2023 Legislative Fly-In

Globe-Trotting Gondola by Kevin Klott

Alaska Legislative Report by Alicia Amberg and Dianne Blumer

World Landscape Architecture Month by Rindi White and Sue Gillespie

Broader Outreach by Rindi White

2023 Scholarship Winners

Building Foundations

Work Zone Safety Profile by David A. James

Safety in Being Seen by Matt Nevala

Safety Stand-Down

Minn-Alaska Transport by David A. James

Lifewater Engineering Co. by Dimitra Lavrakas

OrePac Building Products by Heather A. Resz

Reworking Western Alaska by Rachael Kvapil

President’s Message by Brian Midyett

Executive Director’s Message by Alicia Amberg

Welcome, New AGC Members

Event Calendar

Financial Services & Contractors by Thad Scholl

Business Development by Leah Boltz

Contractors & the Law by Andrea N. Canfield

Human Resources Update by Darci Ahlin-Stieren

Landscape Design by Erik Jones

Member News

Advertisers Index

Jenith Ziegler
ChemTrack Alaska, Inc.

Pearl-Grace Pantaleone
HDR, Inc.

Alicia Amberg
Associated General Contractors of Alaska

Christine A. White
R&M Consultants, Inc.

Heather Sottosanti
Big State Mechanical, LLC

Brian Midyett
STG Pacific, LLC

Rindi White
Editor

Monica Sterchi-Lowman
Art Director

Fulvia Lowe
Art Production

James K Brown
Graphic Designer

BUSINESS STAFF
Charles Bell
VP Sales & Marketing
907-257-2909 cbell@akbizmag.com

Janis J. Plume
Senior Account Manager
907-257-2917 janis@akbizmag.com

Christine Merki
Senior Account Manager
907-257-2911 cmerki@akbizmag.com

The Alaska Contractor is published by Alaska Business Publishing Co. Inc. for the Associated General Contractors of Alaska. Contents of the magazine are not necessarily endorsed by AGC of Alaska or Alaska Business Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Copyright 2023 by the Associated General Contractors of Alaska. For information about articles in this edition or for permission to reproduce any portion of it, contact Alaska Business Publishing Co.

Leverage your membership benefits by tapping into AGC of America

n reflecting back over twenty years of volunteering in both General Contractors Association, or GCA, of Hawaii and Associated General Contractors, or AGC, of Alaska chapters, my knowledge and understanding of what AGC of America does for our industry never became clear until the last five years when I started attending the national-level events.

Whether your company is large or small, and whether you participate in the industry as a union contractor or open shop, membership with AGC has benefits for your firm and our industry on all levels. AGC of America is our industry’s “first responder” to bad legislation, federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration rulings, and harmful mandates that can affect our work and our bottom lines. AGC of America also liaisons with key leaders in the US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Highway Administration, and other federal agencies to support partnerships with contractors and the agencies we work with.

Why we must produce more minerals in the United States

t’s highly likely that the smartphone in your hand was made in part by a child as young as six years old.

That’s a dramatic but accurate way to describe how Americans and other first-world, developed countries necessarily participate in the horror of child and slave labor by purchasing and using smartphones. Sound crazy? Yes. Sadly, it’s true. How can this be?

In today’s hyper-connected world, the demand for critical minerals and metals has reached record levels. Every modern convenience that we require needs them: electric vehicles, renewable energy, and yes, advanced electronics. Among these essential resources, cobalt stands out as a vital component, powering batteries that drive our modern lives. Unfortunately, most of the global cobalt production comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, or DRC, where cobalt mines use slave labor, child labor, and have deplorable safety standards.

pril 17 through 21 was National Work Zone Awareness Week, an annual event held as the road construction season begins that aims to bring attention to the importance of work zone safety and the risks for both roadway workers and the traveling public of traveling through work zones. Statistically, the people most likely to be killed in work zone incidents are motorists and people in their vehicles, according to information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

On April 17 the Missouri Department of Transportation, or MoDOT, hosted the kickoff event for National Work Zone Awareness Week, or NWZAW. Gloria Shepherd, executive director for the Federal Highway Administration, or FHWA, joined MoDOT officials in reminding drivers there and around the nation to keep highway workers safe as the season progresses.

hat we want is for safety to be part of our day-to-day work. It’s not a separate ‘safety culture.’ It’s part of our overall culture,” Chris Rodriguez says, discussing his career in workplace safety. “It’s a very dynamic field.”

Rodriguez is the region safety manager for Granite Construction in Alaska and co-chairs the Associated General Contractors, or AGC, of Alaska Safety Committee.

