Inside Alaska Business
Waffles and Whatnot
Anchorage restaurant Waffles and Whatnot is testing its franchise model by selling rights to the Muldoon location to its head chef and general manager. Kelvin Guzman has been working alongside Waffles and Whatnot since 2022, first retailing its foods at his Elim Café and, since that business closed, as a direct employee. Derrick Green, who started Waffles and Whatnot as a pop-up stand in 2016, developed what he calls a “proprietary system” to streamline restaurant operations and help franchise owners, so he wants to focus on growth by opening new stores. Green says he’s had requests for Waffles and Whatnot in Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Kodiak.
Great Harvest Bread Co.
Alaska’s third Great Harvest Bread Company location opened in Wasilla March 13, bringing breads and baked goods made with Montana wheat to Mat-Su customers. Great Harvest Bakery and Café franchisee Kelly Larson says she craved fresh bread while visiting Anchorage from Willow, so she and her husband decided to bring more to the Mat-Su. They set up in the former Salvation Army thrift store on the east side of Wasilla.
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation
Establishing financial solutions as a sixth core business segment for the state’s largest Alaskan-owned company (by revenue), Arctic Slope Regional Corporation acquired Coinstar, operator of more than 24,000 kiosks across North America and Europe that convert cash and coins into digital funds. President and CEO Rex A. Rock Sr. says, “Adding Coinstar to our family of companies accelerates our progress toward resilient, diversified earnings.” Coinstar is supported by a global team of more than 400 employees.
Old Harbor Native Corporation
Alaska Nuna Adventures (ANA) is a new tourism subsidiary of Old Harbor Native Corporation. ANA is developing partnerships with cruise lines, expedition companies, and tour operators seeking authentic Indigenous experiences across Alaska. “We are excited that through these efforts, ANA is expanding opportunities for Tribal citizens, artists, culture-bearers, and local entrepreneurs to participate directly in the growing tourism sector,” says Jeffery Peterson, chief of the Alutiiq Tribe of Old Harbor.
Aleut
The Alaska Native corporation for the Aleutian Islands region is standing up its environmental consulting team as a dedicated Alaska-based subsidiary. Aleut Environmental Consulting (AEC) had operated since 2021 as part of Aleut’s federal business arm. AEC staff perform site investigation, remediation, spill response, waste management, and regulatory services. The corporation says the reorganization positions AEC to provide enhanced regional alignment while benefiting from Aleut’s overall strengths.
TUGLIQ Energy USA
An arm of a Quebec-based utility developer is stepping in to build what is proposed to be Alaska’s largest solar farm. TUGLIQ Energy USA is taking over the stalled solar project from Renewable Independent Power Producers, which backed out last year, citing uncertainty in federal tax incentives. The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority is offering to lease about 680 acres it owns in Nikiski, converting land into a revenue source. The initial phase would cover about 260 acres with roughly 79,000 solar modules, and later phases could cover the full property.
GCI
For $310 million, GCI is acquiring Anchorage-based fiber optic company Quintillion from the private investment firm that bought it in 2023. The deal includes Quintillion’s 1,800 miles of subsea and terrestrial fiber and 1,500 miles of planned fiber expansion. Founded in 2015, Quintillion envisions a subsea cable from Asia to Western Europe via Alaska and Canadian Arctic. GCI itself is under GCI Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of GCI Liberty, a spin-off of Colorado-based Liberty Broadband Corporation. The spin-off maneuver last year enabled GCI Liberty to trade stock separately under the Nasdaq symbols GLIBA and GLIBK.
The Hungry Robot
Customers are complaining about wanting more from The Hungry Robot, which is a great problem for the Fairbanks pizza restaurant to have. Wait times surged this spring after Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives host Guy Fieri named The Hungry Robot one of the top six pizzerias in the country, thanks to its unusual toppings like the famous Dilly Dilly pickle pizza. The recognition was a follow-up to Fieri featuring the restaurant on the TV show in 2021, which forced a hasty conversion to dine-in service. With the new attention, owner Randy Bezdek says The Hungry Robot ramped up hiring new staff while keeping a lookout for a larger location with more seats.
JAG Marine
The Wrangell borough assembly approved a lease with JAG Marine Group to develop what could become the largest shipyard in Southeast. The Ketchikan shipyard operator is pursuing a feasibility study for reviving a defunct mill site. Meanwhile, the City and Borough of Wrangell and the City of Ketchikan adopted a joint resolution to establish a Maritime Prosperity Zone to build upon their strengths—deepwater access, maritime industrial infrastructure, low-cost hydropower—when applying for federal development funds.
The Cordova Times
Ending a 112-year run as a printed newspaper, The Cordova Times switched to a digital-only publication this spring. The March 27, 2026, weekly issue was the last paper version. Owner and publisher Rachel Kallander calls the switch a “pragmatic economic business decision” due to high printing costs. However, she adds, “The Cordova Times is not going away.”