Airport Contract Opens Doors Across Alaska for Alaskans with Disabilities

Thirty-five years ago, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) signed a historic contract with Assets Inc. (Assets) that laid the foundation for companies throughout Alaska to offer meaningful employment to Alaskans with development disabilities.

Thanks to that first contract to provide janitorial services at ANC, more than 50 other Alaska companies now offer employment to hundreds of individuals through Assets, enabling them to live independently, form friendships and find good jobs. Employees of Assets wash every dish at Providence Hospital, stock every shelf at the Anchorage Area Commissary and clean every inch of the Courthouse and Federal Buildings.

“We’re extremely proud of the role the Anchorage Airport has played in helping Assets establish this program,” said Airport Manager Jim Szczesniak. “Our 18 Asset employees are great employees, they play a significant role in the pristine appearance our terminals. It’s been a beneficial relationship for us and for a special group of Alaskans who might otherwise have missed out on opportunities to grow personally and contribute to the community.”

When the Airport partnered with Assets (then known as ASETS) in 1984, employing workers with developmental disabilities was fairly uncommon among businesses. But the Airport understood that jobs could make a huge difference in the lives of these underserved individuals and wanted to be a model of success for other businesses to follow.

Assets provides services to about 230 people with developmental disabilities, brain trauma or mental illness. It is the 64 largest private employer in Alaska, with a workforce of more than 400 employees, 42 percent of whom are individuals with disabilities.

“We greatly value the Airport for welcoming us into this partnership,” said Matt Jones, Assets executive director. “We are proud that the first impression for visitors to Alaska of individuals with disabilities is positive, respectful and reflective of our shared vision with the Department of Transportation.”