Author: Michael Levshakof

Chugach Mourns the Death of Last Remaining Co-Founder John Borodkin Sr.

By any measurement, Borodkin led a full life. From a decorated veteran to his role as a co-founder of Chugach, Borodkin embraced his duty as an American citizen and, on the home front, he worked tirelessly to ensure that the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was fair and just for the Chugach people and all Alaska Natives.

“John’s lifelong service to our country and our Alaska Native Community are a reminder to all of us to honor the legacy of those who made sacrifices to ensure future generations could enjoy those freedoms, privileges and rights,” said Sheri Buretta, Chugach’s Chairman of the Board and Interim President and CEO. “As we face today’s challenges, we must continue finding ways to work together constructively, as our Elders did during the passage of ANCSA.”

After serving with distinction in WWII, he became heavily involved in the ANCSA struggle and the effort that helped to shape the modern face and success of the Alaska Native community. After the passing of ANCSA and the founding of Chugach Natives, Inc. — which would eventually become known as Chugach Alaska Corporation — Borodkin served on Chugach’s Board of Directors for nearly a decade. In 1974, he was selected as Chugach’s first Vice President. He then went on to serve in leadership roles with Chugach Alaska Fisheries, Inc. and with Chugach’s first 8(a) subsidiary, Chugach Development Corporation.

He also played a part in founding North Pacific Rim (NPR), a non-profit that strived to advance the overall economic, social and cultural development of the people of the Chugach Region. Later, he helped to found Chugachmiut, which took over the NPR mission. He was also involved in the early stages of the Alaska Federation of Natives. In his home village, Borodkin served as President of the Tatitlek Village Council and in leadership roles within the Tatitlek Corporation.

Recently, Chugach Heritage Foundation, Chugach’s non-profit arm, named the Nuuciq Spirit Camp teaching facility the John Borodkin Schoolhouse. Built in 2008, nearly all of the children, and a good portion of the adults, who have visited the camp for the last 12 years have attended classes in the schoolhouse. In 2019, Borodkin was recognized as Elder of the Year at the Annual Meeting of Chugach Shareholders, and he will always hold the title of revered Elder in the Chugach community for the generations to come.

Chugach will long remember Borodkin and his lasting legacy. He embodied the best of the Chugach region, and his service and his long list of accomplishments have placed the Chugach people on a path toward permanent prosperity. We will always remember the man who inspired all of us, and who was always selfless in his devotion to the people he served.

Our condolences and deepest sympathies go out to the Borodkin family. We mourn with you and share in the pain of your loss. May his memory be eternal.

About Chugach Alaska Corporation:
Established in 1972 under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Chugach Alaska Corporation exists to serve the interests of the Alaska Native people of the Chugach region with a focus on profitability, celebration of our heritage and ownership of our lands. Through responsible management of our lands, businesses and assets, we provide meaningful opportunities and benefits to our community of 2,600 shareholders. Chugach fulfills its mission through a range of investments and operating businesses that provide government, facilities and energy services.

COVID-19 Can’t Stop Chugach’s Community Commitments

One of our employees’ Core Behaviors is We Build Community. Simply put it means that our employees try to make a positive difference in the communities where they live and work. Taking an active part in our communities has always been essential to our employees’ morale, and giving back to our community became the basis for the majority of the CEET led efforts.

Chugach employees have always been a strong supporter of the Alaska Run For Women (AKRFW), and COVID-19 did not come between our employees and the annual run to defeat cancer. The 2020 Chugach AKRFW Team raised more than $12,000 and fielded the largest team, records that Chugach has held for many consecutive years.

Our employees can walk as well as run. Support for the Alaska Heart Walk has also become a strong tradition for Chugach employees, and this year was no exception. Chugach set a $5,000 donation goal for this year’s virtual walk and blew past that mark and raised more than $6,500 for the battle to defeat heart disease.

In between these major fundraising efforts, Chugach employees also donated $2,575 to Covenant House Alaska and $1,350.00 to Children’s Miracle Network and Children’s Hospital at Providence. In all, Chugach employees met and surpassed previous donation levels and adopted a few more, but the best was yet to come.

In October, Nanwalek, a small village in the Chugach region, suffered a heartbreaking tragedy when one of the community’s teachers perished in a home fire. With a population of approximately 200 people, the loss of any community member, especially one so connected to its children, touched every resident of this remote village. Nothing can replace the loss of Nanwalek’s beloved teacher, but the Chugach employees came together to close out the 2020 Chugach fundraising efforts to bring some much needed holiday cheer to his students.

