Alaska Business Monthly

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Alaska USA Insurance Brokers.(Right Moves)
Gary Lamb was hired as an account executive and risk management consultant for Alaska USA Insurance Brokers' Soldotna office. Alaska USA Insurance Brokers is a subsidiary of Alaska USA Federal Credi . . .

Tutka LLC.(Right Moves)(appointments of Amber Hammontree and Joel Florian )(Brief article)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tutka LLC hired Amber Hammontree as an environmental scientist. Hammontree has more than six years of experience in environmental remediation, restoration and water quality. . . .

Northrim Bank.(Right Moves)
Esther Fouts was promoted to special credits officer I at Northrim Bank. She is responsible for monitoring the Consumer Banking Portfolio for delinquencies and for conducting appropriate collections . . .

Alaska Department of Revenue.(Right Moves)
Johanna Bales was hired as deputy director for the state Department of Revenue Tax Division. Bales previously supervised the division's excise audit group, which includes tobacco, cruise ship, minin . . .

Wells Fargo.(Right Moves)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Wells Fargo hired Stephanie Garrard as charitable contributions program manager for Alaska. She previously worked as investment management associate for Wells Fargo Private . . .

University of Alaska Fairbanks.(Right Moves)
Dusty Johnson was appointed program coordinator for the University of Alaska Fairbanks Tanana Valley Campus law enforcement academy. Johnson is a retired Fairbanks Police Department lieutenant. John . . .

Alaska Airlines.(Right Moves)
Alaska Air Group, parent company of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, appointed Megan Lawrence as managing director of government and community relations at its Seattle headquarters. Lawrence has ser . . .

Alaska Pacific Bank.(Right Moves)
[ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Daniel Vermedal was hired as assistant vice president and controller at Juneau-based Alaska Pacific Bank. He previously served as finance director for Catholic Community Se . . .

Jermain Dunnagan & Owens PC.(Right Moves)
Matthew Singer was hired as a shareholder at the law firm of Jermain Dunnagan & Owens PC. He earned a law degree from Lewis & Clark law school and clerked for Alaska Supreme Court Justice Alexander . . .

Credit Union 1.(Right Moves)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Credit Union 1 promoted Tom Mason to senior vice president/ chief financial officer. He has worked at the credit union for 1 year and has more than 25 years of accounting ex . . .

The Growth Company.(Right Moves)
Angie Richards was hired as a senior associate at The Growth Company. She has more than 10 years of human resources experience. Lynn Curry has earned the designation of Senior Professional in Human . . .

Wells Fargo Insurance Services of Alaska.(Right Moves)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Michelle Tabler was hired as the business development officer for Wells Fargo Insurance Services of Alaska, formerly Acordia of Alaska Inc. Tabler has 24 years of experience . . .

Big Wild playground: more than a million visitors travel to the great land each year.
Ever thought about visiting Alaska's Playground? How about stopping by Alaska's Emerald Isle or Alaska's Peak Experience or seeing what Winter Fun/Midnight Sun is all about? Maybe you just want to g . . .

Taking a new direction: ACE expands into passenger charter service.
ACE, formerly ACE Air Cargo, has expanded its services to include passenger charters, bringing a viable option to the business community, rural Alaskans and others around the state. Recently, ACE . . .

Entrepreneurs: doing it their way: what does it take to succeed as a businessperson?
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Do you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur? A good idea for a new product or service is not necessarily enough. It takes a special kind of person to turn drea . . .

Feasibility study to consider benefits of unified systems operation for Railbelt electrical utilities: affordable, reliable elec
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A study exploring the feasibility of unifying systems operation of Alaska's Railbelt electrical utilities is the next chapter in a story stretching back to 1969 when a citiz . . .

Taking care of Alaska's elderly: many programs in place to help family caregivers and frail seniors.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To become a successful businessperson takes a lot of time and effort, and many people spend much of their lives building and maintaining full-time careers. Yet even as these . . .

