AGC 2021 Virtual Annual Conference Agenda & Speakers—Nov. 10-11

Come hear from Paul Friese, Lynden, Gideon Garcia, NAC, Dale Wade, Alaska Railroad, Bal Dreyfus, Matson & Joe Michel, Alaska Trucking Association on the challenges of moving freight during the COVID/Pandemic and what we might expect in the coming months/years.

Speakers:

Gideon Garcia:

Gideon Garcia joined NAC in 2016 as the General Manager and Vice President.  Prior to working at NAC, Gideon was Chief Operating Officer (COO) of CIRI Alaska Tourism (CATC). There he oversaw hotel operations, whale watching boat tours, and a reservations call center team. Previously he spent 18 years working for Holland America and HAP-Alaska. During this period, he managed a variety of busines units in Fairbanks and Anchorage overseeing land tour operations for Holland America and Princess Cruise lines.

Gideon has been involved in community service organizations including Big Brothers/Big Sisters Fairbanks, Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Fairbanks Rotary Club, and Anchorage East Rotary Club. He currently serves on the Alaska Aviation Advisory Board, a state appointed board.

Gideon has a BA in Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College and an MBA from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Paul Friese:

Paul Friese is the VP of Sales and Marketing for Lynden Transport Alaska.  He has been with Lynden for over 30 years. A resident of the Matsu Valley since 1984 – Paul is proud to have participated in the economic growth and development experienced by the Valley and Alaska over the past several decades.

Paul is married to Jenna Friese and has two grown sons, both married and lifelong Alaska residents, and recently became a proud grandfather to his new granddaughter. He graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with his associate’s degree in business, and completed his undergraduate degree in organizational management and communications at Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

For over 20 years Paul has volunteered as a hockey coach and referee in the Matsu Valley. He is also on the board of directors for Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling (ALPAR), The Resource Development Council (RDC), and Keep Alaska Competitive.

You will often find Paul spending time with friends and family and hunting, fishing, biking, camping, riding snow machines, or otherwise enjoying all of the outdoor recreation Alaska has to offer.

Dale Wade

Dale Wade is Vice President, Marketing & Customer Service at the Alaska Railroad.  He joined the Railroad in January 2012 and heads the freight and passenger marketing department as well as Passenger Guest Services.  He is a 35-year veteran of the freight transportation industry.  Previous experience includes 15 years as national account executive for FedEx Corporation; and managing director and transportation consultant for AFMS Transportation Management in Portland, Oregon.

Dale has lived in Alaska since 1978.  He is married to Rebecca Wade, his wife of 45 years, and has 3 children and 6 grandchildren.

Join Steve Ribuffo & Sharen Walsh with the Port of Alaska for a Modernization Update.

Speakers:

Sharen Walsh is the Director of the Port of Alaska Modernization Program (PAMP).   She joined the Port as Deputy Director in 2014 and has been serving as the PAMP Director since 2019.

Sharen is a lifelong Alaskan.  She has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame and is a registered civil engineer.  She has 43 years of experience in design engineering, construction management, and construction contracting in both the public and private sectors.  Her project experience includes: housing, water, and sewer work in rural Alaska; defense contracting projects on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson and on the Aleutian Islands of Adak and Shemya; and roads and drainage projects in the Municipality of Anchorage.

Steve Ribuffo is the Director of the Port of Alaska, an Enterprise Department of the Municipality of
Anchorage. In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day business operations of
the Port; interacting as needed with tenants, the U.S. Coast Guard, the military and any new business
prospects interested in operating out of the Port. He has been with the Port since August 2007, when
he came aboard as Deputy Port Director. Mr. Ribuffo has been Port Director since June 2014.
Steve retired from the United States Air Force as a Colonel, having served 30 years on active duty. A
native New Yorker, he graduated from Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Science degree in
Marketing. He also has an MBA from Golden Gate University, and a Masters of Science in Logistics
Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He is an Accredited Maritime Port Executive.
Steve is a member of the Board of Directors of the Anchorage Downtown Partnership and the
Anchorage Economic Development Corporation Investors’ Council. He is Vice-Chair of the
International Association of Maritime and Port Executives’ Advisory Board. He is Regional
Representative for Alaska on the Association of Pacific Ports’ Executive Committee. He serves on
the University of Alaska – Anchorage’s Global Supply Chain Management Curriculum Advisory
Committee and is also an Adjunct Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

“Alaska Workers Compensation and COVID-19 – How Workers Compensation in Alaska is responding to the pandemic”. The presentation will focus on answering key questions about the purpose of workers compensation and whether COVID-19 is compensable under the Alaska Workers Compensation Act.  Speakers:  Johanna B Kalal & Lynne Seville, Parker, Smith & Feek & Michael Budzinski, Meshke Paddock & Budzinski, P.C

Speakers:

Johanna Kalal // Associate Claims Executive - Parker, Smith & Feek

Experience | Johanna is service-driven and forward thinking, with a reputation for aggressively controlling claims costs, building strategic partnerships, and efficiently managing all phases of the claims process. She works directly with our clients to develop and implement claims reporting and handling procedures for their companies. Her friendly interpersonal style and excellent communications skills makes her adept at building rapport, resolving conflicts, and negotiating settlements.

