very day, new technologies emerge that are designed to make it easier for people to connect with the things they need, and healthcare is no exception. Today’s tech-savvy patients are using digital means to make appointments, check test results, remember to take medication, get answers to health-related questions, and more.

Healthcare facilities are also using updated technology to run offices and practices more smoothly, using artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure equipment remains up and running, and taking advantage of virtual training tools to provide staff with continuing education opportunities. And insurers are embracing new technologies to deliver a more positive customer experience.

here are thousands of financial institutions in Alaska, providing everything from checking and savings accounts to loans and investment solutions.

Banks and credit unions are among the most prominent financial services companies serving Alaskans. However, there are distinct differences—and similarities—between how these institutions function to meet the needs of businesses and consumers. And each one fills a particular role in the financial services marketplace.

The state’s diverse roster of financial institutions also includes specialized entities: trust companies, finance companies, money service businesses, mortgage lenders/loan originators, and payday lenders. All of these institutions give Alaskans more choices when it comes to satisfying their financial requirements.

ummer is in full swing, and Alaskans know what that means: construction season.

ISER’s Alaska Construction Spending Forecast 2019 projects that construction in Alaska will increase 10 percent compared to 2018—rising to approximately $7.2 billion. An estimated $200 million of that is traceable to damages from the 7.1 earthquake that rattled the state last November.

But other projects, planned long in advance, are still taking place this summer. Alaska Business has compiled a few of these projects from across the state.

o two environmental site assessments are the same. Organizations and individuals request assessments because of specific needs unique to the circumstances of their particular project. Environmental site assessments are most commonly used to determine the risks of contaminants on a property, and some projects require a more thorough assessment to be completed due to the history of the site.

Environmental site assessments are generally requested during the early stages of a transaction process, as the involved parties typically view the assessment as a part of the “due diligence” period before the transaction is complete, so the majority of Phase I site assessments occur before a property changes ownership. If contamination risks are identified and need remediation, the site would require a Phase II site assessment to clean up the contaminants.

ccording to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), just one gallon of spilled oil can contaminate more than 1 million gallons of water, so it’s critical for companies that deal with these products on a daily basis—whether in their primary trade or secondary to their primary business—to take steps to prevent a spill or discharge and mitigate the damage should one occur.

Enter environmental contingency plans. These documents provide companies with a blueprint that 1) helps implement safety and containment measures to prevent and mitigate the effects of accidental spills and discharges and 2) outlines response and clean-up procedures should catastrophe strike.

n the world of recycling, the line between trash and treasure moves with geography and the state of world markets.

Generally speaking, plastics tend toward the trash end of the spectrum, especially low-grade materials like the “clam shell” plastic boxes that Anchorage and many other towns across the United States recently began to throw away as they’ve lost value as recycled materials.

Used metals, on the other hand, usually have value. Sometimes they have enough value to warrant extensive processing work—even enough to inspire thieves to tear out copper wiring or vehicle catalytic converters to “recycle” them. That’s especially true for non-ferrous metals: metals that don’t contain iron. Non-ferrous metals include aluminum, copper, and even precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum.

n the world of recycling, the line between trash and treasure moves with geography and the state of world markets.

Generally speaking, plastics tend toward the trash end of the spectrum, especially low-grade materials like the “clam shell” plastic boxes that Anchorage and many other towns across the United States recently began to throw away as they’ve lost value as recycled materials.

Used metals, on the other hand, usually have value. Sometimes they have enough value to warrant extensive processing work—even enough to inspire thieves to tear out copper wiring or vehicle catalytic converters to “recycle” them. That’s especially true for non-ferrous metals: metals that don’t contain iron. Non-ferrous metals include aluminum, copper, and even precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum.

very day, thousands of items are shipped to and from Alaska, but some of them require a special kind of care. Temperature-controlled items, such as groceries, seafood, and pharmaceuticals, need to reach their destinations without being damaged, which not only requires specialized technology but also an expert understanding of how to best deliver “chill or frozen” cargo.

“Examples of chill freight are products such as dairy, eggs, meats, fruits, and vegetables, which often have a shorter shelf life, so it’s critical the supply chain runs effectively to transport these products to market,” explains Steve Hartmann, vice president of sales and marketing for Lynden Transport. “Frozen items are generally less time-sensitive and include things like ice cream, meats, pizzas, vegetables, and quick meal entrees—everything you’d find in the freezer section at the grocery store.

“Seafood is very important to Alaska and can be moved as either chill or frozen depending on the destination, packaging, and service level required,” he adds.

oth ConocoPhillips and Oil Search are optimistic about the potential of the Nanushuk Formation on the North Slope following the combined drilling of nine delineation wells over the winter in the Greater Willow and Pikka-Horseshoe units.

“Since taking on operatorship of the Alaska assets in early March 2018, we have gone from 3 to over 130 full-time team members and undertaken a two-rig, four-well exploration appraisal drilling program while continuing to advance the Pikka Development project,” Oil Search Alaska President Keiran Wulff says.

lone employee arrived in mid-February to turn on a furnace and grow lights in one of the northernmost commercial plant nurseries in North America.

Despite winter weather outside, within a few days it would warm to about 75˚F inside the greenhouse—the right temper-ature for starting begonia bulbs, followed by veggies such as leeks and onions—at The Plant Kingdom Greenhouse & Nursery, north of Fairbanks.

At Plant Kingdom, like other plant nurseries and vegetable farms around Alaska, greenhouses are essential for starting the growing season early to seize the opportunity of the long summer days during the short summer season.

Device pricing is determined by the model, specific condition, memory capacity, and value in the second-hand markets. Each phone is instantly and carefully evaluated using a unique machine vision system, electrical diagnostics, and artificial intelligence system all within the automated ecoATM kiosk.
ecoatm.com

Centennial Hall, Juneau: The Alaska Power Association’s 68th Annual Meeting and ARECA Insurance Exchange Annual Meeting, hosted by Alaska Electric Light & Power and Inside Passage Electric Cooperative, brings together APA’s statewide membership for three days of association business, general sessions, speakers, and networking. alaskapower.org

hauna Hegna has been the president of Koniag, the Alaska Native regional corporation for the Kodiak Island area, since 2017. “Koniag realized a record year this year,” explains Hegna. “It’s amazing what can happen when humble, hardworking, and driven people are inspired by a shared vision.”

Alaska Business: What do you do in your free time?
Shauna Hegna: My family loves the outdoors. In the fall you can find us hunting near my village on Kodiak Island, in the winter we ski, and in the summer we fish and raft rivers all over Alaska.

AB: Is there a skill or talent you’ve always wanted to learn or are learning?
Hegna: I have always wanted to make my own snowfalling parka, a traditional Alutiiq ceremonial dress. One of these days I will sit down and get it done!

he Land of the Midnight Sun has a reputation for producing massive fruits and vegetables, but over the last few years more and more Alaskans have been looking for local options for every-day-portioned fruits, vegetables, and meats. Alaska’s agriculture industry has fluctuated since its boom during colonization in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, but today is enjoying support from programs such as the $5/Week Challenge issued by the Division of Agriculture’s Alaska Grown Program, which encourages Alaskans to spend just $5 per week from June through October on Alaska produce.

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts hundreds of surveys every year about the agriculture industry; we’ve selected some of the most up-to-date data about Alaska agriculture to present here.