September 2020 | Volume 37 | Number 9 | AKBIZMAG.COM

Contents

Features

Off the Beaten Path

Navigating construction planning outside of the road system
By Julie Stricker
Bettisworth North Architects

Off the Beaten Path

Navigating construction planning outside of the road system
By Julie Stricker
Bettisworth North Architects
Construction: Off the Beaten Path

Closing Time

Attracting potential buyers to your business
By Tracy Barbour

Healthcare 2.0

Advanced medical technology supports Alaskans’ health
By Isaac Stone Simonelli

The Whole Package

Companies use unique employee benefits to keep staff healthier and happier
By Tracy Barbour

Oil Rig Round-up

A look at Doyon’s ‘Beast’ and other North Slope engineering feats
By Julie Stricker

The Railbelt Reimagined

Navigating an energy landscape that works for Alaska
By Danny Kreilkamp

Digging Deep for Clean Energy

An Alaska solution to America’s foreign mineral dependency
By Isaac Stone Simonelli
Millrock Exploration Corporation

Digging Deep for Clean Energy

An Alaska solution to America’s foreign mineral dependency
By Isaac Stone Simonelli
Millrock Exploration Corporation
Mining: Digging Deep for Clean Energy

Closing Time

Attracting potential buyers to your business
By Tracy Barbour

Healthcare 2.0

Advanced medical technology supports Alaskans’ health
By Isaac Stone Simonelli

The Whole Package

Companies use unique employee benefits to keep staff healthier and happier
By Tracy Barbour

Oil Rig Round-up

A look at Doyon’s ‘Beast’ and other North Slope engineering feats
By Julie Stricker

The Railbelt Reimagined

Navigating an energy landscape that works for Alaska
By Danny Kreilkamp
Alaska Business (ISSN 8756-4092) is published monthly by Alaska Business Publishing Co., Inc. 501 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 100, Anchorage, 
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Alaska Native Special Section
Honored for authenticity, inclusion
By Vanessa Orr
Alaska’s Native corporations share the wisdom of their Elders
Compiled by Tasha Anderson
Alaska’s mixed relationship with the Census
By Amy Newman
Alaska Native corporations take holistic approach to growth
By Vanessa Orr
As land transfers promised in the ‘70s wind down, difficult conveyances remain
By Sam Friedman
Spreading the Word: True North, the Story of ASRC
Alaska Native corporations harness the power of media to share history, culture
By Vanessa Orr
ASRC
From the parks of Girdwood to the cover of Time magazine—dropping in with Brian Adams
By Danny Kreilkamp
Ash Adams

About The Cover

If you happened to pick up this magazine expecting articles on the latest trends in fashion and art… you could be forgiven. Photographed by Ash Adams, the September cover of Alaska Business features the striking portrait of an artist whose work is no stranger to covers: photographer and hometown-hero Brian Adams.

In celebration of our Alaska Native special section and an overarching theme of Alaska Natives in the media, we invited the artists to collaborate—and the result is something special. For more footage from the shoot, and more on Brian Adams’ journey to becoming one of the most sought-after photographers in town, make sure to check out In the Spotlight.

Photography by Ash Adams

"In the Spotlight" by Danny Kreikamp
From the parks of Girdwood to the cover of Time magazine—dropping in with Brian Adams
By Danny Kreilkamp
Ash Adams

About The Cover

If you happened to pick up this magazine expecting articles on the latest trends in fashion and art… you could be forgiven. Photographed by Ash Adams, the September cover of Alaska Business features the striking portrait of an artist whose work is no stranger to covers: photographer and hometown-hero Brian Adams.

In celebration of our Alaska Native special section and an overarching theme of Alaska Natives in the media, we invited the artists to collaborate—and the result is something special. For more footage from the shoot, and more on Brian Adams’ journey to becoming one of the most sought-after photographers in town, make sure to check out In the Spotlight.

Photography by Ash Adams

Honored for authenticity, inclusion
By Vanessa Orr
Alaska’s Native corporations share the wisdom of their Elders
Compiled by Tasha Anderson
Alaska’s mixed relationship with the Census
By Amy Newman
Alaska Native corporations take holistic approach to growth
By Vanessa Orr
As land transfers promised in the ‘70s wind down, difficult conveyances remain
By Sam Friedman
Spreading the Word: True North, the Story of ASRC
Alaska Native corporations harness the power of media to share history, culture
By Vanessa Orr
ASRC

Plans Change.
Deadlines Don’t.

