Alaska Business Monthly

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Computers: the 'weak link'? How do businesses reduce the maintenance costs and eliminate the hidden costs of their computer netw
Do you feel like your computers don't work as well as they should? Are they a weak link in your employees getting their work done on time and correctly? This is the truth for many small businesses. . . .

R&M Consultants.(Right Moves)
R&M Consultants Inc. announced that founding partner James W. Rooney, P.E., has retired as president of R&M. His work included participating in the initial geotechnical studies and route selection f . . .

Weston Solutions Inc.(Right Moves)
Weston Solutions Inc. announced that Dr. Jay McKendrick joined the company as a principal biologist to support and grow its Alaska operations' biological and ecological services. McKendrick has 34 . . .

NAWIC.(National Association of Women in Construction)(Brief article)
Tamie Taylor of Anchorage will be the next president of the National Association of Women in Construction. Taylor was installed recently as president-elect at NAWIC's 51st annual meeting in Kansas C . . .

Northrim BanCorp.(Right Moves)
David Wight joined Northrim BanCorp Inc.'s (Nasdaq: NRIM) board of directors. Wight recently retired as the president and CEO of Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., a position he held since 2000. He had a . . .

Alyeska Title Guaranty Agency.(Right Moves)
Beth Knight recently was promoted to title department manager with Alyeska Title Guaranty Agency. She has more than 23 years experience in the title insurance industry, including 13 years of commerc . . .

Alaska Business Monthly.(Ben Grenn appointed)(Brief article)
Alaska Business Monthly announced the addition of Ben Grenn to its staff. Grenn, a 40-year Alaska resident, joins the staff as the full-time staff writer, with more than 10 years experience as a f . . .

Top business stories of 2006: from pipeline shutdowns, to the gas line, to VECO investigations, Alaska business news makes headl
From shake-ups in the governor's race to shutdowns in BP's oilfields, 2006 was a very exciting year for the people of Alaska. There was good news on a lot of fronts-the construction and mining indus . . .

2006 film fest bigger--and better--than ever: hosted in Anchorage, this event is sure to draw crowds.
This month, Alaskans with a passion for film have the chance to indulge in some unusual big-screen fare, thanks to the 2006 Anchorage International Film Festival-now in its sixth year. Organizers sa . . .

November calendar.
Palmer 9-10 Colony Christmas Old-fashioned country Christmas celebration featuring sleigh rides, caroling, arts and crafts. For more information, phone 745-2880. Seward 1-2 Holiday Bazarr . . .

December calendar.
ANCHORAGE 1-3 Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge In this satirical look at the Christmas Carol, American playwright Christopher Durang pays tribute to all those "nauseating remakes and rep . . .

AGC: recognizing those who build Alaska.(Associated General Contractors of Alaska)
Construction is the 800-pound gorilla in the room. It is the third-largest industry in Alaska and contributes more that $7.2 billion to the state's economic base, pays the second-highest wages and e . . .

Alaska's top contractors win construction recognition: AGC honors many in annual conference.(AGC 2006 CONSTRUCTION AWARDS)
The Associated General Contractors of Alaska (AGC), a 650-member association of companies in the commercial construction business, honored its top projects, safety programs and individuals during th . . .

Alaska's growing tourism industry--a new winter destination for conventions: with the new convention center under construction,
More conventions are happening in Anchorage in the winter. What's happening to create this? Typically, the summer season in Alaska enjoys multitudes of tourists. At this time, hotel rooms are book . . .

Winter getaways: some hibernate in Alaska, some flock to warmer climates, but Alaskans enjoy winter either way.
For most of the Northern Hemisphere, vacations occur in the summer. People head for the beach, hit the national parks, visit family and--as Alaskans know all too well--travel north to The Last Front . . .

Alaska ski resorts: glide, swoosh and race down Alaska's mountains.
Alyeska may be the jewel of Alaska ski resorts, but it's hardly all that sparkles in this Mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. Winter offers a patchwork of resort development, mom-and-pop-style operations . . .

Fairbanks natural gas plans North Slope facility: as Cook Inlet supplies dwindle, Fairbanks taps into the North Slope.
Given the lack of development of alternative natural gas supplies in the Interior and the dwindling supply of Cook Inlet gas causing availability issues and price increases, Fairbanks Natural Gas is . . .

