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Webb pulled off a brilliant stroke at the first Meet Alaska. He assigned seats. This put a service company manager sitting next to his or her customer for the day-long event, which included lunch. It was a perfect way to break the ice and open a dialogue. The assigned seating lasted for just a couple of Meet Alaskas, until it was deemed no longer necessary. By then people knew each other, which was the point, he said.
Jan. 24, 2024
Bay Environmental Alliance, showing his commitment to environmental / stewardship and sustainable / development. Barbara Webb, standing side by side with her husband, was an integral part of this journey. Barbara was the best partner Bill could have asked for and they made a formidable team. “Bill’s leadership in the groundbreaking back project of scrap metal from Prudhoe Bay not only led to significant environmental remediation, but also fortified the financial future of the alliance. “Bill and Barbara’s creative and sometimes unconventional approaches, including handing out bologna sandwiches to legislators in the Capital and organizing the Alliance’s first “Fly-In” to Juneau, left an indelible mark on the Alliance and its Legislative engagement. “The members of the Thirty-Third Alaska State Legislature extend their gratitude and appreciation to Bill and Barbara Webb for their lifetime of remarkable achievements, exceptional service, and enduring commitment to Alaska; theirs is a legacy that will inspire generations to come.” Cathy Tilton, Speaker of The House Gary Stevens, President of The Senate Rep. Tom McKay, Sponsor
companies and contractors to show up at the hearings to show that ordinary Alaskans were affected. What resulted was an outpouring of employees in the service industry who filled the hearing room, recalls Joe Mathis, who was there. It was the beginning of the Alliance. The idea of forming an organization was not yet born but the potency of public advocacy by medium-sized and small Alaska companies and their em - ployees was vividly demonstrated. In 1979, there was ample motiva - tion for service companies and con - tractors. The Trans Alaska Pipeline System had been completed two years earlier. The pipeline workers who had fueled a mid-1970s construction boom had left the state. An economic reces - sion was underway. Large new dis - coveries on the slope, like the Kuparuk River field, were still in the future. Alaska business and labor leaders were deeply worried about the indus - try’s future. It was at this point that the idea of forming the Alliance jelled, to continue the effort. The out-of- state organizations whose goal was making Alaska a park hadn’t left, the seeds of future controversies over leasing in what was to be the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Na - tional Petroleum Reserve–Alaska were already being sown. The person who played a central role in making the Alliance happen was Bill Webb, who came to Alaska in 1975 to work on the pipeline and who stayed, with his wife, Barbara, to make the state their home. Webb worried about the post-pipe - line economic slump in the state and what he and others in the contractor community could do to help. It seemed obvious that continuing the expressions of support by ordinary Alaskans was very important. Mean - while, there was another problem that was concerning the Alaskan service companies. Mathis, who had worked with Webb and others in organizing the 1979 event, recalled that by the ear - ly 1980s the major oil producers were beginning to award contracts to out-
“The members of the 33rd Alaska State Legisalture proudly honor Bill and/Barbara Webb for outstanding dedication, leadership, and being pillars of the Alaska Support Industry alliance. Since arriving in in Alaska in 1975, they have served this great state. “Bill’s significant role with Greyhound Support Services Inc, overseeing nine construction camps on the Trans Alaska Pipeline, laid a solid foundation for a legacy of infrastructural excelling in Alaka. Bill’s entrepreneurial spirit and innovation foresight were further demonstrated through the founding of Arctic Hosts, showcasing his business acumen and commitment to Alaska’s prosperity. As a board member of the Alliance in 1982 and its president in 1985, Bill was pivotal in steering the organization to new heights, making it a player in Alaska’s support industry. “During Bill’s presidency, the Alliance saw the inception of Meet Alaska, an annual hallmark event and The Link, a communications magazine, both of which have become cornerstones of the alliance’s community involvement and industry dialogue. Bill’s tenure as CEO/General Manager from 1986 to 1993 was marked by initiatives, notably the formation of the Prudhoe
by The Alliance under Webb’s leadership was the forming of the Prudhoe Bay En - vironmental Alliance and groundbreak - ing “backhaul” project of scrap metal and junk from Prudhoe Bay which led to significant environmental remediation, but also strengthened finances for the Alliance from the sales of the scrap. The cleanup of scrap and junk was mainly around the state-owned Dead - horse airport industrial area, which is outside the oil field operating areas. In the producing fields the operator kept things tidy. The presence of the junk around Deadhorse was typically the first thing visitors saw of the North Slope on dis - embarking from passenger flights and it left an impression, usually negative. This was an important time for the industry because Congress was gear - ing up for a vote on opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Opponents to ANWR leasing quickly obtained photos of Deadhorse and its junk, which be - came an embarrassment for industry. The Alliance decided to do something about it. And they did. The environmental activities ex - panded beyond scrap to include collec - tion and disposal of hazardous materi - als, including paint. Having helped found the Alliance and spending 25 years with it, and still restless with entrepreneurial en - ergy, Webb went on to develop a new career developing the popular weekly Anchorage Downtown Market. That, in turn, inspired Alaska farmers and others to organize week - ly farmer’s markets in several parts of Anchorage. Farmers’ markets are well known elsewhere but had not been done to scale in Anchorage. Webb showed how it could be done.
