eye level, the head and neck are balanced and in-line with the torso, feet are resting flat on the floor, shoulders are relaxed, elbows are close to the body and supported, the lower back is supported, wrists and hands are in-line with forearms, and there is adequate room for the keyboard and mouse.

Thomas Harris, workspace consultant for Capital Office in Fairbanks, says he has seen an increase in ergonomic workstations across the state in recent years. “Customers today are looking for highly adjustable seating, computer support tools such as keyboard trays and monitor arms, and more frequently, height-adjustable workstations,” Harris says. Adjustable workstations have electric motors that range from 21 inches to 4 feet high, allowing individu-

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

als to sit, stand or do both with the push of a button.

“Companies across Alaska have office needs that vary from location to location. We have clients all over the state in every market, including federal, state and local government, healthcare, education, mining and the oil industry,” Harris says. “With locations in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau, Capital Office is able to bring a full line of office solutions to every corner of Alaska.”

Advances also have been made in the area of office chairs. “In order to allow you to sit longer without being harmful, chairs have become more supportive by adjusting to the curve of your spine and allowing blood to flow more easily,” Giampaoli says. “Having an adjustable chair is key to ensuring pressure points are being supported. This combined with the advancement in cushions and cool foam technology has gone a long way in increasing blood flow and comfort.”

Get Up, Stand Up

The concept of standing while working is growing in popularity. “People who stand at a desk are more efficient and more productive over the period of their day, week, month and year,” Giampaoli says. “There have been studies conducted by University of Missouri and John Hopkins University that indicate people who stand while they work can save a company up to $30,000 annually by increasing productivity while minimizing health costs and time away from work.”

At first, standing while working may take some getting used to. “People who convert from a sitting to a standing workstation sometimes complain of lower back pain initially as their muscles become used to the newer configuration,” Giampaoli says. “The body adapts quickly, however, and people find they have less pain overall and can actually get more work done because they don’t have to frequently get up and move around to loosen up stiff muscles.

Adjustable work stations also allow people to choose when they want to sit and when they want to stand.”

Walking While Working

For those wanting to take the health benefits of standing while working a step further, Capital Office carries a line of office furniture from Steelcase that incor

porates an adjustable work station with a low-speed, commercial-grade treadmill.

“Walking while you work helps burn calories and feel healthier while accomplishing the work you’d normally do while seated,” says Harris. “The Walkstation and Sit-to-Walkstation combine a fully integrated height adjustable workstation with a low-impact workout.”

Certainly trying to work while exercising at the same level as one would attempt at a health club or outdoors isn’t feasible for most office workers.

Steelcase Walkstations, however, operate at a maximum speed of two miles per hour and are exclusively engineered to provide a comfortable walking pace while working.

Office Space Design

Designing an office space goes beyond selecting a comfortable chair and the right desk. “When you think about it, people spend a great deal of time at two places—in their bedroom sleeping and at work. Offices today are more colorful, comfortable and adaptive,” Giampaoli says. “People who incorporate their personality and their passions in their office design are generally happier and more productive at work.”

Scan Office Interiors built their business bringing contemporary Scandinavian furniture to Alaska. The simple approach and clean lines proved efficient in designing smaller working spaces.

Over the last 30 years, Scan Office has expanded its business lines to include comfortable and space saving designs from manufacturers like ConSet, DBi, Jasper Office and Tvilum Scanbirk.

Space planning computer software combined with the efficiency of modern furniture allows for the maximization of office space. “Whether we are designing a small home office or multiple offices for a large company, we start by identifying the needs of those who will be using the office,” Giampaoli says.

“People often have multiple monitors, computer equipment, books, manuals and file storage needs that require consideration when planning a space.”

Technology today allows for furniture to be built less expensively while incorporating features that save space and increase productivity. “It is amazing the advances that have been made in furniture design,” says Giampaoli. “China is

actually leading the way with designs that incorporate state of the art materials and renewable resources such as bamboo.”

Bamboo is a durable hard wood that is increasing in popularity because it is inexpensive and grows quickly, renewing itself every two years, according to Giampaoli. “Our customers are often looking beyond the traditional furniture that was popular in the 1980s and seeking out solutions that are not just comfortable and efficient, but reduce their carbon footprint as well,” he says.

Investing in Upgrades

Wood components that put out carbon emissions are being replaced by furniture made of glass, steel and aluminum, which are not only sleek in design, but are more cost effective to build as well.

Replacing old furniture with updated designs can prove to be expensive, but worth the investment. “You can’t put a price on your employee’s health and while the initial outlay may seem cost prohibitive, in many cases, the expenses associated with not providing a safe and healthful workplace can far exceed the price of upgrading your furniture,” Giampaoli says.

It’s not just large offices that can benefit from a furniture makeover. “At Scan Office Interiors, we work collaboratively with our customers to design workstations that meet their individual needs, whether it’s a home office project or an entire building,” adds Giampaoli.

One company that made the commitment to provide adjustable workstations to its employees with a creative twist was Alaska USA Federal Credit Union. “Alaska USA’s offices are mostly furnished with oak and since our line of adjustable furniture doesn’t utilize that wood component, we were able to retrofit their existing desk tops with adjustable legs,” Giampaoli says. “This not only saved them money, they were able to provide modern ergonomic technology to their employees without compromising on the look of their offices.”

