Alaska Business Monthly articles from July 2002

Alaska Business Monthly archives from July 2002

A hitch in their git-along! (From the Publisher).(preparation for tourist season)(Brief Article)(Column)
July 1, 2002... Reports are admittedly preliminary, but positive, as professionals survey the coming visitor trade and tourism season in Alaska. It seems that earlier fears have not been completely realized, and thank goodness for that. As the old saw goes,...

Procomm Alaska: Motorola communications systems for Alaska from offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Wasilla, Kenai. (Business Profile: Advertisement).(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
July 1, 2002... PROfessional. PROgressive. PROficient. PRO Comm Alaska! The words and the business have a great affinity for one another and Gary Peters has purposely named and organized his company to epitomize its motto: "A PROfessional company for...

Alaska sees record cruise numbers this summer. (Tourism).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... More ships. More sailings. More passengers. More spending. It all adds up to the largest cruise ship season in Alaska history. Led by Princess Cruises' 21 percent increase in passenger capacity, the 2002 season will see an estimated 728,000...

Lindgren leaving Travel Industry Association. (Tourism).(president and chief operating officer Tina Lindgren)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Tina Lindgren, the woman who led I the drive to reorganize Alaska's tourism industry into one statewide marketing organization and who was named as one of the nation's most powerful women in tourism, announced recently that she is stepping down...

Long House Bethel Inn opens up. (Tourism).(older property remodeled to develop new hotel)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The 39-room Long House Bethel Inn Hotel recently had its grand opening after developers saw an opportunity to remodel the old Kuskokwim Inn and create a new hotel. Hundreds of Bethel residents and officials attended the grand opening. The...

Anchorage competes for All-America City honor. (General).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The National Civic League announced recently the 30 finalist communities or is year's All-America City Award, the nation's longest-running and most prestigious civic recognition program, and Anchorage is among them. The All-America City...

Danzas marks 30th anniversary in Anchorage. (Transportation).(Danzas North America)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Danza North America recently celebrated three decades of doing business in the state. Danza's roots in Alaska date back to 1972, when a group of entrepreneurs founded a company called Northern Air Freight. In 1989, Northern was acquired by...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2002... In our June article on Trade Associations, we reported that the Associated General Contractor's opposition to GARVEE bonds resulted in the bond issue dying. At the time of the interview, AGC had been informed that the issue was dead. However,...

Continental Motors wins top marks for service. (Services).(Subaru of America Corp. certifies dealership as "Stellar Performer")(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Continental Motors of Anchorage is among the first 20 Subaru dealers in the country to be certified a "Stellar Performer" as part of a national quality improvement program directed by Subaru of America Corporation. Continental's award...

Sealaska Corp. reports loss. (Native News).(for 2001)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... Sealaska Corp. recently reported a net loss of $21 million on revenues of $146 million for 2001. The 2001 loss was largely due to the last of the write downs of assets of discontinued operations that the company began last year, officials said....

Alaskan ESB Ale named Champion at World Competition. (Manufacturing).(Brewing Industry International Awards 2002)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Alaskan ESB was named Champion Ale recently in London at the Brewing Industry International Awards 2002. Alaskan Brewing was the only American brewery awarded champion status. Alaskan ESB also won the gold medal in class 3 of the...

Gas-to-liquids offers glimmer of promise for gas producers: GTL process could use existing pipeline to get gas to market. Tests still ongoing at Nikiski.(energy research)
July 1, 2002... Energy researchers and scientists around the world are working to improve existing techniques involved in the process of converting natural gas into a commercially usable liquid. Called gas-to-liquids, or GTL, the chemical process was first...

10 steps to getting conventions booked in Alaska: Alaska's convention and visitors bureaus work to sell the state as a convention and meeting destination.
July 1, 2002... Orlando's got nothing on Anchorage as far as Tina Cab bagestalk is concerned. Neither does Detroit. At least that's what she thinks now that she's actually visited Anchorage. Before her trip, she said you probably couldn't have dragged her up...

Alaska: a great place for a convention.(a guide for planning a meeting or convention)
July 1, 2002... Planning a meeting in the Last Frontier? Local CVBs make it easier. Planning a meeting or a convention is always a challenge; for some, the idea of holding an event in Alaska might make it seem even more difficult. According to those who...

