By Jordan Lewis
Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – Goldbelt Inc.’s 50th-anniversary celebration recognized the history of their Totem Poles and artists and honored the corporation’s past, present and future projects. The celebration was held at Goldbelt’s new location at 3017 Clinton Drive. They currently have a Mendenhall Valley and downtown location.
Goldbelt President and CEO McHugh Pierre spoke about the significance of celebrating 50 years.
“It’s really a celebration and acknowledgment of all the challenges that came before. And you know, there’s ups and downs and every business starts differently. But this is really about leading something new. The concept of an Alaska Native corporation 50 years ago, has never been done before. And so we’re leading this really great experiment and a vision and it’s something that’s so much bigger than just running a business,” he said. “And the fact that we’ve been successful to make it 50 years, but to continue to grow and, and contribute more to the community. And really honor the intent of the founders 50 years later and be consistent through that is just a fabulous accomplishment that we’re all excited to celebrate.”
He added that the recent acquirement of Goldbelt’s new valley location will help them create generational wealth.
“We’re continuing to expand our real estate portfolio to invest in Juneau, to allow us to deploy the community resources that the Board of Directors sees as a priority from shareholders,” Pierre said. “And part of having a Goldbelt campus, having another building with classrooms and other facilities that can really allow shareholders to utilize all the tools and have access to technology is part of that vision. And that’s what we’re doing today. And that’s what this building represents.”
Pierre also thanked the community for all of their support.
“There’s so much that so many people do that support Juneau that support Goldbelt and Goldbelt recognizes that. It reached 50 years through a number of reasons and through a number of people’s participation,” he said. “From employees, from shareholders to former directors, and it’s just really awesome to see everybody come together and celebrate this strong community asset—Juneau’s Alaska Native Corporation. Goldbelt’s here to support them and we’re going to continue to build a strong, strong company for our shareholders.”