Members of the CEET organized an Amazon gift list for the 79 children who make up the Nanwalek student body. The call went out and the list was shared with the Chugach employees, and the call was answered. Five days before December 4th, the last day for purchases to be made and mailed to Nanwalek in time for Christmas, through the incredible generosity of Chugach employees, every gift was purchased and sent on its way to the children of Nanwalek.

2020 will go down in history as one of the most challenging years in the modern era, but from start to finish, the Chugach employees rose to the challenge, and met and surpassed longstanding and new community commitments. They even took on the role of Santa and made Christmas a little merrier in a small, remote village on the tip of the Kenai Peninsula.

2020 Annual Meeting Of Shareholders Update

The full election results have been posted on the Shareholder Portal at portal.chugachregion.com. Congratulations to incumbent Board Directors Matthew P. McDaniel and Yiolet F. Yeaton, and thank you for your continued service on the Chugach Board. Congratulations to our newly elected Board Director George E. Morris.

The Early Bird, Online and Proxy Prize Winners were announced during meeting. The winners will be contacted directly, and the list of names is currently available on the Shareholder Portal.

This year’s Annual Meeting was held virtually as a precautionary measure to protect our Shareholders, employees, families and friends. We all know COVID-19’s effects are still being strongly felt around the world, with the number of new cases still on the rise, so we ask you to continue to be cautious, safe and vigilant.

We are indebted to all of the first responders, medical workers, law enforcement and to all of the Chugach employees who have worked through the pandemic and allowed Chugach to continue to meet our commitments to the military, the government and the essential infrastructures that we are contracted to support.

Our corporate headquarters at JL Tower remains closed to all visitors, but Shareholder Services and Shareholder Development are working remotely to support our Shareholder community and are available during regular business hours. You can reach each department at (907) 563-8866 or by sending an email to:

CAC-Shareholder-Relations@chugach.com  |  ShareholderDevelopment@chugach.com

Online voting and, due to COVID-19, a virtual annual meeting were offered this year. Please take a moment to complete a short survey and provide feedback on how to improve voting and meetings in the future.

Chugach Ranks Fifth In Alaskan-Owned Businesses

As in year’s past, the announce was made at Alaska Business’s Top 49ers celebration. COVID-19 pushed the prestigious luncheon to a virtual format. While the in-person portion of the gathering was removed for safety reasons, none of the excitement was lost as Alaska’s top performing businesses were showcased. A particular point of pride for Native corporations like Chugach was the fact that 81 percent of the revenue attributed to this year’s Top 49ers was derived from Alaska Native corporations and businesses.

Alaska Business has been making a Top 49er announcement since 1984, and Chugach has made the list 30 times. While Chugach’s inaugural appearances on the list were closer toward the 49th position, rapid growth and diversification in business lines has allowed Chugach to rise to the top of the list, consistently ranking in or near the top five positions.

This year, Chugach retained fifth place on the Top 49er list due to a 2019 revenue of more than $977 million, a three percent growth over the previous year. The lion share of recognition for retaining our place on the list and attaining nearly a billion dollars in revenue goes to the nearly 6,000 employees who work for the Chugach family of companies in locations around the world. Thank you to all of the incredible people who work for Chugach, and here’s to another successful year for all of the Top 49er companies.

To see all of the companies on Alaska Business’s 2020 Top 49er list, click here.

Chugach Employees Raise Funds For Covenant House Alaska

Early into the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the Chugach employees who work in the Alaska headquarters were hunkered down at home and telecommuting in accordance with the Municipality of Anchorage’s health mandates. One month into the separation of our Anchorage team, the fundraising for the Alaska Run For Women (AKRFW) launched, and a question arose. Could the Chugach employees come together and raise funds remotely? The stats of the race answered the question. Chugach fielded the largest virtual team for the race and, at more than $12,000, Chugach raised the most money for the annual rally to defeat cancer.

As summer drew to a close and our Anchorage employees neared the five-month mark in their telecommuting, fundraising for the Anchorage Heart Walk launched, and the question was asked again. Could our employees raise money remotely for the annual effort to find a cure for heart disease? The answer was a resounding yes. As in year’s past, Chugach set a heart walk fundraising goal of $5,000, and our employees answered the call. In total, Chugach raised $6,571 to improve heart health in Alaska.

