Shareholder Handbook (pdf | 538 kb)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Don’t see your question here? Submit your question here.
-
When are Shareholder dividends or Elders' Benefit distributions made?
All Calista Corporation Shareholder dividends and Elders Benefit Program distributions are subject to approval from the Board of Directors. Through April 2017, Calista has declared $47.1 Million in Shareholder dividends and $5 Million in Elders’ Benefit Program distributions.
Spring dividends are based on business operations. These dividends are generally distributed in April or May.
Fall dividends come from the Akilista investment portfolio, which saw its first distribution in 2014. This is an investment fund created to provide a perpetual source of dividends not dependent on business operations. These dividends are generally distributed in November.
Elders’ Benefit Program distributions are for original Shareholders. An Elder is someone 65 years of age or older. These distributions are generally sent out in late December. Shareholders voted to approve this program through an advisory resolution vote during the 2007 Annual Meeting of Shareholders in Chevak, Alaska.
Please stay tuned to this website, our Facebook page and our free email newsletter for all the latest news and announcements, including Shareholder dividends and Elders’ Benefit distributions.
-
Does Calista make donations? How do I request a donation?
The success of any business should be measured by profitability and social responsibility. The Board of Directors has created specific guidelines to accommodate donation requests.
Donation requests can be submitted with the appropriate donation request form. A W9 tax form may be required:
Cash Donation Request Form (fillable pdf | 123 kb)
In-kind (art, door prizes, etc.) Donation Request Form (fillable pdf, 153 kb)
-
Do I have to execute a will for the village corporation if I already have one for Calista?
Calista Corporation and your village corporation are two different entities. You need to complete a will for each entity.
-
What regulations control the inheritance of ANCSA Corporation stock?
ANCSA and the Alaska Statutes set out the procedures for determining inheritance of your corporation stock. A will is a legal document that states a person’s wishes concerning the disposal of property such as ANCSA stock. If a will is valid, then the shares are transferred to the inheritors in the amounts specified in the will. If a will was not written or cannot be found, after a period of time it is assumed that the deceased shareholder did not leave one. When a person dies without a will the Alaska Statutes provide guidance on who will inherit from the deceased.
-
If I want to give some of my inherited shares to my Descendant(s), can I do that?
Yes. In 1987 Congress amended the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to allow Shareholders to be able to gift stock to eligible Descendants. Calista has a gifting policy in place. Eligible recipients are brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
-
Why is it important to keep my address updated?
The Shareholder addresses are used for mailing the Calista “Storyknife” newsletter, for annual meeting election mailings, for mailing of notices relating to various corporation information, and for invitation lists for events concerning Shareholders. In addition, as the corporation continues to progress financially, the addresses will be used to mail dividends to Shareholders.
Calista’s Shareholder Records can be contacted at:
Calista Corporation
Attn: Shareholder Records
5015 Business Park Blvd, Suite 3000
Anchorage, AK 99503
Telephone: 907-275-2800 or Toll-Free in Alaska 1-800-277-5516
Fax: (907) 275-2919
-
If I am a Descendant of a Calista Shareholder what corporation benefits can I receive?
A Shareholder Descendant is eligible for hiring preference, to apply for a scholarship through Calista Education and Culture, Inc. and for training/internship opportunities.
-
I hear people say stockholder and shareholder when referring to membership in Calista. What’s the difference?
There is no difference.
-
I own 100 shares in Calista. Why is it that some years I have 400 votes and other years I only have 300 votes?
Certain corporations, including Calista, use a process called cumulative voting. With this method your votes are determined by taking the number of shares you own and multiplying it by the number of Board of Director seats being contested by election. Calista has 11 board members and there are 4 directors elected one year, another 4 the next year and 3 directors on the last year. On the years where there are 4 seats up for election you will have 400 votes (100 shares multiplied by 4 seats). On the year where there are 3 seats up for election you will have 300 votes.
- Does Calista have a Facebook page or Twitter account?
-
I don't have Facebook. Do you have an email newsletter?
Yes. It is free to sign-up. The sign-up page is found here.
-
What is ANCSA?
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) became law on December 18, 1971. The legislation settled land claims with the Alaska Native population, establishing 12 active regional corporations and transferring to them a total of and $962.5 million and 43.7 million acres of land. All Alaska Native village and regional corporations had to make their ANCSA land selections by a 1975 deadline – less than four years after passage of the Act. The corporation worked for three years to assist all 56 Calista village corporations meet their filing deadlines. Calista collected and compiled roughly 200 different types of data within the 56 areas withdrawn for each village, including information about subsistence harvesting; fish and wildlife habitats; furbearer, mammal, waterfowl and plant ranges; soils; climate; mineral potential; and fishery potential. With this data collected and disseminated through local meetings, all 56 villages were able to make informed land selections by the 1975 deadline.
-
What is an ANC?
ANC is an abbreviation for the Alaska Native Corporation, which are corporations formed under ANCSA. There are now 12 regional corporations and more than 200 Alaska Native village corporations.
-
As a government agency, what is the advantage of contracting with an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC)?
Alaska Native Corporation subsidiaries may be certified as 8(a) tribal entities by the Small Business Administration (SBA). This allows them to receive sole source government contracts, which exceed the normal competitive threshold of $3 million for services and $5 million for manufactured items.
-
How big is the Calista Region?
