Research for entering markets and staying competitive By
Scott Rhode
26 FINANCE
Medical Project Financing Bedside manner for bankers By
Tracy Barbour
32 HEALTHCARE
One-of-a-Kind Treatments
Specialists in hearing loss, dementia, and neonatal addiction By Jamey
Bradbury
106 TOURISM
For the Birds
Never underestimate the attraction of winged wildlife By
Vanessa Orr
86 REAL ESTATE
Multi-Family Property Loans
Additional plexes, added complexity By Tracy
Barbour
92 ALASKA NATIVE
Tayal Brokerage
Where heritage meets commercial real estate innovation By Alexandra Kay
82 ARCHITECTURE
Rethinking the BDS Architects Office Space
We designed our own office space—and we love it! By Jennifer Midthun
96 ENERGY
Nuyakuk River Hydroelectric Concept Update
Renewable power for Dillingham and its neighbors By Terri Marshall
102 FISHERIES
Plentiful Pollock
Fish stocks recover for a boost in quota By Dimitra Lavrakas
TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO NEW HEIGHTS
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CONTENTS
SPECIAL SECTION: CORPORATE 100
36 2025 CORPORATE 100 Alaska's Largest Employers
60 BEYOND SATISFIED
Focus on employee commitment to drive engagement
By J. Maija Doggett
64 MENTAL HEALTH IN THE ALASKA WORKFORCE Stigma, significance, and solutions
By Lincoln Garrick and Farrah Greene-Palmer
70 PREPARING FOR BALLOT MEASURE 1
Higher wages, paid sick leave, and fewer meetings
By Rachael Kvapil
74 OUTSIDE EMPLOYEES
Taxes, insurance, and local laws for non-907 staff
By Terri Marshall
78 A MOMENT TO SHINE
Effective leadership in times of rapid change
By Woodrie Burich and Naomi DuCharme
CORRECTIONS: On pg. 46 of the February 2025 issue, we erroneously published a photo identified as Petersburg; the photo was of Wrangell.
In the pg. 88 article in the March 2025 issue, “From Survival to Revival,” some information was printed incorrectly: Moose Pad development at Hilcorp’s Milne Point allowed for the operation of 100 wells, not 50; construction on Raven pad is completed, not ongoing; Hilcorp has approximately 1,700 employees, not 1,500; and on pg. 88, the phrase “arrest production decline” was missing the word “decline”. The sentence should read: “[Jill] Fisk says the first thing Hilcorp does after acquiring an asset is arrest production decline to prevent the decline in production from continuing.”
54 BEST PLACES TO WORK IN ALASKA What makes workplaces stand out
By Katie Pesznecker
ABOUT THE COVER
Mead Paper Company of Ohio invented the Trapper Keeper in the late ‘70s. The key innovation was holding loose pages in pockets facing the spine, holding them “trapped” so they wouldn’t fall out. By the mid-’80s, the product came in a dizzying variety of decorations, most notably the rainbow unicorns and dolphins of artist Lisa Frank. More unmistakably ‘80s, though, is the neon aesthetic. Purples and pastels broke away from the earth tones of the prior decade, and new desktop computers came loaded with grid elements that became design signatures of their own. In honor of this magazine’s 40th anniversary, the design of the annual Corporate 100 list rewinds to the max.
Cover Art by Patricia Morales
FROM THE EDI TOR
As I write, it is currently early March. The federal government has been cutting federal jobs nationwide, including in Alaska, and—to put it mildly—many people have strong opinions about whether this is good or bad. I have one, too! And it will be held safely for a more appropriate space than this letter.
But I mention the employee reductions for a reason. These personnel decisions have led me to view the government in a different way, which is as an employer that competes with other employers for talent.
Government jobs have long benefitted from what I’d consider a generally positive reputation. Every work environment has its pros and cons, but many regard government jobs as steady work accompanied by good benefits. Plus, there’s the advantage of facilitating education or welfare programs, regulating industries to promote environmental or human health, or other aspects of civil service that appeal to many people.
If the reduction of federal workers continues, I wonder how the federal government will stack up compared to other employers in the future. And to me this only highlights the challenge confronting every business looking to hire: when a potential employee is highly skilled and in demand, what can a company do to attract that person? What sets a company apart as a good employer, and how does a company build that reputation?
Every organization needs to find its own balance between its bottom line and investing in attracting and retaining quality employees. As politics grow more divisive, new generations enter the workplace, the pool of available labor constricts, and “the office” expands far beyond stereotypical cubicles and corner offices, businesses must be willing to have a clear eye on their employee practices and how those practices affect its reputation in the job market.
For those looking for a good place to start? Check out the Corporate 100 special section. It’s full to the brim with companies managing large teams and practical information on how to join those ranks someday. In the end, whether it's state or federal government or the Alaskan private sector, the challenge remains the same: adapt and evolve to attract the best talent in an everchanging business landscape.
Tasha Anderson Managing Editor, Alaska Business
VOLUME 41, #4
EDITORIAL
Tasha Anderson, Managing Editor
Scott Rhode, Editor/Staff Writer
Rindi White, Associate Editor
Emily Olsen, Editorial Assistant
PRODUCTION
Monica Sterchi-Lowman, Art Director
Fulvia Caldei Lowe, Production Manager
Patricia Morales, Web Manager
BUSINESS
Billie Martin, President
Jason Martin, VP & General Manager
James Barnhill, Accounting Manager
SALES
Charles Bell, VP Sales & Marketing 907-257-2909 | cbell@akbizmag.com
Janis J. Plume, Senior Account Manager 907-257-2917 | janis@akbizmag.com
Th is magazine debuted in January 1985 with 56 pages held together by staples. Apart from the cover, only a couple of pages had color graphics. Full-color photos arrived that April, and the October issue swelled to 84 pages, all for $3 (closer to $9 today, adjusted for inflation). After the statewide economic crash that year, the cover price retreated to $2.50. The first issue longer than 100 pages was published in October 1989.
A glossy magazine of Alaska news published every month (plus a thirteenth issue, the Power List compilation) feels like a luxury when web-based media are displacing printed periodicals. Seeing their readership migrate to online presentations, the Anchorage Daily News (ADN), Juneau Empire, Peninsula Clarion , and Homer News all scaled back printed editions last year. ADN
owner Ryan Binkley noted that just 7 percent of approximately 19,000 subscribers interact via print.
ADN ’s twice-weekly printings are down from six since 2017, when Binkley took over the bankrupt company. The paper had delivered a seventh edition every Sunday since 1965. The shrinkage coincided with idling ADN ’s massive press in East Anchorage, as printing was contracted to Arizona-based Wick Communications, which has owned the Frontiersman since 1996.
“When they shut their facility down in Anchorage,” notes Frontiersman publisher J. David McChesney, “we actually hired some of their staff, and it's been a wonderful relationship.”
Thanks to being responsive to readers’ desires, he says, Frontiersman circulation is up lately. But changes are coming; in January, Wick announced it would explore
selling its Alaska assets, including the Anchorage Press , an alternative weekly that shifted to online-only in 2023. “The cost up here is a little higher,” McChesney explains. “In Wick's mind, if they could find another news organization or another printer here in Alaska already, that would be perfect.”
He adds that the family-owned company is not in a hurry, taking time to find the right buyer, whether it’s a deep-pocketed investor or nonprofit organization, preferably an Alaskan.
Could be a hard sell. “The printing industry is not something most people would look at because a lot of people say that it’s dying,” says Marie McConkey, vice president of AT Publishing & Printing. “I think it will always be here but in a more limited capacity.”
That capacity can handle almost any print job that
Patricia Morales | Alaska Business
Alaska clients demand, but not mass-market periodicals.
Meet the Printers
McConkey is one of eight kids who grew up with AT Publishing & Printing, established by her father in Anchorage in 1963. Four of them still work there; her brother Andy Martone became president in 2009 when their father retired at age 92.
The print shop in South Anchorage produces a couple of magazines that McChesney oversees at the Frontiersman bullpen off PalmerWasilla Highway: Valley Living and Alaska Native Quarterly . The Frontiersman plant is geared for newsprint, so it contracts with AT Publishing & Printing for smallformat, glossy publications.
The Frontiersman uses a Goss Community press, the biggest webfed rig in Southcentral. “Web” refers to a continuous roll of paper that snakes through the machine. “In the grand scheme of things, it's not an enormous facility, but it serves our in-house needs and our clients’ needs very well,” McChesney says.
The press runs about four days per week, cranking out color publications up to forty pages. In addition to its twice-weekly newspaper and the ADN contract, the Frontiersman prints nine other titles, from The Arctic Sounder and The Bristol Bay Times (both Binkley properties) to The North Star Catholic and Alaska Korean Community News . Commercial, government, and nonprofit clients also hire the press for various listings, programs, guides, and brochures.
AT Publishing & Printing runs rolls of paper through a Heidelberg press which can also handle sheetfed glossy papers as well as matte or uncoated. The shop also has the largest twelve-color press in Alaska. Anchorage Concert Association programs and Alaska State Fair
guides come from those presses, as well as various newsletters and state government reports.
Annual reports for Alaska Native corporations keep the presses at PIP running double shifts in springtime. The Anchorage franchise of the national “postal
DOWNTOWN ANCHORAGE
The
instant print” chain specializes in large-volume mailings but has the capability to make anything from business cards to bus wraps.
“Diversity within our products keeps us very, very strong. There’s always something we’re able to sell and always something we’re able to do for all of these different businesses,” says PIP sales rep Amy Guse.
PIP could probably manage a run of 13,000 monthly copies of Alaska Business, she estimates, but not for a satisfactory price. Each page takes time, and time is money.
Between the Covers
The minute-by-minute media milieu still has room for stories told at a weekly, monthly, or quarterly pace.
McChesney appreciates the time to dig deeper. “Our reporters may spend anywhere from a few days to a few weeks on a story, so they will get information that's a little broader in scope, and we can
complement that with photography,” he says. The internet is great for sharing worldwide, but McChesney sees the periodical as the first take on local history.
Alaska stories can also be told through the lens of food. Customers at Metro Cooks or Middle Way Café in Anchorage, The Classic Cook in Homer, or Rainbow Foods in Juneau may have seen copies of Edible Alaska.
Other parts of the country have their own “Edible” magazines; Edible Alaska licenses the name from the company Edible Communities, but the content is locally driven. “Everything we do is our own choice,” says Amy O’Neill Houck, co-owner of the magazine with Jeremy Pataky. “[Edible Communities] provides opportunities for networking and support as well as the branding.”
From their home base in Anchorage, Houck and Pataky publish stories about the intersection of food and all aspects of life written by paid freelance writers
selected by Edible Alaska, plus some material submitted on spec.
Community submissions are welcome in the family of magazines published by the local branch of Wisconsin-based Best Version Media (BVM). Janna Hardy, the BVM market manager in Anchorage, recalls an author who pitched a series about ethnic grocery stores. “She wanted to do that on her own, and she submitted it to us, and we put it in wherever we have content space,” Hardy says.
BVM titles include South Anchorage Hillside Living, North De Armoun Living, Southside Neighbors , Coastal Trail Neighbors, and Eagle River Living. Not sold in stores, these are mailed to homes in the titular neighborhoods every other month. “Our business model is to microtarget homeowners in specific areas,” Hardy explains. “Best Version Media goes in and does whatever they do to find the metrics for homeowners that have a certain home value.”
That way, advertisers have greater assurance of appearing in front of high-end eyeballs, and readers get a kick out of seeing hyper-local content. Hardy says, “When we put someone that lives in the actual demographic on the cover, and people know and have seen them or heard about them, that is the draw to our publications. When you see your friend, it’s like, ‘Oh, what’s going on with Billy?’ They want to read it.”
Sheets and Webs
The Anchorage office of WCP Solutions is the main paper supplier for local presses, both cut into sheets and, for web presses, rolls that might weigh up to a ton.
McChesney figures the Goss Community press consumes 450 to 500 rolls per year. At that rate, he says, "When you turn it on then you turn it off, that's fifty copies right there," so some jobs are indeed too small.
Unlike newspapers, magazines use lightweight papers for interior “text” pages and thicker papers for covers, printed separately and then collated. The recycled heavy matte covers of Edible Alaska are sturdy like a proper book. Houck says, “Readers tell us they really like picking up the magazine. They like how it feels in their hand, and they like flipping through it. They think it’s warm and inviting.” High-quality paper elevates the title, she says, so her Edible Communities counterparts strive for that standard.
Publications used to have a wider selection of fancy papers. Mike Vania, general manager and sales manger of PIP in Anchorage, has seen
colored papers disappear over the last thirty years. “Everything is printed color now (the majority of it), so that narrows your paper [choice]. Generally speaking, 98 percent of paper is white,” he says. “That works out well for the mills; they narrowed their lines, so it makes it easier on them as well.”
Paper mills adjusted further during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they
LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS
ramped up production of wipes and towels. Paper for printing was scarce for a time, and afterward the types of papers narrowed. But printers have tricks to keep the product vibrant. “You keep the same paper, but the technology puts different effects in the printing process. That can give you raised lettering and foil lettering and texture,”
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Vania says. With a laugh, he adds, “If money’s no object, you can do amazing things on paper!”
Press and Ink
The oldest printing method is known as letterpress, or individual engravings set in a bed. McConkey says AT Publishing & Printing keeps letterpress equipment around for die embossing.
A more modern method uses metal plates with graphics etched into them. Martone recalls the photochemical process used as recently as twenty years ago. “The old ways, the plates you made for the printing press were done by film. You shot film and then burned a plate. Now it’s all computer to plate,” he says. The process is less messy, but aluminum plates are still involved, one for each signature of paper (which might contain multiple pages). Once pressed, the plates are sent to a recycler; they can’t be reused onsite.
In a web press, the plates don’t
touch the paper directly. They contact an intermediate roller, which transfers the image, a process called offset printing. Furthermore, the ink could be cold-set, soaking into paper while the solvent evaporates (like a pen or marker), or heat-set, where a dryer bakes ink into the paper. Alaska Business uses heat-set inks
“Heat-set web offset printing adds speed and efficiency to the technique, making it effective for high-volume press runs,” explains the website of Oregon-based printer Journal Graphics. “Large jobs that would take days to complete by any other printing method can be completed within hours. Plus, no drying time is required for the ink before starting the bindery phase of production.”
The alternative to web press is sheet press, applying ink to one paper at a time just like Johannes Gutenberg and Benjamin Franklin did. And instead of offset printing, no physical contact is necessary
for digital printers.
PIP runs an HP Indigo, which dispenses with aluminum plates by directly adhering ElectroInk in four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (i.e., black). The rig has been in use for almost twenty years, and last year PIP upgraded its digital game with a Fujifilm J Press. The truck-sized machine is an inkjet, improved in quality compared to desktop office printers. Guse says Anchorage is an early adopter of the J Press among PIP shops, and it’s useful for bigger sheets compared to the Indigo.
“It gives us the capabilities of doing some print work that we hadn’t been able to do before,” adds Vania, citing 18-by-24-inch posters as an example. “It’s got its niche. It’s not the end-all, be-all, but it’s a great addition to our team.”
Impressive as the equipment is, Vania reserves praise for his skilled staff. “Printing is a problem for a lot of our customers; they have to get their printing done, and a lot of them
Careers in printing range from the entry-level work of trimmers and packers to the skilled trade of pressman.
Patricia Morales | Alaska Business
really don’t know the best way to do it,” he says. “So we’re the experts on solving their printing needs.”
Holding It Together
Another new investment at the Anchorage PIP shop last year was an automated binder for perfectbound jobs. Vania explains, “It’s kind of the same machinery, but they did the advancements where they changed it where it can produce three times as many books in the same hour as before.”
For a perfect example of perfect binding, look no further than Alaska Business. Pages are glued together with a squared-off, dimensional spine. The alternative is “saddle stitch,” which simply refers to this magazine’s inaugural format: folded signatures with staples in the crease. For most commercial jobs, staples are satisfactory, and perfect is the enemy of “good enough.”
Martone says, “The upgrade to perfect-bound equipment is pretty expensive, and the market is pretty small up here. We do have a couple perfect binders, but they’re not efficient with long runs. They’re more like shorter runs.”
Staying current with technology is a never-ending chase, Vania says, recalling when an office fax machine was a stunning addition. “It takes a lot of effort, a lot of money. You have to be able to have the revenue stream to be able to keep up with it,” he says.
In a small market, large overhead costs can be discouraging. “I can’t imagine anyone investing in a printing company today,” says Martone. For shops as well established as his family’s, though,
“We’re happy to see a lot of this work coming back, that we’re competitive enough to keep it in Alaska.”
A Frontier Too Far
Magazines are not among the work returning, at least not yet. The BVM titles, for instance, are printed closer to headquarters in Wisconsin, according to Hardy. Alaska Life Publishing—the Anchorage-based publisher of Alaska Home , Alaska Parent, and Alaska Bride & Groom looks to Oregon for Journal Graphics’ heatset web press. Edible Alaska is printed in Colorado.
Houck says, “We would love to print in Alaska. At this point, we haven’t found a capacity to print the right kind of paper that we want, the perfect binding, and the quantity, et cetera.”
McConkey strives to compete for magazine jobs. “We would look at investing [in perfect bind] if we knew that there was enough workload to justify it,” she says. However, “Right now, I think we do very well with all our saddle stitch publications.”
Guse agrees. “Magazines are just not cost effective with the type of presses that we have for those customers. Those are webpress products in such huge, huge quantities and page counts,” she says.
Commercial customers have adjusted their printing needs over the years. “They used to order in large amounts. You would order a year’s supply of brochures, whatever. Everything was big volume because you could bring your printing price down,” Vania recalls. “Traditionally, large orders were, let’s say, 20,000 brochures at a time. Now they’re
“While we're doing things like public notice and foreclosure listings and bankruptcies and what have you—when they are posted to a website, they're vulnerable to hacking. Once it's printed, it's archived. You cannot go back and change that.”
J. David McChesney Publisher Frontiersman
ordering 500 at a whack, but they’re constantly changing up the messaging on that. Sure, they spend more money on it, but the return on investment on those pieces is much higher.”
Touch of Paper
Why bother with printed periodicals at all? That’s a question Hardy says she’s gotten from recipients of her mass-mailed magazines. “I had a couple people say, ‘I don’t believe in print anymore. You’re killing trees,’ or something like that,” she says. “But most people, because of the local content and celebrating
people in their neighborhoods, they really appreciate it. I get so many good emails.”
Hardy also heard from a historic archive organization that appreciates the paper record. “All of my magazines are being archived because, they said, this is a snapshot in time of our community,” she says.
Paper is permanent in a way digital content isn’t. McChesney says, “While we're doing things like public notice and foreclosure listings and bankruptcies and what have you— when they are posted to a website, they're vulnerable to hacking. Once it's printed, it's archived. You cannot go back and change that.”
That said, McChesney observes, “Our product is not paper; our product is information.”
Information published monthly or quarterly gives magazines a longer shelf life. Houck says Edible Alaska changes hands several times as readers pass it around. “People really like them as a physical object. We’ll get calls from people who want to complete their collections or get back issues,” she says.
The paperless future has not yet arrived. “Everybody thought that, with the internet, printing was gonna go by the wayside. That’s not been the case,” says Vania. “People still want to touch; they want to look at that piece. We have found that we do a different kind of printing, but our printing volume is still as strong as it’s ever been.”
Guse adds, “It’s increased.”
Whether mass mail or printed periodical, Vania says, “People still like that ink on paper, and it’s still got a place out there.”
Northern Hospitality Group
Brewing Success Well Beyond 49th State Brewing
Northern Hospitality Group is a multifaceted enterprise that embodies local pride and sustainable growth. The company was founded in 2005 outside Denali National Park and Preserve with a distinct mission: to share Alaska’s authentic beauty and culture with the world. Since then, its corporate umbrella has expanded considerably to include a hotel, three restaurant brands, and a beverage manufacturing facility. Now headquartered in Anchorage, Northern Hospitality Group operates twelve separate entities in Alaska, employing around 750 people annually.
"Our goal was to build a hospitality company—not an individual location," says CEO David McCarthy, who honed his hospitality expertise in Chicago. "We wanted to create an Alaska-based company that would become iconic and loved by both locals and visitors."
Indeed, the company’s iconic brands unite locals and global travelers to enjoy experiences unique to Alaska. Denali Crow’s Nest Cabins features handcrafted log interiors and rustic alpine furnishings. 49th State Brewing combines award-
winning beer, a menu of freshly sourced food, and distinctive meeting spaces. Prospector’s Pizzeria & Ale House serves craft pizza with toppings like elk, salmon, and Alaskan king crab and has won the Great American Beer Bar competition six times. Additionally, Alaska Pacific Beverage Company produces award-winning beer, Frontier Alaska Soda, and Arctic Roots Cider.
FOSTERING
GENERATIONAL SUCCESS
Northern Hospitality Group prioritizes sustainability and local partnerships. Instead of relying solely on external suppliers, it collaborates with local producers to source ingredients and products. The company advocates preserving farmland and developing a network of long-term, sustainable food production processes. For example, it offers yak meat on its menus, working closely with ranchers and processing plants to ensure the entire animal is utilized. Furthermore, the company leverages the buyin of local businesses, which ultimately become marketers of its brands.
Perhaps the most crucial element of Northern Hospitality
Group’s success is a strong corporate culture, including its vision to share Alaska with the world, the design of its restaurants and menus, and even the ambiance of its strategically located manufacturing facility.
“The overall culture is what’s moved us forward; it is what will continue to push us forward for another seven generations,” says CFO Kimberley O’Connor, who grew up in Alaska.
PROMOTING GROWTH
Northern Hospitality Group recently built a new microbiology and chemistry laboratory in Anchorage, allowing for in-house quality assurance and control of its beverage manufacturing. In April, it is launching 49th State Brewing @ the Rail, an
by
intimate pub and event space with Nordic inspired design that looks into the production facility. And in May, tAKo Alaskan Cantina will bring Alaska-Mex cuisine to Denali, incorporating local ingredients into dishes like sockeye salmon tacos with tomatillo and wild blueberry salsa.
The company is steadfast in its commitment to promoting sustainable practices, local partnerships, and the authenticity of Alaska. “We want Northern Hospitality Group to symbolize trust in the marketplace and the adventurous spirit of Alaska,” McCarthy says. “Our goal is to build a hundred-year company that continues to grow and thrive, showcasing the best of Alaska to the world.”
Photos
Mary Lila
Photo
Forewarned Is Forearmed Research for entering markets and staying competitive
By Scott Rhode
Qu eues for car washes in the Anchorage area are longer than they need to be. From that observation, other questions arise. How many more car washes would satisfy demand? Where should those car washes be? What price should they charge?
“We have spent a lot of time and effort, even in the Lower 48, figuring out the best way to analyze markets,” says Tamara Davis, CFO of Wild Pines Ventures. The family-owned company brought the Tommy’s Express Car Wash franchise to Anchorage last year, adding a fourth state to its chain of six locations in Oklahoma, Kentucky, and her home state of Kansas.
The Lower 48 is seeing a boom in car washes, Davis says, more so than in Alaska. But it wasn’t the
market opportunity that put Alaska on the family’s radar; it was love. Her daughter-in-law is Alaskan, so Davis has been spending more time in the state visiting relatives. That’s what alerted her to the expansion potential around 2018.
“Noticed a lot of long lines at the existing car washes at that point in time,” Davis recalls. Turns out that idling for an hour, waiting for a turn in a wash bay is not normal in Kansas or elsewhere.
Tommy’s Express specializes in whizzing vehicles through a tunnel, bumper to bumper, lickety split. “If you’re on our property more than ten minutes, we’re not doing something right,” Davis says.
The chance to apply new technology to pent-up demand did not go unnoticed, too, by local
favorite Sudzy Salmon Car Wash, which invested in a new tunnel in Midtown Anchorage. And three locations in Anchorage have been staked out since 2023 for Cyber Express Wash, backed by Chugach Alaska regional corporation.
Site selection is the key to car wash survival. Davis says, “It’s not like you can pick up a car wash and move, so once you’re up, you’re pretty well committed to that site. So you want to be extremely careful.” Research is an asset to the business, and competitors strive to collect the strongest data.
Enter the Market
“Competition is real, and competition is good for the market, but we want to make sure that we’ve picked the best site possible, no
matter where somebody else comes in,” says Davis. “We always want it to be our goal that we don’t get ‘outreal-estated’ by anybody.”
The Tommy’s Express chain stretches across 260 locations nationwide. Wild Pines Ventures signed up in 2017 as the sixth franchisee, adding a new location every year since, on average.
Corporate headquarters has a committee to review franchisees’ real estate decisions, according to Davis, using a robust evaluation process.
“Tommy’s has a formula (that I can’t really talk about) for population density and specific demographics, how many tunnel car washes a community can support, based on a variety of factors,” Davis says. She adds that Wild Pines Ventures, more than the usual franchisee, adds its own hands-on research.
Davis says her company investigated barriers to entry, such as permitting hurdles and the cost of construction in Alaska, about 75 percent higher than in the Lower 48. All totaled, each site represents about $10 million of initial outlay. The bottom line is whether the anticipated revenues will cover the costs.
The bottom line is strong enough that Tommy’s Express sold Wild Pines Ventures the franchise rights to eight locations in Alaska. Davis says, “Our family is committed to an $80 million investment over the next five to seven years, probably, so we believe in Anchorage big time. Because of that, we did a lot of market research.”
One research tool comes from Placer.ai, a location analytics platform created in Israel in
2018. Using cellphone data, it correlates the movements of people between residential areas and selected businesses.
“For example, I could tell you how many visits the larger car washes here in town were getting over the last six months, the last twelve months. And I could tell you generally where their traffic is coming from,” Davis explains. “So when we were analyzing the Anchorage market traffic patterns, things like how traffic flows down the Hillside were really important.”
Her son and daughter-in-law are co-owners in Tommy’s Express and live in Anchorage, so their personal knowledge of the market and traffic patterns has been extremely valuable. Data plus homegrown interpretation led Wild Pines Ventures to build its flagship location on the Abbott Road curve, where highincome Hillside residents pass by for commutes and errands.
Research Methods
The other seven Tommy’s Express locations have been scouted and selected based on high-tech heat maps and more mundane reconnaissance. “We did the oldschool kind of research,” Davis says, analyzing population density and traffic patterns from city and state transportation agencies and from open-source economic projections.
“There’s nothing really sexy about that data,” Davis adds. “That’s readily accessible data.”
Entrepreneurs without franchise support can get help from the Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Advisors can order a packet
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(907) 277-2409
“Anytime people are talking to their prospective customers, they're engaging in market research… Just because you're not prepared to engage in thousands and thousands of dollars of market research doesn't mean that there can't be small ways that you engage.”
Katie Berry President, McK inley Research Group
supplying basic data such as business maps, demographics, and patent and trademark searches.
