January/February 2015 - NANA Regional Corporation

January/February
2015| |Volume
Volume 40
January
- Febuary 2014
37
Published by NANA Regional Corporation, Inc.
Published by NANA Regional Corporation, Inc.
Message from the President
INSIDE
IN-REGION
FUEL DISCOUNT pg.
experienced many successes and many
challenges together. By its very nature,
change brings with it the opportunity for
reflection. By looking at our organization,
at goals accomplished and yet to be
achieved, areas of improvement and
opportunity become clearer. As Iñupiat,
we know that change and adapting to
change is part of our survival. It is a great
strength of our people; to persevere, to
adapt so that we can achieve our goals.
4
Kasaŋnaaluk Marie N. Greene,
NANA Regional Corporation President/CEO
H
SCHOOL
LUNCHES
pg.
6
pg. 7
FEDERAL
CONTRACTING pg.
Anchorage, AK
Permit No. 444
PO Box 49
Kotzebue, Alaska 99752
PO Box 49
Kotzebue, Alaska 99752
PAID
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
Anchorage, AK
Permit No. 444
NEW FACES
5
appy New Year! As we welcome
2015, we welcome the change
at NANA. This will be my
last Hunter message to you as NANA
President and CEO. As you likely saw
in the corporate press release issued
on December 4, 2014, the NANA board
of directors selected Wayne Westlake
as NANA Regional Corporation's new
President and CEO. Wayne assumed
his office effective February 1, 2015,
when I officially retired. Wayne is
going to do an outstanding job and I
know he is going to lead the company
with Iñupiat Il.itqusiat as his guide.
Our Corporation has changed a great
deal in my time at NANA. We've
While we grow and change as a business,
we know we do so with an end in mind.
We grow and create profit to make our
region the best in the world, to ensure
our people – as shareholders of this
company – receive financial benefits
from our mutual inherited investment.
We work to create prosperity for our
people – so that they may have a
better present and a better future.
When we see our children and
grandchildren graduate from universities,
come to work at the Red Dog Mine or
NANA, or have the financial stability to
grow into strong future-focused adults,
we know we are achieving our mission.
When our region has the infrastructure,
employment opportunities, food security
and energy solutions to make it one of the
best places to live in Alaska – we know we
are achieving our mission. While we have
made progress, there is much more we
NANA Elders'
Settlement Trust
Announces 2014 Distribution
need and must do so that all shareholders
can participate fully in the process of the
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
(ANCSA) as shareholder of this company.
Many leaders have served NANA on
the board and as Corporate officers
throughout our 40 year history, and I
now understand what so many before
me have expressed. As I stand in this
moment before leaving, my heart is
filled with gratitude. Throughout my
career at our company, I have been
blessed with a wonderful team that
has worked hard, every day, to achieve
NANA's mission. One of the things I will
miss most is seeing them every day.
Serving you, the NANA shareholders,
for the past 13 years has been one of the
greatest honors of my life. Throughout
the years, you have held me up with
your prayers and I have been continually
moved by your kindness and hospitality.
We have shared in good times and
mourned together. While I am leaving
my role as President and CEO, I am
in my heart and soul so thankful that
I am a part the Iñupiat of Northwest
Alaska. We are a strong, vibrant and
powerful people with a rich history
and a bright future ahead of us.
Aarigaa. Taikuu and God bless you. ■
T
he Trustees of the NANA Elders’ Settlement Trust voted
to issue a $1,000 per Elder distribution for 2014. The
Trust was established by NANA in 2008 to provide a
modest, yet needed, special distribution to NANA shareholders
who are 65 years of age or older by Jan. 1, 2015. The
distribution is not taxable. The NANA Elders’ Settlement Trust
distribution had a record date of Jan. 1, 2015 and the payment
date was on Jan. 9, 2015. The distribution is not taxable. ■
NANA's New CEO
NANA Regional Corporation Announces New
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
N
ANA Regional Corporation’s
board announced the
appointment of Wayne Westlake
as its new President and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO). Westlake is a NANA
shareholder originally from Kiana. Wayne
assumed his role as President and CEO
effective February 1, 2015, when Greene
retired after 13 years of leadership and
22 years of service at the company.
Prior to accepting the position at NANA,
Westlake served in many executive level
positions including: president of Tern
Point, LLC, a company that provides
administrative services and technical
support to the federal government and
commercial clients; Lithocore, LLC, an
engineering services company; and vice
president of Business Development at
Kikiktagruk Iñupiat Corporation.
Westlake holds a Master’s Degree in
Business Administration from Alaska
Pacific University (APU) and a Bachelor
of Arts in Secondary Education from the
University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA).
NANA Regional Corporation, Inc.
