Alaska Business Monthly articles from November 2006

Alaska Business Monthly archives from November 2006

From Armistice Day to Veterans Day.(From the Publisher)
November 1, 2006... The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.... It was "Armistice Day" in 1918 and celebrated the armistice (truce) that ended the fighting between the allies and Germany in World War I. While arms were laid down in 1918, the war...

Grainger opens expanded showroom.(WHOLESALE)
November 1, 2006... Grainger, a supplier of facilities maintenance supplies to businesses, recently opened a new, expanded showroom at the company's branch, located at 6240 B Street in Anchorage. Grainger has been a member of the Alaska business community for...

APS seeks public stock offering.(SPORTS)
November 1, 2006... Alaska Professional Sports Inc., owner of Alaska Wild, an Anchorage-based arena football team, has filed registration with the state of Alaska for a public offering of its common stock made through its Offering Circular. The Boston Celtics...

Anadarko acquires Kerr-McGee and Western Gas.(OIL & GAS)
November 1, 2006... Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC) recently announced it has agreed to acquire Kerr-McGee Corp. (NYSE: KMG) and Western Gas Resources Inc. (NYSE: WGR) in separate all-cash transactions totaling $21.1 billion, plus the assumption of debt...

New prison announced in Mat-Su Borough.(CONSTRUCTION)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Gov. Frank H. Murkowski said the Department of Corrections, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. (AHFC) have entered into an agreement to construct a major prison complex in the Mat-Su Borough. "In addition to...

Kids Wish Network brings hope to Alaska.(APPLAUSE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Hundreds of sick children will soon receive something to make their time at the hospital a little easier: new toys. This year, Alaska Native Medical Center will be the recipients of Holiday of Hope Gift Bank, a program hosted by Kids Wish...

CIRI develops entertainment center.(CIRI Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... CIRI is developing a retail and entertainment center in Anchorage on the northwest corner of the intersection of Muldoon Road and the Glenn Highway. It will feature national retailers, including major department stores, movie theaters, home...

The melting pot: diversity or dilemma? It is the working together, the mutual respect for each other's rights, and the tolerance of diversity that has always made America great. Those who come need to learn and abide by the laws of the land, to participate in the political process sincerely, and to share the responsibilities as well as the rights of a free society.
November 1, 2006... We are a country founded of dissidents, idealists and adventurers. Many waves of immigrants have washed across this land depending on the economic and political backdrop of the global scene over the decades. The relationship between immigrants...

Salute to Veteran Mary Louise Rasmuson: Mary Louise Rasmuson, wife of the late Elmer Rasmuson whose legacy is National Bank of Alaska and the Rasmuson Foundation, was an inspiration herself, serving among the first women in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corp. At 95 years old, her message has never wavered, 'It is an honor to serve your country.'.(Cover story)
November 1, 2006... While the country was still reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor, more than 100 women began examinations in the Salvation Army building in Pittsburgh, Penn. It was 1942, and across America 35,000 other women were taking the same exam, each...

Technology to the rescue: satellite wells and horizontal drilling extends the life of Alaska's oil fields.
November 1, 2006... The best direction to reach black gold is not always straight down. With the high cost of oil, petroleum companies are always looking for better ways to suck the last drop of crude from mother earth. Satellite fields are providing new...

Stretching a Polar Bear: a larger craft means more cargo, which means more revenue.(Alaska Marine Transport and Salvage Inc.)
November 1, 2006... Peter Schwarz, president and CEO of Alaska Marine Transport & Salvage Inc., is not your average 66-year-old entrepreneur. Devoted to life at sea, he has owned several vessels, two of which he designed and supervised the construction. All...

Going above ... and beyond: Alaska's cargo companies find innovative ways to serve rural communities.
November 1, 2006... Though there are many advantages to living in rural Alaska, choosing to reside in such out-of-the-way places also creates unique challenges for residents of the state's smaller Bush communities. Finding ways to haul goods in and out of remote...

Shine business shine: annual reports bring company financials to life.
November 1, 2006... Each year, thousands of publicly traded companies publish glossy annual reports to provide investors and the general public information about their business history, current performance and plans for the future. The 2005 report for KeyCorp, for...

