Contents
Features
By Tracy Barbour
By Danny Kreilkamp
By Bruno J. Navarro

By Vanessa Orr
By Julie Stricker
By Julie Stricker

By Tracy Barbour
By Danny Kreilkamp
By Bruno J. Navarro

By Vanessa Orr
Quick Reads
By Julie Stricker
By Isaac Stone Simonelli
By Vanessa Orr

About The Cover
Heading into the pandemic, Chris Devine and the Craig Taylor Equipment team were expecting the worst. Brick and mortar retail is historically one of the harder-hit sectors during economic recession, and a 2020 study from Yelp estimates that nearly 100,000 businesses closed their doors permanently between May and August of 2020 alone. But this trend didn’t necessarily translate to the retail construction space—and in some cases, demand went up. “What seems to be happening is there’s a lot of money floating around, and folks are looking to spend it,” says the Craig Taylor Equipment President and CEO.
And spending it they are. To learn how, dig in to this month’s cover story: “Hardware Hangs In.”
Cover Photo by Kerry Tasker

By Julie Stricker
By Isaac Stone Simonelli
By Vanessa Orr

About The Cover
Heading into the pandemic, Chris Devine and the Craig Taylor Equipment team were expecting the worst. Brick and mortar retail is historically one of the harder-hit sectors during economic recession, and a 2020 study from Yelp estimates that nearly 100,000 businesses closed their doors permanently between May and August of 2020 alone. But this trend didn’t necessarily translate to the retail construction space—and in some cases, demand went up. “What seems to be happening is there’s a lot of money floating around, and folks are looking to spend it,” says the Craig Taylor Equipment President and CEO.
And spending it they are. To learn how, dig in to this month’s cover story: “Hardware Hangs In.”
Cover Photo by Kerry Tasker






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From the Editor
he construction industry is responsible for about 9 percent of all Alaska jobs, and construction industry-related activity accounted for $3.4 billion in labor income in 2019, representing 10 percent of the state’s total labor income ($32.7 billion).
The industry has continued to inject billions of dollars into the Alaska economy—even in the face of the devastating effects of the pandemic—as the state perseveres, continuing to build, expand, and upgrade. In 2021, the industry is expected to spend $4.3 billion, split pretty evenly between the private and public sectors, according to AGC of Alaska’s 2021 Construction Spending Forecast.

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urety bonds are an essential but often misunderstood insurance product used by companies that serve both the public and private sectors. Surety bonds are a distinct type of insurance designed to ensure a project is completed based on the terms of the contract. More specifically, a surety bond is a three-party agreement in which a surety (bonding company) promises to pay an obligee (the project owner or whoever is requiring the bond) if a principal (the contractor or whoever needs the bond) does not satisfy their contractual obligation.
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hile the recent worldwide pandemic plays out as a major economic influence, keeping our employees engaged and productive is more important and challenging than ever. According to a Gallup survey* published during the third quarter of 2020, 33 percent of US workers are currently working remotely, with approximately two-thirds of those individuals communicating a desire to continue working from home post-pandemic. Interestingly of those surveyed, more than half of US workers are not concerned about the exposure of COVID-19 at work. What does this mean to our Alaskan business leaders? Something entrepreneurs have known for years, change is here to stay. How we navigate change will influence workforce engagement. As leaders our best course now is to seek out opportunity to move from (disaster) response to active change management.
efined petroleum doesn’t just heat our homes and fuel our cars: it ensures Alaska’s economy is a well-oiled machine. But how does a substance formed from the fossilized remains of plants and animals transform into useful, highly valuable products? And of equal importance, how does processed petroleum eventually reach its various end users?
Following its 800-mile journey from the wells of Prudhoe Bay through the winding Trans Alaska Pipeline System, North Slope crude arrives at a tract of land covering 1,000 acres in the northeast corner of Prince William Sound: the Valdez Marine Terminal. From here, the raw product is loaded onto tankers and shipped off to a variety of locations. While it’s true that much of this oil is exported to destinations across the globe, a great deal of product actually remains in the state—contrary to a long and widely held misconception.




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Reality

he COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on state and local economies throughout the United States, and, at least temporarily, changed the landscape of commercial real estate in Alaska. The good news is that real estate experts say it’s only a matter of time before the market rebounds.

Senior Director, Energy & Mining, GCI Business
olatility in the global oil market, the recent decline in oil prices and extreme weather patterns in Alaska have made digital innovation in the oil and gas industry essential. To remain competitive in a rapidly changing marketplace, operators in the North Slope must find new ways to increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve safety for employees in the field.

