our Alaska business leaders join the Alaska Business Hall of Fame at the annual Junior Achievement (JA) of Alaska celebration in January. Laureates Linda Leary, Joe Schierhorn, Ralph Seekins, and (posthumously) the late US Representative Don Young form the class of 2025. The hall of fame honors business leaders for their support of Alaska’s economic success and for commitment to JA programs.

Fishing in the waters of Maine, where she grew up, led Linda Leary almost directly into her current career selling specialty outdoor apparel—give or take a thirty-year detour through trucking and logistics. Apart from her ventures at Fishe Wear, Women’s Flyfishing, and Linda Leary Consulting, she would’ve earned a place in the Alaska Business Hall of Fame for her role developing Carlile Transportation into a major shipping provider in the state.

“I kind of fell into the transportation business,” she admits. Leary moved to Alaska immediately after college, seeking business opportunities. She found her place at Carlile when it was still a small company.

“Eight guys were driving trucks all day, and I was answering the phones, invoicing, doing whatever to get things going,” she recalls. Leary did sales, too, as the company grew. She earned a master’s degree in supply chain management from UAA and was president of Carlile by the time it was sold to Seattle-based transport conglomerate Saltchuk in 2013.

unior Achievement’s (JA) mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy—but they can’t do it alone. It takes the efforts of a wide range of people, from corporate employees and entrepreneurs to educators and volunteers to provide the kind of education students need to excel in today’s world. Each year, JA of Alaska recognizes the exceptional efforts of an educator and volunteer.

Dr. Clare Fulp, senior director of elementary education for the Anchorage School District’s central region, first became involved with JA as a teacher seventeen years ago. She later served as the principal at schools including Ravenwood Elementary, Chugach Optional, and Mountain View Elementary, where she advocated bringing the JA program to those schools.

“The financial literacy piece of JA is very important to me, so I take any opportunity I can to support Junior Achievement in the schools where I work,” she explains. “In my new position as senior director of elementary education, my impact may be even greater.”

y experience with Junior Achievement started in elementary school, where volunteers would come to my class and teach about finances—all subjects that would help later in life. I learned about the difference between needs and wants, how to earn money, different kinds of money (debit, credit, checks, cash), and entrepreneurship. These were some of the most memorable days I had in elementary school, as they were not only fun and engaging but also something I knew I would be using in my adult life. It made me feel a little more grown up, or at least as grown up as a ten-year-old could be.

Fast forward a few years later. Nearing the end of middle school, I had an opportunity to use these skills that I had gained. In 2021, still amidst the overbearing pandemic when hanging out with friends wasn’t as easy as it once was, I wanted a computer. Not just any computer, but one that was higher end. What was the problem? Well, computers cost money, and I didn’t exactly have a lot of spare cash in 8th grade. I had already saved $200 from my birthday and Christmas from the previous year, but unfortunately that reached only one-sixth of the total cost. The computer I wanted was a hefty $1,300. At a time when computer parts costs were rocketing due to shortages, it’s fair to say that, even as someone who had never had a job, I knew that this was little more than pocket change.

am excited to share the remarkable impact that Junior Achievement (JA) has had over its fifty-plus year history in Alaska, as told by alumni from the program. JA has consistently empowered young people in our community through proven programs on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and workforce readiness… and it works. In their own words:

JA was fun! I joined JA at Holland Christian High School in Holland, Michigan. It was the ’80s, as a matter of fact. And I think JA was a natural fit for me. It really fueled my ambitions going into college.

After a couple of JA meetings, a small group of us started our business. The first project we brainstormed was to sell Christmas trees. We researched tree farms and talked to each farm about minimum orders and how much money we would have to come up with up front. We asked how soon we would need to pay for the trees in full. We talked a few of our parents into loaning us some money to get started. And after we studied the logistics, we placed the order. We were all there to meet the semi in our high school parking lot, and we proceeded to sell all those Christmas trees for a hefty profit.

azardous materials removal jobs are booming. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development forecasts only one other occupation will increase more by 2032, namely “Extraction Workers” in the mining and oil and gas industries.

Both occupations go hand in hand, according to John Scoresby, territory sales executive for Republic Services in Anchorage. “Anytime you open a new mine, there’s a lot more demand for environmental work,” he observes, noting the parallel growth with North Slope activity too.

The occupational forecast backs up Scoresby’s guess. The next three highest-growth jobs by 2032 are welders, geologic technicians, and underground mining machine operators.

Increased investment in the extraction industries is also driving a surge in construction—and there, too, waste removal is an allied trade. Every construction site has a bin for collecting debris, and hauling it away is somebody’s job.

ndustrial activity stands on a solid foundation of support services. As a literal example, the engineered roadbed of the Dalton Highway bears the weight of the transport fleet that feeds, fuels, and facilitates North Slope activity. Upon the soil grow poplar trees, which become a tool for environmental remediation when inoculated with endophytic bacteria.

Scientists aren’t just cleaning up at the end of the industrial life cycle; laboratories are at the threshold for workers entering occupations that involve heavy machinery operation. Drug testing need not be an obstacle, though, as new rules streamline the process. Once hired, team members don uniforms supplied and maintained by commercial laundry services, capped off (in some cases) by helmets supplied by safety equipment dealers.

Support services wrap around industrial workers from toe to top.

ringing the first barrels of North Slope crude oil to market in the ‘70s required the construction of not one but two economic lifelines. The flashiest, glinting where sunlight reflects from its steel curves, is the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). But building TAPS and the facilities to bring oil to the surface at Prudhoe Bay required 414 miles of cross-country road first.

