NANATKUT A MAGAZINE FOR THE NANA FAMILY
Rainmakers DOWL HKM’s Water Rights Work
Science That Matters Akima Staffs the Lab
Shop Work Nakuuruq Keeps Military Safe
Going Green NMS Makes UAF Greener
summer 2011
NANATKUT: The family of NANA
20 Features
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26 8
8 Science That Matters Akima staffs Lawrence Livermore
20 Going and Growing Green
12 The Rainmakers
26 NANA’s Annual Meeting is Unlike Any Other
National Laboratory
DOWL HKM is the key technical expert on water rights for Tribal Nations
16 Building Military Safety Nakuuruq provides support to the Naval Surface Warfare Center
NMS partners with UAF on sustainability initiatives
This year’s annual meeting in Ambler (pop. 258)
Welcome When we are very young, we tell our ages by half-years: “I’m six and a half.” “I’m ten and a half.” We chart our growth on the wall. At NANA, we chart our growth by other numbers: revenues, number of employees, number of project locations.
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Columns 2 Editor’s Note 4 Our NANA Family 6 NANA Worldwide
Helvi K. Sandvik
A lot of growth can happen in only six months. At NANA, we started a new business—Piksik, a film services company, which will link our businesses to support the growing film industry in Alaska. We’ve restructured our drilling focus and created a new company—Tuuq Drilling— which provides on-site drilling and drill maintenance at Red Dog Mine. We’ve been busy these past six months. In Anchorage, the NANA-owned Courtyard, Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites hotels were remodeled. In Kotzebue, construction continued on the new Nullaġvik Hotel, which is scheduled to open this fall. We’ve continued to serve our customers across all 50 states, in 7 countries, and on 4 continents. Our NANA companies are exploring new markets in Australia, in North Dakota and in the Gulf States. Through our worldwide projects, 13,159 people received a NANA paycheck, for a total annual payroll of $500 million. We contribute to the communities where we live and work by providing jobs. In turn, our employees find ways to give back, both close to home and far away.
24 Photos of the NANA Region Through the lens of Bill Monet
It’s an exciting time for NANA and all of our companies. I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish in the next six months!
30 A Conversation with Don Sheldon Insight and vision: working together at NANA
Helvi K. Sandvik President, NANA Development Corporation
32 NANA Making a Difference
Editor’s Note The work you do matters—to our NANA region, to our shareholders, to our customers, and to the communities where we live and work. In this issue, we share stories to reflect on what makes NANA unique and how all of us are making a difference. • DOWL HKM is the key technical expert on water rights for tribal nations; water is essential to development, growth and a healthy economy. • Akima Infrastructure Services manages and recruits the workforce for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, so they can meet their mission to ensure national security while applying science and technology to the important issues of our time.
No matter where you live or work, together we are NANATKUT— the family of NANA.
• Nakuuruq Solutions builds equipment, often used in combat zones, to keep our men and women in uniform safe. • NMS is reducing the carbon footprint of campus dining at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. We also introduce you to Don Sheldon, the chairman of NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., and an NDC board member. In our conversation with Don, he explains that our employees are all part of the NANA family. No matter where you live or work, together we are NANAtkut— the family of NANA.
NANATKUT SUMMER 2011 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
EDITOR IN CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
Carol Richards
COPY EDITORS
Laura Houston Lynne Snifka
Contributors
Charles Fedullo Leah Hofer Bill Monet Jennifer Payne Carol Richards Andrew Sheeler Lynne Snifka Tirrell Thomas Rachel Ward
Carol Richards
Design Director
Robin Kornfield
Designers
Amanda Brannon Eric Cline Sarah Lindsey
Production
Courtny Brooks Ildiko Geuss
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Chris Arend Heather Bryant Larry Mayer Bill Monet Carol Richards David Sussman unless otherwise noted
We would love to hear your opinion and welcome your story ideas for our next issue.
Enjoy!
Robin Kornfield Vice President, Communications & Marketing NANA Development Corporation nanatkut@nana.com
NANA Development Corporation 1001 East Benson Blvd. Anchorage, AK 99508 P (907) 265-4100 F (907) 265-4123 nana-dev.com Email nanatkut@nana.com
development corporation 2
Learn More NANA Development Corporation http://nana-dev.com/
SCIENCE THAT MATTERS PAGE 8 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory https://www.llnl.gov/ National Ignition Facility https://lasers.llnl.gov/ Center for Accelerator Mass Spectronomy https://www.llnl.gov/str/Holloway.html How Lasers Work https://lasers.llnl.gov/education/how_lasers_work.php Photos of NIF http://www.xrez.com/case-studies/nif-laser-fusion-in-fulldome/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/llnl http://www.youtube.com/LivermoreLab http://twitter.com/Livermore_Lab facebook@llnl.gov Akima Infrastructure Services, LLC http://www.akimainfrasvcs.com/projects.htm Akima Management Services, LLC http://www.akima.com/company.htm Akima Management Services, LLC. provides administrative and organizational support for 10 operating companies with projects in 25 states and six countries. Akima has achieved a reputation for outstanding performance, as well as reflecting the same principles of NANA: Honesty and integrity govern our activities. Commitments made will be fulfilled. Everyone will be treated with dignity and respect.
THE RAINMAKERS PAGE 12 DOWL HKM http://www.dowlhkm.com DOWL HKM provides a wide range of civil and structural engineering and related services, including facility site planning and design; the design of roadways, highways, airfields, and trail systems; bridges and structures; water, sewer and storm drain systems; environmental documentation and permitting; water rights planning and design; and materials testing.
BUILDING MILITARY SAFETY PAGE 16 Nakuuruq Solutions, LLC http://www.nakuuruq.com/ Nakuuruq’s expertise is integrating tailored solutions, including design and development in the telecommunications and information technology arenas.
GOING AND GROWING GREEN PAGE 20 NMS http://nmsusa.com/ Sustainability http://nmsusa.com/corporate_citizenship/sustainability/ Built on a culture of safety and integrity, NMS delivers award-winning support services to a variety of clients. From the early days of providing food and security services to camps along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, NMS has expanded its services to include camp management, hotel management, facilities management, maintenance, housekeeping, contract staffing, film services and more.
NANA’S ANNUAL MEETING PAGE 26 Ambler http://www.nana.com/regional/about-us/overview-of-region/ambler/ NANA Board http://www.nana.com/regional/about-us/our-leadership/board-of-directors/
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NANA Overview Shareholders/Owners Alaska Natives Who Originated in Northwest Alaska
NANA REGIONAL CORPORATION, INC. Parent Company Headquartered in Kotzebue, Alaska Sets Mission, Vision and Direction for People, Land and Culture
NANA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Business Arm of NANA Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska Delivers Mission, Vision and Direction through Business, Profits and Jobs
NANA COMPANIES
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Federal Contracting, Public Sector
Commercial/Non-government, Private Sector
• Information Technology & Telecommunications • Engineering & Construction • Facilities Management & Logistics
• Real Estate & Hotel Development • Resource Development • Information Technology & Telecommunications • Engineering & Construction • Facilities Management & Logistics • Film Services
Natural Resources • • • • • • •
Resource Development Transportation Engineering & Construction Drilling Camp Services Security Oilfield Services
NANA FAQ NANA Regional Corporation, Inc.: an Alaska Native Corporation created by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971.
Who runs NANA? NANA’s 23 board members are shareholders who are elected by their peers. Of the 23, nine are selected for the NANA Development Corporation board, and those nine also serve as directors of subsidiary companies.
