Welcome to the Top 49ers 2017.

• Author: Mackenzie, Kathryn
• Position: FROM THE EDITOR

Alaska's economy often is a reflection of the commodity that runs throughout nearly every aspect of the state's financial success. Crude oil is composed of an assortment of elements that join together to form volatile, complex molecular structures. Also at times equally volatile and complex, our state is driven by a stunning array of companies, resources, and industries, each of which represents the various elements of enterprise that keep Alaska running strong: innovation, flexibility, strength, and perseverance, to name just a few. And we cannot forget the human element that drives the success of every business: a strong workforce composed of individuals with a vested interest in helping their company rise to the top and their communities thrive.

In this special annual issue of Alaska Business, we again honor the Top 49ers--forty-nine unique companies that are 51 percent Alaskan-owned, ranked by gross revenue. For the past three decades Alaska Business has had the honor of proudly presenting the Alaskan companies that help form the basis of our lives in Alaska through the jobs they generate, the goods and services they produce, the revenue they earn, and an array of other, intangible elements that help make each enterprise a success in its own right.

For the 2017 Top 49ers rankings, each company provided 2016 gross revenue figures for a combined total of $14.4 billion, a decrease from 2015 gross revenues reported last year, but still a great accomplishment considering the uphill battles many companies continue to face in this lower-for-longer oil price environment.

This year we welcome four new...