Alaska Business Monthly articles from August 2003

Alaska Business Monthly archives from August 2003

Looking for a silver lining.(From the Publisher)
August 1, 2003... Business faces a troubled world these days. To rework an old cliche, if it weren't for bad news there'd be no news at all. It is easy to get bogged down in all of today's negativism. Should we have gone to war or not, where are the WMDs and...

Nobel Prize winner named to Rasmuson Chair.(Education)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Dr. Vernon L. Smith, a 2002 Nobel Prize winner in economics and professor of economics and law at George Mason University in Arlington, Va., was named to the Rasmuson Chair in Economics at the University of Alaska Anchorage last December. ...

Production to increase at Alpine field.(Oil & Gas)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:APC) recently unveiled plans to increase oil production capacity at the Alpine field on Alaska's North Slope. The Alpine Capacity Expansion Project Phase 1 (ACX1) will start up...

MTA will offer digital TV.(Technology)
August 1, 2003... MTA is celebrating its 50th anniversary by being among the first in the nation to offer its customers digital television service or DTV, the most technically advanced method of delivering television available today. The initial rollout...

Nonprofit receives $1.4 million muni contract.(General)
August 1, 2003... Na QENQ'A, a nonprofit subsidiary of Cook Inlet Housing Authority, has been awarded a $1.4 million contract with the Municipality of Anchor age to operate two new programs intended to increase the quality of affordable housing. A home repair...

New Microtel Inn in Alaska.(Lodging)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Emmi/List Partnership has recently held its grand opening ceremony for Alaska's second Microtel Inn & Suites in Eagle River. Microtel Inn & Suites is a budget hotel chain with more than 250 locations worldwide. "There's a real need in the...

Alaska exporters honored at Banquet.(Exports)
August 1, 2003... The Export Council of Alaska and the Alaska Export Assistance Center recently hosted the 17th annual Export Alaska Banquet where leaders from Alaska were joined by consuls general from Great Britain, New Zealand, Korea and the commercial consul...

Alaska's independents: smaller oil and gas companies are making their marks in the state.
August 1, 2003... New blood is coming into Alaska's oilpatch. The state's petroleum industry badly needs the transfusion. Smaller, aggressive and entrepreneurial independent oil and gas companies are now on the scene. They bring new ideas and fresh thinking...

Flour power: Two Sisters Bakery in Homer: they start their day at 3:30 a.m., and cater to locals and visitors.
August 1, 2003... To those who ask about the name, it's a little confusing--for starters, there are three women, not two. And they're not sisters. A decade ago when Two Sisters Bakery first began, there were two women. But then, they weren't sisters either....

First National Bank Alaska.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... First National Bank Alaska's Valley Centre Branch hired Jason Carroll as its new loan officer. Carroll, who holds a degree in finance from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has a background in government contracts. He will be one of two loan...

Pacific Rim Graphics.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Pacific Rim Graphics hired Alexis Roskelley Johnson as graphic designer, Robby Macdonell as Web developer/multi-media specialist, and Brian Dixon as art director. Roskelley-Johnson is a graduate of the Seattle Art Institute and specializes in...

The Rasmuson Foundation.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Diane Kaplan, president and CEO of the Rasmuson Foundation, was elected to the board of directors for the Council on Foundations at the annual meeting held in Dallas recently. Kaplan is the first Alaskan elected to serve on the board and will...

Koniag Services Inc.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Don Argetsinger of Anchorage was named chief executive officer of Koniag Services Inc., a subsidiary of Koniag Development Corp. KDC is the business arm of Koniag Inc., the Alaska Native regional corporation of the Kodiak area, owned by 3,300...

NANA.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Kevin Thomas, CPA, recently joined NANA as vice president and chief financial officer for NANA Regional Corp. Inc. and NANA Development Corp. Thomas will be responsible for the overall financial activities and assets of the corporations and...

Ribelin Lowell & Co.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... James J. Dooley was named chief operating officer/sales manager at Ribelin Lowell & Co. Insurance Brokers Inc. Dooley joined the firm from Kemper Cost Management Co. in Seattle where he was western regional sales manager. Prior to that, Dooley...