What is an Alaska Native regional corporation? A. A corporation established in 1971through an act of Congress to settle a land dispute B. A corporation owned by Alaska Natives through privately-held stock C. A for-profit corporation D. All of the above
What does NANA Regional Corporation do? Focus on people, land and culture for the benefit of our shareholders through: • Land management of 2.2 million acres • Subsistence rights protection • Shareholder employment, education and training • Village economic development • Responsible resource development • Alternative energy exploration • Language and culture preservation
How many Alaska Native regional corporations are there? NANA is one of 12 land-based Alaska Native corporations. A 13th corporation was later created to represent Alaska Natives living outside the state. What is the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)? ANCSA is a legal agreement reached between the federal government and Alaska Natives in 1971. Under ANCSA, Alaska Natives relinquished claims to their ancestral lands in exchange for a settlement of $1 billion and a land selection of about 44 million acres, a little more than 10 percent of the entire state.
NANA Development Corporation: the business arm of NANA, founded in 1974.
What was the original settlement amount for NANA? Original assets: 2.2 million acres of surface land and subsurface rights in northwest Alaska and a cash settlement of $44 million.
Where is NANA Development Corporation? NDC is headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. Our businesses operate projects on 4 continents, in 7 countries and in all 50 states. NANA’s project locations extend from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica–across the continental United States and Hawaii to the Middle East and the South Pacific.
Who owns NANA? NANA is owned by Alaska Natives who originated in northwest Alaska. How many shareholders does NANA have? In 1972, the original shareholders numbered 4,900. Today NANA is owned by more than 12,500 Alaska Native shareholders. Our shareholder base is growing because once the 1991 amendments to ANCSA allowed it, our shareholders voted to extend stock ownership to those born after Dec. 18, 1971. Can NANA shares be bought or sold? No. Shares in NANA cannot be sold or traded, based on ANCSA amendments passed in 1988. Where do NANA’s shareholders live? More than half of NANA’s shareholders live in the NANA region; 86 percent live in Alaska. Where is the NANA region? Most of the NANA region is above the Arctic Circle. The region encompasses 11 villages: Ambler, Buckland, Deering, Kiana, Kivalina, Kobuk, Kotzebue, Noatak, Noorvik, Selawik and Shungnak. What is NANA’s mission? NANA’s mission is to improve the quality of life for our people. How do we accomplish NANA’s mission? We do this by maximizing growth, protecting and enhancing our lands, and promoting healthy communities with decisions inspired by our values and consistent with our core principles. Our business success allows us to provide a range of benefits to our shareholders. What are NANA’s core principles? • Honesty and integrity govern our activities. • Commitments made will be fulfilled. • Everyone will be treated with dignity and respect.
Who owns NANA’s business operations? NANA Development Corporation (NDC).
What does NANA Development Corporation do? NANA’s diversified business portfolio includes companies with the following expertise: • Engineering & Construction • Resource Development • Facilities Management & Logistics • Information Technology & Telecommunications • Real Estate & Hotel Development • Film Services What were NANA’s 2010 revenues? $1.6 billion. How many people does NANA employ around the world? In 2010, 13,159 people received a NANA paycheck with an annual payroll of $500 million. How many Alaskans does NANA employ? In 2010, more than 5,000 Alaskans were employed at a NANA company, making us one of Alaska’s largest employers. How many shareholders does NANA employ? In 2010, 1,320 NANA shareholders were employed by our companies, earning approximately $47.9 million in wages. What benefits did NANA shareholders receive in 2011? A. $47.9 million in wages to our shareholders B. $18 million in dividends C. $695,000 in scholarships D. $5.3 million to social and cultural programs E. $215,000 to language preservation efforts F. $145,050 in emergency assistance G. All of the above
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NANA Worldwide
NANA Companies Operate on 4 Continents,
BOLIVIA
Alasqueños or “Alaskans” Share Lessons of Red Dog with Bolivians Two cultures—7,272 miles apart—found they share common values, a similar history, and a desire to preserve their cultures and languages. Willie Iġġiagruk Hensley, the first president of NANA Development Corporation, and Rose Barr, resource and business development manager at NANA Regional Corporation, traveled to the Bolivian city of La Paz to meet with representatives of the National Council of Inca and Spiritual Council of Tiwanaku. The purpose of the visit was to showcase how, through its resources, NANA has developed companies owned by indigenous people and provided jobs to shareholders.
GERMANY / Kyrgyzstan
NIQI Goes Global and Expands Menu of Products From a brand that opened its doors in 2004 to becoming a top-50 food supplier for the Department of Defense, NIQI (pronounced “Nicky”) has seen tremendous growth in seven years. The NANA Services business line now has plans to expand its global growth by venturing further in its industry. Led by Rachel Kutuk McClanahan, NANA Shareholder and NANA Services employee, and Ty Gagne, mentor to McClanahan, NIQI strives to make 2011 a breakout year.
Germany Kyrgyzstan
“We recently had 57 ice cream machines placed in 26 dining facilities for the U.S. Army in Germany, and one of the locations we’re bringing on-line is in Kyrgyzstan for the U.S. Air Force,” McClanahan said, describing how the ingredients in the ice cream are all natural and dished up from a proprietary soft-serve machine. McClanahan has a history of ice cream service; her family ran the “furthest north” Dairy Queen, in Kotzebue, when she was young. NIQI, the Iñupiaq word for “food,” provides quality grocery, frozen and chilled food items for the U.S. military. NIQI teams with small manufacturers who cater to small businesses, making them more marketable and cost effective.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Team Takes NANA Story Down Under Last August, at the urging of the U.S. government, NDC President, Helvi Sandvik, senior managers, and board members traveled 8,000 miles to meet with the Australian government and some of the Fortune 500 companies doing business in Australia. The NDC team demonstrated how indigenous enterprises can be successful in creating jobs, opportunities and benefits for aboriginals. In April, NDC returned Down Under for a second trip. “Our goal is to see if there is a business fit that makes sense for NANA to participate in Western Australia,” said Joe Mathis, vice president of business development. Accompanying Mathis were Stan Fleming, senior vice president, chief strategy officer; Clyde Gooden, vice president of business development; and Dave Clausen, senior vice president, strategy, and president of Qivliq Commercial Group. The four traveled at the invitation of the Australian government, which will soon implement an aboriginal preferential contracting law.
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Western Australia
in 7 Countries and in 50 States MISSOURI / LOUSIANA / NORTH DAKOTA
TEXAS
Five Rivers Services Awarded USGS Contract
Cazador Secures Weapons Cabinets in Texas
Through a contract with the U.S. Geological Survey, Five Rivers Services, LLC., will provide technical support services for the USGS South Central Area, including the Columbia Environmental Research Center in Columbia, Mo; National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, La; Louisiana Water Science Center in Baton Rouge, La; and Northern Prairie Wildlife Center in Jamestown, N.D. Under this contract, FRS employees provide technical support in biological, ecological, and hydrologic research; environmental chemistry; geography; river studies; geographic information systems and spatial analysis; information technology; and administrative services. The five-year contract is valued at approximately $25 million. www.fiveriversservices.com
Cazador partnered with National Office Systems and Tactical Weapons Solutions to install 263 weapons cabinets at Fort Bliss in record time. Cazador provides turnkey federal and commercial solutions for furniture, fixtures and equipment, initial outfitting and transition management. Located in El Paso, Texas, Fort Bliss is one of the five largest military installations in the world and needed new weapons cabinets for its armories. David Hoy was project lead and Marsha Dunn was project manager. Hoy said, “Cazador is proud to work with small, innovative companies and to be awarded this significant contract.” www.cazador.biz
VIRGINIA
Niqipiaq (Traditional Foods) Feast
North Dakota
California
Missouri Texas
Virginia South Carolina Florida Gulf of Mexico
Bolivia
GULF OF MEXICO
On Call in the Gulf of Mexico Communication is critical to any emergency response, so it’s not surprising the U.S. Coast Guard turned to Truestone to provide a wide range of communications services and capabilities for the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill disaster response. Truestone is a NANA subsidiary that provides enterprise information technology and mission operations solutions to the federal government. The Coast Guard assignment focused on communications advice and guidance.
