NANA
Students Learn Business Basics in Kotzebue
A
laska high school students are
the next generation of business
innovators. For the first time, Alaska
Business Week brought their program
to Kotzebue, where students learned the
basics of business and entrepreneurship.
On the final day, students presented their
achievements to members of the local
business community. They demonstrated an
understanding of new concepts—like profit,
asset management, depreciation, and debt.
They became comfortable with common
financial reports like balance sheets, profit
and loss, and cash flow statements. They
realized the importance of bringing their
personal ethics into their professional lives
and the value of corporate citizenship. And
they had a ton of fun learning these life skills.
Thank you to volunteers Ann Howarth of
OTZ Telephone Cooperative, Fred Smith
of Wolf Creek Sales & Service, and NANA’s
Nina Lie and Kristina McCall. For more
information and registration for other
locations, visit alaskabusinessweek.com
or call (907) 278-2744.
Alaska Business Week is a 501(c) dedicated
to delivering business learning to Alaska
high school students. To volunteer
or financially support ABW students
contact Andy Rogers, Executive Director
at [email protected]
or (907) 278-2744.
Brian Stalker of Kotzebue provided financial leadership to his team and delivered a strong simulation
performance at the end of Alaska Business Week.
BWISE: NANA Companies Inside the Board of Alaska
Partner with Schools
Native Organizations
in the Region
In Deering, NANA Construction worked with students to build two benches for Elders to use at the airport. Kyle
Kieckbusch and Chris Poppert (on the right) manage the commercial fabrication division at the Big Lake facility.
B
usinesses Working in School
Environments (BWISE) is a youth
outreach program that pairs
our companies with the 11 schools in
the Northwest Arctic Borough School
District, with the goal of preparing
youth for successful futures. BWISE
creates relationships between businesses,
schools, students and communities.
Business representatives visit their
assigned schools at least once a year.
NANA WorleyParsons first visited
Shungnak School in April 2009, and added
the Ambler School three years ago. Akima
companies began their BWISE partnership
in 2011. Now their roster includes Kiana,
Noorvik, Selawik, and Buckland. NMS
engaged Kotzebue and Ambler students in
how to “Be Entrepreneurial.” In Kivalina,
NMS’ Cathleen Mala and Gwen Field
taught students about business ethics.
NANA Construction partnered with the
Deering School. Kyle Kieckbusch and Chris
Poppert manage the commercial fabrication
division at the Big Lake facility and led
students in designing and building two
benches for Elders to use at the airport.
Nathan Bosch, an environmental technician
from Kuna Engineering, led Kobuk students
in an activity to identify rocks and minerals.
Shungnak students, working with engineers
from NANA WorleyParsons, created and
launched paper rockets after calculating
the heights rockets were able to reach.
The schools and businesses work together
to develop activities that satisfy core
curriculum requirements and teach
employability skills. Through hands-
on activities, students are exposed
to careers. For more information
on the BWISE program, contact
[email protected].
(Bottom row, L to R), Joseph Nelson, Chair, Sealaska; Christopher Simon, Doyon chair; Tyan Hayes, Koniag
vice chair and secretary; Thomas Huhndorf, CIRI chair; (Second row up, L to R), Sharon Guenther Lind, The
Aleut Corp. chair; Robert Beans, Calista chair; Ken Johns, Ahtna chair; Linda Lee, NANA chair; (Behind
Linda) Lee Ryan, Bering Straits vice chair; Sheri Buretta, Chugach chair; (Above Linda) Karen Markel,
Dean, College of Business and Public Policy. The students are surrounding the chairs. Chairman Patkotak
from ASRC and Vice-Chair Larson from BBNC were unable to attend.
O
n April, 10 of the 12 Alaska Native
regional chairs participated in Inside
the Boardroom of an Alaska Native
Organization (BA A403). This class at the
College of Business and Policy, University
of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), was offered to
students with an upper-division standing.
This five-hour session examined the roles and
responsibilities of a board of directors. The
board chairs worked with business students,
mentoring them, listening to their ideas and
preparing them for leadership.
“When I first served on my board of
directors, I had to learn from the school of
hard knocks,” said Sharon Guenther Lind,
Aleut Corporation chair and UAA faculty
member. “We are trying to change that at
UAA.”
Alaska Native Business Management at UAA
is the only business minor in Alaska focused
on Alaska Native corporation best practices.
HUNTER | 2019 JULY
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