(NANA) is one of the 13 Alaska Native
corporations created pursuant to the
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
(ANCSA). NANA’s mission is to provide
economic opportunities for its more
than 13,600 Iñupiat shareholders and to
protect and enhance NANA lands. Join
the hunt at www.nana.com/regional. ■
NANA
NANA Announces 2014
Shareholder Dividend Distribution
O
n December 4, 2014, NANA’s board
declared an FY2014 dividend of
$6.00 per share payable on or about
Dec. 17, 2014 to shareholders of record
as of Dec. 10, 2014. The total distribution
was approximately $9.4 million paid to
NANA’s shareholders of record.
The board assesses the ability of the
corporation to pay a dividend based on
performance while balancing the need
to provide social and cultural benefits to
shareholders and ensure our business
growth.
The dividend is just one way NANA
provides benefits to shareholders. In fact,
dividends account for about 40 percent
of shareholder benefits in a current year.
Other benefits include medical and burial
assistance, funding for social, cultural and
educational programs, village economic
development, and investment in protecting
subsistence and moving regional priorities
forward and support the business growth
of NRC's wholly-owned subsidiary, NDC. ■
NANA
Appoints
New Chief
Financial
Officer
Shareholder Informals
N
ANA Regional Corporation
(NRC), Inc. announced the
appointment of Jens Beck as
the company’s new Chief Financial
Officer (CFO) effective December 4,
2014. Beck also serves as CFO of
NANA’s wholly-owned subsidiary, NANA
Development Corporation (NDC).
Prior to his new position, Beck served
as CFO and Senior Vice President at
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation
(ASRC) Energy Services. Throughout
his career, he has held a variety of
financial leadership positions including
Senior Auditor of Public Accounting
for KPMG where he obtained his
CPA certification for Alaska.
Beck holds a Bachelor of Economics
from Phillips University of Marburg
and a Bachelor’s of Business
Administration in accounting and
international finance from the University
of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). ■
A
dverse weather in the NANA region
prevented NANA’s management team
from attending the Informal Shareholder
Meetings in Buckland, Deering, Kobuk, Shungnak,
and Kiana. However, NANA's Communications team
partnered with the Northwest Arctic Borough School
District (NWABSD) to conduct video conferences
or teleconferences with the communities. Our
appreciation is extended to each of the village
schools, Resource Technicians and Shareholder
Development Specialists for making this happen. ■
Directors Charlie Curtis and Ely Cyrus met with shareholders at the
Kiana Informal Shareholder Meeting.
Elder Emma Thomas of Buckland attends the first video conferenced
NANA Informal Shareholder Meeting.
NANA Development Corporation’s (NDC) Shareholder Employment &
Development (SHED) team arrived early at the Anchorage Informal
Shareholder Meeting to meet with shareholders about internship and job
opportunities.
NANA employees Andrea Montag, Lance Miller, Eileene Foster and
Pauline Mills tally the board member votes in Noatak.
NANA’s new President and CEO, Wayne Westlake, and his wife, Sharon,
attend the Anchorage Informal Shareholder Meeting.
Shareholder, Buddy Cleveland, won a cash door prize at the Selawik
Informal Shareholder Meeting.
(Front l to r) NANA President Marie N. Greene, 1st Vice Chair Robert
Sampson, NDC President Helvi Sandvik, Secretary Linda Lee, and NDC
Chair Luke Sampson met with shareholders via skype due to weather
conditions.
NANA President and CEO, Marie N. Greene, and shareholder and
Seattle Seahawk fan, Alice Moto Anderson, share a smile at the Seattle
Informal Shareholder Meeting.
2
HUNTER  JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015
NANA
T
Kasaŋnaaluk Marie N. Greene Wins
Citizen of the Year Award at the
Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN)
he Alaska Federation of Natives
(AFN) announced NANA
President & CEO, Kasaŋnaaluk
Marie N. Greene, as their 2014 Citizen
of the Year. The award recognizes the
contributions of a Native person who
has demonstrated strong commitment,
dedication, and service to the Alaska
Native Community and to Rural
Alaska. The Award is bestowed
annually on an individual selected
by the AFN Board of Directors for
exemplary work that has improved
the lives of Alaska Native people.
Greene has served in regional
leadership roles in Northwest Alaska for
much of her career. The Mt. Edgecumbe
graduate was President of Maniilaq
Association prior to assuming her role
as President & CEO of NANA Regional
Corporation (NANA). In addition to
her duties at NANA, Greene serves on
boards of several regional and statewide
organizations including: OTZ Telephone
Cooperative, the Advisory committee
for Wells Fargo Bank and the Alaska
Federation of Natives. She is co-chair
of the Northwest Arctic Workforce
Development and Higher Education
Consortium and the Northwest Arctic
Leadership Team (NWALT). Greene
is an appointed member of the fivemember Alaska Redistricting Board,
responsible for reapportioning the
state house and senate districts
following the 2010 U.S. Census.
Two other NANA shareholders
were recognized during the event.
Karmen Monigold received the Katie
John Hunter-Fisher Award and
Sarah Scanlan received the Hannah
Solomon Woman of Courage Award.
Marie N. Greene (center) is surrounded by her family after receiving the Citizen of the Year Award from the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN).