Coaching your CEO toward improved delegation: a step-by-step approach to bettering your business.
November 1, 2006... The CFO is often the CEO's most trusted subordinate; the one to whom the CEO vents; the one with whom the CEO shares highly sensitive information; the one in whom the CEO honestly confides. In such conversations with you, does your CEO ever...

Planning for peace of mind: life and disability insurance can help individuals, businesses prepare for the future.
November 1, 2006... Nobody can predict the future. But there are things that people can do to help protect themselves from work-limiting illnesses or injuries, or to provide for their families after their deaths. Investing in insurance, such as life insurance or...

Outsourcing IT: outsourcing saves money in some cases, but is the savings worth the costs? Outsourcing to India is nothing foreign to the Alaska business environment. Accenture recently closed its Anchorage office, which was primarily engaged in contract-based business information systems and accounting work for a major oil producer.
November 1, 2006... Whether you like it or not, information technology (IT) is a critical part of your business, and your ability to compete is directly tied to your organization's ability to manage and process information. However, processing and managing data is...

Status of the mineral industry: 2006 is shaping up to be a banner year for minerals in Alaska. During 2005, 12 companies spent more than $1 million on exploration and in 2006 this number should be even higher. Five large mines are in operation.(2006 Mining Special Section)
November 1, 2006... International prices for mineral commodities and coal are continuing to be strong and are the driving force for the mining industry worldwide, including Alaska. Alaska mines already in operation, advanced exploration projects and grassroots...

Alaska Miners Association: the mining industry in Alaska is a billion-dollar business.(2006 Mining Special Section)
November 1, 2006... With world-class mineral deposits, Alaska's major mines exhibit showcase examples of modern mining. Alaska's mining industry has grown to become a billion-dollar business and remained so for the last 10 years. What does the future hold...

Powering Alaska mines: getting inexpensive energy to mines in Alaska is one of the toughest challenges they face.(2006 Mining Special Section)
November 1, 2006... At the Greens Creek Mine on Admiralty Island, a steel cylinder larger than an H1 Hummer grinds basketball-sized rocks to small pebbles. A second, smaller mill grinds the pebbles down to a powder before the gold, zinc, lead and silver can be...

NovaGold pushes forward despite obstacles: a 'David and Goliath' battle rages with high stakes.(2006 Mining Special Section)
November 1, 2006... One of Alaska's most active and successful gold prospectors in recent years is transitioning to producer status, with the start of construction this fall of its mid-sized, open-pit gold mine in the Nome area, called Rock Creek. While...

2006 mining directory.(Directory)
November 1, 2006... Andover Ventures Inc. Mike England, Pres./CEO Suite 1220-789 West Pender St. Vancouver, Canada V5C 1H2 Phone: 604-683-3995 Fax: 604-683-3988 E-Mail: mike@andoverventures.com Web Site: www.andoverventures.com Year...

Mining development: like 'building a city': Calista Corp. has been long involved in natural resource development, and mining operations have or will provide jobs to shareholders-everything from cement work, to engineering, to warehousing.(2006 Mining Special Section)
November 1, 2006... Calista Corp. has had an eye toward mineral exploration and development from the earliest days of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act land selection process. In the early 1970s, when land was being selected to fulfill ANCSA land...

Alaska diamonds: a glitter of hope resides in Alaska's mining fields.(2006 Mining Special Section)
November 1, 2006... Though Alaska lives long in the public memory as the place of golden promises, it's the sparkle of diamonds that leads some modern-day prospectors north. Alaska is among locations nationwide and in Canada where diamond exploration is...

Nixon Fork reopens: Mystery Creek moved into the construction phase this past summer, after receiving state and federal permits to refurbish the facility and to restart underground mining.(2006 Mining Special Section)
November 1, 2006... The future looked dim in 1999 for the future of the Nixon Fork gold and copper mine, a remote underground hard-rock operation located about 35 miles northeast of McGrath in western Interior Alaska. Back then, amid dropping gold and copper...

Pogo cranking up to full production: about 40,000 ounces of gold will be produced each year.(2006 Mining Special Section)
November 1, 2006... While Pogo, located on the Goodpaster River, 50 miles northeast of the Delta Junction has, "for short periods," reached its daily design rate of 2,500 tons of gold ore (gold is the sole mineral produced there), issues such as backfill...

