Column: Alaska Native corporations a boost to state's economy

Today the Alaska Native corporations that were formed with the cash and land settlement are major Alaska employers that bring profits home from business activities out of state.

This year, eight of the top 10 Alaska firms listed by 2012 gross revenues in Alaska Business Monthly's Top 49 list are Native corporations. Arctic Slope Regional Corp. of Barrow led the pack with $2.6 billion in revenues in 2012. The top four firms on the list were regionals Arctic Slope, Bristol Bay Native Corp. and NANA Regional Corp. along with village-based Chenega Corp., all with revenues of more than $1 billion.

With this growth, the dividends being paid by Native corporations to their shareholders, most of whom live in Alaska, have become substantial.

The most current source of information on dividends comes from a U.S. General Accounting Office study of the corporations released this year and that tallied dividends paid in 2010. The total was $167.24 million.