More than 100 Qivliq employees in Herndon, Va., were treated to a feast of traditional Iñupiaq foods–niqipiaq is an Iñupiaq word, which means “real food.” NANA Development Corporation administrative assistant Mamie Karmun, a NANA shareholder, spearheaded the idea to bring a taste of Alaska to the Qivliq team. She prepared the food for the feast with help from her two daughters and Lewis Hitzel, a NANA shareholder and operations manager of Networks, Security and Telecommunications for Affigent. Employees were able to sample maktak (bowhead whale), dried bearded seal meat dipped in seal oil, caribou roast and caribou soup, three kinds of reindeer sausage, baked salmon and salmon spread as well as blueberry, cranberry and orange desserts – some from Mamie’s family recipe book. The group also enjoyed homemade bread, sourdough muffins, potato salad and more. www.qivliq.com
CALIFORNIA / SOUTH CAROLINA / VIRGINIA / FLORIDA
Ki Shares Win for Navy Contract Ki, LLC., won a contract with Northrop Grumman to provide shipboard and shorebased IT and intelligence engineering, integration, installation and field services support for the U.S. Navy. The contract provides services in Charleston, S.C.; Norfolk/ Tidewater Area, Va.; Mayport, Fla.; San Diego, Calif.; and other continental U.S. and worldwide areas. Additionally, Ki will provide senior program management support as the shore installation project manager. The work is expected to be completed by January of 2016. Ki is a subsidiary of Akima and is wholly owned by NANA Development Corporation. Founded in 2000, Ki is a broad-based services company with worldwide reach. Ki is an Iñupiaq word meaning “Let’s go!” www.kicompany.com
Truestone also provided extensive on-the-job training to newly designated personnel working with the Incident Command System structure. www.truestonefed.com
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Science That M Akima staffs Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory By Carol Richards
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atters
Deep within an ordinary-looking glass and steel building, the NANA Development Corporation Board of Directors saw what a few of the world’s top scientists were cooking up: a star. This 10-story building, located in Livermore, Calif., on the eastern edge of San Francisco Bay, is home to one of NANA’s largest and most unusual projects. Akima Infrastructure Services, LLC (AIS), a NANA company, was awarded the supplemental labor personnel services contract at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Under the contract, AIS manages and recruits a highly diverse workforce — all within the confines of a highly classified and sensitive work environment. The award of the five-year contract with an additional five-year option was a big win for Akima, so it was important for the Board to see it firsthand. “Each year, our NDC board travels to one or two job sites, which, as we have grown, are now all over the world,” said Helvi Sandvik, NANA Development Corporation (NDC) president.
The mission of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is to ensure national security and apply science and technology to the important issues of our time. “It gives the Board – and our management team – an opportunity to meet face to face with our employees and clients. Wherever our employees are, it is important that we remind them of who we are as NANA and how much we appreciate the hard work they do for our company and shareholders.” The mission of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL or the Lab) is to ensure national security and apply science and technology to the important issues of our time. A premier research and development institution, it boasts the highest concentration of Ph.D.s in the country: 1,300 in 1.2 square miles. Norma Hinds, the general manager of the AIS contract, enjoys working with some of the smartest people in the world. Rooted at LLNL since May 1999, Hinds is an integral The National Ignition Facility houses the world’s largest laser. The inside of the target chamber, some 10 meters in diameter, accommodates the beam lines, diagnostic instruments, and other equipment. From the outside, the chamber looks like a giant volleyball. Photos courtesy of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
is an acronym for light Did you “Laser” amplification by stimulated know ? emission of radiation?
What else goes on at the Lab? Besides NIF, the NDC board visited two other research sites. The Board met Tim Ross, the chief technician of a group working on creating environmentally clean, alternative energy technologies for the transportation industry. His team converted a 2006 Toyota Prius to run on hydrogen. The car set a world record: traveling 653 miles on a single tank of hydrogen. Admiring the clean, white car, Henry Horner, Sr., an NDC board member from Kobuk, said, “We need a hydrogen-powered snow-go at home.” The group has a contract with BMW to develop a high performance, hydrogen-powered vehicle. Although the Prius hasn’t left the LLNL grounds, Ross said, “Hydrogen-powered buses are here and are street-legal; they shuttle travelers between the Livermore airport and the Lab.” Their next stop was the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectronomy (AMS), which, at 50 years old, is one of the original facilities at LLNL. The Center, operating 24 hours a day, performs about 25 percent of all AMS analyses in the world. The bulk of the Center’s work is radiocarbon dating, but the future of AMS is in biology. Using the highly sensitive AMS system, they research metabolism and effects of drugs, pesticides and other chemicals on our health.
member of the Lab’s team, solving administrative and human resource issues. Under the new contract, the Akima team took on the challenge to “go green” by streamlining the hiring process and going paperless for their personnel records, saving time, money and trees. Following a briefing on Akima’s role at the Lab, the Board took a tour and received a science lesson from Nick Williams, a retired electronics engineer. As he explained high-energy-density physics, board members leaned in and some scribbled notes. “Did you get all that?” Sandvik asked. The core of the Lab is the National Ignition Facility (NIF), which houses the world’s largest laser — 40 times more powerful than any other. The heat generated by one shot of the laser, more than a 100 million degrees Celsius, is hotter than the center of the sun. In essence, NIF creates the temperature and conditions that exist inside the core of stars.
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They are laying the groundwork for the use of fusion energy as a clean, safe, virtually limitless source of electricity. NIF’s control room is modeled after NASA’s mission control room, where engineers and ex-astronauts are sequestered. Their goal: to find future energy solutions in a safe, sustainable manner without carbon dioxide emissions. They are laying the groundwork for the use of fusion energy as a clean, safe, virtually limitless source of electricity. “The objective,” said Williams, “is to get more power out than we put in. We’re striving for ignition.” The energy generated by just one shot of the laser would be enough to power a small city. NDC Chief Operating Officer, Dave Márquez, asked, “Hey, what
clockwise from top left :
The Lab supplies 1,300
bikes for employees to shuttle between the 459 facilities on its 820 acres. An intern explained, “You walk until you see a bike, ride it to wherever you need to go, and leave it for the next person.” At the Lab’s hydrogen refueling station, chief technician Tim
Ross
checks the gauges on this
hydrogen-powered Prius which traveled 653 miles on a 40-gallon tank. Visitors to the Lab’s Discovery Center, like NDC President, Helvi
Sandvik, can power a bicycle
rigged to measure energy output. The bike’s display monitor reads, “Good Performance!” Carol Richards photo
was that Pat Benatar song?” Board member Charlie Curtis said, “Hit me with your best shot. Fire away.” The Lab looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. In fact, part of the original movie, “Tron,” was filmed at the Lab and NIF’s shot director, Rod Saunders, had a small speaking role. “Every day is different,” said Saunders. “I look forward to each day’s adventure.” z
A B O U T A K I MA Akima Management Services, LLC is wholly owned by NANA Development Corporation. Akima provides administrative and organizational support for 10 operating companies with projects in 25 states and 6 countries. Akima has achieved a reputation for outstanding performance, reflecting the same principles of NANA: Honesty and integrity govern our activities. Commitments made will be fulfilled. Everyone will be treated with dignity and respect.