This kind of solution is just one of the ways furniture companies across Alaska are bringing ergonomic technology to their customers.

R Paula Cottrell is an Alaskan author.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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cAreer & vo-tech educAtion

Hawsepipers and Skill Builders Career and technical education in Alaska

BY WILL SWAGEL

■ 118

AVTEC

A

hawse pipe is the ring of metal in the side of a ship’s bow that the anchor chain passes through as it is lowered and raised. In the old days, would-be sailors would climb up the anchor chain and stow away, in hopes of being given a job when they were discovered. These sailors would start by swabbing decks or scrubbing bilges, but sometimes worked their way up the ranks over the years, even to command of a ship.

Seafolk refer to “hawsepipers” as the ones who started at the bottom and rose.

Captain Scott Hamilton heads the Alaska Maritime Training Center, one of the programs offered at AVTEC. Located in Seward, AVTEC bills itself as “Alaska’s Institute of Technology.”

Hamilton has had decades at sea with the Alaska Marine Highway System and aboard oceangoing ships. He has a lot of respect for the hawsepipe method of career advancement. He says many of his fellow AMHS captains were “hawse pipe sailors.”

The Maritime Training Center offers a 19-week program for certification as an able-bodied seaman or an oiler— both entry level positions aboard ships.

This is the hawse pipe route.

The Maritime Training Center also offers a large number of skill building courses, in such areas as firefighting or safety, for mariners already employed.

And the center offers advanced students the chance to work on the state-of-theart Kongsberg ship’s bridge simulators that can provide training for the newest and largest vessels.

The AMTC efforts show the three main forms of career and technical education: 1) training for entry level candidates, 2) training for experienced employees updating skills or learning new ones and 3) “hands on” training with the latest equipment or simulators for advanced students.

Captain Scott Hamilton, in red, heads the Alaska Maritime Training Center at AVTEC in Seward. He is shown here in a training simulator.

The Alaska Maritime Training Center meets the prestigious accreditation standards through the International Maritime Organization, “the United Nations of shipping.” More than 650 students a year have been certified from the AMTC’s various programs. Freshly “papered” able-bodied seaman and oilers tend to get jobs in Alaska’s growing merchant industries pretty easily.

“I’ve got employers kicking down the doors for our USCG credentialed graduates,” Hamilton says.

Voc Ed Evolution

Over the last decade, Career and Technical Education in Alaska has experienced a sea of change. Once underfunded and ignored, vocational education has been getting more respect—especially in a state where many of the highest-paid, best-benefited jobs do not require a four-year

academic degree. But they may require rigorous training.

At a dizzying number of locations throughout Alaska, free or modestly priced programs are being offered to make sure these jobs are filled by Alaskans. There are major providers of training or certification programs, like AVTEC and the University of Alaska rural campuses. But there are also scores of partnerships between school districts, employers, unions and Native organizations, like the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center and the miner training offered at the Alaska Technical Center in Kotzebue. Some Technical Center graduates have been trained as geophysical core drillers to collect field samples for mineral exploration. The State of Alaska is a major funder for many such programs.

“Workforce development was considered (primarily) a social benefit program

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

at first,” says Mike Shiffer, the assistant director for the Division of Business Partnerships at the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. “After 2000, it became to be seen as more of an economic development program, which also had social benefits.”

Shiffer says the marine transportation industry, the construction industry and the allied health career fields all have great potential for employing more Alaskans in jobs now held by nonresidents. Trained diesel mechanics are in especially short supply.

In the old days, a person seeking training might be asked, “What is it you want to do?” Shiffer explains that today, with more targeted options, the trainee is likely to be asked, “Within this scope of options here in Alaska, what do you want to do?”

“Attitudes are really changing toward career and technical training because of the opportunities Alaska offers,” says Shiffer. “I wouldn’t say we’ve come full circle, but we’ve evolved in our thinking.”

Market Driven Training

A large part of the evolution of career and technical training in Alaska has been consulting and including industry representatives at all levels. At AVTEC, industry advisory boards for each program meet twice a year.

“We invite industry into the shops and labs and kitchens and classrooms to review the curriculum and the program,” says Fred Esposito, AVTEC’s director. “They provide direct input and we design the program according to their advice.”

One example of these close partnerships may be found at the Alaska Construction Academies, which offer entry level training for both high school students and adults at a number of sites.

“In 2006, Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Alaska, Anchorage Home Builders Association, Anchorage School District, Alaska Works Partnership, Inc., Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development and Cook Inlet Tribal Council created a construction workforce pilot project, the Anchorage Construction Academy,” states the Academy website.

A year later, state funding was obtained for the development of other Academies in Alaska Home Building

Association communities, including Fairbanks, Juneau, Kenai, Ketchikan and Mat-Su. With additional funding from the Denali Commission, several more Academies have also been established in several rural communities, although some sites have been more active than others.

Labor statistics show that about 1,000 new construction workers are needed each year in Alaska and the Academies offer a leg up to workers who want to snag one of those jobs. Students get free training and help with job placement.

Academy director Kathleen Castle says about 70 percent of people coming out of the program are later employed (although that might not be in construction). “The average income for people was $750 higher per quarter than before they took the training,” Castle says.

