Board Message: Cultural Values

Willie Kasayulie, Board Chair

Storyknife, March/April 2023 edition

Our values inform our way of life. In Yuuyaraq, or the Yup’ik “way of being,” we learn from our parents and Elders at an early age.

Willie Kasayulie, Board Chair

The cultural value of Continuous Improvement is also a corporate value. Just as in Yuuyaraq, we are always learning and developing in all we do. We grow at every stage and learn how to take on different tasks. As kids we watch adults when they bring in the fish, when they cut the fish, and when they prep and dry the fish. As our hands become more capable of handling this process, we gain more responsibility.

Our cultural values drive our corporate values. This is woven into our overall corporate strategy. Calista’s Mission is to increase Shareholder benefits and economic opportunities through innovation, growth, leadership, partnership, execution, and financial discipline.

We work with our Shareholders at the top of our minds. Our corporate value of Dedication and loyalty to Calista vision/mission, people, and customers is always keenly noted. To ensure we dedicate our time and resources to our Shareholders, we hire our Shareholders to do the job. Last year we had over 200 Calista Shareholders on staff.

Calista is formed as a for-profit business, but as an Alaska Native corporation, our work lies far beyond solely commercial interests. Our cultural value of Service to the community and those in need is doubled on the corporate level. Service to Shareholders, customers, and the public carries the same weight as providing for the village when you have more and can provide a bigger harvest of meat or berries when others in the community cannot provide for themselves. Our way of life for thousands of years continually informs our future for generations.