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April 2024 | Volume 40 | Number 4 | AKBIZMAG.COM

Contents

Features

Provoking the Change
Rasmuson Foundation catalyzes Alaska organizations

By Rindi White

Energizing Renewables
Federal and state grants for energy upgrades

By Dimitra Lavrakas

More Done in a Day
Amplifying employee productivity

By Tracy Barbour

Serious Games
Building teams for a positive workplace culture

By Vanessa Orr

Leading the Charge
Electrical engineers on the design circuit

By Rachael Kvapil

Streamlining the Waste Stream
Anchorage’s new central transfer station

By Terri Marshall

Put on a Pretty Face
Anchorage’s Great Streets Façade Improvement Loan Program

By Katie Pesznecker
Anchorage Community Development Authority
a man stands beside a lift holding another man as he works on the Silverado Way mural

Hardcore Metal
Phased research for strategic mineral production

By Nancy Erickson
Sue Karl | US Geological Survey

Powder Reserve West
Eklutna, Inc. rescues Anchorage housing with Eagle River development

By Alexandra Kay

Kodiak Marketplace
A new shopping center stimulates the city

By Mikel Insalaco

Provoking the Change
Rasmuson Foundation catalyzes Alaska organizations

By Rindi White

Energizing Renewables
Federal and state grants for energy upgrades

By Dimitra Lavrakas

Hardcore Metal
Phased research for strategic mineral production

By Nancy Erickson
Sue Karl | US Geological Survey
distant high angle view of a red helicopter resting at the top of a peak on the edge of a valley, a man in a safety vest surveys the ground on the slope just below the helicopter

More Done in a Day
Amplifying employee productivity

By Tracy Barbour

Serious Games
Building teams for a positive workplace culture

By Vanessa Orr

Leading the Charge
Electrical engineers on the design circuit

By Rachael Kvapil

Streamlining the Waste Stream
Anchorage’s new central transfer station

By Terri Marshall

Put on a Pretty Face
Anchorage’s Great Streets Façade Improvement Loan Program

By Katie Pesznecker
Anchorage Community Development Authority
a man stands beside a lift holding another man as he works on the Silverado Way mural

Powder Reserve West
Eklutna, Inc. rescues Anchorage housing with Eagle River development

By Alexandra Kay

Kodiak Marketplace
A new shopping center stimulates the city

By Mikel Insalaco
Correction: On pg. 17 of the print edition of the March 2024 issue, the wrong photo was identified as Rachael Miller.

About The Cover

Bienvenue chez Alaska Business! The French accent comes through clearly, non? Because this is the voice of a consummate chef preparing a gourmet banquet in honor of this month’s Corporate 100. Only the finest farm-fresh, seasonal ingredients for the guests at this table—namely, the thousands of workers who qualify their listed companies as the state’s largest private sector employers.

The recipe to nourish and satisfy these tireless toilers: a spoonful of professional growth opportunities, a heaping helping of a healthy workplace, and a sweet glaze of enticing benefits. Sample the buffet within these pages. Bon appétit!

Cover design by Monica Sterchi-Lowman
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. © 2024 Alaska Business Publishing Co. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Alaska Business accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials; they will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. One-year subscription is $39.95 and includes twelve issues (print + digital) and the annual Power List. Single issues of the Power List are $15 each. Single issues of Alaska Business are $4.99 each; $5.99 for the August & October issues. Send subscription orders and address changes to circulation@akbizmag.com. To order back issues ($9.99 each including postage) visit simplecirc.com/back_issues/alaska-business.
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Partners to the Alaska Native Community

DWT has been part of the Alaska community for more than forty years. Our lawyers use their depth and breadth of experience to serve and partner with our clients, including many Alaska Native entities, as they develop, grow, and strengthen their non-profit and for-profit enterprises.

Business & Corporate
Energy
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Government Contracts
Healthcare & Tribal Health Organizations
Labor & Employment

Litigation
Non-Profits & Foundations
Privacy & Security
Real Property
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From the Editor

Across all industries, no employer can avoid human resources. The Corporate 100 rank by number of employees motivates a focus on those human elements this month, but I hear about it year-round from my sister, an experienced HR manager.

Conversations around the holiday table led me to invite her to write for the magazine. Yes, Maija Doggett is that sister. She alerts me about HR issues I’ve never heard of, such as the problems with “tribe” in workplace jargon.

Respectfully, she’s not policing anybody’s language, especially not Native tribes or their members. But words contain codes that are not immediately obvious. For instance, my own article in this issue mentions the word “chief,” and a source outside the magazine advised caution, for reasons not unlike the trouble with “tribe.”