Squeezed between the AKRFW and the Anchorage Heart Walk was another challenge that was put before our employees. The Chugach Sleep Out Challenge asked our employees to take a break, get outside, rest and relax, and do it for a good cause.

The challenge was to go camping somewhere in Alaska and make a minimum donation of $25 to Covenant House Alaska. The goal was to raise $1,000 for the largest provider of services to homeless and runaway youth in the state of Alaska. Apparently, the goal was not set high enough, because our employees raised $2,575 for the youth who depend on the services of Covenant House Alaska.

COVID-19 has proven itself to be the great physical divider, separating people at all levels of society, but it has not divided the Chugach team from their compassion or ability to support worthy causes. One of the Chugach Employee Core Behaviors is We Build Community; simply put, it means that we try to make a positive difference in the communities where we live in and work, even during a worldwide pandemic.

“Thank you to all the incredible people who wear a Chugach employee badge for continuing to support our community through service and gifts during this challenging summer,” said Melanie Osborne, Chugach Executive Vice President. “And thank you to the inspiring organizations that we support for all that you do to make Anchorage and Alaska communities worth building.”

TCC Receives Governor’s Safety Award of Excellence

“For us, it’s the same with oil spills,” MacDonald went on. “We never want to see oil in the water, but on the rare occasions it happens, more than 25 years of experiences kicks in, and we immediately start deploying equipment and doing our part to protect the public and the environment.”

TCC, LLC, known as TCC, is a partnership between the Tatitlek Corporation, the Chenega Corporation and the managing partner Chugach Alaska Corporation. For more than 26 years under contracts with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (Alyeska), TCC has provided personnel and expertise to maintain and deploy Alyeska’s stockpile of oil spill response equipment located through Prince William Sound (PWS) and Southcentral Alaska.

The Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) delivers a large portion of the supply of oil to Alaska and the West Coast of the United States. This oil is a vital component of the nation’s economy. In early 2020, the world began to hunker down and social distance to lower the spread of COVID-19, but the work of TCC employees had to go on to ensure the lifeblood of the United States economy continued to safely flow through TAPS.

On the evening of April 12, 2020, as most of the world sheltered in place as per COVID-19 health mandates, the TCC employees were performing their duties when an oil sheen was discovered on the water near the Valdez Marine Terminal’s (VMT) small boat harbor. Priorities immediately shifted, and within one hour of detection, TCC crews were hard at work, initiating containment and recover efforts.

“In my career, I’ve worked at nearly every level in the oil spill response apparatus that protects PWS,” MacDonald stated. “Now in my leadership role at TCC, I’ve never been prouder to be a spill responder, especially with the added complexity of COVID-19. On April 12 and in the days since, TCC has done an incredible job of lessening the impact of this spill and recovering the oil. More than two and a half decades of experience came together, and we shined throughout.”

The response began with containment efforts and deployment of boom at the small boat harbor and at two sensitive area sites in the Port of Valdez: Solomon Gulch Hatchery and the Valdez Duck Flats. The rapid response paid off, and no oil was detected outside of the containment area at the small boat harbor. Once containment was established, skimmers were deployed to recover the discharged oil. In total, 1,350 barrels of oil and water were recovered during the response operations.

In addition, as a result of the successful spill response, TCC was able to provide their regular services that allowed the TAPS oil tankers to make visits the VMT and safely load oil for transport to refineries along the West Coast. “We were definitely pulling double duty,” MacDonald stated. “TCC is in place to provide oil spill response services to Alyeska and the TAPS tankers that transit PWS. Normally, we’re strictly there for maintenance and prevention. During the spill response, we met both of these obligations all while playing the lead in the hands-on containment and recovery efforts.”

Safety was paramount throughout the response with priorities placed on the health and wellbeing of all response personnel and the PWS community and the protection of the environment. All responders, including the TCC employees, remained aware of and adhered to state, local and Alyeska company policies to keep themselves and the public safe from exposure to COVID-19.

“Safety is definitely another area where we shine,” MacDonald said. “Behind the nuclear power plants in the lower 48, TAPS is the second most regulated entity in the United States. With that degree of scrutiny and the mission of safely moving the nation’s oil, safety must be at the forefront of everything we do. Chugach and TCC’s safety motto is ‘Safety Today Secures Tomorrow’. That means today, right now, safety vigilance every second for every employee who puts on a TCC hardhat, especially during a spill.”

