Bulletins 02/12/12

Doyon Emerald recognized

Doyon Emerald, a full-service engineering and consulting firm, was recently recognized for its marketing communications efforts by the Public Relations Society of America Alaska Chapter at their annual Aurora Awards Banquet held Jan. 26. Doyon Emerald, along with Solstice Advertising, received top honors in the category of marketing communications. The Marketing Communications Aurora Award is awarded to a company or organization that has demonstrated results driven success in delivering a comprehensive public relations campaign to promote their company and services.

ColorTyme producers recognized

Rent-to-own franchisor ColorTyme honored its top performers and owner accomplishments at its 2012 national convention. Mark and Tracy Childers received the Franchisee of the Year Eagle Award, the highest honor bestowed by the chain. The Childers own and operate six ColorTyme stores in the Pacific Northwest and have been with the chain since 1985. In other awards, Dan Eichelberger and Pat Gartland received the New Franchisee of the Year award, having joined ColorTyme as franchisees in 2010. ColorTyme Vice President of Operations Albert Kohut introduced the company’s new field consultant, Travis John, who will add additional operational support for the franchisees at the store level.

Commonwealth releases financial statistics

Commonwealth North has concluded that each Alaskan’s share of the monetary assets the state owned in 2011 was $92,821 per person, almost 15 percent more than the value of the preceding fiscal year. The Anchorage-based civic group totaled the Alaska Permanent Fund’s market value of $40.1 billion, up 20 percent from $33.3 billion at the end of fiscal year 2011, June 30. The total value of the state’s assets to which Commonwealth North can attribute is $66.3 billion, up from $56.4 billion in 2010. The state’s other investment funds operated by the Division of Economic Development, Division of Treasury, and particularly the Constitutional Budget Reserve all had a better 2011. As the market rebounded, all had profitable investment portfolios in 2011. The number of state oil leases was down to 1,446, but revenues from rentals and royalties rose from to $2.7 billion. Overall, the daily oil production fell to a new low of 579,171 barrels per day in 2011. Fisheries landing and business tax revenue was up to $68.98 million. While revenues from visitor fees to Alaska state parks remained relatively stable, park officials estimate park visits dropped slightly last year. Among state owned enterprises, the Alaska Railroad earned money last year, while the Alaska Marine Highway, international airports, energy authority, and Alaska Aerospace Development Corp. lost money. The University of Alaska showed moderate gains of 9 percent, bringing its endowment funds up to $127.4 million. The Alaska Mental Health Trust did even better with gains of 17 percent in 2011, increasing its trust to $501.8 million at the end of 2011. The University of Alaska’s statewide fall student headcount in 2010-2011 was up slightly from the previous year, with 34,480 students earning 283,385 credit hours. Research grant funding at the University was up slightly to $137.9 million from $128 the year before. A copy of this presentation from can be found at www.commonwealthnorth.org.

SAIC provides Smart Grid to villages

Intelligent Energy Systems awarded a contract to Science Applications International Corp. for smart grid infrastructure solutions for four Alaskan villages. SAIC’s Smart Grid as a service offering at these locations have been online and running since Dec. 12, 2011. This service provides a comprehensive, affordable and integrated one-stop resource for utilities. The integrated hardware and software solution provides advanced metering infrastructure, outage alerts and remote connection capabilities. This smart grid infrastructure will help provide a complete community energy management infrastructure.

Providence gains national recognition

The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Health System Benchmarks has named Providence Health and Services among the top 20 percent of best-performing systems in the country. Providence was recognized for saving more lives, better long-term outcomes, better adherence to accepted care protocols and patient safety standards, shorter hospital stays, higher patient-satisfaction scores and fewer patient complications. Providence’s care improvements include using a common electronic health record, establishing a modified early warning system for physiologic deterioration and creating a single formulary used in Providence facilities.

Insurance Director Hall retires

Alaska Division of Insurance Director Linda Hall will retire this spring after leading the division for nine years. The search for a new director will begin immediately. During Hall’s tenure, the division’s financial examination section received an outstanding reaccreditation review, affirming the state’s ability to analyze the financial solvency of insurers. The division currently licenses more than 39,000 producers, a significant increase from the 15,000 that were licensed when Director Hall joined the division in 2003.

Deltek to unify Three Saints Bay

The Alaska Native corporation Three Saints Bay has chosen Deltek Costpoint to streamline mission-critical financial management processes across its collection of businesses to manage the combined company as a single, high-performing organization. Deltek Costpoint will also deliver increased visibility and cost efficiencies to drive the company to new levels of financial performance. Three Saints Bay needed a solution that would create standardized processes and drive efficiencies across its various operating companies so that the combined organization can be managed together as a single, high-performing company. Three Saints Bay will also use Deltek Costpoint to eliminate many manual processes to deliver a more streamlined and automated organization, as well as consolidate vital information across all its operating companies. Owned by the Old Harbor Native Corp., Three Saints Bay is a holding company for several successful 8(a) small businesses operating in the government marketplace, including Amee Bay, Barling Bay, Kodiak Kenai Cable Company, Rolling Bay, Sage Systems Technologies and Shearwater Systems.

UIC continues research in Barrow

Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corp. recently reinstated its management authority over the Barrow Environmental Observatory, as well as other Barrow-based scientific research properties it owns. This includes a number of facilities at the former Naval Arctic Research Laboratory. This action reflects UIC’s commitment to encourage and support research activities in a manner that promotes understanding of environmental changes and creates economic sustainability for the region. This support is consistent with UIC’s mission and vision, which mandates responsible and strategic land use planning and management.

AIDEA approves two business loans

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority board of directors approved two loan participations for projects located in Anchorage and Juneau. One is for Novella S. Larson Revocable Trust of 2000. This participation is for $2,164,829 (90 percent) of a $2.4 million loan brought to AIDEA by First National Bank Alaska, which originated the loan and is participating with $240,537 (10 percent). The purpose of this loan is for term financing for a new, two-story office and retail building located at 2011 Abbott Road in Anchorage. The second participation, to Juneau Residences, LLC., is for $3.8 million (80 percent) of a $4.8 million loan brought to AIDEA by Sterling Savings Bank, which originated the loan and is participating with $956,800 (20 percent). This loan is for term financing of a newly constructed 78-room Aspen Suites Hotel located at 8400 Airport Boulevard in Juneau.