Hangs In
urns out, predicting the effects of a pandemic on a global economy is kind of impossible. In the midst of the uncertainty, those companies that crumbled and those that found ways to thrive seemed random at times, depending on local economies, access to financial aid, the unpredictability of consumers, changing regulations, and a little bit of “who knows.”
Fortunately, many businesses have found ways to make it work. And at the turn of the new year, following several months of various degrees of hunkering down and the slow but steady distribution of vaccines, there was a general sense that Alaska might be reaching a turning point—that perhaps, with continued caution, the worst could be behind us.
In February, Acting Anchorage Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson eased hunker down restrictions in response to a significant drop in the number of COVID-19 cases statewide, and the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation’s annual Economic Forecast, published in January, anticipates that by the second half of 2021, there will be additional jobs in most major sectors in the state.
Hangs In
urns out, predicting the effects of a pandemic on a global economy is kind of impossible. In the midst of the uncertainty, those companies that crumbled and those that found ways to thrive seemed random at times, depending on local economies, access to financial aid, the unpredictability of consumers, changing regulations, and a little bit of “who knows.”
Fortunately, many businesses have found ways to make it work. And at the turn of the new year, following several months of various degrees of hunkering down and the slow but steady distribution of vaccines, there was a general sense that Alaska might be reaching a turning point—that perhaps, with continued caution, the worst could be behind us.
In February, Acting Anchorage Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson eased hunker down restrictions in response to a significant drop in the number of COVID-19 cases statewide, and the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation’s annual Economic Forecast, published in January, anticipates that by the second half of 2021, there will be additional jobs in most major sectors in the state.
Industry and
Economic
Development
in Alaska

business with us year after year.

Ground
public projects to fruition
Davis Constructors & Engineers
ccording to the Associated General Contractors of Alaska’s (AGC) 2021 Construction Spending Forecast, construction spending this year is expected to total $4.3 billion, with 52 percent ($2.2 billion) of that money spent on private sector projects and 48 percent ($2.1 billion) spent on public sector projects. While a large part of the public sector funding includes national defense projects and highway and road construction and improvements, it also encompasses community-based projects that include school replacements and renovations, regional housing initiatives, behavioral health and other medical facilities, and spaces dedicated to the arts.





Ground
construction projects
ir travel is a lifeline for Alaska, connecting major urban hubs to remote gravel landing strips and back.
The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) oversees maintenance on more than 300 aviation facilities, including 237 airports. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit much of the state’s aviation industry hard, with a major rural carrier declaring bankruptcy and a drastic reduction in passenger travel curtailing flights and cancelling seasonal air schedules. But all of the disruption came with a silver lining: increased federal funding and a reminder of Alaska’s importance to global cargo routes.
Industrial Hygiene
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Industrial Hygiene
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Contingency Planning
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Gaining Traction
visitor experiences
he Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and the state’s ports and other vital gateways for long-haul tourism destinations are what most think of when it comes to tourism infrastructure. However, community visitor centers, roadside cabins, and robust trail systems are also essential parts of the infrastructure needed to support this multi-billion dollar sector in Alaska.
“We lack tourism infrastructure all over the state,” says Bonnie Quill, president and CEO of the Mat-Su Convention & Visitors Bureau. “What tourism infrastructure does is it increases the visitor experience, whether it’s a visitor center or a trailhead or the new ski lift at Hatcher Pass.”


Propane • Heating Fuel • Aviation Fuels
Year Founded/Est. in Alaska | Worldwide/Alaska Employees:
1995/1995 | 15/15
2222 W. Valley Hwy. N., Ste. 140
Auburn, WA 98001
airsidesolutionsinc.com
rlafferty@airsidesolutionsinc.com
253-833-6434
Year Founded/Est. in Alaska | Worldwide/Alaska Employees:
1978/1988 | 13/-
2081 Van Horn Rd., Ste. 2
Fairbanks, AK 99701
alaskadreamsinc.com
sales@alaskadreamsinc.com
907-455-7712
Year Founded/Est. in Alaska | Worldwide/Alaska Employees:
1994/1994 | 30/30








