Minority business enterprise and government contracting

North Wind employees carry out a culvert project at the Savannah River Site, a U.S. Department of Energy nuclear reservation adjacent to the Savannah River in South Carolina. Image courtesy of North Wind Inc.

Certain business investments provide excellent growth opportunities because they gain private and government contracting advantages by virtue of CIRI's Alaska Native ownership. A growing number of private companies, including Fortune 500 companies and government entities, recognize that minorities are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population and are diversifying their supplier bases to reflect this change. Also, many companies that do business with the federal government and many state governments are required to meet specific Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) subcontracting requirements. CIRI and several of its wholly and majority owned subsidiaries enjoy a preferred position for obtaining certain private and government service contracts because they are MBE- or Small Business Administration 8(a)-certified.

The North Wind Group is a holding company for CIRI-owned, small, disadvantaged contracting businesses that have extensive technical resources and experience providing environmental remediation, construction and related services. This capability gives customers the benefits of contracting with MBE and SBA 8(a)-certified firms.

CIRI owns additional companies that are both MBE- and SBA 8(a)-certified. ANC Research & Development LLC is CIRI's wholly owned space and missile defense engineering, technical support and project management company. It provides technical support services for Department of Defense projects and private companies. ANC Northern JV is a joint venture formed with Northern Management Services Inc. in 2009 to provide base support services to the U.S. Coast Guard and other organizations.

CIRI, CIRI Alaska Tourism Corp., CIRI Land Development Co. and Pacific Tower Properties Inc. are all MBE-certified and offer minority contracting benefits for private businesses.

A decontamination station at North Wind's Charleston Runway Reconstruction Project. Image courtesy of North Wind Inc.