By Dr. Terry L. Simpson
CIRI Chairman

Carl Marrs began his long and distinguished career at CIRI 30 years ago. During these last three decades, CIRI has developed as a corporation and Carl has grown and matured as one of Alaska’s key leaders.

Thirty years ago, no one could have guessed that CIRI would become one of the leading Native corporations and one of the most successful Alaskan-owned business entities in the state. And back then, those who knew Carl as a rough and tumble commercial fisherman might not have guessed he would become a man consulted often by state and national political leaders.
Carl started his working career as a commercial fisherman. He quit in 1972 after a storm in the Gulf of Alaska with winds roaring in excess of 100 miles an hour made a normal eight-hour run to port a furious 28-hour battle for survival. When he left fishing, he took with him the valuable lesson that storm taught him of how teamwork can mean the difference between life and death.

Not having completed his formal education at the time, he wasn’t sure which way to turn. Alaska Native corporations were in the early stages of their formation, and he decided since he was a CIRI shareholder he would apply for a job as a land trainee at the corporation. As luck would have it, Carl’s supervisor, Larry Oskolkoff, was willing to mentor Carl through many of the processes that needed to be done in the land department.

As time passed, Carl learned the ropes, and eventually he became the land manager, working as one of the negotiators in the CIRI land trade, one of the largest land exchanges to take place in Alaska history.

From that beginning, Carl held many positions within the company. His senior-level positions have included president and chief operating officer; vice president of business operations and development; manager of joint venture operations; and land manager. His responsibilities have included identifying, evaluating, and participating in the structuring of ventures and partnerships; developing and implementing business strategies; and coordinating the selection, development, and management of corporate lands.

Since assuming the position of president and CEO in 1995, Carl has been responsible for the general management and overall policy of the corporation. CIRI was already successful when Carl took the reins, and under his leadership the corporation has experienced significant growth in both new and existing lines of business. The benefits accrued have given CIRI a strong base upon which we can build for the future, and they have allowed the corporation to make large cash payments to shareholders. In the three-year span from 2000 through 2002, CIRI made distributions of more than $470 million to shareholders. That stunning achievement brought total cash payments to CIRI shareholders since CIRI’s inception to over three-quarters of a billion dollars. And even after all those cash distributions were paid out, shareholders’ book equity stood at the end of 2002 at nearly $661 million. This is truly an unmatched record for CIRI and for any other Native corporation for that matter.

Carl has a reputation as being tough, fair and direct. He has worked hard to earn this reputation, and he is recognized for his negotiating stands and his deal-making skills. A number of our business partners have said they would work with Carl again in a heartbeat because they appreciate his forthright attitude. They like the fact that they know where they stand with Carl. Shareholders benefit when our business partners feel comfortable with the integrity of our president.

No tribute to Carl would be complete without mentioning his generosity. Make no mistake about it, Carl is a power-broker, and he is comfortable in situations involving business and political leaders. But he is also a man of the people who never forgets his humble beginnings in Seldovia and those who have not had his remarkable combination of luck, intelligence and wit that have gotten him where he is today.

A brief anecdote might give those who are less familiar with Carl a taste of his giving nature. In the mid-’90s, Carl was walking by himself after a late meeting in Washington, D.C., when a movement in a doorway caught his eye. He realized it was a homeless woman who was alone in the night, trying to keep out of the wind and cold by crouching in a doorway. Carl didn’t even think twice about what to do. He simply walked over to her and gave her the coat off his back and walked on to his hotel.
Almost 10 years later, Carl was awarded United Way’s Alexis de Tocqueville Award in recognition of his outstanding personal philanthropy. And in 2002, Alaska Pacific University awarded Carl an honorary Doctor of Public Service, honoris causa, degree in recognition of his many contributions to Alaska and its people.

There are many people I could call on to give us testimonials about Carl’s importance and his leadership, but I believe mentioning some of his many honors gives us an appreciation for this. Carl was named the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce 2001 William A. Egan Outstanding Alaskan and the 2001 Alaska Federation of Natives Citizen of the Year. He also serves as the president of the Association of ANCSA Regional Corporation Presidents/CEOs, Inc.

I have come to know Carl well over the last few years I have served as chairman of the Board. I have seen him negotiate with politicians and businessmen. I have seen them enjoy a personal relationship with Carl built on the trust that they are dealing with a man of his word. He has proven himself by leading CIRI through the largest payout of shareholder dividends, as well as growing the company. CIRI shareholders have not only benefited in their pocketbooks by having a capable CEO, but the reputation of our company is known throughout the business and political world because we have a CEO, a leader, who is known as a man of intelligence, generosity, loyalty, and integrity.