Ahhhhh. the lure of Alaska. (2002 Meeting and Facilities Directory).(Directory)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... Alaska may have extreme climate. And parts of Alaska may be isolated. But this state does have a lot to offer, as many convention attendees are finding out as they travel to the Great Land on business and pleasure. In Anchorage alone,...

Captain Bartlett Inn: a landmark in Fairbanks, the Golden-Heart City of Alaska. (Business Profile: Advertisement).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... It doesn't matter whether you arrive by charter jet, 4x4, dog sled or snowmachine, at the Captain Bartlett Inn everyone is welcome. Business travelers and locals alike are treated like long-lost family members returning home. They'll find...

Convention Services.(catering services)(Directory)
July 1, 2002... CONVENTION SERVICES Full-Service Beverage CATERING SERVICES Menu License Aurora Hospitality 4300 Old Seward Hwy. Anchorage, AK 99503 Phone: 729-0399...

Chambers of Commerce - Convention and Visitors Bureaus.(Brief Article)(Directory)
July 1, 2002... Alaska State Chamber of Commerce 217 2nd St., Suite 201 Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 586-2323 Fax: 463-5515 E-Mail: asccjuno@ptialaska.com Web Site: alaskachamber.com Anchorage Chamber of Commerce 441 W. 5th...

Events calendar.
July 1, 2002... ANCHORAGE 1-30 Summer Garden Series For the season of sun and flowers, Alaska Botanical Garden sponsors various events, including a private garden tour featuring local garden artists. Children can enjoy a storytime event in the outdoor...

Golden Days brighten Fairbanks. (Alaska this Month).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... There is no better way to discover the feeling of history than to surround the eyes and ears with actual places and to see and hear for yourself the way things happened, even if it was 100 years or more ago in the wide open and daunting...

The modern office: light, simple and comfortable, the office of today uses furniture and interior design to create a positive and healthy experience for employees and customers.
July 1, 2002... When clients visit a company's offices, the furniture tells them much about the corporate culture. Chairs and desks are not just things to sit and work on--they convey to clients and employees what the company is all about. "In the...

Ribelin Lowell & Co. (Right Moves).(Ribelin Lowell and Company Insurance Brokers Inc., Peter Putnam appointment)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Peter Putnam joined Ribelin Lowell & Co. Insurance Brokers Inc. as an account representative. Putnam, a graduate of Washington State University, has a background in the commercial insurance and reinsurance fields. He was a district manager in...

The Growth Co. (Right Moves).(Kimberly Nickerson-Pierce appointment)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Kimberly Nickerson-Pierce recently joined The Growth Company Inc. as administrative manager. Before moving to Alaska, she coordinated the office of a large medical practice in Columbus, Ga. Georgia Fisher is operations manager for the training...

Natchiq Inc. (Right Moves).(R. Michael Stophlet appointment)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... R. Michael Stophlet was named president and chief executive officer of Natchiq Inc. Stophlet joined Natchiq in September 1999 as executive vice president and chief operating officer. His past responsibilities included overall operations of...

Department of Community and Economic Development. (Right Moves).(appoints Ventura Samaniego)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Ventura Samaniego was named deputy commissioner of the Department of Community and Economic Development. Samaniego worked for a variety of Alaska businesses in the past 20 years, including Goldbelt Inc., Sealaska Timber Corp. in Juneau and...

Officetech Inc. (Right Moves).(Cameron Gilchrist appointment)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Cameron Gilchrist was named engineering specialist for OfficeTech Inc. Previously Gilchrist was an account manager with the company representing Xerox copiers, printers, fax machines and scanners for Bush territory accounts. Brian Dunkle...

Tanana Valley State Fair association. (Right Moves).(Lloyd Huskey appointment)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Lloyd Huskey was named general manager of the Tanana Valley State Fair following a four-month search to fill the position. Huskey, from Fairbanks, brings more than 20 years of management and organizational experience to the association, which...

Wells Fargo Bank Alaska. (Right Moves).(employees named Wells Fargo and Co. officers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Nineteen Wells Fargo Bank Alaska employees recently were named officers of Wells Fargo & Co. The following members were promoted: Kimberly Bunch, a personal banker at the Kodiak store; Sigfredo Casiano, Soldotna personal banker; Janice Clark,...

