Article courtesy of Eklutna Inc.
Through regular gatherings of representatives from CIRI and other Alaska Native corporations, tribes, villages and nonprofits in the Cook Inlet region, the Tikahtnu Forum provides a platform for business collaborations and discussion of issues that impact Alaska Native people.
Joanna White/Eklutna Inc.
Although the individual organizations that make up the Forum have different missions and objectives, each recognizes that greater success can be realized through collaboration. In the spirit of working together, CIRI and Eklutna Inc. recently signed an agreement to open a gravel pit in north Eagle River, Alaska.
“The Tikahtnu Forum helped formalize a process that takes relationships between Alaska Native regional and village corporations to the next level,” said Eklutna Inc. CEO Curtis McQueen. “A prime example was when the CIRI Board, with support from CIRI’s executive team, recognized that land owned by Eklutna (surface) and CIRI (subsurface) could result in a gravel project that would benefit both parties.”
In 2006, CIRI entered into a joint venture with Eklutna for a sand and gravel extraction project that will supply these valuable materials to the Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Valley markets. The 43-acre site is situated 25 miles northeast of Anchorage.
The relationship between the two parties was strengthened in 2009 with the signing of a three-year gravel extraction agreement at Birchwood Industrial Park. Within three construction seasons, the site produced 3.3 million tons of rock.
The new site is slated to begin operations in 2019. For more information, visit www.eklutnainc.com.
