www.AlaskaAlliance.com 2024 Meet Alaska Conference & Trade Show 39 Mathis, who had worked with Webb and others in organizing the 1979 event, recalled that by the early 1980s the major oil producers were beginning to award contracts to out-of-state companies to cut costs. The fact that Alaska-based service companies employed Alaskans who could become politically-influential in the state did not occur to them. One of the early goals for the Alliance was to show producers that they needed constituents, in this case Alaskan companies and their employees who shared the pain when government decisions adversely affected the industry. Meanwhile, a new threat to the industry had emerged. Alaska oil production was rising in the late 1970s along with oil prices. Billions of dollars were flowing into the state treasury. There were state legislators and state officials who believed that the production tax system in place was not generating a fair share of the benefits. No one agreed on what a fair share should be, however. Thus, started years of controversy over oil and gas tax policy. The producing companies realized again they needed friends among ordinary Alaskans, and this time on an ongoing basis not just for one-time events like the 1979 Beaufort Sea lease sale. At this point a handful of people among the service companies decided to form the Alliance. Bill Webb was a part of this and was the Alliance’s first president as well as serving on its board. Webb is quick to credit others in the initial formation of the Alliance, including Dr. Milton Byrd, Chuck Becker and Joe Mathis. Webb had played a significant role in pipeline construction with Greyhound Corp, and then Support Services Inc. where he oversaw nine construction camps on the pipeline and at one point as many as 18 camps including those in the oilfields. “He laid a solid foundation for a legacy of infrastructural excellence in our state,” according to a citation introduced in the Alaska State Legislature by state Rep. Tom McKay, R-Anchorage. Post-pipeline, he went on to form his own camp services company, Arctic Hosts, “showcasing his business acumen and commitment to Alaska’s economic prosperity,” the citation read. Webb was also experienced in the contractor community and knew the players. A key decision early on in forming the Alliance is that financial contributions from producing companies are not accepted, although they were offered. “We were concerned that this might taint the new organization. We needed to be seen as a completely homegrown and Alaskan,” Mathis said. But it also meant skinny times for the Alliance. There was no office, all of the organization’s records were stored in a cardboard box usually kept at a board member’s home. “During (Webb’s) presidency, the Alliance saw the inception of ‘Meet Alaska’, an annual hallmark event, and ‘The Link’, a communications magazine, both of which have become cornerstones of the Alliance’s community engagement and industry dialogue,” the legislative citation introduced by Rep. McKay said. Meet Alaska, a tradition that continues today, was far more than just an event at its inception, Mathis said. Officially, the event was designed to allow producing companies to outline their plans for the year–Meet Alaska is always held in the spring–and to allow government leaders to talk about policies and new initiatives. Just those were enough to draw people to the event. But there was more, although it was a subtle strategy. One of the early goals was to find ways for Alliance members to meet producing company managers personally and get to know them. It worked in reverse, too. Industry managers needed to know their contractors and service companies better. In this, Webb pulled off a brilliant stroke at the first Meet Alaska. He assigned seats, Mathis recalled. This put a service company manager sitting next to his or her customer for the day-long event, which included lunch. It was a perfect way to break the ice and open a dialogue. The assigned seating lasted for just a couple of Meet Alaskas, until it was deemed no longer necessary. By then people knew each other, which was the point, he said. Soar with Hawk Alaska's premier provider of technical staffing, inspection and consulting services. ANCHORAGE OFFICE: Hawk Consultants, LLC 3201 C Street, Suite 406 • Anchorage, Alaska 99503 (907) 278-1877 tel • (907) 278-1889 fax HOUSTON OFFICE: Hawk Technical Services, LLC 1030 Village Square Drive • Tomball, Texas 77375 (832) 843-7608 tel • (832) 761-7692 fax MILAN OFFICE: Hawk International Srl Via Gaspare Spontini, 1 20131 Milan, Italy www.hawkpros.com INSPECTION SERVICES Supplier & Field Quality Pipe Mill & Coatings Inspection Drilling & Completions Inspection STAFFING SERVICES Contingent Workforce Direct Hire Recruitment Subject Matter Experts CONSULTING SERVICES Operations & Project Technical Process Optimization Document Management CONTINUED from PAGE 37 CONTINUED on PAGE 40
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