For a do-it-yourself approach, SBDC points to other research tools. For example, global analytics firm IBISWorld sells industry- and state-specific reports containing information such as number of establishments per municipality. A five-page report costs $495, while $1,495 buys a membership license to access the entire IBISWorld analytics platform. However, as part of its advising services, SBDC can show clients IBISWorld reports at no cost.
SBDC also suggests that DIY market researchers can start with the State of Alaska Open Data Geoportal. The web page links to the National Address Database, land parcel data, and dossiers
for each city, town, and village from the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has a data portal detailing roads, infrastructure assets, and boundaries. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources portal hosts more geospatial data. In Anchorage, the municipal Office of Information Technology has up-to-date data on restaurant health inspections, childcare inspections, and commercial and residential property ownership.
Shoveling through that blizzard, though, can be daunting for a startup business. Experts can help. Katie Berry, president of McKinley Research Group (MRG), recommends contacting local economic
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development agencies or nonprofits, such as Spruce Root in Southeast.
MRG itself is geared more for public policy and industry-level research.
Berry says, “We provide service across a really broad spectrum of industries, communities, and people. Typically, we are answering social and economic questions for them, and that can really vary from how effective a program is to the financial feasibility of a new development.”
MRG can help with business decisions, of course. Berry explains, “We've had clients come and say, ‘We have a partner who would like to sell us a business unit or thinks that we need to expand into this region. What can you tell us about that region? Is that an opportunity for us?’ It also may be questions such as, ‘We want to build a new recreation
opportunity. Is that financially feasible in this market?’”
For entrepreneurs, the most readily available research advice might come from financial institutions. Even if a startup doesn’t need a loan, lenders know what kind of market research they want to see from a strong applicant. Berry says, “They have a wealth of experience in these kinds of things that can help you steer to the right questions and who you should be asking those questions of.”
Rich Results
MRG has been researching Alaska for fifty years, known as the McDowell Group until McKinley Management acquired the firm in 2020.
Getting good answers starts with the right questions. Berry says, “What we always do with clients is
we think through their particular question, who they're trying to connect with, what they need to know, and we pull out those tools and mix and match them.”
Tools range from housing data to intercept surveys, where researchers approach the target audience either in person or electronically. Berry adds, “We've recently branched out even into WiFi popup surveys, which are a different methodology for us but something that's emerging and helping move away from the cost of intercept surveying.”
Research isn’t always number crunching. MRG also conducts executive interviews. “A company may say, ‘We really want to understand our churn customers. If you signed on in the last two years, why did you sign on with us? Why did you
leave our service?’ Those kinds of indepth conversations can be really helpful,” Berry says.
A business could have those conversations by itself, so why involve a market research firm? “There's a social component to this where, if I know you, maybe I live in the same small town, it's really hard to tell you, hey, your service was awful,” Berry says. “But when it's a different person coming in, a third party, you might be a little more likely to give that candid feedback when you know that there's some anonymity there.”
Acquiring and analyzing rich data requires more than statistical skills. Berry says the team at MRG have diverse backgrounds and perspectives. “What you have to have is curiosity and a little bit of tenacity. You have to be able to pick up the phone and call people,” she says. “Statistics is really helpful, but the ability to communicate with others is right up there with the ability to use Excel.”
For example, she notes that some researchers fished in Bristol Bay, so they understand that industry and region. Other team members have experience in public health. “They are so adept at systems thinking. They can look at the high level and see how these different things are connected. And that is applicable not just to health but to so many things,” Berry says.
Diversity helps her team tackle whatever research clients need. “It's actually hard to think of a question that we couldn't answer,” she says.
“We're not in a very data-rich environment in Alaska, and there may be a perception that everyone has gobs and gobs of data at this point, everything is really well known, and that's just not true.”
Katie Berry President, McK inley Research Group
than almost any other title. So we know our data is strong and representative of our readers.”
Those data include basic demographics as well as how long readers spend with the magazine (longer than with digital pages, Houck points out), what content they care about, and whether they make purchase decisions based on what they see.
Ongoing Discussion
Once established in a market, businesses continually
gather intelligence to make informed decisions.
Customer satisfaction surveys are the most direct measurement of whether a business is hitting its target. For example, Edible Alaska magazine gets detailed reader responses in exchange for a licensing fee paid to Edible Communities, the national network that supports the local publication.
“Edible Communities nationally does a reader survey every twentyfour months,” explains Amy O’Neill Houck, co-owner with Jeremy Pataky of Edible Alaska . “We’re really lucky because when we do the survey, Alaskans step up. Of all the titles in the community, we get more respondents per capita
“It’s useful for us when we’re speaking to potential advertising partners because we can give them real and recent data about how people are feeling about the magazine,” Houck says. One tip, not obvious without research to back it up, is that ads should be “evergreen” rather than time sensitive, knowing that readers pass Edible Alaska around for months or years after publication. Houck adds that research does not generally wag the editorial dog; storytelling is still more art than science.
Berry observes, “Anytime people are talking to their prospective customers, they're engaging in market research.”
The stakes of a business decision dictate the level of investment into research supporting it. Short of hiring a firm like MRG, Berry says online tools like SurveyMonkey can get the job done. “Just because you're not prepared to engage in thousands and thousands of dollars of market research doesn't mean that there can't be small ways that you engage,” she says.
However, Berry cautions that a bad survey can be worse than no survey at all, and a consumer ecosystem flooded with surveys has induced
fatigue. Self-service kiosks constantly soliciting a star rating can erode the value of feedback, Berry says.
“You have to ask yourself, am I going to use this information? Because every time you connect with your customers in a survey or a phone call, you're asking them to work for you for free, to give you something for free,” says Berry. “So you have to be really careful with how you use that line of credit.”
Tommy’s Express engages in marketing campaigns on a quarterly or monthly basis, Davis says, and the data multiplies the value of outreach efforts. For example, when sending 33,000 coupons for free washes, Placer.ai cellphone tracking suggested where to mail them. Davis says, “I could look at that heat map and say, ‘We’ve got really good saturation here… but there’s this area over here that we’re not penetrating like we need to. Let’s focus there.’ We constantly are doing market research where our business is coming from.”
Hidden Figures
Market research has already informed Davis where to locate the next Tommy’s Express in Anchorage. It’ll be on Debarr Road, where her company bought an existing bay wash and demolished it to make room for a tunnel, which will take the rest of this year to finish. She can’t disclose the other sites that will be developed by 2030 or so.
Research is driving further changes for Tommy’s Express. Davis says the data shows that odors contribute to a positive wash experience, so scents may be added to the light
Alaska Mergers & Acquisitions is af liated with Remax Dynamic Properties, Inc.
show that already accompanies the ride through the tunnel.
Experimentation also helps optimize operations. For example, Davis says the Abbott Road location gave away 2,500 washes for free one week, a test period while operators refined the angles of the brushes and blowers. Months later, the shop is still making adjustments to achieve the goal of 100 percent clean, with minimal water usage.
The tunnel wash uses 33 gallons per vehicle, Davis says, or one-third to one-quarter of a bay washer’s water consumption. The water is recycled in the building, and runoff is directed to the underbody sprayers. One thing
Davis has learned is that the dirt in Anchorage is different from the red clay at the Oklahoma shop, which requires more frequent clean-out of the drains. Each market gets its own tweaks, based on data collected.
Not all results are as concrete as dirt in drains. Berry says, “We're not in a very data-rich environment in Alaska, and there may be a perception that everyone has gobs and gobs of data at this point, everything is really well known, and that's just not true.”
Other obstacles to clear results are assumptions and misconceptions that might obscure what clients really need to know. Berry says, “We're helping clients understand the landscape in which they're operating and risks and opportunities in a broad economic sense, or challenging their perceptions or their biases of what they're entering into.”
Where quantitative data is unavailable, Berry says researchers seek qualitative data. That is, “Sometimes you have to pick up the phone and call.”
As an example, Berry points to the Alaska Travel Industry Association’s annual report on the economic impact of tourism. The method is long established, and the sources are clearly understood, but estimating visitor spending remains a very technical question to answer.
A brief lull in the constant stream of customers through the flagship Tommy's Express tunnel wash on Abbott Road. Thorough research informed Wild Pines Ventures to set up there and at seven other locations being developed in the next five years.
Alaska Business
in
The Meeting:
The 2025 NASAO Annual Convention and Trade Show
September 21-24, 2025
400 Delegates
Estimated Economic Impact: $754,933.02
Thanks to Troy LaRue, C.M., Division Operations Manager for Statewide Aviation, the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) Annual Convention and Trade Show returns to Alaska in September for the first time since 2008. Co-hosted with the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities, the event will bring together aviation professionals to discuss industry trends and explore Alaska’s unique aviation system.
With Anchorage as a hub for aviation innovation and 82% of Alaska’s communities relying on air travel, the convention offers a key opportunity to educate FAA and regulatory officials on the state’s distinct airport structures. The conference will foster collaboration, industry connections, and discussions on aviation policy and advancement in technology.
Troy LaRue, Meeting Champion
Medical Project Financing Bedside manner for bankers
By Tracy Barbour
Demand for medical project financing is growing in Alaska, with financial institutions reporting increased loan requests from medical facilities, surgery centers, dental practices, and other healthcare businesses. Various factors contribute to this trend.
For instance, payment delays from insurance providers can place a financial strain on medical establishments, according to Melissa Reiser, senior healthcare lending officer at First National Bank Alaska. And staying current with new medical technologies and addressing the healthcare needs of Alaska’s growing aging population require significant investment.
Medical practices are also looking to enhance operations by acquiring
new equipment, including adopting AI tools to improve patient care or streamline administrative tasks. “Securing equipment loans is crucial for practices to stay at the forefront of medical technology and provide highquality patient care,” Reiser says.
“Additionally, medical equipment costs can trend high, particularly for specialized items like PET [positron emission tomography] scanners and imaging machines. We are also seeing a significant increase in the number of surgery centers being established to meet the growing healthcare needs of Alaskans.”
Higher start-up costs and increased student loan debt are key factors that have increased the demand for loans for individuals who are purchasing a practice, according to John Pomeroy, senior relationship manager for healthcare banking at KeyBank. The need for medical financing has also increased due to the rising costs associated with maintaining and expanding a practice.
Medical practices must make routine investments to remain competitive, which may require external funding.
“More than ever, technology used for equipment, electronic medical
Melissa Reiser First National Bank Alaska
John Pomeroy KeyBank
Maksim
records, revenue cycle management, and to enhance the patient experience is expensive and requires continuous upgrades,” Pomeroy says. “Practices are increasingly leveraging loans for these costs.”
Big Financial Bite
Loans for dental practices represent the majority of the medical financing provided by Fairbanks-based Denali State Bank. The full-service commercial bank has completed a significant amount of dental practice financing and refinancing. In many cases, dentists are aging out and selling their practices, according to President and CEO Steve Lundgren.
was a lot of money, and the building was beautiful,” Ott says, preferring not to specify the loan amount.
When Ott received initial financing from Denali State Bank, it was his first time taking out a loan—apart from his home mortgage. But Denali State Bank's straightforward and informative approach simplified the process. “They made the process easy, and they were super responsive,” Ott says.
center shares, medical buildings, and equipment, as well as financing to meet other needs.
However, certain provisions may apply with loans related to medical equipment. “Banks typically file a Uniform Commercial Code financing statement to secure a lien on all the equipment within a medical facility,” Reiser explains.
“They're either retiring or relocating out of state,” he says. “We've seen an exodus of doctors leaving because I think it's a challenge to live in Fairbanks, and I think the compensation is not as good in Fairbanks as in other places.”
Besides providing loans to purchase a dental practice, Denali State Bank helps dentists who already own a practice finance relocations. That’s what happened when Dr. Erich Ott, the owner of Otter Dental, needed funds to expand to a central location in Fairbanks.
Ott had worked with Denali State Bank before; the bank had financed his acquisition of a dental practice in 2017. Then in 2020 Denali State Bank provided two more loans, which enabled Ott to build an expansion office with brand new equipment. “It
What’s more, Denali State Bank was extremely supportive after Ott moved to new space two weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a temporary shutdown. “The Alaska Board of Dental Examiners closed dentistry for ten weeks,” he explains. “During that time, Denali was very good about opening lines of communication and offering lines of credit.”
For equipment loans, borrowers should discuss specific items with their lender because the useful life will determine the tenor and amortization of the loan. “Equipment lines are also an option which provide access to capital with timing flexibility, specifically for equipment. Equipment loans are typically structured as an operating or capital lease,” Pomeroy says.
Ott says he interviewed several larger financial institutions for his dental office financing, but he opted to “go local” with Denali State Bank. “It felt much better, and they’ve taken care of me,” he says.
Medical Loan Programs
Financial institutions in Alaska offer a range of financing options for medical and dental facilities. First National, for example, offers US Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, including SBA 504 and SBA 7(a). It also offers customtailored loan programs specifically designed for medical practices in Alaska for the purchase of surgery
Like most lenders, Denali State Bank is willing to finance all kinds of medical and dental equipment. The bank also offers an unusual home loan program specifically for physicians and dentists. “When a medical or dental practitioner graduates from school, most of them have a significant amount of medical school debt, and they generally have a negative net worth,” Lundgren explains. “They may not have a lot of money for a down payment for a house, so we're willing to provide 100 percent financing on a home loan.”
In certain cases, if recent graduates have not had time to save a down payment, physicians and dentists may receive a better rate than what is generally offered to the public. Denali State Bank offers healthcare practitioners some of its best rates because of the stability of their business model. “We have a shortage
Steve Lundgren Denali State Bank
Dr. Erich Ott Otter Dental
of healthcare practitioners, so they're less likely to go out of business,” Lundgren says. “The credit worthiness is very strong in the healthcare field.”
Denali State Bank reviews financial history and earnings of these individuals the same way it vets all business loan applicants. They must have a positive credit report and be able to demonstrate the earning capacity to repay the loan.
“With almost all of our loans, we have recourse back to the owner,” Lundgren says. “So we ask all of our doctors and dentists to either be borrowers or guarantors.”
Wells Fargo has a dedicated “practice finance” team and a national healthcare team—each providing distinct solutions for different clients.
“We are doing a lot of financing lately for Indian Health Service clinics and hospitals in Alaska,” says Sam Mazzeo, Wells Fargo’s Alaska commercial banking leader. “We’ve spent a lot of time with these clients and our national healthcare and public finance teams to structure flexible and attractive custom financing solutions to support these clients.”
The Lending Process
Whether a borrower is seeking funding for a purchase or refinance, medical financing is similar to the lending process for other industries. Typically, lenders evaluate credit scores and historical operations for revenue and profitability, according to Pomeroy. The primary source of repayment is cash flow, so the focus will be on demonstrating positive cash flow that can meet obligations, including any potentially requested debt.
“More than ever, technology used for equipment, electronic medical records, revenue cycle management, and to enhance the patient experience is expensive and requires continuous upgrades… Practices are increasingly leveraging loans for these costs.”
John Pomeroy Senior Relationship Manager fo r Healthcare Banking KeyBank
“Collateral, personal guarantees (for smaller practices), or other sources of repayment will also be assessed,” he says. “Effective insurance reimbursement, revenue cycle procedures, and the payor mix will be evaluated. Quality and timely financial statements are critical. For larger facilities, the management team and their experience are assessed.”
For KeyBank, here’s how Pomeroy describes the medical lending process: “The financial package is submitted for underwriting and any collateral or secondary source of repayment is evaluated. As the
loan structure is determined, a term sheet is provided showing estimated rates, covenants, fees, and other details. Upon approval and mutual agreement, it is advanced to documentation and booking. Smaller loans can use auto-generated documents while larger loans will use customized documents. The loan size can also determine if legal counsel is engaged. Various factors can impact the timing [for funding], but six to eight weeks is typical.”
Reiser says an early effort to build relationships with bankers, accountants, attorneys, and real estate agents is essential for success. Medical practices should develop a solid business plan that outlines financial and operational strategies. Additionally, they should compile a financial package for a loan application, which may include tax returns, financial statements, and other documents that demonstrate their financial situation. They should also be prepared to address challenges like cash flow management and other operational needs.
Establishing creditworthiness is also central to the lending process at First National. The bank recognizes that making quick and local decisions is crucial for the health and strength of Alaska businesses, Reiser says. With respect to medical facilities, it evaluates the financial history, the reliability of the business guarantors, and operational plans. Other important considerations include the business’ length of time in operation, credit history, and plans for growth.
In addition, Reiser says, First National stays on top of healthcare
industry trends and regulatory changes, and it considers local healthcare market conditions affecting the overall demand for services in Alaska. “Our approach is to work side by side with our customers to help set them up for success,” she says.
Healthcare businesses typically have a strong repayment history, indicating low risk for lenders. Consequently, First National can often offer competitive rates and flexible terms for loans to these businesses, Reiser says.
Wells Fargo also customizes medical loan opportunities, offering fifteen-year loans with competitive rates, and its commercial bank and public finance teams partner to provide tax-exempt financing that may be unsecured for qualified borrowers. “Some medical facilities might not know that a specialty practice like ours exists in Wells Fargo and instead wind up in a loan agreement with someone that doesn’t understand their unique industry,” Mazzeo says. “Since we specialize in this space, we understand how to tailor a loan to allow our clients to grow and succeed.”
Common Challenges
Reiser says upfront planning— developing a strong business plan, reviewing financial records, and understanding the current market conditions—can help get businesses on the right track to successfully secure a medial project loan. “For many businesses, securing the down payment or cash injection requirements for loans can be challenging,” she says. “Medical
businesses must also overcome regulatory and compliance hurdles, which can be more difficult for new practices.”
Ensuring sufficient cash flow during low-income periods is also an issue for some medical businesses. To address this, First National may suggest a revolving line of credit as a support option. The bank is
committed to helping new and established medical practices at every stage, Reiser says. “Whether it’s their first loan or they have decades of experience, we encourage Alaska healthcare businesses to reach out to a local expert who understands the medical industry and Alaska’s economy to help them navigate any challenge they may face,” she says.
United
Way
of Anchorage 2024 Campaign Awards
Thank you for leading the way in our 2024 workplace campaign!
From left, United Way of Anchorage President and CEO Eric Utraq Billingsley, Kuna Engineering Director of Marketing and Communications and Employee Campaign Coordinator Suzanne Taylor and Kuna Engineering Interim General Manager Matt Narus.
Pomeroy says a common oversight of borrowers is not taking the time to provide or explain historical financials, which prevents the application process from advancing. Incomplete financial packages can cause delays and frustration— and can take providers away from their core task of caring for their patients. “Knowing the correct people to contact for the loan you are requesting is critical,” he says. “This will help tell the whole story beyond the financials.”
For Fairbanks borrowers who are purchasing an existing practice, building a new building, or buying new equipment, the biggest hindrances are high costs and a scarce labor force, Lundgren says. “Since COVID, we've lost a lot of our experienced workers in the construction industry, so the limited workforce is a challenge for anything involving construction,” he says. “And we've seen costs for just about any kind of equipment escalating since COVID. They're having to buy all their equipment from outside of Alaska and ship it up here, so the cost of any new or renovation project is higher than it has been.”
Expert Advice
Likewise, Reiser encourages borrowers to have conversations early. The medical industry is dynamic and constantly evolving, so working with an industry expert is crucial. “First National is a nimble financial institution that strives to meet our customers' evolving needs,” she says. “Our healthcare industry experts are well-versed in the inner workings of the medical industries and involved in medical organizations in Alaska.”
Lending experts expressed various guidance on handling medical financing issues. For instance, Mazzeo advises borrowers to contact their banker as soon as possible to evaluate their credit profile and create a plan to take advantage of the best terms. It is important to remember that the process of preparing to open a medical facility can take a significant amount of time. “Working with your banker early on will best ensure that you are able to reach your practice goals,” he says.
Patience is also essential. “Many physicians or practitioners will want to come in and buy something that already exists,” Mazzeo says. “Some may spend one to two years waiting and looking and then realize they’re not going to find what they want and decide to instead build their own practice. Choose to work with people who understand and are familiar with your industry and your goals.”
But securing financing is only one aspect of a banking relationship, Reiser emphasizes. “Beyond loans and lines of credit, First National offers customized solutions to meet medical facilities' financial needs, from investment services, treasury management services, and fraud-prevention tools to secure payment options and corporate credit cards that assist with cash flow optimization,” she says.
The banking environment is changing more than ever, says Pomeroy. Borrowers should not treat the loan merely as a transaction. He explains, “Like lawyers or accountants, your banking team should be a strategic advisor. Active dialogue—before, during, and after the loan—will help find a loan solution that benefits all and also help with other business financial goals.”
Lundgren advises prospective borrowers to choose a local lender—and ask for what they need rather than be restricted by the standard loan programs that the institution might offer. He says, “Seek out an institution that offers and provides the flexibility and financing type you need.”
Sam Mazzeo Wells Fargo
A 2020 expansion of Otter Dental in Fairbanks was financed by Denali State Bank, which previously backed Dr. Erich Ott's purchase of the practice in 2017.
Erich Ott
One-of-a-Kind Treatments
Specialists in hearing loss, dementia, and neonatal addiction
By Jamey Bradbury
Physicians in training choose a specialty for their final year of medical school. After sampling fields ranging from obstetrics and pediatrics to psychiatry and surgery during clinical rotations, medical students audition for residency positions during subinternships. This is the time to discover a passion that will guide the physician’s career.
Whether a medical specialty is available in a community, therefore, is partly up to the whim and fancy of the youngest doctors. In rural Alaska, even general physicians might be several hours away from where people live, and urban residents may find themselves traveling Outside to receive specialized care.
In some specialized areas, though, Alaskans have the home advantage. Thanks to one doctor who has dedicated his career to addressing
hearing loss, and one hospital program working to help families of infants born with substance abuse withdrawal, Alaskans have access to some of the best specialized care in the nation.
Hearing Loss and Dementia
Forty years ago, when Dr. Thomas McCarty suggested hearing aids to a dementia patient, the patient’s primary care provider called to ask him why he’d made the recommendation.
The attitude was, according to McCarty, “He’s going to die anyway.” McCarty, though, was seeing a correlation between hearing loss and dementia, and he believed hearing aids could help his patient.
“I didn’t have the research to respond then,” he says, “but I do now.”
What recent research says is powerful: according to several Johns
Hopkins University studies, nearly 80 percent of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias also experience hearing loss. For adults at high risk of dementia, the use of hearing aids reduced the rate of cognitive decline by almost 50 percent over a three-year period.
Forty years after McCarty made his recommendation to that early patient, more than 25,000 research studies on the National Library of Medicine’s website correlate the ear and the brain. Today, McCarty serves Alaskans suffering from hearing loss at Audiology Associates, which he founded, and where he does more than simply provide hearing aids for those experiencing hearing loss.
Starting with an examination, McCarty and his staff use modern testing techniques to assess auditory nerve function and tympanometry, which measures the movement
and function of the eardrum. They also evaluate a person’s ability to understand speech in the presence of background noise and to hear high-pitched sounds.
One difference in McCarty’s evaluation? He also administers a memory screening.
“We’re not diagnosing [dementia or Alzheimer’s],” McCarty explains. “We’re simply getting a baseline score, and then we utilize that information to obtain the prescription for hearing correction.”
Restimulating the Brain
Treatment for hearing correction goes beyond simply fitting someone for a hearing aid. Now that researchers better understand the relationship between the ear and the brain, McCarty’s work focuses on restimulating the brain.
“It’s kind of funny because people think we hear with our ears—but we don’t, actually,” McCarty explains.
Ears do the work of taking in sound waves, which get converted into nerve impulses. From there, the brain takes over, distinguishing between the blast of a train horn and the wail of a baby.
Research finds, though, that as hearing loss goes uncorrected, the brain experiences atrophy, or shrinkage.
“Basically, it’s this lack of stimulation that is associated with memory loss,” McCarty says. “Restimulation of the brain with hearing correction can be associated with the prevention and reversal of memory loss.”
This is possibly one of the more astonishing findings that McCarty
bases his work upon: while other treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are available, none of them promise to reverse the effects. Drugs like Lecanemab and Donanemab remove plaques from the brain to slow the degenerative process, and cholinesterase inhibitors may help lessen or stabilize symptoms for a limited
time. But medicines cannot halt the progress of the disease.
Dementia patients who were part of a nationwide study McCarty participated in, though, showed a correlation with significant memory improvement two months after beginning treatment for hearing loss.
“We’re tapping into the body’s own onboard, built-in recovery
system,” McCarty says. “In the past, people would say, ‘I don’t really need to correct my hearing, it’s very mild loss.’ But it’s true for even very mild hearing loss: the more uncorrected loss you have, the greater the likelihood of memory loss and even Alzheimer’s.”
In fact, although McCarty suffers from very slight, high-frequency hearing loss himself, he has begun his own treatment. He’s become something of an evangelist about hearing loss and the prevention of dementia. He appears on 700 KBYR for a weekly radio show with broadcaster Dave Stroh to promote awareness around hearing loss and answer questions about the connection between the ear and the brain.
He also participates in yearly mission trips to the Dominican Republic to provide children and adults with screenings and hearing loss treatment, including free hearing aids; he collects donations of used hearing aids through his charity, the Alaska Hearing Foundation.
The rest of his time is dedicated to serving Alaskans from his Anchoragebased office. With only about fifty clinics in the entire United States focusing on hearing loss as a major risk factor for dementia, access to one of the leading providers doing this work is a significant benefit to Alaskans hoping to prevent dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
“If [patients] have been into other offices, then they see our process, they’re saying, ‘No one else has mentioned the brain [in association with memory loss],’” McCarty shares.
“What we’re trying to do is fill that void. You don’t have to go down to the Lower 48 to get this kind of service. It’s available right here.”
A Protective NEST for Newborns
When Alaska Regional Hospital’s neonatal abstinence evaluation support and treatment (NEST) program opened in 2014, it was one of just a handful of its kind in the nation: a family-first program for treating neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) with a focus on non-pharmacologic care. Today, NEST remains unique in its approach to treating infants experiencing withdrawal symptoms from opioids and other drugs after birth.
NAS occurs when an infant is exposed to certain drugs, like opioids, while still in the womb. Infants with NAS can experience an array of symptoms, which can be minimal—sneezing or irritability— or indicative of severe withdrawal: screaming, an inability to nurse, seizures, vomiting, and more.
Historically, most treatment for infants experiencing NAS has been opioid replacement therapy, which involves giving a newborn an alternative opioid, like morphine or methadone, then weaning them from this substitute once symptoms are stable.
With NEST, though, treatment looks a little different.
“We keep those parents and their child together as long as absolutely possible, and we help coach them and teach them what non-pharmacologic care is best for their baby,” says Neonatal Nurse
Practitioner William Trawick, who helped establish Alaska Regional Hospital’s NEST. “Things like intense physicality—holding their baby, skin-to-skin—reducing lights, reducing sounds. Simple things that are common sense but often overwhelming to a new parent.”
The four-bed NEST unit is designed to create the calming atmosphere that babies with NAS need: rather than an institutional, sterile hospital room, the space feels like a nursery, with cribs and mobiles, rocking chairs, a place for parents to sleep—and, of course, low noise and light levels.