Interior gas projects stalled: gas exploration and development on slowdown: State and federal government blamed.
Efforts to explore and develop sources of natural gas in locations other than Alaska's North Slope and Cook Inlet appear to be steadily grinding to a halt, and industry is pointing to the state and . . .

"Solutions".(Book review)
"Solutions" By Lynne Curry, Ph.D. She's done it again! For the third time, Alaska's management maven Lynne Curry, Ph.D., and president of the Growth Company Inc., has authored a deskbook of soluti . . .

Alaska USA to acquire anchorage Willis of Alaska.(INSURANCE)
Alaska USA Insurance Brokers, a subsidiary of Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Anchorage office of Willis of Alaska. The transaction is expecte . . .

Crowley to build four more ATBs by 2010.(TRANSPORTATION)
Crowley Maritime Corp.'s Vessel Management Services subsidiary has signed a contract with VT Halter Marine Inc. to build four more articulated tug-barge (ATB), 185,000-barrel tank vessels. The new v . . .

Driver shortage prompts new Carlile campaign.(Carlile Transportation Systems)(Brief article)
Carlile Transportation Systems has launched a new campaign, "Careers at Carlile," designed to recruit qualified and experienced drivers. The American Trucking Association says the trucking industry . . .

VCRS plans new educational recycling center.(ENVIRONMENT)
Valley Community for Recycling Solutions is running a capita) fundraising campaign to build a 30,000-square-foot recycling center-a 20,000-square-foot plant with 5,000 square feet for an education c . . .

Canadian-U.S. marketing group lauded.(MARKETING)
North to Alaska, a marketing consortium comprising the Alaska Travel Industry Association, Travel Alberta, Tourism British Columbia and Yukon Tourism, recently was awarded the Travel Industry Associ . . .

UCM exports coal to South America.(TRADE)
The panamax vessel MV Coral Sapphire departed Seward recently loaded with 73,000 metric tons of Alaskan coal from Usibelli Coal Mine in Healy. The shipment is bound for a power plant in Mejillones, . . .

Alaska trends for November 2006.(Statistical table)
ALASKA TRENDS FOR NOVEMBER 2006 SPONSORED BY AMERICAN FAST FREIGHT Latest Re . . .

Monthly building permit fluctuations in Anchorage.(Alaska Trends for November 2006)
In a long-term perspective, building permit valuations in Anchorage rose significantly during the yearlong period from July 2005 until July 2006, with a dramatic spike in June 2006. The combined res . . .

Daylighting.(ARCHITECTURAL CHALLENGES)(Brief article)
Alaskans have a special relationship to daylight. It's feast or famine: either we have sun all day and all night, or we have precious little, for months on end. Perhaps that's why Alaskans want all . . .

Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp., Community Health Services Building.(Case Study)
--BETHEL-- The Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp. (YKHC), a Yup'ik Eskimo nonprofit health corporation, serves 47 villages in Southwestern Alaska. YKHC required a building to consolidate several existin . . .

Thinking outside the box: architectural design in Alaska is difficult, requiring much research and education.(SPECIAL SECTION: B
In the 49th state, Mother Nature commands respect. Alaska is one-fifth the land area of the United States. It has the coldest climate in the nation, with permafrost underlying 80 percent of the land . . .

Founder's vision key to Arctic Structures' success: family owned business manufactures, sells and rents modular buildings.(SPECI
Forty-five years ago, Harry Pursell started a business renting and selling camping trailers, and as his business grew, he began manufacturing mobile homes and camps. Seeing the potential in such a b . . .

Anchorage creating new land-use code: the new Title 21 is not being written only for today or tomorrow, but rather for many year
The Municipality of Anchorage is in the process of creating a new land-use code to replace the existing one that has been in place for nearly 40 years. Known as Title 21 (referring to its place in t . . .

United Rentals: Alaska roots but worldwide presence: 'the right equipment, right now.'.(SPECIAL SECTION: BUILDING ALASKA)(Compan
United Rentals has been in business in Alaska for three decades. Initially, the company was Stephen's Tool Rentals/A&B Tool Rental, located in Soldotna, Anchorage and the Matanuska Valley. This coll . . .