f you take a drive along the Steese Highway north of Fairbanks on a sunny summer afternoon, the landscape alternates between lushly forested hills and bare, twisting mounds of rock sprinkled with scrubby trees and brush on the valley floors.
These mounds of rock, which sometimes extend for miles, are the result of gold mining using bucket dredges from the ‘30s to the ‘70s. These giant machines, some of which are still scattered among Alaska’s historic placer mining sites, picked up the gold-bearing earth in huge buckets, sifted out the gold and dumped the tons of waste rock in long ropy strands behind it. Decades later, those lines of mine tailings are stark evidence of the industry, which at the time had no rules about reclaiming the land after mining.
Times have changed. A few miles up the Steese Highway is a green, grassy hillside that was the site of another mine twenty years ago. True North mine was active between 2001 and 2004. Kinross, which operates the larger Fort Knox gold mine 7 miles south, produced 11.7 million tons of gold ore from the 2,050 acre site, which yielded 490,000 ounces of gold from the milling operations at Fort Knox.
Before mining began, Kinross had submitted a site reclamation plan to the Department of Natural Resources. When mining operations ended, Kinross started remediating the site, 615 acres of which had been directly affected by mining operations. Over the next six years, the site was graded and recontoured, reseeded and fertilized, and all mining structures were removed. Native trees and plants were reintroduced. The site was then monitored for several years to ensure the landscape was stabilized.
LR International Corporation (SLR) is celebrating its 20-year anniversary – initially establishing U.S. operations in Washington State in 2000 followed with opening offices in Anchorage and Fairbanks in 2001. Throughout this time, SLR’s technical team and resources have been committed to providing responsive, technical solutions for our clients across multiple business sectors.
Originally focused on clients in the natural resource and upstream oil and gas sectors, the Alaska team has grown and expanded its compliance, permitting, emergency response and advisory expertise to cover clients in the power, infrastructure, and industry business sectors. With its team of 40 employees, SLR staff are adept at working in and understanding the environmental and regulatory complexities of working in the Arctic and cold region environments providing solutions for facility development, land development and restoration, community engagement and, increasingly, coastal management and resiliency planning at locations throughout the state.
Ucore Rare Metals
ave you used a cellphone, logged on to a computer, or watched a flat screen TV lately? If so, you’ve been using a device that requires rare earth elements (REEs). And while these elements can be found throughout the world, including in Alaska, most of the world’s production takes place in China, putting the supply chain for hundreds of products—as well as significant defense applications—at risk.


-40°F SO YOU CAN GET THE JOB DONE
Fairbanks (907) 458-9049
Williston (701) 774-5312
ne of the main goals of Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) is to earn money for their shareholders. And while many have been very successful in starting and running businesses within the state’s borders, there are even more opportunities to be found nationally and internationally. To this end, many regional and village corporations have expanded their business holdings far beyond the 49th State, not only to provide a new source of revenue for their parent companies but to service clients across the country and the world.
craigtaylorequipment.com | dobbspeterbilt.com


Source: Alaska Department of Natural Resources


Source: Alaska Department of Natural Resources


Source: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development



Span Alaska’s new Anchorage Service Center (ASC) means even better service and more options for our customers statewide.
Our new facility increases our capacity, improves our security, offers customizable storage areas, and streamlines freight handling — all to enable faster, smoother, and more consistent delivery of your cargo to its final destination.
Stop by our new ASC and see what Span Alaska can do for you.
Or, to schedule a pickup or find the terminal nearest you, call 1-800-257-7726 or visit us at spanalaska.com.

Span Alaska’s new Anchorage Service Center (ASC) means even better service and more options for our customers statewide.
Our new facility increases our capacity, improves our security, offers customizable storage areas, and streamlines freight handling — all to enable faster, smoother, and more consistent delivery of your cargo to its final destination.
Stop by our new ASC and see what Span Alaska can do for you.
Or, to schedule a pickup or find the terminal nearest you, call 1-800-257-7726 or visit us at spanalaska.com.
Alaska Trends
ew industries have been spared the pandemic’s disruptions and far-reaching effects. And fewer have a clear path to recovery. Fortunately for Alaska’s construction industry, there is some cause for optimism according to a recent report from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Construction projects across the state are a silver lining in an otherwise bleak year for Alaska’s economy. In Anchorage, real estate construction in particular is trending up, with the number of new home permits hitting a new high since 2015. Record-low interest rates mean refinancing opportunities are skyrocketing. Elsewhere in Fairbanks, a growing military population could result in an added boost to home construction and remodeling. And with the long-awaited rollout of a few promising vaccines, this month’s installment of Alaska Trends delivers news of a few other welcome developments.
At a Glance
I’m reading the new book by Brad Taylor, American Traitor: A Pike Logan Novel.
I greet the family, give them hugs, help my wife with dinner, and then we gather around the table for our family dinner.
I’ve never been to Europe, so I would just say anywhere in Europe.
I’m not really a big pet fan, so I don’t think I would [he laughs]. I guess if you could miniaturize like a giraffe or an elephant and have that as a pet, and it was about the size of a dog, that would be rather interesting.

At a Glance
I’m reading the new book by Brad Taylor, American Traitor: A Pike Logan Novel.
I greet the family, give them hugs, help my wife with dinner, and then we gather around the table for our family dinner.
I’ve never been to Europe, so I would just say anywhere in Europe.
I’m not really a big pet fan, so I don’t think I would [he laughs]. I guess if you could miniaturize like a giraffe or an elephant and have that as a pet, and it was about the size of a dog, that would be rather interesting.
Off the Cuff
uke Blomfield joined Davis Constructors & Engineers in 2002; by 2012 he was a partner at the company. He’s been the general contractor’s president and CEO for a little more than two years, and today he’s also the president of Mass Excavation. Despite his upward movement and the more than two decades he’s spent in construction, what he loves about his job remains the same. “I still think the favorite part of my job is what brought me to it: when we’ve completed construction of a building, an infrastructure project, or any sort of development that’s going to be there long after I’m gone, it’s nice to drive around town or different places throughout the state and just say, ‘Our team had a hand in building that.’”

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