Yoi! Congratulations ladies! ■
Regional Elders Meetings
(Left) Regional Elders
vote on important issues
that affect the region.
(Right) Charlie Nazuruk
of Noorvik, Christina
Westlake of Kiana
and Angie Newlin of
Noorvik take notes at
the Iñupiaq Language
Commission during
their meeting.
E
arly in November, representatives
from the Regional Elders Council
(REC) and the Iñupiaq Language
Commission (ILC) visited Deering and
Kivalina to support the growth of the
Iñupiaq language nests. A language nest
is a program used to revitalize a language
through an immersion-based approach.
This nest program originated from the
Māori language revival in New Zealand.
In 1987, the Māori leaders became aware
that their younger Māori children could
not speak their ancestral language and
therefore established the Māori Language
Act. The act declares that Māori language
to be an official language of New Zealand.
At the meeting held in Kivalina on
November 7th, Winona Hawley shared
with the attendees their trip experience
to New Zealand. She discussed how
only the Māori language was taught to
children from birth to the age of three.
On November 7th and 8th, the Elders
made their way to Kivalina and to
Deering where they held meetings
discussing topics on healing and
forgiveness, the Iñupiaq Immersion
School in Kotzebue and the Iñupiaq
language nests. At the meetings, the REC
President Willie Goodwin distributed
the new Iñupiat Il.itqusiat cards to
everyone who attended the meetings,
expressing that the words on these
cards are the values of our Elders.
Schaeffer gave a presentation on the
Nikaitchuat, the Iñupiaq Immersion
School in Kotzebue. She started her
presentation by requesting everyone
present to introduce themselves
using their Iñupiaq name. In her
presentation, Polly stated that she along
with Ida Biesemeier started teaching
at Nikaitchuat using a curriculum
brought from the school district by
Ruthie Sampson. Schaeffer spoke on
how the Kotzebue community came
together to bring in animal skins to be
used as a teaching tool. The community
also gathered school supplies and toys
to be distributed to the children.
Polly Schaeffer was one of a handful of
Elders who traveled with the REC and
ILC to the meetings in Deering and
Kivalina. At the meeting in Deering,
The REC and ILC encouraged the
community members of Deering and
Kivalina to bring an immersionbased approach to the schools in their
communities. They told them how crucial
it is for everyone to work together to
keep the Iñupiaq language alive and in
order to do so, it must start at home.
Many words of wisdom came from the
meetings, yet the one that resonated
most is to “not stop speaking our
language and teach our way of life.”
Plans are in place for representatives
from the REC and the ILC to travel to
the remaining villages in January 2015.
Today, more than half of the people in
the region are not fluent in Iñupiaq.
In efforts to help educate the public,
members of the REC will be recording
some of the Iñupiaq Word of the
Week (IWOW) for most of 2015. ■
HUNTER  JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015
3
NANA
ANCSA Land Entitlements
NANA Regional Corporation Signs Agreement with the Bureau of
Land Management to Settle Remaining ANCSA Land Entitlements
On December 4, 2014, NANA signed
an agreement with the Bureau of Land
Management which outlines a path
to settle all remaining ANCSA land
entitlements. When NANA receives
final conveyances within the coming
year the corporation will have title
to approximately 2,212,000 acres of
surface and subsurface lands. NANA
is the first Alaska Native Corporation
(ANC) to complete this major process.
Don Sheldon, Marie N. Greene with the entire NANA board took a photo with Joe Labay, Ralph Eluska and Dina Torres from the Bureau of Land Management to
celebrate this moment.
O
n December 4, 2014, NANA
President and CEO Marie N.
Greene signed an agreement
with the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) which will outline a path to settle
all remaining Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act (ANCSA) land entitlement
due to NANA. This important agreement
details what lands will be transferred to
NANA and authorizes BLM to complete
final conveyance documents based on the
Alaska Land Transfer Acceleration Act
of December 10, 2004. The agreement
represents a significant milestone with
the conveyance process that NANA has
been working on for many decades. There
were years of consultation, numerous
public meetings within communities
and numerous meetings with the NANA
Board that led to this point. This has
been a long process but at the end of the
day, shareholders will benefit from the
years of close review and prioritization of
land selections by staff and shareholders
in each community. When NANA receives
final conveyances within the coming
year the corporation will have title to
approximately 2,212,198 acres of surface
and subsurface lands. NANA had to
reallocate certain Regional selected lands
to Kikiktagruk Iñupiat Corporation (KIC)
and from this reallocation NANA will
retain title to the subsurface acres. With
the additional subsurface acreage NANA
will retain from surface title transferred
to KIC, NANA’s total land title amount
will be approximately 2,259,287.70
acres. Due to stipulations set out in the
Acceleration Act, NANA will receive
3,214 more acres than actual entitlement
set out by ANCSA. The only remaining
acreage due to NANA will be 14 historical
sites totaling approximately 14 acres. ■
Vitus Energy LLC and NANA Regional Corporation
Partner to Reduce the Cost of Fuel
N
ANA has negotiated an
agreement with Vitus Energy to
lower the cost of fuel for office
buildings and the Nullaġvik Hotel to
reduce operational costs. The agreement
allows the Corporation to pass along a
fuel reward to NANA shareholders in the
region. Many shareholders may choose
to take advantage of this cost saving
program to receive a discount. Please
read the Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) below to learn more about the
program and how to participate.