She says the Academies also offer support to a program called “Women in the Trades.” These are two- or three-weeklong intensive classes where women are introduced to various aspects of construction: carpentry, electrical, plumbing and welding, for example. Castle says “the outcomes are excellent,” meaning the women get jobs.

Mike Shiffer says the Academies trained more than 4,000 young adults in one or more construction-related classes, along with 500 receiving more specific hands-on training.

Academy Café

For a month or so each spring and fall, the lucky residents of Seward get to support technical and career education in Alaska—with their palates.

That’s when the newly minted cooks and bakers of the Alaska Culinary Academy operate a real restaurant to show their new skills with actual customers. Consistently, the café receives rave reviews—reservations for the café’s entire run sell out within a few hours.

Additionally, Culinary Academy students have received rave reviews by employers, as well, says program director Chef Elizabeth Johnston, a certified pastry chef who studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and Johnson & Wales University. Johnston says the success of the café is no accident.

The Culinary Academy goes back to the days, Johnston says, when it was

tasked to churn out camp cooks for construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. Johnston arrived at the Academy in 1997, when the center experienced lackluster demand for students. “(The employers) didn’t want camp cooks, they wanted chefs who also had baking skills,” she says. “So we sought industry certification with the American Culinary Federation. And we started with a brand new program.”

With a brand-new building, stateof-the-industry equipment and new instructors, Culinary Academy students are offered an education they might otherwise pay $60,000 for at one of the more well-known culinary institutes, says Johnston, who was promoted to department chair earlier this year. But are employers impressed with her graduates?

“On the jobs board outside my office, there are always more jobs that I have students to fill them,” she says. “I can honestly say we have 100 percent placement.”

The Alaska Culinary Academy program is 11 months long and fits well with AVTEC’s philosophy of offering “a career in less than a year.”

Intense Learning

What the programs lack in length, they make up for with intensity. Student welders, for instance, are welding Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Attendance requirements are strict. There is a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol.

“We run the school very much like a job,” says AVTEC Director Fred Esposito. “If students can be successful here— and gain the technical skills—they are attractive to employers.”

By Esposito’s own market-driven metrics, AVTEC and many other career and technical programs are doing very well. Esposito says around 90 percent of AVTEC students find jobs, and employers look favorably on trainees.

“Our programs are designed to provide employment opportunities in Alaska,” he says. “We’re looking for people who want to stay in the state with the best-paying jobs available in oil and gas, mining, construction, hospitality, transportation and health care.”

R Author Will Swagel is writes from Sitka.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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emerging Film industrY

Training Alaskans for the Film Industry Seven grants awarded, each with a $40,000 ceiling

BY SUSAN SOMMER

E

very time you turn on the TV, it seems, there’s another Alaskathemed show premiering. And Alaskans are getting used to seeing such Hollywood stars as Drew Barrymore, Jon Voigt and Nicholas Cage.

A feature film, with its high pay, can lure all local trained film crew from their regular jobs, creating hardship for businesses. That’s what happened when “Big Miracle” (formerly “Everybody Loves Whales”) came to town in 2010. Even smaller productions such as TV series or commercials can lure resident lighting experts, camera operators, set designers and builders, makeup artists, electricians and production assistants away from their day jobs for the chance to make more money and stretch their wings.

The renewal of Alaska’s Film Production Incentive Program for another 10 years beginning July 1, 2013, tweaked from the original version for more transparency, stability and incentives for local hire, ensures that the state’s fledgling film industry will keep growing and putting residents to work.

One major challenge to the Alaska emerging film industry is getting enough people trained to fill these sporadic positions while not glutting the market with too many trainees and not enough year-round jobs to keep them employed in the industry. Dave Worrell, head of the Alaska Film Office, emphasizes that the state’s economic big picture includes “a mature, sustainable film and television production sector” that provides “good-paying jobs and can help keep creative Alaskans here, instead of having to leave the state to pursue their career goals.”

New Grant Program

That’s where the new Alaska Crew and Cast Advancement Program, or AKCCAP, comes in. This state-funded grant ■ 120

“The AWIB and Alaska Film Office do encourage those that have an interest in becoming a state recognized training provider to apply through the Alaska Film Office, this is an opportunity for those that did not receive grant funding to become a recognized training provider by the state. These entities are not eligible for grant funds, but are eligible for trainees to use ITA funds for their courses.”

—Jason Bluhm Program Coordinator with AWIB

program is a partnership between the Alaska Workforce Investment Board and the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development to provide training support for film and television occupations. Jason Bluhm, program coordinator with AWIB, says, “This is a one-time funding measure able to be used through June 30, 2015, for training Alaskans and establishing Alaska workforce development programs in the film and television industry.”

Seven out of 14 grant applications were approved, each with a ceiling of $40,000. That $280,000 is more than half of the $486,000 appropriated by the Alaska Legislature; the remaining $206,000 is to go toward Individual Training Accounts for Alaskans seeking specialized training through the Alaska Job Center Network. The approved grantees anticipate they’ll train more than 800 Alaskans.

There is no shortage of ideas for film cast and crew training, including everything from lighting and audio to set etiquette. Researching market needs and then designing and implementing all these ideas that dovetail with various industry goals, however, is where things get complicated, especially since the program came online this year just as the industry was gearing up for its busy season—summer. That explains why some

are playing catch-up now to get the ball rolling on their training plans. Six businesses around the state were approved for grants to fund seven training plans.