“I explain to parents, their baby’s brain is in a chaotic state, and we need to do whatever we can to ease that chaos,” Trawick says.
Treatment at NEST emphasizes a judgment-free environment focused on caring for NAS symptoms with minimal medication, but babies do receive medically controlled detox. NEST offers each family their own nurse, a staff member dedicated to that family’s experience and their infant’s recovery.
‘Parents Make the Best Parents’
This one-to-one nursing is practically unheard of in hospitals— but it’s imperative at NEST, where nurses aren’t just monitoring symptoms and managing medications. Here, nurses care for the whole family, providing supportive treatment and connecting parents to counseling and substance abuse recovery resources.
From 2004 to 2015, 38.7 percent of infants with neonatal opioid
withdrawal syndrome from Alaska were removed from their mother’s care within twenty-eight days of birth. NEST staff do whatever they can, though, to work with other partners, including the Alaska Office of Children’s Services, to connect mothers with the assistance they need to keep their babies.
“Parents make the best parents,” is how Trawick has put it. “Babies that are cared for in this environment, with their families, exposed to maximum non-pharmacologic care—and even medicationassisted care—will be discharged from the hospital sooner, the baby will require less medication, and I believe they’re much more likely to go home with their biological parents, which is the goal.”
Having one of the nation’s leading—and few—NEST programs available in Alaska is a potential game-changer. Recent years have seen a surge in opioid use in the state. In 2023, 342 Alaskans died from opioid overdose, an increase of 40 percent from 2022.
While the rate of NAS per 1,000 infants in Alaska increased from about 94 in 2018 to a little over 116 in 2021, evidence shows that early interventions and educational services can help families, making it less likely that they will need care from the NEST facility in the future.
This is how success is measured at NEST: not just in the treatment of symptoms, but in the treatment of a family—without judgment, without shame, and with the hope that, through support and care, every baby can leave the NEST and go to a safe and loving home.
2025 Corporate 100
The 2025
He althcare, tourism, Alaska
Native corporations, fisheries, retail, transportation: these are the industries represented by the top ten of the Corporate 100, which are companies with an Alaska business license ranked by their number of Alaskan employees.
Although federal, state, and local government entities employ tens of thousands of Alaskans, they are specifically not included in the Corporate 100 so that Alaska Business can instead highlight private investment in the state in the form of providing jobs.
Looking at the full cohort, all of Alaska’s major industries are represented—from food to financial services—including for profit, not-forprofit, and nonprofit organizations.
This year, as a group, the Corporate 100 employ 73,175 Alaskans and more than 3.7 million people
around the world. Upwards of 70 percent of the Corporate 100 are companies that started in Alaska; the other 30 percent launched their operations elsewhere in the world and moved into the Alaska market.
Approximately 70 percent of the list has been in operation for more than fifty years, and of those the oldest is Wells Fargo, founded in 1852 and with roots in Alaska in 1916.
The Corporate 100 this year is led by Providence Alaska at number ONE , reporting 5,200 Alaskan employees. The healthcare giant has ranked continuously as number one since 2020, and it has appeared as a Corporate 100 company twenty-five times in total. While several other organizations have graced the list twenty-five to thirty times, only a handful have appeared more than thirty: Alaska Airlines, 31; Alaska Commercial
Co., 31; Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, 31; Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, 31; and First Natio nal Bank Alaska, 32.
Providence is joined in the top ten by healthcare providers Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, number THREE, with 3,700 Alaskan employees, and Southcentral Foundation, number SEVEN, with 2,800 employees. There are twelve total healthcare entities in the 2025 Corporate 100, and they employ almost 17,000 Alaskans.
Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Seabourn rank at number TWO with 4,000 Alaskan employees. The companies own and operate 8 hotels, 20 railcars, and more than 200 buses and motor coaches in Alaska. Five other travel and tourism organizations made the ranks this year, which all together employ about 5,500 people.
The top-ranked Alaska Native corporation in 2025 is Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, at number FOUR , reporting 3,673 Alaskan employees. It’s joined in the top ten by NANA Regional Corporation with 3,368 employees, ranking at number SIX. The fifteen total Alaska Native corporations in the 2025 Corporate 100 employ more than 12,000 Alaskans and more than 65,000 people worldwide.
Trident Seafoods Corporation is the lone seafood processor in the 2025 Corporate 100, ranked at number FIVE; with 3,641 Alaskan employees, more than one-third of its 9,000-strong workforce is located in Alaska.
Carrs Safeway ranks number EIGHT in 2025, reporting 2,507 Alaskan employees and approximately 285,000 employees total worldwide. The retailer is joined in the top ten by Walmart, which is number TEN, has 1,950 Alaskan employees, and more than 1.3 million employees in the United States, making it the country’s largest private-sector employer. Other retailers in the 2025 Corporate 100 include Costco, Three Bears Alaska, Alaska Commercial Co., Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Anchorage, Ace Hardware, REI Co-op, and Furniture Enterprises of Alaska, which as a group report just more than 9,000 Alaskan employees and, due in large part to Walmart’s massive operations, more than 2 million outside Alaska.
Rounding out the top ten is Alaska Airlines at number NINE with 2,100 Alaskan employees. It employs a total
of 30,000 people and continues to expand its operations and destination offerings. The 2025 Corporate 100 has eleven other transportation companies which employ nearly 7,000 Alaskans and approximately 440,000 people worldwide. Three of the transporters, coincidentally, reported the same number of employees: Ryan Air, Vitus Energy,
and Sourdough Express all have 190 Alaskan employees. Our tie-breaking method is to look at the number of worldwide employees, which for this group is also 190, as they have all-Alaskan workforces. This meant we had to turn to our second-tier tiebreaker, with the result that these companies appear in order of which was established in Alaska first.
SUBWAY ® CATERING
The 2025 Corporate 100
1
2
Providence Alaska
Ella Goss, CEO
3760 Piper St., Ste. 3035
Anchorage, AK 99508
Princess Cruises, Holland America Line & Seabourn
Jan Swartz, Pres. Holland America Group 720 W. Fifth Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
3
4
Natasha Singh, Interim Pres./CEO 4000 Ambassador Dr. Anchorage, AK 99508
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation
Rex A. Rock Sr., Pres./CEO PO Box 129 Utqiaġvik, AK 99723
Trident Seafoods Corporation
5
Joe Bundrant, CEO 717 K St., Ste. 100 Anchorage, AK 99503
6 NANA Regional Corporation
John Aġnaaqłuk Lincoln, Pres./CEO PO Box 49 Kotzebue, AK 99752
7 Southcentral Foundation
April Kyle, Pres./CEO 4501 Diplomacy Dr. Anchorage, AK 99508
8 Carrs Safeway
Stephanie Kennedy, District Mgr. 5600 Debarr Rd., Ste. 100 Anchorage, AK 99504
9 Alaska Airlines
Ben Minicucci, CEO 3600 Old Intl. Airport Rd. Anchorage, AK 99502
Doug McMillon,
907-212-3145 providence.org/alaska
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Providence Renton, WA USA
907-264-7910 alaskatourjobs.com TRAVEL & TOURISM
Carnival Corporation Miami, FL
907-729-1900 anthc.org
HEALTH & WELLNESS
907-852-8633 asrc.com
NATIVE ORGANIZATION
206-783-3818 tridentseafoods.com
SEAFOOD
907-442-3301 nana.com
NATIVE ORGANIZATION
907-729-4955 southcentralfoundation.com
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Cook Inlet Region, Inc. Anchorage, AK USA
907-339-7704 carrsqc.com; safeway.com
RETAIL/WHOLESALE TRADE Albertsons Boise, ID USA
907-266-7200 alaskaair.com
TRANSPORTATION
Alaska Air Group Seattle, WA USA
Healthcare provider serving Alaskans in six communities: Anchorage, Eagle River, Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Kodiak Island, Seward, and Valdez.
Providence Alaska includes Providence Alaska Medical Center, the state’s largest hospital.
Year Founded 1859 Year Founded in AK 1902 Employees (Worldwide) 120,000 Employees (AK) 5,200
Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn own and operate eight hotels, twenty railcars, and more than 200 buses and motor coaches in Alaska in addition to supporting port operations to the cruise business.
Year Founded 1873 Year Founded in AK 1947
Employees (Worldwide) 92,000 Employees (AK) 4,000
ANTHC is a nonprofit tribal health organization that provides health services for Alaska Native people at the Alaska Native Medical Center and across Alaska through training, health and wellness education, and rural water and sewer construction.
Year Founded 1997 Year Founded in AK 1997
Employees (Worldwide) 3,700 Employees (AK) 3,700
ASRC is the largest Alaskan-owned and operated company and has five major business segments: government services, petroleum refining and marketing, energy support services, industrial services, and construction.
Year Founded 1972 Year Founded in AK 1972 Employees (Worldwide) 16,219 Employees (AK) 3,673
Trident Seafoods is North America’s largest vertically integrated seafood harvesting and processing company. Trident is a privately held, 100 percent USA-owned company with global operations in six countries, serving customers in almost sixty countries.
Year Founded 1973 Year Founded in AK 1973
Employees (Worldwide) 9,000 Employees (AK) 3,641
Resource development; land management; federal contracting; engineering and design; surveying and mapping; food and facilities management; camp services; security; industrial and commercial fabrication and installation; drilling services.
Year Founded 1972 Year Founded in AK 1972 Employees (Worldwide) 14,107 Employees (AK) 3,368
Alaska Native-owned, nonprofit healthcare organization serving nearly 70,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people living in Anchorage, MatanuskaSusitna Borough, and fifty-five rural villages. SCF is home to the awardwinning Nuka System of Care.
Year Founded 1982 Year Founded in AK 1982
Employees (Worldwide) 2,800 Employees (AK) 2,800
Retail food, drug, and fuel.
Year Founded 1901 Year Founded in AK 1950 Employees (Worldwide) 285,000 Employees (AK) 2,507
Alaska Air Group comprises Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Holdings, and Horizon Air. We provide passenger and cargo service to more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Central America, Asia, and across the Pacific.
Year Founded 1932 Year Founded in AK 1932 Employees (Worldwide) 30,000 Employees (AK) 2,100
ANCHORED IN ALASKA
Trident Seafoods is 100% American-owned, providing jobs to more than 6,000 people in Alaska. We partner with more than 2,700 independent fishermen and crew members and are committed to growing the state’s workforce.
Ron Duncan, CEO 2550 Denali St., Ste. 1000
Bristol Bay Native Corporation
Jason Metrokin, Pres./CEO 111 W. 16th Ave., Ste. 400 Anchorage, AK 99501
Lynden
907-265-5600 gci.com
907-278-3602 bbnc.net NATIVE ORGANIZATION
GCI delivers communication and technology services in the consumer and business markets. GCI has delivered services in Alaska for forty years to some of the most remote communities and in some of the most challenging conditions in North America.
Year Founded 1979 Year Founded in AK 1979
Employees (Worldwide) 1,900 Employees (AK) 1,400
Industrial services, construction, government services, seafood, and tourism. Year Founded 1972 Year Founded in AK 1972
Jim Jansen, Chairman 6520 Kulis Dr. Anchorage, AK 99502
Three Bears Alaska
907-245-1544 lynden.com TRANSPORTATION
The Lynden family of companies provides transportation and logistics solutions in Alaska, Canada, the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, and around the world. For more than a century, Lynden has been helping customers get the job done.
Geoff Lundfelt, Pres./CEO PO Box 196613 Anchorage, AK 99519
907-357-4311 threebearsalaska.com
TRADE
907-275-5100 worley.com
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
907-563-4567 globalcu.org
FINANCIAL SERVICES
907-263-4115 conocophillipsalaska.com
OIL & GAS ConocoPhillips Company Houston, TX USA
907-275-2800
Retail grocery and convenience stores, general merchandise, sporting goods (hunting, fishing, and camping), pharmacy, package stores (beer, wine, and spirits), and fuel.
Year Founded 1980 Year Founded in AK 1980 Employees (Worldwide) 1,139 Employees (AK) 1,069
Program management, procurement, fabrication, construction, and operations and maintenance, sustaining capital projects, all field services including drilling support and fluid hauling, equipment services, and commissioning/ decommissioning.
Year Founded 1962 Year Founded in AK 1962 Employees (Worldwide) 50,000 Employees (AK) 1,050
Global Credit Union has over 1,000 employees serving fourteen Alaska communities, is one of the largest credit unions in the US, has operations in five western states, and serves 750,000+ members to enrich their lives through world-class financial services.
Year Founded 1948 Year Founded in AK 1948 Employees (Worldwide) 1,965 Employees (AK) 1,001
An independent exploration and production company. We are Alaska’s largest oil producer and have been a leader in oil exploration and development in the state for more than fifty years.
Year Founded 1952 Year Founded in AK 1952 Employees (Worldwide) 10,300 Employees (AK) 1,000
Calista Corporation is the parent company of 30+ subsidiaries in the industries of defense contracting, construction, real estate, environmental services, natural resource development, marine transportation, oilfield services, and heavy equipment.
Year Founded 1972 Year Founded in AK 1972
Employees (Worldwide) 3,880 Employees (AK)
Matson
and weekly service to Dutch Harbor, linking domestic and international cargo with seamless rail and trucking connections to the Kenai Peninsula, Valdez, Fairbanks, and Prudhoe Bay.
Year Founded 1882 Year Founded in AK 1964
Employees (Worldwide) 4,356 Employees (AK) 965
Year Founded 1867 Year Founded in AK 1867
Employees (Worldwide) 936 Employees (AK) 909
The 2025 Corporate 100 The 2025 Corporate 100
Denali Universal Services
Maria Bourne, Pres./CEO 11500 Sukdu Way, Ste. 100 Anchorage, AK 99515
Alyeska Resort
907-522-1300 denaliuniversal.com
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
907-754-1111 alyeskaresort.com
Operational support including facility maintenance, security services, catering, and housekeeping services.
Year Founded 1992 Year Founded in AK 1992 Employees (Worldwide) 1,110 Employees (AK) 775 26
Kara Edwards, GM PO Box 249 Girdwood, AK 99587
Bartlett Regional Hospital
TRAVEL & TOURISM Pomeroy Lodging Canada
Alaska’s premier year-round destination. Featuring the state’s largest ski resort, Alyeska Nordic Spa, premium guest rooms, exceptional dining experiences, and more. Alyeska is your basecamp for endless adventure and relaxation.
Year Founded 1994 Year Founded in AK 1994 Employees (Worldwide) 750 Employees (AK) 750 27
Joe Wanner, CEO 3260 Hospital Dr. Juneau, AK 99801
Robert Brewster, CEO 5201 E. Tudor Rd. Anchorage, AK 99507
David McCarthy, CEO/Founder 725 Christensen Dr. Anchorage, AK 99501
31
32
John Kurz, Pres./CEO PO Box 196660, MS 542 Anchorage, AK 99519
First National Bank Alaska
Betsy Lawer, Board Chair/CEO/Pres. PO Box 100720 Anchorage, AK 99510
Chugach Alaska Corporation
Sheri Buretta, Chairman of the Board 3800 Centerpoint Dr., Ste. 1200 Anchorage, AK 99503
John Ellsworth Jr., Pres. PO Box 224889 Anchorage, AK 99522
907-796-8900 bartletthospital.org
HEALTH & WELLNESS
907-337-9550 thealaskaclub.com HEALTH & WELLNESS Partnership Capital Growth San Francisco, CA US
Emergency services; diagnostic imaging; critical care; speech, respiratory, occupational, and physical therapy; sleep lab; infusion therapy; psychiatric services; obstetrics; lab; surgery; medical and gynecological oncology; specialty clinics.
Year Founded 1886 Year Founded in AK 1886 Employees (Worldwide) 784 Employees (AK) 726
The Alaska Club has thirteen statewide locations offering group fitness classes, state-of-the-art equipment, personal training, swimming, youth activities, amenities, and more. Providing fitness options for everyone in a safe and clean environment.
Year Founded 1986 Year Founded in AK 1986 Employees (Worldwide) 700 Employees (AK) 700
49th State Brewing-Denali Park, Anchorage, and Ted Stevens Airport; The Rail; Prospector’s Pizzeria & Alehouse-Denali Park; Denali Crow’s Nest Cabins-Denali Park; tAKo Alaskan Cantina-Denali Park; and Alaska Pacific Beverage Company.
Year Founded 2005 Year Founded in AK 2005 Employees (Worldwide) 700 Employees (AK) 700
Alyeska Pipeline Service Company has operated the Trans Alaska Pipeline System since 1977 and delivered nearly 19 billion barrels of oil. Focused on safe operations, employees are committed to environmental protection and TAPS sustainability.
Year Founded 1970 Year Founded in AK 1970 Employees (Worldwide) 724 Employees (AK) 681
Alaska’s community bank since 1922, First National, with assets of $5 billion and twenty-eight locations in nineteen communities, helps Alaskans shape a brighter tomorrow with banking services to meet their needs across the state, the nation, and around the world.
Year Founded 1922 Year Founded in AK 1922
Employees (Worldwide) 618 Employees (AK) 618
The Chugach family of companies provides government services, facilities services, and energy services. Chugach also manages a diverse portfolio of investments and land/resource development opportunities.
Year Founded 1972 Year Founded in AK 1972 Employees (Worldwide) 4,300 Employees (AK) 600
Rig moving, rig support, oilfield trucking, fabrication and welding, O&M support, ice road and civil construction services, piling installation,
Anchorage, AK 99515
The 2025 Corporate 100
The
Dr. Pearl K. Brower, Pres./CEO PO Box 890 Utqiaġvik, AK 99723
Odyssey Logistics & Technology
907-852-4460 uicalaska.com
NATIVE ORGANIZATION
907-248-5548 odysseylogistics.com
Diversified commercial, government svcs. & contracting, technical/professional svcs., logistics/support svcs., heavy civil/vertical construction, oilfield support, architectural/engineering svcs., marine transportation, municipal svcs., & real estate.
Year Founded 1973 Year Founded in AK 1973
Employees (Worldwide) 4,045 Employees (AK) 501 38
Jason Totah, Div. Pres. Integrated Marine Logistics 5025 Van Buren St. Anchorage, AK 99517
39 Cruz Construction
Jeff Miller, Pres. 7000 E. Palmer Wasilla Hwy. Palmer, AK 99645
Orthopedic Physicians
Alaska
40
Tim Mullen, CEO 3801 Lake Otis Pkwy., Ste. 300 Anchorage, AK 99508
41 FedEx Express
Dale Shaw, Mng. Dir. 6050 Rockwell Ave. Anchorage, AK 99502
Chugach Electric Association
Arthur Miller, CEO
Huna Totem Corporation
Russell Dick, Pres./CEO 9301 Glacier Hwy., Ste. 200 Juneau, AK 99801
Communications
Paul Fenaroli, Pres./CEO 600 Telephone Ave. Anchorage, AK 99503
TRANSPORTATION
Odyssey Logistics & Technology Danbury, CT USA
907-746-3144 cruzconstruct.com
CONSTRUCTION
907-562-2277 opalaska.com
HEALTH & WELLNESS
800-463-3339 fedex.com
907-563-7494
Ocean freight forwarding, freight consolidation of all kinds, LTL/LCL, full loads and single shipments, temperature protected, dry vans, specialized equipment, heavy haul, project logistics, intrastate trucking, warehousing and distribution.
Year Founded 1984 Year Founded in AK 1988
Employees (Worldwide) 2,500 Employees (AK) 500
Experts in resource development and heavy civil construction.
Year Founded 1981 Year Founded in AK 1981
Employees (Worldwide) 500 Employees (AK) 500
Orthopedic care, including surgical and non-surgical treatment for all orthopedic subspecialties, rheumatology, physiatry (physical medicine), and physical therapy. Athletic trainers provided to ASAA schools, free of charge.
Year Founded 1966 Year Founded in AK 1966
Employees (Worldwide) 503 Employees (AK) 483
Air cargo and express-package services.
Year Founded 1973 Year Founded in AK 1988 Employees (Worldwide) 400,000 Employees (AK) 450
We provide safe, reliable, and affordable electricity through superior service and sustainable practices, powering the lives of our members.
Year Founded 1948 Year Founded in AK 1948 Employees (Worldwide) 450 Employees (AK) 450
Year Founded 1973 Year Founded in AK 1973 Employees (Worldwide) 607 Employees (AK) 426
Alaska’s leading provider of managed IT services, high-speed internet, data networking, and voice communications.
Year Founded 1999 Year Founded in AK 1999 Employees (Worldwide) 472 Employees (AK) 417
Petro 49, family-owned since 1959, distributes petroleum products across Alaska and The Yukon. The company operates under the brand names of Petro Marine, Shoreside Petroleum, North 60 Petro, Alaska Oil Sales, Essential One, and Petro One.
Year
You bring out the best in us.
Providence Alaska Medical Center is honored to be the only hospital in Alaska – and one of just 98 in the nation – recognized for both quality of care and equitable access by U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings. We’re also rated High Performing in maternity care and in the treatment of six conditions, including heart attack and stroke.
These achievements are a testament to the exceptional work of all our caregivers, providers and community partners who, together, allow us to serve Alaskans with award-winning care close to home.
Learn more at Providence.org/PAMCawards.
The 2025 Corporate 100
The 2025 Corporate 100
49
Crowley Kollin Fencil, Sr. VP/GM
201 Arctic Slope Ave. Anchorage, AK 99518
Coeur Alaska Kensington Mine
50
51
Steve Ball, GM 3031 Clinton Dr., Ste. 202 Juneau, AK 99801
Hilton Anchorage
Carissa Giliam, GM 500 W. Third Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501
52
Credit Union 1
Mark Burgess, Pres./CEO 1941 Abbott Rd. Anchorage, AK 99507
Afognak Native Corporation
53
Greg Hambright, Pres./CEO 300 Alimaq Dr. Kodiak, AK 99615
54 Ahtna, Inc. Michelle Anderson, Pres. PO Box 649 Glennallen, AK 99588
866-770-5587 crowley.com/alaska
OIL & GAS
Crowley Jacksonville, FL USA
907-523-3300 coeur.com/kensington MINING
Coeur Mining Chicago, IL USA
907-272-7411 hilton.com/en/hotels/ancahhfhilton-anchorage TRAVEL & TOURISM Columbia-Sussex USA
907-339-9485 cu1.org FINANCIAL SERVICES
907-486-6014 afognak.com
NATIVE ORGANIZATION
907-822-3476 ahtna.com
NATIVE ORGANIZATION
907-865-9818 essalaska.com INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
Compass Group PLC (North America) Charlotte, NC USA
907-333-6648 acehardware.com
RETAIL/WHOLESALE TRADE
907-444-7889 wellsfargo.com/biz
Wells Fargo Bank, NA San Francisco, CA USA
Crowley Fuels Alaska is a leader in the fuel industry—storing, selling, and distributing petroleum products to more than 160 communities across the state and backed by decades of proven capabilities with an intense focus on safety in all that we do.
Year Founded 1892 Year Founded in AK 1953
Employees (Worldwide) 6,300 Employees (AK) 380
Kensington Mine is an underground, hard rock gold mine located in the Berners Bay Mining District about 45 miles north-northwest of Juneau. The mine is owned and operated by Coeur Alaska, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Coeur Mining.
Year Founded 1987 Year Founded in AK 1987
Employees (Worldwide) 380 Employees (AK) 380
Located in the heart of Downtown Anchorage. More than 24,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, 24-hour fitness center, indoor pool, two restaurants, bar, and coffee shop. We feature the only hotel with a private rooftop deck for private events.
Year Founded 1958 Year Founded in AK 1958 Employees (Worldwide) 375 Employees (AK) 375
As a full-service financial institution that serves nearly 100,000 Alaskans, Credit Union 1 is proud to foster thriving, happy communities by always putting people first. We achieve this goal by offering low-cost loans, innovative technology & more.
Year Founded 1952 Year Founded in AK 1952 Employees (Worldwide) 381 Employees (AK) 360
Afognak Native Corporation, Alutiiq, LLC, Afognak Commercial Group, and their subsidiaries offer exceptional government and commercial services worldwide, including leasing, timber, retail, engineering, security, logistics, and facility support.
Year Founded 1977 Year Founded in AK 1977 Employees (Worldwide) 2,779 Employees (AK) 357
Administrative and management, base and facilities operations, construction, environmental services, government contracting, logistics and procurement, resource development, environmental housekeeping, and security and investigative services.
Year Founded 1972 Year Founded in AK 1972 Employees (Worldwide) 941 Employees (AK) 348
Restaurants, lounges, espresso. Catering services for remote sites, short-or long-term, including offshore platforms, camp janitorial, and other employee staffing
Year
Paint, sundries, custom paint matching and mixing, power tools, hand tools, electrical, plumbing, heating, hardware, fasteners, lawn & garden, outdoor living, BBQ, housewares, key cutting,
Year
Wells Fargo & Company is a leading financial services company. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment, and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance
Year
Healing, High-Performance Environments
Let’s talk.
You want modern, thoughtfully designed facilities that create a healing experience for patients. Streamlined workflows that empower staff to provide exceptional care.
62
Golden Valley Electric Association
Travis Million, CEO PO Box 71249
Fairbanks, AK 99707
Carlile Transportation
Krista Williams, Pres./CEO
1800 E. First Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501
63 JAG Alaska
Tim Jagielski, EVP PO Box 969 Seward, AK 99664
North Star Behavioral Health
64
Jaime Eggert, CEO 2530 Debarr Rd. Anchorage, AK 99508
Colville
65
66
Jason Reeves, CEO Pouch 340012 Prudhoe Bay, AK 99734
Hecla Greens Creek Mining Co.
Bill Kloth, GM PO Box 32199 Juneau, AK 99803
Kiewit
67
Patrick Harrison, Area Mgr. 2000 W. International Airport Rd., Ste. C-6 Anchorage, AK 99502
Matanuska Electric Association
907-452-1151 gvea.com UTILITY
907-276-7797 carlile.biz TRANSPORTATION
Saltchuk Resources, Inc. Seattle, WA USA
907-224-3198 jagalaska.com
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
907-258-7575 northstarbehavioral.com
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Universal Health Services Inc. King of Prussia, PA USA
907-659-3198 colvilleinc.com
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
907-789-8100 hecla.com MINING
Hecla Mining Company
Coeur d’Alene, ID USA
907-222-9350 Construction
907-761-9300
mea.coop
GVEA provides service to more than 45,000 meters in Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Nenana, Healy, and Cantwell. With 3,300 miles of power lines, 35 substations, 8 generating facilities, 381 MW of capacity, and 6,440-square-miles of service.
Year Founded 1946 Year Founded in AK 1946 Employees (Worldwide) 296 Employees (AK) 296
Transportation and logistics company offering multi-modal trucking and logistics services across Alaska and North America.
Year Founded 1980 Year Founded in AK 1980 Employees (Worldwide) 419 Employees (AK) 295
Ship repair serving private, commercial & governmental entities. Full inhouse blast & coating, marine electrical, mechanical, machine shop, piping, structural and joiner departments. 5,000T synchro-lift, (5) berths on rail system. 100T Grove Crane.