WHAT IS THE NANA FUEL REWARD
PROGRAM?
NANA has to purchase fuel for our office
buildings and the Nullaġvik Hotel in the
NANA region. Because the Corporation
is buying large amounts of fuel, staff was
able to negotiate a bulk rate with Vitus
Energy. As part of that agreement, NANA
asked Vitus to include a discounted
rate per gallon for NANA shareholders
who sign up with Vitus. The program is
optional and NANA shareholders will be
making a personal choice to participate,
Shareholders will also be responsible for
their own heating and fuel bills. NANA
shareholders have the option to use Vitus
Energy for their heating fuel services and
will receive a discounted rate from Vitus.
HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?
Beginning January 1, 2015, NANA
shareholders can earn .20 per gallon
on qualified purchases from Vitus to
be applied to the shareholder’s next
order. Orders can be placed on the Vitus
4
website www.kotzebuefuel.com or from
enrollment in the keep full program.
In order for a purchase to qualify,
the following criteria must be met:
1. NANA shareholders must order
residential heating fuel for
delivery in Kotzebue, AK.
2. Only residential heating fuel delivered
to the shareholder’s residence
and paid with a credit card in the
shareholder’s name is eligible. Only
one residence per shareholder will be
accepted. For shareholders without
a Kotzebue residence, delivery
in the Vitus Energy LLC yard in
Kotzebue is acceptable. Delivery in
the Vitus yard is only available on
Tuesdays between 8am and 9am.
3. Claim for the NANA Shareholder
Reward program must be
made at the time of order.
4. This reward does not combine with
any other special price, discount,
rebate or other reward program.
TO USE REWARDS:
1. NANA shareholders must continue
to order heating fuel for residential
delivery in Kotzebue. A qualified order
will earn rewards for the NEXT order.
2. Vitus will apply valid rewards to the
shareholders next qualified order.
Example: Shareholder orders 100
gallons of heating fuel on January 15.
HUNTER  JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015
A credit of $20 ($.20 X 100 gallons) will
be place on their account. On January
30 the shareholder purchased another
100 gallons. A credit for the $20 we
be placed on the customer credit card.
In addition they would earn another
$20 credit for this current order.
Example for shareholders who do not
live in Kotzebue: Shareholder wants to
purchase two 50 gallon drums of heating
fuel on January 15 and wants to receive
the reward that day, they would create
two separate orders (one order for each
drum). A credit of $10 ($.20 X 50 gallons)
from the first order will be placed on
their account. They can then use the
$10 credit on the second order allowing
them to receive the reward that day.
Vitus reserves the right to verify
claims for reward, and terminate from
eligibility anyone willfully misusing
the reward program. Examples of
misuse include purchasing fuel for
friends in order to get the reward or
reselling reward fuel for a profit.
I DON’T LIVE IN KOTZEBUE,
WHY CAN’T WE GET THIS IN MY
COMMUNITY?
NANA is working hard to find ways of
bringing a similar program to regional
communities. We appreciate your
patience on this matter. At this time,
delivery in the Vitus Energy LLC yard is
acceptable for shareholders who do not
reside in Kotzebue and is available only
on Tuesdays between 8am and 9am.
THE PRICE OF OIL IS DROPPING –
DOES THE RATE GO DOWN WITH
THE PRICE OF OIL OR IS IT FIXED?
The agreement is for a set discount.
So as the price fluctuates our set
discount is deducted from the
current price of heating fuel.
I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, WHO CAN
I TALK TO?
If you have any questions, you can
contact Damon Schaeffer at the NANA
office in Kotzebue at (907) 442-3301. ■
NANA
School Lunches in the NANA Region
A Q&A with NMS
F
or the last three school years,
NANA Management Services
(NMS), NANA Development
Corporation’s (NDC's) support services
company subsidiary, has been providing
school breakfast and lunch to students
in the NANA region through a contract
with the Northwest Arctic Borough
School District (NWABSD). One of the
challenges for NMS is to serve meals
that can satisfy the strict nutritional
standards set by the US Department
of Agriculture. Nationwide schools are
wrestling with the same challenge. From
classroom to playground, kids need good,
tasty and nutritious meals to keep them
happy and healthy for their studies,
sports and activities. NMS works with
the NWABSD to meet the needs of the
students and parents while balancing
between what the federal government
and nutrition experts require and
what the student and parent tastes
prefer. Derrell Webb, Vice President
of Operations responsible for the
NWABSD food services program recently
responded to questions from the Hunter.
THE HUNTER: What do the
students prefer to eat?
