Alaska Business Monthly articles from May 2007

Alaska Business Monthly archives from May 2007

Correction.(Correction notice)
May 1, 2007... The charts in April's "Health Care in Alaska: Poised for Progress" article should be attributed to Mark Foster and Scott Goldsmith, authors of the March 2006 UAA ISER study "Alaska's $5 Billion Health Care Bill-Who's Paying?"

Branding goes ker-splat!(From the Publisher)
May 1, 2007... Fostering and encouraging the success and development of ethical business enterprise is what Alaska Business Monthly is about. That is why we become justifiably testy whenever we find that Alaska businesses may have been done wrong. Well,...

Alaska Air celebrates $3.5 million Nome terminal expansion.(TRANSPORTATION)
May 1, 2007... Alaska Airlines recently celebrated the $3.5 million expansion and renovation of its Nome airport terminal during a community open house. The project, which began in June 2006, includes upgrades to the passenger lobby, cargo facility and...

Lack of bids sign of the times in oil industry.(OIL & GAS)
May 1, 2007... The state's regular Alaska Peninsula and North Slope Foothills area-wide oil and gas lease sales drew a single bid recently, reflecting industry reluctance to lease new land before resolving questions about land ownership and federal offshore...

Students present ideas in community creating contest.(EDUCATION)
May 1, 2007... This year, 241 students from eight elementary schools submitted 165 entries, an increase of 51 entries and 73 students from last year in the Anchorage Home Builders Association's Create a Community Contest. All entrants were encouraged to...

Computer simulator enhances Carlile's training.(TRANSPORTATION)
May 1, 2007... Carlile Transportation Systems has purchased and installed a new truck-driving simulator at its Anchorage terminal. This state-of-the-art computerized simulator is the first in Alaska and is custom designed to mimic specific Alaska roadway...

Partners, pals and Pegasus: SBA honors small businesspersons of year.(Cover story)
May 1, 2007... GETTING FROM "NO" TO "GO!" When Pegasus partners Carlos Nelson and Roy Ardern first approached KeyBank to finance their vision for an international aircraft repair and de-icing service at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, the...

Pegasus + two: SBA honors several for their growth and high credentials.
May 1, 2007... Officials of Small Business Administration offices in Anchorage welcome a wider field of applicants for a series of awards made each spring. Three separate categories were awarded--Small Businesspersons of the Year, Women-Owned Business and...

An ounce of prevention ... 'blue goo' adds life to pipeline by controlling corrosion.(ABM Celebrates Small Business in Alaska)(Alaska Insulation Supply)
May 1, 2007... RG-2400[R]. No, it's not the name of a new character in the latest of the Star Wars anthology, nor is it a close friend of Luke Skywalker. The product, distributed by Alaska Insulation Supply, commonly referred to as "blue goo," under the...

Before and after: auto repair business is hard work, high-tech.(ABM Celebrates Small Business in Alaska)
May 1, 2007... Alaska is a good place to run an auto body repair business--at least in the wintertime. With about six months of ice and snow, plus 1,000-pound moose roaming the streets and highways, many Alaska drivers will sooner or later find their car in...

A voice from the SBA: want to start or expand a business? Here are three methods to do that.(ABM Celebrates Small Business in Alaska)
May 1, 2007... Recently I was visiting with a friend and his wife. Mark owns a thriving business and Juanita is just getting started. Shortly after dinner came the big question, "What can SBA do for me?". I started by explaining that the Small Business...

Alaska as a model for sustainable fisheries? Not quite. We are facing disaster unless we protect the fisheries and ecosystems in the state.(View I: Greenpeace)
May 1, 2007... Our oceans are in crisis, a fact that has been all too well established by scientists, but not yet addressed by policy-makers. While climate change, toxic pollution, destruction of coastal habitats, and high-nutrient runoff are collectively...

Alaska groundfish management: is it precautionary and sustainable? Fisheries off Alaska account for around half of total U.S. harvests and are the state's No. 1 private-sector employer.(View II: NOAA Oceanographer)
May 1, 2007... Concern is growing over the state of the world's fisheries. A suite of human activities--unsustainable fishing practices, pollution and destruction of habitat--are threatening the ocean's capacity to provide food, maintain water quality and...