'Humdinger' of a year: 2006 great year for mining industry.(2006 Mining Special Section)
November 1, 2006... Let me start by apologizing for those projects not mentioned in this report: space limitations make it impossible to print the 15-page tome I had prepared for this special mining section. What remains are the highlights of what is shaping up to...

That's not all folks: the mineral industry is doing well in 2006, and expects to make advances in 2007.(2006 Mining Special Section)(Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority)
November 1, 2006... Dozens of other exploration projects were active in Alaska in 2006 (See mainbar on page 74). Many of these are still active or are awaiting analytical results from work already completed. As a consequence, we don't know what will happen in...

Peninsula Airways Inc.(Orin Seybert, Danny Seybert, Lloyd Seybert, Ruth Davis , Melissa Anderson )(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Peninsula Airways Inc. (Penair) announced some management title changes and new hires. Orin Seybert was named chairman/ CEO. Danny Seybert is now the corporate president/COO. Danny Seybert has been with the company since he was a child, and is...

USKH Inc.(Right Moves)
November 1, 2006... USKH Inc. announced the recent hire of five new civil engineering professionals to provide transportation, aviation, utility and site design services on projects throughout Alaska. Recent additions include: James Reed, P.E.; Stephanie...

ASCG Inc.(Arctic Slope Consulting Group appoints new staff members)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... ASCG Inc. announced the hiring of new staff members for ASCG's Anchorage office. Jeanette Matthews joined ASCG as the Alaska Operations regional controller. Matthews is an experienced senior-level accountant and business manager with more...

Pacific Alaska Forwarders.(Door to Door Moving Inc. provides new service to Alaska)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Pacific Alaska Forwarders partnered with Door to Door Moving Inc. to provide a new service unique to Alaska. Door to Door Moving crates are delivered to a residence and placed on the ground by forklift and for the resident to pack the...

Walsh Sheppard Flynn.(Right Moves)
November 1, 2006... Walsh Sheppard Flynn, a marketing communications firm, has named Maggie Moran as copy director. Moran began her work with the firm in 2002. Until her promotion to copy director, she managed key accounts, including Ted Stevens Anchorage...

Koniag Inc.(William Anderson Jr.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... At their June meeting, the Koniag Inc. board of directors named former director and Senior Vice President/Finance William Anderson Jr. as the new president and chief executive officer of Koniag. An Alaska Native Heritage Center board member...

RIM Architects.(Right Moves)
November 1, 2006... RIM Architects has added Molly Troup as a new intern architect to its Anchorage office. Troup brings five years of design experience with a Minneapolis-based architecture firm. She received a bachelor's degree in environmental design from the...

Clarus Technologies.(Right Moves)
November 1, 2006... Clarus Technologies LLC Environmental Services Division was recently awarded a $7.5 million environmental support services contract through the U.S. Coast Guard Facility Design and Construction Center (FD&CC) Seattle in support of the U.S....

Wells Fargo.(Right Moves)
November 1, 2006... Matt Martin was named store manager for Wells Fargo's Sand Lake banking store on Jewel Lake Road in Anchorage. Martin joined Wells Fargo in February 2005 as a personal banker trainee and served as a personal banker in Eagle River for one...

Another option in education: Alaska's Career Academy celebrates its 20th anniversary.
November 1, 2006... Alaska's Career Academy's 20th anniversary celebration began with a massive campus-wide expansion and the grand opening of the therapeutic massage specialist program with a student clinic that focuses on physical and rehabilitation medicine....

Fishing industry huge in Alaska: fifty percent of U.S. seafood production is produced in the state.(Company overview)
November 1, 2006... You've undoubtedly heard the old joke about the seafood diet. Two friends are sitting at a restaurant and one turns to the other and says, "Did you know that I'm on the seafood diet?" And the one friend says, "No, I did not." And the first...

November calendar.(Calendar)
November 1, 2006... ANCHORAGE 2 Thursday Night at the Fights Clubhouse boxing held most Thursdays, fall through spring. General admission, $12.25; seniors and military, $10.25. Beginning at 7:30 at the Egan Civic Center. For more information, phone...