Alaska Department of Fish and Game.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Kevin C. Duffy, commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, appointed two deputy commissioners. David Bedford will serve as deputy commissioner for fisheries and Wayne Regelin will serve as deputy commissioner for wildlife. Both bring a...

Juneau CVB.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Ellen Kramer recently joined the Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau as the director of convention sales. Kramer brings five years of convention and meeting sales experience to the bureau. Prior to moving to Alaska, she was employed as a sales...

TelAlaska.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Telecommunications company TelAlaska was among 20 American companies recognized by Pat Summerall Productions as "Companies of the Year 2002" at a New York reception recently co-hosted by Summerall and Forbes magazine. TelAlaska President and...

Northrim Bank.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Barbara McKay was hired as vice president, branch administration operations, and Mary Perez was hired as president, branch sales and service manager for Northrim Bank. McKay has more than 20 years of experience in financial services, including...

Northern Economics Inc.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Jonathan King joined Northern Economics Inc. as a project consultant. King holds a master of science degree in environmental and natural resource economics from the University of Rhode Island.

PDC Inc.(Right Moves)
August 1, 2003... Matthew Emerson of PDC Inc. has received his professional registration to practice civil engineering in Alaska. He graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a degree in civil engineering and Bucknell University with a master of...

Attracting and keeping bank customers: they offer give-aways, create catchy slogans and design special vehicles to promote their financial institutions.
August 1, 2003... How do you select a particular bank or credit union for your financial needs? Banks and credit unions spend a lot of time and effort figuring out what we want and how we want those services delivered. Wells Fargo's vice president and marketing...

Alaska Cover-All LLC: this award-winning dealership constructs fabric and steel structures all over Alaska.(Business Spotlight)
August 1, 2003... Paul Nelson and his wife, An Fink-Nelson, are living the American dream of owning their own business. They are managers/owners of Alaska Cover-All LLC, a small dealership that constructs fabric covered, steel-framed structures for...

August 2003 calendar of events.(Calendar)
August 1, 2003... ANCHORAGE 9 Scared Scriptless Comedy Improv Features improvised scenes based on audience suggestions. For mature audiences only. Cost is $5 at the door. Showtime is 10 p.m. at Cyrano's Off Center Playhouse....

Alaska provides August summer fare.(Alaska This Month)
August 1, 2003... If an abundance of time was on your side, it is possible to spend almost the entire month of August enjoying the summer fun at Alaska's plethora of local and state fairs. If, like most, you have only a few days' time to spare, rest easy because...

Integrated technology: Alaska leads the pack: companies call on Alaska expertise to meet their technological needs.
August 1, 2003... "First in the nation for technology" is not an uncommon phrase in Alaska. Fifty or so years ago, a small cable television company in Ketchikan started broadcasting live local and locally originated programs to residents there. Long before...

The giving business: nonprofit service organizations run much like for-profit businesses, with one major difference.
August 1, 2003... Diane Kaplan is president of an organization that, by the end of the year, will list assets of an estimated $425 million. The bottom line is a constant concern. She works with a board of directors, and oversees a staff, a detailed budget and a...

Alaska's hubs: the state's economic centers are an important lifeline to Bush Alaskans.
August 1, 2003... We think of them as regional hubs: places like Anchor age, Bethel, Kotzebue and Barrow. They are the economic centers for their regions; points to which residents converge to gain access to the food, goods, health care, transportation and...

Comments from Tom Crowley.
August 1, 2003... "The work we have done throughout our storied 50-year history in Alaska has been immensely satisfying and gratifying. The pioneering spirit and can-do attitude of our people has helped us penetrate the Arctic with commercial tug and barge...

Crowley: people who know: 50 years in the 49th state.(Company Profile)
August 1, 2003... This is an exciting time for Crowley. The company has moved into the new century as one of the world's most dynamic and diverse organizations with core competencies in worldwide logistics, liner services, contract towing and transportation,...

Crowley: ship assist and escort.
August 1, 2003... Valdez is the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline, and that is where Crowley provides tanker escort and docking services as well as operates a world-class oil-spill prevention and response fleet. Crowley was there to assist in...

