Vol. 1, No. 9• December 08, 2006
It starts on the inside
Helvi Sandvik
NDC President
When we hear the words ‘customer service’, what first comes to mind for most of us are the typical business practices we deliberately extend when delivering products and services to external customers: timeliness, courtesy, initiative and respect are all customer service values we learned in our very first jobs. Too often, though, we disregard the fact that customer service is a two-way street: to make external customers happy, our internal service must meet the same unwavering standards, because the quality of service provided by staff dealing directly with external customers is dependent on the quality of support provided to them internally. In other words: the way we treat those we work with is about the values we bring to work every day, and must be demonstrated by everyone in all aspects of work, whether they deal with external customers or not. Do we apply the same urgency and service to internal and eternal emails, phone calls and correspondence? When other departments contact us for help, do we regard it as an important use of our time? Do we arrive on time for internal meetings? Are we prompt in forwarding work so that colleagues have as much time as necessary to complete their portion of the work? Treating colleagues with professionalism, fairness, equality, and respect results in a work environment where people are inspired by opportunity and encouraged to develop their skills and abilities. As we continue to grow the NANA family of companies by providing excellent customer service to external customers, let’s always keep in mind that we are all customers of each other, and we must service one another internally with the same commitment to excellence.
Charge!
Steve Cammack
NANA Services President
If his first 100 days on the job are any indication, this could be a banner year for NANA Services, now under the direction of President Steve Cammack. Since starting in this top position, he has formed a powerhouse operations group. N.S. is continuing to grow its quality-of-life services, as well as launching its new venture into full facility operations and maintenance at the Defense Distribution Depot at San Joaquin, California (DDDSJ). DDDSJ receives, stores and ships materials in support of the Department of Defense, around the clock and around the world. At the same time, his team has launched a new food product line called NIQI—pronounced “neekee”—named after the Iñupiaq word for food. Also, in January, NANA Services and NANA Management Services will begin implementing its first jointly operated contract in Alaska.
“With this team, we’re just getting started,” Steve said.
NANA Services, based in Federal Way, Washington, is a service contract company supporting government agencies and commercial clients in the areas of living services and full facilities support services for both public and private sector clients.
“We are focusing on the Pacific Rim where we have a lot of combined expertise, but when you look at our footprint, we go as north as Alaska, and as far south as Antarctica, and we are as east as New York and as west as Guam,” Steve said. “We will go where we add value, and are valued by our clients.”
NANA Services is part of the new Akmaaq family of companies under the NANA Contracting Services umbrella.
Steve came to NANA following a 16-year career with Sodexho USA, the leading food and facilities management services company in North America and a partner in NANA Management Services. He left as Vice President of Operations after progressively working his way up from entry level positions.
Recruiting and training bring dollars to NANA region
NANA/Major Drilling is the newest NANA company to step up to the plate to offer meaningful job training opportunities for NANA shareholders. This winter, several shareholders from the NANA region are spending the winter in Elko, Nevada for on-the-job training as drillers’ helpers, a skill that can lead to mining jobs anywhere in the world.
“Any opportunity offered to NANA shareholders represents a financial boost for an area that offers few job opportunities for its residents,” Helvi Sandvik, NDC President said. “The NANA Major opportunity is especially beneficial because drillers are in demand and jobs are available all over the country.”NMS Recruits Shareholders for Arctic Caribou Inn
A November recruiting trip to Kobuk, Shungnak, Ambler and Kivalina, villages in the NANA region, resulted in 25 shareholders hired to work for NANA Management Services at the Arctic Caribou Inn in Deadhorse. Thank you to Eric Fox, Ron Adams, Grace Graves and Bill Rodasky for your shareholder recruiting efforts.
TKC Communications supports high school robotics team
Battlefield High School robotics team members Patrick Boyd, Morgan Simox, Jonathan Rezadoost and Julie Lim won first place in the Robotic All Star competition.
Battlefield High School, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, launched its information technology (IT) program about three years ago, working with 350 high school students to develop their skills in three areas of the industry: networking, programming, and interactive media. Since the program’s inception, TKC Communications (TKCC)—a Qivliq company—partnered with Battlefield to offer its juniors and seniors the opportunity to gain real work experience they can later use working for IT companies like those under the NANA umbrella.
The partnership is one example of TKCC’s commitment to contributing to the areas where it does business, and supporting programs consistent with Inupiat values, including helping youth obtain the tools, knowledge and skills to become successful and contributing members of their communities. For this program, TKCC invests in special educational programs that include funding and sponsorship for up to 10 qualified students interested in learning about consulting services, hardware and software purchases through summer internships.
During the 2005-2006 school year, the IT program competed in the NASA FIRST Robotics competition, with financial support from TKCC. Participating students, including those involved in the TKCC intern program, engineered and produced a competition-ready robot along with multi-media presentations such as a website and DVD. They won the Rookie All-Star title in two regional competitions, and the National Championship competition in Atlanta, Georgia.
