Sitka-based cruise line hires new CEO

Russell Dick left his job as president of Sealaska's Haa Aaní to become  CEO of Alaskan Dream Cruises. (Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska News) Cruises
Russell Dick left his job as president of Sealaska’s Haa Aaní to become CEO of Alaskan Dream Cruises. (Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska News)

A former Sealaska executive is the new head of a Sitka-based, small cruise line.

Russell Dick left his job as president and CEO of Haa Aaní in September. The Sealaska subsidiary promotes regional business development.

Dick is now CEO of Alaskan Dream Cruises, a four-year-old company offering tours to Southeast ports not visited by larger lines.

He takes over as the company makes plans to add a fourth ship:

“The Chichagof Dream, which we expect to have in Sitka within the next couple weeks and do some refurbishment of that vessel and have it into the itinerary rotation in 2016,” he says.

Alaskan Dream Cruises is owned by the same Sitka family that operates the Allen Marine boat-building company. It also owns Allen Marine Tours, which offers wildlife-watching and sight-seeing day cruises.

With Dick gone, Sealaska has named Ed Davis as interim director of Haa Aaní. He’s served as its operations manager.

Alaskan Dream Cruises is a small line, operating three ships with a total of about 150 beds on board. Dick says the new ship will boost that number by 30 percent.

Dick is board president of Huna Totem Corp., which owns Icy Strait Point, a renovated cannery, zipline and excursion center.

“I expect that we’ll be exploring a number of different ports. And Icy Strait Point, of course, should be one of them, given the infrastructure that’s established out there,” he says. “It has nothing to do with my connection to it as much as it does with guest satisfaction and experience, and giving them the full breadth of experience they can get in Southeast Alaska.”

The Allen family also recently purchased the Windham Bay Lodge about 65 miles southeast of Juneau. Dick says it will become a destination for Alaskan Dream Cruises.

Also, Alaskan Dream Cruises recently named Peter Butz as operations manager. He’s been an executive at Lindblad Expeditions, which also offers small-ship tours in Southeast.

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