Talking Circle Media’s plan that was awarded grant funds is to provide five to 10 weeks of daily training, for up to 20 students per class, in textbook and hands-on crew training on live sets, locations and studio sound stages of film and television productions. Additional assistance will be developed to provide participants individualized career/job search counseling, job placement resources and tools.

Jonathan Butzke, owner of Talking Circle Media, sees crew training as a long-term process. AKCCAP, he says, is just the beginning, a way to get plans designed, but not necessarily implemented. He’s busy working on a website that he hopes will be the go-to place for productions looking for trained crew.

Besides the listings of experts such as the Alaska Film Office and the Alaska Film Group offer, Butzke sees his future website as a resource for students as well, with training videos and equipment rental information among other aides, such as the focused seminars on specific skills he’d like to offer.

Alaska Crew Training’s “Production Boot Camp 101: Cast & Crew Training” is one of two plans by the company approved for grant money. It will offer

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

classroom and hands-on intensive crew training for entry level positions in rural and urban communities, providing participants with an overview of production to include terminology, set etiquette, start paperwork, deal memos, equipment, storyboards, call sheets and more.

The second ACT plan receiving funding is for week-long programs to prepare attendees for specific disciplines such as producing, production management, production coordination, production design, art direction, grip and lighting, wardrobe, make-up, sound, acting and examining the knowledge and skills expected of each discipline.

Deborah Schildt of Alaska Crew Training was not available for comment on the plans.

IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) Local 918 was approved for its “Professional Film Technician Training,” a plan to provide classes consisting of basic filming fundamentals, grip basics, electrics, safety, set etiquette and film construction to be taught in Anchorage and Fairbanks and video streamed through the University of Alaska Anchorage for rural Alaska access.

Ann Reddig of IATSE reports that they have offered seven film entry level classes, including four in Anchorage (two of which were streamed online) and three in Fairbanks. Their grant proposed 20 classes over two years, half in Anchorage and half in Fairbanks, as well as streaming from the UAA television studio when possible. Reddig says 127 people have participated so far in the classes, plus anyone who accessed them online. “We have offered film set construction, film grip and film electrics. We also had a master class training the (Alaskan) trainers,” she says.

Their biggest challenge so far, she says, has been keeping up with demand for training. “We are very fortunate in our national connections and support from our international stagehand union IATSE,” she says. Reddig also commends the state for its support and the students for their interest and enthusiasm.

Affinityfilms Inc.’s “Script Supervisor Intensive Training” was funded to train script supervisors on films and commercial shoots in Alaska. The plan included training four to five individuals who already have a good working knowledge

of film production but who have not worked as script supervisors before.

Mary Katzke, executive director of Affinityfilms, Inc., was not available for comment.

KPU Telecommunications was approved for grant funds for the Southeast Alaska Film Training Consortium: Video Production, a class emphasizing video production, including preproduction (story development, script writing/storyboarding), camera operation and recording procedures, electronic field production, lighting and audio techniques and post-production.

So far, KPU has completed one fourday seminar for which 23 students registered, with 17 completing the course and receiving a certificate of completion and a copy of the show they produced, as well as being qualified for a City of Ketchikan job-shadowing certificate through KPU. Michelle O’Brien, sales and marketing manager for KPU, says, “Our first seminar was a huge success. Our students ranged from high school students to retirees, and they successfully shot a three-camera, live sporting event, as well as filmed two shows for airing on KPU’s local television channel.”

The only difficulty, she says, was with the first seminar; it was so popular that some additional students were waiting at the door the first day, as opposed to registering with the Job Center. “Nevertheless,” says O’Brien, “we welcomed them, and they were active participants.” KPU is also offering a distance learning option for K-12 students through the Ketchikan School District.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Film Program’s “Film Reel Alaska Mentoring Experience (FRAME) Phase II Production & Post-Production” was approved for funding. The plan provides three tiers of training to applicants in pre-production, production and postproduction using live film shoots to mentor students in all departments and positions on a small film set. Also, to provide classroom and hands-on training to students in a mentorship capacity while they develop and produce short format projects for film/television.

Maya Salganek, assistant professor and director of UAF’s film program, says they are on track to provide the training they call FRAME, scheduled for May and

June of 2013. They are also collaborating with Alaska Crew Training, IATSE Local 918 and potentially others to offer more programs in Fairbanks for students. Salganek says, “Independent of AKCCAP we are training students every day for film/television production through our complete list of course offerings.”

Program Support

The Alaska Workforce Investment Board administrators the grants and provides technical and procedural assistance for the grantees. The AWIB collaborates with the Alaska Film Office and Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development Employment Security Division to provide updates and general information to the public. The AWIB also works with ESD to provide Individual Training Accounts, which fund tuition and travel expenses for trainees.

Though the application period for training provider grants is past, Bluhm says additional businesses interested in providing similar training can still be recognized through the program.

“The AWIB and Alaska Film Office do encourage those that have an interest in becoming a state recognized training provider to apply through the Alaska Film Office,” says Bluhm. “This is an opportunity for those that did not receive grant funding to become a recognized training provider by the state.

