Going above ... and beyond: Alaska's cargo companies find innovative ways to serve rural communities.

Though there are many advantages to living in rural Alaska, choosing to reside in such out-of-the-way places also creates unique challenges for residents of the state's smaller Bush communities. Finding ways to haul goods in and out of remote villages can be a logistical nightmare requiring the use of barges, tugs and planes, as well as a commitment by transportation companies to travel far off the beaten path.

A number of companies, including ACE Air Cargo, Everts Air Cargo, Bowhead Transport Co. LLC, and the Lynden family of companies have made this commitment to serving rural communities from Emmonak to Unalakleet, Kotzebue to Kaktovik. To this end, they not only transport the basic necessities of life, such as food, shelter and clothing, but also such unique cargo as herds of reindeer and sickly seal pups.

"Rural communities depend on us to get goods to them--we are their connection to the outside," said Everts Air Cargo Station Manager Susan Hoshaw.

TRAVEL BY AIR

Whether transporting mail, durable goods or even injured animals, Everts Air Cargo goes above and beyond to meet customers' needs. "If we can fit it through the door of the aircraft, we'll generally transport it," said Hoshaw. "We're very creative, and we don't give up easily. As one of our account executives once said, 'we move anything from goats to boats.'" Past trips have included transporting herds of reindeer, a spotted seal and a bear cub, along with the usual types of cargo like mail, vehicles and perishable goods.

The Alaska-based, family owned airline got its start in the early 1980s when Cliff Everts established Everts Air Fuel after working for Wien Airlines for 35 years. Everts' son, Robert, worked at Everts Air Fuel for 17 years before purchasing Tatonduk Outfitters Ltd. in 1993. He then established Everts Air Cargo in 1995, and the company, which now employs 250 people in Anchorage and Fairbanks, has steadily grown.

"Ask Robert Everts what the secret is to the company's consistent growth, and he'll tell you it's all about support, from the introduction to aviation provided by his father to the dedication of the aviators, maintenance, leadership and service staff that operate the airline," said Hoshaw. "They all provide exceptional service, and our customers really appreciate that."

Everts' fleet of DC-6 and C-46 aircraft is ideally suited to Alaska conditions, including the shorter, gravel runways found in many communities. Within the past year, the company has added an additional aircraft, the EMB-120, which is mainly used for priority freight flights. Due to the diverse aircraft that Everts has in its fleet, it has the ability to match aircraft with shippers' specific needs.

"We are able to work closely with businesses and individuals alike, offering flexibility as well as creativity when it comes to building loads, maximizing lift and moving an incredible variety of freight," said Hoshaw.

In addition to scheduled flights to their 13 major hubs, the company also offers charter and flag-stop services to locations not served on a regular basis. "Between 50 percent and 60 percent of our cargo is U.S. mail, with the other 40 percent to 50 percent being freight," said Hoshaw. "While there have been a few changes in how mail has been delivered over the years, I'd say that pretty much, we're providing the same type of services we did 20 years ago."

ACE Air Cargo delivers freight to 16 scheduled locations within Alaska, including Southeast Alaska and Western Alaska, the Aleutians, Pribilof Islands and Bristol Bay, as well as more than 80 nonscheduled communities. The airline, which opened its doors in Fairbanks in 1988 as a small air-taxi operator offering mail and passenger service, has since grown to offer everything from scheduled service, to small-package deliveries, to worldwide freight forwarding and logistics. The airline also recently added passenger charter service to its offerings.

"A fleet of Beech 1900C aircraft pressurized turbo-prop planes gives ACE the flexibility to make deliveries to small and large communities in challenging conditions," said Maria Tibbetts, manager of cargo sales. "Alaska's radical weather, diverse terrain, business climate and lifestyles can present challenges in the freight business, but ACE understands these better than anyone in the industry and meets them with on-time delivery, exceptional customer service, and the most competitive rates in the state."

Lynden Air Cargo has been providing air cargo service to Bush communities since 1995. In addition to providing general cargo and mail service to four scheduled destinations in western Alaska, the company also provides charter service all over the state. "We'll fly anywhere a person wants or needs us to, as long as the runway is long enough for our planes to land," explained Mike Hart, president, Lynden Air Cargo. "Our ability to land on unimproved runways, as well as to carry oversized loads, sets us apart from the competition."

Lynden Air Cargo flies a fleet of L382G Lockheed Hercules airplanes, which are well designed to provide cargo service to the Bush. "The type of airplanes we fly are rear-loading with a ramp, which allows us to drag cargo off if it's the only way to unload it at some of these remote sites," he added. "This way, we don't need to rely on the villages to have large enough lift equipment."

The Hercules airplanes can carry loads up to 47,000 pounds, as well as oversized equipment and even fuel. Often used for transporting construction materials, heavy equipment and oilfield equipment, the planes can fit cargo up to 52 feet long, nine feet tall and 10 feet wide. "The communities we serve benefit because they don't need to wait for barge service, which in many cases is seasonal," said Hart. "If they need construction equipment and they have to wait for a barge, it could mean a late start to their construction season."

TRAVEL BY SEA

Just as air service has its benefits, so does the use of tugs and barges to transport goods to Alaska. Usually less costly than air cargo, barge service provides an alternative method to move materials across the Last Frontier.

Alaska Marine Lines (AML), a sister company of Lynden Air Cargo, provides scheduled service up to twice a week to 12 to 15 towns in Southeast Alaska, as well as once-a-week trips to Whittier. Barges can also be chartered to provide service anywhere in the state.

"You name it, we haul it," said Kevin Anderson, vice president of sales and marketing, Alaska Marine Lines. "To be a carrier in Alaska, you have to have the ability to carry just about everything."

AML's flat-deck barges transport groceries in both dry and refrigerated containers, and also haul building materials, vehicles and even railcars from Seattle to Whittier on specially designed barges with a patented rack system. The company also backhauls canned, fresh and frozen salmon from Alaska on return trips.

"In some communities, we're the only lifeline they have--they count on us," said Anderson. "In some places, it's too expensive to fly goods in, or (there are) planes that can't fly there at all. Because we're the only freight carrier that travels to some areas, we're critical to these communities."

Bowhead Transport Co. LLC plays a critical role in serving the needs of residents in the Arctic. The company, which has been providing tug and barge service originating in Seattle to all ports between Kotzebue and Kaktovik since 1982, provides support to the oil industry in the Beaufort Sea and an economical way for villages to get the supplies they need.

"Most of what we transport is general cargo, including building and project materials, and some vehicles and heavy equipment," said General Manager Bob Leonard of the company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corp. "We also carry resupply products for municipalities." Since its inception, Bowhead has shipped more than 46,000 tons to and from ports in the Arctic and westward Alaska.

Bowhead's fleet, which includes a 270-foot barge, 200-foot barge and 150-foot landing craft, makes one trip a year to the Arctic region. "We depart Seattle as a common carrier, and once we're in the Arctic, we make several trips throughout the area on a charter basis," said Leonard. "Our biggest challenge is weather and ice--particularly ice. That's why it's such a finite season."

No matter where in rural Alaska that cargo needs to go, there is a carrier that can get it there. By tug, barge and plane, and sheer ingenuity, almost anything can be transported from one place to another. "We move anything from fresh seafood, perishable items, time-sensitive documents, equipment parts, hazardous materials and live animals, just to name a few," said Tibbetts. "We are continually expanding our services based on our customers' needs."

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