SBA seeks nominations for small business awards

Each year during National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration recognizes outstanding small business owners for their contribution to the economic well being of America. SBA is currently accepting nominations for several SBA award categories including the 2010 Small Business Person of the Year Award. A business owner may also nominate themselves or other candidates. Nomination categories, forms and information can be found at the SBA Web site at www.sba.gov/ak resource section or by contacting Sam Dickey of the Alaska District SBA Office at (907) 271-4844. The deadline for submitting nominations is Nov. 13.

URS creates UAA engineering fellowship

The University of Alaska Anchorage School of Engineering is the recipient of a $25,000 gift from URS Corp. that will be used to create a graduate fellowship in engineering. This will allow a qualified student to undertake research in arctic engineering under the direction of a faculty member. This is the first privately funded graduate fellowship in the School of Engineering. It will provide an opportunity for students to engage in important research in the field, work closely with faculty, gain experience, and be more skilled and of better service to industry upon graduation. The School of Engineering hopes to increase the number of fellowships offered and develop a cohort of graduate engineering students engaged in arctic research.

Bristol Design receives award

A design-build project at Eielson Air Force Base led by Bristol Design Build Services earned a 2009 Honor Award for Excellence in Architecture by the American Institute of Architects, Alaska chapter. The award recognizes work performed on the Eielson Air Force Base Chapel Center, in Fairbanks. The AIA Alaska chapter presented the award to Bristol Design Build Services LLC Sept. 19, at its regional conference in Anchorage.

Bristol was contracted to design and build the chapel to serve all religious denominations of military personnel and their families at Eielson. Bristol worked on the project in association with KPB Architects. The chapel design was also recognized last year with a Pacific Air Forces Design Award in the Concept Design Category. Bristol Design Build Services, established in 2006 and headquartered in Anchorage, provides design-build construction management. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bristol Bay Native Corp.

USKH project receives surveying award

Point of Beginning Magazine chose the USKH Inc. survey department as the grand prizewinner for the 2009 Highlights in Surveying contest. The group was recognized for its work surveying airport and hovercraft landing sites on Akun Island, in the Aleutians. The airport will service the city of Akutan on the neighboring island of Akutan. The USKH survey crew had approximately three months to conduct detailed control and bathymetric surveys around the two islands, as well as to perform an upland topographic survey of areas totaling about 1,100 acres. By using advanced technologies and a combination of surveying techniques, the crew was able to overcome substantial challenges in terrain and logistics to deliver the project on time and within budget. The project is featured in POB's October issue. USKH is an employee-owned design firm.