Vol. 2, No. 8 • May 11, 2007
Signs of the season
Helvi Sandvik
NDC President
Graduation ceremonies and spring: both commencements, both about new beginnings—new signs of change, moving into a new stage of development, and the promise of good things to come. I kept telling myself that while I listened to my sons—my babies?—talk about graduating. They reminded me that in 2013 they will both graduate: one from high school and the other from college. When you Google 2013 not much comes up except moon phases and solar system calendars, as if it is light years away, like the next Star Trek movie. It hurts my head to think that far into the future, though I remember a not-too-distant time when I would have said that about 2007. Yet, here we are.
From the audience of the University of Alaska Anchorage commencement last weekend, I watched several members of the NANA family celebrate new beginnings as they walked down the aisle. One of our own, Damjan Jutric, a civil engineering graduate and former DOWL Engineering intern, was the student chosen to speak before the crowd. I clapped loudly and beamed proudly, knowing that one day later he would join DOWL as a full-time employee. A new beginning for him—and for us. Congratulations, Damjan, and to all of the parents, employees and friends who supported 2007 graduates worldwide. And happy spring!
Remember our values
Of late, it seems hardly a day goes by when the news does not carry the latest story on ethical violations by worldwide business and government leaders. Some justify it by saying “they are only human.” Others—and I agree—believe that leaders in public positions should be held to a higher level of accountability because of their responsibility to the public.
When you face a situation in which you wonder if you are doing the right thing, I recommend you do what I do, which is to refer to the NANA values:
Honesty and integrity will govern our activities.
All individuals are treated with dignity and respect.
Commitments made will be fulfilled.
Live and work by these simple words and you will never have to question your decisions.
ASGC staff earns prestigious certification
Steve Ivey
Karen Tilton
Ernie Salazar
Three ASCG employees—Steve Ivey, Ernie Salazar and Karen Tilton—received a new federal certification from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Only 69 professional surveyors nationwide were certified in the new program, known as CFedS (Certified Federal Surveyor). The program was created to enhance the level of knowledge and expertise in the professional land surveying community for survey work performed on federal lands and especially on Indian trust lands. To earn the CFedS designation, surveyors had to complete 120 hours of BLM course materials and pass the certification exam. Although 180 surveyors applied for the pilot test group, only 123 were accepted, and 79 completed the coursework and took the final exam.
Ivey, based in Olympia, Washington, works for ASCG subsidiary W&H Pacific and has more than27 years of land surveying experience. He is also an expert in aquatics land boundaries in Washington state. Tilton, with ASTS in Fairbanks, Alaska, has 26 years of experience and specializes in land title and right-of-way issues; she is also certified as a senior member of the International Right of Way Association. Salazar, also with ASTS, is a registered Professional Land Surveyor in New Mexico and Texas and is based in the company’s Albuquerque office. He has more than 20 years of land surveying experience and his areas of expertise include highway right-of-way, location and monumentation surveys, and GPS control surveys.
Student shareholders participate in 2007 HSBO
Qivliq HSBO students talk with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski.
KPSG intern Joy Custer from Ambler tries on a, helmet and armored vest.
Last month, 14 shareholder high school students participated in the 2007 High School Business Orientation Program (HSBO). They were hosted by NANA companies in Charlotte, North Carolina (Akima); Colorado Springs, Colorado (KPSG ); Anchorage, Alaska (NDC, DOWL, Akmaaq, Qivliq, NANA Colt, NMS), and the Washington, D.C. and Herndon, Virginia areas (Qivliq).
Students were selected from across the NANA Region based on academic achievement, demonstrated leadership ability, extra curricular activity and community involvement.
Through the HSBO program students get acquainted with the business operations of NANA companies and gain insight into future career choices. The program encourages students to stay involved, stay in school, and pursue further education and vocational training. It also gives company employees a greater understanding of student shareholders and their way of life.
This year, selected students were from Oregon and several Alaska communities: Ambler, Anchorage, Kiana, Kotzebue, Noatak, and Noorvik. They were hosted to a variety of events, including presentations from NDC staff, visits to Capitol Hill, meeting with Alaska Senators Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Don Young, visits to test laboratories, presentations on lodging, engineering, and camp services operations, and visits to museums, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Carson, Colorado.
Manager Profile
John Van Zant, President, CEO, Ki Professional Services Group
John Van Zant
As President and CEO of Ki Professional Services Group—a management holding company that offers support services through its subsidiaries Ki, Five Rivers Services, and Wolverine Services—John Van Zant is responsible for leading and guiding the team in setting direction, executing plans, securing new business, customer interface, management, ensuring good shareholder relations, growth, profit and long-term longevity of the company. As the company continues to grow under his leadership, he says one of his goals is to be a large business “without losing the feel of being a small-business family.”
After seven years in this position, Van Zant says the key to making this happen is by leading according to a team philosophy where “I” and “my” do not exist. “As the leader of this team, my job is to enable the members of that team to do their jobs by providing them with the tools, training, guidance and direction, and protecting them from detractors,” he says, and that means “building the foundation before you put the structure on top of it.”
Although the company is based in Colorado Springs, Van Zant lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where he says he enjoys the weather and natural beauty. So, what does he like to do in the sunshine in his spare time? “Spare time? You’ve got to be kidding!” he says.
NANA Region recruiting trip
A NANA Management Services (NMS) team traveled 475 miles by snow machine through six villages in the NANA Region to help recruit shareholders for positions such as roustabouts, driller helpers, core splitters, cooks, cook helpers, housekeepers and kitchen helpers. The one-week, 100-hour trip resulted in making contact with 200 shareholders, and of those, 150 will be placed on the call list as positions become available. Mary Quin, NMS President; Matt Fagnani, Workforce Development; Gary Ramoth, Purcell Security; and Eric Fox, Camp Services, traveled by snow machine to Kotzebue, Kiana, Ambler, Shungnak, Kobuk and Selawik, then caught a plane to Noorvik, Buckland, Deering, Noatak and Kivalina. The Human Resources team—Selina Moose, Martha Cervantes, Ron Adams, Lori Butler, Sarah Randall, Rose Hostetler, Fannie Owens, and Angela Washington—were also in each of the villages to help with the shareholder application process, new hire paperwork, travel arrangements.