he Top 49ers are Alaska’s largest local companies, as ranked by gross revenue. To qualify for the ranks, a company must have been founded in Alaska and remain headquartered here, and it cannot have a parent company that does not meet those requirements. Annually, Alaska Business surveys these companies, and with the information they submit, we create the Top 49ers list. The Top 49ers are economic drivers and community builders, which is possible through their success in their various sectors and industries.

What is success, though? Certainly, generating revenue is one measurement of success, but it’s not the only one. In the 2023 data gathering process, we asked the Top 49ers in what ways—other than making money—they measure success. Below are their answers, lightly proofed for house style and length.

Watterson sees long-term relationships as an indicator of success. Having low employee turnover, repeat customers, and happy vendors lets us know we are on the right path.

Happy customers.

Usibelli Coal Mine is proud to be Interior Alaska’s energy generation backbone, providing the region with the lowest-cost source of energy. Coal provides stable consumer prices relative to heating oil, naphtha, or natural gas. Given coal’s price advantage, the absence of coal from the Interior’s energy profile would increase costs by more than $300 million, a cost which would likely be passed on to consumers and ratepayers. We are proud to be an economic driver for Interior Alaska.

Three Bears Alaska is committed to being a good steward in the communities where we live and work. We support numerous events to give back to and support Alaska communities, including Iron Dog 2023, Kenai River Festival, 1st Annual Three Bears Outdoor Sportsman Show at the Birchwood Recreation and Shooting Park, Willow 300 sled dog race (main sponsor), Knik 150 sled dog race, and Redington sled dog race—just to name a few!

The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC) measures success by the good we do for TKC shareholders and the people of the Middle Kuskokwim Region. Our business success in the Lower 48 has allowed us the opportunity to invest in projects that directly benefit our shareholders here at home. Not only did TKC distribute a record three dividends to shareholders in 2022 but we also work to steward our homeland with housing, workforce development, cost of living, and energy projects in the Middle Kuskokwim.

We measure success by the impact of our revenues turning into shareholder benefits and opportunities. Helping to create thriving, self-sustaining communities is our ultimate measure of success, and we are guided by our ancestral values in creating generational wealth for years to come.

Olgoonik has consistently delivered benefits in the form of dividends, scholarships, and cultural support to our Alaska Native shareholders since 2009. This past year we welcomed a new generation of shareholders to our rolls with more Class B shares.

“With the resources earned by our hardworking employees and subsidiary companies, we strive to achieve NANA’s mission of promoting healthy communities and improving the quality of life for our shareholders,” says President and CEO John Lincoln. NANA’s mission is to improve the quality of life for our people by maximizing economic growth, protecting and enhancing our lands, and promoting healthy communities with decisions, actions, and behaviors inspired by our Iñupiat Iḷitqusiat values. NANA shareholders have access to social programs that promote community development and provide support for education, healthcare, and elder assistance. Additionally, NANA invests in economic development and sustainability initiatives that create jobs and lower the cost of living in the region, which in turn strengthens the social fabric of our communities.

As a “forever” corporation, Koniag must be future focused on a scale that is unparalleled in the for-profit business world. This means that our corporation is focused not only on financial growth but also on the growth of our Alutiiq shareholders and descendants and the communities across the Kodiak region. We are making investments in our future generations. One of the key ways we are doing that is through the Koniag Education Foundation. Since inception, it has awarded more than $6 million in scholarships to college and vocational students. Koniag also offers scholarships to children aged 3 through twelfth grade so they can attend athletic, scholastic, and cultural programs. Additionally, we offer internships and apprenticeships in a variety of areas in which we do business. For our elders, we are proud to provide extra financial support and subsistence packages. Through our burial assistance program, we support shareholder families during one of the most difficult times in their lives. Donations and collaboration with nonprofits in our region and beyond help to ensure that our in-region communities thrive. As we navigate our sixth decade, Koniag’s focus remains on investing in and supporting our shareholders through the seasons to come.

Most importantly, under the leadership of the Board of Directors, Kikiktagruk Inupiat Corporation declared and distributed a record dividend to shareholders and record shareholder employment/wages/benefits.

We are an economic driver in local communities, supporting education, cultural initiatives, and shareholder development.

Goldbelt’s mission is to build bright futures for shareholders, and in 2022 benefits grew with an increased fall distribution of $8 per share and a special $100 benefit. Goldbelt also contributed $10.2 million to the Ancestral Trust to create a sustainable distribution separate from business operations.

