Alaska Business Monthly articles from December 2007

Alaska Business Monthly archives from December 2007

Christmas with the first family.(Season's Greetings)(Cover story)
December 1, 2007... Some of the Palin family's closest friends are dropping in to visit them over the Christmas holiday season. How about several hundred of their "closest" friends. It's all a part of the plans for holiday season festivities for Alaska's...

Reflections at the top: Gov. Palin rewinds her first year as Alaska's chief executive.(Sarah Palin)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's not on her resume yet, but "juggling" may soon be added to the list of job skills and accomplishments that Gov. Sarah Palin has performed during her first year as Alaska's top executive. She was handed the...

ABM available year-round on Alaska Railroad trains.(TRANSPORTATION)
December 1, 2007... Alaska Business Monthly will continue providing complimentary copies to the Alaska Railroad Corp. in its depots and on its trains. These copies reach the business traveler and tourists from around the world. The joint project was tested this...

Western tourism leaders converge in Anchorage.(TOURISM)
December 1, 2007... About 200 delegates from visitors bureaus in western states and Canada met in Anchorage in October for the 2007 Western Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus. The event was held at the Hotel Captain Cook. Organizers estimated the...

Testing company hits milestone.(MILESTONES)
December 1, 2007... A Kakivik Asset Management LLC team successfully performed 1 million hours of nondestructive examination and inspection services for ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. without a lost-time incident. The group worked at ConocoPhillips' Kenai, Kuparak and...

Power Association presents awards.(HONORS)
December 1, 2007... The Alaska Power Association honored several instate utilities for excellent safety records for 2006. The association, formerly known as the Alaska Rural Electric Cooperative Association, is the 56-year old statewide trade association for urban...

SBDC conducts business performance workshop.(SMALL BUSINESS)(Alaska Small Business Development Center)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Alaska Small Business Development Center's Alaska Performance Excellence program will conduct a free, self-assessment workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 11 at the BP Energy Center. The Alaska Performance...

Photography company inks Asian deal.(PARTNERSHIPS)
December 1, 2007... Alaska Stock Images signed distribution partnerships with two stock photo agencies, Top Photo Corp. based in China and Topic Photo Agency of Korea. Alaska company officials anticipate the agreements will buoy expansion into the Asian market....

Airline tests onboard wireless Internet service.(COMMUNICATIONS)
December 1, 2007... Alaska Airlines will begin testing an inflight wireless Internet service in spring 2008. The Seattle-based airline would employ Row 44's satellite-based broadband service. Successful tests would lead Alaska Airlines to equip its 114-aircraft...

UAA Project Management program earns accreditation.(EDUCATION)
December 1, 2007... The University of Alaska Anchorage's Master of Science in Project Management program received accreditation from the Project Management Institute Global Accreditation Center. The program, started in 2004, is part of UAA's School of Engineering....

Rich prospects; difficult circumstances: Alaska's offshore developments are full of promise.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Alaska's oil production future, while typically described as rapidly declining by many in industry, could receive a substantial kick in the pants from planned and potential offshore developments in the Arctic. ...

Web-based tools aid businesses: automated treasury solution simplifies cash management.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Corporate treasury professionals are being charged with ever-growing strategic responsibilities in an increasingly international business environment. That's especially true for treasurers in Alaska, where exports...

Top business stories of 2007: from politics to health care, from worker shortages to real estate, it was a year full of news.
December 1, 2007... Alaskans encountered a wide range of experiences throughout 2007, including bad news in the political and business arena, exploration of the world's largest concentration of copper and gold, a shortage of skilled labor, the cooling of the real...

Talkeetna's Winterfest brightens December weekends: Bachelor Auction and Wilderness Woman Contest top event list.(Alaska This Month)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] The darkest days of winter this December face a fierce enemy--Talkeetna residents united in joyful community celebrations and holiday lights brightening town buildings. The Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce...

December events calendar.(Calendar)
December 1, 2007... ANCHORAGE 1 David Finckel, Cello; and Wu Han, Piano David Finckel and Wu Han rank among the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world today. Their performances have garnered superlative praise from both press and...

Associated General Contractors honors top projects: name safety and Hard Hat Award winners announced.(AGC 2007 CONSTRUCTION AWARDS)(Mike Miller)(Roger Hickel)(Andy Milner Company)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The state's largest construction organization, the Associated General Contractors of Alaska (AGC), recognized its top projects, safety programs and individuals during the association's annual conference in Anchorage...