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Volume 40, #4
Editorial
Managing Editor
Tasha Anderson
907-257-2907
tanderson@akbizmag.com
Editor/Staff Writer
Scott Rhode
srhode@akbizmag.com
Associate Editor
Rindi White
rindi@akbizmag.com
Editorial Assistant
Emily Olsen
emily@akbizmag.com
PRODUCTION
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Charles Bell
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Christine Merki
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Tiffany Whited
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BUSINESS
President
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VP & General Manager
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Accounting Manager
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Send address changes to
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HR MATTERS
The “New” Gig
The Flex Workforce
Written by Paula Bradison, CEO PeopleAK
I

n several recent surveys and publications, it is well documented that business owners are searching for creative and unique staffing solutions. Examples include flexible work schedules, remote work, and job sharing, to name a few. In Alaska, this challenge is seasonally amplified. While employers grapple with staffing challenges, it’s important to recognize the significant benefit that temporary staffing offers to employers and employees alike.

Construction and maritime workers know this on-again and off-again “gig” all too well. Many look for a paying “gig” during winter to keep them busy and provide extra cash. Similarly, in the summer months, teachers work as tour operators. This is not a new concept, so why are employers continuing to hesitate to hire contingent staff based on “job hopping” or “being overqualified?”

Nonprofit
Provoking the Change
Rasmuson Foundation catalyzes Alaska organizations
By Rindi White
Catholic Social Services
K

indness is the beginning of philanthropy, but the formula for successful giving sometimes needs a catalyst. That’s when the Rasmuson Foundation, the largest private charitable funder in Alaska, steps in. The Rasmuson Foundation consistently finds the right time and place to donate that maximizes the effectiveness of its funding.

Chris Perez, Rasmuson Foundation’s vice president of programs, says the foundation actively seeks out projects that offer a chance to make positive change for the community they’re in—grants that help kids or improve a community’s health. Even better are those that do both, he says, citing the $400,000 that Rasmuson Foundation gave to Community Connections to help that nonprofit purchase two houses for therapeutic foster care, one on Prince of Wales Island and one in Ketchikan. “Catalytic support grants,” he calls them, referring to their ability to act as a catalyst or, according to Merriam-Webster, “an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action.”

Jose Gaytan
United Way
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A home is more
than a roof and
four walls.
United Way partners with organizations and individuals across Anchorage to make sure that people exiting homelessness have the support they need. Mental and physical health treatment, assistance applying for jobs and benefits, and a community that cares all help make homelessness rare and brief.
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ENERGY
Energizing Renewables
Federal and state grants for energy upgrades
By Dimitra Lavrakas
Alaska Solar
A

laska businesses are reaching for the sun with US Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants to take advantage of renewable energy or energy efficiency.

The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) has $145 million to help agricultural producers and rural small business owners nationwide make energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy investments. Both grants are available to applicants in a one-year period, says Dan Smith, state energy coordinator for USDA Rural Development. The remaining periods for REAP applications in 2024 are April 1 to June 30 and July 1 to September 30.

Mining
Hardcore Metal
Phased research for strategic mineral production
By Nancy Erickson
Susan Karl | US Geological Survey
I

n January, developers of the Bokan Mountain mining prospect on Prince of Wales Island acquired an 80,800-square-foot building to house an innovative process for separating rare earth elements. Unfortunately for the Lower Panhandle, the Strategic Metals Complex is not being built in Ketchikan, which was the plan less than two years ago.

Instead, Ucore Rare Metals acquired a disused facility at a former US Air Force base in Louisiana. The company expects to begin production there next year. A setback for Alaska’s mineral industry, but a step forward for domestic processing.

Currently, China produces more than 95 percent of the world’s rare earth elements.

TELECOM & TECH
NLshop| iStock
More Done in a Day
Amplifying employee productivity
By Tracy Barbour
Y

ears of living with lymphedema inspired Laura Oden to go into business. Because of fluid buildup, her feet were two different sizes, so shoe shopping was a hassle. She wasn’t the only person in need of a solution, so Oden co-founded Pandere, a specialty shoe outlet for unique feet.

While Oden calls Alaska home, Pandere has a worldwide reach with a distributed team selling stylish footwear that can be adjusted to accommodate swollen feet. Technology ties the operation together.