Senior Care of Alaska Inc.: working to re-establish identity after state program ends.
On July 28, 2007, Gov. Sarah Palin signed Senate Bill 4 to continue support for low-income older Alaskans through the Senior Benefits Program. While this continuation of financial resources will cer . . .

Red Dog shifts to production sharing: profits go to shareholders of all land-holding regional native corporations.(Nana Regional
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After nearly 18 years of producing zinc, lead and silver, the Red Dog mine in Northwest Alaska has finally recovered about a billion dollars in initial and ongoing capital c . . .

'Lift as we rise' supports new entrepreneurs: innovative program for Alaska women goes national.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In a business when a project has promise it's said to "have legs." If that's so, then the recently launched YWCA Anchorage campaign to help women start small businesses has . . .

Alaska Forest Association: half century of industry service: looking for 'peace in the Tongass.'.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Among the leaders of the Alaska timber industry, longevity is a common virtue. People working in the forest for a decade consider themselves newcomers. But even among the lo . . .

Alaska: tied to the Pacific Northwest: link an important and vital one.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I'm from Alaska," I tell the checkout clerk, showing my Alaska driver's license and a credit card. Alaskans, who occasionally shop on a trip to or through the state of Wash . . .

Preventive health care: good for employees and employers: diet, exercise, weight control helps prevent top five causes of death
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In Alaska, the primary causes of death are chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. But, ironically, these progressive diseases can be avoided with proper prev . . .

Importance of health screening and testing: assuring a healthier future.
When implementing a preventive health care program, health screenings are a good place to start, says Ruth Townsend, Alaska Regional Hospital's director of cardiac rehab, diabetes and nutrition cent . . .

Waste disposal: Hazmat to go: trash disposal has changed the way we live.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the good old days, getting rid of trash meant a quick walk through the house to the kitchen and the large, metal pail next to the sink, which stood ever ready to gobble u . . .

Afognak Native Corp. Acquires 3SG Inc: a rise-to-power success story.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This is a rags to riches, humble beginnings story of how the American Dream was achieved for Justin Burgess and Brian Evans of 3SG Inc. What began with two guys and a great . . .

A diamond in the sky: Alaska Airlines celebrates 75 years of service above the clouds.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Seventy-five years ago, this country was in the depths of a devastating economic depression, the Mars candy bar and Zippo lighters were introduced, a first-class stamp cost . . .

'Field of dreams' blossoms Port MacKenzie: diamond in the rough may turn out to be the newest jewel in SouthCentral's Tiara.(Mar
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Marc Van Dongen has been director of Port MacKenzie in the Mat-Su Borough since the 14-square-mile port district was nothing but a hand-drawn line on a borough map. One of . . .

Alaskan bankruptcies over 12-month period: Alaska Trends, an outline of significant statewide statistics, is provided by the Uni
[GRAPHICS OMITTED] (June 2006 to June 2007) Alaska has seen an average of 57 bankruptcies per month over the last year, with a high of 76 last October and a low of 39 in January of this year. No . . .

Clarification.(Correction notice)
In the July 2207 issue, in an article titled "The Beat Goes On" regarding the proposed natural gas pipeline, mention was made of the $500 million contribution to the project from the State. Addition . . .

Open season on Alaska.(From the Publisher)
It's true. A good offense is also a good defense. Perhaps that is why Alaska is the state folks love to hate in the Lesser 48. We're bigger, potentially richer (certainly in resources and prospects) . . .

AVTEC debuts new high-tech facility.(EDUCATION)(Alaska Vocational Technical Center )(Brief article)
The Alaska Vocational Technical Center in Seward opened its new $2.6 million Connected Education Center. The new facility provides technology which officials hope will boost student enrollment via o . . .

Nerland Agency's UA advertising campaign earns national accolades.(APPLAUSE)(University of Alaska)(Brief article)
The University of Alaska's statewide advertising campaign received six awards in two different national advertising contests. UA won a gold medal award and two silver awards for its uareelworld. c . . .

