Top 49ers Criteria

The Top 49ers are Alaska’s largest businesses as ranked by gross revenue. Below are the qualifications for a company to be considered for the Top 49ers ranks.

1. Company/organization and Parent Company (if applicable) must be headquartered in Alaska
2. Company/organization must have been founded in Alaska.
   • Subsidiaries of non-Alaska-founded companies do not qualify, no matter if they are Alaska-specific.
   • Local branches of a franchise can qualify if
     • The franchisee owns the assets related to operations and directly employs all workers;
     • the franchisee launched its operations in Alaska.
3. Alaska-based, publicly traded companies do qualify if they meet criterion 1 and 2, regardless of the location of their shareholders.
4. Government or publicly owned organizations do not qualify, i.e. Alaska Railroad, Alaska Gasoline Development Corporation, Alaska Marine Highway System
5. Nonprofits do not qualify, regardless of the acceptance or not of charitable donations
6. Not-for-profits, such as member-owned cooperatives, do qualify
7. Ranking is based upon gross revenue (top line income). Assets managed do not qualify as gross revenue. Gross revenue in US dollars as defined by the IRS: Gross receipts are the total amounts the organization received from all sources during its annual accounting period, without subtracting any costs or expenses.
8. If a subsidiary and parent company meet all Top 49er criteria and choose to both appear on the list, the parent company cannot report revenue generated by the subsidiary. Revenue for both entities must be reported separately.

Editor’s Note: Those familiar with the Top 49ers list may notice that the “51 percent Alaskan owned” criteria has been removed. This is because defining an “Alaskan” is problematic. If done solely on a residence basis, we might exclude owners or shareholders with deep ties to the state who have taken up residence elsewhere while maintaining an Alaska-centric business and services; it also places an unrealistic burden on corporations with shareholders to know the residence of their shareholders. We believe the criteria above will allow us to include a better representation of Alaska-born, Alaska-based organizations that continue to invest in the 49th State.