Alaska Business Monthly articles from December 2004

Alaska Business Monthly archives from December 2004

Correction.(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2004... In an article in our October issue titled "Planning for the Future: Trusts and Escrows," First National Bank Alaska was referenced as FNBA on first reference. The company's full name should have been used.

Security Aviation boosts safety measures.(TRANSPORTATION)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Anchorage-based Security Aviation Inc., a non-demand air charter company located at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, has increased its aircraft hull liability and commercial general liability insurance level to $20 million smooth....

Ship Creek Center appealing to tourists.(TOURISM)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The Ship Creek Center in downtown Anchorage is becoming a must-see attraction for tourists. At the corners of Third/Fourth avenues and D Street, visitors can find two new larger-than-life wall murals of the Iditarod race and its winners. On the...

Chamber creates leadership opportunities for women.(CHAMBER NEWS)
December 1, 2004... The ATHENA Foundation of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to creating leadership opportunities for women. The prestigious ATHENA Award Programs recognize individuals and companies on local, state, national and international...

Chugach Corp. announces dividend.(NATIVE BUSINESS NEWS)
December 1, 2004... At a board meeting held recently, the Chugach Alaska Corp. board of directors announced a dividend of $14 per share for the first six months of 2004. The typical shareholder with 100 shares received a check for $1,400. "The board would...

Mat Maid debuts new look at Make it Alaskan festival.(MANUFACTURING)
December 1, 2004... Alaska dairy processor Matanuska Maid surprised visitors at the opening day of the Make it Alaskan festival with a live installation of full color graphics onto one of their 30-foot container vans. The installation carefully mounted the...

Grant helps Mat-Su and Delta Junction families.(GRANTS)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Hundreds of economically and educationally disadvantaged adults and families will receive training in money management skills this year through HRC Inc. in Wasilla. The agency was one of 37 in the country to receive a grant from the American...

Exploration flat: majors need prospect of big discoveries: a good argument can be made that the industry worldwide isn't working as hard as it could to find new oil.
December 1, 2004... Where are all the drill rigs? Still stacked, that's where. Despite the spike in oil prices, the rigs are mostly still in their storage yards. Given all the cash rolling into the industry from high prices-and the current extreme...

The market is rich and the reach is far.(Cover Story)
December 1, 2004... As Alaska strives to expand and diversify its economy, overseas exports are playing an increasingly important role in achieving this goal. The export of natural resource commodities, value-added products and technical services are serving to...

Top business stories for 2004: from the gasline to tourism to exports, 2004 was a good year for Alaska.
December 1, 2004... It has been a good year for Alaska's business communities. What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, one of the major business stories was Alaska's "budget woes." The media was filled with chatter about slashing budgets, and...

Republican Main Dominance in 2004: donkeys powerless to gain ground on Capital Hill or in Juneau.
December 1, 2004... The day after elections it was snowing both in Anchorage and Fairbanks, and Juneau was getting a bath as dark rain clouds slowly rolled across the region. There wasn't much sun over the state or Alaska's Democratic Party. But for the...

Klebs Mechanical Inc.(Right Moves)(appoints Dannie Pearson)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Klebs Mechanical Inc. promoted Dannie Pearson to sales/ marketing manager, in addition to his duties as IT manager. Pearson's prior experience includes operating his own company, Minds Eye Marketing, as well as 10 years of television broadcast...

Alaska Support Industry Alliance.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2004... Members of the Alaska Support Industry Alliance elected five new members to the 2004-2005 Alliance board of directors. Elected directors serve three-year terms. The five elected by membership this year are: Caroline Higgins, Alaska market...

Chugach Alaska Corp.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2004... The results of the 31st Chugach Alaska Corp. shareholders' annual meeting include the election of David Totemoff and Roxanne Akerlund as new directors on the board, and the re-election of incumbent Director Edgar Blatchford. Sheri Buretta was...

Municipality of Anchorage.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2004... An article titled: "Our Pick of Hot Logistics Locations" appeared in Business Facilities September issue in which Anchorage, second only to Memphis, Tenn., is featured as one of the top three "hottest locations from which to manage logistical...

AT&T Alascom.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2004... Glenn Bunker recently joined AT&T Alascom as an account executive, signature clients. Most recently, Bunker has been working as a consultant. Prior to that, he was a vice president and general manager of ACS Wireless. He has 15 years experience...

First National Bank Alaska.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2004... Pam Wentz will serve as branch manager of First National Bank Alaska's latest addition, the new Johansen Branch, currently under construction in Fairbanks. Wentz began working for First National as a teller in 1978, and has since worked in a...

Providence Health System.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2004... Providence Health System in Alaska gained a new board member recently as Debby Sedwick accepted a position as a member of its Alaska region board. Sedwick, president of Alyeska Title and Guaranty Agency, is a long-time supporter of Providence...

CIRI.(Right Moves)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Dawn Kimberlin was hired as the community relations specialist for CIRI, one of the 13 Alaska Native regional corporations. Kimberlin will oversee CIRI's strategic philanthropy program, corporate giving and coordinating community participation....

Northwest Strategies.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2004... Northwest Strategies announced the addition of the Alaska Marketing Group to the company. The new division, which specializes in strategic consulting, integrated marketing campaigns and consumer-based communications, is added to the repertoire...

Forest Service.(Right Moves)(Alaska Forest Service Contracting)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Former Alaska Forest Service Contracting Officer Mary Anne Young was selected to lead acquisition management for the entire Alaska region of the Forest Service. Young, a procurement analyst with the Forest Service National Office in Arlington,...

