Shareholders Receive Update on Sealaska’s Business Success at 2018 Community Meetings

Shareholders and community members from Klawock, Alaska attend a meeting at the local ANB Hall.

Sealaska recently completed well-attended community meetings in nine Southeast Alaska and Washington communities.

In mid-May, we visited with nearly a thousand Sealaska shareholders, sharing updates about Sealaska and taking the time to listen and learn about each community’s concerns and ideas. To everyone who welcomed us and shared a meal with us, we thank you.

“The purpose of community meetings is to rekindle and nurture relationships, not only with Sealaska but with each other – between shareholders, board of directors, staff and communities,” outgoing Board Youth Advisor Nicole George said. “As Native people, we relied on relationships. We really valued having relationships with the environment, with each other and with other communities – so that’s why we try so hard to go to different communities every year.”

In addition to getting quality one-on-one time with shareholders during each meeting, President and CEO Anthony Mallott updated them on Sealaska’s financial recovery. Sealaska’s 2017 net income of $43.3 million is one of its greatest financial performances to date. That is a $78 million turnaround since the losses Sealaska experienced in 2013.

Anthony Mallott attributed the financial recovery to Sealaska’s successful seafood, timber and government services businesses, which made a $19 million profit in 2017. “We have people working every day on your behalf to take this success and even make it greater,” Mallott said at the Juneau community meeting. “Our decision-making is stronger. Team-based management is working for us. People on those teams are highly-qualified and have the capacity to create the operational turnaround for Sealaska.”

Watch Anthony Mallott’s full business presentation from Juneau.

Sealaska funds educational and professional development programs like scholarships and internships, issues dividends twice a year to shareholders and donates to cultural and community programs. If you were not able to attend the meetings, more detailed information is available in the community meeting booklet here, along with customized information sheets about Sealaska’s contributions and impact within each place we visited: Sitka, Juneau, Haines, Hoonah, Prince of Wales, Ketchikan, Southcentral Alaska, and Washington State.

The community meetings also provided board candidates running for election a chance to share their qualifications and vision for potentially securing a position on next year’s Sealaska board of directors. Watch speeches from each candidate here.

Sealaska provided answers to many shareholder questions during the community meetings as well. Read more here.