These entities are not eligible for grant funds, but are eligible for trainees to use ITA funds for their courses.” Bluhm reported that as of late September, the Employment Security Division reimbursed 26 trainees for a total of $5,000.

Worrell of the Alaska Film Office says Alaskan crew members are already advancing in the industry, and that an exciting side benefit of the AKCCAP is that as the workforce gains experience, more entirely Alaskan projects will be produced. He says, “There are lots of amazing Alaska stories waiting to be told and we’re seeing a new generation of filmmakers gaining the tools and experience they’ll need to tell those stories.”

For more details of this program, visit http://labor.alaska.gov/awib/akccap. htm.

R Susan Sommer is a freelance writer and editor living in Eagle River.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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HR Matters

By Dr. Lynne Curry

Virtual Employees and Digital Nomads Creating teamwork

M

anagers in many Alaskan companies build virtual teams linking managers and employees in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau with co-workers and employees located at sites from Barrow to Ketchikan, Dutch Harbor to Glenallen and Atlanta to San Diego.

Occasionally Alaska-based employers retain key employees as digital nomads when talented staff travel or relocate for personal reasons. More often, Alaskan employers create virtual teams because it takes employees in both rural and urban settings to meet a statewide mission. Virtual teaming also creates consistency between senior managers in Alaska parent companies and their direct reports in subsidiaries, whether across town, around the state, in the Lower 49, or out of the country.

The Virtual Breakroom

Within a traditional workplace, coworkers swap stories, talk about their family and share vacation photos. With virtual teams, employers need to provide a way for team members to build the sense of community and friendship that helps them interact as a team.

Blog posts and team wikis allow for continuous dialogue and sharing of departmental news. A public dashboard allows employees to constantly share progress and issues, with status updates becoming the virtual small talk. Because email can’t replace in-person meetings, arrange video interactions through Skype or cloud video conferencing to give the sense of a real human face.

Tools Needed

When creating virtual teams, set up all members for success with the tools needed to come to the remote table, such as personal digital devices, highspeed Internet connections and laptop ■ 122

With virtual teams, employers need to provide a way for team members to build the sense of community and friendship that helps them interact as a team. computers with virtual private network connectivity.

Collaboration tools such as Microsoft SharePoint let employees see others’ desktops, stay current on workflow tasks, and even jointly edit documents. Cloud-based options offer lower overhead, increased flexibility and reduced IT support.

Manager Strategies

Effective virtual teamwork starts with wise hiring. Because you can’t guide and monitor out-of-sight employees as easily as those located near your office, seek out individuals who demonstrate self-reliance, initiative and solid work ethic. As virtual teaming requires interdependence, look for collaborative employees who instinctively reach out to others with ideas and questions.

Even the best employees can wither in remote situations unless their managers commit to regular contact. It takes extra managerial effort to reach out and engage employees when you don’t run into them in the hall or by the coffee machine. Manager feedback, early and often, along with overt communication from colleagues, helps virtual workers feel connected.

Managers additionally foster a team mentality by establishing team operating procedures, setting goals that require team interaction, and giving team members multiple opportunities to see how their virtual peers can help them.

We’ve had great success with the team “talent search” in which team members exchange bulleted information on “what they bring to the table,” followed by group discussion concerning what each team member needs from the

manager and peers in communication, interaction and resources. We codify this in team “operating agreements.”

Moving Virtual Teams Forward

Effective team managers focus on community before activity, and begin virtual team exchanges with informal conversations that help team members feel they have a social connection. The company’s Intranet can also facilitate this bonding by providing a platform for team members to share personal experiences along with family news or photos.

Additionally, team managers can both recognize individual achievement and foster inspiration by circulating outstanding team member work products to others on the team. Finally, as misunderstandings can easily grow from cryptic or abrupt emails, team managers need to keep their eye on team member exchanges and intervene swiftly when they sense low-level problems that could fester into larger barriers.

Would your organization benefit from bringing together a virtual team?

Many Alaskan organizations have made it work with some extra time and outside-the-box thinking.

R Lynne Curry, Ph.D., SPHR and owner of the Alaska-based management consulting firm, The Growth Company Inc. consults with companies, individuals and Boards of Directors to create real solutions to real workplace challenges.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

Regional Focus

By Tracy Barbour

Valdez-Cordova Census Area Economy Remaining stable with commercial fishing, oil and gas, tourism and government jobs

S

ituated along Prince William Sound, the Valdez-Cordova Census Area encompasses about 40,000 square miles of majestic mountains, glistening glaciers, wetlands and incredible wildlife. Prince William Sound is surrounded by the Chugach National Forest—the second largest National Forest in the country—and contains Columbia Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in Southcentral Alaska.

With a population of 4,350, Valdez occupies the Southcentral region on the northeast tip of Prince William Sound. The city is 305 road miles east of Anchorage and almost 370 road miles south of Fairbanks. Valdez has the largest port in Prince William Sound and is the country’s most northern ice-free port. It also has the distinction of being the southern terminus of the transAlaska oil pipeline, which transports crude oil down from the oilfields at Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope.

Cordova is a small town gently nestled at the head of Orca Inlet on the east side of Prince William Sound. The city, which has about 2,300 residents, is located within the Chugach National Forest. Cordova is the gateway to the Copper River Delta and is well known for its freshwater and saltwater fishing.

