INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS.

Sealaska

The Alaska Native regional corporation for Southeast is one of sixteen minority-owned businesses selected by Apple for its Impact Accelerator program. The tech company is providing mentorship to selected businesses, especially toward climate change solutions Sealaska is recognized for "nature-based solutions," such as its timber subsidiary transitioning last year from logging to selling carbon offsets. Apple also selected an energy storage company in Hawaii, a recycling company in Las Vegas, and an electric utility in the Navajo Nation. sealaska.com

iHeartMedia

An Alaska radio executive now oversees the Hawaii market as well. Andy Lohman has been Area President for iHeartMedia's ten Alaska stations for decades, since the company was known as Clear Channel. Those include KASH, KBFX, KENI. KGOT. KTZN, and KYMG in Anchorage and four sister stations in Fairbanks: KAKQ, KFBX, KIAK. and KKED. In August, his portfolio grew to include four FM stations and two AM stations in Honolulu. "The Alaska/Hawaii Area comprises not only the two states separate from the Lower 48 but also two of the most beautiful places to live in America. We will be strong partners," Lohman says. iheartmedia.com

Alaska Airlines

Travelers flying from Anchorage to the Seattle area have a new airport option, as of the end of this month. Alaska Airlines is adding daily round-trip service from Anchorage to Everett, Washington on sister carrier Horizon Air. Flights connecting at Paine Field-Snohomish County Airport include Horizon routes to Spokane, Boise, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and four destinations in California. The airport just north of Seattle is better known as part of Boeing's assembly plant. Attempts to bring commercial flights there weren't successful until 2019, when a passenger terminal opened. alaskaair.com

Renewable IPP

Anchorage-based Renewable Independent Power Producers is partnering with New York investment firm CleanCapital to build an 8.5 MW solar power facility in Houston--the largest in Alaska. When fully operational by next summer, the solar array will supply enough power to Matanuska Electric Association for approximately 1,400 homes per year (nearly three times more than the number of households in Houston proper). Renewable IPP already operates a 1.2 MW solar farm in Willow, with plans for another in...