DERRELL: While the top favorite
varies from school to school, students
universally enjoy “macho-nachos,”
pizza, chicken nuggets, burgers,
spaghetti and casserole and pasta
menu items. They also enjoy the
fruit and veggie bar (Garden Bar),
which allows them to make their own
choices and is “All You Care to Eat.”
THE HUNTER: Are there any
items the students don’t like?
DERRELL: Actually, we are in the process
of doing town hall meetings throughout
the villages in the Region. Our first
meeting was in Noorvik (November
11). At that meeting we learned the
students didn’t like the salmon wraps.
As a result, salmon wraps will be
phased out of the menu for Noorvik.
THE HUNTER: What’s the deal on
portions? Why can’t students just get
a bigger helping the first go-round?
DERRELL: Well, we know that is what
the students would like and we would
too, but once the district accepts federal
funding for their food service program,
we are required to serve the portions
as directed in the federal guidelines or
the funding is at risk. The regulations
Thelma Coffin and
Helen Davis of Selawik
provide a healthy lunch
to the students. NMS is
currently in the process
of setting up town hall
meetings to discuss food
options for the schools
breakfast and lunch
menus. All you can eat
fruits and vegetables are
available at the Veggie
Bar in every cafeteria.
require us to serve certain portions the
first time through. But we don’t want any
tummies to go empty, so we encourage
students to come back for seconds and,
of course, they can eat all they want
from the garden bar... We have found,
when talking to parents, that many
didn’t realize the kids can come back for
seconds. So we are working on spreading
that word so parents and kids know
they do not have to go away hungry.
THE HUNTER: What about food
made from scratch? We’ve heard that
everything you cook is frozen.
DERRELL: What we call home-style
meals (foods that are traditionally
made from scratch) are definitely what
adults prefer on the menu. Students
however, traditionally like heat-andserve items like chicken nuggets and
burgers. We try to balance the menu
between what the students will eat
and we adults prefer—always within
the food guidelines we are required to
follow. However, based on the feedback
we’ve received from parents, teachers,
and staff we’re increasing our homestyle meals by 50% and have instituted
the “Recipe from Home” program to
increase menu items made from scratch.
THE HUNTER: Can you tell us more
about the Recipe from Home program?
DERRELL: Students get to bring us a
recipe from home, and then we adapt
it to fit the school menu. Recipes
are adjusted to meet the federal
nutrition requirements through a
program we use called Nutri-Kids.
It’s a computer software program that
evaluates the nutrition of any recipe
and allows us to make the necessary
adjustments to make recipes meet
federal nutritional requirements.
THE HUNTER: We hear all of the time
about “federal requirements” for what is
fed to our students in the Region. Can
you please clarify what is required?
DERRELL: The National School Lunch
Program provides nutritional and portion
guidelines. The guidelines on nutrition
are specific, defining the nutrients and
ingredients we can and must include in
our menu on a daily and weekly basis.
How much salt, how much sugar, how
much protein, how many calories etc.
we can serve a student in a meal, day or
week is dictated by the guidelines. That
means if we serve waffles at breakfast,
we may not be able to serve bread at
lunch—that may make the carbohydrate
content too high for that day. Portions
are controlled too. The amount we serve
is what the federal guideline allows
in a serving. The guidelines are based
on nutritional studies done by the
government. The good news is, because
fruits and vegetables are so important to
a healthy diet, students are able to enjoy
as much as they want from the garden
bars without restriction. We work very
carefully to satisfy the federal guidelines
because we don’t want to jeopardize
this year’s free breakfast and lunch
program—the no cost meals are a very
important to families in the Region.
THE HUNTER: What are you doing to
add traditional foods to the menu?
DERRELL: Traditional foods that are
commercially distributed are already
part of our menu. We are working in
partnership with Maniilaq to integrate
additional foods into the menu.
This will take time, as we must first
meet federal regulations to do so.
THE HUNTER: Is there anything
you’d like to tell us about that weren’t
answered by our questions?
DERRELL: Yes! I’d especially like to
encourage all students, parents, elders
and concerned community members
to join us at our town hall meetings
when we come to your village. We’ll be
talking about menus, new programs and
responding to questions. Currently, we
are working on schedules to be in all
of our NANA Region villages. We will
ask our NANA Resource Technicians to
announce the meeting dates and will
be coordinating with school principals
on the dates and times. We really
want everyone’s help to make this food
service program the best anywhere!
If you have questions about the
NWABSD food program, please
send your questions to NMS at
foodservicesinfo@nmsusa.com. ■
In Memoriam
ELMER J KNOX
KIM FRONK
PAULINE D HATHAWAY
EDGAR GIL KENWORTHY
BILL P PERRY
LOWELL ALUK FARQUHAR
NETTIE FOXGLOVE
SARAH TICKETT
JULIUS JOSEPH JESSUP
HELEN BROUILLETTE
JOSEPH WILLOCK
JACOB STALKER JR.
MARY ANN HARRIS
CLEMENT DOWNEY JR.