Strategic Technology
With the persistent shortage of workers today, technology that optimizes efficiency is even more urgent. Employee productivity is defined as the amount of work an individual can accomplish within a certain time. By working more effectively, an employee can complete tasks more quickly, lower labor expenses, and generate more value for the business.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Alaska Escape Rooms
Serious Games
Building teams for a positive workplace culture
By Vanessa Orr
A

laska Escape Rooms is an indoor adventure disguised by an innocuous storefront in downtown Anchorage. The rooms, plural, are named Raven’s Eye and Conjured Kingdoms. Each one-hour experience tells a story, inviting participants to solve puzzles and riddles and, in the process, choose whether to, say, imprison a villain or sacrifice themselves to rescue a damsel.

Since opening in 2017 on a wave of nationwide popularity for this new form of interactive entertainment, Alaska Escape Rooms has become a destination for date nights, bachelor and bachelorette parties, baby showers, and birthdays.

Its founder, Graeme Deishl, also wants customers to know that escape rooms are a business-to-business service. Companies can book time as team-building exercises. Indeed, Alaska Escape Rooms was recognized in 2018 in the Best Team Building Company category (since discontinued) of the Best of Alaska Business awards.

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Events | Concerts | Conferences | Conventions | Banquets | Meetings | Trade Shows | Weddings | In-house Catering | Equipment Technology

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ASM Global is the world’s leading producer of entertainment experiences. It is the global leader in venue and event strategy and management – delivering locally tailored solutions and cutting-edge technologies to achieve maximum results for venue owners. The company’s elite venue network spans five continents, with a portfolio of more than 350 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention, and exhibition centers, and performing arts venues.
49 Years Serving the 49th State
This year, TOTE Maritime Alaska celebrates 49 years in the 49th State! TOTE is proud to have served Alaska since 1975, connecting communities with dedicated, reliable service from Tacoma, WA to Anchorage, Alaska. With our “built for Alaska” vessels and roll-on/roll-off operations, our service and operations were designed to meet the unique needs of the customers and communities of Alaska. Join us in commemorating nearly half a century of excellence in shipping to the Last Frontier.
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Corporate 100
The Care and Feeding of Alaskas Workplace
Corporate 100
M
easuring up for this year’s Corporate 100 takes a relatively modest minimum payroll of, coincidentally, 100 employees.

Organizations invite themselves to this annual celebratory spread by virtue of their size—and by responding to a voluntary survey. Notice that five of last year’s top ten have pushed away from the table, plus many others, making room for twenty-two new place settings, ten of which have never appeared before. Consequently, all but three entries from last year’s list see their positions rising, like a fine dough.

Proper etiquette further dictates that listees maintain an Alaska address and business license. Thus, nonprofits and companies with Outside headquarters can qualify, but not the state’s largest public sector employers: the US Army, US Air Force, Anchorage School District, and the UA System.

In their company kitchens, the Corporate 100 blend wholesome ingredients with exquisite utensils to create the scrumptious ambrosia that keeps employees gratified and contented.

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Reaching new heights.

From Adak in the Aleutians to Juneau in the Southeast, to Elliott Highway in the Interior and in our hometown of Utqiaġvik, UIC is rising above to meet diverse business needs across Alaska.

And that’s just a tip of the iceberg.

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Alaska Business Profile
Lidar Data
A Key Tool for Protecting and Preserving the Alaskan Way of Life
I

n the vast expanse of Alaska, the interplay of extreme weather, brutal winter freezes, summer precipitation, and shifting climate patterns is profoundly affecting delicate tundra and coastal ecosystems. These environmental transformations not only have ecological repercussions but also striking implications for human communities. Alaska Native communities, residing in remote regions, find themselves increasingly vulnerable to these shifts. So what can be done to safeguard these lands and preserve cultural heritage in the face of such challenges?

The first step is having the scientific evidence to document and better understand the hazards these communities face. This enables communities to access needed resources and make appropriate decisions to address immediate and long-term threats. One critical piece of data is lidar mapping. Using advanced remote sensing laser technology, lidar is used to map surface features on the ground—such as signs of permafrost, floodplains, beaches, trees, and community infrastructure—to deliver high-resolution elevation models for precision analysis. These data can address multiple real-world challenges. Better flood modeling and erosion scenarios lead to improved disaster response and engineering strategies for mitigation.

Corporate 100
Nancy Johnson at the KTUU broadcast station
Behind the Screens
Nancy Johnson sets the tone at KTUU
By Sarah Reynolds Westin
Nancy Johnson smiling
Photos by Patricia Morales | Alaska Business
I

nside the master control room, Nancy Johnson watches monitors that flicker with the live feeds of Anchorage’s KTUU Channel 2 and KAUU Channel 5. As vice president of Gray Television and general manager of the local TV stations, Johnson prefers to sidestep the limelight and work behind the scenes. She has helped keep the NBC affiliate on the air since 1981, the year the former KENI-TV adopted its current call letters, making Johnson its longest employee—not to mention one of its most influential, even though she will rebuff this second descriptor.

