Among the companies that barely missed the Top 49ers ranks this year, two are long-established, family-owned dynasties. Bailey’s Furniture and Sourdough Express are currently waiting in the wings, but they could easily take the stage, sooner or later.
Last year was one of outstanding growth for Tyonek Native Corporation (TNC), which saw its revenue increase 85 percent from 2017, reporting 2018 revenue of more than $144 million. This boosted TNC up twelve spots in our Top 49ers ranks, landing them at number 25.
This year is the debut of Top 49er Choggiung Limited, the ANCSA village corporation for Dillingham. The corporation reported 2018 revenue of more than $95 million, propelling it to number thirty-five in the rankings.
The definition of a hero is one who goes above and beyond the norm to help others. This certainly holds true among the 2019 Top 49ers—they made the list because of their ability to garner revenue in even the toughest of financial environments, but their true power and value lies in their super-sized philanthropic abilities.
Great Northwest, Inc.’s President and CEO John Minder started his first business in the fourth grade. “My father had six or seven greyhounds, and he got me a contract for all their bedding,” he explains.