Year Founded 2018 Year Founded in AK 2018 Employees (Worldwide) 327 Employees (AK) 285
North Star Behavioral offers pediatric acute psychiatric care & residential treatment. Chris Kyle Patriots Hospital offers psychiatric care to first responders, active duty military, and veterans. Arctic Recovery offers civilian detox & substance use support.
Year Founded 1984 Year Founded in AK 1984
Employees (Worldwide) 281 Employees (AK) 281
Colville’s family of companies provides essential supplies and services across the entire state from the North Slope to the Kenai Peninsula. Our services include fuel, aviation, solid waste, transport, industrial supply, camp/hotel, and office space.
Year Founded 1981 Year Founded in AK 1981 Employees (Worldwide) 280 Employees (AK) 280
Hecla’s 100 percent-owned and operated Greens Creek mine in Southeast is one of the largest and lowest-cost primary silver mines in the world.
Year Founded 1989 Year Founded in AK 1989 Employees (Worldwide) 515 Employees (AK) 270
Tony Izzo, CEO 163 E. Industrial Way Palmer, AK 99645
Gideon Garcia, VP/GM
John
UTILITY
907-243-3331 nac.aero
Saltchuk Aviation Seattle, WA USA
907-277-5551
TriSummit Utilities, Inc.
A member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 57,000 members across 4,700 miles of power lines in the Mat-Su and Eagle River areas. MEA’s mission is to provide safe, reliable energy at reasonable rates with exceptional member service.
Year Founded 1941 Year Founded in AK 1941 Employees (Worldwide) 240 Employees (AK) 240
Northern Air Cargo, Alaska’s largest all-cargo airline since 1956, offers multiple service options that help Alaskans find solutions to all of their shipping needs. The people of Alaska have established NAC as their preferred precious cargo carrier.
Year Founded 1956 Year Founded in AK 1956 Employees (Worldwide) 349 Employees (AK) 224
ENSTAR
Year Founded 1961 Year Founded in AK 1961 Employees (Worldwide) 226 Employees (AK) 222
Fairbanks
Year Founded
Year
74
Alcan Electrical & Engineering
Chrys Fleming, Pres. 6670 Arctic Spur Rd. Anchorage, AK 99518
Subway of Alaska
Steve Adams, Pres./Co-Founder
1118 E. 70th Ave., Ste. 200 Anchorage, AK 99518
75 Santos
Bruce Dingeman, EVP/Pres. AK 601 W. Fifth Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501
76
Great Northwest, Inc.
A. John Minder, Pres./CEO PO Box 74646 Fairbanks, AK 99707
77
Sourdough Express
Josh Norum, Pres. 600 Driveways St. Fairbanks, AK 99701
78
Ryan Air
Lee Ryan, Pres. 6400 Carl Brady Dr. Anchorage, AK 99502
79
Vitus Energy
Justin Charon, CEO 5300 A St. Anchorage, AK 99518
Beacon Occupational Health & Safety Services
907-563-3787 alcanelectric.com
ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING
907-563-4228 subwayak.com
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Subway World Headquarters Sheldon, CT USA
907-375-4600 santos.com
OIL & GAS
907-452-5617 grtnw.com
CONSTRUCTION
907-452-1181
Sourdoughexpress.com
TRANSPORTATION
907-562-2227 ryanalaska.com TRANSPORTATION
Saltchuk Seattle, WA USA
907-793-9700 vitus-energy.com
TRANSPORTATION
907-222-7612 beaconohss.com
Electrical and telecommunications, security, CCTV, integration, oil production modules, hazardous electrical installation, and 508A control panel fabrication.
Year Founded 1971 Year Founded in AK 1971
Employees (Worldwide) 208 Employees (AK) 208
We cater to every craving! Subs, signature wraps, and salads prepared in front of you. Order at subway.com, on the Subway app, or at any Anchorage, Eagle River, or Girdwood Subway restaurant. Third-party delivery and curbside service also available.
Year Founded 1988 Year Founded in AK 1988
Employees (Worldwide) 203 Employees (AK) 203
Building Alaska’s energy future beginning with the giant Pikka oil field located on State lands east of the Colville River. Phase 1 production of ~80,000 bopd is expected in 2026, generating billions for State and North Slope Stakeholders.
Year Founded 1954 Year Founded in AK 2018
Employees (Worldwide) 4,000 Employees (AK) 200
Heavy highway civil construction, utilities, and paving.
Year Founded 1976 Year Founded in AK 1976
Employees (Worldwide) 200 Employees (AK) 200
Freight-transportation services, logistics, moving, and storage services. Steel
Conex container sales/lease.
Year Founded 1898 Year Founded in AK 1902
Employees (Worldwide) 190 Employees (AK) 190
Ryan Air operates twenty aircraft out of eight hubs across Alaska to serve more than seventy villages. From Platinum to Point Hope, from Gambell to Anchorage, we know the challenges of transportation in Alaska.
Year Founded 1953 Year Founded in AK 1953 Employees (Worldwide) 190 Employees (AK) 190
Vitus Energy is a vertically integrated fuel distribution company. Vitus purchases refined fuel products and delivers via multiple distribution channels to bulk terminals, wholesale, industrial and residential users as well as convenience stores.
Year Founded 2009 Year Founded in AK 2009
Employees (Worldwide) 190 Employees (AK) 190 80
Terry Howard, GM 701 E. Tudor Rd., Ste. 110 Anchorage, AK 99503
HEALTH & WELLNESS
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Nuvision Credit Union Huntington Beach, CA USA
Beacon offers comprehensive health and safety solutions for our clients’ workforce, including remote medical services, occupational medicine, staffing, drug testing. With permanent locations in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Mat-Su, Kenai, and Deadhorse.
Year Founded 1999 Year Founded in AK 1999 Employees (Worldwide) 193 Employees (AK) 185
Complete financial services for our 200,000 members throughout Alaska and the US. Nuvision has thirty-five branches in five western states, including AK, CA, WA, AZ, and WY, as well as 5,000 shared branches and 30,000 shared ATMs to serve members.
Year Founded 1935 Year Founded in AK 1948 Employees (Worldwide) 660 Employees (AK) 180
Committed to Alaska for more than 50 years.
We safely and reliably develop Alaska’s oil resources to produce meaningful economic benefits for Alaskans.
Cody, Petroleum Engineer
86
Usibelli Coal Mine
Joseph E. Usibelli Jr., Pres./CEO
100 Cushman St., Ste. 210 Fairbanks, AK 99701
Koniag
Ron Unger, Chairman/CEO 194 Alimaq Dr. Kodiak, AK 99615
87
Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union
Chad Ritchie, Pres./CEO 1020 S. Bailey St. Palmer, AK 99645
Guardian Security Systems, Inc.
907-452-2625 usibelli.com
MINING
907-486-2530 koniag.com
NATIVE ORGANIZATION
907-745-4891 mvfcu.coop FINANCIAL SERVICES
Alaska’s only operational coal mine and its affiliate companies.
Year Founded 1943 Year Founded in AK 1943 Employees (Worldwide) 190 Employees (AK) 151
Koniag makes a meaningful difference in the lives of our Shareholders and Descendants through investments in government contracting, commercial IT, energy and water, real estate, and businesses generated by our lands in the Kodiak Archipelago.
Year Founded 1972 Year Founded in AK 1972 Employees (Worldwide) 3,850 Employees (AK) 150
Building better financial futures for people who live, learn, work, or worship in the state of Alaska and the Waipahu, Hawaii, Neighborhood Board #22. MVFCU offers a full range of financial services to all eligible members.
Year Founded 1948 Year Founded in AK 1948 Employees (Worldwide) 165 Employees (AK) 150 88
2600 Seward Hwy. Anchorage, AK 99503
89 REI Co-op
Eric Artz, CEO 500 E. Northern Lights Blvd. Anchorage, AK 99503
Guardian is one of the largest and most respected security agencies in Alaska. We are also the only full-service security agency with Alaska’s only UL Central Station.
Year Founded 1974 Year Founded in AK 1974 Employees (Worldwide) 150 Employees (AK) 150
National specialty outdoor retailer and the nation’s largest consumer co-op. Alaska stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Year Founded 1938 Year Founded in AK 1979 Employees (Worldwide) 13,210 Employees (AK) 141
Comprehensive infrastructure development services firm, serving transportation, water/wastewater, waste, power, mining, and oil and gas clients. We provide engineering, environmental, construction management, planning, permitting, and communications.
Year Founded 1917 Year Founded in AK 1979 Employees (Worldwide) 13,000 Employees (AK) 140
Steve Rader, GM 600 W. Seventh Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501
Bradley Janorschke, GM 3977 Lake St. Homer, AK 99603
907-263-6850 anchorageconventioncenters.com
& TOURISM ASM Global Los Angeles, CA USA
907-235-8551 homerelectric.com
907-561-1818 avec.org
Bill Stamm, Pres./CEO
907-276-6664
Ben
ASM Global is the world’s leading producer of experiences. It is the global leader in venue and event strategy and management. The network spans five continents and more than 350 arenas, stadiums, convention, exhibition, and performing arts venues.
Year Founded 2019 Year Founded in AK 2019 Employees (Worldwide) 10,001 Employees (AK) 140
Homer Electric Association is a member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 24,600 members on the western Kenai Peninsula from Soldotna, Kenai, Homer, and remote communities across Kachemak Bay.
Year Founded 1945 Year Founded in AK 1945 Employees (Worldwide) 139 Employees (AK) 139
AVEC is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative providing power generation and distribution to fifty-eight member communities in rural Alaska.
Year Founded 1967 Year Founded in AK 1967 Employees (Worldwide) 138 Employees (AK) 138
Civil, commissioning, corrosion control, electrical, fire protection, industrial design, mechanical, pipeline integrity management, process design, project management, structural, alternative energy, carbon capture, and process safety management.
Year Founded 1979 Year Founded in AK 1979 Employees (Worldwide) 883 Employees (AK) 136
95
DOWL
Jeff Shoemaker, Pres./CEO
5015 Business Park Blvd., Ste. 4000 Anchorage, AK 99503
96
Cape Fox Corporation
Chris Luchtefeld, CEO PO Box 8558 Ketchikan, AK 99901
97
Construction Machinery Industrial
Ken Gerondale, Pres./CEO 5400 Homer Dr. Anchorage, AK 99518
R&M Consultants
98
Len Story, CEO 9101 Vanguard Dr. Anchorage, AK 99507
99
Furniture Enterprises of Alaska
Dave Cavitt, Owner 940 E. 38th Ave. Anchorage, AK 99503
907-562-2000 dowl.com
ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING
907-225-5163 capefoxcorp.com
NATIVE ORGANIZATION
907-563-3822 cmiak.com
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
907-522-1707 rmconsult.com
ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING
907-272-5800 furnitureenterprisesak.com
RETAIL/WHOLESALE TRADE
907-562-8728
DOWL is a multi-disciplined consulting firm that has been providing civil engineering and related services in Alaska since 1962. Some of our additional in-house services include environmental, land survey, and land use planning.
Year Founded 1962 Year Founded in AK 1962
Employees (Worldwide) 550 Employees (AK) 130
After fifty years, Cape Fox Corporation continues to grow and maintain a strong financial foundation by profitably managing financial and land resources to provide immediate and long-term economic, educational, and cultural benefits for shareholders.
Year Founded 1973 Year Founded in AK 1973
Employees (Worldwide) 898 Employees (AK) 127
Construction and mining equipment sales, rentals, service, and parts. Year Founded 1985 Year Founded in AK 1985
Employees (Worldwide) 123 Employees (AK) 123
Civil, geotechnical engineering; geology; environmental (NEPA, contaminated sites); planning; public involvement; land surveying; hydrographic surveying; GIS; construction administration; special inspection; materials testing.
Year Founded 1969 Year Founded in AK 1969 Employees (Worldwide) 120 Employees (AK) 120
Furniture Enterprises sells furniture, mattresses and accessories through our retail stores. Sadlers, Ashley, Williams & Kay, La Z Boy, Ultimate Mattress, Mattress Firm.
Year Founded 1972 Year Founded in AK 1972 Employees (Worldwide) 120 Employees (AK) 120
Worldwide
Year Founded 1973 Year Founded in AK 1973 Employees (Worldwide) 1,330 Employees (AK) 116
Patricia Morales | Alaska
Best Places to Work in Alaska
Every year, Alaska Business asks its readers to vote on the Best Place to Work as part of its Best of Alaska Business special section and awards. While there are no set criteria, voters consider businesses that go above and beyond in fostering an outstanding workplace environment.
The award is split into two size categories: employers with more than 250 people on the payroll and those with fewer. Far more organizations are eligible for the smaller category, yet Altman, Rogers & Co. consistently stands out as the big fish in that pond.
“One of our taglines is ‘big firm experience with a small firm approach.’ We bring the expertise of a Big Four accounting firm but with a more personal, approachable feel,” says Director of Operations Megan Bergene. “Outside firms don’t always understand the nuances of doing business in Alaska, but we do.”
Altman, Rogers & Co. is Alaska’s largest locally based accounting firm, providing audit, accounting, and tax services. With headquarters in Anchorage and offices in Soldotna and Juneau, the company employs approximately seventy professionals.
Bergene says its size allows for specialization and a deep bench of knowledge. Altman, Rogers & Co. offers the resources and expertise of a bigger firm with the personal attention that comes from a small firm.
Support Staff
Bergene describes the firm’s culture as highly family-friendly and flexible. This support of work/life balance appeals to employees and fuels a positive working culture, she says.
Offering paid parental leave is a differentiator that reinforces Altman, Rogers & Co.’s commitment to employee well-being. During Alaska summers, employees also get the benefit of half-day-off Fridays, allowing for longer weekends to enjoy that late-night sunshine.
What makes workplaces stand out
By Katie Pesznecker
“Many of our partners have young families, and we really work to meet the needs of our employees,” Bergene says. “If you need to take time off to run an errand or take a mental health day, you can. We want to make sure our employees are cared for.”
The firm also promotes from within, creating opportunities for advancement and career development.
Bergene herself first joined the firm as a staff auditor and, after leaving public accounting and working in the private sector, returned to the company in a management capacity.
Altman, Rogers & Co. also has a mentorship program that pairs new staff with a senior member of leadership, usually a partner or shareholder, to help break down communication barriers that can exist in a hierarchical structure.
“With the mentorship program, the goal is to help eliminate the intimidating aspect of speaking with your most senior leadership to make it easier to have those hard conversations that will eventually come up and work towards a collaborative team structure instead of a top-down approach,” Bergene says.
Staff development is also part of the winning culture at Set Free Alaska, a mental health and substance abuse treatment center in Wasilla. Set Free Alaska workers are highly credentialed, and the center is very selective and patient in its hiring process, says Carl Dulinsky, chief human resources officer.
Dulinsky explains, “Our leadership philosophy is to hire great people, support them with excellent training, and get out of their way! Our core values are shared and celebrated at our monthly All-Staff meeting as well as our weekly and monthly leadership meetings. Our HR department ensures that our staff is supported and celebrated in multiple ways and empowered to do their best work every day.”
Dulinsky believes Set Free Alaska is a top workplace because of its
“We encourage innovation and creativity, and those who bring forward new ideas thrive here. We constantly strive to be the best we can be, and that includes making sure our employees feel valued and motivated.”
Christine Resler, President and CEO, ASRC Energy Services
Local Roots, National Reach
We help businesses in Alaska and across the country navigate complex legal challenges with confidence, so you can focus on what matters most—growth and innovation. With deep industry insight and relentless focus on your success, you’ll have the strategic guidance needed to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world.
strong leadership, structured goal setting, and commitment to faithdriven service. “We put God first in all we do and ensure our employees feel supported, celebrated, and empowered,” he says.
Culture and Values
Founded in 2009 by ordained minister Philip Licht as a Christian outpatient treatment center, Set Free Alaska employs 115 individuals across nine states.
The organization’s workplace culture is based on a clear leadership structure, a commitment to shared values, and a focus on employee development. Many staff members are in recovery themselves, bringing personal experience and expertise to their roles. Many see working with Set Free Alaska clients as an
invaluable opportunity to “give back,” Dulinsky says.
The team is also bonded and guided by faith, which is the defining characteristic of the organization. Dulinsky says, “Our commitment to seek God and put him first in all that we do and through prayer, patience, and wise counsel [permeates] our organization with a loving and honoring approach to every aspect of our day-to-day operations.”
The winning workplace culture at ASRC Energy Services derives from another set of commandments: its ASPIRE Business Values, developed with input from more than 1,000 employees. ASPIRE stands for Absolute integrity, Safety, People first, Iñupiat heritage, Resilient family, and Exceptional service
quality. At every turn, they define how the company operates, says President and CEO Christine Resler.
The subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation provides energy support services, construction, engineering, environmental remediation, and staffing solutions. With nearly 3,000 employees and operations across the state, ASRC Energy continues to grow and innovate.
“We’re creative, we care about people, and we have a real collegial culture,” Resler says. “We do put people first. We care about our team. We let people have a lot of autonomy. They have a lot of support. It’s the best place I’ve ever worked.”
She adds that involving employees in honing in on, defining, and adopting the ASPIRE Business Values
was huge in achieving authenticity and buy-in from such a large team.
“Our employees appreciate the team-based culture and opportunities for personal and professional development,” Resler says. “We encourage innovation and creativity, and those who bring forward new ideas thrive here. We constantly strive to be the best we can be, and that includes making sure our employees feel valued and motivated.”
Motivating and valuing employees through open communication, Altman, Rogers & Co. has workgroups which allow employees to be heard on important topics. To date, groups have included the Morale Event Group that determines which events the firm hosts, the DEI Group that resulted
in a DEI scholarship for students in partnership with the University of Alaska, and the Bonus Group that created a new structure and formula for how bonuses were paid out at year end. Each initiative contributes to a happy workplace, while enabling employees to drive those initiatives themselves shapes the culture.
Success Breeds Success
The undisputed heavyweight champion of positive workplace culture is First National Bank Alaska, winning Best Place to Work in the 250-plus bracket every single year, nine years running. At the heart of First National’s culture is a commitment to honesty, integrity, and employee well-being. The team at the bank genuinely cares for each other, the customers, the
“Hire the right people, even if it means waiting. Make sure the quality of your services doesn’t suffer from rapid growth. Have a clear vision and core values, and support and celebrate them.”
Carl Dulinsky Chief Hum an Resources Officer Set Free Alaska
“People naturally want to be part of a winning team… For us, winning isn’t just about financial success. It’s about making meaningful impacts in our customers’ lives, whether helping a family buy their first home or setting up a trust for future generations.”
Steven Patin Executive Vice President and Adm inistrative Director First National Bank Alaska
shareholders, and the communities they serve, says Steven Patin, executive vice president and administrative director.
“We believe that when you take care of employees, they, in turn, will take care of customers—ensuring the bottom line will take care of itself,” Patin says.
Employees are drawn to First National because of its strong team atmosphere, something that’s palpable when you first walk through the door.
“People naturally want to be part of a winning team,” Patin says. “For us, winning isn’t just about financial success. It’s about making meaningful impacts in our customers’ lives, whether helping a family buy their first home or setting up a trust for future generations.”
DEDICATED TO OPERATIONAL
EXCELLENCE
A job well done also contributes to the positive environment at ASRC Energy, recognized for its commitment to safety, customer satisfaction, and technological advancements that extend the life of Alaska’s oil fields while reducing costs and carbon footprints.
“We have a strong focus on innovation and are always seeking ways to improve and evolve,” says Resler.
Success also builds upon itself at Set Free Alaska, which has served more than 7,100 Alaskans in more than sixty communities since it was established in 2009.
The center has seen clients regain their licenses and other documents, restore relationships, and gain meaningful employment with hope
THE DUS TEAM
• Security Officers
• Medics
• Firefighters
• Culinary Specialists
• Housekeepers
• Maintenance Specialists
OUR SERVICES
• Integrated facility management
• Onsite security
• Security assessments & trainings
• Culinary and remote catering
• Onsite housekeeping & janitorial
for their future instead of spending time in prison.
Perhaps most striking is Set Free Alaska’s impact on recidivism rates. Dulinsky and his team can track the treatment records of former clients in the criminal justice system. The results have shown that Set Free Alaska clients report just a 12 percent recidivism rate, compared to the state average of 66 percent.
“In the recovery world this is unheard of, and these results are gaining global recognition in the
instance, places a strong emphasis on community involvement and customer empowerment. Patin says, “Employees tell us they’re proud to work for a company that gives back to the community and encourages them to do the same.”
Community support enables Altman, Rogers & Co. to offer another perk, namely the opportunity to travel throughout Alaska. The firm supports local governments and school districts across the state, as well as nonprofits and small
building a winning workplace, Bergene suggests, “It’s OK to ask for help. You don’t have to do it all on your own.”
Dulinsky’s advice parallels Set Free Alaska’s path to success: “Hire the right people, even if it means waiting. Make sure the quality of your services doesn’t suffer from rapid growth. Have a clear vision and core values, and support and celebrate them.”
Patin has tips for anyone hoping to emulate First National’s streak: “Differentiate yourself by providing superior service and value. Be kind,
And what works at ASRC Energy applies for any business striving to care for its team. Resler says, “Focus on your people. Create a culture of innovation and integrity, and your
Beyond Satisfied
Focus on employee commitment to drive engagement
By J. Maija Doggett
Th e concept of employee engagement is a familiar one, as are the positive impacts of high employee engagement on the bottom line. Engaged employees are more productive, have lower absenteeism, provide better customer satisfaction, perform their work more safely, and the list goes on. High employee engagement is the key to a healthy organization, isn’t it?
Highly engaged employees are still willing to take that phone call from the recruiter about opportunities at other companies and may even spend their lunch hours searching for a job that offers them something they aren’t getting in their current workplace. That is, engaged employees with a low level (or the wrong type) of commitment to the organization will keep their options open.
Back in the ‘90s, “employee engagement” replaced “job satisfaction” as business leader
jargon to describe the key to leveraging workers for bottomline success. In fact, employee engagement became a leading critical indicator in organizational success and the default survey metric, as it is still today.
As a career HR professional, I have conducted my fair share of employee engagement surveys, reported to senior executives on the status of the firm’s employee engagement, and designed programs and trained managers to perform actions intended to improve employee engagement, and I have always been a true believer that the key to a company’s success is an engaged workforce.
It’s time to modernize and measure the much more reliable metric of employee commitment, according to Andrew Kitchner, founder of employee survey firm New Wave Solutions. While employee engagement and employee commitment are often
used interchangeably, they are not the same thing.
Two Concepts
Employee engagement refers to a combination of maximum contribution for the company and maximum satisfaction for employees. Where those intersect, employees can sustain a high level of performance that benefits both parties. Commitment, on the other hand, is more of a positive emotional attachment to the organization.
Many organizations conduct business activities specifically to influence employee engagement and reap the oft-cited list of rewards. But without a positive emotional attachment to an organization (i.e., commitment), engaged employees are unlikely to deliver those rewards, let alone stay in place.
Likewise, employee commitment alone won’t deliver results. Depending on the type of commitment experienced by each
Patricia Morales | Alaska Business
employee, committed employees are not always engaged. Thought leaders define three types of employee commitment:
• Normative commitment refers to how much employees feel they should stay with their organization. Normative employees stay because they feel like it’s the right thing to do, and the thought of leaving causes them to feel guilty. This feeling can have a negative effect on their performance.
• Continuance commitment how much employees need to stay with the organization. Employees who experience continuance commitment believe they can’t get hired anywhere else or won’t be able to find comparable or even better pay or benefits anywhere else. These employees can become dissatisfied with their job, and a lack of job satisfaction always leads to a lack of e
• Affective commitment to how much employees want to stay with their organization. Employees with high levels of affective commitment identify with the company’s goals, feel like they are valued, and fit into the organization. They work as much for the company’s purpose as for the paycheck, so they are overall great assets to the org
Leadership speaker Joe Bassani wrote in a 2018 article on Medium, “Engagement is a transactional state. It is a point-in-time snapshot of employee sentiment. Commitment, on the other hand, is a transformational state, reflecting
Employee engagement and employee commitment are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing.
ONE TOUGH ANIMAL
Alaska’s Workhorse
a long-term relationship between the employee and the organization.” Commitment is the bond employees feel with their organization.
According to Oak Engage, an employee engagement software developer, employees who are emotionally committed to their organization increase profitability by up to 23 percent, reduce absenteeism by 41 percent, and boost productivity by 17 percent. Consider high employee engagement to be an outcome of affective commitment. Businesses need to foster both if they desire to achieve these results.
Strategies to Influence Affective Commitment
Demonstrate commitment to employees. You have to give it to get it, so to speak. Open and transparent communication is a great place to start building trust, which is the foundation of commitment. Clearly communicate company values, vision, and goals to help employees understand how they fit into your big picture. Promote the organization’s purpose and connect employees’ work to that purpose. Be sincere. Don’t pay lip service to values, vision, goals, or purpose. Keep employees informed about changes to strategies, goals, policies, and processes. And encourage twoway communication and innovation through regularly scheduled checkins, feedback surveys, open door policies, and interactive workshops. Value individuality and diversity. Create a positive and inclusive workplace that celebrates individuality and diversity where everyone can
Employees with high levels of affective commitment identify with the company’s goals, feel like they are valued, and fit into the organization. They work as much for the company’s purpose as for the paycheck, so they are overall great assets to the organization.
feel respect, value, and belonging. Feeling valued boosts morale and motivates employees to go above and beyond. Research from BetterUp found that high belonging was linked to a 56 percent increase in job performance, a 50 percent drop in turnover risk, and a 75 percent reduction in sick days.
Business leaders can value individuality and diversity in many ways. Promote a healthy worklife balance by helping employees better manage their personal and professional lives. Empower employees to disconnect after work. Encourage employees to use their holidays and vacation days. Offer flexible hours and remote and hybrid work opportunities.
Optimize teamwork, collaboration, and camaraderie among employees through team-building activities, social events, and wellness programs. Another method to increase a sense of belonging is to encourage and support employees forming employee resource groups, which can provide support that enhances career development, professional networking opportunities, and overall contributions to personal development in the workplace.
Invest in managers to equip them with the tools and skills needed to inspire their teams. Managers are the primary drivers of commitment and engagement. Some tools managers use to foster inspiration include:
• Acknowledging and rewarding employees’ efforts and accomplishments. Managers often feel challenged to express their appreciation for their employees’ talents and contributions in a way that leaves employees feeling noticed and valued. Provide managers with communication skills and methods for giving employees meaningful financial or life rewards.
• Connecting employees with opportunities for continuous learning and career advancement, such as training programs, mentorship, and career development programs within the company. Employees are more likely to stay engaged and committed when they can see pathways for their own growth.
• Offering constructive feedback so employees understand their strengths, feel appreciated for a job well done, and can
become aware of their areas for improvement.