CLYDE MILLS
AMELIA GRAY
ANGELINE LYONS
DAMON LOUIS TABOR
BETTY LILLIAN MOTO
EMILY MISSHOOK YOGIS
RALPH STONEY
CASTEN R WESTLAKE
HOMER CLEVELAND SR.
ALMOND K SHIELD
DAKOTA B JEFFERY-MELTON
EMELINE KNOX
NANCY N MYERS
ADAM THOMAS BUCHANAN
MARIE MORGAN
GILBERT MARTIN SCHAEFFER
MILES CLEVELAND JR.
LORETTA LEANN GREGG
CHARLIE SOURS SR.
ALICE C OUTWATER
OLIVE M SACCHEUS
JOSEPHINE E HORLACHER
LILLIAN JOSEPHINE HARVEY
TY OWEN BROWN
IDA FREDERICA HADLEY
SHAELEN LENORA AUMAQUTUK SNYDER
ORVIN SAMUEL BALLOT
JEANELLE J CLARK
EMMA BERRY
JOHN "BJ" RICHARDS
HUNTER  JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015
5
NANA
Federal
Contracting
(l - r): Preston Lyons,
Ken Pooton, Mamie
Karmun, Samantha
Ruppert, Laura
Orenga de Gaffory,
Abraham Farrag,
Akima President and
CEO Bill Monet, and
Preston Ruff. AKIMA
supports Shareholder
Employment and
Development (SHED)
by participating in
the College Support
Program. This last
summer AKIMA
hosted nine interns
throughout their family
of companies.
Companies Provide
Stable, Long Term
Source of Revenue
I
n 1996, NANA began investing in
developing a group of companies
to deliver service to the Federal
Government. This was part of NANA
Development Corporation’s (NDC’s)
diversification strategy. We were looking
for ways to build NANA’s businesses
beyond Alaska, and beyond serving
just the oil and mining industry. Since
then, federal contracting has grown
into NDC’s largest source of revenues.
This business sector is managed by
one holding company, Akima, LLC.
With nearly 30 operating companies,
Akima provides services and products
to the federal government, and to
some commercial customers.
Akima companies offer a wide range
of services including, information
technology, aircraft maintenance,
handling, and fueling, construction,
facilities management, logistics, training,
records management, and staffing.
8(A) PROGRAM
Like many other Alaska Native
corporations and tribal entities, NANA’s
federal companies relied first on the
Small Business Administration’s
8(a) program. The program helps
small disadvantaged companies gain
access to government contracts, and
provides them with a period of time to
learn how to most effectively deliver
services to the government. The goal
of that program is for companies to
graduate from the program with the
capabilities to fully compete with other
government contracting companies.
Over time, Akima companies have
been successfully transitioning.
The federal contracting business is
challenging. As federal budget cuts
continue, more companies compete for
the same work. Competition drives prices
down, so new contracts and renewals
may have lower profits than in the past.
Competitors sometimes submit bids
that seem to be below the cost of doing
the work. More companies compete for
the same work and more protests are
filed against contracts. Akima continues
to improve their business to meet
these challenges and deliver important
revenues, income, and jobs for NANA.
CUSTOMERS
EMPLOYEES
Akima has one goal: to help their
customers do important work.
For example, Akima supports
critical missions for the:
Akima’s 5,700 employees work at
contract locations across the United
States and around the globe. Most
of their work is outside of Alaska.
•
U.S. Department of Defense
•
U.S. Department of Commerce
•
U. S. Department of Energy
•
U.S. Department of Agriculture
•
National GeospatialIntelligence Agency
•
Federal Bureau of Investigation
•
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration.
On the commercial side, Akima provides
services to several national and
international airlines, including United
Airlines, China Airlines and FedEx.
Despite the fact that most of the work
done by Akima is located far away from
Alaska and the NANA Region, over the
years, many NANA shareholders have
worked for the company. In FY2014,
Akima employed 98 shareholders.
According to Mamie Karmun, manager
of shareholder relations for Akima,
“What makes Akima a great place
to work is the commitment not only
to shareholder hire, but also the
Shareholder Summer Intern Program.
Since the beginning of the program,
more than 100 interns have been placed
throughout Akima companies.”
For more info:
www.akima.com ■
NANA Development Corporation’s
Three Business Sectors
WHY SECTORS?
NANA Development Corporation
(NDC) is a large business, with many
subsidiaries. We serve many different
industries, delivering many different
services and products. Different
industries have different requirements
and require different expertise. We
organize our different businesses into
three different business sectors, based
on who their primary customer is.
Commercial
25%
Oil & Gas
25%
NDC’S THREE SECTORS ARE:
•
Federal Contract Services:
includes Akima, LLC and its 27
subsidiaries--our primary customer
is the federal government, but we
deliver a wide variety of services
through this group of customers.
•
Oil & Gas: includes GIS Oilfield
Services and NANA Australia
(both 100% owned by NDC) and
NANA WorleyParsons (50% owned
by NDC)--our primary customer
for these companies is the oil and
gas producers across the world,
along with the mining industry.
