William A. Corbus: energizing Juneau.

• Author: Swagel, Will
• Position: Head of Alaska Electric Light and Power Co.

He's a man who truly believes in teamwork, strives to provide an enjoyable work environment, and loves to gives credit where credit is due.

In most Alaska cities and villages the electrical utility is owned by the municipality or by a publicly owned association or cooperative. Not so in Juneau. For more than a century, Alaska Electric Light and Power, all investor-owned company, has served Alaska's capital city. AEL&P's roots go back to the very Gold Rush days af the 1880s when Juneau was founded. These days, AEL&P is headed by William A. Corbus, whose nearly three decades in Juneau have also been marked by service and success.

Corbus' forebears managed the big gold mines of Juneau at the turn of the century and bought what was then a tiny utility company, developing the customer base - from the dozens to the thousands - as Alaska's capital city grew.

The original Corbuses were visionaries who realized early on the increasing importance of electrical power. William A. Corbus showed the same spirit last August when he led his company into a $100 million, 35-year agreement with the state of Alaska over the Snettisham hydro project south of Juneau. AEL&P obtains about 85 percent of its power from Snettisham, which the federal government sold to the state. AEL&P is to pay back the bonds the state sold to finance the project.

Corbus' own history is as prestigious as his firm's. After graduating from Stanford and Dartmouth, and a stint as a Naval advisor to the South Vietnamese armed forces, Corbus analyzed stocks on Wall Street for four years, until 1969. The next year he moved to Alaska permanently, although he had visited the state many times growing up and while in college.

He took over as assistant manager of AEL&P in 1970, rising to president and general manager eight years later, succeeding his father, William Corbus, now deceased.

In 1988, William A. Corbus took over as president of Alaska Energy and Resources Co., the holding company that is the parent firm to AEL&P. In 1997, Corbus again assumed the role of president and general manager to AEL&P and today serves as president of both companies.

"Treat people fairly, do your homework and don't procrastinate," Corbus says of his business philosophy. "Try to plan ahead - which is particularly important in the utility business." He also says management should strive to provide an enjoyable atmosphere in which to work.

These solid values also figure into Corbus' service on business and...