The Calista Region encompasses 57,000 square miles and is the second largest Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act region in land size. The land entitlement to Calista, however, is only 6.5 million acres – less than 20 percent of the land area. Approximately 75 percent of the land within the Region is owned by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Most of the remaining lands are owned by federal and state governments, with a very small amount privately owned. Surrounded by mostly federally owned lands, the Region is about the size of New York State. It encompasses nearly 10 percent of Alaska’s land area and is comprised of 56 federally recognized tribes. There are no roads that connect it with the rest of Alaska. Because everything must be flown or barged to each community, the cost of food, fuel, transportation and energy are extraordinarily high.
-
How many Shareholders does Calista Corporation have?
When the Alaska Native Corporations were established in 1971, 13,300 original Shareholders enrolled with Calista. Those Shareholders’ Descendants are estimated to number more than 20,000. Calista provides assistance to all people of the Region through education, internships, job training, employment advocacy and elder benefits. Original Shareholders 65 years or older receive additional benefits to help them with the high cost of heating fuel and living expenses.
-
How many subsidiaries does Calista own?
More than 30.
More information is available here.
-
What is SBA 8(a)?
SBA: Small Business Administration
The SBA has determined that 8(a) concerns owned and controlled by economically disadvantaged Indian Tribes are eligible as defined under the stated federal Acquisitions regulation’s Indian Incentive Program.
-
Can Calista assist Shareholders with legal problems?
No. Calista’s Legal Department advises the Company, the board of directors and its management on legal matters related to operations and governance. However, the following resources may be able to offer some assistance:
Alaska Legal Services:
Anchorage: (907) 272-9431 or 800-478-9431
Bethel: (907) 543-2237 or 800-478-2230
Alaska Native Justice Center:
Lawyer Referral Service:
(907) 272-0352 in Anchorage or toll free at 1-800-770-9999.
-
What rights does a Shareholder have?
Good question. While there are too many to list here, Calista Corporation encourages all of its Shareholders to be active and engaged at both the Regional and Village Corporation level. Each corporation is a separate, independent corporation. However, your rights as a Shareholder of a corporation in Alaska are the same whether you are a Shareholder of a Regional corporation or of a Village corporation. Click here for more Shareholder rights information. A quick look at the Alaska State laws and regulations that relate to Shareholder rights can be found by clicking here. Otherwise you can find the Alaska Statutes on the internet at the state website or at the Alaska Legal Resources Center website.
-
How often do jobs become available within Calista Corporation or its subsidiaries?
Note: To view current openings, click here.
As we continue to grow as a corporation, there will be many job opportunities throughout Calista Corporation and its subsidiaries.
Generally, subsidiaries must first bid and be awarded new projects before we are able to begin recruiting for the positions needed. Many projects we bid have Shareholder preference, however, some contracts, by law, state we cannot have Shareholder preference. It is the intent of management to continue to bid new projects that will enhance Shareholder hire within our corporation.
If you are seeking a job with Calista Corporation or any of our subsidiaries, visit the Job Opportunities page to submit your online application for any position you are interested in. If you are a Shareholder or a Descendant and there are not any positions you would like to apply for, you may still be interested in taking the time to apply to our Talent Bank. Once we have your information in the system, we can contact you if any future openings become available that you are qualified for or interested in.
-
Why haven’t I heard anything back regarding my resume and/or application?
We receive a large number of resumes and applications in the HR Department each week for the job openings at Calista Corporation and our subsidiaries. In addition to those, we frequently receive unsolicited resumes for jobs that aren’t currently available or being recruited for. While we make every effort to maintain contact with all applicants, due to the large volume of job inquiries received this is not always possible. If you are concerned about whether your application or resume was received, please feel free to call the HR department and we will check for you.
-
Do I need to fill out a new application if I already have one on file?
If you have completed an application since February 2017, you do not need to fill out a new application if nothing has changed. Our online application system maintains these records, and even allows you to submit the same application to multiple job openings if you so choose. If you have moved, found current employment, or received training/certificates/education since the last time you applied, you should update your application. This makes contacting you easier for us or should we want to get in touch with you about various job opportunities or trainings.
-
What applications do I need to fill out?
If you are a Shareholder of the Calista Corporation or are a lineal Descendant, we strongly encourage you fill out a Talent Bank application. If you are applying for a specific position with Calista Corporation or one of our subsidiary companies, you will also need to fill out a Calista Corporation application. You only need to fill out the application once; it can be used for any future job opportunities with Calista or our subsidiaries that you may be interested in.
-
Who do I contact about information on the Talent Bank?
You will need to contact Felicia Wassillie, Human Resource Recruiter at Calista Corporation by phone (907) 275-2800, fax (907) 275-2927 or email.
-
How often do we search for positions for Talent Bank applicants?
Frequently, the HR department receives job vacancies from Calista, our subsidiaries and outside sources and companies. Once we have posted openings, we check the Talent Bank first to see if there are any qualified Shareholders or Descendants. We then notify Shareholders and Descendants in the Talent Bank interested in or qualified for the position. We also keep a listing of open positions on the bulletin board at our Anchorage headquarters.
Additionally, the Talent Bank is sometimes used to notify Shareholders and Descendants of training or scholarship opportunities, as well as temporary work opportunities that may be of interest to them.
-
Why haven’t I been hired if I have a Talent Bank application in the system?
The Talent Bank is a program in place to help Shareholders and lineal Descendants locate available work. After the HR department contacts you regarding an opening that might be a good fit for you, it is your responsibility to follow up by submitting an application or contacting the employer if it is not an opportunity with Calista Corporation or any of our subsidiaries.