“We’re a support group for our projects. We’re just trying to help our employees be in compliance, be safe, and get home at the end of the day safely,” he says.

he inherent danger of and necessity to safely work near traffic and on construction sites is universal.

“It’s all the same whether you’re on a cul-de-sac, in a town’s busy neighborhood, or on a twenty-mile dirt stretch of road in a rural area,” says Workzone Safety Supply office manager Aaron Petersen.

No matter the job, high-visibility garments ensure that drivers traveling through a work zone and equipment operators on a job site can see workers and be mindful of their safety.

t’s a rite of passage: Spring Agency Day and the first full board and membership meeting of Associated General Contractors, or AGC, of Alaska, held each spring in Fairbanks. This year’s event overlapped the volcanic explosion of Mount Shiveluch in eastern Russia on April 11, which resulted in an ash cloud that moved across Alaska, the North Pacific Ocean, and western Canada, leading Alaska Airlines to cancel dozens of flights (mostly to and within Alaska) throughout the week. The cancellations prevented some speakers and attendees from attending the two-day event, but organizers say it was still well-attended.

The meeting brings together AGC members for updates from local and state agencies and offers everyone an opportunity to re-examine and shape AGC priorities. The popular Spring Kick-Off party, where members reconnect and celebrate the beginning of the construction season, is also a draw.

The Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus in Kenai houses the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s Early Head Start and Head Start preschool programs. Blazy completed construction on the facility in 2022.

Photo provided by Wayde Carroll Photography.

t’s not difficult to pick Blazy Construction’s owner and president out of a line-up of Alaskan company project managers—he’s the one in sandals.

Kelly Keating is living the best of both worlds—heading up one of the larger construction companies on the Kenai Peninsula and operating the Soldotna-based company’s Hawaii branch from his home and office in Maui.

While Blazy maintains its reputation of quality and integrity within commercial construction at both locations, the company’s Alaska roots run deep.

2023 Legislative Fly-In offers opportunity to build new relationships

he 2023 Associated General Contractors, or AGC, of Alaska Legislative Fly-In event March 7 and 8 held an opportunity not often available for AGC members who participated: introducing a large number of legislators to the importance of the construction industry in Alaska and the work that AGC of Alaska accomplishes on its behalf.

This year’s group of legislators includes twenty new faces—one-third of the total legislature. It’s the largest group of incoming freshmen legislators since 2003. Some of those legislators were unfamiliar with the construction industry’s impact on the Alaska economy and unfamiliar with AGC of Alaska, AGC lobbyist Dianne Blumer says.

aglecrest Ski Area and the City and Borough of Juneau worked with Lynden Logistics to launch a gondola project that will showcase breathtaking views, provide easier access to high alpine areas, and offer more memorable experiences for people visiting Alaska’s capital city.

The project began in April 2022 when Lynden coordinated the transportation of an Austrian gondola to Juneau. Once it is fully assembled, the gondola will be able to carry passengers up a 7,000-foot traverse—year-round and inside cozy cabins—to the top of Eaglecrest Ski Area on Douglas Island.

Photo provided by Knik Construction.

ne of the most dangerous aspects of construction work is working at elevation. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2021 recorded 378 fatalities due to falls from elevation; that’s more than a third of the 986 construction fatalities recorded that year.

Those deaths could have been prevented.

The National Safety Stand-Down, held May 1-5, is a yearly national event aimed at raising awareness of fall hazards and preventing fall fatalities and injuries.

he shipping needs of Alaskans and Alaska businesses vary almost as much as Alaskans themselves. But available options for getting the job done are limited. Major shippers can easily cater to large companies with expansive freight requirements. But for those needing to move smaller loads and unique items, Palmer-based Minn-Alaska Transport is the place to turn.

“I’m a one-stop shop,” owner David Flood says. “We operate in Alaska and throughout the Lower 48.”

fter more than a decade of planning, the long-awaited Arctic deep draft port at the Port of Nome is inching toward construction. This joint project between the United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, and the City of Nome will improve the safety, reliability, and efficiency of waterborne transportation systems that utilize the port.

USACE Civil Works Branch Chief Bruce Sexauer expected the finalized design to be completed and submitted for review in May. Routine project challenges delayed the finalization of the design from its most recent target date of January.

n celebration of World Landscape Architecture Month, held each year in April, the landscape architects at Bettisworth North Architects set out to increase awareness of and educate others about the breadth and depth of their profession.

“Look out your window when driving through any area—a neighborhood, an urban center, a remote hospital campus, a public park—and a landscape architect almost certainly helped design what you see,” Principal Landscape Architect Mark Kimerer says.

ith a slogan like, “The best way to get our attention is to say, ‘That can’t be done!’” you know a company is going to be special.

