The Alaska Miner Summer 2023 38 While putting in camps for mineral exploration projects, Mike saw a real need for the industry that wasn’t being met for temporary soft sided camps within the state of Alaska. In 1985, Mike started Alaska Minerals and with his expertise, has developed it into the premier remote camp service business it is today. In the subsequent years, Mike and his son have moved Alaska Minerals beyond the mineral exploration industry to remote site environmental cleanups and construction programs. Alaska Minerals has been installing remote site camps all over the state of Alaska for almost 40 years. Alaska Minerals provides turnkey camps with everything from office units with satellite internet and streaming TV to premier kitchens with made-fromscratch catering. All tents remain comfortable, cozy, and reliable as they come with thermostatically controlled Toyotomi heaters, which keep the tents warm in conditions as cold as -40°. The kitchens come with commercial grade equipment and seasoned chefs to go with them. The cook and the kitchen are the heartbeat of the camps and clients will find AkMin cooks using fresh ingredients when making their homecooked style food from scratch. What are your goals for your company, your clients, and your employees? Are there causes or nonprofits in particular that you support? Alaska Minerals has grown at an astounding rate over the past four years. Sadly, we saw many companies shut down during the pandemic. For us, it led to our busiest season on record. It’s been an amazing place to be, but we know how fortunate we are – especially in light of so many who lost so much over the last few years. Our goal is not just to see the “people at the top succeed.” Coming from Hollywood, Mike Jr. saw a lot of topheavy corporate execs earn obscenely large paychecks while those at the bottom just barely scraped by. He wants to see all his employees succeed and share in the company’s growth in success. Since starting, he’s been able to get his full-time workers health benefits, something he’d like to build upon to show his appreciation to the men and women who’ve helped his dad make Alaska Minerals what it is today. We already donate a LOT of the food that isn’t used at our camps. If the company and the project look good to the locals, that’s good for the project. If it’s good for the project, it’s good for the industry. What’s good for the industry is good for all of us. We’re just happy to see the food being utilized by locals in need, whether that’s in a remote village or at the food bank here in Anchorage. We were also excited to speak with FEMA and let them know what infrastructures are in place here in Alaska. While it feels good to be ready to help in a time of crisis, you hope that the need never arises. The same Weatherport tents that Alaska Minerals puts up all over the state of Alaska are installed in a variety of countries around the world to aid in a variety of humanitarian efforts. For instance, Alaska Structures which owns Weatherport, sent structures and supplies to NY after 9/11. They couldn’t get ahold of anyone, so they just showed up and set up some tents and laid out supplies. They told fireman, police offers and other volunteers, “come inside, take a break, take a nap, get some sleep…” If there is a disaster anywhere in the world, I know AKS wants to be a part of the solution. Disasters don’t recognize borders, and neither should we. Why is AMA important to your company? And to Alaska mining? Alaska is an amazing state. Aside from being America’s Playground for tourists and locals alike, it’s also an incredibly rich in resources. You’ve heard the saying, “if it can’t be grown, it has to be mined.” Unless global warming kicks it up a notch ALASKA MINERALS, CONTINUED from PAGE 37 CONTINUED on PAGE 40
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