Life is change.

• Author: Martin, Jason
• Position: FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER - Editorial

From the Alaska Business Monthly office, in a currently thawing midtown Anchorage, we can see the former Northern Lights Hotel as it undergoes what is probably its final transformation. This evolution will bring about the long overdue demolition of the forty-seven-year-old building, which, when built in 1970, was so state-of-the-art that it even had color television--in every room.

Demolition is scheduled for completion this spring, about when this May issue hits newsstands. The Anchorage skyline will forever change, and the ongoing cycle continues. This newly-reborn space in midtown Anchorage possesses so much potential, perhaps producing new neighbors for us here at Alaska Business Monthly, neighbors who might participate in any number of current or burgeoning Alaska industries.

Alaska's economy is no stranger to the cycle of change, and as a relatively young state, I think sometimes we forget that we too are susceptible to economic shifts. Oil prices go up and down, tourism numbers fluctuate, and the economy continues its ebb and flow. The only constant is change. But in this cycle of change, there is normalcy. There is fantastic potential. There are new growth opportunities and new people to pursue them. Every empty lot is a new business waiting to spring forth.

I'm excited to see what's next for Alaska: what new businesses will change Alaska's skyline?

And we ourselves can't escape the cycle; Alaska...