We generally start planning for the Top 49ers in the spring, starting with the theme. For 2022, the process started even earlier. Last fall, Art Director Monica Sterchi-Lowman and I were conferring about the magazine and happily stumbled across a theme to which we were both immediately drawn: Choose Adventure. Inspired by the iconic “Choose Your Own Adventure” novels of the ‘80s and ‘90s, we saw incredible potential for the editorial and design—we liked the energy, the focus on opportunity, and the potential for monsters.

Separately, in meetings marked by a decidedly different tone, the Alaska Business editorial and ownership team made another determination: we decided to adjust the criteria for eligibility to be a Top 49er. Instead of requiring that an organization be at least 51 percent Alaskan-owned, we are admitting companies to the Top 49ers if they were established in Alaska and remain headquartered here—and, of course, their gross revenue is high enough to make the ranks.

Why drop the Alaskan-owned criteria? Because it requires that we define what it means to be “Alaskan,” which is difficult—if not impossible. Does an Alaskan have to be born here? Does qualifying for the PFD make one Alaskan? When I, personally, left the state for college, did I become not-Alaskan for a few years and then somehow slip that mantle back on when I returned? Our unwritten and unspoken rule for “Alaskan” was based on residency, but that isn’t quite right and hasn’t been for some time.

Over the years we have received feedback from various companies about the criteria for the Top 49ers, both supporting and opposing the 51 percent Alaskan-owned requirement. We do not adjust the criteria for any ranked list on a whim, but we also never reject outright or fail to consider the input of our readers. As a magazine with Alaska in our name, it’s critically important to us that we include—and do not exclude—the companies that are as focused on the state as we are.

In October 1985, when we first published a special section featuring “The New 49ers,” which we said were “The largest Alaskan-owned, Alaska-based companies,” then-Publisher Robert Dixon summarized our goal: “We sought to identify, and to rank by sales volume, the largest Alaskan-owned and based corporations.” In his article, he states, “These pioneers have chosen the harshest league of all to prove their entrepreneurial prowess and won… They’re the private players who have put everything on the line, defied the economic oddsmakers with all-star performances on a field where opportunity is said to be fading.”

Much of that sentiment remains today: Alaska can be a difficult state in which to grow businesses beyond a certain level—no doubt. Regardless of the challenges, the Top 49ers have found incredible levels of success locally and globally. We are confident that our revised criteria help fulfill the original mission of the Top 49ers as set forth in 1985, while also making adjustments to keep the list contemporary. We’ve set course for our new adventure: we hope you continue to travel with us as we document the tales of the state we all love.