Family-Centric Companies Thrive in Calista
Storyknife, July/August 2025 edition
Adapted from the 2024 Annual Report
Fifteen years ago, the Brice family of companies became part of Calista, and a major transformation of our business began.
At the time, Calista’s income came mostly from federal contracting outside of Alaska. Purchasing the Fairbanks-based Brice companies diversified Calista’s income and gave us a significant toehold in construction projects in our own Region.
By opening new career paths and in-region seasonal work for our Shareholders, the purchase also aligned with Calista’s mission to improve the economic and social wellbeing of our Shareholders and communities.
Ironically, the current leader of Calista’s federal contracting business was largely responsible for bringing Calista and Brice together.
“Calista was pretty limited in its ability to do work in the Y-K Region. I started putting feelers out for companies for sale,” says Josh Herren, who worked at Calista headquarters in mergers and acquisitions, at the time, and is now president of Yulista Holding.
Brice History
For 30 years, Brice Inc. and subsidiaries were led by helenka Brice* and her family who had developed a reputation for taking on tough Alaska jobs in harsh, remote conditions. One of their early projects was clearing the route for the trans-Alaska pipeline.
We were a small family business from Fairbanks but since joining with Calista in 2010, it’s opened a new world to us.
Sam Robert Brice, Calista Brice President
Sam is one of many Brice family members who remained in leadership with Calista Brice as it has grown into a $500 million company.
Calista Brice Chief Operating Officer Stefan Rearden is a Calista Shareholder with ties to Kotlik and Bethel, who joined the leadership team at Calista Brice in 2021.
Building and maintaining strong relationships is key to the company’s success, Rearden says.
“The trust Calista put in Brice and Sam enabled us to get where we are today. That comes from a family-centric, can-do attitude that takes care of people first, both at Calista Brice and Calista.”
Stefan Rearden, Calista Brice Chief Operating Officer
* Note: The first name of one of Brice Inc.’s early leaders, helenka Brice, is lowercase.