“My successes aren’t my own,” she says, pointing to colleagues who assist with broadcast productions, news segments, and advertisement sales. Johnson classifies her efforts at KTUU as supporting and empowering others.

“I grew up on the East Coast. Work there was about who you knew and what you could get away with,” Johnson recalls. “Alaska wasn’t that way. Here, what mattered was your talents, how you’re contributing to the community.” This sense of belonging and feeling like she was making a difference motivated her to remain at KTUU.

Up from the Basement
What brought Johnson to this community was a graduation gift, according to Doris Tronstad, KTUU’s national sales manager and director of operations and HR. “When Nancy graduated from college, her present was a ticket to Alaska to visit family,” Tronstad recounts. “Like so many folks, once she got here, she never left—and we’re all better for it.” Tronstad has worked alongside Johnson for thirty-five years.
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Corporate 100
Who’s the Boss?
Sorting the presidents from the CEOs
By Scott Rhode
C

ompanies in the Alaska Business Corporate 100 declare their top officer, the person who serves as the figurehead and the public face of the organization. These individuals hold a variety of titles, and some of them hold more than one title at a time.

On the 2024 list, the top officer for 21 percent of companies is a CEO. For 18 percent, it’s a president. One-quarter of the listings have some other title: vice president, senior vice president, executive vice president, general manager, district manager, operations manager, director of operations, owner, or some combination.

The most common single title, though, is a double title: president-slash-CEO, almost always in that order. Of the Corporate 100, 28 percent of companies have a top officer with this dual honorific.

Rise Above

Representing Alaskans since 1976, we help clients reach their pinnacle.

Row one: headshots of Suzanne Adler, Philip Blumstein, Michelle Boutin, Jennifer M. Couglin, Anna Chapman Crary, John R. Crone, Kim Dunn, Andy Erickson, Casey K. Gilmore, Joshua D. Hodes, Robert H. Hume, Jr.; Row two: headshots of Doug Karet, Karl A. Kaufman, Alexander J. Kubitz, Matt Mead, Bruce A. Moore, Jackson Morawski, Leslie R. Need, Lauren Sommer Boskofsky, Benjamin W. Spiess, John M. “Sky” Starkey, Ryan J. Thomas
Row one: headshots of Suzanne Adler, Philip Blumstein, Michelle Boutin, Jennifer M. Couglin; Row two: headshots of Anna Chapman Crary, John R. Crone, Kim Dunn, Andy Erickson; Row three: headshots of Casey K. Gilmore, Joshua D. Hodes, Robert H. Hume, Jr., Doug Karet; Row four: headshots of Karl A. Kaufman, Alexander J. Kubitz, Matt Mead, Bruce A. Moore; Row five: headshots of Jackson Morawski, Leslie R. Need, Lauren Sommer Boskofsky, Benjamin W. Spiess; Row six: headshots of John M. “Sky” Starkey, Ryan J. Thomas
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Corporate 100
HR Professionals in the Workforce Cycle
From recruitment and training to promotion and graceful exits
By Lincoln Garrick and Patty Hickok
H

umans are essential to the success of any business. Just as equipment, a working space, and financial capital are key components needed for an organization to “do” business, so are all the people who work and contribute to an organization. This includes employees and (increasingly in the gig economy) independent/temporary and on-call and workers employed without a traditional labor contract. Human resource (HR) professionals are tasked with creating the environment for individuals and teams to achieve better performance for an organization, and these efforts can happen before, during, or post-employment.

Changes in the HR field had previously been incremental, but in recent years they have been revolutionary. The HR field has changed more in the last three years than in the previous fifty. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM):

The COVID-19 pandemic threw employers and employees into chaos and uncertainty, with no clear end in sight. HR operated in crisis mode for much of 2020 and the first half of 2021, figuring out how employees could work from home, trying to provide extra mental and physical health support, and working more than ever on C-level strategies for keeping their organizations functioning. As the dust continues to settle and companies adjust to a new normal, the role of HR has fundamentally changed.

The COVID-19 years accelerated work-technology, adapting to the need for remote work. Along the way, many long-held corporate rules about leave, work travel, layoffs, and overtime policies were drastically changed.

