Arctic Directory: Meeting the needs of Alaska’s Natural Resource Industry

Fairweather LLC offers vital support services to remote regions

Q. What is the official name of your company?

A. Fairweather LLC

Q. Is your firm a subsidiary or affiliate of other companies?

A. Fairweather LLC is a part of the Edison Chouest Offshore family of companies and operates the Deadhorse Aviation Centers.

Q. What do you most want people to know about your company?

A. Fairweather contributes to the health and safety for the Natural Resource Industry with its remote medical facilities and the clinics in Deadhorse and Anchorage.

Q. Where is your company located?

A. Our physical address for the main office is 9525 King Street Anchorage, AK 99515. Fairweather will be moving across King Street later this year when our new office/warehouse building is completed.

Q. What year was the company founded and by whom?

A. It was founded in 1976 by Sherron Perry. It started as a weather services company and continued to grow to meet new demands and opportunities our clients face.

Q. What is your company’s primary business activity?

A. Fairweather’s primary business sector is oil, gas and mining support. All the services Fairweather offers are in direct response to the needs of natural resource development. The primary services Fairweather offers its clients are medical facilities, remote airport equipment, certified weather observations, weather and ice floe forecasts, scientific data collection and analysis, logistics and expediting.

Q. Are there important projects the company is currently a part of or has done recently?

A. Fairweather has been expanding its medical services to support our remote operations. We provide Physician Assistants and EMT III/ Paramedics along with all their medical supplies for remote oil, gas, and mining operations. We added a clinic in Deadhorse in June 2012 to support emergency medicine, occupational health, and drug testing requirements of our clients. The Anchorage clinic opened in October 2012 to offer the end to end solution for the Deadhorse clinic for fitness to work testing, drug testing, occupational testing, and case management. These clinics are available to all operators and their contractors.

Q. How many employees does your company have?

A. We have roughly 120 employees. We grow to as many as 180 employees during peak activity.

Q. Describe the equipment your company uses and if you have any new equipment purchases planned?

A. The Deadhorse clinic is fully digital and is connected to Providence Hospital Emergency Room for X-Rays, labs, EKG’s, and telemedicine. A brand new 4X4 super-heated ambulance is available at the Deadhorse clinic for emergency response and the DAC was specially designed so that a patient can be delivered inside the DAC for treatment and loaded onto a med evac without ever having to go outside.

Q. Is your company expanding any of its operations or locations?

A. The Deadhorse Aviation Center is expanding its operations in Deadhorse with a build out of additional housing, offices and warehouses across from the DAC. The lot adjacent to the DAC was acquired and is slated to be developed for a hangar that can house a C-130 sized aircraft.

Q. Is the company changing any of its services or products?

A. Fairweather changes its products and services as the needs of our clients’ needs change and grow.

A. We have a strong health team with many years of experience. Fairweather continually invests in training its staff and invests in the latest technology to improve safety and outcomes of patients.

Q. What new markets, clients or projects did your company attract in the last year?

A. Fairweather completed the Deadhorse Aviation Center and acquired an additional hangar at the Deadhorse airport. Fairweather offers the infrastructure needed by the oil and gas industry in Deadhorse.

Q. What is the most challenging work the company has undertaken? 

A. The Deadhorse Aviation Center buildout was an aggressive challenge. The building was a shell when the build out began in December 2011 and we were excited to open it on time and on budget in June 2012.

Q. What are the biggest obstacles to completing work your company undertakes?

A. Reduced levels of exploration in the North Slope over the last several years have curtailed our business and growth. Fairweather is creative and continuously looks for new ways to grow our business by meeting new needs for our clientele as well as for new clients. The company weathered the 80’s and the latest slow down in production. Fairweather anticipates some good years to come as our clients’ business picks up in the coming years.

Q. What do you see as your company’s biggest challenge in the next five years?

A. Meeting the increasing demand for services in the onshore and offshore oil and gas needs as well as the mining operations around the state of Alaska. We believe this is an exciting time to be in the natural resource business in Alaska.

Q. Does your company have an anniversary or other landmark event coming up?

A. Fairweather will celebrate 40 years in business in 2016. We also celebrate our Safety Milestones continuously. Safety is a core value of Fairweather.

Q. What is the average length of time employee’s work for the company?

A. We have an average of just over 6 years service and over 20 percent with ten plus years of service.

Q. What is your company’s safety record and what steps does the company take to ensure a safe work environment?

A. Our North Slope operations Tool Service group, at BP Alaska Drilling and Wells, has had no Lost Time Injuries for over 19 years dating back to January 1994. Fairweather has an attitude to be safe, no one gets hurt, stay in the moment and watch out for each other. Our team does significant training for exposed workers. On the job we do hazard assessments-jobs reviews including daily Task Hazard Assessments, daily safety meetings, weekly safety meetings, pre-job safety meetings and Job Safety Analysis and Job Hazard Analysis. We plan ahead, schedule and work safely.

Q. Has your company been involved in any community projects or charity events?

A. We support many events for the community and several of our staff members serve on volunteer boards for non-profits. United Way, Duct Tape Ball, and American Heart Association, Covenant House, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska, are all entities where we give and have employees on committees and boards. We believe in giving back and supporting our community.

Q. What is the address of your company’s website?

A. fairweather.com; fairweathermedical.com; deadhorseaviation.com.