Health care in Alaska: poised for progress: balancing cost-shifting, the feds, technology and opportunities.(Special Series: Part Two of Two-Part Series)
May 1, 2007... As discussed last month, the Alaska Health Strategies Planning Council is embarking on the formidable task of creating a comprehensive health care plan for Alaska by January 2008. The Alaska Health Care Roundtable identified certain priorities...

May events calendar.(Calendar)
May 1, 2007... ANCHORAGE 2 An Evening with David Sedaris The acclaimed author of the best-selling books "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim," and "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and a regular contributor to National Public Radio, visits Anchorage for...

Summer's winged tourists are a worthwhile attraction: Homer and Cordova host shorebird festivals.(Alaska This Month)
May 1, 2007... Alaska's summer is filled with visitors from other places; coming by car, RV, boat and airplane they flock to see the colorful long days and wild beauty while creating a bustling tourist industry. Some visitors, however, arrive by air but...

Southcentral's promise: with advanced new technologies available and high prices for both oil and natural gas, companies are turning their attention to the Cook Inlet once again and are now quite optimistic.(OIL & GAS)
May 1, 2007... There is a lot of oil and gas left in Cook Inlet. Geologists are convinced of this. But how do we get at it? Dan Seamount, the geologist commissioner at the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, thinks a lot of oil lies undiscovered...

Independents and big three unite on North Slope: exploration and production are 'more robust' this year than recent past.(OIL & GAS)
May 1, 2007... Alaska's North Slope oil fields are entering a new phase of increased activity--one in which independents are working beside and with the three majors that currently produce the flow of oil from the maturing resource-rich region. "It's...

Alaska Business Monthly's 2007 oil & gas directory.(Statistical table)
May 1, 2007... Alaska Business Monthly's 2007 OIL & GAS DIRECTORY EXPLORATION COMPANIES COMPANY Top Executive Agrium Kenai Nitrogen Operations Chris Jonnichsen, Plant Mgr. P.O. Box 575 Kenai, AK 99611 Phone:...

ASTAC.(Right Moves)(Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative appoints Remi Sun)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Remi Sun was promoted to chief financial officer of the Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative. Sun served as comptroller and IT manager at the cooperative for several years following completion of a MBA degree in telecommunications...

AEDC.(Right Moves)
May 1, 2007... The board of directors of the Anchorage Economic Development Corp. hired Bill Popp as president and CEO. Popp (as of April 2) replaced Bob Poe, who announced his departure in January. Popp comes to AEDC from the Kenai Peninsula Borough where he...

Devery Prince Agency.(Right Moves)
May 1, 2007... Allstate Insurance Co. awarded the Devery Prince Agency in Anchorage with the 2006 Alaska Agency of the Year award. This is the seventh time the agency has received this honor. This award is presented to the Alaska Allstate agency that...

Kakivik Asset Management LLC.
May 1, 2007... Ken Heaps returned to Kakivik Asset Management LLC as quality manager/NDE III. Heaps has more than 23 years experience supporting Alaska's oil and gas, petrochemical and construction industries. He was first employed by Kakivik in 2000, and...

Alyeska Title Guaranty Agency.(Right Moves)(appointment of Amy Braden)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Amy Braden joined Alyeska Title Guaranty Agency as chief escrow officer. Braden has more than 23 years experience in the title insurance industry. She will be responsible for closing real estate transactions and overseeing the escrow...

SLR.(Right Moves)
May 1, 2007... Tor Christopherson joined the Anchorage office of SLR, an environmental-consulting firm as an environmental scientist. Christopherson has a bachelor's degree in biology from Colorado College and will provide permitting and compliance support...

Horizon Lines.(Right Moves)
May 1, 2007... The Lowe's Companies Inc. Home Improvement Transportation Division awarded Horizon Lines with its most prestigious honor, The 2006 Platinum Carrier Award, for the highest levels of delivered service. The award was presented recently at the home...

ACVB.
May 1, 2007... Andrea Schmidt joined the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau as a convention sales manager. Schmidt's territory will comprise the Midwest, including Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Madison and Des Moines. Prior...

UAA.(Right Moves)
May 1, 2007... University of Alaska President Mark Hamilton announced that Fran Ulmer, a former Juneau mayor, legislator and lieutenant governor with a long history of public service, will serve as interim chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage. ...

