Vol. 2, No. 7 • April 27, 2007
Business as usual
Helvi Sandvik
NDC President
All hands set up.
Traditional foods are prepared for the feast that follows the meeting.
Happy to be at the annual meeting.
NANA shareholders register for the meeting.
“We are expecting 11,400 shareholders and we only have 11,300 chairs! The plane from Antarctica is going to be late! What about our staff from Charlotte, North Carolina—do you think they’re going to be…too cold? And, waaaaaaait! Do we have enough akutuq to feed lunch to 6,500 employees?”
Sometimes I wonder what NANA employees from around the world think when we talk about our annual meeting held every March in one of the NANA region villages. For most billion-dollar corporations, the words “annual meeting” conjure up images of penthouse conference room tables surrounded by high-backed leather chairs and starched catering staff standing at attention.
Things are a little different in our world. When I arrived at the Aqqaluk High School gym in Noorvik for the beginning of last month’s annual meeting, I was immediately greeted by Elders who have known me since I was in diapers. There were women and children in fancy traditional clothing, and men talking of the upcoming fishing season. The gym is filled with the buzz of excitement from NANA being in town, old acquaintances being reconnected, and the anticipation of the business at hand. Before the gavel signals the beginning of the meeting, attendees secure a place on the gym bleachers, while NANA staff assembles at folding tables and chairs set up on the gym floor. At some point during the meeting, I think to myself, “I wonder if this is how NANA employees imagine our annual meeting?”
Today, especially, we are by no means the only company in the world that does most of its business virtually: meetings are physically attended by only a handful and the rest are either patched in electronically, or updated after the fact. As a worldwide company, it would cost millions of dollars to have face-to-face meetings with everyone, and the travel would make it impossible to accomplish anything else. Instead we meet via phone and Internet, sending agendas and materials in advance, then scheduling the next one with our electronic calendars. Even those colleagues who work just across town typically find it unnecessary and inefficient to meet in person. We can probably all think of someone who we have worked closely with for years, though we have yet to meet them in person.
Although
the reality is that this March tradition is typically attended by about 25
staff and 700 shareholders from small neighboring villages, the accomplishments
that are reported to the shareholders is the work of all NANA employees, from
the Arctic Circle to Antarctica, across the United States, to the Middle East
and the South Pacific. For those of you who cannot attend the annual meeting
or monthly staff sessions in person—and that’s more than 95 percent
of the company—just because you are out of sight, does not mean you are
out of mind. And if you’re ever in the Northwest Region of Alaska in
March, call ahead and I’ll make sure and save you the last dish of akutuq.*
Eskimo ice cream.
For the good of the order….
Now that the year-long planning, last minute preparations, and extensive follow-up has subsided from the annual meeting, it’s back to business as usual, including the regular monthly NDC staff meeting—again, a gathering that only Alaska staff typically attends, but a meeting that applies to every NANA employee.
One of the first items of business on last week’s agenda was to discuss the annual meeting. Reporting to NANA shareholders is the primary purpose of this event. The theme this year was “NANA Shareholders: A Diversified Workforce” embodying our diverse, multi-talented shareholder base and operations, and the resulting education, training and jobs that are increasingly available to our shareholders. Employing shareholders is a common goal shared by all Alaska Native Corporations, though we are one of the few Native Corporations that can point to numbers that so measurably prove our success in this area. The biggest highlight of the meeting was to be able to report to shareholders that last year we increased the number of shareholders working for our company: NANA and our partners paid shareholders $31,392,000 in salaries and wages.
Have a seat….
NANA Development Corporation board. From left: Henry Horner, Robbie Kirk, Mary Sage, Luke Sampson, Chairman, Helvi Sandvik, President, Lester Hadley, Roland Booth, Don Sheldon, Dood Lincoln, Charlie Curtis.
Don Sheldon |
Luke Sampson |
Mary Sage |
Roland Booth |
Board member elections were also held in Noorvik. Every year, as mandated by our bylaws, one-third of the board is up for election. This year, eight seats became vacant. Seven incumbents retained their seats and Diana Ramoth from Selawik is the new board member. Welcome, Diana!
NANA Regional Corporation also held its first meeting of the year, which included electing officers for 2007/2008. Don Sheldon, Noorvik, was reelected as the Chairman of the Board, continuing his tenure since accepting this leadership role in 1997. As part of our ongoing efforts to make governance changes that improve our capacity to increase the corporation’s credibility and effectiveness, NRC also decided to increase the number of NDC board seats from seven to nine, and to begin staggering terms. This is in part due to the fact that NDC board members also serve on the boards of each subsidiary, and as the number of companies has increased it has become increasingly difficult to meet the responsibilities with only seven board members. Implementing staggered terms is a measure to add stability and consistency to our operations. We will transition to the new structure over the next three years. Starting this year, three board members will serve a three-year term, three will have a two-year term and will be up for re-election in two years, and the remaining three will have a one-year term and will be up for re-election next year. All seven members were re-elected, and the two new members are Mary Sage, Kivalina, and Roland Booth, Noatak. Luke Sampson, Shungnak, will continue to chair the group.
Also on the table…
David Marquez
With growth comes change. As we continue to evaluate operations and refine the way we do business, there will certainly be ongoing shifts in management and company-wide staffing. Several recent changes were also announced during last week’s meeting. As most of you know by now, David Marquez is the new Vice President and Chief Operating Officer—a position that has been vacant for three years. He brings to NANA 30 years experience in the oil and gas industry, and has served as a senior executive for several major corporations. Most recently, he was Attorney General of Alaska. His perspective and guidance will be critical as we continue to grow and increase our profitability. Since coming onboard a month ago, he has focused on learning the ins and outs of the NANA family of companies, and attending NDC and NRC board meetings.
A significant reporting change within the management team means that Stan Fleming, President of NANA Contracting Services, will now also assume responsibility for the IT department, bringing with him his significant experience managing complex IT projects. Anyone who has ever had the opportunity to work with Stan is influenced by his enthusiasm, energy and natural ability to motivate.
Kevin Thomas, NANA’s Chief Financial Officer, who previously supervised IT, will continue to focus on overseeing the increased finance and accounting functions that come with being a billion dollar company and he will continue to oversee the Risk Management and Benefits functions.