Birch bark texture.

Ahtna Kanas Spring 2016

8(a) Certification Positions AKHI for Success

AKHI first opened its doors in 2005 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Ahtna Inc. Its original name was Ahtna Contractors LLC (ACL). After operating as a non-union construction company for a few years, ACL was unable find a solid client base, and a choice was made to deactivate the company. In 2014, the Board of Directors decided to bring this company back into a fully functioning subsidiary in the Ahtna family of companies. A decision was made to change its name from Ahtna Contractors to AKHI. Originally, AKHI was intended to be a partnership between Ahtna and a company owned by a Hawaiian Native. The acronym stands for “Alaska and Hawaii,” i.e. AK-HI. Although this proposed partnership never came to fruition, the name remained.

AKHI Logo

Susan Taylor, President of Ahtna Technical Services was asked to take on a second role as the President of AKHI and refocus its mission on facilities management rather than construction. Staff began the process of applying for certification to participate in the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program. Certification was awarded to the company on December 18, 2015.

AKHI recently hired a proposal manager, John Moore, to help transition this small company into the government-contracting arena. ATSI employees Shawn Sanford, Rick Durham, Lon Trotter and Ron Cunningham are contracted under an agreement with AKHI to help develop strategy for pursuing prime contract opportunities and winning contracts to grow AKHI into a successful and competitive small business. Pamela Finnesand is Ahtna’s small-business liaison. She assists AKHI in making the most of its new 8(a) status. We are excited about AKHI’s future and wish this company and team much success in the years to come.