•
Commercial: includes a wide variety
of NANA companies, including
NMS, WHPacific, NOSI, our hotels,
6
several smaller NDC businesses
supporting the Red Dog Mine, and
our two companies that focus on
the entertainment industry, Piksik
and Evergreen. Though this group
of companies deliver many different
types of services, they are smaller
than those in the other sectors
and we group them together to
provide efficiency in oversight.
WHY DIVERSIFY?
When NANA first started it focused its
business investments on Alaska’s oil
HUNTER  JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015
Federal
50%
industry, and tried to develop businesses
in our Region. The businesses in our
Region struggled because of our remote
location, and small customer base. Our
companies serving the oil industry
did well, but they were small and
threatened by the ups and downs of
oil prices. Several years ago the NDC
Board and Management team developed
a strategy to grow our Corporation and
to develop a “portfolio”, or collection,
of businesses serving many different
industries that have the ability to
work in many different locations.
Our goal is to develop a balanced
group of businesses. If business is
slow in one industry or one place,
other industries or new locations will
help offset that downturn. While our
companies are focused on their primary
customers, our businesses also look
for ways to work together to win more
business and to support one another
meet their performance goals.
As the economy changes, every year is a
little different. Over the years we have
built a very strong group of companies
serving the federal government.
Currently close to 50% of our revenues
come from our Federal sector companies.
The balance of our revenues are split
almost equally between our Commercial
and Oil and Gas sectors. The purchase
of GIS helped strengthen our Oil and
Gas sector and positioned NANA to
continue to work in Alaska, but also to
work in the lower 48 and internationally.
As a business, we know that the
worldwide economy will always change.
Our business mix must also change
and adjust to take advantage of new
opportunities. The goal, however, never
changes--to be as successful as possible. ■
NANA
New Faces at NANA
SIICHAQRUAQ HEATHER MARIE
SHELDON
LILA MOTO
PUTU CORITA THOMAS
AQUKKASUK TIM ARGETSINGER
SENIOR EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO
THE PRESIDENT
SHAREHOLDER DEVELOPMENT
COORDINATOR
IÑUPIAQ LANGUAGE & CULTURAL
MANAGER
Siichaqruaq Heather Marie Sheldon, from
Kotzebue, has joined the NANA Regional
Corporation (NRC) family as Shareholder
Records Technician in the Shareholder
Records department in Kotzebue.
Prior to accepting her new position
she worked at Maniilaq Association
as a Human Resources Specialist I.
“The best part of being at NANA is
simply helping my fellow shareholders
and providing them with information
they may need," Sheldon said.
Lila Moto is NANA Regional
Corporation’s (NRC) new Senior
Executive Assistant to the President
in Kotzebue. In her role she manages
many tasks for the President’s office
including administrative functions,
support activities of the NRC Board of
Directors as needed, serve as liaison
for the President’s office and interfaces
with the NRC Senior Management Team
and coordinating efforts and events as
needed. Before coming to Kotzebue,
Lila worked in the IT department
at NANA Development Corporation
(NDC). “There will always be challenges
in life," said Moto, "it’s what you do
with it that makes the difference.”
Putu Corita Helena Thomas, originally
from Buckland, has joined the NRC office
as the new Shareholder Development
Coordinator in Kotzebue. Corita is
excited to assist NANA shareholders
with their scholarships, resumes, job
applications and anything else that
may help them reach their goals.
Aqukkasuk Tim Argetsinger, from
Anchorage, Alaska, is the new Iñupiaq
Language & Cultural Manager for
NANA based in Kotzebue. Prior to
joining NRC, Argetsinger worked in
mental health research at the Centre
for Refugee Trauma and Resilience
in Boston. He received a bachelor’s
degree from Dartmouth College and
holds an EdM from the Harvard
Graduate School of Education.
KAYUQTUQ LAURA ORENGA DE
GAFFORY
QALURAQ LANCE KRAMER
TIPTANA NICK KOTCH
QILAURAQ MARISSA ATORUK
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF LANDS
SR. APPLICATIONS ENGINEER
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
SPECIALIST
Qaluraq Lance Kramer, from
Qikiqtagruk, joined the NANA team on
November 5th as the Senior Director
of Lands. Kramer worked at the
Northwest Arctic Borough (NWAB) as
the Traditional Knowledge Specialist
on the Subsistence Mapping Project
prior to accepting his new position.
Qaluraq will be working on instilling
good stewardship and subsistence
practices among our shareholders.
Tiptana Nick Kotch was born and
raised in Kotzebue. He has joined the
NANA Regional Corporation’s (NRC)
IT department as their new Senior
Applications Engineer. Nick moved to
Anchorage to attend the University
of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA), and has
since obtained a bachelor’s degree in
Management Information Systems
(MIS). The MIS degree emphasizes
key areas in software engineering,
project management, and data
analysis, while providing him with
a strong background in business.