Tryck Nyman Hayes Inc. (Right Moves).(Gene LeQuire appointment)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Gene LeQuire has rejoined Tryck Nyman Hayes Inc. as manager of the survey department. LeQuire has more than 27 years experience in the survey industry throughout Alaska. His duties include coordination of survey projects and rebuilding the...

Alaska Native Heritage Center. (Right Moves).(appoints Vicki Otte)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Alaska Native Heritage Center board of directors recently named Vicki Otte to a three-year term. Otte is the executive director of the ANCSA Regional Corporation Presidents & CEOs Association, and has worked in the corporate, government and...

Alaska Permanent Capital Management Co.: a decade of service to Alaskan investors. (Business Profile: Advertisement).(Company Profile)
July 1, 2002... Reliability. Credibility. Stability. Alaska Identity. These words describe Alaska Permanent Capital Management Company, a pioneer in Alaska's investment industry, now celebrating its tenth anniversary of serving Alaskan organizations. The...

Go for it! the correct infrastructure for your business + the correct software for your computers = less pain, more gain.
July 1, 2002... Your business has computers. It even has a network. You've purchased lots of software. You have an infrastructure that was designed especially for your company... just five years ago. Lately, it seems like your competitors still keep...

Credit Unions in the last frontier: Credit Unions play a distinct role in Alaska's financial community.(profiling Credit Union 1, Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, ALPS Federal Credit Union and Northern Skies Federal Credit Union)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)(Company Profile)
July 1, 2002... Ask leaders of some of Alaska's credit unions about their organizations and you will hear words like "passion" and "romance." The love affair is not one-sided. Nancy Bear Usera, senior vice president of corporate development for Alaska USA...

Three women of alternative health care: these Fairbanks women didn't know how to be businesswomen when they first opened their practices in 2001, but they soon learned. (Small Business).
July 1, 2002... A desire to compete in the marketplace and a zeal for starting a business don't generally fuel a person's interest in the medical professions. But after years of training and significant financial investment in their education, some graduates...

A room with a view and little else: budget minded nonprofit groups can benefit from using the University of Alaska Anchorage student housing for summertime stays.
July 1, 2002... Richard Stouff knew that part of his job would include finding reasonably priced accommodations for more than 200 ardent flyers when he organized last year's International Short Wing Piper Club's convention. He had a couple of major...

Alaska's transportation leaders: they ship everything from soup to construction supplies, linking Alaska to the Lower 48 and beyond. (Freight Consolidators).
July 1, 2002... Although Alaska is rich in raw natural resources, the Last Frontier lacks by its own means many pro ducts and supplies needed to support the state's various industries. That, combined with Alaska's remote location, thousands of miles from other...

Phillips/Conoco merger a go for second half of 2002.
July 1, 2002... Will the union of two oil giants be good for Alaska? It depends on who you ask. Ask 10 different individuals how the proposed business merger between Phillips Petroleum Co. and Conoco Inc. will affect Alaska's oil and gas industry, and...

Revolutionizing business basics. (Required Reading).("The Agenda: What Every Business Must Do to Dominate the Decade")
July 1, 2002... "The Agenda: What Every Business Must Do to Dominate the Decade" Michael Hammer Crown Business New York, N.Y. 2001, 269 pages, $27.50 Early in his book, Dr. Hammer refers to a story told about Albert Einstein. Einstein's secretary reminds...

Kenai Kayak Co.: this company provides kayaks at a price and quality the owner is willing to match against any out there. (Small Business Spotlight).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Tom Wilkinson can remember 20 years ago when his interest in kayaking placed him in a minority. But things have changed since then. And Wilkinson has used that change to create Kenai Kayak Co. "When I started kayaking, I was considered a...

Dimond Center Hotel. (BizBuzz).(Anchorage hotel)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Dimond Center Hotel, one of Anchorage's newest to open its doors (June 1), boasts giant soaking tubs, 36" TV screens and the most elegant decor in Alaska. Built at a cost of $14 million, it is owned by the Seldovia Native Association, an...

Alaska Mining and Diving Supply Inc. (BizBuzz).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Alaska Mining and Diving Supply Inc. has been named 2002 Ski-Doo National Dealer of the Year. Dudley Benesch and Steve Hershbach are owners/operators of the company. The company was selected from more than 1,000 dealers nationally, and has been...

