ABR, Inc.-Environmental Research & Services: promoting excellence and sustainability.

• Position: Advertisement: Business Profile

When he co-founded Alaska Biological Research in 1976, biologist Robert J. Ritchie hoped to conduct wildlife surveys for government agencies and industries. Today, this Alaskan-owned small business has matured into a widely respected firm that no longer focuses just on biology or Alaska, which is reflected in the current name: ABR, Inc.-Environmental Research & Services. The Fairbanks-based firm, which has expanded to offices in Anchorage and Portland and conducted several international projects, is guided by a mission to provide objective, science-based consulting services to public agencies and private businesses who conserve, manage or develop natural resources.

ABR's 40-member staff comprises experienced wildlife and fishery biologists, botanists, ecologists, ecological restoration specialists, physical scientists, GIS analysts and supporting disciplines. These professionals-many with 15-25 years of Arctic and Alaskan experience at ABR-provide vital guidance and assistance to businesses and resource managers who require expert technical research, permitting advice, impact assessment and other environmental assistance.

"A TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE"

CEO Ritchie leads a business that strives to provide clients with the highest quality service while sustaining its own growth and minimizing impacts on natural and human (community) resources.

"We have a corporate responsibility to seek more than just economic growth. We take affirmative measures to ensure that our growth is 'good growth,"' Ritchie declares, "and that the natural assets we help manage will continue to sustain us. We're still learning, but our business strategy focuses on a 'triple bottom line': environmental stewardship, social responsibility and economic viability."

ABR's clients include oil and gas, timber and mining sectors of private industry; federal, state and local agencies; universities; municipalities; utilities; engineering firms; and Alaska Native corporations. These organizations routinely employ ABR to perform wetland mapping; endangered and threatened species surveys; wildlife and fisheries population monitoring; ecological land classification and habitat mapping; soil, water and vegetation sampling; radar ornithology; watershed assessments; restoration/reclamation...