Crowley: energy and marine: support services to Alaska's oil patch.
August 1, 2003... Crowley provides a diverse scope of support services for the energy industry drawing upon several disciplines including upstream logistics, ocean towing and transportation, marine engineering, offshore construction support, oil storage and...

Crowley: petroleum services.
August 1, 2003... Crowley's equipment, facilities and people are important links in the social and economic fabric of many communities that rely primarily on a waterborne supply of fuel, building materials, equipment and consumables. The arrival of the "spring"...

Crowley Alaska history: Crowley entered the Alaska market in 1953. This year marks 50 years of their diligent and dedicated service to the business and the people of Alaska.
August 1, 2003... 1953 A Crowley company pioneers the use of bar to transport railcars filled with wood chips between Ketchikan and Prince Rupert, British Columbia. 1956 Crowley begins supplying the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Lice radar installations for...

Trade associations: promoting business and economic development in Alaska: they educate, they work with the Legislature, and they provide important services to businesses.
August 1, 2003... Trade associations in Alaska play many different roles--they provide change, education and reform. Many of these organizations feel proud of their accomplishments, whether the impact has been the success of a business, the passage of...

Fact or fiction: the world of Nanocosm.(Book Review)
August 1, 2003... "Nanocosm: Nanotechnology and the Big Changes Coming from the Inconceivably Small" By William Illsey Atkinson AMACOM, New York, N.Y. 2003, 306 pages, $24.95. The shape of things to come during the next decade will be very, very small....

Best-selling business books.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Here are the current beat-selling books for business. The list is compiled based on Information received from retail bookstores throughout the U.S. 1. Managing Up: How to Form an Effective Relationship with Those Above You. Rosanne...

Reprographic shops meet all printing needs: need a print job fast? Need it at a low cost? Local shops say they can help you.
August 1, 2003... It's 4:30 p.m. The boss comes to you and asks you to make 400 copies of a 50-page report--by 9 a.m. the next morning. You have dinner plans at 5:30 p.m. What do you do? Your company wants to put its logo on T-shirts for distribution at a...

Construction roundup.
August 1, 2003... Ah, summer. It's the time of yea that the bright colors of life burst out of the dreary, cold winter season. They surround us wherever we go: the radiant green leaves the blazing purple fireweed, the warm blue skies and the shockingly bright...

Hot houses in Anchorage: thanks to record-low interest rates, the Anchorage housing market sees continued growth.
August 1, 2003... It's a good time to be in the Anchorage housing industry. Houses are quickly selling at or above listing price while real estate agents, mortgage lenders and contractors are all busting a gut trying to keep up with the demands. Record-low...

Building defense: missile defense construction on schedule, but over budget.
August 1, 2003... The missile defense construction schedule is on track, and in some cases ahead of schedule, and should be done by the February 2004 deadline set by President George Bush. The Alaska portion of the program--which includes construction and...

Powering Fairbanks: Golden Valley Electric Association is gearing up for a power plant addition.
August 1, 2003... Fairbanks-based Golden Valley Electric Association, provider of power throughout Interior Alaska, is facing an enviable dilemma--how best to cope with increasing demand for its service. Thanks to steady residential growth and construction...

Anchorage Sand & Gravel celebrates 65th anniversary: nearly every contractor uses AS&G at some time or another.
August 1, 2003... Anchorage Sand and Gravel is a thriving, growing business that strives to meet the construction needs of the Alaska market. AS&G was started in 1938 by the Waldron family with a product line of sand and gravel. In the early days, the gravel...

Alaska trends for August.
August 1, 2003... ALASKA TRENDS FOR AUGUST Indicator Units GENERAL Personal Income--Alaska Millions of $ Personal Income--United States Billions of $ (SAAR) Consumer...

Bankruptcies in Alaska.(Alaska Trends for August)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Bankruptcies flied in Alaska have increased dramatically. In the period of one year, the total number of bankruptcies fried in Alaska increased by almost 35 percent. In April 2003, the total number of bankruptcies filed was 155, compared to 115...