Bulletins 10/09/11

National 8(a) Association Receives SBA

The National 8(a) Association received a U.S. Small Business Administration Small Business Teaming Pilot Program grant to help foster growth, education and opportunities for small businesses. Funded by the Small Business Jobs Act, which was signed into law by President Obama last year, the pilot program is designed to help small businesses work together to compete for federal contracts, grow and create jobs. SBA grants have been awarded to the National 8(a) Association and 10 other organizations for the training, counseling and mentoring of small businesses that wish to partner and develop relationships in order to compete for larger federal contracts. These teaming partnerships may take shape as joint ventures or as mentor/protégé relationships. The National 8(a) Association was awarded $500,000. Founded in 1997 as the Alaska 8(a) Association, the National 8(a) Association’s mission is to help small businesses – 8(a) certified or not – gain the information needed to advance.

FNBA unveils contingency operation site in Fairbanks

First National Bank Alaska has announced it has set up a contingency operation site in Fairbanks. For the past 16 years, First National had an arrangement with an Outside third-party provider to host the bank’s backup mainframe. If there were a catastrophe that affected the mainframe in Anchorage, the bank would be able to respond by switching to the backup mainframe in Fairbanks. That mainframe contains up-to-date copies of production data and would allow for business operations to continue uninterrupted and quick restoration of other services. The contingency operation site’s Fairbanks location is cost effective for First National and ensures Alaskans will have access to banking services in the event of a disaster. In the process of getting the site up and running, the bank also invested $800,000 in the local economy by working with Fairbanks-area designers and contractors. Established in 1922, First National is Alaska’s largest Alaskan-owned and operated bank.

Alyeska Fire/Rescue Brigade grabs top honors

The Alyeska Fire/Rescue Brigade grabbed top honors at the State Firefighters Skills Competition in Fairbanks this month, marking the 12th consecutive victory in the competition. The annual competition took place during the 49th Annual Alaska Fire Conference, hosted by the Alaska State Firefighter Association and the Alaska Fire Chief’s Association. Alyeska’s competition team is composed of both Alyeska technicians and Doyon Universal Services fire team employees who serve on the brigade at the Valdez Marine Terminal. Brigade members who attended the training conference included Fire Chief Brian Beauvais; Assistant Chief Sean Wisner; Capts. Jennifer Stubblefield, Chris Steeves and Brian Mitchell; Lts. Justin Major and Matt Smelcer; and firefighters Steve McCann and Greg Matthieu. The competition, held Sept. 24, involved firefighters showing their skills in swiftly and accurately deploying equipment and also extinguishing flames. Alyeska’s brigade placed first in the ladder raise, fire extinguisher and the make-and-break competitions, and took second in the bunker gear and SCBA event. Make-and-break is a competition where three team members work together in relay fashion to assemble hose segments and connect it to a hydrant. The Bunker Gear and SCBA contest gauges how fast a team member can correctly don firefighting gear and a self-contained breathing apparatus. The ladder raise event requires a team of four to carry a 24-foot firefighting ground ladder 75 feet, secure it, climb it and ring a bell at the top. The fire extinguisher event gauges how fast a firefighter can safely extinguish a Class B fire using a portable fire extinguisher.

NANA announces 2011 shareholder dividend

NANA Regional Corp. Inc. announced that the board of directors declared a dividend of $14.70 per share payable on or about Nov. 14, 2011, to shareholders of record as of Oct. 31, 2011. NANA also contributes millions of dollars a year to scholarships, medical, burial and disaster assistance, village economic development, language preservation and other social, cultural, infrastructure and energy programs for shareholders. NANA Regional Corp. Inc. is one of the 13 Alaska Native corporations created pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

Alaska USA unveils apps

Alaska USA Federal Credit Union has released a free mobile access app for iPhone and Android devices. The Alaska USA app combines the most frequently requested information about the credit union with the most popular features of its online account access site, UltraBranch. Members can check balances, transfer money, pay bills, view rates or find the nearest branch or ATM. The Alaska USA app offers the same features on both iOS (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch) and Android devices, and can be downloaded through the App Store and the Android Market. Alaska USA Federal Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative with $4.4 billion in assets and more than 425,000 members worldwide.