ike a hothouse flower sprouting under glass while the garden is still frosty, small businesses seeking capital for growth have a place to prepare before enduring the storm of a loan application. The Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC) puts owners through their paces without the stress of money on the line.

Misty O’Connor is director of SBDC’s office in Wasilla. “A lot of times I sit in those first meetings with the lender and my client, and I am the ‘bad cop,’” she explains. “I know the tough questions to ask, and I’m not shy to ask them for the sake of the business owner. Can the owner pay the loan off early? What are the fees? What’s the closing cost? What’s the entrance?”

rade shows provide companies with opportunities to connect with customers and industry partners, showcase their products and services, monitor market trends, and keep an eye on competitors. Also known as trade fairs or exhibitions, these events are evolving rapidly. The most successful participants are the ones that treat trade shows as more than just a “marketing check-the-box,” says Spawn Ideas CEO Karen King. They’re the ones building experiences that are immersive, intentional, and aligned with their brand story.

“Whether it’s through smart and sustainable booth design, meaningful giveaways, or tech-driven engagement, the goal is the same: create real connections that last beyond the show floor,” King says.

Nationally, some of the biggest shifts at trade shows include immersive and interactive experiences, King says. Exhibitors are moving beyond static booths. From augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) demos to live product customization and gamified experiences, brands are creating memorable, hands-on moments that deepen engagement.

en short years ago, H5 Construction performed routine property maintenance with one employee. Now the company is looking at about $75 million in work—a list that includes the Home2 Suites by Hilton in Wasilla, more than one affordable housing development project, a new custom-designed veterinary urgent care facility, and a major renovation to the Alaska Addiction Rehabilitation Services alcohol treatment facility at Nugen’s Ranch that will double its client capacity from twenty-six beds to fifty-two—and that’s just the projects happening in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

Cameron Johnson and Daniel and Jerad Hacker, the brothers who run H5, are three of the five Hackers for whom H5 is named; their parents, Jim and Lisa Hacker, are the other two. While it’s fair to say the company has come a long way in one decade, the brothers will attest that each step has been on the greater path of building a company they see as their dad’s legacy.

hat’s an Alaskan gearhead to do? “Alaskans tend to have a lot of toys, maybe more than any other state,” says Yvan Corbin, owner and CEO of Top Shelf Realty. All those RVs, ATVs, motorcycles, snowmachines, jet skis, boats, and trailers take up space. If home isn’t big enough, off-site storage can help, but monthly fees can drain a budget.

Corbin’s company and other developers have an alternative: an extra garage.

One of those other developers, GarageTown Anchorage, asks on its website, “What’ll be in YOUR garage?” Emphasis on the possessive highlights the key feature: these properties are bought and owned. The complexes are managed like condominiums with a homeowners association (HOA) and access controlled through locked gates.

evenue, in absolute terms, is the prime consideration for ranking the Top 49ers. As a snapshot of annual performance, it’s a reasonable measure of relative success. However, the first-order derivative of revenue growth is a meaningful metric at a wider range of scales. While earning more dollars, year over year, than half of the other companies on the list is impressive, the enormous head start for the mightiest of the mighty is an important consideration.

In percentage terms, then, double-digit growth is a signal of a blazing star on the rise. On this year’s list, eight companies posted revenue at least 20 percent higher than the year before. Northrim Bank’s 24 percent growth reflects its backing of Alaskans and their businesses, while oil and gas activity benefited Alaskan-owned industry support firms, boosting Udelhoeven Oilfield System Services by 24 percent and Colville by a chart-topping 60 percent.

anking by the previous year’s revenue is necessarily retrospective, yet the Top 49ers didn’t land on the list by looking backward. In addition to revenue figures, we asked companies to share an upcoming project, initiative, or policy that sets up the organization for long-term success. Here are their answers.

xciting things are happening on Alaska’s North Slope, spearheaded by a new player on the oil and gas scene, Alyeschem. The company is currently developing a distributed chemical manufacturing facility to provide essential chemicals, starting with methanol, ultra-low sulfur diesel, nitrogen, and chemical blending services.

This will be the first petrochemical facility in the US Arctic. The North Slope’s enormous resources, paired with the extreme logistics chains required to keep everything operational, created the opportunity for this advantageous project. The facility will help monetize stranded North Slope natural gas and reduce fuel imports up the Dalton Highway.

Alyeschem develops chemical manufacturing solutions to meet the unique needs of the Arctic. Founded by Alaskans, Alyeschem is committed to sustainable development and long-term partnership with Alaska-based investors, local communities, government entities, and industry partners.

tarting a successful business takes a lot of know-how, hard work, and tenacity. In many cases, it also requires making connections that can help entrepreneurs find the resources they need to grow. Numerous organizations in Alaska work to help small business owners connect with more seasoned companies and individuals to expand their professional networks.

The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, for example, provides its members with opportunities to meet mentors, advisors, and even future customers. The largest business organization in Alaska, the chamber has served as a resource to help members gain business savvy for more than 100 years.

Brooklynn Spooner, the Anchorage Chamber’s events manager, says “Our members receive special pricing on events and sponsorships—which are free to attend, in many cases—that can easily translate to meaningful introductions and future ROI [return on investment].”

nterns can go far. For example, Calista Corporation used to have an intern by the name of Andrew Guy. Now he’s the president and CEO of the Alaska Native corporation for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region.

Calista’s summer intern program is one of its most successful initiatives for guiding shareholders and descendants toward long-term, rewarding careers, according to Izayah Narull’aq Liu, a Workforce and Shareholder Development (WFSD) Specialist who coordinates Calista’s internship program. “Through this program, we aim to provide meaningful professional experience, expand access to career pathways, and cultivate the next generation of leaders across our region and industries,” he says.

Liu notes that five interns transitioned to full-time positions last year within Calista’s family of companies—a record amount for the program—working in construction, information technology, administration, and finance. And one intern began a registered mechanic apprenticeship program to continue their professional development. Currently, two members of Calista’s WFSD team are previous interns who now help coordinate the very program they once participated in—improving it from the inside out and mentoring incoming interns. Who knows; one of them might become CEO someday.

ne of the most hazardous activities carried out in general industry, construction, and maritime work is rigging. Rigging is the equipment or use of equipment used to support, lift, suspend, tow, or secure a load. These tasks involve wire ropes, strapping, chains, or slings to move and tie down materials or other objects, or using powered industrial trucks, cranes, or hoists. It often involves suspended loads, which is anything that is lifted above ground.

Suspended loads present a significant risk of objects falling or striking people or property, or of crushing injuries that could result in serious injury or death. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an average of forty-two fatalities per year from 2013 to 2017 just involving cranes.

Rigging-related injuries are prevalent in maritime, oil and gas, and construction industries. The root causes of these incidents and accidents are lack of training, human error, and equipment failures. Understanding the exposures of rigging and applying appropriate workplace controls are key to performing this work in a safe manner.

ravnalaska.com