Interview with Hugh Short

President and CEO of Alaska Growth Capital

by Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Currents. Discussion »

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - Last Thursday, Hugh Short (Inupiat Eskimo) was named to the Small Business Administration’s Council on Underserved Communities. Of fifteen people named to the Council, he is the sole individual who is Alaska Native. Short believes that Alaska Natives, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians interests are aligned and will work to represent those voices.

Hugh Short-Inupiat Eskimo

Short is president and CEO, Alaska Growth Capital. He is also the current chairman of the Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority (AIDEA), a one-billion-dollar, state-owned economic development agency based in Anchorage, Alaska.

Additionally, Short serves as the current treasurer of the Alaska Humanities Forum and Pacific Northern Academy. His past leadership positions include roles as mayor and member of the City Council for the City of Bethel; vice president of Support Services for Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation; and managing partner of the Subway of Bethel. Active in many community service roles, Short is a founding member of the Alaska Native Professional Association and has served as director of Yuut Elitnaurviat (People’s Learning Center), Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Kuskokwim Campus.

Native News Network interviewed him on Tuesday to discuss his appointment and how he will represent American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Hawaiian Natives.

Congratulations on your being named to the SBA’s Council on Underserved Communities. You have a strong resume of success in business and American Indians and Alaskan Natives can be proud of your accomplishments.

How old are you?

Short: I am 38 years old.

How old were you when you first became a business owner?

Short:  I grew up with my family in a rural Alaska. My parents were small business owners. After college, I went to work for a large corporation, but always knew that I wanted to own my own business. Growing up, we didn’t have a fast food restaurant, so I worked on a business plan and started a Subway Restaurant as well as a lease mini-mall in Bethel, Alaska. Later I expanded to own a taxi cab business.

Where did you grow up? What rural town?

Short:  I grew up in Bethel. It is a town of 6,000, which is 75 percent Eskimo and located 400 miles west of Anchorage. No roads connect, only planes or boats will take you there.

Have you ever secured a SBA loan? If so, please describe your business.

Short:  The SBA loan program was an option, but I decided to go with the USDA Rural Development loan program. The USDA Rural Development Business and Industry program is a very good program for rural America and was the best option for our business in Bethel.

As the CEO of Alaska Growth Capital, we are one of the top SBA lenders using the 7A program in Alaska. We are a preferred lender, which allows us to approve a borrower without having to seek approval from the SBA, which can make a 7A loan happen much faster for the business owners. AGC has closed more than $120 million in SBA loans in the last ten years.

What has made you a successful business person?

Short:  Hard work is important; it may sound like a cliché, but working everyday to improve takes determination. Also, I surround myself with people who are smarter than me. This is important because we cannot accomplish larger goals without depending on others.

What barriers have you faced in business as an Inupiat Eskimo?

Short: Living in rural Alaska, it is expensive and many business barriers exist, from the isolation, to the extreme climate. These are things you have to overcome in rural Alaska.

I’ve made many mistakes and each time, I try to learn how to improve my knowledge and skills.

Tell me what you think may be unique things American Indians or Alaskan Natives possess that may make them successful in business?

Short: There are three reasons.

Number one: we have an amazing network among us - tribes, Alaskan Native villages and corporations, and Hawaiian Natives. We have a collective sense of community; it is as if they say, “We are here to help each other or how can we grow the pie, not take away from others.”

Number Two: As indigenous people, we are resourceful. Most of us did not have a lot when we were raised and in our communities. I think that it drives in us a hunger; it creates a passion in us to succeed and make a better world for our children.

Finally, we have capital. We are real significant players in the U.S and world economy. American Indian tribes, Alaskan Native Corporations and Hawaiian Nations have resources to invest in ventures that create jobs and opportunity for our people.

How many times will the SBA’s Council on Underserved Communities meet?

Short:  It is my understanding right now I will convene listening sessions in June to gather information from stakeholders. Then in July the full Council will meet in Washington, DC. At that time the Council will determine the schedule for the remaining work throughout 2011 and into 2012.

What will your message be to the Council on Underserved Communities at your first meeting?

Short: It is going to be that the SBA is very important to American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Hawaiian Natives. Our people use and depend on the programs that have been created, and want to work to improve existing programs and create new ones that will benefit all Americans.

Our recommendations need to be actionable and non-partisan. They need to be common-sense measures that increase jobs, productivity, and our Nations competitiveness in the world.

How will you push for more SBA support for American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians?

Short: I will work with those interested to push for recommendations that will hopefully be adopted by the Council. Please feel free to contact me at Alaska Growth Capital » for more information or any comments or ideas you may have. Quyana.

posted May 18, 2011 5:09 pm et