One very tangible measure of success is the longevity of our employees’ time at First National. It’s not unusual to have employee anniversaries of twenty, twenty-five, or thirty years each month; sometimes even forty years. The average tenure of a First National team member is twelve years. This continuity helps us provide consistent, superior customer service to our fellow Alaskans. We believe success can be measured in the ability of a business to support the communities it serves. For more than a century, First National has been a strong supporter of cities, towns, and villages across the Great Land. In 2022, the bank’s community investments and contributions during our centennial year reached nearly $6 million, which included charitable gifts, activity and community sponsorships, and community investments supporting low-income affordable housing. This support of Alaska communities is part of our mission statement and a basic philosophy—when our friends and neighbors in the communities we serve succeed, so do we.

Among other evaluations, Everts Air measures success based on our recruitment, development, and retention of great employees, along with the feedback received from new and loyal customers alike, whose organizations we have supported and positively impacted.

The mission of Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) is to promote the economic and social well-being and Alaska Native heritage of our shareholders, now and into the future, through prudent stewardship of the company’s resources, while furthering self-sufficiency among CIRI shareholders and their families. While financial growth is one measurement of success, CIRI fulfills its mission through positive impacts to CIRI shareholders, descendants, and their families, while providing meaningful programs and cultural connections to our stakeholders. CIRI was proud to host the company’s first in-person shareholder and descendant information meetings and Annual Meeting in three years and continues to grow shareholder and descendant programming like mentorship, internship, and other programs intended to connect CIRI stakeholders with their Alaska Native culture and their company. CIRI continues to work closely with the company’s tribally designated organizations and affiliated nonprofit organizations to make a difference in the lives of CIRI shareholders, descendants, and more than 60,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people who call the CIRI region home.

Beyond financials, Chugach measures success through 1) Shareholder impact: Chugach was voted for best COVID response in 2022 by Alaska Business readers, largely due to our shareholder response, to include $24 million allocated to our community to address COVID-19 related impacts. In 2023 we broke ground on a multi-use facility, Chugach Naswik, intended to support shareholder and Alaska Native hire in Valdez. We also began the Chugach Native Professionals group and a Shareholder Advisory Committee to engage our future leaders. 2) Employee engagement: we pride ourselves on living our core behaviors (build community, do things the right way, empower people, and create meaningful value). During 2022/2023, Chugach was named best place to work by AJOC, received the Gold Pan Award from the Anchorage Chamber, and was voted best place to work by our employees in the Best of Alaska Business awards published by Alaska Business. 3) Community involvement: Chugach launched a twelve months of giving program, an employee volunteer program, and participated in a number of community activities. Team Chugach raised $24,000 and had the most participants for the AK Run for Women and raised more than $80,000 towards the Covenant House Sleep-Out.

We measure success through our long-term commitment to our shareholders and our customers and their noted satisfaction. We also measure it by the legacy of our company that extends to strengthening our communities, honoring our culture, preserving our past, and looking to the future through innovation.

In addition to financial growth, Bristol Bay Native Corporation also measures success by growth of shareholder distribution payments; shareholder workforce readiness and leadership initiatives; responsible development and protection of our lands, fisheries, and resources; growth of economic opportunities in Bristol Bay; advancing social, cultural, and community initiatives; employee retention and diversity; ethical and legal compliance; and brand recognition and perception.

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) is proud to be in a position to provide significant benefits that include meaningful annual dividends: since 1974, ASRC has issued more than $1 billion in dividends to our Iñupiaq shareholders. ASRC is also an invaluable source of economic support to a variety of charitable organizations. Between 2001 and 2022, ASRC donated $100 million to nonprofit organizations that support our shareholders and the broader Alaska community. True to our Iñupiaq values of sharing, family, and relationships, contributing to the community is not just a box we check. It is who we are. ASRC’s charitable giving is strengthened by our significant contributions directly to the Alaska Native community through the revenue sharing requirements under the federal law that created ASRC. Our aggregate 7(i) payments exceed $1.6 billion to the over 200 Alaska Native corporations across the entire state. ASRC’s economic impact is made possible by the hard work and dedication of our nearly 15,000 employees nationwide, who are part of our Iñupiaq extended family. Therefore, ASRC is committed to attracting and retaining top talent through competitive compensation and a variety of employee benefits that include training and development opportunities throughout all stages of our employees’ careers within our family of companies.

As an Alaska Native corporation, Ahtna approaches profitability as a way to support the provision of vital shareholder services and programs aimed at preserving our cultural identity, developing our resources, protecting our land, and enhancing the lives of our people.

Other key measures of success are the strength of our workforce and positive community impact. While the pandemic changed the nature of work in many ways, we continue to invest in ensuring our workforce feels valued and engaged in our collective mission, as we can achieve nothing without the commitment of our people. Many of those who work with us stay because of how our work benefits Afognak Alutiiq people and other communities where we operate. We were designed to be a different type of corporation—one that invests in long-term community sustainability—and our success is evidenced through championing our people, places, and cultures in perpetuity.