Celebrating 50 Years of Service to Rural Alaska Co-Op Battles Weather, Politics and Terrain to Ensure Members Have Power

Celebrating 50 Years of Service To Rural Alaska Co-op battles weather, politics and terrain to ensure members have power An 8,000-pound generator is loaded on a sled using a block and tackle and brute strength. CONGRATULATIONS ON 5 0 Y E A R S ! STG is proud of our 20-year history serving AVEC and helping rural communities around our state. STG is committed to pioneering solutions for Alaska's toughest jobs. 2 Table of Contents STG Incorporated.................... 2 Lower Kalskag....................... 48 Foreword............................ 4 Marshall............................. 49 BDO................................. 5 Mekoryuk ........................... 50 Chairman’s Message ................. 6 Minto ............................... 51 AVEC Board Members................ 7 Mountain Village .................... .52 AVEC Management Team ............ .8 New Stuyahok....................... 53 AVEC Wind Program Recap .......... 10 Nightmute .......................... .54 2019 Innovations Review ............ .11 Noatak .............................. 55 Power Cost Equalization Program .... 12 Noorvik ............................. .56 Ely Stone, AVEC Logo Designer....... 14 Nulato .............................. .57 AVEC Scholarship Program........... 15 Nunapitchuk ........................ .58 Vitus Marine......................... 16 Old Harbor . 59 Loyd Hodson ....................... .17 Oscarville ........................... .60 Delta Western Petroleum ............ .20 Ruby Marine......................... 61 Map of Villages ...................... 21 Pilot Station ......................... 62 Alakanuk............................ 22 Pitkas Point.......................... 63 Ambler.............................. 23 Quinhagak .......................... 64 Andreafsky .......................... 24 Russian Mission ..................... .65 Anvik ............................... .25 St. Mary’s............................ 66 Bethel............................... 26 St. Michael .......................... .67 Brevig Mission....................... 27 Savoonga ........................... .68 Chevak.............................. 28 Scammon Bay ....................... 69 Crowley Fuels Alaska ................ .29 Selawik.............................. 70 Eek.................................. 30 Shageluk ............................ 71 Ekwok............................... 31 Shaktoolik........................... 72 Elim................................. 32 Alaska Travel Source ................. 73 Emmonak ........................... 33 Shishmaref .......................... 74 Gambell............................. 34 Shungnak ........................... 75 Goodnews Bay ...................... .35 Stebbins ............................ .76 Grayling............................. 36 Teller................................ 77 Holy Cross........................... 37 Togiak............................... 78 Hooper Bay ......................... .38 Toksook Bay ......................... 79 Alaska Line Builders ................. 39 Tununak ............................ .80 Huslia ............................... 40 Upper Kalskag....................... 81 Kaltag............................... 41 Wales ............................... .82 Kasigluk............................. 42 Yakutat.............................. 83 Kiana................................ 43 NC Power Systems................... 84 Kivalina ............................. .44 AVEC Timeline ....................... 85 Kobuk............................... 45 Vitus Energy......................... 89 Kotlik ............................... .46 Koyuk ............................... 47 Color key Advertisers AVEC History AVEC Villages 3 Foreword More than 50 years ago, rural Alaskans started looking for solutions to bring electricity to their remote communities. When the concept of an electric cooperative was suggested, it was widely panned since never before had a cooperative been established to deliver electricity to communities that were not geographically connected. The concept of a power plant to serve each village and an administrative hub in a distant community to manage all of those disparate electric systems was considered completely unworkable by experts in the utility world. Given that rural Alaskans had always overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges in the past, they set to the task AVEC village workers—the power plant with determination and ingenuity, and operators who keep the lights on in the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative was born. villages. And the AVEC field technicians Against all odds, Alaskans banded together who fly across the state, dodging storms to make the impossible possible. What really as they meet the needs of communities made it all work was the men and women hammered by the weather. who wouldn’t take no for an answer. All of AVEC’s dedicated staff have a The steadfast commitment of AVEC’s single goal—to serve our members to the staff and board members are what prevailed best of our ability. We aim to keep the lights through the years, guiding the cooperative on, adopt technology to drive down the cost forward through the turbulent ’70s, the of power while improving reliability and to boom and bust ’80s and the technological be The Best Alaskan Utility! advances of the 21st century. Through these last 50 years, what stands Meera Kohler out is the loyalty and steadfastness of the President and CEO Published in 2019 By Meera Kohler, Amy Murphy and Onya Stein Design by Ruralite 4 “ *UUBLFTNPSFUIBOBDPVQMFZFBSTUPVOEFSTUBOE"MBTLB.” People who know, know BDO. �� of �� mm�� m � �� m�� o��o�� m �� mm�� -R\0HUULQHU$VVXUDQFH3DUWQHU .HYLQ9DQ1RUWZLFN7D[2IILFH0DQDJLQJ3DUWQHU �� / �m��m �� / ��m �� o�� o�� o�� o��o� 5 Chairman’s Message More than 50 years ago, Gov. Wally Hickel recognized the pressing need to bring qual- ity of life to rural Alaska through basic electrical services and created a task force to explore how that might be accomplished. Out of this task force, a unique utility was conceived. In 1967 Alaska Village Electric Cooperative was incorporated. Willie Hensley, Diane Carpenter, Jimmy Hoffman, Morris Thompson and David Peterson were the first board members. Willie was AVEC’s first president. Through the federal Rural Electrification Administration program—now known as the Rural Utilities Service—they electrified Robert Beans, Board Chairman three communities: Hooper Bay, Nulato and Old Harbor in 1968, laying the founda- 1969, making 2019 the 50th anniversary of tion of AVEC. Building on this foundation, that first celebration. With this publication, AVEC has grown to be a utility that elected we look back over our 50 years of village leaders, industry colleagues and financial electrification and look forward to what the institutions point to as “this is how it should future may bring. be done” in rural Alaska. Every one of us should be proud of AVEC. Through teamwork, commitment, inno- We have forged a path where none existed vation and the willingness to think outside before. We have united in a common mission of the box, today we are 58 rural communi- to bring safe, reliable electricity to some of ties strong. This would not have been possi- the smallest communities in Alaska, and we ble if it were not for the vision of the board, do this because these are our values: commitment and loyalty of the administra- Honesty and integrity will govern our tion and staff and, above all, the faithfulness activities; All individuals will be treated with and patience of the membership. dignity and respect; Commitments made AVEC’s first annual meeting was in early will be fulfilled. Chevak wind turbines dot the horizon. 6 AVEC Board Members Robert Beans, the tribal administrator for the Village of Board Chairman Nulato for more than 18 years. He is a tribal (Mountain Village) council member and serves on the Tanana Robert was elected board Chiefs Conference executive board. chairman in April 2014, and has served on the Walter Sampson, board since 1987. Robert served in the Army Director (Noorvik) National Guard for 18 years in addition to Walter was first elected to eight years in law enforcement. Robert is the board in 1989. He is from Mountain Village, where he owns a from Noorvik, where he home, and has lived in several other Alaska owns a residence. Walter is locations. a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. He worked for the NANA Corporation for 42 Fred Sagoonick, years, retiring as vice president of Lands and Board Vice Chairman Regional Affairs in 2014. He also served on (Shaktoolik) numerous state, regional and local boards Fred was elected to the and commissions. board in 2007. He served in the U.S. Navy as a radar- Robert “Bobby” man in the early 1970s. Before he retired, Hoffman, Director Fred was general manager of the Shaktoolik (Bethel) Native Corporation. He previously served Bobby was elected to on the city council and as mayor for two the board in April 2017. terms in

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