Refrigerated Storage of Alaska. (BizBuzz).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Refrigerated Storage of Alaska plans to offer service to Unalaska and Dutch Harbor commercial fishing and cargo fleets. According to Neal Forde, general manager, initial sites of operation will be the North Pacific Fuel Co. Captains Bay...

Barbara Belknap. (BizBuzz).(resigning from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute)
July 1, 2002... Barbara Belknap steps down August 1, 2002 from her duties as executive director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, a position she has held for five years. In her letter of resignation she advised the board of directors that she felt it...

Mercury Data Group Inc. (BizBuzz).
July 1, 2002... Mercury Data Group Inc. has become the Anchorage FrontRange Sapphire Partner for selling and servicing the GoldMine product line in Alaska.

Foss Maritime. (BizBuzz).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Foss Maritime has just launched its 12th seasons as Cominco's Red Dog Mine ore carrier. Four tugs and two lighterage barges have been mobilized to load in excess of 1.2 million tons into 25 scheduled ships this season. Some time just before...

Mall of America. (BizBuzz).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Talk about "big box" merchandising-10 years ago the largest shopping mall in the U. S., the Mall of America, was built in Bloomington, MN and featured four levels with 78 acres of shopping and a seven-acre indoor amusement park..

Hilton Garden Inn. (BizBuzz).(appointment of Susan McGrath)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Susan McGrath has become general manager of the new Hilton Garden Inn at 4540 A Street that opened for business on June 8. Call for reservations at 729-7000.

Wells Fargo Bank Alaska. (BizBuzz).(donating to the Salvation Army)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Wells Fargo Bank Alaska has committed $125,000 to assist the Salvation Army in banging online an emergency mobile kitchen to respond to major earthquakes, forest fires and other smaller-scale disasters.

National Taxpayers Union. (BizBuzz).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... According to the National Taxpayers Union, it took 28 hours and 6 minutes to complete the average Form 1040 return last year. That was a 40 percent increase over the year prior. The IRS Code has grown from 500 pages in 1939 to 7,600 pages...

Alaska's Electric Energy Association (ARECA). (BizBuzz).(received Award of Distinction)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Alaska's Electric Energy Association (ARECA) has received an "Award of Distinction" for its newest public service commercial: "50 Years of Energizing Alaska:" The Videographer Awards of 2002 hailed ARECA for projects that clearly exceed...

Clark Gruening, Member, Board of Trustees. (BizBuzz).(Christine Klein receives Accredited Airport Executive designation)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... WORDS TO LIVE BY: "The only thing that will truly protect the Permanent Fund is a long-term fiscal plan." Clark Gruening, Member, Board of Trustees. Christine Klein, facilities manager at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, has...

Aspen Hotel of Anchorage. (BizBuzz).
July 1, 2002... The Aspen Hotel of Anchorage, which was expected to open last month until a fire destroyed the property, will be rebuilt and will open in spring of 2003, according to Carol Fraser, vice president of Aspen Hotels. The structure and look of the...

Alaska Housing Finance Corp. (BizBuzz).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Housing permits and home sales in Alaska were at a 10-year high last year, according to Alaska Housing Finance Corp. It was also a strong year for permitting activity in which statewide residential housing rose by 31 percent over the year...

Lynden Air Freight Inc. (BizBuzz).(promotion of Jim Myren)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Lynden Air Freight Inc., a full-service domestic and international freight forwarder, has promoted Jim Myren from district operations manager to district manager. In his new post Myren will have overall responsibility for Lynden's sales and...

Alaska Airlines. (BizBuzz).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Alaska Airlines has confirmed the order of two additional 737-700 aircraft from Boeing Company. There now are 19 on order and delivery is to commence in 2003. Since 1999, Alaska Airlines has taken delivery of 16 new 737-700s.

German CargoLifter AG. (BizBuzz).(balloons transporting oil field equipment)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Last month's big 'BizBuzz' about lighter-than-air balloons transporting oil field equipment in Alaska and Canada has gone up like so much hot air. The company, German CargoLifter AG, has recently announced that it would have to declare...

July Alaska Trends.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... July Alaska Trends Units GENERAL Personal Income -- Alaska Millions of $ Personal Income -- United States Billions of $ (SAAR)...