The remainder of the Valdez-Cordova Census Area is comprised of smaller communities like Chenega, Glennallen, Whittier and Willow Creek. The region’s entire population is slightly fewer than 10,000 people, based on the 2010 Census. That’s considerably less than the area’s population was in previous years, according to Alyssa Shanks,

an Alaska Department of Labor economist. For example, the population was around 10,200 in 2005; then it dipped down to 9,500 in 2010. “It’s not an enormous drop, but when you’re dealing with a small population even minor drops can be felt,” Shanks says.

The population of the census area was stable during early 2000, but started dropping off around 2006. Shanks says she’s not certain if the decline could be attributed to fewer people being born there or more people relocating.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a reduction in employment to coincide with the dip in population. In general, the economy of Valdez-Cordova has been stable.

“Going back a couple of years, it looks like things have remained flat,” Shanks says. “Usually, if we have employment that’s stable, we end up with a population that’s stable.”

Key Industries

In Valdez, the pipeline is one of the most stabilizing factors in the economy. To a great extent, Shanks says, you won’t see a drop in employment as long as oil is moving down the pipeline.

Although Valdez and Cordova share the same census area, statistically, the communities have very little in common beyond the fishing industry, according to Shanks. The largest employment sector in the area is the government, particularly local government. Government jobs represent 29 percent of the area’s employment in 2012. Transportation and warehousing jobs comprise 13 percent. However, transportation jobs in Valdez-Cordova are primarily related to

the water and pipeline, which normally isn’t the case in other parts of Alaska.

Food manufacturing (particularly seafood processing) is also a sizeable employment piece.

Food service and accommodations jobs accounted for 300 positions or 7.6 percent of the area’s employment.

Health care is increasingly claiming a larger share of the economy. “We’re slowly getting more of those services (available) closer to home,” Shanks says.

While commercial fishing is a major industry of Cordova’s economy, tourism is a major economic driver in Valdez.

An estimated 75,000 people visit the town each summer, with around 10,000 visiting each winter season, according to Colleen Stephens, interim executive director of the Valdez Convention and Visitors Bureau. About 30 percent of these visitors are from Alaska, 63 percent are from the rest of the country and Canada, and 7 percent are from other countries. In winter, the visitor ratio is 50 percent from within Alaska and 50 percent from outside the state.

So what’s the attraction to Valdez?

During summer, Stephens says, people are drawn by sport fishing, hiking, kayaking, glacier and wildlife sightseeing.

In town, they can explore museums, tour the Valdez Fish Hatchery or browse through shops that are locally owned and operated and exude an authentic flavor. Tour operators offer excursions to nearby spots like Thompson Pass and Columbia Glacier. “You can define your adventure in Valdez,” Stephens says.

During winter, Valdez is a virtual playground for snow enthusiasts. Snow

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machining, snowboarding, snowshoeing and various types of skiing are popular activities.

Valdez hosts a variety of events throughout the year for local residents as well as visitors. The summer season kicks off with the Valdez Fly-In and Air Show—featuring hundreds of bush planes, charity rides and educational seminars—the Valdez Halibut Derby and the multi-sport race Summit to Sound Challenge. Other major events include the Pink Salmon Derby, Gold Rush Days, the Richardson Highway Rendezvous Music Festival, and the October Festival and Home Brew Competition. Wintertime activities include Mountain Man Hill Climb, Frosty Fever Festival and Flow Tailgate Alaska.

Stephens says the tourism industry in Valdez has had some challenging past few years, but it’s holding steady: “Like most of the rest of Alaska, we are happy maintaining the numbers we have had for the past few years.”

Economic Development

The City of Valdez has historically been a transient community with many people coming in to work in the oil industry, retiring and then moving on. It also has a huge influx of tourists during spring and summer. That means businesses have to survive on the income they generate during the busy months.

But astute business men and women seem to do very well, according to Valdez Mayor Dave Cobb. “If you provide a good quality service and have the loyalty of the people, you can sustain a business here,” he says.

Cobb says Valdez’s people and quality of life are part of what make the city a great place to live and do business. The oil and gas industry provides strong support for the local economy and a great deal of hope for the future. He says: “We’re all looking forward to a gas pipeline and opportunities to grow our community. I think we have a receptive population that encourages and supports new businesses coming to town.”

The new cold storage facility is a recent example of how economic development is enhancing the community. The facility, which should open in the spring with a storage capacity of 500,000 pounds, will provide yearround storage. It presents an opportu■ 124

nity for companies to bring in larger quantities and will have some costs saving associated with transportation.

The facility will also increase business at hotels, retail shops and other establishments. “That’s a huge opportunity for the community,” Cobb says.

Other examples of economic growth in Valdez include the construction of a new warehouse complex by Lynden Transportation and Wilson Brothers Distributors and an increase in the number of U.S. Coast Guard personnel being stationed in the area.

Like many places around the country, Valdez has an ongoing beautification program to make its environment pleasing to the eye and conducive to economic growth. “Visitors, residents and potential new businesses see that it’s a clean, nice and well-laid-out town, and that promotes economic development,” Cobb says.