ka is always held in the spring — and to allow government leaders to talk about policies and new initiatives. Just those were enough to draw people to the event. But there was more, although it was a subtle strategy. One of the early goals was to find ways for Alliance members to meet producing company managers person - ally and get to know them. It worked in reverse, too. Industry managers needed to know their contractors and service companies better. In this, Webb pulled off a brilliant stroke at the first Meet Alaska. He assigned seats, Mathis recalled. This put a service company manager sit - ting next to his or her customer for the day-long event, which included lunch. It was a perfect way to break the ice and open a dialogue. The assigned seating lasted for just a couple of Meet Alaskas, until it was deemed no longer necessary. By then people knew each other, which was the point, he said. Over the years Meet Alaska has be- come such a significant event that it is a “must do” for the senior political lead - ers, including the state’s congressional delegation and governor. Webb became known for innovative and sometimes unconventional approaches, includ - ing handing out baloney sandwiches to legislators at the capital and orga - nizing the Alliance’s first “Fly In” to Juneau where Alliance members could walk the halls and make their presence felt in the state capitol building. The baloney sandwiches were a kind of joke, Webb explained, a way of poking fun at legislators at their un - fulfilled promises were baloney. “Some (legislators) took it in good spirit, some didn’t,” Webb recalled. One other notable accomplishment
in pipeline construction with Grey - hound Corp, and then Support Services Inc. where he oversaw nine construc - tion camps on the pipeline and at one point as many as 18 camps including those in the oilfields. “He laid a solid foundation for a leg - acy of infrastructural excellence in our state,” according to a citation intro - duced in the Alaska State Legislature by state Rep. Tom McKay, R-Anchorage. Post-pipeline, he went on to form his own camp services company, Arctic Hosts, “showcasing his business acu - men and commitment to Alaska’s eco - nomic prosperity,” the citation read. Webb was also experienced in the contractor community and knew the players. A key decision early on in forming the Alliance is that financial contributions from producing compa - nies are not accepted, although they were offered. “We were concerned that this might taint the new organization. We need - ed to be seen as a completely home- grown and Alaskan,” Mathis said. But it also meant skinny times for The Alliance. There was no office, all of the organization’s records were stored in a cardboard box usually kept at a board member’s home. “During (Webb’s) presidency, the Alliance saw the inception of ‘Meet Alaska’, an annual hallmark event, and ‘The Link’, a communications maga - zine, both of which have become cor - nerstones of the Alliance’s community engagement and industry dialogue,” the legislative citation introduced by Rep. McKay said. Meet Alaska, a tradition that con - tinues today, was far more than just an event at its inception, Mathis said. Officially, the event was designed to allow producing companies to outline their plans for the year — Meet Alas -
of-state companies to cut costs. The fact that Alaska-based service com - panies employed Alaskans who could become politically-influential in the state did not occur to them. One of the early goals for the Alli - ance was to show producers that they needed constituents, in this case Alas - kan companies and their employees who shared the pain when govern - ment decisions adversely affected the industry. Meanwhile, a new threat to the in - dustry had emerged. Alaska oil production was rising in the late 1970s along with oil prices. Billions of dollars were flowing into the state treasury. There were state legislators and state officials who be - lieved that the production tax system
in place was not generating a fair share of the benefits. No one agreed on what a fair share should be, however. Thus, started years of controversy over oil and gas tax policy. The pro - ducing companies realized again they needed friends among ordinary Alas - kans, and this time on an ongoing ba - sis not just for one-time events like the 1979 Beaufort Sea lease sale. At this point, a handful of people among the service companies decid - ed to form the Alliance. Bill Webb was a part of this and was the Alliance’s first president as well as serving on its board. Webb is quick to credit others in the initial formation of the Alliance, including Dr. Milton Byrd, Chuck Becker and Joe Mathis. Webb had played a significant role
— Tim Bradner
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THE LINK: The Official Magazine of the Alaska Support Industry Alliance | SPRING 2026
www.AlaskaAlliance.com 17
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