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AK-WA Connection 2009: Kenworth Alaska keeps
state trucking Longtime dealer prepares for future growth in economy with major upgrades, larger service areas at Anchorage and Fairbanks stores By Rose Ragsdale Alaska-Washington connection
Kenworth Alaska is one organization with a strong Alaska-Washington connection.
Part of the Kenworth Northwest dealerships owned by the Cymbaluk family, Kenworth Alaska has served transportation needs in Alaska for decades from locations in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
“Not only did we recently build and move into a new $3 million facility in Fairbanks, we also completed a $3 million remodel of our store in Anchorage,” said Kenworth Alaska general manager Jim Scherieble.
Kenworth Alaska nearly doubled the size of its service area in Anchorage at 2838 Porcupine Drive, jumping from eight bays to 15 bays, including one enclosed wash bay.
In Fairbanks, the dealer tripled its service space with a 21,000-square-foot store housing 10 service bays and one wash bay.
Kenworth Alaska employs 40-45 workers, but is looking for mechanics. “They’re always hard to find,” said Scherieble, “but with the recession down south, it’s getting easier.”
Since the facility is so much bigger, Kenworth Alaska is the only truck dealer in Fairbanks to offer services under a single roof and in a building designed specifically as a heavy duty truck dealership, according to Ken Mason, chief operating officer at Kenworth Northwest.
The parent company also has five Washington State locations: Aberdeen, Bellingham, Marysville, Yakima and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Serving the Interior and North Slope The Fairbanks store is conveniently located on a 3.3-acre site near the crossroads for State Highway 2, the western route to Canada, State Highway 3, the southeastern route to Anchorage, and the Dalton Highway, the northern route to Prudhoe Bay.
The 414-mile Dalton Highway, or “Haul Road,” leads to the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay and is among the world’s most treacherous stretches of highway. The demanding, mainly gravel road follows the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and climbs more than 120 mountain grades and hills with 25 grades approaching or exceeding 18 percent. Temperatures can fall to 50 or 60 degrees below zero. Because trucks face such extreme conditions, reliable parts availability and service following the sale become critical to their operation.
“As pipeline maintenance on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline system expands and work begins on a new trans-Alaska gas pipeline, our facilities are positioned to serve the needs of customers involved in oil and gas and other industries in Alaska for years to come,” said Jim Scherieble, Kenworth Alaska’s general manager.
Its commitment to customer service and dealer support helped Kenworth’s dealer network of nearly 300 locations in the United States and Canada receive the 2006 J.D. Power and Associates award for “Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Heavy Duty Dealer service.”
Ready for the next wave “We have been selling 70 to 100 trucks a year in Alaska for 15 years, and now we have a large population of trucks to service,” Scherieble said.
The larger stores give the dealer the space to service not only Kenworth trucks but also other heavy and medium duty trucks.
Scherieble said Alaska’s trucking industry has undergone significant changes related to emissions control recently. This caused truck sales to dip in 2008 as buyers slowed their purchases.
“But sales are beginning to pick up now,” he said, adding that Kenworth is one of the last truck manufacturers offering custom-built features to buyers.
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