Great Alaska Shootout gets national and local television coverage: this popular collegiate basketball tournament will be held in Anchorage Nov. 21 to Nov. 25.(Alaska This Month)
November 1, 2006... For nearly 30 years, collegiate basketball fans have watched as their favorite teams have clashed in an annual tournament held in Alaska. And for many of those years, portions of what is now the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout were...

Boom continues: Anchorage construction hits record high: from hospitals, to schools, to new malls and incoming retail and restaurants, Anchorage is seeing a banner year in commercial construction.(SPECIAL SECTION: BUILDING ALASKA)
November 1, 2006... Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich calls the 2006 construction season "a record construction boom, with nearly $500 million in new building permits" during the first half of the year. In his 2006 State of the City report, Begich cites the new civic...

State moves to new construction program: construction-manager-at-risk contract guarantees maximum price and provides other benefits to a public client.(SPECIAL SECTION: BUILDING ALASKA)
November 1, 2006... Under contract with the State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, RIM Architects is moving forward with the design of upgrade projects to Anchorage's Ted Stevens International Airport. Joining the State and RIM on the...

Intelligent buildings: the intelligent building niche market is still relatively new to Alaska, though many elements of intelligent buildings are designed and installed every day. Completely intelligent buildings, such as Afognak Native Corp.'s Alutiiq Center, is recognized as such.(SPECIAL SECTION: BUILDING ALASKA)
November 1, 2006... Intelligent buildings are becoming increasingly popular, and thus becoming more in demand these days. One of the main benefits associated with intelligent buildings is energy efficiency. Rising costs associated with energy have caused many to...

United Rentals: Alaska roots but worldwide presence: 'the right equipment, right now.'.(SPECIAL SECTION: BUILDING ALASKA)(Company overview)
November 1, 2006... United Rentals has been in business in Alaska for three decades. Initially, the company was Stephen's Tool Rentals/A&B Tool Rental, located in Soldotna, Anchorage and the Matanuska Valley. This collaboration was bought by the United Rentals...

Anchorage creating new land-use code: the new Title 21 is not being written only for today or tomorrow, but rather for many years to come.(SPECIAL SECTION: BUILDING ALASKA)
November 1, 2006... The Municipality of Anchorage is in the process of creating a new land-use code to replace the existing one that has been in place for nearly 40 years. Known as Title 21 (referring to its place in the Anchorage Municipal Code), the new land-use...

Founder's vision key to Arctic Structures' success: family owned business manufactures, sells and rents modular buildings.(SPECIAL SECTION: BUILDING ALASKA)
November 1, 2006... Forty-five years ago, Harry Pursell started a business renting and selling camping trailers, and as his business grew, he began manufacturing mobile homes and camps. Seeing the potential in such a business, he later bought a number of pipeline...

Thinking outside the box: architectural design in Alaska is difficult, requiring much research and education.(SPECIAL SECTION: BUILDING ALASKA)
November 1, 2006... In the 49th state, Mother Nature commands respect. Alaska is one-fifth the land area of the United States. It has the coldest climate in the nation, with permafrost underlying 80 percent of the land, and ice sometimes thousands of feet thick....

Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp., Community Health Services Building.(Case Study)
November 1, 2006... --BETHEL-- The Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp. (YKHC), a Yup'ik Eskimo nonprofit health corporation, serves 47 villages in Southwestern Alaska. YKHC required a building to consolidate several existing facilities and to provide economy of...

Daylighting.(ARCHITECTURAL CHALLENGES)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Alaskans have a special relationship to daylight. It's feast or famine: either we have sun all day and all night, or we have precious little, for months on end. Perhaps that's why Alaskans want all the daylight we can get, not only in our...

Monthly building permit fluctuations in Anchorage.(Alaska Trends for November 2006)
November 1, 2006... In a long-term perspective, building permit valuations in Anchorage rose significantly during the yearlong period from July 2005 until July 2006, with a dramatic spike in June 2006. The combined residential and commercial permits were valued at...

Alaska trends for November 2006.(Statistical table)
November 1, 2006... ALASKA TRENDS FOR NOVEMBER 2006 SPONSORED BY AMERICAN FAST FREIGHT Latest Report Indicator ...