Alvin H. Fleetwood: Alaska Business Hall of Fame Laureate, JA: Fleetwood & Associates.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: Junior avhievement - Cover Story

For a person who is supposed to be retired, Alvin H. Fleetwood is a very busy man. A fixture in Alaska's financial circles since 1959, the former president of the state's three largest chambers of commerce still finds time to offer advice and share personal experiences with those who seek his guidance.

"Al is one of the first people to step up and help somebody; he's a man you can depend on to give direction, empathy or sympathy as need be," said Ron Kukes, president and CEO of Alaska First Bank and Trust. "His greatest strength is his congenial and pleasant personality; he is simply a wonderful person, and everyone who knows him will agree."

Born on a chicken ranch outside Snohomish, Wash., during the Depression, Fleetwood attended Washington State University before leaving to serve in World War II. After his discharge, he completed his education at the University of Washington while working part-time for Seattle First National Bank.

"I worked for the bank for eight years after graduating, until I was offered a job with Universal Services," Fleetwood explained. "Their president offered me double my salary and a bonus. I thought, 'Heck, I can always get back into banking at another time.'"

Fleetwood's new job took him to Alaska, where the company had management contracts with major oil companies and the Westward Hotel. His wife, Pat, and children, Julaine, Joni and James, joined him in Anchorage in 1958, and he worked for Universal until 1959.

"People in Alaska didn't even realize that I'd been involved in banking until a group of businessmen from Seattle, headed by the president of Seattle First National Bank, came up to Alaska after we achieved statehood," Fleetwood laughed. "He greeted me like a long-lost friend."

Once Fleetwood's qualifications were known, he was asked to establish the Alaska Statebank in Fairbanks, which quickly became a success. The bank merged with City National Bank of Anchorage, and in 1973, after 12 years in Fairbanks, Fleetwood and his family moved back to Anchorage where he served as Alaska Statebank's executive vice president. A year later, Fleetwood became executive vice president of Alaska National Bank of the North, where he stayed for nine years before joining Enserch Alaska Services.

"That was a great job, a wonderful position," said Fleetwood of his role as the vice president of planning and corporate development for the engineering and contracting firm. "But they wanted me to move to Seattle for a rather...