“We can be proud of the work our company does to support the Lab, as they develop new technologies that will benefit people everywhere.” — Helvi Sandvik, NDC president 11
The Rainmakers DOWL HKM helps bring economic development and water rights to preserve traditional ways of life. By Lynne Snifka
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When Ron Billstein joined DOWL HKM in 1971, he thought he’d be doing garden-variety civil engineering work: plotting out subdivisions, designing roads, that sort of thing. The work suited the Billings, Mont. native. He’d recently graduated with a master’s degree in civil engineering and Billstein was something of a hometown hero. He’d played high school quarterback and fielded balls as a part of the American Legion baseball team. Staying in Montana and raising a family seemed like a good plan. Still, he occasionally wondered if he’d done the right thing. “I was torn between two things when I was going to college, particularly after I got my bachelor’s in civil engineering,” Billstein said. “There was a pull toward the law, but I ended up getting my master’s in engineering.” What Billstein couldn’t have known in school, what no one could have predicted, was that his interest in those two things – engineering and the law – positioned him to excel in the emerging field of water rights.
The construction of the Yellowtail Dam on the Crow Indian Reservation helped create the nationally recognized Bighorn River Fishery. Water runs for a 12-mile stretch through the Crow Creek Reservation, allowing fishery-related income to flow to the Tribe. DOWL HKM staff often visit and fish this reach of stream. Larry Mayer photo right:
DOWL HKM worked with the
Crow Tribe as their primary technical expert to quantify their water rights and design irrigation systems on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. Ralph
Saunders and Ron Billstein study historical irrigation mapping to identify permanent systems. The Big Horn Unit of the Crow Irrigation Project delivers water to about 26,000 acres of land. Larry Mayer photo
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n Alaska, the location of DOWL HKM’s parent company, NANA, water flows freely from lakes, rivers and streams in most locations. In the American West, however, fresh water is a precious and limited resource. In Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and other states, there are no glaciers, no Great Lakes. In many cases, there are more people and more uses for water than there is water to use. Ranchers, farmers, even cities in the West, must therefore “divide up” the available water used for everything from drinking to crop irrigation. The stakes are high. Access to water determines success, not only for people or crops, but also for towns and tribes. Water is the key to development, growth and a healthy economy. Water can mean the difference between poverty and economic opportunity. Water rights gained prominence in the 1970s when populations swelled and development expanded. “Tribes were often left out of the discussion and a lack of funding often restricted their ability to put their water to use,” Billstein said. “None of the tribes in the West had made extensive use of their water.” DOWL HKM started working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs on water resources projects to build the Tribes’ case. It was a growing field, one with a future. After all, populations weren’t going to shrink. Water would always be limited. And someone needed to partner with the Tribes in their fight. DOWL HKM wanted to be a part of that team. 13
“DOWL HKM began by working with a series of seven Indian reservations,” Billstein said. They documented the reservations’ historic use of water, measured the quality and amount used and designed water development plans for future uses. The process involved a team of engineers, historians, economists, and attorneys.
“Fighting for fair and equitable allocations of water for tribes isn’t the typical civil engineering assignment. These guys are visionaries who live in two worlds.” — Karen Fagg, DOWL HKM vice president
“You need to be good technically,” Billstein said, “but you also need to be very familiar with laws that go back as far as Spanish Law and the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo that ended the Mexican-American War.” Ralph Saunders, part of the DOWL HKM team, photo-interprets historic photography and maps acreage that has been irrigated in the past. Historic land use plays an important part in determining who has the right to use water today. Federal and state governments use the team’s findings to determine water rights claims in a given area. Sometimes negotiations result in a settlement. Other times, the issue goes to court. “Ralph has been called on by every attorney in the industry to explain and defend his historic maps,” said Wade Irion, one of DOWL HKM’s senior water resource engineers. “He’s never lost, not once.” “Those wins can translate to dollars for tribes,” explains Billstein. “The Shivwits Band of Paiutes in Utah has about 250 people in their Tribe and came to us for help with their water settlement. There just isn’t very much water to be had there so we helped to negotiate rights for potable water and some of the city of St. George’s reuse water. It’s become a bit of a boon for them.” “The boon,” he explained, “had to do with the fact that they could lease their tertiary treated reuse water for non-drinking water uses like at a golf course. This year they already have contracts for about $300,000 to $400,000 of annual income leasing the water and there are more deals in the pipeline.” But for many of DOWL HKM’s water rights clients the numbers reach into the millions. “We helped the Rocky Boy Tribe get a regional pipeline project worth $300 million and the Rosebud Sioux a $100 million project,” said Billstein. 14
Over the years, DOWL HKM has been the key technical expert on several water right and water resource claims cases for Native groups. One of the cases was on behalf of Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara) at Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. DOWL HKM provided evidence that the Tribes suffered damages after the United States constructed the massive Garrison Dam on the Missouri River. In doing so, the federal government relocated the Tribes to an area without access to developable water. The Tribes were awarded $160 million in damages from the U.S. government. A few years ago, Isleta Pueblo won $40 million dollars in a similar case. “Each one of these settlements or litigations is critically important,” Billstein said. “In some cases it’s a once-in-alifetime opportunity to develop the physical and economic resources (tribes) needed to become self-sufficient.” DOWL HKM has been the primary technical entity in the vast majority of water rights settlements reached in recent years, Billstein said. In doing so, the firm has built trust with tribes. As a result, many groups “hire us to do a lot of other civil engineering projects for them that have nothing to do directly with water rights,” Billstein said.
