Alaska Business Monthly

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Child ID theft: how to teach your child self-defence against identity theft.
Send a shredder to college. No kidding. No one is too young to be a target for identity thieves. A survey by the Federal Trade Commission found that nearly 10 million Americans discovered they wer . . .

Recruit and hire without getting sued: be careful what you ask when interviewing job applicants.
It's no fun replacing an employee. The downtime, negative impact on company spirit, and the expense of recruiting and hiring can make the experience unpleasant. Employers need to add to that list . . .

Protecting your IT assets: take care of your networks and computers, so hackers don't get in and private information out.
Spam, spy ware, Trojan programs, worms and viruses are on the rise and businesses need to understand that keeping such things out of computers and off of networks is a seemingly never-ending battle. . . .

PERS-TRS reform: how will it work? Signed into state law in late July by the governor, this reform will benefit the state. But w
Gov. Frank H. Murkowski has signed landmark legislation reforming the Public Employees' Retirement System and the Teachers' Retirement System. The legislation repairs a retirement system that was un . . .

Minding manners: experts from around the country give advice on how to make the best impression at business meetings, dinners an
"There ya' go," said the waitress as she handed me my change, slammed shut the cash register and twirled on her heels, leaving me alone. What ever happened to a simple "thank you," I wondered--or . . .

AT&T Alascom.(RIGHT MOVES)
Darren McLaughlin recently joined AT&T Alascom as a network design engineer. He recently served two years overseas as a lecturer of computer science in the Peace Corps. Before that he was an IBM eng . . .

The Marx Bros. cafe.(RIGHT MOVES)
Chef Jack Amon of Anchorage was the first Alaska chef invited to showcase his talents at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program's "Cooking for Solutions," held recently in Monterey, Calif. . . .

ASRC.(ASRC Energy Services, Darrell Harris recieves award )(Brief Article)
Darrell Harris, corporate director of quality with ASRC Energy Services, was named an American Society of Nondestructive Testing Fellow. The award is given to individual members of the society who d . . .

Thomas, Head & Greisen.(Stephen H. Sheaffer)(Brief Article)
Stephen H. Sheaffer, a director of Thomas, Head & Greisen, CPAs, has received the Business Valuator Accredited for Litigation designation from the Institute of Business Appraisers. The designation i . . .

Crowley marine services.(RIGHT MOVES)
Crowley Maritime Corp. has presented a Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship to Ilisagvik College student Darren Kayotuk, an Inupiaq Eskimo from Kaktovik. Kayotuk was selected based on his acad . . .

Northrim Bank.(RIGHT MOVES)
Northrim Bank President and CEO Marc Langland announced three promotions at the bank's Wasilla Financial Center. Rick Pinkerton has been promoted to assistant vice president and account executive. D . . .

Dorsey & Whitney.(RIGHT MOVES)
The law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP announced that Mike Mills has joined the firm as a partner. Mills joins Dorsey from the Anchorage firm of Bankston, Gronning, O'Hara, where he was a shareholder . . .

URS.(Michael Gray appointed)(Brief Article)
URS named Michael Gray as manager of its geosciences group for the Anchorage office. Gray joined URS as a geologist in 1988, and has since managed and performed various geologic and hydrogeologic pr . . .

HDR Alaska.(Rebecca Shaftel, Erin Cunningham, Jessica Manifold appointed)(Brief Article)
HDR Alaska's Environmental Services Section has added several new staff members. A new environmental scientist with HDR, Rebecca Shaftel, has four years of experience in wetland delineation, investi . . .

Perkins Coie.(leading law firm )(Brief Article)
Chambers & Partners, publishers of Chambers USA:America's Leading Lawyers for Business, has ranked Perkins Cole as a leading law firm in 19 different areas in markets across the country. In eight of . . .

The ways in which recycling pays: large or small, there are ways your company can help the environment.(Corporate recycling is g
Who hasn't heard the mantra, "Reduce, reuse, recycle"? Environmentalists urge private citizens and companies to reduce waste, reuse what they can and recycle what they can't to positively impact the . . .

A simple guide to EMS: not only has John Kinsella written the book on EMS, but he's also made the movie.(Environmental Managemen
My work with Environmental Management Systems began about 10 years ago--in Argentina. A client asked me what I knew about the new ISO 14001 standard, and I had to answer, "Not much." But I promised . . .