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Anchorage | Palmer | Juneau | 907.561.1011 | pndengineers.com | Est’d 1979
Corporate 100
The Trouble With “Tribe”
When workplace culture clashes with cultural appropriation
By J. Maija Doggett
E

xcited as my former colleagues were for my new adventure when I changed jobs in 2023, they were also sad to see me go. At twenty-plus years of service, I had the longest tenure of all employees in the human resources department. Many of my coworkers expressed how much they were going to miss my “tribal” knowledge of the firm’s HR practices.

It wasn’t a tribal entity that I worked for. I’m not of American Indian or Alaska Native descent, and I don’t belong to any of the 574 tribes recognized by the US government. When my coworkers referred to my “tribal” knowledge, what they meant was my institutional knowledge of the firm’s history, employee policy development, and corporate culture, which many of my teammates found to be useful in doing their own jobs. They were using “tribal” in the context of referring to our workplace as our tribe.

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Big or Small, We Cater It All
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Advanced notice may be required.
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Unmatched Maritime Solutions
Where expertise meets excellence, ensuring your cargo sails smoothly through every Alaskan winter challenge.

Trust in Cook Inlet Tug & Barge.

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Corporate 100
Nontraditional Experience
Employers cast wider net with diverse résumé requirements
By Terri Marshall
L

ife is a college. When evaluating potential employees, many companies are looking beyond higher education or a résumé loaded with relevant work experience to notice a subtler sort of qualifications. Applicants may have nontraditional backgrounds that translate into excellent job performance. This expansive view might not have been obvious until relatively recently, when hiring became a headache.

Faced with difficulty finding qualified workers, Governor Mike Dunleavy issued an administrative order in February 2023 that waived the college degree requirement for most State of Alaska jobs. Dunleavy said, “Today people can gain knowledge, skills, and abilities through on-the-job experience. If we are going to address our labor shortage, we must recognize the value that apprenticeships, on-the-job training, military training, trade schools, and other experiences provide applicants. If a person can do the job, we should not be holding anyone back just because they don’t have a degree.”

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DEALMAKERS RELY ON DORSEY FOR PRACTICAL AND CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO LEVERAGE OPPORTUNITIES WORLDWIDE.
Our clients accomplish their goals with the help of our in-depth experience and grounded counsel. We recognize the fundamental importance of getting the deal done.
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DEALMAKERS RELY ON DORSEY FOR PRACTICAL AND CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO LEVERAGE OPPORTUNITIES WORLDWIDE.
Our clients accomplish their goals with the help of our in-depth experience and grounded counsel. We recognize the fundamental importance of getting the deal done.
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1031 West Fourth Avenue, Suite 600
Anchorage, AK 99501-5907

dorsey.com

Sun cresting over Earth in space
Meet in Anchorage typography

The Meeting:

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
District 12 Annual Meeting

May 4-7, 2023

350 Delegates

Estimated Economic Impact:
$218,114

Nathaniel Rivers,
Meeting Champion

The men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity embody four cardinal principles: manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift. Alaskan Nathaniel Rivers exemplified those principles, spending 30 years in the Army, three seasons in the NFL, and as a full-time mentor and volunteer in Anchorage. Inspired to reconnect past and present brothers of Omega Psi Phi, Rivers set his sights on bringing his fraternity’s annual meeting to Anchorage. Making his case to host, Rivers successfully landed the bid and the group held their district meeting in Anchorage for the first time since 1998. Inspired by the allure of Alaska, 350 attendees came from across the country to enjoy Anchorage’s urban and outdoor experiences. Anchorage proved the perfect fit for these Omega Psi Phi brothers, weaving an unforgettable story into the fabric of their fraternity.
Nathaniel Rivers wearing a bright yellow Omega Psi Phi Fraternity sweater with purple trim and bands
Meet in Anchorage typography

The Meeting:

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
District 12 Annual Meeting

May 4-7, 2023

350 Delegates

Estimated Economic Impact:
$218,114

The men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity embody four cardinal principles: manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift. Alaskan Nathaniel Rivers exemplified those principles, spending 30 years in the Army, three seasons in the NFL, and as a full-time mentor and volunteer in Anchorage. Inspired to reconnect past and present brothers of Omega Psi Phi, Rivers set his sights on bringing his fraternity’s annual meeting to Anchorage. Making his case to host, Rivers successfully landed the bid and the group held their district meeting in Anchorage for the first time since 1998. Inspired by the allure of Alaska, 350 attendees came from across the country to enjoy Anchorage’s urban and outdoor experiences. Anchorage proved the perfect fit for these Omega Psi Phi brothers, weaving an unforgettable story into the fabric of their fraternity.