Lifewater Engineering Company Operations Manager Jerry Fleishman says his company is the only one of its kind in the state that manufactures arctic-engineered, onsite wastewater treatment systems.

“We’re also the largest plastic fabricator in the state,” he says.

From engineering and design to manufacturing, installation, and product operation, the company does it all.

n today’s marketplace it has become increasingly difficult to not only recruit new employees but to retain or reward current employees using traditional methods. For most, planning is a “one size fits all” approach due to plan restrictions or design, discrimination rules, and other factors.

Thankfully, there is a solution; a Section 162 Bonus Plan is a type of compensation program that may be paid to owners, executives, or key employees of the company or to recruit new high-level executives and employees as well. Benefits are in the form of either a permanent life insurance policy or tax-deferred annuity policy, depending upon the company’s needs and desires for the plan.

n an effort to build a stronger bridge between higher education and construction industry employment efforts, the Construction Leadership Council, or CLC, partnered with the Associated General Contractors, or AGC, of Alaska’s Education, Training and Workforce Development Committee to host two speed interview events, one in Anchorage and a second in Fairbanks. It was the first time the event has been held in Fairbanks in several years.

“We have a huge workforce demand and need in Alaska’s construction industry,” says Associated General Contractors, or AGC, of Alaska Training & Workforce Development Director Ruby Oatman. Oatman and Shelby Mintken, contract administrator for Exclusive Paving and the CLC chair in Fairbanks, organized the Fairbanks event. Oatman, Anchorage CLC co-chair Kiersten Russell and Education, Training and Workforce Development committee member Heather Sottosanti led the Anchorage event.

fter a long winter, construction crews will return to parts of Western Alaska to complete repairs started last September after Typhoon Merbok.

This Category 1 storm included hurricane-force winds and waves that topped 50 feet. Though no injuries occurred, the storm left significant damage to shorelines, protective coastal berms, roads, and homes along the Bering Sea. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, or DOT&PF, immediately mobilized efforts both in-house and through emergency contracts to remove debris and restore road access in the five cities and villages hit hardest by the storm: Nome, Golovin, Elim, Shaktoolik, and Koyuk. And while final repairs from Typhoon Merbok near completion, DOT&PF has started to look forward to more permanent fixes in the future.

he $1.2 trillion federal Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021 is expected to bring billions of dollars to Alaska over the next five years.

Many architecture, engineering, and construction, or AEC, firms are already seeing their best years on record. However, we cannot get complacent on business development. Though more work is on the horizon, the national economy shows indicators of recession, so we are also reminded that nothing is certain, and we must prepare our businesses to capitalize on federal investment while continuing to build a sustainable project pipeline.

t is estimated that 40 percent of small business or franchise owners in the United States are “Baby Boomers,” people born between 1946 and 1964. It is further estimated that between now and 2030, roughly 10,000 Baby Boomers will retire each day.

As a result, experts predict that all industries will experience an unprecedented increase in the purchase and sale of businesses. For contractors in Alaska, the retirement wave is not only being driven by the age of business owners but also by labor shortages, supply chain delays, and all of the challenges caused by inflation.

et’s go take a look at it,” says Sean Dexter, OrePac Building Products territory sales representative for Alaska.

While many building product distributors lack a presence in Alaska, Dexter’s day is starting with a visit to a customer’s home. He received a call from a sales representative explaining that a customer needed help with some decking material, so he’s heading over to the customer’s house to take a look and help resolve the issue.

ultures manifest in our day-to-day work environments. There are often a basic set of beliefs, practices, and norms shared by the company that shape its day-to-day operations. With continued practice of these standards over time, we create the workplace culture.

How would you define your company’s culture? What are the defining features? Do the policies in place and how they are currently practiced hint at the type of culture? Does the current culture align with your mission, vision, and strategic goals? Is your workplace culture helping or hindering growth and performance? Is your culture having an adverse impact on recruitment and retention?

n his poem “Mending Wall,” Robert Frost offers solid advice: “Good fences make good neighbors.”

As construction season ramps up, this advice particularly applies to job sites around the state where valuable tools, equipment, and vehicles are kept for the duration of the project. Theft from construction sites is an unfortunate problem that can be curtailed with a few key strategies—frequently starting with a good fence.

lanting design in Alaska can be a challenge given our northern climate and wide range of environments. Plant selection can make or break a planting design, so it is essential to consider several issues before putting anything in the ground. Luckily our state’s landscape architects can help make this task a little easier. Here are some of the things we think about when creating planting designs and selecting plants.