United

Anchorage: A stepping stone to world commerce and education

BTN Archive Stories Issue #26
Friday, 15 December 2006

Anchorage is an easy and pleasant city to do business in, says Kelvin King. And more of us will be doing just that over the next few years.

ANCHORAGE isn’t just the business hub of Alaska, although that role is seriously significant given the state’s current and yet-to-be-tapped natural resources and commercial development.

It’s also an air cargo stepping stone between North America/Europe and Asia, home to a university which is setting the pace in logistics and global supply chain studies, an evolving international 3PL operations site and an energy provider of world significance.

The Alaskan oil and gas industry is a consumer — of equipment, supplies, specialist services — as well as a supplier.  What’s more, it’s a provider of services and a conduit to the burgeoning oil, gas and hard mineral development of Russia’s Far East, close by across the Bering Strait.

Australian, New Zealand and Southeast Asian business people are already frequent visitors to this fellow member of the Pacific Rim community. They sell goods and services to the oil and gas industry, the military, to residents whose discretionary dollar spending is looking more widely for choice and to the tourist industry (which is benefiting from the strong traveller trend towards the natural and unspoilt).

We’ll be there more to sell and buy.  And invest, probably.

The working environment is relaxed and welcoming.  Anchorage is an American city and most of the usual 'rules' of doing business in the US apply, but it is more California than New York — dress codes veer to the smart casual or shirt and tie rather than suits (except on formal occasions) and you’re quite likely to be invited for a drink or dinner.
Keep to appointments, though — this is a place on the move and busy schedules are the daily norm.

Ted Stevens International Airport is user-friendly for passengers, as well as one of the world’s most successful and efficient cargo hubs.  Freighters lumber in and out around the clock and passenger (or joint passenger/cargo) flights to the lower 48 operate on virtually a shuttle basis.

Unlike many other US airports (yet), wireless Internet connectivity is available.

The Anchorage Economic Development Corporation should be on your 'must contact' list.  While its charter calls for it be a catalyst for “diversified economic development”, its vision extends through encouraging education and professional growth, two-way trading and burnishing Anchorage’s glow as a regional beacon.

It’s headed by Bob Poe, a visionary who has actually converted many of his visions to reality and plans to score more successes.

Also in the visionary stakes is Mayor Mark Begich, a pro-business community leader who is currently being talked of as a Democratic contender for the US Senate.  While that’s a distinct possibility, if he stood in 2008 he would be up against the high-achieving and wily Ted Stevens who recently announced that he intended to run again for the job he’s currently had for an impressive 37 years (he turned 83 a few days after making the announcement).

The dynamic Begich not only wants to foster more investment in Anchorage but also international and lower 48 business visitors.

A hard worker with a punishing daily schedule, he’ll make time to talk with visitors even if, like me, you need to sit alongside him on a floatplane and talk via the intercom en route to lunch at a luxury wilderness lodge (which we’ll be visiting in the next issue).

Anchorage has a remarkably impressive line-up of restaurants and bars, most of them right in town - although the locals might also introduce you to some good places out in the burbs.

Grab a copy of The Insider’s Guide to Dining & Entertainment in Anchorage.  It’s free and readily available in hotels.
A few recommendations: The Bridge Restaurant which, as the name implies, is on an old bridge across Ship Creek where salmon fishing enthusiasts congregate; Orso, a fine dining restaurant on 5th Avenue; and Glacier Brewhouse, just next door and with a fine line-up of beers that will wow an Aussie or Kiwi.

n a still summer evening, you can wander around the bars until late because of the midnight sun.  It’s a lot different in winter, of course, when snow flies, dark closes in early and the sun doesn’t rise until late.  But Anchorage is set up for those extremes and you’ll have no bothers.

Anchorage is a year-round business destination.  However, if you’re planning a little R&R while there, visiting between April and October is the best.

Standard time in Alaska is nine hours behind GMT.  That shifts to eight hours when daylight saving is in force - during 2007 that will be from March 11 to November 4.

