Business View Magazine
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down, so that the price points they can offer are more
competitive. But we can’t plan a port in a vacuum. The
tenants are involved in the design process, every day. If
we’re not matching their needs, we’re making a mistake
because these are the guys that support 80-plus percent
of the population of the state. We can ill-afford to build
something that they can’t use. We collaborate so that
we’re not working at cross purposes.”
In addition tomaintaining its core businesswhilemodern-
izing its docks, the POA also serves as one of 23 Depart-
ment of Defense (DOD) designated National Strategic
Ports. “What that means,” says Ribuffo, “is that we have
an obligation to the Department of Defense to support
their mission with marine facilities, as required. There’s a
big military presence in the State of Alaska – our nearest
neighbor to the east is Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
The 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Teamof the 25th Infan-
try Division is housed there. When they deploy, all their
equipment comes down here to the Port, and when they
redeploy, it does the same thing in reverse. We’re also
connected, by rail, to Fort Wainwright, which is outside of
Fairbanks, Alaska, and home to the 1st Striker Brigade
Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division. And any time
those guys deploy, all of their rolling stock and container-
ized cargo goes on flat cars and it all gets moved down
here to this Port and it goes out by water. So we have a
responsibility to be supportive of the DOD and we make
space for that, and we make time for that, and we factor
that into the business of the day. That’s our responsibility
