Featured
Virtual Visitors
While everyone is eager to get back to normal (or close to what normal used to look like), Alaska’s organizations are making the most of the opportunities they have now, helping people travel far and wide—digitally, at least.
Mining Economies
Whether the mines produce zinc, lead, coal, gravel, silver, or gold, the direct and indirect financial impacts on the surrounding area are significant, according to a McDowell Group report commissioned by the Alaska Mining Association.
World-Class Walks
With the number of tourists drastically reduced (if they come at all), locals will have the run of Anchorage—which makes it the perfect time for the city’s residents to become acquainted with all the municipality’s outdoor options.
Designated Driving
Alaska’s Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) has established Safety Corridors in areas with a higher than average incidence of fatal and serious injury crashes.
Budding Industry Battles Black Market
A robust licensing and permitting process offers protection from federal prosecution for the Alaska cannabis industry, but the time and expense of participating in that process has created a market in which licensed businesses are vulnerable to being undercut by black-market prices.
The Unbroken Supply Chain
In stark contrast to most of the goings-on in Alaska—marked by upheaval and change—the flow of goods and supplies into the Last Frontier hasn’t altered, at least in the eye of the casual consumer.
TAPS Turns 44
The pipeline is still in fundamentally sound shape and has a few maintenance properties that would be remarkable if it was an old car: the pipeline requires a smaller maintenance staff to keep it running than it used to, and it’s gotten safer and less leaky as it has aged.
Behind the Scenes Support
Looking behind the scenes of the oil and gas industry, it quickly becomes apparent that it requires a lot of moving parts to keep things running smoothly.
Used but Not Used Up
There are a lot of reasons to build with reclaimed materials, from lower costs to decreased environmental impact to the fact that they can be used to truly customize a project.
BP Leaves Big Shoes to Fill
The sale encompasses 100 percent of BP’s Alaska interests, which includes its midstream and upstream assets, BP Pipelines’ interest in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, and a cluster of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation units located within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The Electrification of Everything
Out to make history by creating the first graphite supply chain in the country, Vancouver-based Graphite One is working to mine graphite from Graphite Creek outside of Nome, site of the highest grade and largest known large flake graphite deposit in the US.
Greens Creek’s Green Legacy
According to Hecla Greens Creek’s General Manager and Hecla VP Brian Erickson, the mine is unique as it’s the only US mine permitted to operate within a national monument. “That means our safety and environmental record must be among the best in the world right now,” Erickson says.
In This Issue
2020 Best of Alaska Business Awards
July 2020
Welcome to the 5th Annual Best of Alaska Business awards. First and foremost, thank you to our readers who took the time to nominate the businesses that you see provide exceptional services to Alaskans. We publish the results, but you awarded these businesses with recognition for the hard work they do in their very varied fields.