f someone asks for the address of a specific location, how quickly would it come to mind—without the help of an internet search? Descriptive terms like “by the local store” or other narrative is common practice, but they aren’t compatible with delivery tracking. Official addresses are a necessity for modern living, yet many rural communities in Alaska have gotten by with informal systems. Lately they are discovering how essential addresses are to the local economy and are working to establish them on official platforms.

n Alaska, startups and entrepreneurs turn to ecommerce to overcome the state’s geographical challenges and broaden their market reach. By setting up shops online, businesses can connect with customers across the state and beyond, breaking through traditional barriers, according to Carlos Machuca, director of the AI Resource Program at the Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

“This digital approach allows them to diversify their income, cut down on the costs of maintaining physical stores, and offer their products and services around the clock,” he says. “Embracing digital platforms not only boosts competitiveness but also strengthens the state’s economic resilience.”

magine that you have just walked out of a grocery store. After braving steady wind, narrow aisles, and long lines, you successfully purchased a dozen organic, brown eggs. Despite the colorful package and the many labels confirming that you have made the “right” choice, you quickly realize that you are $10.99 poorer. Buyer’s remorse, or that feeling of regret after a purchase is made, has already started to set in.

While buyer’s remorse can manifest under many different circumstances, the cause is often the same: a disconnect between the expected outcome and the actual outcome of a purchase. This is especially true in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Consider a failed merger or acquisition: up to 75 percent of all corporate mergers and acquisitions fail. A failed merger or acquisition occurs when 1) an M&A deal does not close or 2) an M&A deal closes but fails to deliver anticipated results. Buyers who experience the latter are often thought of as having buyer’s remorse.

This article will help buyers avoid remorse by examining why most mergers and acquisitions fail and how that failure can be prevented.

espite shakeups in a few areas, Alaska’s construction industry is strong, according to the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Alaska’s January 2025 Construction Spending Forecast.

The report, produced by McKinley Research Group and released in January, is an annual look at projects on the horizon in Alaska and whether spending in key categories is up or down. AGC of Alaska is the construction industry’s largest trade association, representing more than 600 businesses in all facets of the construction industry, from general contractors to banks and insurers.

fter years of planning and saving and months of watching construction progress, you have the keys to your new, custom-built home. It’s time to move in. Your internet provider is hooking up fiber to ensure everyone in the family will have fast, seamless internet for their various devices.

But wait, there’s a problem: the installation technician says running fiber to the interior wall where your media panel is located will mean stringing unsightly cable along the baseboard of your fit-for-a-magazine dining room. If only this could have been avoided!

on’t underestimate a small crew leaving a large footprint. According to the US Small Business Administration’s 2024 profile for Alaska, of the 75,980 employers with fewer than 499 workers on staff (the agency’s definition of “small”), 2,349 were construction companies with fewer than 20 employees. No other industry in Alaska has so many businesses in that size category, amounting to one-third of all construction companies counted; most of the other two-thirds are owner-operators without any employees at all. In the building trades, those small shops can have a lasting impact.

usy airports require constant maintenance and upkeep, and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) continues to enhance its infrastructure with several key projects underway in 2025. These projects represent significant investments in Anchorage’s position as a critical node in global air cargo networks. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, ANC rose to become the third busiest airport for air cargo in the world. Today, it remains the second busiest airport in North America and currently ranks fourth globally in cargo throughput,” explains Angie Spear, director of Alaska International Airport System.

A surge in ecommerce has maintained pressure on the airport’s infrastructure even as pandemic conditions have eased. During peak cargo periods, the airport faced such high demand that aircraft had to be parked on taxiways while awaiting their next flights. As ecommerce continues to drive demand for air freight capacity, the infrastructure expansions at ANC will help ensure Alaska remains competitive in this vital economic sector for years to come.

he Alaska Railroad wouldn’t be possible without the 175 bridges and large culverts that span barriers that would otherwise limit travel. Over time, many of these bridges have deteriorated and now require rehabilitation or replacement.

The Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) has a systemwide five-year plan that includes rehabilitation or replacement of approximately forty-five bridges ranging from small wooden bridges to more massive steel spans. The bridge program follows comprehensive track replacement that spanned the entire length of the railroad, from Seward to Eielson Air Force base.

“We can rehabilitate 560 feet of railroad, but if you leave out 28 feet of bridges, you don’t have a 560-feet railroad anymore,” says Brian Lindamood, ARRC vice president and chief engineer. “But after we’ve fixed the full physical route once and for all and made it what it needs to be, we’ll be able to maintain it over the long term.”

ehind a successful company is a businessperson who sees a need and fills it. In Kodiak, that’s Cooper Curtis of Highmark Marine Fabrication.

Born in Anchorage, he grew up in Talkeetna and graduated early from high school. Afterward, he gained skills in small engine mechanics and completed welding courses at Alaska Vocational Technical Center in Seward.

“I worked for a company in Seward, but I fell in love with Kodiak,” Curtis says. “I left that company with no options to go on and moved to Kodiak.”

There, he set up with a welding truck as an independent contractor. But, he recalls, “I realized my clients needed more.”

he COVID-19 pandemic brought a lot of changes to the way people do business, especially with staff working remotely. Zoom and Microsoft Teams replaced meetings that could no longer be held in-person, and livestreaming services became the go-to for churches, schools, corporate meetings, and more.

As the use of these platforms grew, so did the need for skilled experts to help set up these events, which can involve numerous locations, hundreds of people, multiple cameras, complete graphics packages, and more. Companies that provide this specialized event coverage must stay on top of the latest innovations to provide the most seamless, professional services to their clients.

“Though I’ve offered streaming services since 2004, in 2020 everything really exploded in virtual, hybrid, live, and distance meetings,” says Jonathan Butzke, owner of Talking Circle Media, based in Anchorage. “Prior to that, most people were only using Skype and FaceTime, as well as audio conferencing.”

ike a cat hesitating at the front door, there are plans in the works for liquified natural gas (LNG) to both come in and head out of the 49th State. Exporting gas from the North Slope has been on the drawing board since before the Trans Alaska Pipeline System started carrying oil, and Cook Inlet gas sailed overseas starting in 1969 from the Kenai LNG terminal, one of the first of its kind in the country. Those shipments to Japan halted in 2015 when local demand for the resource impinged on the inlet’s supply.

Importing LNG to Cook Inlet is the fastest way to satisfy Southcentral energy demand, yet development continues on the Alaska LNG pipeline from the North Slope, with an eye toward exports. Fortunately, local demand could make the case for export infrastructure in the long term.

atersheds are areas that share a common drainage for rain and snow. Viewsheds are the line-of-sight from a particular point encompassing all the visible scenery. By analogy, energysheds are the totality of energy (usually electricity) produced and consumed within an area.

The Alaska Energyshed project is an initiative to identify and secure funding for clean energy projects in Northwest and Southeast Alaska by 2026. Twelve Alaska communities were chosen to participate in the project, which is backed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and supported by Launch Alaska, Southeast Conference, DeerStone Consulting, and the Alaska Municipal League.

“The Alaska Energyshed Project aims to identify and develop clean energy projects across the Northwest Arctic and Southeast Alaska with the intention of saving money, reducing energy costs, and improving environmental impacts that help these communities,” says Launch Alaska chief deployment officer Ottar Mobley. “We’re right at the mid-point of the project now, and the work that’s been done already included selecting the communities.”

story: In the spring of 1968, a twenty-two-story tower called Ronan Point opened. It was built using a quick, economical construction method called “large panel system building” that prioritized speed and cost over integrity.

On the morning of May 16, 1968, resident Ivy Hodge went to make her morning tea. She lit the stove, which ignited a gas leak and caused an explosion. The walls of her apartment blew out, triggering a cascading collapse. Without the walls for support, the floors pancaked down to the ground floor, killing four people.

The disaster revealed how the building’s connections were inadequate for real-world stresses. Like the structural components of a building, professional relationships create a structure of support and integrity for a successful career.

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