Cort Christie, CEO: Alaska Northern Lights.

• Author: Stomierowski, Peg
• Position: View from the Top - Company overview

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Alaska Northern Lights, with 10 employees in Reno, Nev., has sold more than 30,000 light boxes since the early 1990s, when Neil Wagner started the enterprise in Homer. Cort Christie took over when Wagner retired after 17 years. Hailing from Duluth, Minn., both men had experienced the effects of scant winter sunshine. They'd also worked together in the fishing industry in Alaska. Christie, who has a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and an MBA, also founded Nevada Corporate Headquarters, a business formation and consulting firm in Las Vegas. He enjoys skiing, motorcycling, mountain biking and hiking, and says he's always been interested in alternative health solutions.

A BRIGHTER VIEW

"Brighter is better" has always been our motto. We build a highly effective light box to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sleep disorder and other mood disorders. We've been producing a product of the same high quality since 1992 and found we tend to not have warranty and assembly issues. Our return rate is less than 2 percent, which is why we offer a 60-day, money-back guarantee and a lifetime warranty. We want to ensure every customer is satisfied.

INSPIRED BY NATURE

The firm was named after aurora borealis, known as the northern lights. Wagner's wife, who had debilitating health problems, had found that light therapy relieved many symptoms. Ultimately Wagner found the firm Testrite, in New Jersey, to custom manufacture the boxes to his specifications. He designed and manufactured the original box still being sold today. A user takes a position close to the box, which is available in tabletop or floor-stand models.

HEALTH EFFECTS

In a now classic research paper by Norman Rosenthal and colleagues, a clinical study attempted to explore the relationship between light and mood. It was concluded most patients who received brighter light (with a...