OCTOBER 2018 | VOLUME 34 | NUMBER 10 | AKBIZMAG.COM

Contents

Features

34 FINANCE

Leveraging Construction Financing

The ins and outs of finding the right loan
By Tracy Barbour
8 INSURANCE

The Exorbitant Cost of Healthcare in Alaska

Health insurance and the bottom line
By Tracy Barbour
14 HEALTHCARE

Electronic Health Records Improve One Step at a Time

Providers optimistic about future of health communication
By Vanessa Orr
18 TELECOM & TECH

No Road Necessary

E-commerce provides opportunity to conduct business statewide
By Isaac Stone Simonelli
26 TRANSPORTATION

No Port No Problem

Alaska’s plane and barge driven rural shipping industry
By Sam Friedman
38 OIL & GAS

Where Does All That Oil Go?

Looking downstream at Alaska’s oil
By Isaac Stone Simonelli
46 ALASKA NATIVE

Enterprising Entrepreneurs

Creative business in rural Alaska
By Julie Stricker
122 ENVIRONMENTAL

The Best Soil Remediation Tools Available

Prevention, awareness, andinnovation
By Judy Mottl
126 EDUCATION

Planning for the Future

What gets workers farther: traditional degrees or the school of life?
By Samantha Davenport
118 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Playing the Game

The benefits of corporate team building
By Vanessa Orr

TOP 49ERS SPECIAL SECTION

About the Cover

Annually in October we publish our list of Top 49ers, Alaskan-owned companies ranked by revenue. We change the theme from year to year primarily so we can celebrate the many attributes the Top 49ers embody that lead to success (and in part to keep editorial on their toes). With Alaska taking a deep breath and pulling itself out of a down economy, now more than ever we see the need to emphasize the value of teamwork, the importance of talent, and the sweet satisfaction of triumph.

Cover by David Geiger

104 FEATURED 49ER

Alaska Village Electric Cooperative

The nation’s largest electric utility retail cooperative
By Arie Henry
108 FEATURED 49ER

Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

Miles ahead of the pack
By Arie Henry
112 FEATURED 49ER

Koniag

Values first and poised for growth
By Tasha Anderson
116 FEATURED 49ER

Construction Machinery Industrial

Equipping Alaska’s industries
By Tasha Anderson

Departments

Volume 34, #10

Published by Alaska Business
Publishing Co. Anchorage, Alaska

Editorial Staff

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

Associate Editor
Tasha Anderson
257-2902 tanderson@akbizmag.com

Digital and Social Media Specialist
Arie Henry
257-2906 ahenry@akbizmag.com

Art Director
David Geiger
257-2916 design@akbizmag.com

Art Production
Linda Shogren
257-2912 production@akbizmag.com

Photo Contributor
Judy Patrick

BUSINESS STAFF

President
Billie Martin

VP & General Manager
Jason Martin
257-2905 jason@akbizmag.com

VP Sales & Marketing
Charles Bell
257-2909 cbell@akbizmag.com

Senior Account Manager
Janis J. Plume
257-2917 janis@akbizmag.com

Advertising Account Manager
Christine Merki
257-2911 cmerki@akbizmag.com

Accounting Manager
Ana Lavagnino
257-2901 accounts@akbizmag.com

Customer Service Representative
Emily Olsen
257-2914 emily@akbizmag.com

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Toll Free: 1-800-770-4373
(907) 276-4373
www.akbizmag.com
Press releases: press@akbizmag.com

ALASKA BUSINESS PUBLISHING CO., INC.

Alaska Business (ISSN 8756-4092) is published monthly by Alaska Business Publishing Co., Inc., 501 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 100, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-2577; Telephone: (907) 276-4373;
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