Important shipment? No need to worry. You can check the status from anywhere using Lynden’s new mobile app.
Innovative Transportation Solutions

From the Editor

Being Counted

T

his year will go down in history for many things—a worldwide pandemic, a presidential election, a total shift in how we live our daily lives… so it could be easily forgiven if one were to forget that 2020 is also a Census year. Required by the US Constitution, legislators have been using data collected during the surveying process for 230 years to determine congressional representation and to inform how more than $675 billion in federal funding is distributed to communities nationwide.

Alaska is renowned for many things, but our response to the census is not one of them; when it comes to filling out our census forms, we rank dead last in the nation. And of the Alaska population, it is often the state’s Native people who are counted the least.

Alaska Business logo
Volume 37, #9
Editorial Staff
Managing Editor
Kathryn Mackenzie
257-2907 editor@akbizmag.com
Associate/Web Editor
Tasha Anderson
257-2902 tanderson@akbizmag.com
Digital and Social Media Specialist
Arie Henry
257-2910 ahenry@akbizmag.com
Staff Writer
Danny Kreilkamp
danny@akbizmag.com
Art Director
Monica Sterchi-Lowman
257-2916 design@akbizmag.com
Art Production
Linda Shogren
257-2912 production@akbizmag.com
Photo Contributor
Kerry Tasker
BUSINESS STAFF
President
Billie Martin
VP & General Manager
Jason Martin
257-2905 jason@akbizmag.com
VP Sales & Marketing
Charles Bell
257-2909 cbell@akbizmag.com
Senior Account Manager
Janis J. Plume
257-2917 janis@akbizmag.com
Advertising Account Manager
Christine Merki
257-2911 cmerki@akbizmag.com
Accounting Manager
Ana Lavagnino
257-2901 accounts@akbizmag.com
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257-2914 emily@akbizmag.com
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Northern Air Cargo plane
Keeping Alaska Open for Business
Northern Air Cargo is committed to continuing our cargo operations while maintaining the health and safety of our customers and employees.

Regulations are changing constantly. For the most up-to-date information visit www.nac.aero.

Northern Air Cargo plane tail
Northern Air Cargo is committed to continuing our cargo operations while maintaining the health and safety of our customers and employees.

Regulations are changing constantly. For the most up-to-date information visit www.nac.aero.

Northern Air Cargo plane tail
Finance
Closing Time
Attracting potential buyers to your business
By Tracy Barbour
FINANCE
illustration of man sleeping on money
Closing Time
Attracting potential buyers to your business
By Tracy Barbour
studiostoks | Vectorstock
S

elling a business is a complex transaction with many moving parts and intricate details shaped by the needs of the different parties involved. It requires meticulous planning, from cleaning up inadequate books and tax records to sprucing up a business location or even increasing sales and reducing expenses to justify a higher asking price. These, and other strategies, can make it easier for business owners to attract potential buyers.

One of the most common reasons owners sell their business is retirement—especially if the company is profitable. Other situations that precipitate a sale are new opportunities, burnout, financial reasons, divorce, health problems, and death. Regardless of the rationale, experts say the deal should be a win-win for the buyer and seller.

Healthcare
hand holding digital and physical files
Daria Bayandina | iStock
Healthcare 2.0
Advanced medical technology supports Alaskans’ health
By Isaac Stone Simonelli
A

laska is not typically known for its cutting-edge medical technology but that’s changing, and quickly, as the state becomes home to more state-of-the-art medical devices and continues to serve as a premier testing ground for one of the more advanced telemedicine systems in the nation.

“Alaska is a place that may have some of the greatest needs for telehealth and the greatest capacity for telehealth. And, I think, some of the greatest environments to test and use telehealth,” Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) CIO Stewart Ferguson says.

ANTHC has the only federally funded National Telehealth Technology Assessment Center (TTAC). Its goals are to test, evaluate, and create better-informed telehealth technology users.

Professional Services
The Whole Package
Companies use unique employee benefits to keep staff healthier and happier
By Tracy Barbour
petervician | iStock
A

laska businesses across various industries are using unique employee benefits to recruit new talent and help their existing workforce be more productive, healthy, and engaged. Many companies are focusing on inventive ways to promote employee well-being. Some offerings are directly correlated to health, such as onsite or near-site clinics; health fairs and flu shots; or onsite fitness equipment and gym memberships.

