AK-WA Connection 2009: Firm services unusual equipment

Rotating Services thrives in Alaska-Washington business environment; expands scope of specialized offerings

By Rose Ragsdale

Alaska-Washington Connection

Rotating Services LLC, likely one of the most unusual small businesses operating in the Alaska-Washington environment, looks for opportunities off the beaten path, and the payoff for the services it provides has been exponential.

Bret Burroughs founded Rotating Services Inc. in September 1999. He converted it into a limited liability corporation in April 2000.

Rotating Services drew on Burroughs’ experience to get its start in Alaska, providing maintenance, repair and inspection services for large industrial turbines. Burroughs had most recently worked eight years for European Gas Turbines in Anchorage.

“I retired to do this,” he said. The entrepreneur had moved to Alaska in 1988 from Colorado.

But the small company that he launched soon found that servicing industrial turbines is a capital-intensive business and began looking for opportunities to diversify its services.

A big chance came along in 2003, when RSI shifted its focus to servicing industrial equipment on military bases and installations in Alaska.

The firm won contracts to provide maintenance and repair services for various types of equipment and systems on Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright Army Base near Fairbanks, Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson Army Base in Anchorage and at Clear Air Station near Delta Junction.

Rotating Services since had done so well in this arena that it expects to expand this business. The company bid this summer for a contract to provide the services on a U.S. military base in Guam, Burroughs said.

Rotating Services also split its operations into two companies — Rotating Equipment Co. and Industrial Hoists and Purchasing Co., hoping to build on its business reputation by providing quality products and services that give customers top performance, by reducing price through efficiency and quality.

In June, Rotating Services added a third company to its family of businesses. The new addition, called Rotating Scales, certifies and services various types of industrial scales in Alaska.

“You know those scales in grocery stores that you put your vegetables on while shopping? Those scales are going to have our sticker,” Burroughs said.

People give firm its edge

Rotating Services provides preventative, scheduled and emergency maintenance to ensure that its customers’ equipment runs reliably at peak performance. The company provides field maintenance, overhaul and refurbishment services and sales on industrial equipment and parts, including turbine power plants, pumps, generators, compressors and flare systems.

Rotating Services also offers continuing education courses and training in such areas as hospital human resources; vibration and alignment; basics of industrial power; boiler operation, maintenance and safety; HVAC and air distribution; project management; and pumps and pump systems.

The firm’s engineering staff is available to design new and update existing control systems.

Field services, such as borescope inspections, vibration monitoring and equipment that is properly aligned and balanced, predict and prevent costly down time.

Oil flushing and overhaul services as well as turbine blade coating are also available. Such services can provide customers with extended life and performance on their equipment.

“High quality materials and dependable parts combined with a dedicated team of highly trained professionals give our company the edge to produce very reliable products where others fail,” boasts Rotating Services at www.rotatingservices.com.

“We have established rigid inspection criteria that complement our standard operating procedures and ensure customer satisfaction with safety and quality at the forefront of our daily focus,” the firm adds.

As the company nears its 10-year anniversary, Rotating Services says it also has acquired a depth of knowledge that allows it to address its customer needs during the planning and design phase through installation and commissioning of equipment.

Burroughs said Rotating Services is called on to provide a variety of its services around the world, especially in Asia and Africa, by former Alaskans who move to overseas locations and want their new operations to benefit from the exceptional quality of services that his company provides.

“We also do a lot of charity work, including in Africa,” he said. “Right now, we are building a hospital in southern Sudan.”

“I once asked my banker what we do, and he replied, ‘You do a lot of weird jobs in faraway places.’ That sums it up pretty well,” he said.