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Weekly UpdatesShe's as confident as the day is long. But her humble beginnings are a constant reminder that keeps this Native leader in check and well-grounded.
She is also feeling optimistic and energized.
"I have a great staff and a great board ... ASRC has a bright future," said the new leader of Arctic Slope Regional Corp.
Her name is Roberta. But she's more comfortable just being called "Bobbi."
She has climbed the corporate ladder and now occupies the top rung. By her unassuming demeanor and modest presence, you wouldn't have a notion that this youthful woman oversees the largest Native corporation in Alaska.
Roberta "Bobbi" Quintavell feels comfortable in her new surroundings as president and CEO of ASRC, yet she dearly holds on to her roots.
"The fact that our cultural values are so grounded keeps me grounded. Our Inupiaq values help us make better decisions for the growth of the company.
"What I really enjoy is participating in subsistence activities. I find it tremendously rewarding to be ugruk hunting in the summer, walrus hunting and caribou hunting," says the 45-year-old Quintavell.
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"I really enjoy teaching my children, my grandchildren, nieces and nephews how important it is to respect the land and the animals that we subsist off of. It's that kind of grounding that keeps my life real."
BIG SHOES
Quintavell knows she has some big shoes to fill after being named to replace outgoing president Jacob Adams. Adams, a longtime Native community leader, stepped down after 23 years as ASRC's chief boss. In addition to managing a large business, he is a political and cultural leader, a former borough mayor, assembly chairman and whaling captain.
"I don't feel added pressure-no more that anyone else would feel if they were in my position," says Quintavell. "But I also recognize the fact that if it weren't for the accomplishments of the women that came before me, I may not feel the way I do today, because there have been many strong women inside of ASRC, inside of our development as Inupiat people."
As ASRC's retired president and CEO, Adams had nothing but praise for his successor.
"Bobbi Quintavell will lead the ASRC with the same commitment and values that I have, while at the same time bringing a new perspective to the role," said Adams.
"Her combination of work experience, education, dedication and drive made her stand out as a candidate for the most senior position within the corporation.
"I also am confident in the board's ability to remain true to our Inupiaq values while capitalizing on the fresh talent, vigor and abilities of our younger generation."
"It was Jake (Adams) who inspired me to go to college," said Quintavell. "I was at an annual shareholders' meeting when I heard him tell us that the next ASRC president would be a college graduate. I decided college was a way for me to try to make an even more meaningful contribution, so I went back to school to study business."
A graduate of the University of Alaska with a degree in management, Quintavell also completed the executive education program in management at Harvard Business School.
"Bobbi's strong grounding in Inupiat culture, coupled with her business experience and financial acumen, made her an excellent choice to lead ASRC in its next stage of growth," said Mark Kroloff, the corporation's senior executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Quintavell draws much of her strength from her Inupiat grandparents, who in part raised her.
"I was able, at a young age, to build relationships that transcend generations -that transcend time, and transcend occupations.
"My grandfather was a minister, so we traveled between the North Slope villages. I would feel right at home in any community where I stopped. I have relatives and deep-rooted relationships across the region."
Her grandfather also took a job as a mail carrier, allowing him an income to purchase things like a sewing machine and fabric that his wife would share with her friends throughout the region.
"That's what I mean by having sense of community," said Quintavell. "What they could do, they did."
The vibrant, Barrow-born Native woman has managed the giant $1.7 billion corporation since January, which is based in Quintavell's hometown. ASRC also has a large headquarters building in midtown Anchorage. Arctic Slope was founded in 1972 under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). ASRC, one of 13 regional Native corporations, represents eight Inupiat villages on Alaska's North Slope: Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright, Atqasuk, Barrow, Nuiqsut, Kaktovik and Anaktuvuk Pass.
