Birch bark texture.

Ahtna Kanas Fall 2018

Shareholder Employee Spotlight: Meet Chad Faverty, AEI Procurement Specialist I in the Contracts Department

What clan are you with? Naltsiine

Chad Faverty

Can you share something you’ve learned through your culture and/or from an elder?
I think they’re where I get my sense of humor from.

What are you responsible for in your position?
• Subcontract change orders
• Training in subcontract creation
• Receiving invoices (applying charges against a purchase order/subcontract purchase order)
• Verifying certified payrolls

Most of these carry a responsibility to be accurate and thorough in our wording and in our numbers. There are intricacies and nuances associated with subcontract creation that I am just beginning to scratch the surface of.

How has Ahtna helped you in your career development?
I suppose in a way Ahtna has always been there. I started working for Ahtna, Inc. in the Glennallen office as early as high school filling in answering phones when needed. I worked for the Land Department for a summer both in the office and in the field, I think we were recording maps for the USGIS and on the Klutina Lake Trail project when that was underway. I was hired as a timekeeper processing timesheets and sending payroll reports to the Glennallen payroll department and later moved into the Office Manager position. That was the start of any real professional career I’ve had.

Now I’m back after 10 years and working in Procurement. There’s plenty of room to grow here and I’m in a position now to do something in the way of actual career development.

What made you want to work at Ahtna?
I think it’s always been family. First it was my mother working in Shareholder Records in Glennallen and then my sister was an AEI employee before that. I honestly took a stab at this position. I needed something better in my life or I was going to continue working in a dead-end field not making enough money to do the things I wanted to do. And this job paid off!

In what ways would you like to create value as an employee?
In any way I can and in any way that is required of me. I’m just now really starting to delve into procurement so I’m focusing on that. If I can do my job and do it well and help the people around me do what they need to get done, then I think I’m good for now.

What’s a goal you have for yourself that you want to accomplish in the next five years?
If I could, I’d like to build a cabin in Kenny Lake. Or a yurt. Take some more college courses and continue moving and improving.

What motivates you?
I like to be able to say I did the best I could and be true when I say it. Also, family is a pretty big motivator. And living a good life! I like that, too, and I try to keep it that way.

What are some influential moments in your life?
Dropping out of college was an experience. I take some things a little more seriously now because of that even though it was years ago. Now there’s a question in my head, “Can you really do what you said you were going to do?”

Zion National Park

Ten years cleaning planes after passengers was pretty motivational. It wasn’t a flashy position and most people looked down on us and the work we did, no matter how much they relied on us to perform our duties. After eight years I became a supervisor and had to look after my own crew. The promotion put me in direct contact with upper management. I was often working beside supervisors and managers of other departments we encounter daily and from them I learned to be nice, be understanding, and be helpful. And people respond to that.

The day I found out what a credit score was and how it affects my life was a pretty big moment.

What are some of your interests and/or hobbies?
Food. Definitely, food. Cooking and Eating Food. Feeding Food to People.

Tell us about the picture you supplied, it’s really a beautiful shot.
I took this picture. My sister, her fiancé at the time, and I took a trip to Zion National Park last fall. We started in Vegas and then drove there. We were staying at a place just outside the Park. That day was just Lua and I hiking, spent pretty much the whole day wandering around out there..