AK-WA Connection 2014: Introduction

2014 is presenting businesses active in the Alaska-Washington trade with a host of new opportunities. Bringing their unique goods and services into play in the dynamics of a revitalizing Alaska economy is part of what makes the enduring commercial relationship between Alaska and Washington work.

We, at the Alaska-Washington Connection, are pleased to provide you with a fresh look at the important events and dramatic developments that are shaping commerce in Alaska and among Washington businesses that serve the consumer and industrial needs of the Last Frontier.

This year we offer snapshots of the recent activities of Alaska and Washington companies such as Lynden, Alaska Air Cargo, Alaska Railroad, Pacific Northwest Equipment Inc. and Futaris that continue to thrive in the Alaska marketplace. We report on numerous developments in major sectors of Alaska’s economy. We also provide updates on the ventures that challenged Alaska-Washington businesses during the year and the state-supported projects under way across Alaska that policymakers hope will rejuvenate the state’s oil, mining and resource sectors, while providing relief from high energy costs to Interior and rural Alaskans.

The Alaska-Washington trade is populated by a host of innovative companies like Bowhead Transport Systems and its sister company, UIC Professional Services, MagTec Alaska and Taiga Ventures as well as growing family-owned businesses such as PNW Equipment Inc., NC Machinery, Seekins Ford and Kenworth Alaska.

Whether it is in large families of companies such as the subsidiaries of Calista Corp. and Arctic Slope Regional Corp. or small businesses like C-Nan Surplus Inc. of Auburn, Wash., the Alaska-Washington trade flourishes because of the intricate ties of supply and demand that connect the two regions.

C-Nan Surplus, for example, is the brainchild of Chuck Holmes, a longtime sales rep for GM Detroit Diesel in Washington and Alaska who today specializes in selling used two-stroke diesel engines and related parts that the company ceased manufacturing in 1985. Holmes’ business reflects the kind of responsiveness to market demand that is demonstrated by numerous ventures throughout the Alaska-Washington trade.

Inspired entrepreneurships like Arctic Wire Rope and Supply Inc., Opti Staffing Group and Sophie Station Hotel owner Fountainhead Development Inc. of Fairbanks also contribute to the robust commerce that characterizes the Alaska-Washington trade.

- Rose Ragsdale