Rising to the challenge: native corporations keep the heart of their culture beating.

• Author: Lavrakas, Dimitra
• Position: NATIVE BUSINESS

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In a mere 37 years, since the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Alaska Natives have created strong economies for their communities through regional and village corporations. Balancing traditional values, cultural integrity and the drive to succeed in business while delving into exploration and development of natural resources has taken careful consideration.

LISTEN TO THE ELDERS

"I think we have been very successful," said Richard Glenn, vice president of lands and resources for Arctic Slope Regional Corp., after an Anchorage board meeting in September. "We've had strong leadership and message from those who were clear that the Native corporation was going to be a tool within our culture to impact the quality of life for our people. The people who started our company were shrewdly trained - they were blue-collar workers, whaling captains, subsistence hunters, veterans and the like. The vision given to them by elders gave rise to this corporation today. Their messages still ring in our ears and our hearts. They are not far away."

Native corporation leader have been fortunate to have know elders, who have direct experience with subsistence and are aware of the importance of their lands and the animals that inhabit them.

"Like other corporations, it took us a while to figure it out," said Jason Metrokin, Bristol Bay Native Corp. (BBNC) director of shareholder and corporate relations. "When Bristol Bay was first formed, it was made up of fishermen and they invested in what they knew best."

But that industry yielded cash-poor or cash-rich years, Metrokin said, and the corporation couldn't prosper under such uncertainty.

"We realized we couldn't sustain over the years, an industry that sustains such highs and lows," he said.

In 1978, BBNC gave out its first dividend of 25 cents, but in 2009, it will rise to $12 per share.

"We've had 30 years of consistent dividend payments," he said. "Very few companies could sustain that."

ASRC, BBNC and The Tatitlek Corp. have established educational foundations to strengthen the coming generation of leaders. The corporations also make sure internships are available to shareholders--45 percent of whom live in the region.

During the statewide discussion and vote around the proposed Pebble Mine, the Bristol Bay Native Corp. maintained an objective position. As it is in exploration, they...