Alaska Airlines.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2004... Alaska Airlines appointed William L. MacKay to senior vice president/Alaska. A 28-year veteran of the company, MacKay will reside in Anchorage and continue to be responsible for the airline's public and government affairs division system wide....

ACE.(Right Moves)(apooints Steve Endlich )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... ACE air cargo named Alaska aviation veteran and software developer Steve Endlich manager of information technology. Endlich has deep roots in Alaska aviation and logged 13 years as a commercial pilot in the state during the 1980s and '90s. He...

Prince William Sound Cruises & Tours.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2004... Princess Cruises presented Prince William Sound Cruises & Tours with the 2004 "Alaska Shore Excursion of the Season" award for its Blackstone Bay Cruise out of Whittier. This award is based on positive written comments from Princess cruise ship...

Alaska Home Builders Association.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2004... The Anchorage Home Builders Association hired Paul Rieland as marketing and events coordinator. Prior to joining AHBA, Rieland worked for Land Title of Alaska and The Dean Co./Alaska Showcase Homes in coordination, sales and marketing...

December 2004 calendar of events.
December 1, 2004... ANCHORAGE 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 Traditional Irish Music Sessions Kick up your heels at this weekly Celtic dance with local musicians. Snow City Care, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. For information, phone 272-2489. 2 Kids Fest Music,...

Talkeetna: gets wild about winter: this annual event attracts worldwide attention and puts women to work.(Alaska This Month)
December 1, 2004... Informal is a perfect word to describe Talkeetna. Located roughly halfway between Anchorage and Denali National Park, it is a short side trip down the Talkeetna Spur Road off the Parks Highway. It also is a perfect staging area for mountain...

Bulk-water export still on hold: Sitka can bank on its water and may eventually help ease water shortages elsewhere in the world.
December 1, 2004... As recently as this past fall, Sitka officials and principals of an international beverage distribution firm still hoped that the long-awaited first bulk-water sale from Sitka would finally get under way. For the last decade, Sitka has been...

Sawmill Cove Industrial Park: a company town takes in on: a vacant facility takes on new life and provides nearly 80 new jobs.
December 1, 2004... When the Alaska Pulp Corp. mill was in its prime, Sitka was a company town, enjoying the benefits of 450 well-paying manufacturing jobs, generous charitable donations and significant tax payments to the city coffers. The mill, built in 1957,...

Knowledge-based economy: what it is and what does it means: fifteen executive-level people representing a cross-section of industry and academic perspectives participated in this Executive Forum on knowledge-based economy.(Digest of the proceedings: UAA-ABM Executive Forum Sept 22, 2004)
December 1, 2004... (The concept of an Executive Forum stemmed from the UAA College of Business and Public Policy Business Policy Advisory Council. The quarterly events bring together leaders from business and academia in discussions of topics of contemporary...

Anchorage law firm celebrates 25 years: thank you Alaska: Preston Gates & Ellis has grown from representing boroughs, municipalities and states to representing an ever-growing array of clients on a variety of legal issues.(BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2004... When Preston Gates & Ellis LLP opened its Anchorage office in 1979, it was at the request of clients who had asked the firm to establish an Alaska presence. Twenty-five years later, the full-service law firm is still putting the needs of its...

Memorable meetings and events: whether it's a small get-together for the office staff, or a larger offering that includes family members, planning is the key to success.
December 1, 2004... Despite advances in telecommunications, face-to-face meetings still benefit business. Call it the warm, fuzzy factor, we like seeing people in person. Whether it's a bash to reward employees, an inspiring training meeting or a time to schmooze...

Protecting yourself: insuring property and business: every company should periodically review their business insurance needs to ensure they are protected from disasters and workplace issues.
December 1, 2004... Though a series of economic factors and natural catastrophies left the insurance world reeling in the 1990s, that pattern has proven itself naturally cyclical, with the expensive lows balanced by periods of relative calm. Indicators suggest...

Small business and information technology: the top three security issues of a small business are affordability, external threats and internal challenges.(Company Profile)
December 1, 2004... Remember when only doctors wore pagers? Or when checking server status meant dialing into your network by modem? Now most everyone checks e-mail after hours or works on business projects at home. From a small-business owner/ operator...

The new age of office furniture: change, flexibility and growth are key issues facing business organizations today and office furniture should be a part of business decisions.
December 1, 2004... Office furniture is changing today because of computer technology, worker mobility and ergonomics. Local Anchorage office furniture stores note that though many lawyers, military officials and executives still prefer traditional furniture, many...

Smart sales: protect your customer while minimizing costs: credit card terminals and point-of-sale systems are a critical decision in merchants' operations.
December 1, 2004... Today, productivity and efficiency are the drivers for every industry. The complex network of partners and suppliers that help businesses get products to market are second only to customers. Now, suppliers in your value chain need to adapt and...

Fractional ownership: buy into a willow retreat: enjoy the benefits of owning a part of an Alaska-getaway cabin.
December 1, 2004... To break the shackles of daily toils, frustrations and hustle-bustle lifestyles, people are always in search of a great escape. Pursuing that fantasy has spawned individuals many ways to find rest--and relaxation; they purchase recreational...

The ABCs of credit reports and credit rating: check your credit rating from a credit reporting agency at least once a year for your protection.
December 1, 2004... The credit scoring system allows lenders to evaluate a potential borrower's creditworthiness. The system predicts financial risk over time, and is used by lenders, insurers, landlords, employers and utility companies to evaluate your credit...

Employment throughout Alaska: (September 2003-September 2004).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... (SEPTEMBER 2003-SEPTEMBER 2004) The total number of employed individuals throughout Alaska has steadily grown in the period of one year. The total number of individuals employed in Alaska was 325,384 in September 2004, compared to 311,961...