There’s also been an increase in companies offering wellness-related education and perks, from exercise and cooking classes to healthier food options available in lunchrooms or during meetings, according to Colleen Savoie, a principal and employee benefits producer at Parker, Smith & Feek. “For example, one of our clients subsidizes healthy options in their cafeteria; less-healthy options are offered at full price,” she says. “Some clients are making changes, such as removing sugary drinks like soda and replacing them with tea or flavored water.”

HR MATTERS
Preventing Builder’s Risk Claims
By Kevin Sayler, Vice President, Risk Control Specialist

B

uilder’s risk insurance is a property policy purchased by building owners, developers, or general contractors to cover a loss of all or part of a building or building materials during construction. Fire and water are the most common causes of significant losses covered by a builder’s risk policy, and trespassers often are a contributing factor.

Site security
Site security is a growing issue in many regions, including Alaska. Advances in technology have led to the development of options beyond the traditional chain link fence and patrolling security guard arrangement. Continuously monitored camera systems installed around the perimeter and interior of a jobsite provide more thorough surveillance than staff on patrol. Many camera systems have the option to allow security firms to speak directly to the intruder, which often results in them leaving the site immediately. Increasingly, construction companies find this more effective than security guards that cannot monitor the entire site continuously.
ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION
ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION
Nick Hall Photography 2020
Spreading
the Word
Alaska Native corporations harness the power of media to share history, culture
By Vanessa Orr
W

hen Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) first aired TV commercials featuring the tagline, “A Place That’s Always Been,” the reaction was surprising. Not only because they received numerous accolades and marketing awards for the campaign but because, at the time, it was rare for Alaska Native corporations to market themselves through the media.

“Prior to us launching the campaign eight years ago, Alaska Native corporations weren’t known for promoting themselves in the public beyond reaching out to our own shareholders,” explains BBNC President and CEO Jason Metrokin.

ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION
ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION
WGBH Educational Foundation
Molly of
Denali
Honored for authenticity, inclusion
By Vanessa Orr
Molly of Denali, the first nationally distributed children’s series to feature an Indigenous lead character, recently won a 2020 George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting. Since its premiere in July 2019 on PBS Kids, the series has reached some 40 million people, including 700,000 Indigenous and Alaska Native viewers.

The show takes place in the fictional village of Qyah, Alaska, and features Molly and her family, her dog Suki, and her friends Tooey and Trini. Together they like to go fishing, build snow forts, and maintain dog sled teams, among other Alaska pastimes.

ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION
In the Spotlight
From the parks of Girdwood to the cover of TIME magazine—dropping in with Brian Adams
By Danny Kreilkamp
Ash Adams
ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION
In the Spotlight
From the parks of Girdwood to the cover of TIME magazine—dropping in with Brian Adams
By Danny Kreilkamp
Ash Adams
W

ere it not for a chance listing in a newspaper thrown his way nearly two decades ago, Alaska-grown photographer Brian Adams might never have turned his raw talent into the decorated career he’s carved out for himself today. And Alaska would be deprived of one of its most important artists.

“A few months out of high school, my brother was going to work and was frustrated with me, and was all, ‘You need to get a job.’” Adams recalls. “And I was like, ‘Yeah… I know.’

“So, my brother took the classified papers and tossed them at me, and I thought, ‘You’ll never find a job in there!’”

ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION
We Learn When We Listen
Alaska’s Native corporations share the wisdom of their Elders
Compiled by Tasha Anderson
I

t’s nearly impossible to imagine how Alaska Native leaders must have felt when the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was passed, creating more than 200 corporations across the state of varying resources, assets, and skillsets. In some ways ANCSA marked a victory in that Alaska Native peoples were awarded (legally, according to the standards of Alaska’s relatively new inhabitants) the rights to some of the lands they have occupied for almost countless years and monetary compensation for those lands now claimed by state and federal entities.

But that small victory also brought abrupt change and challenges to Alaska Native leaders tasked with launching corporations that would be profitable, support their communities and shareholders, make wise use of their lands and resources, build the economic stability of their regions, and preserve a cultural heritage that for decades had been under deliberate attack.

ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION
A Fair Count
Alaska’s mixed relationship with the Census
By Amy Newman
C

ensus enumerators kicked off the 2020 Census in Toksook Bay, Alaska, a small village on Nelson Island west of Bethel, on January 21. Though Census materials wouldn’t be mailed to the rest of the country until mid-March, the early arrival of enumerators to rural Alaska dates back to 1880. The early start is necessary to provide enough time to obtain an accurate count of the state’s residents.

“Alaska is definitely one of the hardest states to count, just because of the size and how our communities are really spread out and only accessible by plane or boat or other ways,” says Carmell Engebretson, communications manager with Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC). “So, it’s definitely a challenge for Alaska Native people in those communities to be counted at times.”

ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION
Acquiring More than a Business
Alaska Native corporations take holistic approach to growth
By Vanessa Orr
A

laska Native corporations (ANCs) acquire companies for a variety of reasons, from expanding their existing portfolios in specific industries to entering new lines of business. But unlike many companies that look at such investments simply as a way to improve their bottom line, ANCs tend to focus on how these companies fit not only within their financial picture but into a corporate culture that embraces tradition, history, the environment, and the long-term sustainability of its shareholders.

“When we began restructuring our company eight years ago, we wanted to find businesses and industries that fit with who we are as Native people—that fit our region and our homeland of southeast Alaska,” explains Sealaska CEO Anthony Mallott of the company’s focus on land, food, and water. “We already had a land business; the food and water portions were built through a very specific acquisition process.”

Alaska Native corporations take holistic approach to growth
ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION
The Home Stretch
As land transfers promised in the ‘70s wind down, difficult conveyances remain
By Sam Friedman
O

n a Friday in April, a brief, socially-distanced land transaction ceremony took place outside the Federal Building in downtown Anchorage.

John F.C. Johnson, Chugach Alaska Corporation’s vice president of cultural resources, attended to accept the most recent group of lands that the federal government promised the company in 1971 through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA).

April’s land conveyances were from a special category of ANCSA land designated for cemeteries and historical sites. Like other for-profit entities, Alaska Native corporations seek to return value to their shareholders, but they also serve the additional and unique role of acting as cultural repositories.

ALASKA NATIVE SPECIAL SECTION
Alaska Native Directory
Afognak Native Corporation
300 Alimaq Dr.
Kodiak, AK 99615
907-486-6014
afognak.com
malia@afognak.com
Business Activities: Afognak’s subsidiaries provide an exceptional track record of government and commercial services worldwide, including leasing; facility services; timber; retail; engineering; IT; security; logistics; operations and maintenance; and youth services.
Noteworthy Project: Afognak acquired Brown Jug, a retail sales business with an 83-year history in Alaska, operating 21 stores in Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla, and Fairbanks. The heritage brand is Alaska’s first and largest retailer of fine wines, spirits and beer. The acquisition, effective June 1, 2020, will bring stability to Afognak’s subsidiary portfolio through diversification, enhanced profitability, and the potential to provide increased job opportunities for shareholders, among other benefits.
Acreage: 248,000
Number of Shareholders: 1,209
Subsidiaries: Shields Point, Alutiiq Advanced Security Solutions, Alutiiq Education & Training, Alutiiq Essential Services, Alutiiq General Contractors, Alutiiq International Solutions, Alutiiq Professional Services, Alutiiq Security & Technology, Alutiiq Commercial Enterprises, Alutiiq 3SG, Alutiiq Technical Services, Alutiiq Pacific, Alutiiq Diversified Services, Alutiiq Management Services, Alutiiq Manufacturing ContractorsAlutiiq-Mele, Alutiiq Professional Training, Alutiiq Global Solutions, Afognak Near Island, Afognak Arctic Development, Afognak C Street, Marka Bay, Alutiiq Business Services, Alutiiq Logistics & Maintenance Services, Alutiiq Solutions, Alcyon, Inc., Alutiiq Information Management, Alutiiq Career Ventures, Afognak Leasing, McCallie Associates, Oxbow Data Management Systems, Alutiiq Leasing Company, Alutiiq Employee Leasing, Alutiiq, Alcyon Technical Services, Red Peak Technical Services, Brown Jug (Liquor Stores USA North, Inc)
Greg Hambright, Pres./CEO
Worldwide/Alaska Employees: 4,409/163
Ahtna, Inc.
PO Box 649
Glennallen, AK 99588
907-822-3476
ahtna.com
news@ahtna.net
Business Activities: Construction, engineering, environmental, facilities management, surveying, security, military training, janitorial, healthcare and medical records management, government contracting, land management, resource development, and oil and gas pipeline services.
Noteworthy Project: We are incredibly proud of the resilience and flexibility our employees have shown in meeting our business and client needs while maintaining their health and safety. We’ve supported our clients’ COVID response through emergency deep cleaning for NOAA and design/construction of alternate care facilities for USACE. Our employee performance also enabled the company to issue two special dividend distributions to our shareholders to assist them during this time of economic hardship.
Acreage: 1,528,000
Number of Shareholders: 2,119
Subsidiaries: Ahtna Development Company, Ahtna Facility Services, Ahtna Support & Training Services, Ahtna Government Services Corp., Ahtna Construction & Primary Products Company, Ahtna Design Build, Ahtna Professional Services, Ahtna Environmental, Ahtna Technologies, AKHI, Ahtna Global, Ahtna Logistics, Ahtna Engineering Services, AAA Valley Gravel, Ahtna Netiye’, Ahtna Infrastructure & Technologies, Ahtna Integrated Services, Ahtna Marine & Construction Company, Ahtna Solutions, Ahtna Petrochemical Products, Ahtna Technical Services
Michelle Anderson, Pres
Worldwide/Alaska Employees: 1,320/381
Alaska Peninsula Corporation
301 Calista Ct., Ste. 101
Anchorage, AK 99518
907-274-2433
alaskapeninsulacorp.com
bangasan@alaskapeninsulacorp.com
Business Activities: Environmental consulting and restoration; electrical contractor and call-out services; construction; remote camp services; geophysical studies; resource development support.
Noteworthy Project: PCB contaminated soil removal in Port Heiden.
Acreage: 400,000
Number of Shareholders: 800
Subsidiaries: Talarik Research& Restoration Services, Yukon Electric, APC Federal, APC Services, APC Professional Services
Dave McAlister, CEO
Worldwide/Alaska Employees: 40/39
Construction
Off the Beaten Path
Construction planning outside of the road system has many moving pieces
By Julie Stricker
Bettisworth North Architects
Construction
Off the Beaten Path
Fire suppression systems protect oil and gas operations from going up in flames
By Isaac Stone Simonelli
Bettisworth North Architects
Off the Beaten Path featured image
L