EMS: the next generation of Environmental Management: Plan. Do. Check. Act.
With increasing consumer awareness of environmental issues, some managers are thinking about how to "green" their businesses. Environmental Management Systems are one tool that can help. A well-de . . .

A season to remember: fall in Alaska: as summer passes, there's still plenty for Alaskans and tourists to do in the beautiful fa
The long days of summer are over, most of the tourists have sailed, driven or flown south, and Alaska's tourism industry seems to be taking a little break between the busy summer months and the ever . . .

Where to find Alaska Native artwork? New York, of course! This shop sells local artwork at prices beginning at $1,000.(Alaska Na
Sometimes you have to travel far from home to find a piece of home. Case in point, New York City. When you think of New York, it's hard to imagine an area more different than rural Alaska. And yet . . .

Energy woes for the Bush: rural areas suffer from energy shortage due to high cost of oil and transportation.(Alaska Native: BUS
It might be difficult to understand why Alaska, a state blessed with so many natural resources--especially oil and gas--can have segments of its rural population endure extreme prices and shortages . . .

Alaska Federation of Natives convention held in Fairbanks Oct. 17-22: will Anchorage get this coveted convention back?
There has always been a friendly rivalry between the state's two largest cities, Anchorage and Fairbanks. But in one arena, that rivalry has taken on a more serious tone, with competitive emotions r . . .

ASRC disagrees with judge's ruling: Arctic Slope Regional Corp. expects to top 2004's revenues.
Arctic Slope Regional Corp. is back on track following a decision by an administrative law judge for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that changed 2004 from the best operating performance ev . . .

From big to small, Alaska Native village corporations are thriving today: Alaska Native Village corporations, succeeding in ende
Today, 169 Alaska Native Village corporations, formed under the federal Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, operate from Prince William Sound to the Aleutians to the Arctic Slope, covering . . .

2005 Native Regional Corporations directory.(Directory)
Ahtna Inc. Ken Johns, President and CEO Mile 115 Richardson Hwy. Glennallen, AK 99588 Phone: 822-3476 Fax: 822-3495 WWW: ahtna-inc.com Shareholders: 1,200 Land Conveyed: 1,556,670 ac . . .

The 13 regional corporations in review: in 2004, the generated $3.4 billion and all but one reported revenue increases.(Alaska N
Whether calculating operating revenues, work opportunities or social-economic impacts such as education scholarships, cultural programs or dividend payments, Alaska Native corporations are becoming . . .

Writing a resume: tips for getting your foot in the door. Then keeping it there.
Writing a resume often strikes terror in the hearts of otherwise brave souls. The seasoned and highly regarded professional will most likely need to prepare many updated versions of his/her original . . .

Building a future beyond the anchorage land shortage: reaching for the sky, developers move upward and outward.
The Anchorage Bowl has long been a trailhead of trade reached via the narrow mountain passes or wide margins of water that enclose it. Now suitable undeveloped acreage is shrinking and Alaska busine . . .

Anchorage hosting 8th World Wilderness Congress: the World Wilderness Congress was initiated by the WILD Foundation in 1977 and
This month, Anchorage hosts a conference expected to include 1,000 delegates from more than 40 nations around the world, all gathering to consider the challenges facing the planet's wilderness, wild . . .

2005 September events calendar.(Calendar)
ANCHORAGE 2 Friday Night at the Zoo Gather for live music on the coffee shop lawn. Extended zoo hours. Begins at 7 p.m. For more information, phone 346-2133 or visit www.alaskazoo.org. 10 Scar . . .

Alaska natural resources: reaching the world: Alaska's natural assets add to state's sustainability.
Alaska is a state rich in natural resources. From its waters teeming with salmon, halibut and shellfish, to its vast acres of wilderness filled with old-growth forest, to its world-class deposits of . . .

Less than a decade: firewood for fuel? There is a shortage of gas in Cook Inlet, but is it all doom and gloom or will new explor
Is s Cook Inlet running out of natural gas? Some believe so, and the arithmetic shows why: 9 trillion cubic feet of gas have been discovered in the region. Seven trillion cubic feet have been used o . . .

Correction.(Correction Notice)
In a photo caption in an article titled "Associated Builders and Contractors Push Agenda," a picture of the Phase Powder Ridge housing development of Eagle River was featured. In that caption, it sa . . .