MacDonald went on to identify the most important statistic of the VMT small boat harbor spill. “Every factsheet and update posted by the spill’s Unified Command – comprised of representatives from Alyeska, the United States Coast Guard and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation – stated: no injuries,” MacDonald said. “We got the oil out of the water, and no one got hurt. You can’t ask for more than that.”

It’s one thing for the General Manager of TCC to boast about his organization’s adherence to safety; it’s another thing entirely to have the Governor of the State of Alaska make a similar boast. But that’s exactly what happened when TCC received Governor Dunleavy’s Safety Award of Excellence.

The Governor’s Safety Award of Excellence is presented to organizations demonstrating distinction in the following: safety and health of their personnel, the environment, assets and reputation that demonstrates and promotes superior corporate citizenship.

For more than a quarter century, TCC has been providing oil spill and emergency response services, oil spill prevention support, and oil spill boom and equipment deployments, during normal and emergency operations, drills, exercises, and training. TCC operations include boom deployments, skimmer operations, small boat operations, tanker and berth booming and debooming operations, and maintenance and deployement of boom mooring systems, vessel mooring systems, remote site boom deployment systems, remote site contingency storage units, dispersant application systems, in situ burning operations, dock and barge work.

The most important statistic that secured the award for TCC was the fact TCC employees have accumulated more than 1,000,000 hours without a single Lost Time Accident. This number grew substantially as a result of the hours worked during the spill response, and the fact that this work, like so much of the work performed by TCC, was accomplished with out a single injury.

To learn more about TCC and its incredible employment opportunities, go to www.chugachalaskaservices.com.

Non-Profit Thanks Chugach For Donation

The Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) has a similar goal. Established in 1967, ALSC offers free civil legal services to low income and disadvantaged people to protect their safety, their health, and promote family stability. So where do a remodel and a private, nonprofit law firm intersect? ALSC became the home of a number of furnishings that we replaced during our renovation.

Nikole Nelson, Executive Director of ALSC, shared a letter with Chugach expressing ALSC’s gratitude for the donation. “On behalf of everyone at ALSC, we would like to thank Chugach for the office furniture. The wonderful gifts were put to work right away! The chairs have created a welcoming waiting area for our clients, and the desks are being put to great use by our staff.”

Nelson continued, touching on the true significance of what the contribution meant to the law firm. “Donations like this are what make our day-to-day operations possible and allow us to provide excellent free legal help to those who need it most. Thank you so much for thinking of us!”

Melanie Osborne wears multiple hats in her many roles at Chugach. Chief Compliance Officer and Executive Vice President to name a few, but her duties as Chugach’s General Counsel gives her a special connection to ALSC. “As an attorney and an Alaskan, ALSC is near and dear to my heart. As lower-income Alaskans grapple with issues affecting their families, homes, incomes and access to vital services such as health care, it is so important that we have these services available to provide advice and self-help resources for navigating the court system,” Melanie said. “I’m humbled by the incredible work of ALSC and Chugach is honored to continue building community by supporting ALSC.”

To learn more about ALSC and the great work they do, click here. Chugach’s Five Core Behaviors are:

  • We do things the right way
  • We create meaningful value
  • We empower people
  • We build community
  • We leave things better than we found them

Company Picnic Becomes Donations For Homeless & Hungry

This thank you was delivered in the form of picnic packages that we shared with all of our Anchorage-based employees. Friday, July 10, members of Chugach leadership met in a socially distant and safe fashion and handed out swag and care packages full of tasty summer treats.

The day centered around volunteers and our leadership team working a drive-through pickup line that allowed employees to pull, open their trunks or hatchbacks and have care packages safely placed in vehicles for a non-contact handoff.

While distance was maintained throughout the day, Chugach leadership team was able express their gratitude in person, from a safe distance, and say thank you in person. There weren’t any handshakes or hugs, but there were definitely waves and fond hellos.

The excess packages, totaling approximately $2500 in food items were taken down to Bean’s Café, a local non-profit that has been serving the needs of the hungry and homeless in Anchorage since 1979. In addition, the Bean’s Café Children’s Lunchbox program provides meals to hungry children. The mission of the organization is to fight hunger for all ages, one meal at a time, while providing a pathway to self-sufficiency with dignity and respect.

In all, it was an incredible day. The Chugach employees, after spending a summer apart, were able to briefly and safely connect with one another, and Chugach as a whole was able to stand by our Core Behavior of We Build Community. Simply put, building community means that our employees always try to improve the places where we live and work or, on this day, community improvement was a contribution that eased the hunger of the Bean’s Café clients.