Quality of Life

Cordova, like Valdez, touts its high quality of life as a primary factor in economic development. Excellent schools, great transportation and low taxes—which the city works hard to maintain—are also major contributors to business growth, according to Cordova Mayor Jim Kallander.

The city has a year-round, 6 percent sales tax, which is challenging to maintain with its fluctuating population.

“We have to have infrastructure for 5,000 people when only about 2,200 are living here year round,” Kallander says.

He adds that Cordova is continually working to keep taxes low without cutting services. Tax relief is generally addressed through property taxes.

Kallander characterizes Cordova’s economy as “strong and growing.” But like many small Alaska communities, the difficulties of operating a business in Cordova include a shortage of employees and higher costs for real estate, freight transportation and energy.

Kallander says there’s an opportunity for economic development in the tourism industry. “We need skilled workers for ship repair, diesel engine repair, welding and fabrication.”

Cordova’s commercial fishing industry is also expanding. Trident Seafoods recently invested more than $40 million in a new plant with the capac-

ity to process a much higher volume of fish. “Support industries are having to ramp up because it’s so much more throughput,” Kallander says. “Services that would normally be slowing down in the winter have seen increases in their businesses, from welding to retail to lumber.”

Other seafood processors in Cordova are also making capital improvements.

There are also many new and upgraded commercial fishing boats, as well as more young fishermen are getting into commercial fishing as a career.

Commercial Real Estate

The commercial real estate market in Valdez is quite stable, according to Sound Realty Broker Alice MacDonald.

The Valdez-based Realtor says there’s an adequate supply of commercial real estate available in the area. And she’s noticed higher-than-normal activity in commercial sales in the past few years “You may see a for sale sign on a commercial property on our Main Street for several months or maybe a year even,” she says. “But there have been a lot of properties transfer hands.”

Currently, several parcels of land and a few commercial buildings are available in Valdez. For example, there’s a large retail store available on our Main Street and a few parcels in the downtown area.

The rental market is very busy in Valdez, according to MacDonald. The town has had several investors purchasing rental properties this year.

In Cordova, the commercial real estate market is challenged by the city’s location. Surrounded by the Chugach National Forest, Cordova is built on the side of a mountain. “We’re pretty well penned in,” Kallander says.

The city had been sitting on land for years and years. But its land disposal policy has made it easy for commercial development, and now it’s running out of land. There’s some private land that’s suitable for commercial and some industrial property available. But retail property is pretty scarce. “Because of the scarcity of property, I think we’re getting close to where we’re going to start seeing teardowns,” Kallander says.

The city continues to sell commercial property for development, including spaces for retail and service businesses.

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

It’s also working on expanding the area near the shipyard.

Infrastructure

One of the most important elements of Valdez’s infrastructure is its totally ice-free port. The Port of Valdez is navigated by hundreds of oceangoing oil tankers each year. Valdez has the largest floating concrete dock in the world, as well as a small harbor that can accommodate more than 500 commercial fishing boats and recreational vessels.

Transportation components of the city’s infrastructure also include the Valdez Pioneer Field Airport, with a 6,500 feet-by-150-feet paved runway, and a seaplane base at Robe Lake. In addition, the Richardson Highway connects Valdez to Alaska’s road system.

Other assets of the community include Providence Valdez Medical Center, Valdez Community Hospital, Valdez Native Tribe Clinic, a convention center that can host groups up to 500, and Prince William Sound Community College.

In Cordova, the key infrastructure includes a large harbor with deepwater docks for large vessels and a shipyard with a 150-ton travel lift for hauling vessels out of the water. The harbor is vital to the local commercial fishing sector, which is seeing increases in the industry, according to Kallander. “More vessels are home ported in Cordova and the processors continue to expand in recent years,” he says.

A recent addition to the city’s amenities is the new Cordova Center. The 33,929-square-foot, multi-use facility will include a museum, library, performing arts theater/auditorium, meeting rooms, education rooms and associated workspaces. The current city hall, museum and library were built many years ago and have continual maintenance problems and are very expensive to heat.

However, the new facility will solve many of these issues plus provide cost savings.

“It will make a nice addition to the quality of life in Cordova,” Kallander says.

The exterior of the building is already completed, and the interior work is under way. Kallander hopes to see the entire project finalized within a year. R Writer Tracy Barbour owns a marketing company in Tennessee.

Valdez-Cordova Census Area Demographics People QuickFacts

Valdez-Cordova Census Area

Alaska

9,770 9,636 1.4% 9,636 6.8% 24.3% 8.6% 46.6% 74.1% 0.8% 13.4% 4.1% 0.6% 6.9% 3.9% 71.4% 75.2% 4.9% 7.6% 92.6% 23.7% 1,059 14.3 6,215 71.8% 17.6% $165,800 3,941 2.42 $30,703 $60,383 6.9%

722,718 710,231 1.8% 710,231 7.5% 26.1% 8.1% 48.1% 67.9% 3.6% 14.9% 5.6% 1.1% 7.0% 5.8% 63.7% 78.6% 7.2% 16.5% 90.7% 27.0% 71,798 18.1 311,201 64.7% 24.6% $229,100 248,248 2.68 $30,726 $66,521 9.5%