Today, ASRC is the largest Alaskan-owned company, with nearly 10,000 Inupiat shareholders, rights to about 5 million acres of land, and more than 6,000 employees worldwide. The family of ASRC companies extends into the professional fields of high-end engineering, information technology, oil and gas support services, petroleum refining and distribution, construction and natural resource development.
SHAPING A LIFE
As the middle of five children and growing up in rural Alaska, certain influences shaped Quintavell's life, which guided her toward her current path.
"There were three events in my life that helped steer me in the direction of where I am today. First, was the birth of my oldest daughter (Bobbi is now the mother of two). Second, was the death of my father (Robert Brower Jr.), which made me wake up and realize that we have such a short time on this earth, that life is a not a fairy tale and we have to grow up quickly and try to make something positive with our lives. Lastly, when I was a village health aide at Anaktuvuk Pass, I helped with the delivery of a healthy, baby boy (Donald Gordon). I decided then and there (laughing) it wasn't the profession for me.
"My father was a carpenter/plumber, a 'MacGyver' kind of guy. (A reference to the mid-80s television series of the same name, about a character who had an uncanny knack for being able to solve any dangerous predicament with a variety of makeshift materials that were at hand.) He could take apart most anything, fix it and amazingly put it back together using his imagination, ingenuity with whatever material was handy. I really respected and admired him for that."
Quintavell's close-knit family is tied to her sense of community. Her brother, Poe Brower, is a whaling captain on a boat that landed a whale this past spring. And that healthy, baby boy she assisted in delivering ... is now a young man and also a crewmember on the very same boat that is captained by her brother.
"Whenever I see him, (Donald), I remind him all the time that he is the single reason why I'm in business and not in health care," says Quintavell, jokingly.
One of Quintavell's sisters, Jana Harcharek, is an Inupiat linguist. Bobbi is a fluent speaker and she and Jana collaborated on a book for ASRC shareholders, published in 2005, on understanding financial terms. Bobbi wrote the book, and Jana translated it into their Native tongue. Bobbi's other sister, Lorene, (Asi, as she is better known), lives in Wisconsin. Her other brother is deceased.
UNWAVERING BALANCE
Quintavell has an indelible connection to the land and to the people. The challenge for her rests in the delicate balance of forging ahead with pro-development projects while keeping the time-honored Native heritage alive.
"It's bittersweet when I travel from village to village now. I see that the balance between evolving from a subsistence, migratory sort of lifestyle to a cash economy has been a struggle for all Alaska Native people," said Quintavell. "I am committed to trying to maintain that balance, without compromising Native values.
"If we can go from having sod houses and animal-hide clothing to flush toilets and grocery stores, we can do anything. If I could get every kid through college and into an occupation of their choosing, what a reward! Whether its college or vo-tech training.
"You have their future in your hands. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't remind myself that decisions I make today will affect thousands of shareholders, and generations that are yet born."
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Quintavell stresses the importance of education by strongly supporting the mission of the Arctic Education Foundation (AEF), which is to help develop an educated, trained Inupiat professional work force ready to take on any job, particularly those jobs requiring professionals within the North Slope region.
Quintavell is just one example of many students who have benefited from AEF support. She started with ASRC in 1994 as a management trainee. She has advanced through the ranks of the corporation, assuming increasing responsibility, acting as an executive in ASRC's family of companies.
TO THE TOP
Her rise to the top in her professional career has elevated her from an assistant to the chief executive officer of Petro Star Inc.; to the vice president of corporate relations of Petro Star; to president/CEO and general manager of ASRC Constructors; to president of ASRC Construction Holding Co.; to the lofty position where she now sits. She has served on the ASRC board of directors since 2001, serving as the chair of the board's investment committee and co-chair of its audit committee.
"I've learned what it means to run a values-based company. Our Inupiat values are closely aligned with our business strategies. Our values define our corporate culture, and help us make decisions that positively impact our shareholders. As long as we stay true to our values, we can be open to making mistakes, in our quest to keep making things better," she said.
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