The following slideshow showcases the fun had by our volunteers and leadership team.

Chugach Stands Together (Virtually) For AKFRW

With the COVID-19 shutdowns and the need to social distance, assembling people together for a group photo was simply not possible. In addition, the race that draws huge crowds to Anchorage’s Mulcahy Stadium had to go virtual, i.e., team members ran separate races in separate locations. The race went on, but in a socially distanced fashion, so sadly, the in-person coming together of our team didn’t happen.

While we couldn’t stand together like we have in years past, that didn’t stop the Chugach Team from uniting together to raise nearly $12,400 for the AKRFW, the highest team total for this year’s race. Additionally, Chugach is proud to report that 192 people – employees, family, friends and business partners – joined our team, and that also set a record for the largest team to raise funds for this year’s race.

Chugach employees live by five Core Behaviors that guide everything we do:

  • We do things the right way
  • We create meaningful value
  • We empower people
  • We build community
  • We leave things better than we found them

Chugach’s annual AKRFW campaign is a clear demonstration that our Core Behaviors are alive and well. Making a donation to defeat cancer is, by and far, the right thing to do. Donating to a worthy cause is so very meaningful. This campaign is employee driven, meaning that our employees are empowered on their own accord to take a stand against cancer. Our employees make a difference in the communities where they live and work, and making AKRFW donations builds our community for the common good. Finally, someday soon, a cure for cancer will be found, and donations made to the AKFRW will have contributed to that historic day, and that’s how you leave things better than you found them – one donation at a time.

Tammy Morton, co-captain of Chugach’s AKRFW Team, expressed her gratitude to all who took part this year and in years past. “A huge thank you to our team! For the last five years, we have fielded the largest AKRFW teams, AND we’ve raised the most donations in that same time period! In total, Chugach has raised almost $88,000 for the AKRFW! Thank you for your support. Each of you are true champions in the fight against breast cancer and your efforts make the AKRFW the success that it has become!”

Chugach Employee & His Family Sew Masks For Community

Glenn and Kimberly Potter, and their son Seth are taking part in a vital national trend. “We are making masks in house and have bigger goals to coordinate local efforts to make and distribute masks to organizations in need and health care facilities,” Glenn Potter said. “My wife Kimberly works in the medical field and because of the shortage of supplies, we are doing what we can to support those who are in dire need—medical professionals, first responders, and even those who are ill.”

The Potters are going beyond the mere utility of medical masks—a protective barrier that stands between the wearer and harmful air particles, including the coronavirus—to tailoring their masks in a way that is reducing the fear. “Our masks are made by hand and sewing machine with love, using patterns that promote smiles and hope (and protection).” Glenn went on to describe the durability of their handcrafted masks, though he touched on a caution. “Our masks are washable, and the filter is removable. As with anything used in healthcare, there are specific guidelines and safety measures that need to be followed. Masks appropriate for individual use may not be appropriate for hospital-wide use.”

Glenn was quick to take the spotlight off of himself and point to the group effort the Potters have undertaken and why it is so important. “It’s a Family effort, and my wife is a nurse, and I have to give her most of the credit,” Glenn said. “I just perform the supply, logistics, and quality control part. Our son Seth is a senor this year. He’s helping while he watches his prom and graduation and the last days of his school evaporate. The world completely changed a couple of weeks ago. The first responders are the boots on the ground, and they are the heroes we are supporting.”

Glenn Potter works for Wolf Creek Federal Range Operations Support, a subsidiary of Chugach Government Solutions (CGS). Glenn serves as Healthy, Safety, Environment & Quality Control Manager at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. Chugach Alaska Corporation is proud of the role Glenn plays in CGS’s mission to support the United States Military, and we’re even more proud of the way he, his wife and his son have stepped up to do their part to end the COVID-19 crisis.

We will make to the other side of everything that COVID-19 puts before us, but it will take people like the Potters to make that happen. “It’s in times like these when helping and gratitude will become more important than ever,” Glenn concluded. “Make no mistake, in the weeks to come, we will need ten times our current discipline to stay focused and productive. When you find yourself struggling through times of uncertainty, like we all are right now, you have a choice to make. Will you be a victim or will you do something to improve the situation?”

Glenn, Kimberly and Seth have made their choice. Please join us in thanking them.