Valdez-Cordova Census Area

Alaska

406 2,869 17.3 1,359 1,574 F 8.1% 2.0% F S 18.9% 543,389 81,239 79,692 $8,422 23,148 13

19,985 254,734 24.3 53,284 68,728 1.5% 10.0% 3.1% 0.3% S 25.9% 8,204,030 4,563,605 9,303,387 $13,635 1,851,293 877

Population, 2011 estimate Population, 2010 (April 1) estimates base Population, percent change, April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011 Population, 2010 Persons under 5 years, percent, 2011 Persons under 18 years, percent, 2011 Persons 65 years and over, percent, 2011 Female persons, percent, 2011 White persons, percent, 2011 (a) Black persons, percent, 2011 (a) American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2011 (a) Asian persons, percent, 2011 (a) Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander persons, percent, 2011 (a) Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2011 Persons of Hispanic or Latino Origin, percent, 2011 (b) White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2011 Living in same house 1 year & over, 2006-2010 Foreign born persons, percent, 2006-2010 Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2006-2010 High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2006-2010 Bachelor’s degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2006-2010 Veterans, 2006-2010 Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2006-2010 Housing units, 2011 Homeownership rate, 2006-2010 Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2006-2010 Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2006-2010 Households, 2006-2010 Persons per household, 2006-2010 Per capita money income in past 12 months (2010 dollars) 2006-2010 Median household income 2006-2010 Persons below poverty level, percent, 2006-2010 Business QuickFacts Private nonfarm establishments, 2010 Private nonfarm employment, 2010 Private nonfarm employment, percent change, 2000-2010 Nonemployer establishments, 2010 Total number of firms, 2007 Black-owned firms, percent, 2007 American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned firms, percent, 2007 Asian-owned firms, percent, 2007 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-owned firms, percent, 2007 Hispanic-owned firms, percent, 2007 Women-owned firms, percent, 2007 Manufacturers shipments, 2007 ($1000) Merchant wholesaler sales, 2007 ($1000) Retail sales, 2007 ($1000) Retail sales per capita, 2007 Accommodation and food services sales, 2007 ($1000) Building permits, 2011 Geography QuickFacts

Valdez-Cordova Census Area

Alaska

34,239.88 0.3 261 None

570,640.95 1.2 2

Land area in square miles, 2010 Persons per square mile, 2010 FIPS Code Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical Area

(a) Includes persons reporting only one race. (b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.

FN: Footnote on this item for this area in place of data NA: Not available D: Suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information X: Not applicable S: Suppressed; does not meet publication standards Z: Value greater than zero but less than half unit of measure shown F: Fewer than 100 firms Source: US Census Bureau State & County QuickFacts

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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Advertisers Index Alaska Air Transit.............................99 Alaska Enterprise Solutions.......15 Alaska Housing Finance Corp....................................3 Alaska Native Heritage Center...........................75 Alaska Public Telecommunications Inc........81 Alaska Regional Hospital ...........95 Alaska Resource Education....... 77 Alaska Ship & Drydock.................45 Alaska SPCA........................................93 Alaska State Chamber of Commerce................................69 Alaska USA Federal Credit Union............... 67 Ameresco..............................................46 American Fast Freight...................71 American Marine / PENCO...........................................103 Anchorage Opera....................... 100 Arctic Office Products (Machines)......................................96

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Arctic Slope Telephone Association.................................... 64 ASRC Energy Services.................. 57 AT&T ........................................................13 BP...............................................................83 Capture the Fun Alaska LLC...................................102 Carlile Transportation Systems..............................................31 Chris Arend Photography........126 Ciri Alaska Tourism..........................19 Clarion Suites Downtown / Quality Suites Near Convention Center...................99 Construction Machinery Industrial LLC..................................2 Donlin Gold..........................................39 Dowland-Bach Corp......................56 Engineered Fire & Safety............59 Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau.............................35 Fairbanks Memorial Hospital............................................97

GCI...........................................27, 58, 63 Granite Construction.....................51 Great Originals Inc..........................29 Hawk Consultants LLC.................59 Historic Anchorage Hotel...................................................98 Horizon Lines.....................................70 Hotel Captain Cook........................23 IMPLUS Footcare LLC...................53 James & Elsie Nolan Center.....20 Judy Patrick Photography..........46 Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau.......................24 Junior Achievement.......................79 Kendall Ford Wasilla......................68 Ketchikan Visitors Bureau......... 21 Lynden Inc. . ......................................127 Medical Park Family Care Inc............................96 Microcom...............................................17 Mowat Construction Co.............47 N C Machinery...................................55

Northern Air Cargo...............60, 61 PacArctic Logistics..........................72 Pacific Pile & Marine......... 8, 9, 10 Pacific Rim Media/ Smart Phone Creative..........102 Paramount Supply........................102 Parker, Smith & Feek......................11 Pen Air....................................................72 Personnel Plus.............................. 100 Platters Catering..............................98 Rasmuson Foundation..................87 Ryan Air.................................................25 Seward Chamber of Commerce & CVB.................37 Span Alaska Consolidators.........73 Stellar Designs Inc........................102 The Growth Company..................56 Ukpeagvik Iñupiat Corp. ..............5 Washington Crane & Hoist.........33 Wells Fargo . ....................................128 Westmark Hotels.............................24 World Trade Center Alaska.......29

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • December 2012

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