HACTL
Cathay Cargo
United

Anchorage: A stepping stone to world commerce and education

BTN Archive Stories Issue #26
Friday, 15 December 2006

Anchorage is an easy and pleasant city to do business in, says Kelvin King. And more of us will be doing just that over the next few years.

ANCHORAGE isn’t just the business hub of Alaska, although that role is seriously significant given the state’s current and yet-to-be-tapped natural resources and commercial development.

It’s also an air cargo stepping stone between North America/Europe and Asia, home to a university which is setting the pace in logistics and global supply chain studies, an evolving international 3PL operations site and an energy provider of world significance.

The Alaskan oil and gas industry is a consumer — of equipment, supplies, specialist services — as well as a supplier.  What’s more, it’s a provider of services and a conduit to the burgeoning oil, gas and hard mineral development of Russia’s Far East, close by across the Bering Strait.

Australian, New Zealand and Southeast Asian business people are already frequent visitors to this fellow member of the Pacific Rim community. They sell goods and services to the oil and gas industry, the military, to residents whose discretionary dollar spending is looking more widely for choice and to the tourist industry (which is benefiting from the strong traveller trend towards the natural and unspoilt).

We’ll be there more to sell and buy.  And invest, probably.

The working environment is relaxed and welcoming.  Anchorage is an American city and most of the usual 'rules' of doing business in the US apply, but it is more California than New York — dress codes veer to the smart casual or shirt and tie rather than suits (except on formal occasions) and you’re quite likely to be invited for a drink or dinner.
Keep to appointments, though — this is a place on the move and busy schedules are the daily norm.

Ted Stevens International Airport is user-friendly for passengers, as well as one of the world’s most successful and efficient cargo hubs.  Freighters lumber in and out around the clock and passenger (or joint passenger/cargo) flights to the lower 48 operate on virtually a shuttle basis.

Unlike many other US airports (yet), wireless Internet connectivity is available.

The Anchorage Economic Development Corporation should be on your 'must contact' list.  While its charter calls for it be a catalyst for “diversified economic development”, its vision extends through encouraging education and professional growth, two-way trading and burnishing Anchorage’s glow as a regional beacon.

It’s headed by Bob Poe, a visionary who has actually converted many of his visions to reality and plans to score more successes.

Also in the visionary stakes is Mayor Mark Begich, a pro-business community leader who is currently being talked of as a Democratic contender for the US Senate.  While that’s a distinct possibility, if he stood in 2008 he would be up against the high-achieving and wily Ted Stevens who recently announced that he intended to run again for the job he’s currently had for an impressive 37 years (he turned 83 a few days after making the announcement).

The dynamic Begich not only wants to foster more investment in Anchorage but also international and lower 48 business visitors.

A hard worker with a punishing daily schedule, he’ll make time to talk with visitors even if, like me, you need to sit alongside him on a floatplane and talk via the intercom en route to lunch at a luxury wilderness lodge (which we’ll be visiting in the next issue).

Anchorage has a remarkably impressive line-up of restaurants and bars, most of them right in town - although the locals might also introduce you to some good places out in the burbs.

Grab a copy of The Insider’s Guide to Dining & Entertainment in Anchorage.  It’s free and readily available in hotels.
A few recommendations: The Bridge Restaurant which, as the name implies, is on an old bridge across Ship Creek where salmon fishing enthusiasts congregate; Orso, a fine dining restaurant on 5th Avenue; and Glacier Brewhouse, just next door and with a fine line-up of beers that will wow an Aussie or Kiwi.

n a still summer evening, you can wander around the bars until late because of the midnight sun.  It’s a lot different in winter, of course, when snow flies, dark closes in early and the sun doesn’t rise until late.  But Anchorage is set up for those extremes and you’ll have no bothers.

Anchorage is a year-round business destination.  However, if you’re planning a little R&R while there, visiting between April and October is the best.

Standard time in Alaska is nine hours behind GMT.  That shifts to eight hours when daylight saving is in force - during 2007 that will be from March 11 to November 4.

HACTL
Cathay Cargo
HACTL
Cathay Cargo