• Empowering employees to take ownership of their work and giving them the autonomy to make decisions.
Growing a culture of affective commitment and high engagement is mutually beneficial. An organization strives for employees who are committed to the mission, whose values align with its values, and who love the work they do. Likewise, employees want to be proud of who they work for, feel personally connected, be part of a team that reflects their own core values, and do work that is valued by the organization.
Organizational Citizenship
When you’ve hit that sweet spot, you’ll know it. Committed and engaged employees will likely demonstrate organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).
OCB is the positive and constructive actions and behaviors that employees perform beyond their formal job description. This doesn’t mean “other duties as assigned.” OCB is not assigned; it is voluntary.
It’s anything that employees do, without being asked, to support and benefit their colleagues and the organization as a whole. It can be as simple as picking up a piece of trash that someone else left in the company parking lot, brewing another pot of coffee after noticing the pot is empty, or picking up dinner for a project team who is working late on a deadline.
Dennis Organ first defined OCB in 1988 as “an individual behavior which
is not rewarded by a formal reward system… but that, when combined with the same behavior in a group, results in effectiveness.”
In his book Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Good Soldier Syndrome , Organ describes seven types of OCB:
• Helping. A type of OCB similar to altruism proposed by nursing professor Ann Smith in 1983. Such behavior involves voluntarily helping coworkers in workrelated problems. This type also includes acts that improve morale, encourage cooperation, and preserve good relationships in the workplace.
• Sportsmanship. This category involves bearing inconveniences and impositions of work without complaining, being willing to sacrifice personal interest for the good of the work group.
• Organizational loyalty. This category encompasses promoting the company image, remaining committed even under adverse conditions, and defending an organization against external threats.
• Organizational compliance. This type comprises behaviors such as following organizational rules and procedures, complying with organizational values, respect for authority, conscientiousness, and meeting deadlines.
• Individual initiative. Actively trying to find ways to improve individual, group, or organizational functioning, including voluntarily suggesting
improvements, acts of creativity, and innovation designed to improve one’s tasks.
• Civic virtue. Responsible, constructive involvement in the political process of the organization. It includes attending non-obligatory meetings, sharing informed opinions with others, being willing to deliver bad news if it is necessary for the good of the organization, and keeping abreast of different issues concerning the organization.
• Self-development. This type of behavior includes self-training or seeking out and taking advantage of advanced training courses. Self-development also encompasses keeping abreast of the latest developments in one’s field and learning new kinds of skills to expand the range of one’s contribution to an organization
OCB is intrinsically rewarding; employees do not engage in OCB to earn material rewards. Spontaneous OCB is a welcome sign of affective commitment, and employee engagement is likely to follow, leading to greater job satisfaction and productivity.
J. Maija Doggett is a certified senior professional in human resources, a senior certified professional designated by the Society for Human Resources Management, and a certified employee engagement specialist, having completed training with The Employee Engagement Group. She is also an expert in canine resources.
Mental Health in the Alaska Workforce
Stigma, significance, and solutions
By Lincoln Garrick and Farrah Greene-Palmer
Clare is a mid-level employee at a large Alaska corporation. She’s been dependable during her seven years with the company, but recently she’s been calling in sick a lot, less interested in tasks she previously enjoyed. She seems withdrawn during team meetings, with trouble concentrating and managing multiple tasks. You’ve heard that last year she went through a difficult divorce and has been taking care of an aging parent. As her employer you might ask how you can promote and prioritize employee well-being, which affects your organization’s productivity, turnover, absenteeism, and work culture.
The words “mental health” are frequently misconstrued as a problem to fix, and the mental health field is often characterized as the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. When mental health is framed as a continuum,
much of the attention goes to the illness portion of the scale.
However, a focus on “good” mental health is different. This is the combination of managing normal life challenges, knowing one’s own abilities and using them to contribute to one’s community, and maintaining healthy relationships and navigating social situations. In the workplace, maintaining positive mental health among employees plays a crucial role in enhancing productivity, improving employee retention, and contributing to the overall success of the organization. Conversely, poor mental health can result in a work culture where employees feel unsupported, creating increased stress and tension, leading to diminished productivity.
Expectation of Mental Health Support
The evolving nature of work, including remote work and a reliance on working in teams, has increased
focus on supporting mental health and anticipating the natural ups and downs that employees will have. In October 2021, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released the office’s first-ever Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being report highlighting that the majority of workers across industries (87 percent) experienced at least one mental health issue. The surgeon general also reported that most employees in the United States (65 percent) say mental health interfered with their ability to work.
On-the-job injuries are often perceived as physical, such as back trauma or repetitive stress, but the psychological impact from a hostile work environment can be equally damaging. A combination of factors, including harassment, discrimination, bullying, and a lack of respect, create toxic work environments. These behaviors, when pervasive or severe enough, negatively impact
employees and are often exacerbated by inadequate or inept management responses to complaints.
Workplace culture has evolved, and today’s employees expect their employers to actively support mental health, even beyond offering insurance benefits. According to the American Psychological Association’s 2023 Work in America Survey report, US workers are placing a greater value on mental health.
• 92 PERCENT of workers say it is very (57 percent) or somewhat (35 percent) important to them to work for an organization that values their emotional and psychological well-being.
• 92 PERCENT say it is very (52 percent) or somewhat (40 percent) important to them to work for an organization that provides support for employee mental health.
• 95 PERCENT say it is very (66 percent) or somewhat (29 percent) important to them to feel respected at work.
• 95 PERCENT say it is very (61 percent) or somewhat (34 percent) important to them to work for an organization that respects the boundaries between work and nonwork time.
As reported by the World Health Organization in the 2022 Guidelines on Mental Health at Work, depression and anxiety are estimated to cost the global economy $1 trillion each year, driven predominantly by lost productivity. Conversely, good mental health can have a significant positive impact on productivity, morale, and the overall well-being of employees. Staff are also more likely to be creative, innovative,
and positive contributors to the organization’s success.
How Alaska Stacks Up
According to the Alaska Department of Health publication 2023 Alaska Scorecard Key Issues Impacting Alaska Mental Health Trust
Beneficiaries, the percentage of Alaskans over age 18 who received
mental health services in the past year has increased by 7.3 percent from a 2016–2019 baseline to 2022, and the rate of intentional self-harm and death from suicide increased 0.5 percent—ranking as the second highest overall percentage in the nation after Montana. Alaska ranks 34th in terms of how much access to mental health care exists within
a state, according to Mental Health America, the nation's leading national nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of mental health, wellbeing, and illness prevention. This “Access Ranking” indicates that thirty-three other states provide relatively more access to insurance and mental health treatment than Alaska does. Higher costs, greater likelihood to be forced out-ofnetwork for mental healthcare than for primary healthcare, and many rural communities without enough mental health professionals are all contributing factors.
Mental Health Resources
There are several free or low-cost resources available to assist with both acute mental health issues and to enhance one’s mental wellness on
the path to becoming whole body and mind healthy. Broadly, these can be viewed as national, local, online, and positive psychology practices.
Nationally, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched in 2005 with funding from the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. Accessible by dialing 9-8-8 or visiting www.988lifeline. org, this is a free and confidential emotional support service for people in suicide crisis or emotional distress
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States.
Other national resources include the Crisis Text Line with chat, text, or WhatsApp; the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; the Suicide Prevention Resource Center; the Trevor Project; and the Veteran’s Crisis Line (individuals don't even
have to be enrolled in Veterans Affairs benefits to call). These services can be helpful to move from a “hot moment” to calm and address issues ranging from doomscrolling and generalized anxiety to eating disorders, loneliness, and emotional abuse.
If a person finds that they are experiencing repeated emotional problems which interfere with their day-to-day life, like generally feeling overwhelmed with everything, they could benefit from going to local therapy. The American Psychology Association and Psychology Today both have therapist locator pages online to help with this search. Additionally, no matter where someone lives in Alaska, they can dial 2-1-1 or 1-800-478-2221 to connect with a community resource specialist who will work with them to
Building Alaska for
understand their needs and connect them to the available programs and services that can help. They can also email alaska211@ak.org or visit alaska211.org. Also, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium has specific resources for its population base. Various online options, including apps, exist to help people with sleep and stress. There is a strong connection between sleep and both mental and physical health. Several of these apps are free or have low-cost options:
• Calm is the name of an app that offers guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing exercises, and music to reduce stress and improve sleep.
• Headspace provides mindfulness exercises and sleep tools, with a focus on building mindfulness habits.
• Happify uses activities and games to improve mood, build resilience, and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
There are even apps for suicide prevention, such as Stanley-Brown Safety Plan. Therapists can now offer services online in Alaska through telehealth, which is convenient and secure, sometimes by working for large companies, hospitals or healthcare systems, or through smaller private practices.
Lastly, positive psychology practices are techniques to help reduce stress and boost mental health and wellness. These include cultivating gratitude through journaling, visits, or mental exercises; practicing mindfulness through meditation, yoga, time in nature, breathing, or mindful activities; focusing on
In the workplace, maintaining positive mental health among employees plays a crucial role in enhancing productivity, improving employee retention, and contributing to the overall success of the organization.
SHAREHOLDERS
- OUR MISSION -
TO MARKET AND DISTRIBUTE PREMIUM BEVERAGES FOR THE MUTUAL REWARD AND GROWTH OF ITS BUSINESS PARTNERS, EMPLOYEES AND SHAREHOLDERS THROUGH QUALITY CUSTOMERS SERVICE, INTEGRITY AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
strengths by identifying, utilizing, and spotting them in others; fostering positive emotions through savoring, acts of kindness, and humor; building resilience through optimistic thinking, self-compassion, and social support; finding meaning and purpose by identifying values, engaging in meaningful activities, and reflecting on purpose; and promoting physical well-being through exercise, a healthy diet, and sufficient sleep.
Incorporating positive psychology practices into daily life can effectively manage stress, cultivate positive emotions, and enhance overall mental health and wellness. Taking a walk with one’s children could be both socially and physically rewarding. Of course, resources related to strengths and resilience exist throughout one’s culture and community.
Mental Health Is Physical Health
Professionals ranging from athletes to therapists recognize the connection between mental and physical health. Holistic health, an important aspect of self-care identified in psychology, has existed in various cultures for years and acknowledges that the body's reaction to stress can manifest as physical illness.
Additionally, behavioral activation can improve mood and serve as a component in addressing or preventing depression. Diet can also impact energy levels and mood, which, in turn, can influence adherence to doctors' recommendations for physical health,
from diabetes management to other long-term conditions.
This is why health psychology and behavioral health consultation can be complementary. A teambased approach is standard in many hospitals for certain often chronic conditions like cancer treatments, craniofacial surgeries, and pediatric diseases. Issues such as migraines or chronic pain often cannot be resolved with strictly physical interventions, so these cases can have mental health interventions too.
Four Steps for Clare
A popular saying is, “Your business’ most valuable assets go home at the end of the day. Create an environment where they want to come back tomorrow.” Life has its ups and downs. There will be periods of successes and failures, happiness and difficulty, and good times and bad times. This is normal and can’t be avoided.
How could Clare’s employer support someone like her? A fourstep approach may be effective: train supervisors on the signs of positive mental health, encourage acts of kindness toward others, promote physical exercise, and make work meaningful.
Studies that show regular acts of kindness can actually lower anxiety and depression, independently or included within therapy. It seems like helping others just naturally takes our minds off our own worries, which is powerful. Employers can support this through mentorship programs, peer recognition awards, and partnering with local charities to provide organized volunteer opportunities.
Exercise works similarly. It’s a physical, outward action that helps break those negative thought cycles we can get stuck in. Employers can assist with exercise strategies by offering wellness programs, subsidizing gym memberships, and ensuring that employees have a comfortable, healthy, ergonomic workspace.
Let's not forget how important it is for people to find meaning in their work. When employees feel like what they do matters, they're more resilient, happier, and even more likely to adopt healthy habits, like exercise. For leaders and managers, building a workplace where people feel a sense of purpose isn't just nice to have, it's a smart business move. It creates a healthier, more engaged, and, ultimately, more productive team, which makes a better work environment for everyone.
Lincoln Garrick is an associate professor, MBA director, and alumnus at Alaska Pacific University. He has more than twenty years of experience in the business, marketing, and communications fields, providing public affairs and strategy services for national and Alaska organizations.
Farrah Greene-Palmer is an associate professor and graduate program director for the Counseling Psychology Program at Alaska Pacific University. She is a licensed psychologist with extensive clinical and academic experience including public health, especially suicide prevention. Greene-Palmer earned a BA from the Johns Hopkins, a master’s and PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and a post-doctoral fellowship with the Uniformed Services University.
Preparing for Ballot Measure 1
Higher wages, paid sick leave, and fewer meetings
By Rachael Kvapil
La st November, 183,744
Alaskan voters approved Ballot Measure 1, amending Title 23 of Alaska statutes to secure favorable wages and benefits. In a few short months, Ballot Measure 1 goes into effect, increasing Alaska’s minimum wage, establishing sick leave for most employees, and altering certain mandatory meeting requirements. By July 1, businesses will need policies and processes in place to ensure they comply with the new law.
A New Minimum Wage
The minimum wage in Alaska, as of this writing, is $11.91 per hour. It increased automatically on January 1 by $0.18 due to a 2014 ballot initiative that requires automatic annual inflation adjustments tied to the consumer price index in Anchorage. Another raise arrives on July 1, when Ballot Measure 1 takes effect and sets the minimum wage at $13 per hour.
A year later, the wage will rise again to $14, and then again in 2027 to $15. On January 1, 2028, automatic inflation adjustments return. In addition to yearly increases, the new law also states that Alaska’s minimum wage must be greater than $2 above the federal minimum wage, which has remained at $7.25 per hour since 2009.
Some salaried employees who are exempt from overtime will also see a pay increase. Under Alaska Statute 23.10.055, salaries for exempt employees must be at least twice the minimum wage based on a forty-hour week. Thus, salaries will also increase at a set rate over the next three years. In 2025, minimum salaries will increase from $952.80 per week ($49,546 annually) to $1,040 per week ($54,080 annually). Another increase in 2026 will raise salaries to $1,120 per week ($58,240 annually) and in 2027 to $1,200 per week ($62,400 annually). After that, salary levels will
continue to adjust as changes are made to the hourly minimum wage.
Kristal Graham, associate attorney at Davis Wright Tremaine, says now is the time for businesses to look at their pay practices. Although businesses have adapted to smaller wage increases, she advises employers to carefully rework the calculations given the significant changes, especially for salaried employees. Individuals employed in executive, administrative, and professional positions are exempt only if their salary is more than twice the state minimum wage.
“There are very limited exemptions,” says Graham. “They should make sure they are ready to comply with the new minimum wage for hourly and salary employees and make sure they have finances set aside.”
Rebecca Savidis, owner/principal at Alaska HR, says business owners should analyze the financial impacts
of the scheduled wage increases and determine how they will affect budgets. She says it’s easy to see the plus side of raising the state minimum wage: people will have more money to spend, which benefits the economy. However, she says this new law can have some unintended consequences.
“In an effort to offset the financial impact, businesses may increase the cost of their goods and services, decrease their staff, or do both,” says Savidis.
Getting Paid While Away
Alaska employers have a decade of experience with voter-mandated minimum wages, but sick leave requirements are new. Starting July 1, all private sector employees will begin to accrue paid sick leave if they aren’t already. The new law requires employers with fifteen or more employees to provide one hour of sick leave for every thirty hours worked, up to fifty-six hours per year. Employers with fewer than fifteen employees will also accrue one hour for every thirty hours worked, but the annual maximum is forty hours. Overtime-exempt employees are assumed to work forty hours a week, but in cases where a salaried employee’s normal work is less than forty hours, paid sick leave is based upon that shorter time. The maximum annual accrual is also the maximum hours of paid sick leave an employee may use annually.
Graham explains that paid leave can be used for physical or mental illness, injury, health conditions, or doctor visits for diagnosis, preventative care, and treatment. This
“I’ve already been asked by clients to assist them in operationalizing these new requirements, particularly the paid sick leave element… There are also attorneys doing the same for their clients. I encourage employers to prepare now. July 1 is only a few months away.”
Rebecca Savidis Owner Principal, Alaska HR
includes sudden illness and routine care. Sick leave can also be used to care for immediate family members, a domestic partner, a foster child, a parent, or any other blood relation or close association that is equivalent to a family relationship.
“The definition is broad,” says Graham. “An employee can say they are taking care of a roommate or friend with deep enough ties that they could be considered family and, under this definition, qualify for paid sick leave.”
Absences due to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking also qualify for sick leave. This includes medical or psychological attention, services from a victim’s aid organization, relocation or steps to secure an existing home, legal services or participation in an investigation, and civil or criminal proceedings.
Regardless of the reason, an employer can’t ask for documentation
for an absence, such as a doctor’s note, unless the employee has used paid sick leave for more than three consecutive workdays. Graham says this is an ambiguous area for some employers, especially if an employee frequently takes leave unexpectedly yet makes sure to stay under the three-day limit. The only potential stopgap in this situation is that an employer is not required to allow an employee to use more than the maximum accrual amount per year, even though unused hours will carry over from year to year.
Savidis says there are exceptions to this provision. For instance, employees working for a nonprofit’s seasonal summer camp, employees under the age of 18 working less than thirty hours per week, and apprentices or student learners are exempt from the sick leave benefit. She says there are additional exemptions aligned with some, but not all, of Alaska’s minimum wage exemptions.
Given the changes, Savidis encourages employers to review current leave policies to see if they meet the new requirements. She says employers who don’t have paid sick leave policies may not know where to start, may be unaware of the new requirements, or mistakenly operate under the belief that the law doesn’t apply to them. Other employers may be overwhelmed, especially if they don’t have an existing paid time off or sick leave policy or an HR professional on staff. In those cases, she recommends working with HR consultants or legal counsel to guide them through the process. Savidis also recommends that all employers
analyze the capacity and limitations of their payroll system to make sure it can track sick leave accruals.
“I’ve already been asked by clients to assist them in operationalizing these new requirements, particularly the paid sick leave element,” says Savidis. “There are also attorneys doing the same for their clients. I encourage employers to prepare now. July 1 is only a few months away.”
To understand the basics, Savidis recommends visiting the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) Labor Standards and Safety Division online Ballot Measure 1 FAQ. DOLWD is taking public comment this spring to gain additional feedback before finalizing regulations. Businesses should anticipate further guidance from DOLWD before the new law goes into effect.
Meeting Mandates Revisited
The final component of Ballot Measure 1 is what’s known as rights to avoid speech. This section addresses “captive audience meetings” held by an employer for communicating his or her religious and political matters. “Political matters” is broadly defined and includes topics relating to elections for political office, political parties, candidates, proposed legislation or regulations, and decisions about joining or supporting a political party or political, civic, communal, fraternal, or labor organization. Under this definition, employees are also no longer required to participate in employer meetings to discuss union activity.
This doesn’t mean that all mandated meetings are off the table. Employers are still allowed to communicate information that is required by law, necessary for employees to complete their work, or issues relevant to the workplace. Communication about the employer’s business is also valid. Employees in an institution of higher education are still required to communicate with their employer on coursework, symposia, or academic programs. The final part of these exemptions states that employees of bona fide religious organizations are required to attend or participate in employersponsored meetings that discuss the employer’s religious beliefs, practices, and tenets.
Graham says this provision could face pushback in the future. She says similar laws in other states have already faced First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment challenges with various outcomes. Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor expressed concerns prior to the general election with this provision, even though it is not clearly unconstitutional under controlling authority.
“It will be interesting to see if anyone challenges this,” says Graham. “We reviewed the ballot measure and think it's constitutional on its face but did have concerns with this aspect of the law. However, people should be ready to comply.”
Implementation and Enforcement
While the new law benefits employees financially and in their workplace culture, the 2024 initiative
passed by a much closer margin than its predecessor in 2014, 58 percent versus 70 percent.
Supporters argued that Washington, Oregon, and California have significantly higher minimum wages than Alaska and minimum paid sick leave, so the ballot measure should help Alaska compete for workers.
But there is a cost. Apart from costs to employers, DOLWD estimates more than $300,000 in new state expenses to carry out the voters’ will. A fiscal note anticipates hiring an additional administrative assistant to handle an extra twenty to twentyfive inquiries per week. Figuring that 10 percent of those calls will result in follow-up, DOLWD expects to hire two investigators to enforce and implement the provisions.
Those positions would also be responsible for developing outreach materials, namely 10,000 posters summarizing the Alaska Wage and Hour Act; 10,000 “Know Your Rights” child labor brochures; and 3,000 Alaska fishing industry brochures. The department puts the printing cost at $4,707.
Language in the ballot measure indicates that employers violating this law are liable for lost wages or damages to the employee as appropriate and allowable by law. Savidis says retaliation claims regarding paid sick leave or rights to avoid speech may also lead to further damages.
Savidis summarizes, “Right now, employers need to separate their political views and focus on compliance and operationalizing the requirements of Ballot Measure 1.”
Outside Employees
Taxes, insurance, and local laws for non-907 staff
By Terri Marshall
Al aska businesses have out-of-state workers on the payroll for any number of reasons. For instance, a company might need certain expertise that is not available from a resident of the 49th State. Or a resident might move away while remaining on staff.
Outside employees make up a subset of remote workers. According to the US Census Bureau, the number of people working remotely tripled between 2019 and 2021 to 17.9 percent of the workforce. By the end of 2024, roughly one in five American workers were still signing in from home, with one in ten working remotely full-time, according to a Stacker analysis of federal survey data.
Employing a resident of another state must be worth the added complications. For businesses—especially the tax and payroll departments—the rapid increase in worker mobility across multiple states (and even countries) has brought new compliance risks, expanded tax liabilities, and additional reporting requirements.
According to an online survey by KPMG and PayrollOrg of 610 United States tax and payroll professionals, just 26 percent felt like they had a “full handle on all potential state payroll reporting and withholding requirements.” However, four out of five of those surveyed indicated their companies were now fully committed to hybrid work arrangements, with some of their staff members residing out of state. Half of the companies reported challenges of having to file payroll taxes in other states despite not having payroll reporting systems necessary to manage a scattered workforce.
Assuming the remote working trend will continue to expand, Alaska business owners have many things to consider when hiring a remote worker who lives outside of the state.
Considerations for Employers
“Whenever employers hire remote workers, there are a number of payroll
tax considerations both in the employer-based state and the state of residence where the employee will be living/working,” says Julie Schrecengost, tax partner and Anchorage office tax leader at KPMG. “Having a remote worker for an Alaska-based business should require the Alaska employer to register for state income tax withholding and state unemployment taxes in the remote worker resident state. Depending on the state and locality, there may also be local payroll tax implications (for example: withholding, OPT [occupational privilege tax], payroll tax expense, et cetera).”
Beyond payroll taxes, Schrecengost points to other considerations: “Workers' compensation, disability insurance, and paid family medical leave requirements in the remote worker’s resident state. Lastly, hiring remote workers in new states could cause entity-level taxation that should be considered prior to hiring the individual.”
Because each state has its own laws and regulations, it is important to stay current on which taxes employers must withhold and pay, which mandated benefits employers must provide, and any other obligations. Additionally, each state has its own taxing authority, which means employers must register with the appropriate agencies in each state and go through the necessary steps and fees to get an ID number to withhold and remit taxes for remote employees.
“The most questions or concerns we see around hiring remote workers is the additional compliance
burden and complexity for payroll tax compliance. In addition, if the remote worker were to perform services remotely but not from their primary residence (e.g., live in Washington but go to California to work for two weeks), it could require additional wage sourcing and withholding in those additional states as well,” says Schrecengost. “Remote workers could also work outside of the United States, which can cause entity level and payroll taxation in countries outside of the United States.”
Compliance Concerns
Arranging proper payroll deductions for taxes and benefits represents only a fraction of the concerns business owners need to address when it comes to remote work policies. "For business owners to ensure compliance with remote work policies, a structured approach is key,” advises John Montgomery, tax partner for global mobility services at KPMG. “Start by identifying which roles can be performed remotely and whether any create regulatory or security risks. Evaluate locations—both where employees live and where they request to work—factoring in tax, labor laws, and company presence.”
Each state has its own rules and regulations regarding state unemployment taxes. Typically, state unemployment taxes are paid to the state where the employee is working. Each state sets its own rates and wage base, requiring business owners to register for an account with the unemployment agency in that state.
“Whenever employers hire remote workers, there are a number of payroll tax considerations both in the employer-based state and the state of residence where the employee will be living/working.”
Another consideration is local income taxes, which are collected in various localities across many states. For example, if a remote worker chooses to work from New York City, they are required to pay a city income tax, and the employer will be responsible for withholding those taxes.
For workers’ compensation, employers may need to include additional states in their policy. When an employee works from home, determining if an injury is work-related can be challenging. It's best to discuss the incident with the employee and document details before filing a claim. Additionally, having remote workers maintain a dedicated workspace and set working hours helps distinguish between work and personal activities
Group health insurance plans and benefits are also regulated by state law, with the exception of self-funded and level-funded benefit plans. Staying current on healthcare and benefits requirements in each state where you have remote workers is essent ial for compliance.
The same holds true for employment laws that impact employees, including employee leave, minimum wage, and overtime.
Managing Moving Parts
Montgomery uses the following checklist as a guide for addressing compliance issues businesses need to consider regarding remote workers. Role Assessment
• Identify which roles can be performed remotely or in a hybrid setting.
• Assess roles that present higher compliance or security risks and determine flexibility accordingly.
Location Considerations
• Map out locations where the company has an employee presence.
• Review employee requests for remote work in new locations.
• Evaluate risks and legal implications of remote work in each location before granting approval.
Regulatory and Policy Compliance
• Define clear guidelines for roles subject to regulatory constraints.
• Establish IT and cybersecurity policies to protect company data.
• Ensure tax, labor law, and business registration compliance for remote workers in different jurisdictions.
Work Duration and Presence Guidelines
• Set limits on how long an employee can work remotely away from their primary work location.
• Establish rules for employees working in locations where the company does not have a legal presence.
Compensation and Benefits
• Align compensation with the employee’s work location or business unit requirements.
• Create exceptions for regulated roles where pay is based on job location rather than residence.
Expense and Travel Policies
• Define a uniform reimbursement or stipend policy for home office setups.
• Establish clear travel and expense policies based on different categories of remote work.
“Employers should establish clear policies on work duration, compensation alignment (with carve-outs for regulated roles), and expense reimbursements for home office setups,” says Montgomery. “Additionally, IT and cybersecurity policies should be reinforced, and travel and expense guidelines standardized for different remote work categories. By proactively addressing these factors, businesses can maintain flexibility while ensuring compliance and operational efficiency.”
Final considerations noted in the aforementioned survey by KPMG Employment Tax practice and PayrollOrg centered around questions of employee privacy and properly investing in the additional tax and payroll infrastructure required to support a mobile workforce.