DOWL HKM was hired by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Crow Tribe to design an irrigation diversion structure that provides water to the Agency Unit of the Little Bighorn River component of the project, consisting of over 12,000 acres of land. Ron
Billstein reviews
the construction of this facility. Larry Mayer photo
Through its Water Rights Settlement, the Crow Tribe obtained major direct flow rights in the Bighorn River, extensive storage rights in Bighorn Lake and the authority to develop a hydropower facility. These firm water supplies, along with the Tribe’s coal resources, have attracted major energy firms to evaluate future development of power and coal export facilities. Larry Mayer photo
DOWL HKM’s water rights work has built trust with tribes and those in all facets of the water rights cases. Vice President, Karen Fagg, was the director of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and represented the state in water rights cases when she first worked with DOWL HKM’s water rights group. “Fighting for fair and equitable allocations of water for tribes isn’t the typical civil engineering assignment,” Fagg said. “These guys are visionaries who live in two worlds.” The two worlds include knowing how to delicately weave the historic information in Indian culture’s oral tradition with state and federal court needs and requirements. Syed Huq, director of water resources for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, has been a DOWL HKM client for 17 years. “They have a good understanding of how tribal government works and they have experience designing water systems,” Huq said. “It’s been a long partnership and I think it’s worked well for us and them.” Billstein is equally as complimentary of many of DOWL HKM’s Native American clients and says he shares a passion for the work with his clients. “Our clients put their heart and soul into their work,” said Billstein. “Sometimes these cases are the only hope for immediate economic opportunities the tribes have.” Billstein’s heartfelt passion for engineering melds into a second love: the law. He spends between a third and a half
of his professional time with attorneys. It’s complicated work. Sometimes it takes years for a water rights case to wind its way through litigation or settlement negotiations. The water rights team doesn’t seem to mind. “We have to take a long-view, big-picture perspective of these projects,” said Wade, the senior engineer. “We’re protecting a culture and helping to right any wrongs that may have been committed through the many decades.” Traveling between 50 and 100 days each year, negotiating and/or litigating water rights across the western United States, is a long way from plotting subdivisions and designing highways in Billings. When he’s on the road, Billstein said he misses his wife of 40 years and his regular YMCA workouts. Through the efforts of the water rights team, Native Americans from Montana to New Mexico have established new economies and a vibrant industry. Because of this work, Billstein learned about laws in his home state, perhaps thus inspiring one of his sons, who now works as an attorney in Billings. “It’s really been a great experience because I was able to share my time in the two areas I was most interested in growing up,” said Billstein. “And, I know our future is bright because of the core staff of water rights folks we currently have in house including Rich Schilf, Wade Irion and Jay Thom, who all play prominent roles as water rights experts and key design professionals”. z
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Building Military Safety Nakuuruq provides support to the Naval Surface Warfare Center By Charles Fedullo
A NANA company, Nakuuruq supports the 60,000 square foot workshop at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division. The shop has forklifts, cranes and blowtorches to build and maintain equipment designed by naval engineers. David Sussman photo
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Mike White smells the salt air from West Bay, near Panama City, Fla., as he hops on his motorcycle to head to work. It is early, a little before 6 a.m. He grins when he thinks about his three-year-old son, Jimmy, and his wife, Cinzia, still sleeping, safe and sound. White knows a thing or two about keeping people safe. He spent two and a half decades in the U.S. Navy. Today he works with a couple dozen men and women whose first priority is building equipment to keep sailors, soldiers, airman and marines out of harm’s way. White works for Nakuuruq Solutions, a subsidiary of Qivliq, LLC, one of NANA Development Corporation’s federal contracting companies. When he hops off his Honda Shadow about 30 minutes later, he heads into a 60,000 square foot workshop at The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division (NSWC PCD). After a cup of coffee, “with that foo foo creamer, my guys call it” and a quick email check, White is on the floor of the workshop. Meanwhile, White’s boss, Troy Nevins, who manages the Nakuuruq contract with the Navy, is looking over the shop. “This place is a handyman’s paradise,” he says. It is a big fabrication and tool shop. Forklifts, cranes and blowtorches are humming, and about 30 men and women are building, fixing and creating equipment designed by naval engineers. Safety comes first, but the chaos is consuming and controlled. Nevins grins as he describes White, saying he is built like a spark plug, has an easy laugh and is always watching out for his crew. The production shop has welders, machinists, riggers, mechanics, electricians, painters and many other tradesmen who are working 10- to 12-hour days, often six days a week. “Deadlines have to be met, and we have to do things right the first time,” says White. “No excuses, no one gets hurt.” Many of the folks working in the shop are building the components for and assembling mine rollers, a Counter Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED), or unmotorized vehicle that attaches to trucks or other military transport that can detonate a land mine and absorb the shock from the explosion while keeping nearby troops safe. The mine rollers are delivered for use in Iraq and Afghanistan. In October 2011, the team delivered their 1,000th mine roller to their customers.
“Our guys work closely with the engineers at NSWC PCD,” White shakes his head as he chuckles. “Sometimes they work together hashing out new designs on the back of a napkin in the shop. It is a pleasure to watch the engineers and the guys who build their designs work together.” Whatever the Navy engineers ask for, the Nakuuruq technicians will create. The civil servants and Nakuuruq employees support MH-60S helicopters, land mine counter measures and the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), Navy divers, SEALs and anything related to diving and life support.
“They are some of the best in the world ... my guys will build something that works that others say is impossible.” — Mike White, project manager The pride and passion in White’s voice swells when he talks about the work his team does, “They are some of the best in the world, no bullcrap there. Let them get a crack at it… my guys will build something that works that others say is impossible.”
Project Manager Mike White arrives at the Nakuuruq Office in Panama City, Fla. on his motorcycle. He manages a crew of about 25 at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division. The crew builds a wide variety of equipment, including land mine counter measures and chemical and biological breathing equipment often used in combat zones to keep our men and women in uniform safe. Lindsey Potter photo
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Just outside the back door of the facility, on a pier half a football field away, the controlled chaos eases, as there are small soothing waves and an easy breeze from the Gulf of Mexico. Workers from the shop often head out here for a cup of coffee or a quick snack to enjoy the light wind and quiet. Nakuuruq has more than 100 employees who provide a wide variety of support to the Naval Surface Warfare Center. The workshop is only one aspect of the work they do. Nevins is not only White’s boss; he also manages the contract with the Navy for Nakuuruq. “We support this naval facility in several ways. What all our men and women do adds value to the Armed Services,” he said. The work beyond the fabrication shop includes human resources, logistics, IT, media, accounting, analysis, and a host of other support disciplines. Nevins says Nakuuruq’s success at NSWC PCP is measurable, in part, by growth. “We started off with seven people, now we are at 115. The first contract was for five years and we completed the work in two. In federal contracting work, if you do not provide good service to the federal government, you are not asked back. Nakuuruq’s folks have been working here for almost seven years.”
“We take NANA’s mission of providing opportunities for our shareholders seriously. We have respect for that goal.” — Troy Nevins, program manager
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Nevins has been with the NANA subsidiary for the entire seven years, having been hired to manage the first contract when it was awarded in 2004. He likes the fact that the profits are used to improve the lives of NANA shareholders, many of whom live above the Arctic Circle and survive off the land. The benefits of the business success are scholarships, cultural preservation programs, and dividends to help pay for heating fuel and gas, which can cost upwards of $12 a gallon in the NANA Region in northwest Alaska. In 2010, NANA distributed more than $18 million in dividends to its 12,500 shareholders and spent $695,000 on college scholarships. “We take NANA’s mission of providing opportunities for our shareholders seriously,” Nevins says. “We have respect for that goal. All our employees know the profits from our work go to help NANA’s owners.”
well as helping to provide an opportunity to better themselves. “It’s about helping people,” he says. “Career progression and personal enhancement. I do my best to help them out. I am very concerned about my people, whether it was back in the Navy or here today.”
The company mission is a perfect fit for White. After he retired from the Navy, he worked as an employment specialist for the state of Florida before Nakuuruq plucked him away. A counselor his last 14 years in the Navy, he enjoys seeing people grow as
The shop will hum along while White is gone, continually working on equipment to ensure the safety of our men and women in uniform. z
Several of the people on White’s crew are former military and there is a sense of patriotism in what they do. “NANA gives us an opportunity to continue to serve our country, which means a lot to a lot of our guys. We play a vital role here. ” White is heading out to his motorbike about ready to call it a day. The sun is setting, and he is anxious to get home after12 hours at work. He will be taking a few days off with his family to go to Disneyworld in Orlando.
left:
In the workshop, Nakuuruq employees build mine rollers–
unmotorized vehicles that attach to trucks or other military transport that can detonate a land mine and absorb the shock from the explosion, while keeping people nearby safe. Last fall the team delivered its 1000th mine roller to be used in Iraq and Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy below :
Nakuuruq’s contract for the Navy has grown to 115
employees at this installation—from seven people in 2004. Jobs include HR, logistics, IT, media, accounting, analysis, and other support staff. David Sussman photo below left:
A NANA company, Nakuuruq supports the 60,000
square foot workshop at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division. The shop has forklifts, cranes and blowtorches to build and maintain equipment designed by naval engineers. David Sussman photo
A B O U T N a k u u r u q S o l u t i o n s, L LC Nakuuruq’s expertise is integrating tailored solutions, including design and development, in the telecommunications and information technology arenas. www.nakuuruq.com 19
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Going — and growing — green NMS partners with the University of Alaska Fairbanks on sustainability initiatives By Andrew Sheeler
In an effort to be more than just a campus dining service, NMS, along with several community partners, has implemented many sustainability initiatives on the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) campus. The enterprises vary from donating leftover protein to the Alaska Dog Mushers Association, to using produce from UAF and local greenhouses, to donating used fryer grease to a biodiesel facility. What remains the same is NMS’ strong working relationship with its local partners. “When we bounce ideas off of NMS, we don’t get resistance,” said Robert Holden, UAF’s director of Auxiliary, Recharge and Contract Operations. Holden has worked with NMS for more than nine years. He said the company consistently has an open mind when it comes to new ideas. One example of their flexibility is their willingness to “think outside the tray.” NMS eliminated the use of plastic trays in the dining room in 2009, reducing food waste and water used for washing the trays. NMS has taken the next step in reducing the carbon footprint of campus dining. For years, students took their meals out of the Lola Tilly Commons in disposable foam boxes, much like those used for to-go orders in many restaurants. Those trays often found their way into local landfills. Last year, NMS introduced a “clamshell” design reusable tray at the Commons. Students take the trays to their rooms, return them dirty and receive a new tray.
