CEO
Michael Beal

It is hard to believe that eleven years has come and gone so quickly since I joined SNA in 1997 on one of the most beautiful sunny days Seldovia has ever seen.  It was one of those summers where every day was gorgeous and the heat in the sun was almost blazing.  John Crawford and myself would go to Pumi’s and sit outside for lunch eating Kalbi ribs or some freshly caught sushi that I could share in as long as I was with John.  John would tell me that it was like this every summer in Seldovia.  I’m still waiting for that first magical summer in Seldovia to return.  I was going through some old Seldovia files the other day and came across a Homer News front page article that quoted the new CEO of SNA (me) as  saying Michael Beal, retiring CEO    that I hadhad just landedthe most wonderful job in all of Alaska and how pleased I was that I could be the CEO of Seldovia Native Association, Inc.  And as I reflect on the newspaper article I can now certainly say that I was correct.  I will always remember SNA as the finest work experience of my life and will always have a piece of my heart at Sandy Beach, a ridge at Red Mountain, or at the top of the bay - my favorite spots.

In the next few months I will be retired and driving my RV off into the sunset.  I am going to head off into the sunset with a feeling of accomplishment.  And the feeling of accomplishment is not just for me but for the entire company.  No CEO can move a company forward without a great Board of Directors.  No Board of Directors can move a company forward without a great CEO.  There are a lot of individual projects that I could point to during the past years.  But the most important thing is that all accomplishments grew from the cooperative and business-like relationship between the Board and the CEO.  We worked together as a team to build SNA.  No one person makes a company.  So I guess what I want to say is that my biggest accomplishment was the ability to work together in a team atmosphere to create positive growth for SNA.

I hope that there is a positive message being sent to our business partners and the shareholders in regards to the transition that is now going on with a new CEO.  I hope that the manner in which SNA transitions from one CEO to a new CEO shows the cohesiveness the Board and the CEO have.  The fact that the CEO and the Board are working in tandem to make the CEO change smooth, really reflects on the sophistication and the business acumen of both.  SNA is fortunate to have Leo Barlow as their new CEO and I know he is going to do an outstanding job.

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