Junior Achievement 2018 Hall of Fame Laureate Admiral Thomas Barrett.

• Position: Junior Achievement

This month marks Admiral Thomas Barrett's seventh anniversary at Alyeska Pipeline Service Company where he has served as president since January 1, 2011. He's bullish about the role of business in Alaska, saying, "I believe that ultimately it is Alaska businesses that will continue to help transform the state in positive ways and help the state achieve its potential. More than 75 percent of [Alyeska] business is conducted with Alaska-based companies, and we take pride in that. Business is undervalued in what it adds to the communities up here. There's too much negativity anymore in society, and Alaska businesses have the opportunity to transform that dialogue if we can talk a little better about what we do and the value it brings to our communities." Below are selections from an interview with Barrett, conducted by Alaska Business.

How did you get your start?

My first career was in the US Coast Guard, and I learned a lot there. It's a great organization and it does a lot of really good things, and it honed in for me fundamental values. It taught me that preparation equals performance and to focus on what you're about and really drive hard on it and do the best you can at it, but be prepared for what you might encounter and try to anticipate that. That has served me well in everything I've done since.

How did your career bring you to a leadership role at Alyeska?

When I left the Coast Guard I was a COO for a science and technology group in [Washington] DC. I was asked to take over what was then the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for the US Department of Transportation. I ran that for about sixteen months and then was moved to be the Deputy of Transportation. [After exiting government service] I wanted to get back to Alaska, so I was looking for opportunities and I took a job as the Alaska Director for the federal gas line coordinators office; I wasn't there very long when I was approached about the pipeline job at Alyeska... I was delighted by the opportunity and I've been here since.

What was your life like growing up?

I grew up in a village called Lynbrook, a small village on Long Island outside New York City. It was just a small village on the island, but I had a pretty secure, happy childhood. We had a lot of freedom as kids then--I don't think you had to worry as much. My friends and I could get on our bikes and run around town, and we had a volunteer fire department. When there was a fire, they had to blow the...