omeowners’ associations (HOAs) are, in a way, the smallest unit of government. Neighbors follow a charter that defines their rights and responsibilities. Alaskans, being famously individualistic, might perceive this arrangement as a nuisance.

For example, “If you leave your trash can and your HOA has a rule about how long you can leave it on the sidewalk, your HOA is the city in that instance, and they will fine you $25 or whatever the rules are,” explains Chris Hoke, president and founding lawyer of HOA Legal Services in Anchorage. “It really is another little government that you agree to live in and abide by the rules.”

resident Joe Biden signed the $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) last August, in part to invest in climate change solutions. It holds substantial significance for Alaska.

The World Bank estimates that more than 3 billion tons of minerals and metals will be needed to deploy wind, solar, and geothermal power and energy storage to hold global warming below 2°C above pre-industrial levels—the goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Readmitting the United States into the climate accords, after the Trump administration gave notice of withdrawal in 2017, was one of President Joe Biden’s first acts as president in 2021.

t’s difficult to distinguish the O’Connell Bridge from the Sitka Harbor shoreline, which is remarkable considering the bridge is 1,255 feet long and towers more than 150 feet over the Sitka Channel. Among the vast commercial fishing fleet and hundreds of charter and recreational vessels berthed on the east side of the strait, the iconic cable-stayed bridge comfortably blends into its idyllic surroundings.

The bridge’s harp design features a trio of cables suspended to the deck in each direction from high atop two sets of 100-foot twin towers. Running parallel to each other at an angle as they cut across the Sitka skyline, the bridge’s stayed cables can easily be mistaken at a distance for yet another series of stays hanging from the mast of a docked trawler.

lthough many attribute skilled labor and trade shortages in Alaska and the United States to the Great Resignation following COVID-19, it has unfortunately been an industry topic for over a decade. Across all fifty states, money for infrastructure projects is left on the table because of the skilled labor shortage, and in Alaska, the lack of skilled labor is critical, as infrastructure funding is crucial in a state that lacks modern necessities, like roads and sanitation in rural communities.

Understanding younger generations will help industry leaders develop a long-term approach to attracting future laborers. While Millennials and Generation Z get a bad rap for their lack of what other generations label work ethic, the truth is that they have a work ethic. They just value their contribution to the workforce differently. Research indicates that the younger generations entering the workforce value a sense of meaning over the size of their salary.

ust as the wood siding on a house will deteriorate if it is not painted or treated, the steel used in pipelines, buildings, machinery, and more will corrode if not protected from the elements. The most common cause is electrochemical reactions. Galvanic corrosion is when different kinds of metal are in contact with one another; electrolytic corrosion occurs most commonly when water becomes trapped between two conductors that have an electrical voltage between them, creating an electrolytic cell.

“There are four elements to a corrosion cell: anode, cathode, electrolyte, and a metallic path. The goal is to try to reduce or eliminate one of the four items that makes up that cell,” explains Cynthia Cacy, corrosion control engineering principal at Coffman Engineers. “Applying a coating, for example, removes the metal from contact with the electrolyte, or you can change the corrosion cell by introducing a cathodic protection system.”

n mid-2022 Stantec President and CEO Gord Johnston visited Alaska to meet with clients, partners, and Alaska Stantec employees. He generously carved out time for an interview with Alaska Business Managing Editor Tasha Anderson, in which they talked about the company and Johnston’s role and vision for leading Stantec in continued growth.

Tasha Anderson: What’s a little bit of Stantec’s history, and how did the company come to Alaska?
Gord Johnston: The history of Stantec dates back to the mid-‘50s. We were started by a one-man show, his name was Don Stanley, from Edmonton [Alberta, Canada], which is where our head office is now… He came out of [Harvard University] with what they called at the time a doctorate in sanitation engineering and an offer to play professional hockey for the Boston Bruins. While professional hockey sounded interesting, he wanted to start an engineering company.

ealaska Heritage Institute’s new Arts Campus in downtown Juneau resembles a giant Tlingit bentwood box. The main building for the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program on the UAA campus is shaped like a canoe. The newly renovated office building at 601 West 5th Avenue in downtown Anchorage evokes the majesty of a calving glacier.

Local culture and geography have always helped architects and designers tie buildings into the community and landscape. The more specific the inspiration, the more unique the project, distinguishing it from any other place.

The location and tradition might be as tiny as a neighborhood school and its emblems.

he theme for Engineers Week in 2023 is “Creating the Future.” It’s not an exaggeration: whether one envisions flying cars, 100 percent renewable energy, space or subsea exploration, or a reality that’s mostly virtual, it all takes engineering. As part of Engineers Week, the local Anchorage chapter names an Engineer of the Year. Criteria include recent significant engineering contributions, publications and patents, active participation in engineering and other professional organizations, community service and involvement, and education and certificates. The 2022 nominees are below, and the winner will be announced at the 2023 E-Week Banquet on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

he Engineering Excellence Awards celebrate noteworthy projects designed by Alaskan engineers. Criteria are overall engineering excellence in the design, unique or innovative applications, future value to engineering, sustainability, complexity, and the satisfaction of the project owner. This year projects include a visitor control center, middle school, a water supply project, and a bridge, demonstrating the breadth of how engineering impacts Alaskans’ daily lives.

n Alaska, commercial property exposures range from natural events such as wind, wildland fires, earthquakes, landslides, and floods to human-caused risks like burglary, vandalism, and arson. While severe wind events and earthquakes are almost impossible to predict with any certainty, perils such as avalanches, landslides, and floods tend to fall back to the old real estate adage of “location, location, location.” If the property is not susceptible to those risks thanks to distance, then the likelihood of a loss is nil. But for those day-to-day exposures that property owners are likely to encounter, the best defense is a solid offense. That means taking a proactive approach to property risk management to reduce the probability of losses. While it is understood that liability follows the property ownership, the focus here is on physical exposures and controls to limit risk incurred to structures and people.

heet-pan grilled halibut with asparagus warms in the oven while Amie Sommer entertains guests in the kitchen she designed and built with her husband on the outskirts of Wasilla. He added the construction side to the environmental contracting firm she founded, Tutka LLC, named for the bay near Seldovia where she keeps a family cabin.

The Homer area happens to be where her company recently completed a major project, replacing a truss bridge over the Anchor River with a steel-girder single span. Sommer says that she’s proud of every project, but she’s especially interested in low-key environmental contracts. As a teenager, she collected hazardous waste for the Anchorage municipal landfill, which led to earning a degree in environmental science. One service Tutka provides is monitoring beluga whales for Cook Inlet development projects, which brings Sommer close to her childhood dream of becoming a wildlife biologist.