Cook Inlet Region Inc.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sophie Minich was appointed chief operating officer for Cook Inlet Region Inc. She previously served as CIRI's senior vice president of business development. Minich joined CIRI in 1993 and has served as director of...

National Consumer Cooperative Bank.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Anthony Alvarado was hired as vice president and business development officer in the National Consumer Cooperative Bank's Anchorage office. He previously served as a senior vice president at KeyBank in Anchorage. In his new role, Alvarado works...

Tryck Nyman Hayes Inc.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shaun McFarlane was appointed a shareholder at Tryck Nyman Hayes Inc. He is the waterfront engineering department manager at the engineering firm. His 18-year career has focused on North American marine and coastal...

Alaska Supply Chain Integrators.(Right Moves)(Heath Hilyard )(Michael Karchere )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Heath Hilyard has joined Alaska Supply Chain Integrators as business development coordinator. He previously served as committee aide to the Alaska House of Representatives Resources Committee. The company promoted Michael Karchere to...

Eklutna Inc.(Right Moves)(Curtis McQueen)(Jennifer Bailey )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Curtis McQueen was appointed chief executive officer at Eklutna Inc. McQueen started with the Alaska Native village corporation in 2005. He has 20 years of experience in government, business development, communications and project management....

Alutiiq Museum.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Sven Haakanson was chosen one of 24 national grant awardees from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. He will receive $500,000 to support his work in the next five years. Haakanson has served as executive director of the Alutiiq...

Elgee Rehfeld Mertz Certified Public Accountants.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Karen Brewer-Tarver was appointed a partner at the Juneau accounting firm Elgee Rehfeld Mertz. She previously served as a manager in the firm's audit/attestation division. She joined the firm in 2000.

Solstice Advertising.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Brooks Pleninger was promoted to creative director at Solstice Advertising. Kande Hein was promoted to account supervisor. Pleninger and Hein joined the company in 2005. Solstice Advertising is a division of Alaska Newspapers Inc., a subsidiary...

State Government.(Right Moves)(Department of Health and Social Services)(Bill Streur )(Cheryl Howdyshell)(Sherry Hill)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Bill Streur was appointed deputy commissioner for Medicaid and Health Care Policy at the state Department of Health and Social Services. He previously served as director of Health Care Services. Cheryl Howdyshell was chosen as deputy...

The Growth Co.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Pattie Moeller was hired as a senior human resources associate at The Growth Co. She specializes in technology and business process restructuring. Her 10-year career in technology includes department restructuring, audits for private- and...

Perkins Coie.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Three partners at the Anchorage law firm of Perkins Coie are listed on the Alaska Super Lawyers list. Tom Daniel, Eric Fjelstad and Jim Leik were recognized by a panel of their peers for their achievements in labor and employment, energy and...

Venture Development Group LLC.(Right Moves)(Esa Wiegert)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Esa Wiegert was hired at Venture Development Group LLC as project coordinator. Her career includes capital management and real estate experience from Alaska Permanent Capital Management and Sentinel Real Estate Corp. in New York City. She...

Federal Government.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Cherry Payne was appointed the National Park Service's superintendent at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Payne has serve as chief of interpretation and visitor services at Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks since 2000. She has...

Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corp.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Larry Cooper was hired as chief financial officer for Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corp., the Alaska Native village corporation for Barrow. Cooper recently worked for Wells Fargo Bank Alaska's commercial banking group as a senior vice president. He has 27...

Southeast Regional Resource Center.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sheryl Weinberg was appointed executive director at Southeast Regional Resource Center, a statewide educational nonprofit organization, providing student, district and community services. Weinberg has worked for the...

Credit Union 1.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Credit Union 1 hired Mary Holbrook as Midtown Branch manager in Anchorage. She most recently worked for First National Bank Alaska. Tina Zartman was promoted to Ketchikan Branch manager. She has worked at the credit union since 1999. Gia Fowler...

ECI/Hyer Architecture and Interiors.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jeff Hansen joined ECI/Hyer Architecture and Interiors. Hansen has worked for eight years in architecture in Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, handling posts from designer to construction administrator.

University of Alaska Fairbanks.(Right Moves)(John Kelley )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... John Kelley was honored by the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences for longtime work studying Arctic science. Kelley is a professor of chemical oceanography at UAF, which he joined in 1968. He received the...

SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Roald Helgesen was appointed the new president and chief executive officer at SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. He previously served as chief executive of the Dirne Community Health Center in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. SEARHC is a...

Lounsbury & Associates Inc.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Hans Hill joined Lounsbury & Associates Inc. as an engineering intern in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley office. He recently worked as a project manager for Ken Brady Construction Co.

Sealaska Heritage Institute.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Tlingit artist Doug (Kevin) Chilton of Juneau will carve a full-size traditional cedar canoe for display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The project, commissioned by Sealaska Heritage Institute, will...

TelAlaska.(Right Moves)(Jack Rhyner)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Jack Rhyner, president and chief executive of TelAlaska, received the Western Telecommunications Alliance President's Award. The group represents 250 rural telephone companies in 24 states west of the Mississippi River. The award recognized...

Golden Valley Electric Association.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Brian Newton was selected as the new president and chief executive officer at Golden Valley Electric Association in Fairbanks. Newton has served as president and chief executive of Consolidated Electric Cooperative in Mount Gilead, Ohio, for...

RE/MAX Properties.(Right Moves)(Peter Jarratt)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Peter Jarratt, received the honor of being named Alaska's Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) of the Year for 2007. Jarratt, a 33-year resident of Anchorage was recognized for his dedication and service to the community, Anchorage Board of...

Kavivik Asset Management.(Right Moves)
December 1, 2007... Kakivik Asset Management hired Harold Henry as advanced technology/business development manager. He previously worked for Acuren Inspection as general manager of advanced technology. Kakivik Asset Management of Anchorage provides...

State's oldest business celebrates 140 years of commerce: ACC/N C machinery revisit their shared history.(Alaska Commercial Company)(Company overview)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] No Alaska business holds a more storied place in state history than the Alaska Commercial Co. Seven days before the United States' $7.2 million purchase of Alaska became final, Hutchinson, Kohl and Co. of San...

Urgent care without the wait: emergency room alternatives arrived in Alaska in the 1980s and continue strong.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Have you sliced your finger recently and wondered whether you should go to the emergency room to have it stitched closed? Had a migraine and had your doctor's office tell you they can give you an appointment next...

Charting a course for Alaska waters: Alaska's cruise industry plans 2008 itineraries.
December 1, 2007... With tourism revenue continuing to fuel Alaska's economy, those who work in the travel industry ward off the chill of winter with a look ahead to the warm months of summer and the 2008 cruise ship preview. Next summer's tourism season has...

Alaska fisheries gain ground: history shows impact of sea's bounty on state economy.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This year's strong salmon harvest again highlights the value of seafood in the state's economy and, by association, the economic contribution of those who process the slippery catch. Such was the salmon bounty...

Picturing the future: entrepreneur 'realizes' renderings.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last spring when architectural project manager and laboratory designer Robert Meyer showed Alaska state officials renderings of what their Department of Health and Social Services state virology laboratory at the...

Trim a techie stocking: discover holiday gifts for the executives in your life.
December 1, 2007... Even the most devoted business executive is probably somewhat of a techie or do-it-yourselfer. This month, we talk about that executive. If you have one on your holiday list, he or she may appreciate some of the gift suggestions we have...

Alaska Business Monthly's 2007 IT directory.(Directory)
December 1, 2007... INTERNET SERVICES ACS (Alaska Communications Systems) 600 Telephone Ave. Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 297-3000 Fax: 297-3052 Top Executive: Liane Pelletier, CEO Web Site: www.acsalaska.com Established: 1999 AK...

Spotting 'forex' fraud.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With financial markets unpredictable, many consumers are re-evaluating their investment options. Solicitations to trade foreign currency contracts, also known as "forex," are particularly tempting. Ads for...

Diversification of the Alaska work force.(Alaska Trends for December 2007)
December 1, 2007... (Oct. 24, 2007) [GRAPHIC OMITTED] The Alaska economy is known for producing in four main sectors: oil and gas, tourism, fishing and timber. In 2001, employment in these four sectors accounted for 16.2 percent of the total non-farm work...

Alaska trends for December 2007.(Statistical table)
December 1, 2007... ALASKA TRENDS FOR DECEMBER 2007 Indicator Units GENERAL Personal Income--Alaska US $ Personal Income--United States US $...