INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS row Environmental Observatory and other Barrow-based scientific research properties it owns, including several facilities at the former Naval Arctic Research Laboratory. UIC subsidiary UMIAQ, CH2M HILL Constructors Inc., Polar Field Services and SRI International provide logistical support for Barrow research activities. The companies received an eight-year contract renewal in support of arctic research funded by the National Science Foundation. UIC is the Alaska Native village corporation for Barrow.

Company Reorganizes as TOTE Inc.

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merican Shipping Group has rebranded its companies under the new moniker TOTE Inc. The company reorganized its five independently managed businesses in to three groups: maritime, logistics and ship management. They are TOTE Maritime: Totem Ocean Trailer Express and Sea Star Line; TOTE Ship Management: Interocean American Shipping and TOTE Logistics: Alta Logistics and Spectrum Logistics. Totem Ocean Trailer Express was founded in 1975 and offers twice-weekly cargo ship operations between the Port of Tacoma and the Port of Anchorage. Earlier this year, James Armstrong was hired as president for TOTE Logistics. He previously served as senior vice president, general manager for warehousing at Yusen Logistics (Americas) Inc. Kevin Kendrick was chosen chief commercial officer for TOTE Inc.

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Icicle Seafoods Supports UA

cicle Seafoods donated $300,000 to the University of Alaska Foundation for scholarships, student aid, research and technology programs

throughout the UA System. Gunnar Knapp, a fisheries professor at the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of Alaska Anchorage, noted a share of Icicle’s donation goes to support fisheries economics research at UAA’s Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER). The recent donation supports several specific programs, including ISER, UAA: Icicle Fisheries Fund, created to strengthen ISER’s capacity to engage in research and instruction regarding Alaska’s fishing industry and seafood markets; Kenai Peninsula College’s Kachemak Bay Campus: Learning Resource Center; Kachemak Bay Campus: part-time technology staff, for eLearning classroom technology; scholarships at Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, University of Alaska Fairbanks Bristol Bay Campus, University of Alaska Southeast (Juneau); UAS (Juneau): undergraduate Icicle Seafoods fisheries and Marine Science Research Endowment; and UAS (Ketchikan): Fish Tech Program, for expansion of fisheries education opportunities to secondary and post-secondary students in Craig, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Kake, Juneau, Sitka, Valdez, Kodiak and Dillingham.

DVD Promotes Baby Basics

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est Beginnings created a 14-minute DVD called “Babies on Track” to help parents support their children’s early learning and healthy brain development. Best Beginnings is a nonprofit advocate for early learning in Alaska. The DVD shows how interactions with babies during everyday activities help them learn language, sounds and social skills. The DVD comes with two companion baby board books, “Let’s Talk Alaska!” and “Our Alaska Family.” The basic message of Babies on Track is that the more parents talk with their babies

and young children – the more conversation and positive interaction that occur – the easier it is for them to pick up language when they’re ready to start talking themselves. Babies raised with more interaction have larger vocabularies, and they’re ready for kindergarten by age 5. The Babies on Track books were produced with support from the Alaska Children’s Trust, the CIRI Foundation and ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. The DVD was produced with contributions from the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development and Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. Affinityfilms Inc. developed the books and DVD. For more information, visit www.bestbeginningsalaska.org.

Seafood Recipes Garner Top Honors The Alaska Symphony of Seafood honored grand-prize winner Tustumena Smokehouse for its Kylee’s Alaskan Salmon Bacon. Winners of the 19th annual New Products Contest judging event held in Seattle were announced in February at the Gala Soiree in Anchorage. Chefs and industry experts in Seattle pick the best new seafood products each year in the competition. This year’s first-place winners included Sweet Potato Crunch Alaska Pollock Sticks by American Pride Seafoods in the foodservice category, AquaCuisine Naturally Smoked Salmon Frank by AquaCuisine in the retail category and Kylee’s Alaskan Salmon Bacon by Tustumena Smokehouse in the smoked category. The grand prize, awarded to the product that received the most overall votes, also went to Kylee’s Alaskan Salmon Bacon by Tustumena Smokehouse. The first-place winners from each category, and the grand-prize winner, received booth space and roundtrip airfare for the International Boston Seafood Show in March.

Pacific Pile & Marine, LP (PPM) is seasoned in projects containing complicated logistics, specialized equipment, environmental constraints and long lead time materials.

www.pacificpile.com I (907) 276-3873 276-3878

Working in the Alaska market for over a decade, our team is dedicated to the preplanning schedule control and logistical support required to deliver projects in this environment. 620B East Whitney Road I Anchorage, AK 99501

www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • April 2012

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