Regarding privacy concerns, the responding companies were sensitive to the downside of tracking employee locations through digital tools or restricting where they can work. However, they were equally concerned about the potential risks of non-compliance if remote workers failed to keep businesses informed of their location. Notably, 74 percent of the respondents indicated that their remote work procedures were “still a work in progress,” showing an acceptance of remote work’s permanence.
Whether keeping a former Alaskan on the team or hiring an Outside expert, employers routinely look beyond state borders to fill a staffing need. The burden of following an extra state’s compliance rules can be worth the effort.
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A Moment to Shine
Effective leadership in times of rapid change
By Woodrie Burich and Naomi DuCharme
Leadership isn’t a simple task on a good day. When external stressors like a global crisis, unexpected illness, or unanticipated economic or policy shifts enter the picture, what seems manageable quickly becomes overwhelming. As business owners, leaders, and entrepreneurs, the pressure to make clear decisions, inspire your teams, and maintain steady progress during unpredictable times can feel like an insurmountable weight. These challenges are an inevitable part of life and business and what matters most is how you choose to navigate them.
Whether your business is facing financial hardship, a major market shift, or an unforeseen crisis, the key to resilience is staying focused on what you can control, adapting to the environment around you, and leading with clarity and purpose. Your actions now, in times of uncertainty, will define your future success.
Control What You Can, Let Go of What You Can’t
As a leader, you will have moments of doubt. You might be wondering if your business can survive another month, or you’re making difficult decisions about downsizing or pivoting into an entirely new market. It’s easy to get stuck in feelings of grief, fear, or paralysis by analysis. But it’s essential that you move past these emotions quickly and assess the situation with a clear mind.
First, acknowledge where you are. What are the challenges you are facing right now—not what you think might happen in the coming months or years, but right now? Write them down. Then circle the things that are in your control and focus solely on those. Time and energy are valuable; don’t waste them on external circumstances that you cannot influence. This focus will give you the clarity to act purposefully and efficiently.
Second, build connections within your team; see and support them where they are. In times of uncertainty, a solid, steady tone and consistent messaging can offer a sense of security for team members, even amidst high stress and changing variables. What messaging do you and your leaders have for your teams? What phrases are you utilizing, and what vision do you want to share with the broader organization as you navigate this time? Double down on your communication strategies and be
intentional with interactions. Make every one of them count. People are more sensitive during times of uncertainty, so honing personal leadership skills during this time is essential. Being present in meetings, remaining calm in conflict, and steadily moving forward in the face of adversity can have a powerful impact.
Stress Is Inevitable; How You Manage It Is What Matters
The American Psychological Association defines stress as a natural response to challenges. It’s a response that helps us address problems, but prolonged stress can lead to burnout and unhealthy coping mechanisms. As a leader, it’s essential to recognize when stress is affecting you or your team in a negative way and take proactive steps to manage it.
In challenging times, turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms—like over consumption of junk foods, impulse spending, media scrolling, social isolation, alcohol or other substances—may seem like a quick way to relieve stress. But these choices ultimately drain your energy and resilience. As a business leader, your ability to stay grounded and clear-headed is vital. The health of your mind and body is directly linked to the health of your business. Invest in well-being—yours and your team’s—and avoid distractions that could undermine your leadership.
Focus Your Energy on What Moves the Needle
In times of stress, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the
demands of running a business, and if you’re human you likely have responsibilities outside of business as well. The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, reminds us that most of our outcomes come from a small percentage of our efforts. Apply this principle to your business: identify the actions, clients, products, or services that are generating the results you want, and focus your resources there. Be real with yourself about where your time, money, and energy will yield the greatest returns and reallocate accordingly.
As humans, we are driven by emotions, biases, and habitual reactions. But as leaders, it’s essential to pause, acknowledge these reactions, and take a step back to assess the situation. Reacting impulsively can lead to mistakes, burnout, and diminished trust in your leadership. Take a moment to gather data before responding—this will help you make more informed, strategic decisions.
Lead with Intention: Protect Your Focus and Time
To lead effectively during unpredictable times, you must stay focused on the things that matter most. Here are seven strategies to keep in mind:
• Stay Focused on What You Can Control: Focus your attention on areas where you can have the most impact, and delegate, defer, or let go of what you cannot control.
• Keep Your Team Aligned on the Mission: Communicate regularly with your team, emphasizing the
core mission and shared vision. Uncertainty can create confusion, but your leadership can provide stability.
• Prioritize Health and Safety: The well-being of your team must remain a priority. When people feel physically or psychologically safe, they are more capable of being productive and creative, solving problems that you may never even hear about as a leader.
Don’t let stress or crises cause you to neglect the basic health and safety policies and procedures that keep your organization functioning.
• Lean on Your Network: Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but a vital strategy for navigating uncertainty. Seek advice, feedback, and support. Whether from colleagues, mentors, or professional advisors, fresh perspectives can often lead to breakthroughs.
• Communicate Transparently: Be honest with your team about the challenges you’re facing and what actions you are taking. Even if you don’t have all the answers yet, keeping communication open will foster trust and help your team feel more secure.
• Be Intentional with Your Messaging: Focus first on the small moment-to-moment exchanges and interactions—infuse your words with hope, empowerment, and positivity—and then broaden that message. In moments of high stress, people seek safe harbors and a steady ship. Be that.
• Protect Your Time and Energy: Your time and energy are finite resources, so ensure that you are spending them on the actions and decisions that will create the outcomes you need. Avoid distractions and be mindful of where you invest your mental and physical resources.
Leadership Begins with You
As an individual, it’s essential to invest in your personal wellbeing. As the leader, your ability to guide your organization through challenges depends on your physical and mental health. Consider going “back to the basics” and ensuring you are getting quality sleep, eating healthy, exercising, getting outside, making time for community, and connecting. In addition to some of the classic approaches to stress management, try incorporating one or more of these while you are at the office:
• Claim Quiet in Your Day: The constant push to do more, be more, respond faster—it’s exhausting. Yet the most effective leaders know that clarity and creativity arise not from doing more but from creating space. We are surrounded by noise, demands, and expectations, but quiet is where the real work happens. Strategic pauses aren’t wasted time, they’re necessary recalibrations. Create quiet and space in your day to reclaim focus. The gems of innovation and problem-solving don’t emerge when we’re reacting to everything, they come from intentionally slowing down and claiming space.
• Time Block and Commit to Focused Work Time: Time isn’t the issue; distraction is. The real challenge is not a lack of hours in the day but the constant interruptions that chip away at our focus. Take control of when and how you use your energy. Carve out productive time and nix the interruptions. Set a “do not disturb” sign on your door, block your Teams notifications, and take a break from the Slack channel. It will improve your efficiency and you’ll get the bonus of a boost and mental recharge as you start seeing those completed tasks.
• Document and Vocalize Your Wins:
Taking a moment to celebrate and even acknowledge minor wins can be hugely beneficial during challenging times. Incorporate wins with your team regularly and consider adding moments of celebration to your meeting agendas. Make sure it doesn’t get too routine. Change it up. Get creative. Write notes of appreciation and gratitude to colleagues and clients. Have a meeting to document your wins from the previous quarter. Focus on commitment and consistency of these actions for stronger impact.
By maintaining a healthy balance, you will be able to face challenges with clarity and strength, rather than getting stuck in overwhelm.
Adaptability Is Key to Survival
Survival isn’t about being the strongest or the smartest—it’s about adaptability. In today’s
rapidly changing business environment, adaptability is your greatest asset. Whether you're navigating shifts in the federal landscape, waiting on delayed payments from large contracts, adapting to new technology, or dealing with unpredictable market trends, your ability to adjust and remain flexible will ultimately determine your success.
You’re not alone in this—every business owner and leader is facing their own set of challenges. But remember, you have the power to choose how you will respond. Take control of your focus, energy, and actions and lead with resilience, purpose, and clarity.
This is your moment to demonstrate leadership, not just for your business, but for your team and your community.
Woodrie Burich, Forbes Coaches Council member and TEDx speaker, is an awardwinning thought leader known for turning stress into strategic action, helping teams achieve high performance with sustainable outcomes.
Naomi DuCharme is the executive director of the Alaska Safety Alliance. With more than twenty years of leadership and management expertise, she’s dedicated to advancing worker well-being and driving meaningful change in Alaska.
Rethinking the BDS Architects Office Space
We designed our own office space—and we love it!
By Jennifer Midthun
In 2022, BDS Architects celebrated forty years of business as a leader in the design community, and for the entirety of that history, BDS made a nondescript office building in Midtown Anchorage our residence. Generally, the space functioned as an architecture office; there was a conference room, open office space, tiny kitchenette, and offices. Over the years, fun and character had been lovingly applied to our space in the form of Christmas lights and joke-laden whiteboards. But in 2024, we decided that we were ready for a change. BDS had new leadership, new skilled talent, and we were ready to make a fresh start with a new office space that reflected who we are now and what we value in a multigenerational workspace.
The first task was for BDS Architects to learn how to be our own client. As a design firm, BDS is filled with creative people who care about built space, resulting in lots of opinions about what the new office could be. With so many exciting options, we had to pause and ask ourselves, “What were we trying to accomplish by moving?”
Organizing our collective answer to this question became our guiding design statement: to improve the lives of our current and future employees.
Core Principles
We approached our own new space design with the care and thoughtfulness that we apply to our clients. The profession of architecture is all about taking nebulous, intangible goals and feelings and translating them into
a built environment. What does it take for office space to improve the lives of employees? Through healthy discussion and compromise we developed these core principles that we felt answered that question: creating timeless space, fostering community for all staff members, and creating an inviting space that reflects our BDS character.
“Timeless space” is design speak that encompasses many ideas. For BDS, we wanted an office that we would be proud of and could evolve with us for the next forty years. BDS chose to move from our Midtown space to Downtown Anchorage, which affords more opportunities to foster health and community for staff. In our previous space, walking with a colleague to go get lunch and catch up was nearly impossible due
to traffic and distance. Downtown, chances to get away from your desk for a little break with co-workers abound, with walkable restaurant options and parks within a block. Additionally, we chose a building with bicycle parking and a gym to further encourage employees to take care of their physical health. Catching a breath of fresh air on the Delaney Park Strip or taking a coffee break is simply easier to do in our new Downtown location, and we believe this will translate to a physically and mentally healthy staff and an enduring appreciation for our space.
BDS carefully chose our new location to integrate timeless design qualities and future flexibility. The daylight in our new suite is incredible, with sunlight from both the south and north sides of the building. We
chose the space specifically for its double exposure. Alaska daylight is a precious commodity, and our location ensures everyone has access to the sunshine. The view of the Chugach Mountains, South Anchorage, the changing weather, and the rolling clouds are a huge improvement over our previous parking lot view. Standing together at the windows admiring the mountains or watching activity on the street below has become a new office pastime.
Office Character
Once we decided on our new office location, we had to agree how we wanted to design the space. This was the toughest part of the process, but we returned again and again to our guiding principles. Most importantly, we did not want to lose our office
character, and that meant allowing room for fun, both planned and spontaneous. The space should never feel old or stale, so the space must also adapt to our changing needs. Encouraging workplace community and collaboration is essential and requires movement around the office and a variety of spaces to allow discussion.
Our new workplace allows for maximum flexibility with a mixture of open and enclosed office space but prioritizes connection and transparency between all areas. We’ve allocated room for future growth, and, more importantly, created spaces where staff can take tasks away from their personal workstation and move around the office. BDS has never been a place where you’re chained to your desk, but
Water Sample Testing & Analylis • Septic System Design & Testing
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Subdivision Design & Platting • Right of Way/Easements
our previous office never provided the opportunity to move around. We intentionally created places to allow for different needs and work styles, including a deep-focus room, various communal tables and sitting areas, and a spot right near the snacks at the kitchen bar.
Collaboration is the heart of design work, and the flexibility to move around the office plays a key role in fostering the BDS community. We designed our space purposely to encourage interaction and collaboration among all employees because we believe this helps staff be their most creative selves.
Spontaneous design discussions can happen anywhere, and having several collaborative spaces throughout the office allows our creativity to flow in a variety of places. This is a change of pace from our last office, where space was limited and often discussions could easily become distractions for others.
Translating our existing office character into the new BDS Architects offices proved to be the easiest part of the process because,
while physical characteristics reflect office culture, it is the people that create office culture. Our people are the thriving heart of BDS success. We take design seriously, but we are not serious people; our office is full of laughter, long running jokes, and occasional pranks, and we proudly consider our workplace a fun place to spend your 9 to 5. Our office reflects the value we place in collaboration, community, and moments of fun by providing spaces for those activities to occur. By design, BDS encourages movement and connection throughout the day, meaning our space is never static and always lively. We have a putting green set up in the hub of the office and a puzzle going on the kitchen table. We upgraded our tiny kitchenette to a lovely space where you don’t have to wait in line for coffee and you can sit down with colleagues to share a meal. We created spaces for gathering and spaces for a moment of mental respite, all within a light-filled and transparent office with visual connection between all employees.
Small Touches
While always keeping the big picture in mind, we also thought a lot about the small touches of character and functionality BDS needed in the new office space. Reception, so often segregated from the rest of the office, still greets visitors at the front door but is visually connected to the rest of the office with open space and birch slat wall dividers. We incorporated subtle material choices to make the reception a welcoming arrival point for everyone, and we integrated our signature BDS red circle into the pendant light fixture and custom reception desk.
Overall, our color palette is neutral and natural tones, but we incorporated BDS red in small hints all over the office space. We have wall-mounted whiteboards in the main open office, where design details can be workshopped; we plan to install others in other hightraffic spaces. Ceiling clouds and subtle material changes help define spaces, and we’ve quickly populated our space with plants to bring in a little biophilia.
Subtle changes in materials help demarcate different spaces. The open sightlines promote movement and collaboration.
BDS Architects
The most eye-catching piece, however, is our custom mural, a collaboration with the incredibly talented Bret Connor of Hulin Alaskan Design. Connor worked with the BDS team to highlight our love of Alaska and Anchorage by perfectly blending scenes of Bush and urban life into the mural. Everyone will spot Alaska icons they know and love. Connor also integrated small items into the mural, including BDS office jokes, that almost act like an “I Spy” game. It is a focal point of our space and draws the eye from every corner of the office.
Part of our commitment to improving office life was ensuring we had the right furniture to meet everyone’s needs. Aligned AK assisted us in selecting the correct furniture to fit in the right spaces, helped
educate us on the varieties of desking available, and ensured that everyone now has a powered sit/stand desk. Thanks to Aligned AK, we now have cohesive and matching furniture that truly fits the function and space of our office.
Another key partner in the success of the BDS office space was Roger Hickel Contracting, which helped us achieve our vision, worked with us when the unexpected occurred, and provided excellent craftsmanship throughout the office space. BDS has always found that great working relationships with contractors result in great projects, and our office build was no exception.
BDS has been in our new space since June 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with the decisions we made and the design we curated
for ourselves. The process of choosing a space, designing our perfect office, and then having it built was a long one—but worth it.
As designers, we believe the built space we inhabit every day plays a role in our health and happiness, and BDS was determined to make this evident in our own office space. We now have an office that will evolve with us for the next forty years, a place we’re proud to show off. We have space for celebrations and activities and dedicated places to foster collaboration and community. Most of all, we have an office space our people are happy to spend time in every day, and that makes it all worth it.
Jennifer Midthun is associate principal at BDS Architects.
A Three Minute read on Relationship Marketing
“Those pesky salespeople.” Does that thought run through your head when you get a call? It does for me too, at times—and I’m in sales! The truth is, at one time or another we all try to sell things, and we’ve done it since we were children, whether we were convincing our parents to buy us a toy or persuading our friends to play the game we wanted: sales is just a part of life.
If your conversations with clients focus mainly on goods and services or price, you miss out on deeper connections. Traditional transactional selling is a one-time focus. Relationship selling, conversely, fosters a partnership where both parties gain.
As Rob Reid from Sheet Metal Inc. explains, “The days of handshake and bar napkin deals are, for the most part, a thing of the past. However, a person’s word still carries weight, with ‘saying’ and ‘doing’ being worlds apart. In my opinion, the values and benefits of marketing yourself and the brand you represent start with being genuine and delivering on your
word. Being personable and reliable sells! By being so, clients and associates see honesty, trustworthiness, and loyalty, not only to them but to your brand as well, and this approach has allowed me to create and retain multiple long-lasting relationships.”
Developing strong relationship marketing involves several key strategies:
- Understand Your Clients: Learn about their needs and preferences.
- Consistent Communication: Maintain contact through newsletters, emails, or social media.
- Engagement: Encourage client interaction through surveys or social media.
- Loyalty Programs: Reward repeat business with discounts or exclusive offers.
- Follow Up: After a purchase, ensure satisfaction to demonstrate commitment.
- Create Community: Foster a sense of belonging through forums or events.
Christian Muntean of Vantage Consulting adds this insight: “Relationships are the cornerstone of my business.
Nearly all of my clients are either repeat customers or come from referrals (usually from past clients). And it isn’t just about marketing. Relationships influence the quality of the service I can offer. The more mutual respect and trust there is between a client and myself, the more they are able to achieve. Relationships are absolutely the best place to invest.”
If you’re interested in starting a relationship with Alaska Business, reach out to one of our account managers. We’d love to get to know you.
Christine Merki has worked in Anchorage media for more than twenty years. Her sales and marketing skills help clients connect with their target audience and meet their annual goals. She unapologetically lures clients in with her homemade raspberry jam and enjoys pickleball, hot yoga, and Pilates.
CHRISTINE MERKI
907-257-2911 | cmerki@akbizmag.com
AMultiFamily Property Loans
Additional plexes, added complexity
By Tracy Barbour
Dennis Stacy
s Alaska continues to grapple with a housing shortage, multi-family property loans are crucial to prospective investors and individuals seeking a path to affordable homeownership.
The multi-family lending environment has remained much the same for properties with five or more units, according to Eric Hamilton, a commercial real estate loan officer with Northrim Bank. But there have been some changes related to financing for one- to four-unit residential properties, including more relaxed down payment requirements with some federal programs.
For example, the Federal National Mortgage Association—commonly known as Fannie Mae—recently introduced a lower down payment option for financing duplexes, triplexes, and four-unit residential properties. The new rule allows for 5 percent down on owner-occupied properties that meet the appropriate guidelines.
“This is a very positive move, as their previous down payment requirements for the same program were 15 to 25 percent,” Hamilton says.
“This lower down payment option presents a great opportunity for individuals looking to invest in multi-family property while also enjoying the benefits of homeownership.”
Hamilton believes the lower down payment will have a positive impact on the Alaska market. However, he thinks the local impact will be less than anticipated while the state contends with outmigration from younger investors (ages 18 to 40) who may not have settled down and purchased a single-family residence yet. “Those are the investors who could take advantage of this program, as opposed to a seasoned investor who owns a primary residence and invests in real estate on the side,” he says.
However, Alaska’s aging inventory of multi-family housing will impact individuals who want to take advantage of Fannie Mae’s new 5 percent down program, according to Tara Karcz of Nuvision Credit Union. Borrowers are looking at purchasing properties that are nearing the end of their useful life and will potentially need upgrades and repairs, including new roofs and heating
Eric Hamilton Northrim Bank
Tara Karcz Nuvision Credit Union
systems. “That affects the financing, allowing the borrowers to use more of their funds to put toward these properties for reserves and improvements,” she says.
Local Efforts to Ease Housing Shortage
Recently, Anchorage enhanced the opportunity for residents to use multi-family housing as a vehicle for investment and ownership. To stimulate more housing development in the city, the Anchorage Assembly voted in June 2024 to allow duplexes to be built in areas that were previously zoned only for singlefamily homes. This essentially allows duplexes in all Anchorage residential zones. However, the change does not apply to Eagle River, Chugiak, or Girdwood.
Adopted under the Housing Opportunities in the Municipality for Everyone (HOME) initiative, the city’s new ordinance allows detached, single-family units on the same lot to count as one duplex in code. According to Assembly Member Daniel Volland, the HOME initiative is about creating conditions in Anchorage that are favorable to new housing while expanding the potential for owner-builders and owner-occupants.
It’s wonderful that the Anchorage Assembly approved duplexes to be built in areas previously zoned for single-family homes, Karcz says. But the high cost of construction in Anchorage has a significant effect on the availability of multi-family financing. For instance, if a borrower has to complete certain repairs, it will impact their reserves and make
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it more difficult to qualify for Fannie Mae’s 5 percent down opportunity to become first-time homeowners and real estate investors. “Owneroccupied properties are typically a stepping-stone for people; they want to live there, save money, and be able to move up and buy something different,” she says.
Multi-Family Loan Programs
When it comes to loan programs, multi-family properties are generally broken up into two categories: multifamily residential (one to four units) and multi-family commercial (five or more units). Federal regulations, state statutes, and loan program requirements drive the division between these two categories. The distinction is important because mortgage lenders and commercial loan officers apply different loan programs, down payment requirements, and underwriting based on the number of units being financed. “An individual who goes from buying a four-plex may be surprised at how different the process is if their next acquisition is a fiveplex,” Hamilton says.
Most multi-family residential lending is financed through government-backed loan programs like the Federal Housing Administration, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fannie Mae, and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. These can be used for either strictly investment (with 20 percent to 25 percent down) or an owner-occupied financing structure (with less down payment). On the commercial side, a significant source of funding in
Alaska is the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) multi-family lending program. “This program does not put restrictions on the age of the property and allows for up to 80 percent financing and a longer, fully amortizing, fixed-rate loan structure,” Hamilton says. “Commercial lending banks/credit unions in Alaska, for similar financing, typically do not offer these terms.”
Although AHFC is the dominant player in the state for multifamily lending for five-plus-unit properties, if an investor is building a new multi-family structure or has recently upgraded the property with significant capital improvements, a bank or credit union may be willing to look at financing those projects in-house. An in-house loan—which financial institutions tend to do on a limited basis—can offer a number of advantages. Hamilton explains, “The benefit to this is a quicker closing; some restrictions that other government programs apply in other lending programs may not be included; up-front loan fees may be lower; and the ability to get creative or think outside the box may be beneficial to the investor/borrower.”
In September 2024, Northrim provided a $3.7 million loan that enabled Walter Weston to purchase a new twenty-four-unit property in Eagle River. Reflecting on the transaction, Weston says, “Eric Hamilton and his team at Northrim Bank were fantastic to work with— responsive to our needs and highly knowledgeable.”
Nuvision offers both residential and commercial loan options to help individuals purchase multi-
family properties, whether through Federal Housing Administration, Housing and Urban Development, or US Department of Veterans Affairs loans. These loan programs can also be combined with AHFC programs or standard Fannie Mae loans, depending on the borrower’s eligibility.
Nuvision typically notifies borrowers ahead of time if their situation warrants the credit union keeping their loan in-house (as part of its loan portfolio). Perhaps the borrower is going to reduce rent to allow new renters to come in to increase cash flow, or maybe the property is completely vacant due to renovations. “If you're understanding what the cash flow is doing—and perhaps you're not quite there on the debt service—we can possibly use underwriting guidelines in place to keep the loan in our loan portfolio to allow flexibility within the financing,” Karcz says.
A multi-family commercial loan can be ideal for borrowers who want to deviate from the black-andwhite standards of governmentbacked funding. That’s the route Dennis Stacy took with financing four duplexes through Nuvision. All four loans—ranging from $256,900 to $300,000—were thirtyyear conventional mortgages with fifteen-year balloon payments. The investment properties, centrally located in the E.M. Jones subdivision in Fairbanks—have been fully rented since the loans closed in August, September, and October 2021.
“My experience working with Emily Pippin and the other people in the mortgage department at Nuvision
was nothing but positive,” Stacy recalls. “Emily always addressed any of my concerns or questions in a positive and professional manner and did her best to expedite my loans in a timely manner. I’m very happy with the service I received. As a matter of fact, when my wife and I completed building our dream home in 2023 and we needed a mortgage, I immediately contacted Emily to help us with it.”
At First National Bank Alaska, mortgage lending experts offer traditional mortgages for one- to four-unit properties; its commercial lending team offers financing for properties with five or more units. When utilizing the AHFC loan program for five-plus unit financing, the bank must originate the loan based on AHFC’s specific provisions and obtain approval, according to Lending Unit Team Leader Mike Scott. However, when First National provides a multi-family commercial loan that it retains inhouse, this allows for more flexibility in structuring the financing.
Contrasting these two options, Scott says, “AHFC is a good product if you fit within their criteria and strict guidelines that require checking every box. With our portfolio loans, the financing decision stays within the bank, where we are the final approver, so we are able to tailor financing solutions to the borrower’s specific situation.”
For instance, with a commercial multi-family portfolio loan, the bank can make loan-specific decisions
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related to property inspections, repairs, and escrow for property taxes, insurance, or replacement reserves. This can be beneficial for a borrower who has a property being rented under market value but has plans for increasing rents. Additionally, First National can customize the terms of the loan based on the borrower’s plans for significant property improvements within the first six months. “It may be possible to structure the loan with a six-month, interest-only payment period and then transition to fully amortized payments after that,” Scott says. “At First National, we have more flexibility to be creative and structure the loan to fit the borrower’s specific needs.”
Vetting People and Properties
Qualifying for multi-family financing often requires meticulous vetting of both the borrower and property. The type and level of scrutiny depends on the specific loan program and whether the property will be owner-occupied.
Nuvision, for example, evaluates the creditworthiness of borrowers by assessing their ability to repay the loan. This can entail reviewing tax returns for the last two years, the appraiser’s fair market rent survey (or lease agreement, if applicable), as well as W-2 forms and pay stubs for the last two years. In addition, Nuvision considers borrowers’ credit report and FICO score to ascertain a complete picture of their financial stability.
While lending for owner-occupied, multi-family properties is primarily
Loans for nonowner-occupied multi-family properties focus more on the property’s ability to generate income.
The property—not the borrower—is considered the primary source of repayment.
centered on the borrower’s financial profile, loans for non-owner-occupied multi-family properties focus more on the property’s ability to generate income. The property—not the borrower—is considered the primary source of repayment. That’s why lease agreements are essential for demonstrating how the property has performed. “We have to get a complete picture of the financial stability when we look at multifamily—not just of the borrower but of the property as well,” Karcz says.
First National prioritizes the primary source of loan repayment while also analyzing standard financial statements to confirm the borrower’s personal financial strength. The bank must ensure that it can underwrite the loan based on the property’s actual historical cash flow data and the appraisal, which
can be based on sales comparisons, cost approach, and income approach. The income approach generally carries the most weight.
Scott says a common misconception among borrowers seeking a multi-family commercial loan is thinking the approval process is based solely on the property’s income. However, beyond that, the bank must ensure that the property is self-sustaining, meaning it generates enough income to exceed the cost of ownership. “It's almost like we’re evaluating a small business,” he says. “We're looking for more than one source of payment—a primary, secondary, and even a tertiary source.”
For the primary source of repayment, the bank also needs to substantiate that the net operating income—what remains after deducting utilities, maintenance, and other expenses from rent—can cover 1.25 to 1.45 times the loan’s principal and interest. Additional repayment sources may include other income streams or reserves held in savings or investment accounts.
