t’s hard to believe that we’re already celebrating the 2021 Corporate 100. That would mean it’s what… April? It feels like a few short months ago, and yet at the same time eons ago, since I last wrote about our annual ranking of Alaska’s largest employers by employee numbers.

This past year has brought with it so many challenges it’s impossible to really quantify the damage done by COVID-19 and all of its negative effects: financial, logistical, emotional, physical, practical. Some of us have felt all of it, some of us a bit of it, but nobody I’ve met has been spared all of it, not even the companies we’re featuring this month. Each company strategized, prioritized, and implemented protocols to safely navigate the pandemic while still keeping as many workers employed as possible—that alone deserves recognition. Where it is possible, workers are being directed to work from home which means new technological demands; for those required to be in the field, new, sometimes frustrating, safety protocols have been put in place and must be followed with meticulous care.

And none of that even begins to touch on how an organization like Providence Health & Services Alaska, number one in the Corporate 100 rankings for the second consecutive year, managed being blindsided by a worldwide pandemic. We would need to (and probably should) dedicate an entire issue to examining the effects of COVID-19 on the healthcare system and the people working in it who have been taking care of us, our families, our friends, often at their own peril.

Another organization that had its world upended completely is Princess Cruises, Holland America Line & Seabourn, number three in the Corporate 100. Last year when I was writing about the Corporate 100, I remember writing about the onset of the tourism season with excitement and some trepidation: COVID-19 had just crept into the state and nobody knew what to expect. This year I’m writing with the same enthusiasm mixed with a small dose of concern and an added ingredient of hope. And though Princess Cruises, Holland America Line & Seabourn have all delayed their sailings, it’s with a fair amount of optimism that I predict these will be delays, not an outright cancellation of the season.

Why am I hopeful? The tourism industry has done a remarkable job of pivoting to meet the demands of operating during a pandemic. There are the safety protocols, which are vitally important, but there is also a push to get Alaskans to take advantage of the lull in Outside visitors by enjoying a tour they normally wouldn’t or visiting a lovely seaside town in the warming weather… without being surrounded by throngs of tourists. The season might not look like it did in 2019, but I know Alaska’s residents are already stepping up and helping bolster the large and small businesses that rely so heavily on seasonal visitor traffic.

And the most obvious and exciting reason for hope: the vaccines. Alaskans are known for being innovative and persistent; we’ve continued to persist through this pandemic and are leading the nation in getting “shots in arms.”

That alone is reason to celebrate.

So join us as we recognize the companies that have given us a sense of stability and security when we need it most. And then get out and head to that tourist trap you’ve always secretly really wanted to visit or book a tour to explore the wonders of a glacier cave. If ever there was a year to do it, this is the one.

Congratulations to the Corporate 100 and happy spring!