Seal pup flies to rehab.(Alaska Central Express Air Cargo )(Brief Article)
ACE Air Cargo recently flew an injured seal pup 800 miles from Dutch Harbor to Anchorage for treatment at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. Dutch Harbor residents found the four- to five-week-o . . .

PenAir staff gives Orin Seybert replicated plane.(Peninsula Airways Inc.)(Brief Article)
On Friday, July 22, employees of 50-year-old PenAir celebrated their remarkable anniversary by surprising Founder and Owner Orin Seybert with a replica of the first plane he used, a two-seat Taylorc . . .

Alaska Airlines contract to reduce state's bill.(TRANSPORTATION)
Air travel is a necessity in Alaska. With about the same limited population and highway miles as Vermont--but enough geography to accommodate the Green Mountain State 60 times over--Alaska officials . . .

New Web site offers access for eco-adventures.(TOURISM)
Alaska Native-owned and -operated Alaska Waters Inc. has launched an updated Web site. The site offers travelers access to planning international eco-adventure vacations. Visitors seeking profession . . .

CMI named Alaska Link-Belt crane distributor.(CONSTRUCTION)
Bill Stramer, vice president, marketing, sales and customer support, has announced the signing of Construction Machinery Industrial LLC (CMI) as the Link-Belt crane distributor for the state of Alas . . .

Northern Trust opens new brokerage.(new branch in Wasilla)(Brief Article)
Northern Trust Real Estate opened its newest brokerage in Wasilla, located at 1590 Financial Drive, Suite F-200, on the corner of the Parks and Palmer-Wasilla highways. Since opening the doors, th . . .

Alaskan legal firms ranked in Chambers USA.(LAW)
Chambers & Partners, based in London, recently published Chambers USA, which included Alaska's leading law firms. Chambers USA was first published in 2003. Those included in the latest book are: A . . .

Companies sign agreement to continue operation in Venezuela.(From the Publisher)(Reprint)
Faced with the threat of being forced to abandon operations in energy-rich Venezuela, eight oil companies signed an agreement with Venezuelan state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) that will for . . .

Can Alaska learn from OPEC?(From the Publisher)
There has been much debate and discussion about how Alaska treats, and is treated by, its North Slope oil producer partners. Recently, we reported that Saudi Arabia had thrown out a major for fail . . .

Yesterday and today: beyond hire and fire.(Human Resources)
Over the years, much has changed in human resources, which was initially called "personnel." The concept was introduced in the early 1980s as a natural result of the workers'' rights movement, which . . .

Alaska Trends for August 2005.(Illustration)
ALASKA TRENDS FOR AUGUST 2005 Indicator Units Period GENERAL Personal Income--Alaska Millions of $ 1stQ05 Personal Income . . .

Air passenger traffic for both Anchorage and fairbanks airports: Alaska Trends, and outline of significant statewide statistics,
Air passenger traffic at the Ted Steven's Anchorage International Airport has seen a decline from 329,200 passengers in January 2005 to 290,568 passengers in February 2005, indicating a more than 38 . . .

A new business challenge: can you run a business or work a job and care for aging parents effectively at the same time?
Trying to manage the care of aging parents or a disabled family member while trying to meet work responsibilities is a challenge that faces a growing segment of our population. As the huge demograph . . .

Selling your company: seven common pitfalls that can produce failure: business owners should be able to sell their company at an
For many owners, the sale of their company is the largest, most complex transaction of their career. Due to its magnitude and impact on their future, it also is one of the most stressful. A seller w . . .

Making your way in Washington, D.C.: ten ways to be your own Capitol Hill lobbyist.
Harry Truman was definitely onto something when he said, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." The nation's capital can feel cold and snobbish. The town is obsessed with money and power . . .

New forest products from Southeast Alaska: Prince of Wales Island hotbed for small sawmill operators bent on value-added commodi
Rick Cabe is a proud man. He has just finished installing a new Pinhiero planer at his sawmill in Thorne Bay on Prince of Wales Island, and he is happy to show it off. "I can make any type of patt . . .

The basics of video conferencing: reaching out from city to city, state to state, country to country: budget cuts have slashed m
As business continues to move in numerous directions, and distances, video conferencing is becoming increasingly useful. Alaska-based businesses can find great success in implementing such technolog . . .