Borrowers utilizing AHFC’s multifamily loan program may be required to provide even more financial documentation, such as a Schedule E tax form instead of a self-generated profit and loss statement. “In the past few years, AHFC has placed greater emphasis on reviewing not just the appraisal and the potential market income for the property but also historical information,” Scott says.
This process could include verifying the actual occupancy and vacancy reported for the past couple of years, along with utility expenses,
instead of just projections based on the appraisal. Scott emphasizes, “We need to ensure there is verifiable financial history to support the loan.”
Having all the core financial documentation enables underwriters to become familiar with the existing operations of the property being financed, says Jonathan Tibbs, a commercial loan officer at Northrim Bank. Thus, it’s important for borrowers to note any significant financial changes expected with new ownership.
Lendability on a property is commonly analyzed based on five elements: loan-to-value, health and safety, guarantor support, environmental due diligence, and property cash flow/debt service coverage, Tibbs says. And given that four out of the five common
underwriting components are property specific, a loan approval is not transferable to a different property. “If you are in the market for a multi-family property, you will have to go through this same process for every property,” he says. “This also makes it virtually impossible to get a ‘pre-approval’ for multi-family commercial.”
Tibbs says most multi-family investors are looking for the maximum loan amount—or the smallest down payment. But there are some major risks with this thought process because borrowers are making a thirty-year decision based on current circumstances. Some
theoretical issues that could come up over the course of a thirty-year loan include increasing utility costs, neighborhood deterioration that could drive down rental rates, higher than expected maintenance costs, increasing property management fees, and increasing property taxes. “All of these things can reduce net operating income, but you still have a fixed loan payment,” he says. “A lower loan amount will give you a buffer to weather different financial storms that could come up over three decades.”
Establishing a savings account for maintenance will also help. Tibbs says, “Saving 5 to 10 percent of gross rents each month is a lot easier than coming up with a lump sum for major repairs like a boiler replacement or new roof.”
Jonathan Tibbs Northrim Bank
Photo by Tiffany Knutson Umialik Employee
Tayal Brokerage Where
heritage meets commercial real estate innovation
By Alexandra Kay
An ew player is making waves in the competitive world of commercial real estate. Tayal Brokerage is bringing a fresh perspective to the market by combining top-tier real estate services with a deep commitment to community reinvestment.
Aleut regional corporation launched the new subsidiary late last year. “Tayal,” which means “to buy” in Unangam Tunuu (Aleut), was carefully chosen through collaboration with elders. The company's logo, a doublebladed paddle, or haasix, carries cultural significance too.
“We were very thoughtful about choosing the right name for this company,” explains broker-in-charge Mike Jenks. “It was important for us to honor our Unangâx heritage through Tayal's brand. The double-bladed paddle symbolizes balance and forward
movement; those are the values that drive our brokerage's approach to serving both clients and community.”
A Dual Mission
What sets Tayal apart in the commercial real estate landscape is its dual mission. “As an Alaska Native owned brokerage, we operate with two clear objectives,” Jenks explains. “The first is to provide top-tier commercial real estate services, and the second is to reinvest in Alaska Native communities.”
Reinvestment takes multiple forms, from increased dividends for Aleut shareholders to enhanced funding for training, career development, and scholarships. The company also maintains active involvement in community sponsorships throughout Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
“Tayal's values of community, integrity, innovation, and collaboration guide everything we do,” Jenks emphasizes. “They are a reflection of who we are, from business decisions to client interactions.”
Backed by its parent company and the Aleut Real Estate business lines that Jenks also manages, Tayal brings enterprise-level support to its operations. The firm offers a full spectrum of commercial real estate services, including buyer and seller representation, tenant and landlord representation, and lease renewals.
One notable offering is the land use advisory service. “A lot of our Alaska Native corporations and village corporations have land and need guidance on what to do with it,” Jenks notes. “We can provide advice on options and determine the highest
and best use of commercial land— whether that's retail, restaurants, warehouses, or other possibilities.”
The brokerage also provides specialized consulting services, including investment strategy and portfolio management. It offers broker opinions of value, which are often needed for refinances and appraisals. Enterprise backing through Aleut enables the brokerage to assist with unique situations, such as placing Native-owned land in trust.
Market Understanding and Client Focus
The idea for Tayal emerged from recognizing a gap in the market. Local businesses, including Alaska Native regional and village corporations, needed a brokerage that understood their needs, particularly regarding
decision-making and long-term investment strategies.
“We're creating business-tobusiness relationships with our clients,” Jenks explains. “When a real estate decision arises, you don't have to remember my name or the person who helped you five years ago. You can simply call our company, and all of our staff will be equally qualified to help.”
The brokerage serves diverse clients, from construction companies seeking laydown yards to local businesses looking for office space or entrepreneurs requiring warehouse facilities. The approach is tailored to each client's specific needs while maintaining consistent professional standards.
In Anchorage, the commercial real estate market continues to evolve in
“Tayal is in a unique position to truly help our ANCs, village corps, nonprofits, and other small businesses get ahead in their real estate goals… There is so much opportunity for us to partner that it's very exciting.”
Mike Jenks Broker-In-Charge Tayal Brokerage
the post-COVID-19 landscape. Tayal is seeing encouraging trends, especially in Class A office space, which Jenks notes is “filling up pretty quick.”
“During COVID, we saw the office market get decimated with the stayat-home orders,” Jenks explains. “But in the last year, we've seen a rebound. It started with big tech companies asking people to come back to the office. People enjoy seeing other people—we're learning that. Companies right-sized during COVID, whether they went down or up, it was really a mix.”
Bursting at the Seams
With ambitious expansion plans already in motion, Tayal is positioning itself for significant growth through strategic hiring and capability development. The team includes Jenks as broker-in-charge and Nora Delolli as property specialist and transaction coordinator, but the vision extends far beyond this core team.
“By April, we're going to be rocking and rolling,” Jenks shares enthusiastically. The company is recruiting established real estate professionals with specialized skills to complement existing capabilities. The growth strategy is carefully calibrated to build a comprehensive team while maintaining high standards.
“We're bringing all of these capabilities in-house to create a super team,” says Jenks. “We're looking for people with deep experience in lands and developments, associations, and management. But being a new venture and representing the Aleut people, we have to maintain integrity at the forefront of everything we do. Everyone
coming here will be fully vetted for integrity, skill, personability, and overall competence.”
The company's growth strategy is thoughtfully planned, leveraging Aleut’s corporate scale to create a foundation for long-term success. “The great thing about Tayal is we have enterprise-backed efficiency through Aleut that enables us to leverage greater resources, streamline operations, and maintain cost effectiveness,” Jenks explains. “That creates a foundation for Tayal to be in a position for scalability and long-term growth.”
In the near term, the company plans to grow to a staff of four, but ambitions extend beyond just adding head count. “I hope in a year all four people are bursting at the seams with business, and we're looking for more people,” Jenks shares. “But growth alone isn't enough. We also prioritize proactive networking because real estate is all about relationships. Through professional organizations like BOMA [Building Owners and Managers Association] and strategic partnerships in Anchorage, we build relationships that fuel sustained success.”
The company is already exploring partnerships with long-time Alaskanowned companies, though specific details remain confidential. These partnerships are expected to create new opportunities for land use and development projects that will benefit both the local economy and Tayal's shareholders.
Perhaps most striking about Tayal is its deep commitment to community. “What we do reflects on our shareholders, whether we like it
or not,” Jenks notes. “Having ‘Aleut’ in the name does raise our internal standards of integrity.”
Emerging Market Opportunities
For Jenks, who is an Aleut shareholder himself with family from Atka, leading Tayal represents the fulfillment of a longtime dream. “It's been my goal since I was a kid to work at Aleut,” he shares. “This is like the perfect job for me. It fits what I've wanted to do since I was a child. It fits my background. It fits my interests.”
His path to this role included service in the US Marine Corps, college in North Dakota, and eleven years at Southcentral Foundation in various management and administrative roles. He also brings personal real estate investment experience, having owned and managed multiple multi-family units. He sees unique opportunities in the Anchorage commercial real estate market that Tayal is well-positioned to capture. For instance, the rebound in Class A office space is just one indicator of the market's potential. “When the Class A office space fills up, we're going to see a slow rebound in the Class B and C office space also,” Jenks predicts. “Anchorage is a tight market, so it's going to fill up.”
The company sees particular potential in serving Alaska Native corporations. “Tayal is in a unique position to truly help our ANCs, village corps, nonprofits, and other small businesses get ahead in their real estate goals,” Jenks emphasizes. “There is so much opportunity for us to partner that it's very exciting.”
Nuyakuk River Hydroelectric Concept Update
Renewable power for Dillingham and its neighbors
By Terri Marshall
Th e Nuyakuk River Hydroelectric Co ncept is a proposed run-of-river hydroelectric development that aims to deliver electricity and enhanced broadband access to six northern Bristol Bay communities: Aleknagik, Dillingham, Ekwok, Koliganek, Levelock, and New Stuyahok. The project site is at Nuyakuk Falls, approximately four miles downstream of Tikchik Lake on the Nuyakuk River within Wood-Tikchik State Park, and will occupy 357 acres of US Bureau of Land Management land.
The project would consist of an intake structure, power conduit, powerhouse forebay, powerhouse, and tailrace channel approximately 4.5 miles downstream of the Tikchik Lake outlet above a natural waterfall on the Nuyakuk River. The project’s river intake would divert water from the Nuyakuk River above Nuyakuk Falls to a powerhouse near the base of the falls.
Based on more than sixty years of federally sourced site-specific flow data, the run-of-river project could produce up to 12 MWh year-round. The seasonal
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generation capacity matches, or exceeds, the demand for power in the six communities and would replace up to 1.5 million gallons of diesel fuel each year.
With the rising cost of transporting diesel fuel and the inherent risk of oil spills in connection with that transport, hydroelectric power offers many financial and environmental advantages. However, as the name suggests, the project is still at the conceptual phase. Numerous studies are required, permits must be granted and, perhaps most important, the commercial fishing industry in the Bristol Bay region must be protected.
Bristol Bay Tie Line
The Nuyakuk River Hydroelectric Concept aims to supply power to customers of Nushagak Cooperative, the Dillingham-based electric and telephone utility, and potentially extend its reach to other areas within the region. Developers anticipate that the renewable energy generated by this initiative could substantially improve the current distribution system and reduce local communities’ reliance on fossil fuels as their primary source of electricity.
Additionally, the project envisions introducing the first transmission tie line in the Bristol Bay area, connecting rural communities that currently depend solely on diesel power plants and distribution systems. The transmission line would provide several advantages by enabling power to be transferred among different regions or utilities, especially during peak demand periods when one area might need www.akbizmag.com
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Assuming the necessary permits and licenses are secured and funding is in place, construction is anticipated to commence in 2026, with completion expected by 2028.
additional power from another. It would also aid with stabilizing the power grid by allowing power to flow where it's needed most, preventing voltage fluctuations and potential blackouts.
The project also has the potential to open land for supplementary renewable energy sources that would complement the project's base load resources. This initiative creates new opportunities for local communities, which presently rely entirely on diesel generation fueled by barges through the Nushagak River and Kvichak River drainages to the designated locations. By decreasing fuel transportation via waterways and minimizing storage requirements, the project will mitigate the risk of environmental damage due to spills.
Reasons to Move Forward
In November 2024, Nushagak Cooperative board member Mark Lisac led a “lunch and learn” session at the UAF Bristol Bay campus. In the meeting, he discussed some of the drawbacks to the current use of diesel fuel, including the cost of transporting the fuel and the impact of oil spills on the environment and the fishing industry. “We used to pay $30,000 a day to lease the tank [for transporting oil], and this year we’re paying $80,000,” shared Lisac. “On occasion, when they couldn’t take the tankers on the river to the villages, we had to fly it in. We moved 3 million gallons through this region, and it’s a risky business. In 2014 and 2018, there were oil spills, and when that happens it brings concerns about the effect on commercial fishing.”
Another significant complexity of diesel-generated power lies in monitoring emissions. “We have to pay by the ton for emissions that have been put in the atmosphere,” explained Lisac. “Also, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation requires that we hire a company to monitor those emissions. So over the past seven-year period, we spent over $1.8 million just monitoring and paying by the ton for those emissions.”
Initial Studies
Nushagak Cooperative filed an Updated Study Report (USR) on the hydroelectric concept in December 2024. The USR described the progress made during two years of studies and was presented at a meeting in
January 2025. Agencies, tribes, communities, non-governmental organizations, and members of the public previously filed comments on the initial USR in March 2024. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) addressed those comments with modifications in the most recent plan.
Several of the modifications centered around the Fish and Aquatic Resource Studies and the Subsistence Study. For example, with the Nuyakuk Falls Fish Passage Study, the FERC recommended the study plan be modified to require Nusghagak Cooperative, when conducting in-person meetings for the Subsistence Study, to also request any tribal knowledge on fish migration timing or passage through Nuyakuk Falls, particularly as
it may relate to low flow conditions. The FERC also recommended modifying the study plan to require Nusghagak Cooperative to include adult salmon spawning and juvenile rearing habitat for salmon in the fish habitat modeling analyses.
Another modification involved the Subsistence Study. The FERC recommended that the study plan be modified to require Nushagak Cooperative to schedule in-person meetings with tribal elders and other tribal members knowledgeable in subsistence activities in Koliganek, New Stuyahok, Ekwok, Aleknagik, Levelock, and Dillingham.
In the January meeting held to review the most recent USR, the Fish and Aquatic Resource Studies were a primary focus due to concerns about disturbing fish cycles and
THE GAME CHANGER
With the rising cost of transporting diesel fuel and the inherent risk of oil spills in connection with that transport, hydroelectric power offers many financial and environmental advantages.
However, as the name suggests, the project is still at the conceptual phase.
potential dangers of the intake from the project. Audrey Thompson, representing hydropower engineering firm Kleinschmidt Associates, explained the study findings and noted, “The intake velocities are low enough that sockeye smolt have the swim speed capacity to avoid the intake if they decide to.” Thompson also noted that fish-friendly turbines would offer confidence that any fish that do get entrained through the project have a high potential for survival.
Project Timeline
With innumerable moving parts and the extensive permitting process, the project’s timeline is expected to span approximately six years. The FERC has licensing authority for this concept. The FERC’s responsibility involves gathering input from stakeholders, including various agencies, individuals in the affected communities, and tribal entities.
The initial studies for the project commenced in 2020 with the initial development of the study plans. From 2021 to 2023, the focus was on assessing seasonal impact. In late 2023, Nushagak Cooperative submitted a license application to the FERC. The operating license was issued in early 2024, allowing the project to progress.
In December 2024, Nushagak Cooperative released a report comprising two years of research across nineteen different study areas, including a botanical and wetland study, a caribou population evaluation, and a Nuyakuk Falls fish passage study. At the time of this writing, three of the nineteen
studies were still underway: the aesthetic study, the Chinook and salmon life cycle modeling study, and the subsistence study.
From 2024 through 2026, Nushagak Cooperative aims to secure additional operating permits and licenses, including a Wood-Tikchik State Park operating permit, transmission line right of way, and water rights. Assuming the necessary permits and licenses are secured and funding is in place, construction is anticipated to commence in 2026, with completion expected by 2028. The cost of the studies is estimated at $6 million, while the total project cost is estimated to range between $120 million and $140 million.
Despite the significant cost and time required to complete the Nuyakuk River Hydroelectric Concept, Nushagak Cooperative remains enthusiastic about the potential and looks forward to conducting the necessary studies to evaluate its feasibility and value to the region.
In a statement regarding the concept vision, Nushagak Cooperative noted, “Hydroelectric concepts in Alaska have a successful history of providing electric rate reduction, reduced dependence on fossil fuels, carbon emissions mitigation, and longevity. Several hydro facilities in Alaska have been in operation for more than a century, and many more are currently displaying the same type of longevity potential. We believe the combination of renewable energy and increased broadband access will provide the basis for economic and social improvement and growth in the region for generations to come.”
Plentiful Pollock
Fish stocks recover for a boost in quota
By Dimitra Lavrakas
When the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) shut down the Central Gulf of Alaska pollock season weeks before the season’s end in October 2024, after two vessels incidentally hauled in around 2,000 Chinook salmon as bycatch, it sent shivers through the industry. NMFS figured 50,000 tonnes of the pollock quota were not landed.
This month, pelagic trawlers, which use a coneshaped net to catch fish at greater depths, return to homeports with holds filled with fish after receiving a boost in Bering Sea catch limits to 1.375 million tonnes, a 6 percent hike over 2024, and with fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska allowed to target 171,000 tonnes in its 2025 season, according to the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC).
The pollock “A” season, which runs annually from January 20 to April 30, and “B” season running from June 10 to October 31 in the Bering Sea and September 1 to November 1 in the Gulf of Alaska, deeply impact the economies of Unalaska, Kodiak, and small fishing communities throughout Alaska. With last year’s bycatchrelated shutdown out of the way, one of the world’s largest fish harvests can resume.
Feeding the World and Coastal Communities
The Alaska pollock fishery is widely recognized as one of the most abundant, responsible, and certified-sustainable fisheries in the world, accounting for more than 35 percent of all fish caught in US commercial fisheries, according to the Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance (APFA), formed in March 2024.
APFA represents stakeholders in the fishery and is guided by a committee of pollock trade associations, harvester companies, customers, and Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) program representatives, as well as scientific and policy experts, with strategic guidance from the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers’ board of directors. The CDQ is a federal program that gives eligible communities in Western Alaska a share of the catch from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers is a nonprofit association promoting wild Alaska pollock to major whitefish markets worldwide. These organizations are intent on keeping the pollock fishery front and center
as a major economic support for the state and the nation.
The success of the “A” and “B” seasons is critical not only for the pollock fishery but also for the survival of the towns that depend on it to sustain their workforce, families, and future.
“The pollock fishery is both an economic engine and a cultural cornerstone,” says Julie Bonney, executive director of the Kodiakbased Alaska Groundfish Data Bank. “It is not just about catching fish; it’s about sustaining a way of life for thousands of Alaskans and ensuring the survival of communities that depend on the sea.”
The pollock fishery alone contributes nearly $1.5 billion annually in wholesale value, providing products that feed millions worldwide. It also underpins the broader Alaska seafood supply chain, helping to sustain processing plants, container shipping operations, and port services.
Bonney adds, “The pollock fishery supports the workforce and the community infrastructure that all Alaska commercial fisheries rely on. In that way, the success of all Alaska fisheries is linked to the success of the pollock fishery.”
APFA notes that the Alaska pollock fishery also supports 30,000 jobs across the United States, including vessel operators, seafood processors, and distribution, wholesale, and foodservice industry employees.
Alaska produces more than half the fish caught in waters of the United States, with an average wholesale value of nearly $4.5 billion a year,
according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Any decline in the pollock industry could have catastrophic consequences for Alaska’s economy, especially for the CDQ program that coastal communities rely on. The CDQ program allocates a portion of the Bering Sea pollock harvest to sixtyfive Western Alaska communities, providing local jobs, funding critical infrastructure, and generating revenue that sustains villages throughout the region.
With more than 30 percent of the Bering Sea pollock industry owned by CDQ groups, the economic wellbeing of these communities is directly tied to the success of the pollock fishery’s annual harvest.
“The success of the pollock fishery is not only critically important for the jobs it creates, the families it supports, and the communities it sustains but also for the infrastructure and markets it provides for other fisheries like crab, Pacific cod, and sablefish,” says Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association CEO Luke Fanning. “Without this economic engine, the level of resources going into Western Alaska would be greatly reduced. There is no plan B for these communities.”
Science Guides
Sustainability
The Alaska pollock biomass, which is the volume of fish in Alaska’s waters, has remained steady over time as a direct result of careful management informed by annual surveys conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
“The success of the pollock fishery is not only critically important for the jobs it creates, the families it supports, and the communities it sustains, but also for the infrastructure and markets it provides for other fisheries like crab, Pacific cod, and sablefish… Without this economic engine, the level of resources going into Western Alaska would be greatly reduced. There is no plan B for these communities.”
Luke Fanning CEO Aleutian Pribil of Island Community Dev elopment Association
Administration with close oversight from the NPFMC. Every year, the council sets the total allowable catch based on the health of the pollock biomass.
The total allowable catch and the Alaska pollock biomass has remained relatively consistent over the years—clear evidence of the sustainable, responsible, science-based way the fishery is managed, according to APFA.
NMFS’ research arm the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, the NPFMC’s
Science and Statistical Committee, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and other fishery scientists provide information to guide the fishery.
“Alaska fisheries, particularly the Alaska pollock fishery, have a tremendous amount of scientific information that guides all management decisions,” says American Seafoods Vice President of Fisheries and Sustainability Trent Hartill.
The Alaska Fisheries Science Center, which conducts annual
marine surveys throughout Alaska, prepares an ecosystem assessment of the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and the Gulf of Alaska. The quantity and the quality of information included in that report is unsurpassed, Hartill says.
He adds, “We are fortunate to have an incredible depth of information on everything from the base of the food chain in the Bering Sea all the way up to species-specific growth rates, size, and age of pollock and other groundfish in the Bering Sea.
A worker on a trawler hauls in a pollock net.
Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers
A catch of pollock ready to be turned into fish sticks.
Pollock vessel M/V Golden Alaska sails off into another season.
Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers
This information is foundational to our conservative approach to management and ongoing sustainability of fish stocks.”
Sustainability is nothing new in Alaska, reports the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation. Alaska has always been deeply committed to ensuring that its seafood can be enjoyed for generations to come.
To credibly verify what Alaska has been doing for more than fifty years, Alaska seafood companies offer a choice in certification from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM). Both MSC and RFM provide independent, third-party certification of the management of the major Alaska commercial fisheries. Certification provides additional assurance to buyers, markets, and
stakeholders that seafood from Alaska is responsibly managed.
Wild Alaska pollock is both MSC and RFM certified, meaning it has been independently verified by the MSC and RFM standards, signifying that the fishery it comes from is managed sustainably and responsibly.
Hope for a Better Season
After last year’s Central Gulf of Alaska pollock fishery closure, the fleet is mindful of how to approach a successful season.
Pollock is a key species for a multitude of value-added products ranging from frozen fish sticks to the Filet-O-Fish sandwich at McDonald’s, a “crispy filet patty made with wildcaught Alaskan pollock.”
“We are headed into this 2025 ‘A’ season with three objectives: safety, salmon avoidance, and efficiency on the grounds,” says B&N Fisheries Captain Dan Carney, who operates a pollock trawl vessel. “We have the tools and knowledge to assure all three. A lot is riding on those priorities, and we will succeed as we have in the past.”
The harvest of Central Gulf of Alaska pollock has been trending up for fifty years, and the powerhouse of the Eastern Bering Sea fishery continues to anchor the state’s seafood harvest.
Carney says, “For most of us, this is not just a job but a way of life, and we will continue to do all we can to sustain that—not only for the pollock fishery but for all Alaska fisheries. We are always fishermen first.”
For the Birds
Never underestimate the attraction of winged wildlife
By Vanessa Orr
Ba ld eagles, snowy owls, Steller’s jays, and willow ptarmigan. Sandhill cranes, red-faced cormorants, emperor geese, and bristle-thighed curlews. The list of birds that live in or migrate to Alaska’s wetlands, coastal areas, and public lands, such as national wildlife refuges and national parks, is long—and so is the distance that birdwatchers from around the world travel to see them.
“Birding is big business in Alaska because of the healthy, resilient public lands and waters of our state,” explains David Krause, Alaska vice president of the National Audubon
of birding tourism. It found that more than 300,000 birdwatchers visited the state in 2016, spending $378 million and supporting 4,000 jobs.
“I suspect that the number has gone up since then, as birdwatching and the enjoyment of birds has increased significantly coming out of the [COVID-19] pandemic,” says Krause, adding that he also believes that bird-based tourism is growing within the state and region.
“The US Fish and Wildlife Service did a survey that showed that, in 2022, 96 million people observed birds around their homes and on trips, and 42.6 million took trips
example, visitors can witness the largest congregation of bald eagles in the world, which is estimated to include up to 4,000 individual bald eagles. The northern wheatear, a small flycatcher that winters in Kenya and Tanzania, nests and breeds in Denali National Park and Preserve and other areas of the state. Nome is a birding hotspot, with hundreds of tundra swans in Safety Sound before they migrate out of the region. The Pribilof Islands are known for huge congregations of seabirds, and the Copper River Delta attracts nearly 5 million shorebirds every spring and even holds its own shorebird festival.
Milo Burcham
“There is an amazing network of conservation system units— including wilderness areas, parks, preserves, and national forests— that help ensure ecosystem health,” says Krause. “As a result, migratory birds come to Alaska from all corners of the globe.”
The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, for example, is responsible for protecting coastal habitat for hundreds of thousands of marine mammals as well as 40 million seabirds. Approximately 80 percent of all seabirds in North America breed within the maritime refuge, which extends from Southeast through Southcentral to the end of the Aleutian Islands, across the Bering Sea to the Pribilof Islands, and up the Bering Strait to the Arctic Circle.
Hiking down Curlew Hill at mile 72 of Kougarok Road north of Nome after successfully spotting the bristle-thighed curlew.
Roam Nome
“People come to Alaska and the refuge to see birds they don’t see anywhere else in the world,” says Visitor Services Manager Adrienne McGill. “Seeing these huge colonies of birds attracted by such diverse habitats can be an epic experience.”
Within the refuge, visitors can see numerous North American birds, as well as those that have migrated from Asia, Mexico, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Approximately 40,000 to 50,000 people visit the refuge’s Visitor Center and headquarters in Homer each year to learn about the refuge, its history, and the types of seabirds found in the area. The center, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, offers talks, birding excursions, and youth activities for all levels of birders.
While the refuge doesn’t track exact numbers of birding visitors each year, Acting Refuge Manager Jeff Williams estimates that at least 1,000 people come to Alaska Maritime’s coastal areas annually to
take part in the hobby, and a large number of opportunistic birdwatchers enjoy the sights as well.
“There are a lot of guides and commercial operators around here that are excellent birders, but we also have fishermen and locals who spend time on refuge islands birdwatching who may be there for a different activity,” says McGill. “There are all sorts of birding opportunities.”
Peninsula Migration
While many visitors to the refuge come on their own, commercially led birding tours are also popular. Birders can join small-boat tours that travel to target destinations for wish-list species, and adventure cruises of roughly 150 people travel in many maritime locations from Southeast to the Bering Strait. In summertime, a monthly ferry trip from Homer to Unalaska and the Aleutian Islands attracts tourists and locals alike to see birds and marine mammals along the journey.
According to Williams, one of the easiest ways to see seabirds on the refuge, as well as sea lions and other marine mammals, is to take a daily cruise out of Seward to the Chiswell Islands. Visitors can also fly to the Pribilof Islands to see tens of thousands of birds, including red-faced cormorants, red-legged kittiwakes, northern fulmars, thick-billed murres, horned and tufted puffins, parakeet and crested auklets, and more during their nesting season.
