Sealaska Releases 2021 Shareholder Survey Results
Sealaska shareholders are overwhelmingly favorable toward the company’s business platform focused on ocean health and environmental stewardship, according to the company’s 2021 shareholder survey.
The survey, conducted by an independent research firm in April and May, was completed by nearly 5,000 of Sealaska’s 23,000 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian shareholders in Southeast Alaska and beyond. More than 85% said they were very or fairly supportive of Sealaska’s business vision.
The survey also showed shareholders hold a largely positive view of the company, with 76% rating themselves either somewhat or very positive toward Sealaska.
“We are humbled by our shareholders’ support for our vision,” said Sealaska President and CEO Anthony Mallott. “Our emphasis on ocean health and improving our shareholder benefits come from a commitment to the values and belief systems of our ancestors. We are applying those values to modern problems, working across cultures with employees and partners who share our values and want to be part of the solution.”
The survey was conducted online and by phone. Shareholders were asked to respond to a variety of questions about their priorities, understanding of Sealaska’s business vision and engagement with the company.
In the two years since Sealaska last surveyed its shareholders, support for the work Sealaska is doing around ocean health has grown significantly. In 2019, 31% of shareholders said Sealaska was doing a good job at helping to address climate change; in 2021, that number rose to 50%.
Since 2014, Sealaska has moved steadily to build out its ocean health business platform. Today, its businesses are grouped in three primary categories: food, which includes processing and retailing sustainably caught seafood from around the globe; land, which includes environmental remediation, groundwater cleanup and monitoring, and Sealaska’s carbon sequestration program; and water, which includes marine monitoring and clean up, along with offshore and coastal infrastructure development, seismic testing, and support for clean-energy technologies like offshore wind and tidal.
The survey included several opportunities for shareholders to share their opinions in their own words. Support for environmental protection, traditional harvesting and subsistence priorities and rural economic development were prominent.
Shareholders shared the following comments on Sealaska’s business vision and focus on sustainable, Native-led community economic development.
“Any and all attempts at cleaning/sustaining the oceans are a worthy endeavor!”
“Absolutely the right direction to go. We need to save this planet.”
“Collaborate with local tribes along the way.”
“Diversification is vital to allow growth. I commend you on your vision to keep the company moving forward.”
“Focusing on land, environmental resources and sustainability is the right direction.”
“I appreciate receiving the newsletters in the mail. Thank you for being so communicative about what you are doing.”
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Sealaska uses its earnings from business operations to provide benefits to its shareholders. In 2020, Sealaska invested $28,545,000 in shareholder benefits and dividend payments. Shareholders were asked which benefit programs were most important to them for Sealaska’s continued investment. Dividends remain an important benefit to shareholders, the survey found, but few shareholders rated dividends as their top priority. Advocating for Native rights and issues, language revitalization programs, opportunities for school-aged youth, and rural community economic development were among the highest-ranking priorities.
One-third of respondents attended an online meeting hosted by Sealaska in the last year. During the pandemic, Sealaska significantly expanded its online meeting offerings, with more than a dozen virtual events held so far in 2021. A sizeable majority – 85% – felt that continuing to offer online meetings is important after the pandemic is over. Approximately half of Sealaska’s 23,000 shareholders live outside of the traditional homelands of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people in Southeast Alaska.
“Shareholders have told us they want us to do a better job of listening,” said Matt Carle, senior director of corporate communications. “We expanded our virtual meetings and are always looking for more ways to learn what our shareholders need and value regardless of whether we’re conducting a formal survey.”
To view the full presentation, please click on the following link: 2021 Sealaska Shareholder Survey Results .
About Sealaska
Sealaska is a for-profit Alaska Native Corporation owned by more than 23,000 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian shareholders. Incorporated in June 1972 pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA), Sealaska owns and manages 362,000 acres of land on behalf of its shareholders – roughly 1.6% of the traditional homelands that the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people have inhabited for more than 10,000 years. Dedicated to the twin goals of economic prosperity and environmental protection, Sealaska’s businesses are focused around contributing to or restoring the health of our oceans and land through marine science and engineering that relies on both modern techniques and ancestral knowledge.
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