Alaska Airlines maintenance training honored.(TRANSPORTATION)
Seattle-based Alaska Airlines has received its sixth consecutive Diamond Award for maintenance-training excellence from the Federal Aviation Administration. This marks the third year in a row in whi . . .

ACVB, students create geocache trek around anchorage.(TOURISM)(Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau )(Brief article)
Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau and Central Middle School have developed a geocaching adventure to explore city landmarks. Geocaching Journeys combines global positioning systems technology w . . .

CIRI Alaska Tourism expands Seward offerings.(TOURISM)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kenai Fjords Tours added another vessel, the 150-passenger Aialik Voyager, to its Seward fleet this summer. The tour company is owned by CIRI Alaska Tourism Corp., the touri . . .

Seward Trolley shuttles visitors.(TOURISM)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Seward Trolley Car Co. this summer began operating seasonal public transportation between the town's cruise ship terminal, the Alaska Railroad depot and various downtown . . .

From go to slow: Cook Inlet oil and gas exploration and development dismal: on the one hand there are several large fields disco
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Political factors are now looming large in industry's consideration of further Cook Inlet oil and gas development, and there are now major uncertainties facing companies tha . . .

Taking the Road less traveled: tourists, commercial drivers share space on the Dalton Highway.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many adventurous travelers dream of visiting the Last Frontier and exploring its cities, villages and out-of-the-way places. But for the truly hardcore tourist, there's noth . . .

Web site security, design and development: caution is key when building and maintaining web sites: sensitive information can now
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A few years back, a group of University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) business students were assigned a presentation for board members of a hypothetical company. Many of the cla . . .

From project 80s to the present: resurgence of construction in Anchorage recalls earlier time.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Back in the early 1980s, Alaska underwent a building boom, funded by oil royalties gleaned from the newly constructed trans-Alaska oil pipeline. As millions of dollars poure . . .

Close quarters: higher-end office space is in demand, but in short supply. New construction will change that.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Searching for higher-end office space in Anchorage? Good luck. "There wasn't any multi-tenant office space constructed in Anchorage between 1986 and 2003," said Chris Stephe . . .

Solstice Advertising.(Right Moves)
Amy Sparck Dobmeier was hired as marketing coordinator at Solstice Advertising. Dobmeier will be responsible for marketing the agency's services, with specific emphasis on Native corporations and Na . . .

NACLink.(Right Moves)
Roslyn Mitchell was hired as general manager of NACLink, the freight-forwarding division of Northern Air Cargo. Mitchell has 16 years of operations and customer service experience in the Alaska tran . . .

State of Alaska.(Right Moves)(appointment of Kathy Matsumoto at Alaska Board of Parole)(Brief article)
Kathy Matsumoto was appointed executive director for the Alaska Board of Parole. She most recently worked as a parole board administrator with the Arizona unit. In her 17-year career with the Alaska . . .

Federal Government.(Right Moves)(appointment of Henri Bisson )(Brief article)
Henri Bisson was chosen as acting senior advisor to Interior Department Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. Bisson replaces Drue Pearce, whom President Bush nominated as federal coordinator for Alaska Natura . . .

ASCG Inc.(Right Moves)(appointment of Christa Besing )(Brief article)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Christa Besing was hired as a structural engineering intern for the Anchorage office of ASCG Inc. Besing earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Georgia Ins . . .

Patton Boggs LLP.(Right Moves)
Walter Featherly was chosen managing partner of Patton Boggs LLP's Anchorage office. The law firm, based in Washington, D.C., has offices nationwide. Featherly spent more than 25 years focusing his . . .

WorkSafe Inc.(Right Moves)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WorkSafe Inc. has hired Tom Englehart as its new director of operations. Englehart previously worked at Magellan Health Services in Anchorage, where he served as an account . . .

Venture Development Group LLC.(Right Moves)(appointment of Matthew Fairbanks at Anchorage Rental Car Center Facilities)(Brief ar
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Matthew Fairbanks was chosen manager for the Anchorage Rental Car Center Facilities at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The commercial car rental facility, which . . .