opposite:
University of Alaska Fairbanks student,
Nina Schwinghammer, waters plants in the Facilities Services’ greenhouse. Heather Bryant photo
In the program’s first year, students checked out 1,400 trays. So far this school year, students surpassed that number. Through this program and other measures, UAF reduced overall trash by 75 percent, Holden said. K & K Recycling, Inc., is another NMS partner. NMS stores used fryer grease and cardboard in an off-site facility while K & K works on finishing a one-acre greenhouse, which will be attached to a biomass power plant just outside Fairbanks. When the greenhouse is ready, K & K plans to grind up the stored cardboard, along with wood and paper, and burn it in the power plant’s thermal heater. “The energy generated will power the greenhouse,” said K & K owner and longtime green energy advocate, Bernie Karl. “When the facility is finished at the end of this year, the plant will be the first in the world to function without a smoke stack.” Ted Lancette, who manages the Lola Tilly Commons for NMS, takes pride in the partnership with K & K Recycling. “The cardboard and fryer grease would become waste product if they weren’t repurposing that material,” he said. The sustainability efforts are a big part of why Lancette loves his job. “My work philosophy is to align your goals to the goals of your clients,” Lancette said. To that end, he is happy to see NMS share his and UAF’s “green interests.” A former executive chef, Lancette entered the world of campus dining 23 years ago. At the time, he worked as the head chef of a country club. But he wanted to be able to grow and challenge himself. He was working at Loyola University in Chicago when he accepted NMS’ offer to manage Dining Services at UAF. That was two years ago. When it comes to NMS and its sustainability initiatives, he said he’s never
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seen anything like it. While he participated in small-scale programs at other universities, NMS has surpassed them in both scope and scale.
Sowing the Seeds of Change Nina Schwinghammer, a UAF senior, works in the Facilities Services greenhouse on campus. Lola Tilly Commons uses the produce and herbs she grows in salads and other dishes. A Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences major, Schwinghammer approached NMS last year shortly after she started her position. She wanted to connect the students at UAF with the food they eat. In addition to her traditional greenhouse work, Schwinghammer oversees the hydroponic lettuce operation, which grows greens without soil. At her suggestion, the hydroponic grow machine was placed at the entrance of the Commons. The contraption consists of rows of baby lettuce embedded in several white shelves, lit and heated by purple-hued grow lights and nourished by tubes funneling water and nutrients. Hundreds of students walk past it every day. Schwinghammer, who will soon be finished with her education, hopes to establish true roots for the program by building a sustainable foundation. “I’m kind of cramming a lot in these last few months,” Schwinghammer said. She’s “trying to leave a legacy.” For all the initiatives NMS employees at Lola Tilly Commons have undertaken, they’re just getting warmed up. Lancette, Holden and UAF administrators are drawing plans for a new dining center to replace the aging Commons. Holden said the replacement would feature, among other things, stateof-the-art dishwashers that conserve water. But that’s not the most exciting feature of the new building.
Holden, Karl and Schwinghammer agree: NMS is a strong partner when it comes to sustainability. The three work with Lancette to make the UAF community greener and cleaner. Karl hopes that with NMS’ help, Alaska will one day no longer need a landfill. Schwinghammer hopes her replacement will continue to work with NMS to provide fresh, local produce for UAF’s students. Holden looks forward to providing NMS with a more efficient dining hall that conserves energy and allows the campus to grow even more local food. It’s all in a day’s work here. z
“This is going to be fun,” Lancette said. “We’re going to build our own mushroom cave.”
ABOUT NMS A portion of the concrete in the new facility’s basement would be removed, Lancette said, leaving a warm, dark place to grow edible fungi. The mushrooms will be used in food prepared by Dining Services. Schwinghammer already grows “espresso mushrooms,” which earn their name, in part, because they grow in used coffee grounds in the Facilities Services greenhouse. She welcomes the thought of UAF getting its own mushroom cave. “I don’t know of any universities that have something like that,” she said.
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Built on a culture of safety and integrity, NMS delivers award-winning support services to a variety of clients. From the early days of providing food and security services to camps along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, NMS has expanded its services to include camp management, hotel management, facilities management, maintenance, housekeeping, contract staffing, film services and more. www.nmsusa.com
opposite :
Ted Lancette , NMS general manager of
the Lola Tilly Commons, is a linchpin of the NMS-UAF partnership and enjoys collaborating on creative new ideas like hydroponic lettuce. He says students take pleasure in seeing their food grow. Heather Bryant photo clockwise from top:
UAF Dining Services, with support from NMS,
is increasing the amount of fresh vegetables grown on location. Heather Bryant photo
Robert Holden , the director of Dining Services at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, works with NMS to implement sustainability initiatives. Heather Bryant photo Through the partnership with NMS, sustainability efforts at UAF include reusable plastic to-go containers that students can check out with their Polar Express cards. They bring back the used container and trade it for a clean one, reducing waste. Another option is biodegradable containers, which break down much quicker than typical foam containers. Heather Bryant photo background :
The UAF Facilities Services greenhouse
provides NMS with fresh vegetables for student consumption in the Lola Tilly Commons. Heather Bryant photo
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Photos of the NANA Region Through the lens of Bill Monet
Qivliq President Bill Monet joined the NANA family a little over a year ago and last summer he made his first journey to northwest Alaska. By Bill Monet
Photography has been an important part of my life ever since receiving a Yankee Darkroom kit for my ninth birthday. I remember using it to develop black-and-white film and making small prints on a light box while jamming my mother’s good linens under the hall door to block the light. While studying oceanographic technology in college, I also minored in photography and worked in the school’s photo department. This provided me the opportunity to be an assistant instructor for underwater photography on class trips to the Bahamas. While that sounds good, try developing 50 rolls of color film in the head of a small vessel while rolling in rough seas. Through the years, I have had several articles and images published and also had galleries represent and sell fine art prints of my underwater work, which is always good given the expense of photography. Photography remains for me a good creative outlet to balance my often hectic and intense business life. I took these photos on my first trip to the NANA region; to Kotzebue, Kiana and Red Dog Mine. Most of the photographs were taken rushing from one fantastic location to another with barely enough time to properly explore any one subject. The visual impact of Alaska, especially in the NANA region, is indescribable. The people and the diversity of the landscape, blended with spectacular scenery and 24
crystal clear, blue skies, provide a myriad of photographic opportunities. Alaska is such a rich environment in so many ways. It was a real joy to be able to capture a little bit of that experience. I used a Canon 1ds Mk2 with a 45-70 zoom to make these images. I processed them in Camera Raw and made minor color and contrast adjustments in Photoshop – except for the world record sheefish, which, as most fish stories do, grew in size after I caught it. z
above:
Casting for sheefish on the Kobuk River
where the largest sheefish are found. The meat is white and flakey. A staple of the local diet, it is usually baked, boiled or fried.
above left: KOTZ radio is on the air 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, broadcasting throughout the NANA region. Even from their remote campsites people tune in to hear weather reports, swap & shop, birthday messages and special requests. above: Red Dog Mine, on NANA land, about 80 miles north of
Kotzebue, is one of the top zinc producing mines in the world. The mine provides well-paying jobs and significant economic benefits to Alaskans and NANA shareholders. left: NANA Shareholder
Vince Schuerch is a fishing guide
on the Kobuk River. There are no roads to the NANA region. The rivers connect the villages.
above:
Sheefish can be caught as large as 40
pounds or more. Now here’s a record sheefish (with a little help from Photoshop). left: The Kiana boat launch into the Kobuk
River is a busy place in the summer because villagers often take their boats out to fish or pick berries.