Qilauraq Marissa Atoruk from Kiana
joined NANA Regional Corporations
(NRC) Communications team as one of
their new Corporate Communications
Specialists. Atoruk, along with NANA
shareholder Laura Orenga de Gaffory,
works on the timely development and
production of NANA communication
services, products and social media
interaction. Marissa is the daughter
of Marilyn Shield and was raised by
her grandparents Jim and Vera Morris
of Kiana. Marissa holds a bachelor's
in business administration from the
University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)
where she also played two years of
college basketball. Before coming to
NANA, she interned and served as an
administrator with the Red Dog Mine
(RDM) Community Relations department.
SHAREHOLDER TECHNICIAN I
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
SPECIALIST
NANA shareholder, Kayuqtuq Laura
Orenga de Gaffory, is NANA's new
Corporate Communications Specialist
in Anchorage. Orenga de Gaffory, along
with NANA shareholder Marissa Atoruk,
works on the timely development and
production of NANA communication
services, products and social media
interaction. Prior to her new role,
she participated in the Shareholder
Employment and Development (SHED)
College Internship program and recently
returned from her Internship at Akima,
LLC in Herndon, Virginia, where she
worked in their Human Resources
department. Laura is a graduate of the
University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA)
and holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology
and minor in Alaska Native Studies.
“I am very excited to apply all the
things that I have learned through my
internships and education." Laura said.
Lance says, “The Land is our house
and our table. Everything comes from
it. We must do everything we can to
teach our younger generation how to
take care of it and use it with respect.”
Before accepting her new position,
Thomas worked at Maniilaq
Association, as a Purchasing Clerk I.
In his new role, his priority will be
providing administrative support to the
Iñupiaq Language Commission (ILC)
and Regional Elders Council (REC).
“As a Senior Application Engineer at
NANA, I will act as a complement to
our existing systems and a technical
resource in application planning, design,
and implementation.”- Nick Kotch
HUNTER  JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015
7
NANA
Land We Love
Beverly Moto
Candle, Alaska, named for Candle Creek,
is approximately 20 miles southeast
of Deering, Alaska and located on the
Kiwalik River. In the early 1900s, miners
flocked to the creek in search of gold,
making this mining camp the largest
mining settlement on the northern
Seward Peninsula at the time. It's
population peaked at roughly 546.
Beverly Moto
Candle, Alaska
(Left) Aerial view of
Candle, Alaska.
(Right Top) ATVs
are the main mode
of transportation in
Candle.
(Right Below) Brian
Weinard’s house in
Candle, Alaska.
Beverly Moto
In 1908, the first major dog mushing
competition, the All Alaska Sweepstakes,
ran from Nome to Candle and back,
totaling 408 miles. The record time is
still held by John “Iron Man” Johnson
with a time of 74 hours and 14 minutes.
Iñupiat actor Ray Mala was born in
Candle in 1906. He starred in many
movies such as: “Eskimo/Mala the
Magnificent”, “Primitive Love”, “Last of
the Pagans” and “The Jungle Princess”.
Today, the old settlement of Candle is
unpopulated and used as a camp site. ■
First holes in the ice need to be
made with an auger or a tuuq (ice
chisel). The holes should be made at an
angle in the ice and in a straight line
about a foot from each other. The length
of the holes will be determined by the
length of the net. At each end of the line
of holes larger ones will need to be made,
large enough for the net to come through.
1
One end of the rope will need to be
weighed down and dropped into
one end of the line of holes. Someone will
need to hold the line while the next uses a
hook to grab the rope from the next hole.
The rope should be looped through each
hole until you get to the other end.
2
Calendar
FEBRUARY
16
Presidents Day - NANA offices closed
20
Red Dog Mine Management meeting, Anchorage
MARCH
7
Iditarod Race Starts
8
Daylight Savings Time begins
13
Proxy deadline
16
Annual Meeting, Noorvik
16-20
30
8
There are different nets available for different types of
fish. Below you’ll see pictures of a smelt net used to
catch smelts and herring this year.
Northwest Arctic Borough School District Spring break
Alaska Native Day; Seward’s Day
HUNTER  JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015
Kristi Nelson
Kristi Nelson
SPOTLIGHT
Kristi Nelson
SUBSISTENCE
to catch 15-20 smelts each time you check the net and
have enough to last you the long cold winter.
After the rope has been threaded
under the ice the rope is tied off to
a piece of wood that has been hammered
to the side of the hole in the ice. Each
time the net is being checked the ice
around the hole which surrounds the net
will need to be chipped away.
3
Kristi Nelson
S
etting a fish net in the winter time proposes some
challenges but the rewards are often great. Being
on the ice and open to the elements, means freezing
cold temperatures and no shelter from the freezing
cold arctic temperatures. All is worth it when you start
Depending on the amount of fish
being caught in the net it might
have to be checked a couple of times a day
and sometimes late at night. ■
4
Stock Will Winners
Bobby C. Smith - December
Timko David Mathiasen - January