Background | Johanna has worked in the insurance industry for over 28 years and started in claims as an adjuster in 1996. From there she moved to work as a claims examiner and supervisor for a national insurance company in Alaska for over 15 years. She has specialized in workers’ compensation claims, and served on a team that specialized in COVID-19 claims starting in July 2020. She joined Parker, Smith & Feek in 2021.

Michael A. Budzinski graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1982 and moved to Alaska that year. He practiced for one year with the law firm of Bradbury, Bliss & Riordan. In July 1983, he associated with the law firm of Stone, Waller & Jenicek and became a shareholder in that firm where he practiced until October 2000, when he joined Meshke Paddock & Budzinski as a shareholder. Since 1983, his practice has included insurance coverage, defense of bodily injury and property damage claims, and defense of workers’ compensation claims. He is a member of the Alaska Bar Association and the State Bar of Wisconsin.  Michael is a frequent presenter on issues related to workers’ compensation in Alaska. His interests include woodworking, travel, backpacking and artifact hunting.

AIDEA – Public-private partnerships & Project Updates

ALAN WEITZNER
Executive
Director, AIDEA
Mr
. Weitzner was appointed to this position in August 2020, formerly serving as AIDEA’s Chief
Investment Officer. Prior to AIDEA, Mr. Weitzner has focused his career on the project finance
and financial management of global infrastructure projects. He has advised and structured
over $16 billion in debt underwritings, equity capitalizations, and project developments for
energy, gas infrastructure, transmission, storage, and port/terminal facilities in the US,
Europe, Australia and the emerging markets.
Prior to joining AIDEA, Mr. Weitzner was the founder & managing director of Stakeholders
Infrastructure, as well as having served in senior management positions with ABN AMRO
Bank NV as part of its global leadership team in energy and infrastructure project finance,
ABB Equity Ventures (ABB Ltd) as Head of Asia Pacific project development and with an
alternative asset investment advisory group managing EMEA based private equity
infrastructure funds
Mr. Weitzner holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

Speaker: Kaitlin Schmidtke

As HBW’s Director of Campaign Activities and Policy, and Consumer Energy Alliance’s Executive Director of the Gulf Coast, Kaitlin Schmidtke manages the organization’s campaign portfolio, and both federal and state affairs for HBW and CEA.

Prior to joining HBW, Kaitlin served as a Legislative Assistant in the Texas Senate working on various issues regarding Veteran Affairs and Natural Resources. Kaitlin has also worked on numerous political campaigns at both the state and local level, including: Texans for Greg Abbott, Texans for Dade, and Dan Branch for Attorney General. Her campaign work stemmed from her outreach into the energy industry as a recruiter for a local Houston area staffing firm.

Kaitlin holds a B.A. in Political Science from Lamar University.

Update on the Mining Industry

Our Speaker:

Deantha was born and raised in Anchorage and Big Lake, Alaska and is a graduate of the University of Alaska.

She came to AMA from the Resource Development Council, where she worked as a projects coordinator for seven years.  In that role, she advocated for the mining and tourism industries and managed efforts on the cruise ship head tax and mining shutdown ballot initiative campaigns, and administered the Alaska Alliance for Cruise Travel, an organization promoting tourism businesses benefiting from visitors to our state.

Deantha is a member of the Armed Services YMCA of Alaska, an organization dedicated to supporting military members and their families.  She has served on past Governors’ Transition Teams, is a recipient of the Top Forty Under 40 award, and was one of a delegate to the first-ever Conference of Young Alaskans.

Deantha is married to Mark, an Alaska Airlines pilot, and in their spare time they can be found involved in youth hockey or at their family home in Big Lake, where you can find Deantha snowmachining, boating, and running with her chocolate lab, Hank.

Update on the Oil & Gas Industry

Our Speaker:

Kara came to Alaska from her home state of South Dakota to teach elementary school in Atqasuk, an Inupiaq village in the North Slope Borough. After working in Washington, DC for then South Dakota Congressman, now U.S. Senator John Thune, she moved back to Alaska and lived in Fairbanks for seven years. She has served as legislative staff in Juneau to Senator Gary Wilken and was the President/CEO of the Fairbanks Chamber for four years. She joined the AOGA staff in April 2005 and been the head of the association since 2012. She is a member of the Athena Society, a recipient of Alaska’s Top 40 Under 40 Award and was the Honorary Iceman at Eielson Air Force Base. She is a member of the Lumen Christi School Board and the Downtown Rotary Club of Anchorage and serves on the Executive Committee of the Resource Development Council. In her spare time she can be found serving as a taxi driver for her three children, Joseph, Maggie and Garrett to their many church, school and sporting events. She and her husband Gerry, an Alaska Airlines pilot, also enjoy their personal plane and exploring Alaska with the kids.