Inside Alaska Business
Bushes Bunches
A new farm family is taking over Bushes Bunches. Zach and Karianne Smith are the new owners of the Palmer-area vegetable grower. Bruce and Vickie Bush, operators of the Bushes Bunches Produce Stand on Old Glenn Highway, have been stalwarts in the region; Bruce Bush is credited with developing the Bushes Peanut Potato variety. Zach Smith picked potatoes for the Bushes in his teens and early 20s, and Karianne spent a few seasons in Bushes’ fields too. The Smiths moved to Michigan to manage Karianne’s family dairy farm until last year. Now, Karianne says, “We are extremely determined to have a successful farm, uplift the industry, and to serve the community.”
Aleut | Doyon Limited
While tribes near Nome await consultation on a mining project at Graphite Creek, Alaska Native regional corporations are taking a combined $5 million equity stake in mine developer Graphite One. This fall, Aleut and Doyon, Limited joined Bering Straits Native Corporation as shareholders of the Canadian company. Aleut President and CEO Skoey Vergen is especially interested in graphite’s role in renewable energy. “It opens up the potential for future opportunities in Alaska that could benefit our region,” he says. Graphite One plans to use proceeds from the investments to pay for environmental studies and other work needed to secure permits.
Coeur Alaska
Exploratory drilling at Kensington Mine north of Juneau revealed enough high-grade gold deposits to extend operations through 2029. The mine’s owner, Coeur Alaska, reports drilling this summer encountered multiple parallel veins returning grades as rich as 11.5 ounces per ton. Further, a new discovery at the Elmira Hanging Wall Mineralization identified another area for expansion. Kensington Mine is the second-largest private employer in Southeast, with nearly 400 workers.
Alaska Natural Gas Corporation
Exploration for natural gas is returning to the Susitna River Valley. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources issued preliminary licenses to Anchorage-based Alaska Natural Gas Corporation to explore two tracts west of Willow. Leases were initially issued in 2003, but the legislature converted them to exploration licenses in 2004 due to concerns about hydraulic fracking of coalbed methane possibly contaminating the watershed. The new license areas are scaled down to cover 567,359 acres.
Envoy Integrated Health
Results from 2024 indicate that Envoy Integrated Health is on track with its accountable care organization (ACO), the first in Alaska designed by local physicians. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Envoy ACO saved Medicare $7.6 million by improving communication between providers, enhancing care coordination, and focusing on preventative care. ACOs had been around for years before the Affordable Care Act of 2010 encouraged more focus on the model. The Lower 48 has more than 350 ACOs, and some multi-state ACOs were in Alaska prior to Envoy’s launch last year. “No one thought they could be successful here,” says CEO Dr. Gene Quinn. “We proved they could.”
Mat-Su Regional Medical Center
Reviving plans for a behavioral health hospital, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and its nonprofit co-owner, Mat-Su Health Foundation, applied to state regulators for a certificate of need to allow new healthcare capacity in the area. A thirty-six-bed facility was approved in 2017, but the hospital expedited construction with a sixteen-bed adult psychiatric wing. The new plan is for a $70 million, forty-five bed facility built adjacent to the main hospital.
Alaska SBDC
In terms of funds deployed as a percentage of total allocation, the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) is second to none. Managed by the Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the SSBCI has put 92.5 percent of its funds to use since launching in 2022. Of 131 programs nationwide, only Montana’s comes close at 92.3 percent deployed, and New Hampshire third at 79.8 percent. With more than $100 million invested, Alaska SBDC says it is six years ahead of schedule. Over the next decade, Alaska SSBCI expects to leverage federal dollars to drive more than $500 million in private investment. The Alaska SBDC is the only organization in the nation managing both a statewide and a tribal SSBCI program.
Alaskan Brewing Co.
What homegrown brand represents Alaska for the rest of the country? According to a survey by financial media company MarketBeat.com, the national distribution of Amber Ale puts Juneau-based Alaskan Brewing Co. at the top of most Americans’ minds. Copper River salmon and Alaska Wild Berry Products also ranked high on the survey of 3,015 respondents nationwide. Beer companies also are the most recognizable brands for Rhode Island, New Mexico, Montana, and Delaware. Beverages generally are identified with ten states, while a dozen states are most recognized by their snack food brands.
Peninsula Oilers
Baseball will return to Coral Seymour Memorial Ball Park in Kenai next summer. The Peninsula Oilers suspended the 2025 season and spent last summer on restructuring, with an emphasis on reconnecting with the Kenai Peninsula community, sponsors, and fans. The club cited financial hardship due to a sudden drop in bingo revenue, its primary fundraising source. The club-owned bingo hall cut back from three nights per week to just one. The team’s leadership has expressed gratitude for the patience shown by supporters during the hiatus.