Image: Nathaniel Rivers, Meeting Champion

Are you a member of an association?
Contact Visit Anchorage to bring your group to town:
meetings@anchorage.net | 907.276.4118

Corporate 100
Bridge of Skills
Connecting military veterans to civilian jobs
By Vanessa Orr
Lance Cpl. Alyssa Deputee | DVIDS
L

ife in uniform doesn’t always translate into relevant civilian work experience after military personnel finish their tours of duty. Fortunately, several programs and resources can help prepare for life after leaving the service.

“Not to be flip, but whether a person has served a few years or a lifetime in the military, it’s like being a teabag in water,” says Mary M. Rydesky, a professional coach who works with the federally funded Transition Assistance Program (TAP). “They’ve been imbued in the culture, and their whole identity is shaped by the expectations of the military and the community that supports them.”

Differences include some fundamental aspects that most workers take for granted. “While a civilian workplace culture is 8-to-5, in the military, the culture is 24-7,” Rydesky says. “Military personnel are brought up with expectations about the workplace, values, and performance.”

NANAtkut
Empowering progress with innovative strategies and a shared vision of dedication and resilience, always honoring the Iñupiat way of life.
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ENGINEERING
Leading the Charge
Electrical engineers on the design circuit
By Rachael Kvapil
E

lectrical systems rarely receive the same attention as the showier parts of engineering. Not only are wires hidden within walls, but the current they carry, unlike water in pipes, is invisible. It’s easy to think of electrical designs in terms of lights and outlets; however, the field has grown to encompass advancing technologies used for safety, productivity, and a healthier environment.

Security
Jeremy Maxie, associate principal electrical engineer for RSA Engineering, says he has probably worked in every Anchorage school and every correctional facility in the state. Security is a major component of the company’s electrical engineering and consulting division—along with lighting, power, telecommunications, fire alarms, and audio-video systems. RSA Engineering is a design service company primarily focusing on mechanical, electrical, and site investigation services statewide, in the Lower 48, and even in Antarctica.
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ENVIRONMENTAL
Ken Graham | Davis Constructors & Engineers
Streamlining the Waste Stream
Anchorage’s new central transfer station
By Terri Marshall
I

n Anchorage, solid waste ends up at the regional landfill off Hiland Road. This includes ash and grit from the wastewater treatment plant as well as industrial and household refuse. Rather than drive to Eagle River, though, commercial haulers and individuals have the option of dumping in Midtown.

The city-owned Solid Waste Services (SWS) maintains a Central Transfer Station off Old Seward Highway, between International Airport Road and Dowling Road. The exact address flipped to the other side of East 56th Avenue last fall with the completion of a replacement facility. Opened September 8, 2023, the Central Transfer Station is expected to extend the life of the Anchorage Regional Landfill from approximately 2065 until 2085.

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Alaska Business Power Profile
NORTECH, Inc.
Delivering high-quality engineering and industrial hygiene solutions
NORTECH, Inc. office
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or NORTECH, Inc., the phrase “Engineering Solutions to Keep Alaska Beautiful and Alaskans Safe” is more than just a slogan. This embodies the essence of the value the firm generates throughout the state. NORTECH, Inc. provides environmental engineering, industrial hygiene, and hazardous materials management solutions that help organizations maintain functional, safe, and healthy conditions.

NORTECH, Inc. has been serving public- and privatesector clients since 1979, when it was originally founded by John Hargesheimer, PE, CIH, currently a senior consultant. Led today by Peter Beardsley, PE, and Jason Ginter, PMP, the company has offices in Fairbanks, Juneau, and Anchorage and a multidisciplinary staff fulfilling its mission: “providing the highest-quality environmental engineering and industrial hygiene solutions.”

Economic Development
a mural on Silverado Way depicting stylized abstract tree trunks in shades of red, orange, white, black and muted green

Anchorage Community Development Authority

Put on a Pretty Face
Anchorage’s Great Streets Façade Improvement Loan Program
By Katie Pesznecker
S

ecret shoppers scouted Anchorage in the winter and summer of 2022. Posing as tourists or prospective residents, they evaluated the city for its attractions, amenities, ease of movement, and customer service.

Arizona-based consulting firm Roger Brooks International compiled the findings as the Anchorage Destination Assessment. The clandestine visitors had plenty of suggestions for improvement. The report included recommendations for better signage, more logical traffic patterns, and general municipal beautification.

To implement the recommendations, Mayor Dave Bronson empaneled the Project Anchorage Task Force. The group assigned priorities to changes that could be made right away. One of those low-hanging fruits is the Great Streets Façade Improvement Loan Program, now concluding its first year.

