At a Glance
What book is on your nightstand?
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth.
What movie do you recommend to everyone?
I’m kind of a sucker for sports movies: I love Rudy.
What’s the first thing you do after work?
The absolutely first thing would be to hug my wife because that’s always comforting—finally, someone who loves me [he laughs].
If you couldn’t live in Alaska, where would you live?
I love endurance sports and I like the mountains, so Park City, Utah.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
A giraffe: though impractical to keep around the house, I think they’re really elegant and beautiful.
At a Glance
What book is on your nightstand?
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth.
What movie do you recommend to everyone?
I’m kind of a sucker for sports movies: I love Rudy.
What’s the first thing you do after work?
The absolutely first thing would be to hug my wife because that’s always comforting—finally, someone who loves me [he laughs].
If you couldn’t live in Alaska, where would you live?
I love endurance sports and I like the mountains, so Park City, Utah.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
A giraffe: though impractical to keep around the house, I think they’re really elegant and beautiful.
Off the Cuff
Robert Brewster
obert Brewster has been working in various capacities at The Alaska Club since 1988 and today is the organization’s president and CEO. It wasn’t exactly his plan to go into the industry—he “quasi-stumbled” into a part-time job at a health club while earning his business degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Brewster combined the two after graduation, setting the stage for a long career in fitness.
Alaska Business: What do you do in your free time?
Robert Brewster: I really enjoy mountain biking, cross-country skiing, and running. When time allows, I like to get out and be active, often with my wife.
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?
Brewster: I would love to learn to play the guitar, maybe in retirement.
AB: What is your go-to comfort food?
Brewster: Mexican food, specifically from Beartooth Theatre Pub & Grill.
AB: Other than your current career, if you were a child today, what would your dream job be?
Brewster: I actually would like to have been a detective.
AB: What’s your favorite way to exercise?
Brewster: It would have to be what I call run/hikes in the mountains. Wherever I can run, I run, and as it gets steeper or rougher I might have to start hiking. It’s a good way to cover a lot of distance and see a lot of the mountains.
AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Brewster: I was in a triathlon where I had to navigate the rapids in Eagle River—I had absolutely no experience kayaking at all. So my first time out I went through the Campground Rapids at Eagle River. I survived, barely.
AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to most see perform live in concert?
Brewster: AC/DC
AB: What’s your greatest extravagance?
Brewster: Sports equipment. You put a lot of effort into sports; you may as well have the best tools.
AB: What is your best attribute and your worst attribute?
Brewster: My best attribute, if I can be forgiven for saying anything nice, is perseverance. That’s why I like the book Grit, because it says that’s a good trait [he laughs]. And then maybe my worst would be that I’m impatient. I can’t figure out why things don’t happen as fast as they should. 
Images © Kerry Tasker