ittle Diomede—a tiny, rocky island with a population of less than 100—is located in the middle of the Bering Sea, only two miles from Big Diomede island, which is across the International Date Line and uninhabited, except by an occasional Russian military sortie.

Most of the island slopes 45 degrees to the water’s surface, and buildings on stilts cling to the side connected by walkways. Little Diomede has no harbor or airport and the weather in the Bering Strait is unpredictable, so traveling to the village can be tricky. For construction projects, it doesn’t get more rural—or more complicated.

Oil & Gas
Oil Rig
Round-up
A look at Doyon’s ‘Beast’ and other North Slope engineering feats
By Julie Stricker
Doyon Drilling
Oil & Gas
Oil Rig Round-up
A look at Doyon’s ‘Beast’ and other North Slope engineering feats
By Julie Stricker
Doyon Drilling
Oil Rig Round Up Featured Image
F

ifty years ago, a typical oil drilling site on Alaska’s North Slope was spread out over 20 acres and the drilling technology of the day reached about a mile underground surrounding the pad. On the surface, wells were spaced about 120 feet apart.

Today, drill sites have much smaller footprints and drilling innovations such as new bit designs, fluid formulas, and advanced drill rig technologies allow oil companies to reach more than 100 square miles from one pad and drill around geological barriers. Developments such as directional, extended reach, and multilateral drilling allow wells to be drilled in all directions from a single well bore, like spokes on a wheel, leaving most of the surface environment undisturbed.

Mining
Digging Deep for Clean Energy
An Alaska solution to America’s foreign mineral dependency
By Isaac Stone Simonelli
Tesla
G

reen energy technology is built through mining. Without certain raw materials, such as graphite and rare earth metals, everything from the lithium-ion batteries that power Teslas to those storing electricity from wind turbines would be impossible to create, says US Senator Lisa Murkowski.

“We had a lot of opportunity since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic to really appreciate in real-time how reliant we are as a nation on other countries for some very important goods and products,” Murkowski says in her podcast “Murkowski’s Message”—referring to medical supplies that were in short supply early in the crisis. “That experience has been a good reminder, I think, that much of what makes modern life possible, from cell phones to laptops for Zoom meetings to the electricity that keeps everything running—all of this comes from minerals.”

