Black Business Leaders, Native Firms Shake Hands
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Elizabeth Bluemink, Anchorage Daily News, May 28, 2008
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In Alaska, Native firms became some the state’s largest companies in recent years because of their federal contracting businesses. Some of their contracts have been worth billions.
Many now operate globally, providing security at military bases, digitizing government records and installing bridges and classrooms. Their success is visible in Anchorage, where many of the shiny new office buildings that have sprouted in town are Native corporation headquarters.
But in the Lower 48, the Alaska Native firms have been lambasted by some reform-minded federal lawmakers and other minority business leaders because of the bidding advantages that Congress, led by Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, provided them in the 1980s and 1990s.
But in a matter of months, Alford has gone from fierce opponent to potent ally of the Native firms.
Alford said his main beef with them was that black-owned businesses were getting a smaller piece of the federal contracting pie.
What really rankled: when billions in federal contracting dollars were awarded without competition to Alaska Native firms for post-Hurricane Katrina reconstruction, while black-owned firms based in the region were bit players, he said.
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Last week, the black chamber brought more than 20 black business executives from around the country to Anchorage. The executives spent a few days networking with Alaska Native firms and other minority-owned businesses based in Alaska. They mixed and shared business tips at a minority contracting conference at a downtown hotel. They went halibut fishing and sight-seeing.
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Many of the black entrepreneurs left Alaska at the end of the week with new business partnerships with Native-owned firms, Alford said Wednesday.
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POLITICAL BENEFITS
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Alford told Alaska business executives at the conference that he’d tell Washington, D.C., lawmakers who have in the past attempted to curtail Alaska Native firms’ contracting advantages to “lay off.”
So far, there have been a lot of Congressional hearings but few changes to the contracting program. The federal Small Business Administration held several consultations with Native organizations last year to get input on how the program could be improved, but the agency hasn’t decided yet whether to make any changes, an SBA spokesman said Wednesday.
Alaska Native organizations spent a lot of time in Washington, D.C., last year trying to persuade lawmakers to support the current provisions in federal law that allow Alaska Native firms to obtain contracts of any size without competition. While Congress did not give that ability to most minority-owned companies, it remains available to other multinational firms, they say.
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The black chamber is one of two minority business groups that penned a strategic alliance with the National 8(a) Association last week. The national association is an offshoot of the Alaska 8(a) Association. The Alaska Veterans Business Alliance also penned an agreement with the 8(a) association.
The groups have agreed to meet regularly to discuss legislation or proposed federal rules that could impact their organizations. They also agreed to work together on business training and networking.
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(Posted on June 2, 2008)
Comments
This “business alliance” is doomed to falter as soon as the Natives get an acute sense of what a mistake they’ve made by entangling themselves with blacks and their corrupt, self-serving, backwards and licentious ways. It’ll just be a matter of time now. I give it four years, maybe sooner. The fact that blacks went to Alaska (of all places?) to hold their meeting shows how brazen and audacious they think they can be.
Posted by at 6:24 PM on June 2
The successful Native firms are going to be very sorry they entered into a partnership with poorly run black firms, what are they thinking?
Posted by Cliff Yablonski at 7:23 PM on June 2
How many of these “minority-owned” businesses are actually run by Blacks or Eskimos? I suspect that most of them have well-paid front men of the appropriate color, with even better paid Whites pulling the strings. That’s how the cable companies “serve the Black community.”
Posted by Schoolteacher at 7:28 PM on June 2
The truth about these Native Alaskan firms is that many — if not most — are basically ran by White men. What a shock the blacks are going to get when they start to discover the same.
You see, Native Alaskans are not by any means stupid. They know what (and who) it takes to run a successful and efficient business.
Just wait though. When the blacks see all of those White males working for the Alaskan tribes, they are going to become jealous and start demanding that many of those well-performing White men be fired and replaced by less-competent and inept blacks. A very interesting battle could ensue, but in the end, there will be trouble for the Alaskan tribes. Mark my words! They will wish they had never done this.
Posted by at 4:07 AM on June 3
I believe most of these minority coalitions are less about operating successful businesses and more about joining forces and trying to defeat the white man at his own game.
If minority businesses would keep both eyes on their business instead of always having one eye watching the white man they might find they’re more successful.
Look at all the successful black businesses in hip hop fashion that have sprung up. They became successful, not because they join forces to defeat white business, but because they concentrated on cultivating a black market. Russel Simmons didn’t become rich by complaining about the white man. He became rich by emulating successful white business models.
Posted by sbuffalonative at 11:00 AM on June 3
You see, Native Alaskans are not by any means stupid. They know what (and who) it takes to run a successful and efficient business.
I’ve read that Eskimos are remarkably mechanically inclined and can figure out how assemble or repair just about anything. This would certainly square with the theory that cold climates select for intelligence more than others.
Posted by qwerty at 2:21 PM on June 4
What is interesting here is NOT that African - Americans are once again trying to insinuate themselves into another government program; but, to find African - Americans all the way into Alaska?
I can assure you that this conference was not held during the Winter.
MoMo
Posted by MoMo at 12:53 PM on June 9