Olgoonik: embracing a twofold mission.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Alaska Native Corporations - Company overview

"It's just the beginning," says Olgoonik Corporation CEO Hugh Patkotak Sr., speaking about the historic formation of Arctic Inupiat Offshore LLC, a new company comprised of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and six North Slope village corporations, of which Olgoonik is one.

To Patkotak, the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks about the newly formed company is alignment: "As Native Corporations, specifically in that region, we now have a better opportunity; we have a common bond."

Patkotak continues, "It will certainly help our grandchildren, but it [may also be] the opportunity of a lifetime for us." This fits exactly in line with the two-fold mission Olgoonik, as an Alaska Native village corporation established by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, has been tasked with: providing educational and economic opportunity balanced with responsible stewardship of land and resources while maintaining Inupiat culture, traditions, and values--a mission that Olgoonik, and its CEO, have embraced wholeheartedly.

Developing a Leader

Olgoonik is the traditional name for the Native-owned village corporation of Wainwright, located on the coast of the Chukchi Sea on Alaska's northwest shore.

Patkotak was born and raised in Wainwright, though he says his upbringing wasn't typical for the area; instead of remaining in the village, as a teenager he was among many youth that were sent out of the village to boarding school for his education. While he often returned to Wainwright to visit with family and participate in traditional activities, he became used to more urban lifestyles.

Patkotak also credits his urge to fly, which he felt from a young age, as a key influence in the formation of his career, which eventually led to his being a leader of a highly successful Native village corporation. "I wanted to be a flying state trooper since I was a child" Patkotak says. "What intrigued me," he continues, "[is that] back then, airplanes used to land on the ice on the beach, prior to runways. That image has been with me for a long time."

He pursued his desire and has been an accomplished professional pilot for more than thirty years. For the last twenty, he's served on the North Slope Borough's Search and Rescue Flight Division, flying both fixed and rotor wing aircraft. "I've truly been blessed in living my dream," he says.

But achieving his dream wasn't the only advantage that his passion presented him with. "That's where I was exposed to a lot of...