Petrotechnical Resources Alaska logo
Alaska's Oil & Gas Consultants text
Geoscience, Engineering, Operations and Project Management text
Oil Drop image
Company Phone Number
Company Website
Company Email
3601 C Street, Suite 1424
Anchorage, AK 99503
Energy
The Railbelt Reimagined
Navigating an energy landscape that works for Alaska
By Danny Kreilkamp
ralphradford | iStock
F

ragmented. Balkanized. Contentious.

These are just a few of the words the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA) used to describe the state of the Railbelt in its 2015 letter to the Legislature. Exposing issues associated with the electric utilities’ independent operations in the region spanning from Homer to Fairbanks, the letter called for total institutional reform while proposing a few key recommendations.

One of the more glaring inefficiencies, RCA Chairman Bob Pickett says, was the recent outlay of almost $1.5 billion in combined and uncoordinated power generation projects between the six Railbelt utilities. “The Commission looked at it and thought the utilization and coordination of these assets, both generation and transmission, needed to be improved to get maximum benefit to the ratepayers.”

Up Your Frequency to Up Your Game!
Janis Plume headshot
By Janis Plume
Senior Account Manager

A

dvertising is a gear with many cogs—an important one is ad frequency. In simple terms frequency is the number of times your ad is seen. The effectiveness of your advertising is improved exponentially when it is run consistently over multiple insertions.

Consider this analogy: if a nail is struck by a hammer once it barely sticks. In a short time it’ll come loose, fall out, and be forgotten. However, if a nail is hammered several times it will stick with permanence. The same goes for advertising.

Inside Alaska Business
Alaska Black Business Directory

The Alaska Black Business Directory has published a directory including more than 200 black-owned businesses in Alaska. Per the organization’s website, the first “basic edition” of the directory was published in late July. Co-owners and operators Jasmin Smith and Shawn Idom plan to update the directory to include city organizations and contact information.
alaskablackbusinessdirectory.com

Pebble Project | US Army Corp of Engineers

The US Army Corps of Engineers–Alaska District (USACE) published the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Pebble Limited Partnership’s application to discharge fill material into US waters for the purpose of developing a copper-molybdenum-gold mine project in the Bristol Bay region. The final EIS isn’t a permit decision and doesn’t authorize operation of the mine. The Corps is responsible for making a permit decision under two authorities—Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. The document is available electronically at the Pebble Project EIS website.
usace.army.mil | pebblepartnership.com

Economic Indicators
ANS Crude Oil Production
450,132 barrels
5% change from previous month
8/2/2020
Source: Alaska Department of Natural Resources
ANS West Coast Crude Oil Prices
$41.63 per barrel
-3% change from previous month
7/31/2020
Source: Alaska Department of Natural Resources
Statewide Employment
343,356 Labor Force
12.4% Unemployment
6/1/20. Adjusted seasonally.
Source: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Right Moves
KPMG
KPMG announced two new managers in the firm’s Anchorage office.

Kyle Kirn was promoted to Audit Manager. Kirn brings five years of accounting experience with a variety of organizations, including Alaska Native corporations, construction, renewable energy, and fishing. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s in accounting from Brigham Young University.

Kirn headshot
Kirn
Lucas Smith was also promoted to Audit Manager. Smith brings five years of accounting experience and works with both public and private companies throughout the Pacific Northwest. He has extensive experience in the railroad, mining, and consumer products industries. Smith earned both his bachelor’s and master’s from Montana State University.
Smith headshot
Smith

Alaska Trends

Every ten years the Census is launched first in Alaska so the Census Bureau has the best chance of getting accurate numbers from our many rural and remote communities, as well as those populations that travel in the summer months.

For our September Alaska Trends, we’re looking back at 2010 census data concerning American Indian/Alaska Native people (AIAN) as presented by the US Census Bureau in its brief The American Indian and Alaska Native Population: 2010. While it is the best data available, it’s also known that these figures do not represent a full account of American Indian/Alaska Native persons—the Census Bureau, various Alaska Native corporations, and other local entities have combined efforts to encourage 2020 Census participation, working toward a more accurate count and therefore more appropriate allocation of funds and electoral opportunities for our American Indian/Alaska Native neighbors.

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