The refuge is also a leading sponsor partner of the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival centered in Homer, which is the largest wildlife festival in Alaska. The event, which spans five days in early May, attracts a substantial number of birdwatchers who generate income for the area through hotel stays, restaurant visits, excursions, and more.
“People shouldn’t be intimidated,” says McGill of the festival that attracts both novices and professionals.
Haines hosts the annual Alaska Bald Eagle Festival when the national bird (officially, as of Christmas 2024) masses for the largest congregation of eagles in the United States during the second week of November.
Mike Fernandez | Audubon
“During the shorebird festival, our viewing stations often have expert local birders there with spotting scopes who love to share information. And seeing the mudflats full of shorebirds is an incredible experience, even if you’re not an avid birdwatcher.”
Williams adds that the shorebird festival also has a Junior Birder program in which young people can take part in numerous familyfriendly activities, learning more about birds and taking part in discovery labs and games.
Avian Trail
The Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival has been bringing bird lovers, nature enthusiasts, and the community of Cordova together for
year in May, the festival features guided birding tours, classes, workshops, and presentations, as well as the chance to see nearly 5 million shorebirds on the tidal flats.
Birders also enjoy the Yakutat Tern Festival, Alaska Hummingbird Festival in Ketchikan, Stikine River Birding Festival in Wrangell, Spring Migration Celebration in Fairbanks, and the Utqiaġvik Migratory Bird Festival, among others.
The state also features numerous birding trails, including the Southeast Birding Trail established by Audubon Alaska in 2019.
“The trail isn’t a linear trail; it features a number of accessible sites on a map where people can see different types of birds and ecosystems,” says Krause of the
communities and 200 sites. He adds that there are also birding trails in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kodiak, and Utqiaġvik.
Carol Gales is the founder of Roam Nome, a guiding business that provides customized birding tours, history/nature tours, day hikes, and snowshoe outings along Nome’s roads. Though she did not grow up birding, Gales took a class about the birds of Alaska while working at UAF’s Northwest Campus in Nome, and she became interested in the hobby. She began driving for birding field trips and, after retiring, decided to start a guiding business with trips for individual birders.
“At first I thought, ‘Who wants to do that?’ I didn’t know that it would be a thing,” she says with a laugh. “Then I talked to a couple from DC
at the visitor center who wanted to go birding by themselves, but they realized that they had no idea where anything was. I thought that a lot of people might be in that situation; they can drive through the countryside but have no idea where to look for birds.”
Highway to the Flyway
Because Nome is close to the Bering Strait, the area attracts birds that come to nest on the tundra or that are migrating to the North Slope or Russia. Nome is also convenient to birders because it has the second largest road system in Alaska, with 300 miles of road to travel to different Seward Peninsula habitats.
“Our area includes a wide variety of shorebirds and songbirds that migrate to the area, as well as yearround residents like the willow ptarmigan and rock ptarmigan,” says Gales. “And because we have so many waterfowl here, visitors can actually
see all five species of loons just off our road system.”
Northern Alaska is the crossroads of five global migratory flyways.
The West Pacific and East AsianAustralasian flyways bring birds from as far away as New Zealand, and three of North America’s four flyways— the Mississippi, Central, and Pacific—converge in the Arctic.
“The bristle-thighed curlew only nests in a very few specific places, including here and in the YukonKuskokwim Delta,” Gales observes.
“There is a place on the road system at Mile 72 where you can hike up a hill to search for them.”
While some birders choose larger group tours, Gales says a more personalized tour has advantages.
“In a bigger group tour, people have different goals,” she says. “Some people want to have a big list, so they want to see as many birds as possible. Others may not have birded at all and want to spend a lot of time on a fairly common
sparrow. Still others want to take photos and may spend a really long time trying to get a close-up shot of a bird.” Smaller tours can cater to these individual needs.
Gales’ tours range from about eight to twelve hours, and she offers three-day tours with each day covering a major road. “Guests bring lunches, and we go all day, mostly on the road system because we can see more birds per hour,” she says, noting that while hiking is a good way to see birds, it is not as efficient as a driving tour.
Fly In, Fly Out
Depending on the type of birder, guests may keep lists, track birds on mobile apps, take notes about what the birds are doing, take pictures, or just enjoy watching the birds’ behavior.
“I bring out a spotting scope so we can watch birds feeding their young, displaying to mark territory, hunting, and more,” says Gales. “Most of my
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival.
Lauren Cusimano
Watching the brilliant display of a bluethroat flycatcher along the Kougarok Road (also known as Nome-Taylor Highway) from the bed of a pickup truck. Roam Nome
guests also appreciate the landscape, the remoteness and wildness of it all. And I throw in a bit of history and information about living in Nome, if they’re interested in that.”
While Gales offers year-round tours, the most popular time for birdwatching in the Nome area is at the end of May and during the first two weeks of June. Winter brings those who want to see the McKay’s bunting, a rare North American breed that nests on a remote island in the Bering Sea but comes to the mainland in winter.
“We had a guest who was doing his ‘Big Year,’ which is when individual birders set a goal for themselves to see a certain number or type of birds in a certain area—a county, state, or whatever,” says Gales. “He flew in to see a McKay’s bunting on our bird feeder, then went to the airport the same day and left.”
While that was the fastest turnaround Gales has seen, most birders visiting Alaska stay longer, enjoying both the birding experience and the state itself.
“What’s neat is that all of these people are very interested in ecology and conservation and, no matter their political stripe, are concerned about the environment and how climate change can affect the bird population,” Gales says. “They don’t take anything more than pictures.”
But birdwatching tourists leave behind more than footprints. “While they’re here, they stay in hotels and buy food and support the local economy; there’s nothing negative about the hobby,” Gales notes. “I’d love to see Alaska promote it more.”
PROVEN COLD WEATHER RELIABILITY
THE SAFETY CORNER
Mitigating Risk in Construction
A guide to builder’s risk and emergency preparedness
By Sean Dewalt
Wi th a warmer-thannormal winter and an early construction season, Alaska contractors are already preparing for a busy building season. According to the January edition of Alaska Economic Trends , the construction sector added 2,000 jobs in 2024, and the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s forecast for 2025 predicts an additional 1,500 jobs.
This growth is driven by several factors, including the acceleration of oil project development on the North Slope, statewide mining operations, federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding authorization, and commercial and residential building projects across the state. Alaska is set to receive $1 billion over five years for Broadband Equity Access and Deployment, a nationwide initiative aimed at providing high-
speed internet access to every American. In addition, Senator Dan Sullivan secured $723.3 million in military construction authorizations for upgrades to several military bases in Alaska, including Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Eielson Air Force Base, and Fort Wainwright.
This will make for a very busy construction season for Alaska contractors, which is a positive development for the state. Commercial insurance, specifically builder’s risk insurance, is at the heart of many of these projects.
Course of Construction Coverage
A builder’s risk policy is a type of property insurance designed to cover property during construction. This important coverage is often required by contract and placed on the builder by the project owner.
Originating from the need for coverage during the Industrial Revolution, a new insurance policy was developed, combining aspects of property insurance with inland marine coverage (for cargo in transit, infrastructure assets, and other property not necessarily related to, say, steamboats or barges). Since then, it has evolved into builder’s risk insurance, also known in some areas as course-of-construction insurance.
A builder’s risk policy covers various projects, offering standard coverages and optional endorsements to tailor coverage for residential or commercial course of construction projects. It can cover property damage, theft, vandalism, arson, fire, lightning, collapse, wind and hail, and debris removal. It can also provide coverage for materials and supplies in transit that will later become part of a covered building or structure. With an
endorsement, some policies can even cover earthquake and flood perils. Government regulations or banking or contractual arrangements often require a builder’s risk insurance policy. Most coverage is purchased before or at the start of construction, allowing owners to build that cost into the project bid. In many instances, time is of the essence. It is important to work with a commercial insurance broker early and regularly to ensure access to the best insurance markets, coverages, and prices.
Plan for Exposures
A good risk management plan should assess all possible exposures for the project, both tangible and intangible. Tangible risks include building materials, completed sections of the structure, and
supplies for each phase. Intangible risks include cost overruns, delays, changes in market conditions, and emergency action plans.
Protecting the construction site is the top priority. While properly installed and maintained jobsite fencing and lighting are essential, they may not be sufficient, depending on the project location. Limiting entry points, implementing visitor check-in and walk-through safety procedures, and training all onsite personnel are highly recommended. Access controls, including badging and identification, help reduce liability risks and increase overall site safety.
Roving security involves conducting patrols throughout a security shift, with officers patrolling on foot, in a vehicle, or a combination of both. The goal is to prevent crime by identifying
potential threats and intervening quickly to prevent damage or harm, which will reduce risks such as arson, vandalism, and theft. Patrols can also help to discover early-stage fires and alert authorities for a faster response time.
Fixed-unit security systems are also commonly used on jobsites. These all-in-one trailers provide video, alert, and recording capabilities using hightech cameras with infrared capability for low-light, motion, and recognition systems. Powered by deep cycle batteries, generators, or solar panels, these units can provide off-hours security with mobile application reporting and real-time imaging.
Commodity protection goes beyond theft. Companies should create and maintain an inventory of valuable items, including keys to the jobsite
and equipment, and ensure that materials are delivered only when personnel are available to receive them. Goods should be stored in locked containers, and all equipment and materials should be protected from adverse weather. Mark all stacks with wands to protect them from snow removal equipment and ensure equipment operators are aware of the designated laydown areas.
Installing a project-build webcam offers several benefits beyond simply watching construction over time. Key benefits include identifying potential hazards, tracking project commodities, benchmarking, and supporting incident investigations. Additionally, stakeholder viewing provides investors, insurance companies, and financiers with transparency as they can follow the building’s progress.
In Any Event
A comprehensive emergency plan that covers safety, security, and emergency response should be developed and communicated to all parties working on the build. All
companies involved in the project should review the plan, which needs to be thorough. In addition to an emergency procedure for regulatory issues like spills or utility damage, the plan should cover what all persons working on the site should do in the event of a fire, power outage, earthquake, injury, or weather event. In particular, wind events can wreak havoc on a build, especially if laydown stacks or the building are covered with tarps, tents, or other materials. Following the weather closely can minimize potential property damage caused by forecasted winds, especially if cranes are in operation.
Morning safety meetings and regular updates from the build teams will ensure that everyone is on the same page, which can greatly reduce the risk of accidents. This is also a great time to consult with the insurance company’s loss control consultant for an analysis of builder’s risk exposures and adequate controls. These services are normally free and can help identify potential hazards to the project.
Builder’s risk policies are not
standardized, so it is crucial to work with a commercial insurance broker who is knowledgeable about inland marine insurance, builder’s risk coverages, and the specifics of your construction project. It is important to be aware that policy overruns can occur, and coverage is only valid until the policy period ends or the building is occupied for its intended use.
With this construction season shaping up to be one for the record books in Alaska, ensure your project is protected. By thoroughly understanding builder’s risk coverage, you could save more than just money and time… it might even save the entire project.
Sean Dewalt is a Senior Loss Control Consultant for Umialik Insurance Company in Anchorage.
Dewalt has been working in safety and risk management in Alaska since 2000.
This column is intended to be informational and is not intended to be construed as legal advice.
Amanda Doney, Mike Dennis, Sheldon Fisher, and Mark Begich at the newly-renovated Wildbirch Hotel in downtown Anchorage.
Sean Dewalt | Umialik Insurance Company
One Bristol Bay
From the traditions passed down through Elders to the salmon that sustain us, and our roots that ground us, we are one Bristol Bay connected through this remarkable place and our Native way of life.
INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS
Harvest Alaska
Harvest Alaska is acquiring the Kenai LNG Terminal, repurposing idled export assets to import liquified natural gas for the Southcentral energy market. According to a joint announcement with Chugach Electric Association and Marathon Petroleum Corporation, the parent company of the terminal’s current owner, the first LNG could be delivered next year, ahead of full-scale operations in 2028. The Kenai LNG terminal was one of the first in the United States when it opened in 1969. Exports continued until 2015, when Cook Inlet gas supplies struggled to meet local demand. Harvest Alaska, an affiliate of Hilcorp, operates pipelines in Cook Inlet and the North Slope, including a 49 percent ownership stake in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company acquired from bp in 2020. harvestmidstream.com/ mappins/anchorage-ak
Aleut
Business lines acquired from Richards Distributing, Inc. (RDI) form the core of a new subsidiary of Aleut regional corporation. Renewable Energy Systems, Arctic Home Living, and Alaska EcoWater Systems are being folded into Aleut Energy, with Nick Goodman as president. RDI’s senior leadership, including Jeremy Lane and Eddie Davidson, remain in key roles during the transition. RDI, founded by Rob and Karlene Richards, has retail
locations in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough providing spas, hot tubs, water treatment, and renewable energy systems. “RDI’s strengths in renewable energy and retail, combined with their exceptional reputation and expertise, will allow us to expand our impact across Alaska while continuing to drive value for our shareholders,” says Aleut CEO and President Skoey Vergen. aleutcorp.com
Global Credit Union
A new Financial Center is now open across the street from Global Credit Union’s longtime Juneau branch in the Fred Meyer store. The 10,400-square-foot facility on Honsinger Drive near Juneau International Airport is designed as a one-stop shop for Juneau’s financial needs, including offices for Global Credit Union Insurance Brokers and Global Credit Union Home Loans. The building features an open-concept layout with a walk-up ATM, a drive-up ATM lane, and two drive-up teller lanes. globalcu.org
Credit
Union 1
In 1916, Skagway became the first headquarters of National Bank of Alaska, now part of Wells Fargo, which remains the only bank in the Garden City of Alaska. Answering the Skagway Borough Assembly’s call for more local financial services, Credit Union (CU1) is opening a new
branch in Skagway this month at 306 B 3rd Avenue. The branch is CU1’s fifteenth location, and two more are coming soon to Kotzebue and Wasilla. “With two other branches opening this year, Skagway wasn’t on our radar for expansion,” says CU1 President and CEO Mark Burgess, “but the assembly’s request got our attention.” cu1.org
Spruce Root
The US Small Business Administration (SBA) certified Spruce Root, the community development financial institution for Southeast, as a microlender. Microloans have been available in Alaska since 2022, when Business Impact NW, a Washington-based nonprofit with an Anchorage office, received SBA approval. Spruce Root, founded in 2012 with seed money from Sealaska regional corporation, is the first Alaska-based institution to earn the designation, enabling loans up to $50,000 to entrepreneurs who may have difficulty obtaining financing from traditional banks. spruceroot.org
Native Village of Eklutna
After a soft opening earlier in the winter, the closest thing to a casino in the Municipality of Anchorage opened to the public February 3 in a temporary location. Chin’an Gaming Hall offers electronic gaming, like bingo or pull tabs, but not card or table games. Native Village of Eklunta
plans to open a bigger facility next year with room for 700 games and two restaurants. The US Bureau of Indian Affairs estimated more than $67 million of new economic activity per year, with revenue paying for housing and healthcare initiatives, employment opportunities, scholarships, and cultural enhancement. However, the State of Alaska filed a lawsuit disputing the designation of the property as an Alaska Native Allotment eligible for gaming.
eklutna-nsn.gov
Alaska Growth Capital
The Alaska Marketplace business plan competition selected nine winners from seventy-six applicants across three regions. The flagship North Slope Marketplace was open
to Arctic Slope Regional Corporation shareholders, and winners include Elizabeth Ahkivgak of Anchorage for her Sovereign Speech language translation start-up; Diane Stone of Anchorage for her Qasiaq Atikluks custom jacket designs; and Kelly Engel of Palmer for Happy Camper RV Services. In the Bristol Bay Native Corporation region, the winners are Beth Hill of Port Alsworth for Tulchina Adventures, offering cabins at Lake Clark; Kayla Robson of Talkeetna for Sunshine Auto Parts; and Nels Ure of Naknek for Bristol Bay Media, a full-service creative agency. Winners in the Aleut corporation region are Kjell Mack and Fanny Jo Newton, starting up the King Cove General convenience store; Arlene Wilson, starting up Momma Bear’s Daycare in King Cove; and Madison Thompson
from Sand Point for her Small Craft Café. Alaska Growth Capital is facilitating awards of up to $25,000 to boost the businesses.
alaskagrowth.com
Joann Fabrics
The stitches ripped out slowly: at first, Ohio-based Joann Fabrics said 500 of its 800 stores nationwide would close in the wake of a January bankruptcy filing. In Alaska, that would’ve closed the Anchorage and Juneau locations, sparing the Wasilla, Soldotna, and Fairbanks stores (plus online shopping). Days later, asset disposition firm GA Group won an auction for the company and announced the closure of all stores everywhere. Final shutdown is expected by the end of May. joann.com
THIS ALASKA BUSINESS
Nobody’s sure why the house had a window from a 747 jet among piles of junk, but it was the weirdest thing Teri Webster ever encountered. A professional organizer, one of the rare specialists in residential moveouts, Webster says clients need not apologize for clutter.
“When you’re doing a move, your house is always going to be messy,” she says. “People hire me because they really need the help, and I want to help.”
Webster started Declutter to Move in 2019, and now she helps eight or nine clients per month during peak season, often seniors downsizing homes. THIS
www.akbizmag.com
ALASKA BUSINESS Declutter to Move
Scan the QR code to watch the video featuring Declutter to Move. Part 29 of an ongoing video series. youtube.com/@alaskabusinessmagazine
RIGHT MOVES
John Hall’s Alaska
Tour operator John Hall’s Alaska marks a new chapter in its family ownership with leadership promotions. While founder John Hall Sr. continues to serve as CEO and chairman of the board, two of his children are stepping up to greater responsibilities.
· Elizabeth Hall is promoted to President. Growing up in the motorcoach industry, Hall has played an integral role in expanding the company into new sectors, such as global tour offerings with World Adventures. Hall earned bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration and has been COO since 2011.
· Replacing her as Chief Operating Officer is her brother Joe Hall. Having also been involved with the business since childhood, Hall’s experience ranges from customer service to operations. He led the growth of maintenance operations and motorcoach charter service offerings in Alaska and Minnesota.
Koniag
· The Alaska Native corporation for the Kodiak Island region selected Allen Debes as CEO of Koniag Capital, a holding company for Koniag’s commercial technology business lines. After an extensive national search, this is the inaugural appointment of a CEO for Koniag Capital, which primarily serves private sector customers. Debes will lead growth initiatives and advance Koniag’s vision of becoming a global technology firm, supporting the existing commercial technology business Vervint, which has been part of the Koniag family
for thirteen years. With decades of experience in consulting and technology services, Debes has successfully guided organizations through periods of growth and innovation.
Bristol Bay Native Corporation
Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) added new members to its team at headquarters and in its region. BBNC looks forward to the contributions they will make to BBNC, its shareholders, and the Bristol Bay region.
· Stevi Angasan was hired as the Village Resource Specialist in Naknek, and Erin Wassillie was hired as Village Resource Specialist in Togiak. Both Angasan and Wassillie will play key roles in providing direct support to BBNC shareholders, spouses, and descendants within their communities, as well as surrounding communities.
· Michael Etuckmelra was hired as an IT Apprentice. In this role, Etuckmelra will gain handson experience and technical training to support BBNC’s IT department.
Colville
The CEO of Colville, the largest fuel handling and storage company on the North Slope, is scaling back his duties. Dave Pfeifer continues to serve on the board of directors and remains co-owner, but the transition opens new leadership positions.
MOVES IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY NORTHERN AIR CARGO
· Colville’s current President, Jason Reeves, adds CEO to his title. With this added responsibility, Reeves oversees all aspects of the organization and its subsidiaries, continuing to drive the company’s
RIGHT
Hall
Hall
Wassillie
Angasan
Debes
Reeves
Etuckmelra
mission forward with leadership, vision, and innovation.
· Additionally, Jennifer Segelhorst is promoted from Senior Controller to CFO. In her new position, Segelhorst takes on expanded responsibilities to oversee the financial strategy and information technologies of the organization, ensuring the company’s continued growth and stability.
CE2 Engineers
· As CE2 Engineers moved to a new office near Midtown Anchorage, the firm promoted Mike Erdman to President and Principal Engineer. His predecessor Brian Aklin remains as a senior project manager. CE2 hired Erdman as a senior civil engineer in 2010. Since then, he has managed engineering design and construction management of major infrastructure throughout rural Alaska. Erdman came to Alaska in 1979 after earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Rutgers University. He worked for the US Forest Service in Ketchikan prior to relocating to Southcentral in 1982. He worked for several consulting engineering firms before starting Erdman & Associates Consulting Engineers in 1987.
EA Engineering, Science, and Technology
· Maryland-based interdisciplinary environmental services firm EA Engineering, Science, and Technology has a new Profit Center Manager for Alaska. Travis Hines, a twelve-year veteran of the company, is promoted to oversee operational performance, personnel and logistics management, product quality, client satisfaction, and business development. Hines earned a bachelor’s degree in Earth science at UAF and a master’s degree in environmental management at American Public University System, along with a graduate certificate in
environmental sustainability. He was recently accepted into the UAF MBA program with a STEM concentration.
Coffman Engineers
· The Anchorage office of Coffman Engineers has a new General Manager. Ben Momblow is promoted to succeed Tom Looney, who remains on hand to support Momblow and the company's other projects in Alaska. Raised in Eagle River, Momblow is a professional engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural engineering. Momblow has served as a principal, project manager, and director for more than two decades with Coffman. In addition to working with Alaska clients, he has supported development of the firm’s Honolulu and Guam offices.
PND Engineers
PND Engineers welcomed two team members to the ranks of Professional Engineers licensed by the State of Alaska. Passage of the Principles & Practice of Engineering exam comes with promotions.
· Now a Senior Engineer, Obadiah Dawson has worked with PND since earning a degree in civil engineering from UAA in 2020. Since then, he has been primarily involved in bridge, marine, and building structural design. He is also a certified Level I rope access technician.
· Now a Senior Engineer at the Palmer office, Owen Rohler began working with PND in 2020 while completing his civil engineering degree at UAA. Rohler is primarily involved in transportation engineering, roads, culverts, utilities, and site design. Rohler is also an Alaska-certified erosion and sediment control lead.
Segelhorst
Momblow
Hines
Rohler
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Erdman
ALASKA TRENDS
The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development and its team of hard-working economists supply multiple, rich datasets. The Research and Analysis Section tracks demographics, employment, consumer prices, workplace injuries, and other data. But the most relevant this month topic is one bubbling under several other articles in this issue: Alaska housing information.
Tracy Barbour reports on “Multi-Family Property Loans.” Alexandra Kay profiles “Tayal Brokerage,” Aleut’s new real estate subsidiary. And the latest episode in the video series This Alaska Business spotlights Declutter to Move, a residential organizer who specializes in helping clients pack up and relocate their households.
Adding to the urgency of this topic, Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance has set an ambitious goal of building 1,000 new homes each year for the next decade to satisfy the municipality’s pent-up demand. That’d be triple the recent rate of construction. One barrier to achieving that goal is site access standards in the city’s zoning code that were meant to make communities more walkable but made building more difficult. A task force recommended reforms to balance community desires with the realities of construction by clarifying standards related to driveway widths, sidewalks, access to alleys, and pedestrian protection.
Alaska Trends is offering a statewide view of residential data available through these open-source research tools.
SOURCE: Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis: live.laborstats.alaska.gov/housing/index.html; live.laborstats.alaska.gov/housing/rentnumbedrms.html
New Housing Units, Alaska 1992 to 2023
Of the 163 communities reporting to the state, 21 communities built new housing units in 2023.
Of the 21 communities that built new housing, 10 communities built multi-family units in 2023.
Annual Housing Interest Rates 1992 to 2023
Up by $187K
Ketchikan Gateway Borough saw the largest jump in the value of home loans, from $209K in 2009 to $396K in 2023.
In 2024, both Juneau and Fairbanks reported 0% vacancy rate for 4-bedroom apartments, while Valdez and Kodiak reported a 0% vacancy rate for 3-bedroom apartments.
Number of singlefamily homes refinanced in 2023: 426
Location of New Housing Units in 2023
$436,407
Average singlefamily sales price statewide in 2023.
54
Multi-family units built in Wasilla was the most in 2023, compared to 45 in Anchorage and 12 in Homer.
4,000
The amount of home loans written for the Anchorage area in 2013 was the most ever in one year.
Juneau (21 units)
Sitka (14 units)
Haines (14 units)
Kenai (13 units)
Rest of State (32)
Ketchikan
What’s your greatest extravagance?
Either a good bottle of wine or a good bourbon.
What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Slovenia to do some hiking [for his 25th wedding anniversary next year].
What book is currently on your nightstand?
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. It’s based in Northern Italy and Slovenia, where we’re planning to go.
What do you do in your free time?
As much as I can with family, but I really enjoy playing hockey.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
A bald eagle. I’m a big Philadelphia Eagles fan.
by Kerry Tasker
Photos
Jason Metrokin
Leading one of Alaska’s most prosperous Native corporations might’ve seemed obvious for Jason Metrokin. He holds shares of Bristol Bay Native Corporation (inherited from his grandfather), while his father was president at Koniag regional corporation. Yet Metrokin applied his studies in business and marketing at National Bank of Alaska at first. “I didn’t pursue this as a career per se,” he admits, “but it was maybe a logical (unplanned) career move.”
When he became Bristol Bay CEO in 2009, Metrokin learned to appreciate the variety that comes with the job. He explains, “Engaging with the CEO of the Seattle Kraken one day, talking to school kids in the village of Manokotak the next, engaging in a new acquisition opportunity, or talking to employees in Jacksonville, Florida. Or moose hunting with the board chairman.”
Alaska Business: What’s your favorite local restaurant?
Jason Metrokin: Benny’s Food Wagon [in Midtown Anchorage]. As a kid, their tacos, burritos, rice, and beans were the best in town, so it really brings me back to my childhood.
AB: What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
Metrokin: My wife would appreciate me kissing her after work. Saying hello to the family and the dog. But I also enjoy watching sports [he laughs].
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?
Metrokin: I love to fly fish. I’m not an expert. There is a cast (if you’re familiar) called the double haul. It’s a tricky cast that has a lot to do with timing, but it really allows you to get distance.
AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform in concert?
Metrokin: The Who.
AB: What charity or cause are you passionate about?
Metrokin: Children’s programs: Camp Fire, Healthy Futures, and Covenant House.
AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?
Metrokin: Maybe I’ll start with my worst: I’m bad at saying no to things. I’m trying to get better… I would say my best attribute is being a good judge of character.
AB: What are you superstitious about?
Metrokin: Gosh. I don’t know that I’ve ever been asked that question before. I know there are superstitions… I’m just stitious—a little stitious.
AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Metrokin: On a hunting trip in Bristol Bay with my board chairman, I shot a moose. It was down for a period of time and got back up! It ran me over and got blood all over me before I shot it a second time… My wife refers to it as the Zombie Moose.
ADVERTISERS INDEX
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