14 Alaskan businesses rank among the Top 49ers for the past 15 years to become super 49ers.

A few days ago, on Sept. 22, 1999, the Trustees of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. made their annual announcement of dividend proceeds to Alaskans from the Permanent Fund. A few days later, on Oct. 1, 1999, Alaska Business Monthly announced the names of 49 Alaskan companies that provide another kind of dividend to [TABULAR DATA OMITTED] Alaskans. Both dividends are rooted in dollars, but ABM's announcement is attached to the jobs these 49 companies offer Alaskan men and women. When observed from that point of view and taken as a whole, Alaska's Top 49er employers are another kind of permanent fund and the 15-year trend is upward, as the chart at the right illustrates.

For a decade and a half, 14 Alaskan companies have earned a place among the Top 49ers since the annual rankings began in 1985. In his "15 Year History" Master Chart of the 14 Super 49er companies, chartographer James Martin presents a comprehensive overview of the financial histories of these spectacularly successful companies. Summed up, they have grossed more than $21.6 billion in 15 years since 1985. By contrast, Alaska's Permanent Fund has grown to $26 billion since it began in 1976. Among them last year, these 14 Super 49er companies employed 14,373 Alaskans.

In the graphs that follow, the individual 15-year financial history of each of the 14 Super 49ers is shown.

Five of the companies, Arctic Slope Regional Corp., Bristol Bay Native Corp., Cook Inlet Region Inc., Nana Regional Corp. and Sealaska Inc., each regional Native corporations, all show dramatic revenue spikes upward within the past few years. For specific data on reasons for the changes, additional information is available in the main Top 49er section, but profits generated from investments is generally what has accounted for their recent meteoric growth in revenues.

One of the most dramatic declines among the individual graphs of the Super 49ers may be that belonging to Number 46, V. F. Grace Inc., which was 1998's Number 23. The Anchorage wholesaler of sporting goods, gardening supplies, candy and dog food has sold its pharmaceutical division, accounting for the change in gross retail revenues this year.

Three financial institutions, each on the list since its beginning, show remarkable stability and steady upward growth. They are National Bankcorp of Alaska Inc., First National Bank of Anchorage, and Hickel Investment Co. For the banks, aggressive growth began with the reorganization of the industry...