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PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: Alaska Telecom: The only name you need to know for remote communications
Susan Braund Petroleum Directory Contributing Writer
Alaska Telecom’s story is the stuff of Alaska legends. CEO Lloyd Morris started the fledgling company at his dining room table in Anchorage in 1981 and has built it into a communications company providing technical and wireless communications services around the world, often under demanding logistic and environmental constraints.
Morris, a veteran of the broadcast industry, came to Alaska when satellite communications were changing the face of the state’s telecommunications infrastructure.
As the oil industry began to boom in the early ‘80s Alaska Telecom was instrumental in bringing telecommunication services to Prudhoe Bay and other remote locations.
Years of providing communications in hazardous, remote or otherwise demanding assignments have transcended into international work. The company’s crack team of technicians and engineers, sometimes called the communications SWAT team from Alaska, has provided NBC with intricate radio links for the Summer Olympic games in Seoul, Korea, and Barcelona, Spain; an emergency post-war radio system for the Kuwait government reconstruction effort; and various telecommunications systems in Dubai, the South China Sea, Singapore, Mainland China, Indonesia and Azerbaijan. In Alaska, the company regularly installs and maintains communications sites and towers across the state. The company owns some sites and manages others for clients.
Alaska Telecom, according to company materials, is an experienced and progressive company specializing in the engineering, implementation and service of sophisticated communications networks to support public and private needs. COO Martin Stewart says “Our primary goal is to provide our customers with the highest quality communications products and professional services available.”
“We’re the only name you need to know in remote communications,” says Morris, recalling one of his favorite company stories: “On an early project for Shell Oil in Deadhorse, my brother Bill climbed down the 100 foot tower we had just finished constructing after a long cold day, dog tired and chilled to the bone. The Shell company man said chidingly, ‘could you move that tower 20 feet to the left?’ Bill held back for a moment and replied, ‘you just tell us where you want it and get to hell out of the way!’ Thank goodness the company man had a good sense of humor! He later told me ‘that’s what I like about your people, they will do whatever it takes.’ The point here is that we listen closely to what is required by our customer and figure out how to provide it.” Services Engineering services — project management, site surveys, telecommunication systems design, communications path design, equipment evaluation, generations of specifications, emergency response communications plans, systems test and acceptance documentation.
Construction and installation – expertise in logistically supporting construction and installation of the following technologies under difficult and isolated conditions: communications towers, shelters, power generation plants, voice, facsimile and data encryption equipment, navigational aids, terrestrial microwave, cellular and trunked radio networks.
Design and integration –– Alaska Telecom has designed, procured, and integrated a variety of complex systems, typically within critically compressed time frames. These systems have consistently provided high quality service with reliable operations. Some systems profiles include: private communications systems for support of remote sites; portable electronics shelters housing communications systems and monitoring equipment; cellular and trunked radio networks, including transportable equipment modules; specialty radio systems, linking for multi-event television broadcasting.
Maintenance and service — Alaska Telecom responds flexibly and rapidly to changing customer requirements, including varying personnel levels and technical specifications. Strategic Staffing In the early ‘80s multiple contractors were used to provide a complete communications system. “In contrast,” says Morris, “we had engineers and technicians who could design, construct and turn up and test a total system. Our team had good primary and secondary skills with some level of expertise in multiple areas. Take Joe King, for example; here is a guy who is a master electrician, diesel mechanic and can erect towers and troubleshoot equipment — what more could you ask for? We reasoned if we could put multi-talented people in the field who could handle the necessary tasks, we could cut the number of bodies and also become a central point for solving problems. Our mantra has become ‘if you design it, you have to be able to install it, turn it up and make it work!’”
The company is large enough to provide the depth in personnel and resources to implement large-scale projects, yet small enough to efficiently respond and adapt to evolving project parameters and challenging situations.
Continuing their creative approach to staffing, Morris noticed that mountain climbers possess a unique, transferable skill set: ability to climb towers, high safety awareness, knowledge of efficient logistics and field resourcefulness. “Alaska climbers Vern Tejas and Barney Griffith work for us when not climbing,” says Morris proudly. Some shift in skill sets over last 10 years To some degree over the last 10 years, as bandwidth requirements have grown, the skill sets needed have shifted somewhat, according to CFO Kevin Gray, and now include more familiarity with data/computer technology.
In general, Alaska Telecom is an interesting place to work: “There are lots of challenges, a good atmosphere and we give people broad latitude to make independent decisions,” says Gray. “If you’re motivated, there’s plenty of opportunity and freedom within the job to learn more”
A sign of stability, many of the company’s 29 employees have been there long-term. Morris attributes their longevity to his willingness to accommodate people’s real-life needs into their schedules.
“Many of our employees are long in the tooth,” he jokes. “Sandy Garvin, an 18-year employee worked a flex schedule when her children were small. Today, she’s a driving force and on a first-name basis with many clients, as well as being a wealth of institutional knowledge. It was worth being flexible to meet her needs. It’s a two-way street, we recognize priorities in life and the company has to do business, too.” Leveraging logistics The company’s expertise in logistics has been a natural outgrowth of remote projects in demanding conditions.
“We go in totally self-sufficient,” says Morris. “You have to be prepared. Supplies are far away, so in-depth planning is necessary. We got good at logistics, and learned a lot of tricks. For instance, we use bright red packing boxes to make our shipment easy to find, always bring extra ‘widgets,’ and just think logistically. We have identified an efficient way of doing business.” Wireless services Alaska Telecom is also a service provider for wireless services, providing two-way radio, cellular, paging and e-mail services in Alaska. One communications mini-gem, according to Gray, is the pocket-sized Blackberry. “Just think, wouldn’t it be nice to access your e-mails on a pocket-sized device you can carry with you? Research shows that 70 percent of you travel with laptops for e-mail alone. The Blackberry follows you with no hassle, no dialups in hotel rooms, with access in population centers in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. For areas out of service areas, it stores messages for 72 hours and it synchronizes with your computer.”
The data service runs $49.95 a month for unlimited messages and the units cost between $500 and $185, depending on screen size. The Blackberry is compatible with two types of e-mail: Microsoft Exchange and pull methods like Yahoo, Hotmail and smaller servers. Other features include contact lists and calendar; software is also available for spreadsheets.
“It becomes a way to manage your life more efficiently,” he comments. “You can respond quickly to important messages, in taxis, airports, at lunch, even stopped in traffic.” Get dialed Alaska Telecom believes that cellular rate plans should be simple, and they should reflect your lifestyle and needs. The company offers user-friendly rate plans, whether you use a lot of minutes or a few, are a daytime, nighttime, analog or digital user, there’s a rate plan to fit your needs.
Company ads say it best: “We’re flexible to meet your lifestyle. If you can’t find what you need, ask us, we might have a plan that fits just you. Now that’s customer service! That’s Alaska Telecom — come in and get dialed!” Experience counts For more than 22 years, Alaska Telecom has operated worldwide, often under demanding logistical and environmental constraints.
“We have developed a well-deserved reputation for quality workmanship, timely response, high standards of safety, and respect for budgetary considerations,” adds Gray.
Editor’s note: Susan Braund owns Firestar Media Services in Anchorage, Alaska.
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