Construction of the haul road began in 1969, but delays in TAPS construction meant that work didn’t resume until 1974. The remaining 390 miles of road were completed in a five-month flurry. Pipeline construction soon followed, and the activity of truckers hauling equipment up the road was nearly constant. Teamsters reportedly could make between $7,000 and $10,000 per month (between $40,000 and $65,000 today) if they were willing to brave the nascent road’s dangerous conditions.

ntrinsyx Environmental is transforming contaminated landscapes with endophyte assisted phytoremediation techniques. By creating dense stands of trees and grasses that are tirelessly working to decontaminate soil and water, endophyte assisted phytoremediation techniques can bring a contaminated site to life by increasing soil stabilization and water infiltration, improving soil fertility, and supporting the return of wildlife. This method brings together the power of plants and pollution-consuming bacteria to create living, self-sustaining systems that restore soil and water quality naturally.

How? Endophyte bacteria that live inside plants break down pollutants and boost plant resilience in harsh, contaminated environments. These endophyte bacteria provide incredible advantages: they can digest a range of toxic substances and help plants thrive where they’d otherwise struggle. Projects using these bacteria can target an extensive range of contaminants using native plant species, making the approach adaptable to most ecosystems or climates.

laska employers with a drug and alcohol testing policy now have one more legally protected collection method available. Last July, Governor Mike Dunleavy signed Senate Bill 196 (SB196), which amended Alaska’s employer drug and alcohol testing, or “safe harbor,” law to include oral swab, or saliva, testing alongside urine and breath testing as permissible collection methods. The amendment went into effect on October 28, 2024.

The Alaska Power Association (APA), a statewide trade association representing Alaska’s electric utility companies, spearheaded the legislation, says Deputy Director Michael Rovito. Senators Click Bishop and Jesse Bjorkman worked together on the bill, which was ultimately sponsored by the entire Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.

“For us, we saw it as an advantageous change that would help with our members who want to implement this sort of drug testing and help them have protection under the existing law,” Rovito says. “Support was widespread, and the APA was happy to carry the bill and push it forward. Overall, it’s a win/win for Alaska.”

hen snow piles up on rooftops, shoveling is a prudent choice for the safety of the roof. For the safety of the shoveler, there’s fall protection equipment.

“Our fall protection products are all over the board,” says Clint VanNoy, president of Alaska Safety, an industrial supplier with locations in Anchorage and Wasilla. “We have roof anchoring systems, self-retracting lifelines, and more. We also stock a variety of slip protection items for shoes, including ice cleats.”

Roof shoveling, with the proper gear, need not be any more dangerous than the next job. And there’s gear available to mitigate the dangers of the next job, too. Personal safety equipment needs vary depending on the location and the task, but whatever Alaskans are doing in their professional lives or private lives, safety suppliers have the equipment they need to stay safe while getting the job done.

ash, rinse, repeat” doesn’t fully capture the unsung support that commercial laundry and linen services provide to healthcare, hospitality, and other industries around Alaska. These aren’t just laundromats. Large facilities like Snow White Linen can collect dirty linens, sort them for processing, and deliver clean, fresh products in a timely manner.

“It’s the difference between a construction worker with a pickup truck and a toolbox versus a construction company that builds skyscrapers,” says Scott Woodland, CEO and owner of Snow White Linen Supply and The Laundry Group. “They both work in the construction industry but on different scales.”

Laundry is just one aspect of Snow White Linen’s customizable services. In 2002, Snow White Linen expanded into uniform and linen rental and cleaning supplies. Woodland’s company maintains a diverse inventory to support the food and beverage, automotive, facility maintenance, and related industries.

ack was offered a management role after several years as a star individual contributor. He loved the company and his work and was excited to lead a team of five.

However, one year later, he received a poor performance review. He got feedback that he wasn’t following through on commitments, was missing deadlines, and wasn’t responding to important emails.

He knew the feedback was accurate but felt defensive because he was working harder than ever. He routinely worked in the evening and even squeezed in a few hours on Saturday mornings. He had given up going to the gym and could tell his pants were getting tighter. He wondered if it was all worth it.

Jack had entered the management death spiral.

Days before the impending shutdown of the only US Department of Agriculture-certified meat processing plant in Southcentral, a Soldotna rancher came to the rescue. Ben Adams of 4T% Ranch committed to buying Mt. McKinley Meat & Sausage in Palmer. The previous owner, a joint venture with a Delta Junction hog farmer, announced last September that they would take no more customers after November 1, citing the high cost of feed for livestock awaiting slaughter. Adams, who has amassed a herd of more than 250 cattle since starting his ranch a few years ago, says he plans to alter the business by processing wild game as well. He says the slaughterhouse will help put his beef in front of more customers at stores and restaurants, which can only accept meat from a certified processor. Alaska has only two others: Delta Meat and Sausage in Delta Junction and AK’s Midstate Meats in North Pole.

Kodiak’s largest seafood processing plant has a new owner. Trident Seafoods reached a deal in October to sell the Star of Kodiak plant to Pacific Seafood. Seattle-based Trident announced a major restructuring in December 2023 which included selling four plants in Alaska, or one-third of its facilities in the state. The Kodiak sale was the last after Trident unloaded seasonal facilities in False Pass, Petersburg, and Ketchikan. Oregon-based Pacific Seafood already owns a smaller plant in Kodiak, and President and CEO Frank Dulcich says the acquisition is an opportunity to expand operations.

pacificseafood.com