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NANA’s Annual Meeting is Unlike Any Other This year’s annual meeting was in Ambler, Alaska (population 258). By Carol Richards
It was four below zero when our small plane arrived in Ambler the night before the NANA annual meeting. A team of snow machines waited for us on the ground. We slung our duffle bags on homemade sleds hitched to the back of the machines, jumped on, and bounced along the trail toward the Ambler school. NANA staff, from both Kotzebue and Anchorage, and some of the presidents from our subsidiary companies had already claimed spots in the library and classrooms. The floors were blanketed with inflatable mattresses and sleeping bags. Other visitors had flown in or traveled by snow machine from the neighboring villages. By 1 p.m. the next afternoon, more than 450 shareholders crowded into the Ambler gymnasium. Many more listened to KOTZ radio, streaming live over the Internet for shareholders in Anchorage, Texas, Virginia and all parts of the globe. Don Sheldon, the NANA Regional Corporation (NRC) chairman, welcomed the assembly of shareholders, employees and guests. He said it was 40 years ago when our leaders first built our corporation. “They came together then just as we do today. We have the same goal,” he said, “building a company and a future for more than just ourselves. We are building a strong NANA for generations to come.” Before giving her report, Marie Greene, the NRC president, took a minute to glance down at her Blackberry and offered an update on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. “John Baker is in the lead,” she said and the crowd cheered for the musher 26
from Kotzebue. By the next morning, Baker had won the 1,000-mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome, setting a record.
NANA’s Race to Grow Luke Sampson, NANA Development Corporation (NDC) chairman, is also a dog musher. He competed in this year’s Fur Rendezvous sled dog races in Anchorage and the North American sprint races in Fairbanks. Speaking on the theme that NANA is also in a race he said, “We are working hard and we are growing. We are continuing to do good work here in Alaska and all over the world… looking for new opportunities, investing in new lines of work, all for one reason – to make NANA a stronger company, so it will be here both for today and for tomorrow.” Helvi Sandvik, NDC president, delivered NANA’s annual financial and business highlights. “Despite the worldwide recession,” she said, “NANA’s revenue and income continued to grow in 2010. We increased revenue by $338 million, ending the year with just under $1.6 billion in revenue.” “We’ve been looking at other opportunities to make us stronger for the future,” Sandvik said. “We look forward to exciting times ahead of us. We remain focused on growing our company to be a $10 billion revenue company. By working together, keeping our focus and being committed to our success, we will reach our goals.”
opposite:
Three mushers participated in the Ambler
sled dog races organized by the Ivisaappaaġmiut Tribal Council. Chris Arend photo clockwise from top:
In winter, the primary mode
of transportation within Ambler and between neighboring villages is snow machines hitched with homemade sleds.
Abraham Farrag was selected as NANA Youth of the Year for symbolizing the modern day hunter. Carol Richards photo
“The NANA annual meeting starts out more like a family reunion,” said Helvi Sandvik, NDC president, “with hugs and hellos, with greetings from Elders and children alike.” Here, two NANA Elders pause to visit before heading into the meeting. Carol Richards photo Ambler students welcomed visitors into their community center to warm up between outdoor activities, which included foot races for kids and dog sled races. Carol Richards photo
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The main purpose for the annual meeting is to elect NRC board members. These 23 shareholders are selected by their peers to guide NANA and its management on the path to our mission. NANA board members serve a three-year term and each year seven or eight seats are up for election. Of the 23 NRC directors, a subset of nine members is elected by the entire board to serve as NDC directors, who also serve on NANA subsidiary boards. Sandvik said, “Our directors embrace a greater vision. Finding ways to work together for the good of our shareholders requires tenacity and a sense of duty.”
Seven Board Seats Filled by Shareholders The final votes were tallied, added to those mailed in and the winners were declared. Reelected to their seats were board members Nellie Sheldon, Ambler; Tony Jones, Jr., Buckland; Emerson Moto, Deering; Janice Westlake-Reich, Kiana; Pearl Gomez, Kobuk; and Dood Lincoln, Kotzebue. Newly elected board member, Lowell Sage, Jr., will assume a Kivalina board seat.
Honoring Shareholders and a Non-shareholder The Regional Elders Council chose Effie Hadley as Elder of the Year. Honored for her years of teaching the Iñupiaq language to schoolchildren in the NANA region, she said, holding up her award, “I can’t believe this. I’ll hold on to this – even in my sleep. And may Buckland win!” The crowd applauded her and cheered for the Buckland high school boys, as well as the Kivalina boys and girls and the Kotzebue Lady Huskies who were in Anchorage playing in the state basketball tournament. Fifteen-year old Abraham Farrag was selected as Youth of the Year for symbolizing the modern day hunter. He succeeds both academically and athletically at his school in Virginia. He studies French and Iñupiaq and is semi-fluent in Arabic. His father is Egyptian-American and his mother, Elaine Ramoth, is a shareholder from Selawik who works as a project specialist at Nakuuruq in Herndon, Va. Eric Fox was named Shareholder of the Year. His hard work, diligence and willingness to learn resulted in his climb from intern to vice president of operations in the camp services division of NMS. He said, “I’m proud to be a NANA shareholder, and to have NANA be proud of me touches my heart. To me, serving NANA is a duty, not just a job.” The Richard A. Baenen Award, recognizing contributions of a non-shareholder, was presented to Jim Kulas of Teck. He has worked at Red Dog Mine since 1988, and has been an unflagging supporter of NANA, the Mine, and the benefits it provides NANA shareholders. Kulas even delayed his retirement until the Aqqaluk Deposit permitting process was completed.
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Walter Sampson, NRC vice president of land & regional affairs, said, “When Jim says he’ll make a commitment to our shareholders, he’ll do it, and from his heart.” “You are our extended NANA family,” said Marie Greene to the assembly of shareholders, employees and guests. “The annual meeting is a time to get together, to give thanks, and to celebrate being together.” “We already look forward to next year’s family reunion,” said Sandvik. “Until then, we have a lot of work to do.” z
left:
Shareholder Sandra
Griest points out
NANA company locations on a map to her son, as
Christopher Coffin looks on. Chris Arend photo below :
Some NANA Elders speak more I単upiaq
than English since it is their first language. Holding headsets to their ears, so they can hear the simultaneous translation, they look as if they are at a meeting of the United Nations. Carol Richards photo
above:
NANA employees, Rose
and Maude
Barr, Ginger Douglas Blair watch for approaching dog mushers
on the frozen Kobuk River. Carol Richards photo below :
Three generations of NANA shareholders:
Jadye Sheldon with her twins, Tommy and Scott, and their great-grandmother, Clara Lee. Chris Arend photo 29
A Conversation with Don Sheldon Interview by Carol Richards
Insight and vision: working together at NANA
NANA is unique because our board members come from our villages. To this day, we follow what our leaders envisioned when they first started this corporation. We listen to the shareholders who selected us to serve.
