History
Chugach’s history is one of resilience, stewardship, and long-term vision. From our founding under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to the diverse enterprise we are today, each chapter reflects a commitment to our people, our lands, and building opportunity across generations. This timeline traces the milestones that have shaped Chugach and continue to guide our future.
1971-72
Chugach Natives, Inc. is incorporated
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) is signed into law by President Richard Nixon. Shortly after, Chugach Natives. Inc. is established by original founders Cecil Barnes, Walter Meganack, John Borodkin, Vincent Kvasnikoff and Mary Gordaoff.
1978
Purchase of ORCA cannery
Chugach purchases the Orca cannery and Morpac Cannery, forms Chugach Alaska Fisheries Inc.
1981-82
Financial losses
Food & Drug Administration recalls canned salmon due to botulism, leading to financial losses in the seafood industry.
1982
Chugach Natives Inc. (CNI) Land Settlement
Chugach and the federal government reach a just land settlement with the CNI land agreement. The original 1971 agreement left Chugach with primarily mountaintops and glaciers.
1985
Chugach Heritage Foundation Incorporated
Chugach Heritage Foundation, a private 501(c)3 was incorporated to provide scholarships and cultural programs to Chugach shareholders and descendants.
1985
Chugach Renamed
Chugach Natives, Inc. is renamed Chugach Alaska Corporation.
1985
Timber Investment
Chugach begins investing in timber within the region.
1988
First Timber Sale, First Dividend
Chugach completes first timber sale, declares first shareholder dividend in January 1988.
1989
Kodiak Cannery Purchase, Seward Sawmill Completed
Chugach purchases Uganik Cannery on Kodiak Island, completes sawmill in Seward for timber harvesting.
1989
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
The largest oil spill in North America devastates the subsistence lifestyle and fishing and timber industries. The effects are still felt today.
1991
Chugach Files For Bankruptcy
Chugach files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after impact of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.
1993
Government Contracting Opportunity
Chugach was one of the first Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) to set its sights on the federal government contracting business, after securing the right to bid on contracts through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8(a) program. The 8(a) Program was the missing link in the ANCSA, and a mechanism to develop and grow Alaska Native owned businesses. It empowered Chugach to recover from bankruptcy.
1995
First Culture Camp
Chugach holds first annual Nuuciq Spirit Camp at the historic village of Nuchek, located on Hinchinbrook Island in the Prince William Sound. The camp was designed to teach the next generation cultural and subsistence values impacted by the oil spill.
2000
Bankruptcy Paid Off
Chugach pays off bankruptcy, issues first shareholder dividend since bankruptcy.
2003
Elder Dividend
Chugach issues first Elder dividend.
2008
A Strategy for Diversification
Board of Directors adopts new organizational structure and diversification strategy to expand the business to commercial operations and investments.
2009
$1.0 Billion in Revenue
Chugach reaches $1.0 billion in revenue from federal government contracting operations, and employs approximately 5,000 people worldwide, many of whom are veterans.
2010
8(a) Program Under Attack
Section 811 legislation and scrutiny over the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Program causes revenue declines.
2012
Hawaii Subsidiary
Chugach purchases Hawai’i Native owned mechanical contracting company Heide & Cook, the first acquisition under the commercial pillar of Chugach’s diversification strategy.
2012
Memorial Scholarship
Chugach invests funds to establish the Chugach Heritage scholarship dedicated to former President/CEO Barney Uhart, who was instrumental in growing Chugach’s government contracting business.
2013
Educational Endowment
Chugach Heritage Foundation Board of Trustees establishes an educational endowment; Chugach contributes an additional $2.0 million.
2015-16
Diversification Strategy Expands
Chugach acquires two additional companies — All American Oilfield and Rex Electric and Technologies — under commercial pillar of diversification strategy.
Chugach establishes Chugach Investment Holdings to complete third pillar of diversification strategy.
2016
Chugach Sells Coal Rights
Chugach sells coal rights within Bering River Coal Field, which were then retired by a conservation agency. At the same time, Chugach strikes an agreement to begin a historic carbon offset project with Chugach region.
2016
Pledge to Reinvest in Education & Culture
Chugach’s Board pledges $24.0 million funding to bring the Chugach Heritage Foundation endowment up to $30 million dollars to perpetuate educational scholarships and support cultural heritage for future generations.
2018
100-Year Plan
Chugach’s Board of Directors establish goal to create Intergenerational Prosperity for the Chugach people and future generations, based on our values of respect, responsibility, resilience and reciprocity.
2018-19
EVOS Land Exchange Progress
The 2019 Chugach Lands Study Act passage opens the door for a potential land exchange opportunity. The Act requires the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to conduct a study to identify the effects that federal land acquisitions have had on Chugach’s ability to develop its lands, and to identify accessible and economically viable Federal land for a possible land exchange with the corporation.
2019
$30 Million Reinvestment in Our People
Chugach’s Board of Directors fulfills its 2016 pledge to contribute $30 million towards the Chugach Heritage Foundation Endowment, which funds educational scholarships for our people in perpetuity.
2020
Chugach achieves highest operating profit in its history
Despite the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and struggling economy, Chugach led with its core behaviors by focusing on protecting its people, shareholders and communities, while also preserving the stability of the corporation. Because of this, the company also reached the highest operating profit in its five-decade history.
2021
ANCSA turns 50
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) reaches five decades of providing economic, cultural, educational, and social benefits that Alaska Native corporations provide to their shareholders, descendants, and all of Alaska. Learn more at the ANCSA Regional Association website.
2022
Chugach Celebrates 50th Anniversary
On June 23, 2022, Chugach Alaska Corporation celebrated its 50th Anniversary!
2024
30th Anniversary of Nuuciq Spirit Camp
Nuuciq Spirit Camp celebrates 30 years of uniting youth and Elders from throughout the Chugach region to connect and rediscover the history and culture of their ancestors.
2024
Chugach Naswik Suites Opens Its Doors in Valdez
Chugach, in partnership with Chenega Corporation and The Tatitlek Corporation, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 5, 2024, to celebrate the opening of Chugach Naswik Suites in downtown Valdez — a new multi-purpose housing facility that supports the local community and bolsters long-standing oil spill response efforts under TCC, the joint partnership serving the Trans Alaska Pipeline System since 1994.
2025
Shareholders Vote to Open the Rolls
Chugach shareholders vote to open the corporation’s rolls to first-generation lineal descendants and missed enrollees at the 52nd Annual Meeting in October 2025 — the first such expansion since the corporation’s founding under ANCSA in 1971.
