What makes a place a great place… to work? Strong leadership, pay and benefits, growth and learning opportunities, and work-life balance all factor into the mix. So do communication style, transparency, retention, and trustworthiness. And more and more, employees want to feel part of something, meaning factors like company culture, values, and social responsibility have taken on new importance as people evaluate what makes a workplace great.

It’s no surprise that the Alaska Journal of Commerce (AJOC) and Peak 2 Peak Events looked through the lens of workplace culture as it assembled its 2023 Best Workplaces in Alaska criteria. Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) is thrilled to have been awarded this designation, along with eleven other Alaska-based companies and organizations. Alaskans statewide had the opportunity to nominate their workplace and once a business was registered, employees of each nominee were surveyed on topics such as organizational health, leadership, employee engagement, and more. Throughout the survey, questions related to the company’s culture provided a snapshot of how employees feel about the values held by their workplaces.

BBNC is proud and truly appreciative to have scored highly on all measurements captured by the survey, yet we’re particularly grateful that individuals working with us at BBNC are aware of how we, as a company, live into our mission and our values. “This designation is a testament to our values-based leadership. We promote the respect of our people, our land, our resources. Our leadership lives it on a daily basis,” says Tony Brothers, BBNC’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

“I’ve worked for a number of organizations throughout my career, but this is the first time I’ve felt we’re truly making a difference and contributing to something more than the bottom line. [At BBNC] our mission, values, and certainly our business objectives are built around celebrating and appreciating and enriching our Native Way of Life.”

There was widespread acknowledgment throughout the survey that employees feel motivated by our higher purpose—our dedication to enhancing the lives of our shareholders and their families and the care and preservation of our Native cultures. Other revelations from the survey demonstrate that BBNC is valued as an engaging, positive, encouraging, and employee-centered place to work. And employees themselves feel seen, heard, and supported.

Of course, there is always work to do, and BBNC is committed to building upon our strengths so we can sustain the company as a great place to work long into our future. We’ll never take our sights off our mission, values, and culture, and we’ll continue to work hard to earn the accolades we were fortunate to receive in this year’s Best Workplaces in Alaska survey. And we send gratitude and appreciation to all of our employees, each of whom contributes to making BBNC a great place to work.