Board Member Donald G. Nalikak Sheldon, representing Noorvik, has been serving as a director of NANA since 1989. He is chairman of the Board of NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., and serves as a director of NANA Development Corporation, as well as several subsidiary company boards. He and his wife, Heidi, live in Noorvik, population 668, 45 miles east of Kotzebue. They have a son, three daughters, and one granddaughter.
When I first started on the Board, it was an unsettling time. We had just lost our Chairman, Robert Aqqaluk Newlin. He had left a big void; our Board relied on his leadership. He had a remarkable ability to connect with all our shareholders in many ways. Fluent in both English and Iñupiaq, he could clearly communicate the direction the Board was asked to take NANA. The people of Noorvik asked me to fill his seat. We knew we had to move on, to work in unity. Working together has always been the key to getting things accomplished. As a young board member, I learned from the Elders how to protect the land while pursuing the business opportunities that bring benefits back to our shareholders. This is NDC’s mission: to pursue and grow business and to bring those benefits back to NRC, the parent company. We started small. We kept going. And today we’re able to bring more benefits back to our shareholders.
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“The more we grow the greater our opportunities.” — Don Sheldon, board member
There is still much work to be done. All our employees, whether they’re in Virginia or California, need to know that their work benefits people they haven’t met; their efforts have a direct impact on our people. Many shareholders in the NANA region still live a traditional lifestyle. We live far up north, above the Arctic Circle, in what Outsiders might consider a harsh environment. We gather food from the land, heat our homes with stove oil and firewood, go out and hunt, living day by day. In the villages our extended families help one another. In that same way, shareholders with jobs at Red Dog Mine still help out family members and contribute what they can. This is how we get our strength, as Iñupiaq people, relying on community and family, a structure of support. Each person contributes. You, as an employee, are part of our family. We take pride in that connection. We walk in two worlds: our shareholders live a subsistence lifestyle, yet we can walk in the business world too. The work we do matters. We do a good job, for a greater purpose, not just a salary. We contribute to the communities where we do business, wherever we have employees. We take pride in the service we provide to our country. We are part of a team that helps our nation’s economy.
clockwise from top:
Don Sheldon , a director of DOWL HKM, visits
a job site in Montana where their project portfolio includes bridge replacement, highway repair, dam rehabilitation and transportation improvements. NDC Board Member Don
Sheldon and NDC employee Deb Billingsley preview a clip of a 3D film at the Evergreen Films
studio in Anchorage, Alaska. NANA invested in Evergreen and NANA companies provide support services needed by the film industry from accommodations, security and catering to engineering and construction.
Don Sheldon, right, cuts the ribbon at the grand opening of the NANA-owned University Lake SpringHill Suites Hotel in Anchorage. He shakes hands with Luke Sampson, NDC chairman, as Marie Greene, NRC president, other Board members and staffers celebrate the opening of the 159 room, all-suite hotel. Chris Arend photo
From the Board’s perspective, the values of our corporation, despite our remarkable growth, have been kept intact. That is why we have had success. Because whatever we do is grounded in our values. The more we grow the greater our opportunities. z 31
NANA Making a Difference PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
Kicking In and Helping Out in Haiti On Jan. 12, 2010, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 shook Haiti. Roughly a quarter million homes were destroyed; people resorted to living in tents and had to endure unsanitary conditions. Marcel Varela, a systems administrator in the Qivliq IT Department, wanted to help. He joined Capital Church’s mission trip to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where he and other volunteers helped with the reconstruction efforts following the devastating earthquake. He also helped run a soccer camp for children in two domestic refugee camps. Donations from Qivliq and other organizations helped pay for his travel and new soccer gear for the children. In addition to running the soccer camp, Marcel and the volunteers arranged to televise portions of the 2010 World Cup in the public square of the camps.
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
CANstruction Twenty DOWL HKM employees participated in the 2011 CANstruction community fundraiser. CANstruction asks the engineering and construction business communities to design and build structures made entirely out of canned foods. At the end of the event, all the cans are donated to the Food Bank of Alaska. DOWL HKM is a NANA subsidiary with offices in Alaska, Arizona, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. They bring over 50 years of experience to the engineering profession.
FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA
Helping the Homeless Bill Monet, Qivliq president and CEO, presented Ken Bradford, director of development for FACETS, with several hundred gift cards totaling more than $3,000 and a check from Qivliq to help the homeless in Fairfax County. The gift cards were generously donated by Qivliq employees during the 2010 holiday season. FACETS helps parents, their children and individuals who suffer the effects of poverty in Fairfax County, Va. They provide emergency shelter, food and medical needs; help people acquire safe, sustainable, permanent housing; and work with families to end the cycle of poverty through educational life skills and career counseling programs. ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
Relay for Life Because cancer never sleeps, “Team NANA” participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Anchorage, Alaska. NANA employees walked, talked, ate, laughed and cried their way through the 24-hour event. The fundraiser celebrated cancer survivors, remembered those who were lost to cancer, and supports those currently being treated, as well as their caregivers. Team NANA raised $1,780 from individual volunteers and donors to continue the fight against cancer. The 104 teams in the 2011 Anchorage Relay for Life raised $338,635.47. 32
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
Snow Golf for a Good Cause Now an anticipated event, the second annual Utukkuu Snow Golf Challenge raised $28,000 for the Aqqaluk Trust. The Trust is a non-profit organization that provides funding for Iñupiaq language, cultural and educational opportunities for NANA shareholders. In February, during the Fur Rendezvous festival, 18 teams took to the ice at University Lake in Anchorage to test their snow golf skills. The players used brightly colored, limited-flight golf balls. The challenge, beyond golfing in the snow, was to incorporate 10,000 years of Iñupiaq culture into the tournament. At one of the nine holes, teams wore Eskimo snow goggles; at another hole, golfers wore fur mittens.
“NANA is very good about donating employee time… I do it because it makes me feel better about what I’m contributing to the world.”
– Maude Blair, NANA staff attorney
CAMP VICTORY, IRAQ
Iraqi Girl/Boy Scouts Bill Mansfield, an IT analyst with NDC subsidiary Five Rivers Services, has a tough job. Twelve hours a day, six days a week, Bill provides IT services to Camp Victory in Iraq. In his free time, he volunteers as a scout master for “Kashafa,” the Iraqi Girl/Boy Scouts program. The scouts are school-age children of Iraqi officers who live at Camp Cropper in Baghdad. “Scouting was first established in Iraq 90 years ago,” Bill said. “We are working hard in hopes of the program continuing forward— after we wind down here— to provide the youth the opportunity to grow in positive ways.”
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA
Habitat Restoration As part of its MacDill Air Force Base Operation Support and Base Civil Engineering Services contract, Akima Facilities Management was asked to implement a conservation project to restore and improve habitats throughout its natural areas. Akima’s team at MacDill AFB hopes to manage numerous projects each year that will help achieve program goals and ensure the base remains in full compliance with federal, state and local regulations. Steve Hoarn, Akima’s project manager on the contract said, “I am convinced we saved the Air Force some money by how we contracted this project, but we are also very proud of the balance we help maintain between mission accomplishments and the environment here.” 33
1001 East Benson Boulevard Anchorage, AK 99508
NMS’ core value, “the environment will be protected and sustained,” is more than something they print on their marketing materials; it is a business imperative.
“Laser” is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
Akima is an Iñupiaq word meaning, “to win.”
Did you know ?
NANA’s 23-member board is composed of two Iñupiat shareholder board members from each of the 11 villages in the NANA region (except Kotzebue which has one board member and its own village corporation) and two at-large seats.
Nakuuruq is an Iñupiaq word meaning, “it is good.”