Alaska Native
Powder Reserve
West
Eklutna, Inc. rescues Anchorage housing with Eagle River development

By Alexandra Kay

Eklutna, Inc.

B

efore Anchorage was a city, the Dena’ina Athabascan people called the area home. One of their eight local villages was Idlughet, situated near the glacier-fed Idluytnu river. Today, both the village and the river are named Eklutna.

The city grew up around the Eklutna people’s fish camps and hunting grounds. The unification of the Greater Anchorage Area Borough into a single municipality in 1975 tied the Eklutna village even closer to the city, one more link in a chain of suburbs along the Glenn Highway through Eagle River and Chugiak.

A freeway interchange built near Fire Lake in the ‘90s surmounted the highway as a barrier to westward development. While a Fred Meyer supermarket opened at one side of the interchange, a residential subdivision sprouted across the highway, off a feeder street called Eklutna Park Drive. At the end of the street, the Eklutna village corporation, Eklutna, Inc., operates a gravel pit, just one of the many commercial ventures by Eklutna, Inc. as the largest landowner in Anchorage.

Among the village corporation’s more than 100,000 acres is undeveloped land on the opposite side of Eklutna Park Drive. The wooded tract overlooking Lower Fire Lake backs onto a subdivision near Chugiak High School. Eklutna has its eye on turning the property into the newest bedroom community in Eagle River.

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It’s All in Your Hands
I

don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say print is here to stay. I’ll admit that I may be a little biased because I am fortunate to work for the best B2B print publication in Alaska. Some of you may be reading this in our exceptional digital edition (digital.akbizmag.com), but many of you are holding our physical, print magazine in your hands to browse this issue.

Combining print magazine advertising with digital options is powerful, and research shows it. Alaska Business continues to evolve, offering creative ways for clients to target their message through a combination of print advertising, responsive digital ads, Spotlight Digital Profiles (akbizmag.com/spotlights/), the weekly Monitor, (digital.akbizmag.com/media-kit-2024/#newsletters) and Industry (akbizmag.com/industry/) banner ads on our website. We also have live event sponsorship opportunities and use social media to connect our readers with us, other businesses, and with you.

RETAIL
Kodiak Marketplace
A new shopping center stimulates the city
By Mikel Insalaco
Nvision Architecture
O

pting to replace the old with the new can profoundly impact the community’s fabric. So it is with Kodiak, one of Alaska’s oldest cities, and a new shopping center. The transformation is driven by Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA), which is mainly responsible for healthcare on the archipelago. Through the new Kodiak Marketplace, KANA took a big leap into commercial real estate, a venture that is energizing the whole community through strategic redevelopment.

The structure that would become the Kodiak Marketplace was originally built after the 1964 earthquake as a Kraft Foods store. This development was significant for Kodiak, often likened by elders to “big city” advancements.

In the late ‘70s, Alaska Commercial Company acquired and remodeled the building, operating it until a decade ago. This location provided essential grocery and food security and introduced significant advancements to the community, including a Burger King franchise that marked a notable evolution in the community’s commercial landscape.

Safety Corner
Emphasis Programs
Enforcement strategies by national and local safety offices
By Sean Dewalt
Sean Dewalt
R

esources are limited for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement, so the agency has implemented National Emphasis Programs (NEPs) as a temporary focus on particular hazards and high-hazard industries. Existing and potential NEPs are evaluated using inspection data, injury and illness data, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports, peer-reviewed literature, analysis of inspection findings, and other available information sources.

At a more granular level, Local Emphasis Programs (LEPs) are enforcement strategies designed and implemented at the regional office and/or area office levels. These programs are intended to address hazards or industries that pose a particular risk to workers in that office’s jurisdiction. The emphasis programs may be implemented by a single area office or at the regional level (Regional Emphasis Programs) and applied to all area offices within the region. These LEPs are accompanied by outreach intended to make employers in the area aware of the program as well as the hazards that the programs are designed to reduce or eliminate. This outreach may be in the form of informational mailings, training at local trade shows, or speeches at meetings of industry groups or labor organizations.