Intelligent buildings: the intelligent building niche market is still relatively new to Alaska, though many elements of intellig
Intelligent buildings are becoming increasingly popular, and thus becoming more in demand these days. One of the main benefits associated with intelligent buildings is energy efficiency. Rising cost . . .

State moves to new construction program: construction-manager-at-risk contract guarantees maximum price and provides other benef
Under contract with the State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, RIM Architects is moving forward with the design of upgrade projects to Anchorage's Ted Stevens Internatio . . .

Boom continues: Anchorage construction hits record high: from hospitals, to schools, to new malls and incoming retail and restau
Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich calls the 2006 construction season "a record construction boom, with nearly $500 million in new building permits" during the first half of the year. In his 2006 State of . . .

Great Alaska Shootout gets national and local television coverage: this popular collegiate basketball tournament will be held in
For nearly 30 years, collegiate basketball fans have watched as their favorite teams have clashed in an annual tournament held in Alaska. And for many of those years, portions of what is now the Car . . .

November calendar.(Calendar)
ANCHORAGE 2 Thursday Night at the Fights Clubhouse boxing held most Thursdays, fall through spring. General admission, $12.25; seniors and military, $10.25. Beginning at 7:30 at the Egan Civic C . . .

Fishing industry huge in Alaska: fifty percent of U.S. seafood production is produced in the state.(Company overview)
You've undoubtedly heard the old joke about the seafood diet. Two friends are sitting at a restaurant and one turns to the other and says, "Did you know that I'm on the seafood diet?" And the one fr . . .

Another option in education: Alaska's Career Academy celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Alaska's Career Academy's 20th anniversary celebration began with a massive campus-wide expansion and the grand opening of the therapeutic massage specialist program with a student clinic that focus . . .

Wells Fargo.(Right Moves)
Matt Martin was named store manager for Wells Fargo's Sand Lake banking store on Jewel Lake Road in Anchorage. Martin joined Wells Fargo in February 2005 as a personal banker trainee and served as . . .

Clarus Technologies.(Right Moves)
Clarus Technologies LLC Environmental Services Division was recently awarded a $7.5 million environmental support services contract through the U.S. Coast Guard Facility Design and Construction Cent . . .

RIM Architects.(Right Moves)
RIM Architects has added Molly Troup as a new intern architect to its Anchorage office. Troup brings five years of design experience with a Minneapolis-based architecture firm. She received a bachel . . .

Koniag Inc.(William Anderson Jr.)(Brief article)
At their June meeting, the Koniag Inc. board of directors named former director and Senior Vice President/Finance William Anderson Jr. as the new president and chief executive officer of Koniag. A . . .

Walsh Sheppard Flynn.(Right Moves)
Walsh Sheppard Flynn, a marketing communications firm, has named Maggie Moran as copy director. Moran began her work with the firm in 2002. Until her promotion to copy director, she managed key ac . . .

Pacific Alaska Forwarders.(Door to Door Moving Inc. provides new service to Alaska)(Brief article)
Pacific Alaska Forwarders partnered with Door to Door Moving Inc. to provide a new service unique to Alaska. Door to Door Moving crates are delivered to a residence and placed on the ground by forkl . . .

ASCG Inc.(Arctic Slope Consulting Group appoints new staff members)(Brief article)
ASCG Inc. announced the hiring of new staff members for ASCG's Anchorage office. Jeanette Matthews joined ASCG as the Alaska Operations regional controller. Matthews is an experienced senior-level . . .

USKH Inc.(Right Moves)
USKH Inc. announced the recent hire of five new civil engineering professionals to provide transportation, aviation, utility and site design services on projects throughout Alaska. Recent addition . . .

Peninsula Airways Inc.(Orin Seybert, Danny Seybert, Lloyd Seybert, Ruth Davis , Melissa Anderson )(Brief article)
Peninsula Airways Inc. (Penair) announced some management title changes and new hires. Orin Seybert was named chairman/ CEO. Danny Seybert is now the corporate president/COO. Danny Seybert has been . . .

That's not all folks: the mineral industry is doing well in 2006, and expects to make advances in 2007.(2006 Mining Special Sect
Dozens of other exploration projects were active in Alaska in 2006 (See mainbar on page 74). Many of these are still active or are awaiting analytical results from work already completed. As a conse . . .