The Wilson Agency LLC.(Right Moves)
May 1, 2007... The Wilson Agency LLC was named the 2006 United Benefit Advisors Member Firm of the Year. United Benefit Advisors is a network of more than 160 independent benefits firms across the United States that collectively provide benefits consulting...

Cook & Haugeberg LLC.(Right Moves)(appointment of Kathleen A. Reid and Kara M. Moore)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Cook & Haugeberg LLC, certified public accountants, admitted Kathleen A. Reid and Kara M. Moore for membership. Reid graduated with honors from Washington State University in 1995 and earned her CPA certificate in 1998. She joined Cook &...

Council on Disabilities and Special Education.(Right Moves)(Inclusive Practice Award)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The Alaska Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education awarded its Inclusive Practice Award to Jennifer Schroeder, teacher of the Intensive Needs Special Education Class of Kilbuck Elementary School, Bethel. The award...

Department of Natural Resources.(Right Moves)
May 1, 2007... Gov. Sarah Palin named Tom Irwin commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources. Marty Rutherford will serve as deputy commissioner. Irwin was the commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources from January 2003 to October 2005....

Alaska Democratic Party.(Right Moves)
May 1, 2007... Former Alaska Lt. Gov. H. A. "Red" Boucher, 86, was honored recently with the James "Jim" Doogan Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alaska Democratic Party. Sen. Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage, presented the award to five members of Boucher's...

ACS.(Right Moves)
May 1, 2007... Alaska Communications Systems Group Inc. appointed Mary Gasperlin as its director of corporate communications. In this role, Gasperlin will serve as the company's media spokesperson as she assumes responsibility for public relations, internal...

Mobile data 101: wireless devices: high technology that fits in the palm of a hand.
May 1, 2007... Mobile data is about to change your life. In the not-so-distant future, it's likely that the change will be as profound as the first time you sent an e-mail message. Perhaps your first experience with e-mail left you with the impression that it...

Upscale anchorage: higher-end homes comprise up to 30 percent of the city's buying market.
May 1, 2007... A house to call a home is not only a basic necessity, but also has become a retreat from outside stress and everyday activity. Today, Alaska's largest city is filled with executive homes that offer buyers great extra features and wonderful...

Going 'green': function and form key to new home construction with environment and energy savings in forefront.(BUILDING ALASKA)
May 1, 2007... Fairbanks builder Mike Musick started preaching about "green" building before anyone had coined the phrase. "Since the mid-1970s, I've been building as green as I could; I just didn't call it green," he said. Through the years, he has...

Construction: $7 billion statewide: it will be a strong year despite a flattening in the industry.(BUILDING ALASKA)
May 1, 2007... Neeser Construction Inc. continues construction of the Anchorage Rental Car Center at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, as pictured here on March 21. The 618,000-square-foot structure will feature a Quick Turn Around facility that...

Fairbanks construction: five golden years: this year new construction in Fairbanks should be in the $75 million to $80 million range.(BUILDING ALASKA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The construction boom experienced during the last four years in the Fairbanks area will continue through 2007, thanks to a number of retail, housing and professional office space projects slated to begin work this spring. Steve...

Southeast rich in construction projects: most everywhere a cruise ship or ferry docks or airplane lands in Southeast Alaska, something is under construction.(BUILDING ALASKA)
May 1, 2007... Summer blooms in the Panhandle and the building season ramps up to full speed, promising another season of construction projects in towns and villages across the region. SURF'S UP ON CONSTRUCTION IN SOUTHEAST "Skagway has been...

Ch'etbuja: native shareholders receive benefits under their corporations' umbrella.
May 1, 2007... The Origins Native corporations were created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), passed by Congress in December 1971, which settled the aboriginal land claims of Alaska Native people and provided conveyance of land and...

Nature-based tourism: a new label for Southeast: the Panhandle attracts the adventuresome tourist who wants the real Alaska experience.
May 1, 2007... To the locals, it's no surprise that Alaska's complicated coastline of spray-swept islands and tranquil inlets speaks to the soul of the traveler. To witness dawn break over the calm waters of Zimovia Strait or Nichols Passage, a mug of hot...

High January unemployment: overall a gradual downward trend?(ALASKA TRENDS FOR MAY 2007)
May 1, 2007... Alaska's unemployment rate decreased gradually over the last year from 7.7 percent in January 2006 to 7.4 percent in January of this year. The rest of the United States also experienced a slight decrease as well. The unemployment rate for the...