Inside Alaska Business
ENSTAR
Subzero temperatures in Southcentral on January 31 strained ENSTAR’s natural gas delivery system. The utility recorded its largest one-day demand for gas, moving 268 million cubic feet (MMcf) to 150,000 customers. The previous record, set about seven years earlier, was 254 MMcf, and ENSTAR’s average January delivery is about 160 MMcf per day. The cold snap coincided with problems at two storage wells that reduced gas supply. However, ENSTAR President John Sims says different parties came together to make sure the system was stable. For 2025, though, Sims warns that current supply contracts are not enough to meet ENSTAR’s anticipated demand.

enstarnaturalgas.com

GeoAlaska
A noncompetitive state permit expands the acreage on Augustine Island for GeoAlaska to prospect for volcanic heat. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources concluded in January that a two-year permit on 7,205 acres would be in the state’s interest, and GeoAlaska was the only applicant. Based on magnetic and gravity data collected last year on the island southwest of Homer, the company identified a “sweet spot” for hydrothermal potential, a target of this summer’s exploration in cooperation with Alaska Drilling & Completions.

geoalaska.wixsite.com/geoalaska

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#thePSFdifference
Turning the page
Right Moves
Thompson & Co.
Thompson & Co. Public Relations (T&C) launched a new corporate entity that formally combines with sister agency Blueprint Alaska. The company led by T&C owner and CEO Jennifer Thompson and Blueprint Alaska President Sarah Erkmann Ward also gains a third leadership partner, in addition to several executive promotions.

Alaska Trends

N

early fifty years ago, the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) was established as an independent public corporation, tasked by the state government with supporting the development of energy projects. AEA gained a new tool in 2008, when the Alaska legislature created the Renewable Energy Fund (REF) and the associated Renewable Energy Grant Recommendation Program.

A temporary program at first, REF’s five-year sunset date was extended in 2012 and then, last year, repealed entirely, cementing the program as a permanent component of Alaska’s energy infrastructure toolkit.

With its future now boundless, AEA looked back on REF’s past. The authority commissioned BW Research Partnership to examine the program’s economic, community, and environmental impacts. Some of those results are discussed in this month’s article “Energizing Renewables” by Dimitra Lavrakas, along with other public financing that helps Alaskans plug into solar power or other sustainable sources.

What book is currently on your nightstand?
A Thousand Trails Home: Living with Caribou by Seth Kantner.

What charity or cause are you passionate about?
My wife and I are really focused on supporting kids at risk. We’re both really attuned to and close to Covenant House and Clare House.

What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
[He laughs] We usually walk the dog. We have a cockapoo, Phoebe.

What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
The Lodge at St. Edward State Park [a hiking spot just north of Seattle].

If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
I don’t know. Maybe a wolf.

Rob Gillam looking at different items in boxes
What book is currently on your nightstand?
A Thousand Trails Home: Living with Caribou by Seth Kantner.

What charity or cause are you passionate about?
My wife and I are really focused on supporting kids at risk. We’re both really attuned to and close to Covenant House and Clare House.

What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
[He laughs] We usually walk the dog. We have a cockapoo, Phoebe.

What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
The Lodge at St. Edward State Park [a hiking spot just north of Seattle].

If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
I don’t know. Maybe a wolf.

Monica Whitt

Off the Cuff

Rob Gillam
U

pstairs at the Anchorage Museum, the Arctic Studies Center is the Smithsonian Institution’s toehold in Alaska. Inside its Gillam Archaeology Laboratory and Art Space, center director Aron Crowell prepares for a visitor by laying out artifacts he and his teams collected in Yakutat, Klukwan, and Kodiak: a cooking pot, projectile points, a Russian musket ball.

The visitor is Rob Gillam. His name is on the wall as part of the Robert B. Gillam family, the lab’s primary benefactor in 2010 when the museum expanded. Gillam, the CEO of financial services firm McKinley Management, sustains the family’s work at the museum.

DIGITAL EDITION ADVERTISERS INDEX
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Alaska State Map
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John Deere and Airport Equipment Rentals logos
John Deere
460E Mud Truck
Featuring:
– Traction Boosting Auto Diff Locks
– Jobsite Adaptive Suspension
– Smooth, Optimized, Fast Cycle Shifting

Backed by a Industry Leading
5-Year / 15,000 Hour Transmission Warranty

Alaska State Map
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Fairbanks
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Anchorage
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Delta Junction
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Anchorage
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Delta Junction
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Prudhoe Bay
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The Rental Zone
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Kenai
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On time and on budget.
At Lynden, we understand that plans change but deadlines don’t. That’s why we proudly offer our exclusive Dynamic Routing system. Designed to work around your unique requirements, Dynamic Routing allows you to choose the mode of transportation – air, sea or land – to control the speed of your deliveries so they arrive just as they are needed. With Lynden you only pay for the speed you need.
1-888-596-3361 | www.lynden.com
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Alaska Business logo
Thanks for reading our April 2024 issue!