If you build them, we will come; NANA funds hotels, creates jobs for shareholders.

• Author: Sullivan, Patty
• Position: Interview with Sheri Gerhard, director of marketing sales for NANA/Marriott Properties - Interview - Company Profile

Five years ago, life-long Alaskan Sheri Gerhard swapped her role as a Juneau resident and as the first woman president of the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce for a life in Kotzebue, an Inupiat village located 30 miles above the Arctic Circle. After 10 years of bustle in Southeast, she found herself behind the wheel of a 1984 Ram Charger, driving around a mostly frozen village. It was there at the Kotzebue airport that John Rense, chief operating officer for NANA, first noticed Gerhard. He later offered her a job at the gift shop in the Newllagvic, the Kotzebue hotel.

When she moved to Anchorage three years later, she took on the challenge to market NANA/Marriott's new and burgeoning hotel division: the new Courtyard and Fairfield Suites, and the under-construction Residence Inn, which is slated to open in the summer of 1999 in midtown, near the BP building.

Each serves the businessperson: The Courtyard Suites is for the short-term visitor; the Fairfield Suites for the 5-15 day business traveler; and the Residence Inn for those who are relocating, in Anchorage on contract work, or otherwise need longer-term housing. Each will be staffed by shareholders of NANA. As the funding company, NANA, a regional Native corporation, saw the hotel industry as an opportunity to create jobs for its people.

ABM: In 1996, Anchorage had 5,133 hotel rooms. By 1999 another 1,156 are expected to be available. Why is NANA/Marriott building a third hotel in town?

Gerhard: About six years ago, NANA felt there was a specific need that was not being met here - in the niche for the moderately priced business traveler facility. Not the full-service fancy, not your every-day economical - but one that took care of the business person and independent leisure traveler coming to Alaska.

NANA is fully aware of the business cycles, the economic cycles. And (NANA is) very aware of the risks of the hotel business.

ABM: What is going on in town to create the need for so many new hotels?

Gerhard: I can remember when Kmart and Wal-Mart came and everybody said, 'Oh my god, it's over-built. It's not going to work.' Well, hello, they're still here. I think you'll see the same in the hotel industry. I think it's going to be more competitive - come back down to service.

And I think the economy's good. There's a lot more business being done here from outside vendors that have local operations. That brings people here. That brings them in.

Tourism is also growing by leaps and bounds...