Arctic Directory: Materials sets the bar high for wholesale direct ship

Company maintains lasting working relationships by staying humble and putting its customers first

Petroleum News

Q What is the official name of your company?

A Alaska Materials, LLC

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

A Alaska Materials is a 'direct ship' wholesaler of construction, building, and specialty materials delivering to all points in Alaska. We specialize in full truckloads, working only with quality manufacturers, distributors, and logistic partners serving these industries: petroleum, gas/LNG, mining, marine, seafood, construction, tribal, village, federal, and state. By working together, Alaska Materials provides the best products in value, price, and service. Whether it's truckloads of rig mats going to the North Slope, or a barge load of pressure-treated wood for a village boardwalk and other materials for village housing, our broad inventories and distribution network provide quick response times.

Q Is your company a subsidiary or affiliate of other companies?

A Alaska Materials, located in Anchorage, AK, was founded by Alaska resident John Horjes and is a 100% Alaskan-owned, independent company.

Q What year was the company founded and by whom?

A Although the company was formed in 2015, it is notable that Founder and President John Horjes, working with other companies, began bringing wholesale materials to Alaska in the early 1980s.

Q What types of materials are you selling?

A Alaska Materials offers a complete line of timber, lumber, rated plywood, specialty panels, a complete line of treated, orders requiring treating service only, gypsum products, engineered wood products, I-joists, laminated veneer lumber, glulam beams, rigid foam, structural insulated panels, helical piers, extension, and caps, structural steel and insulated panels, metal roofing and siding, and pallets both new and used #1 and #2, and heat treated. For a comprehensive list of products offered visit: https://www.alaskamaterials.com/specialalpha/

Q What can you tell us about the Mats you offer?

A We move a lot of Mats, therefore WE ROCK! Alaska Materials offers a wide selection of mats, including traditional rig mats, crane mats, access mats, 3-ply bolted and laminated hardwood mats, composite mats, HDPE mats, and trail mats. For a comprehensive list of mats visit https://www.alaskamaterials.com/mats/.

Q Are there important projects the company is working on or has done recently?

A At Alaska Materials, our focus is on the customer, doing the best job, and getting it right. For this reason, we don't share information about our projects or customers and maintain a humble attitude about our work. As a friend and mentor said, "Whales only get harpooned...when they surface to spout off." We are grateful for the business and hope that our customers will continue to look to us on future projects.

Q What is your company's main strength or edge over the competition?

A Alaska Materials has three main strengths. First, we have structured our business model to be different. We're different than a local yard and don't compete with them in a number of ways. We only go after business that is a good fit for us. We believe there is enough business for us to be selective.

Second, our overhead is the lowest of ALL companies, and that is a big statement. When other companies may require double-digits to break even, we'll run lower margins to get the business and pass the savings back to the customer. That's a win-win for both the customer and us.

Third, we're available 24/7 March through August our main season. "Funny story, a customer doing a very large project called at 3 am on a Saturday and was floored that I picked up the phone..to which he said, 'it's really you!'," said Horjes. "He became excited and said, Horjes, this is wayyy cool, cause it's the only time I have to catch up, update, and order materials. You have no idea how valuable this is!" No other company does this.

Q What's the biggest obstacles to completing work your business undertakes?

A For Alaska Materials, time is never our friend, given the short construction season, and those who hold orders or place them late put pressure on everything. Things beyond our control, such as mill runs, treatment schedules, and orders ahead in fabrication. In those cases, we are entirely dependent on others to perform their jobs well, so we can deliver the materials to the docks in time to make the sailings. I wouldn't say obstacles, as it's just things we inherit as part of working in our industry.

Q What do you see as your company's biggest challenge in the next 5 years?

A Maintaining focus and staying on track with effective planning and execution. Alaska Materials will be opening another office, introducing new products, distribution, and hiring key people.

Q What's the address for your website?

A We invite you to thoroughly explore our website at www.alaskamaterials.com