Apocalypse Design: far north outfitters.

• Author: Bostian, Kelly

Dick Flaharty reaches across his cluttered office desk to grab an Alaska atlas so he can explain where the name for his business, Apocalypse Design, came from. He pulls out a zippered Cordura atlas case, which he custom-designed and decorated with an Apocalypse logo.

"Our newest product," he says, smiling.

The Fairbanks mountaineer/entrepreneur uses his Alaska Atlas and Gazetteer so often that he decided to create a carrying case for it. The zippered case has hidden pockets for extra maps and sleeves for pens and pencils. "It only took minutes to whip it out," Flaharty says.

Since the new statewide atlas is such a hot seller in Alaska, Flaharty has decided he might as well make a few more carrying cases and see if other people need it as much as he does.

It's an example of why Flaharty, 34, in the past 10 years has been able to turn a home-sewing business into a full-blown manufacturing firm whose only obstacle is finding room to grow.

Flaharty points to a spot in the atlas, which turns out to be The Apocalypse, a 9,345-foot mountain in the western Alaska Range. Flaharty was there, but he didn't climb the peak.

"It took us a week just to get up to Revelation Glacier," he says. The mountain is under-appreciated by climbers because its peak is under 10,000 feet. "But if you were to see the thing, it would just blow you away. That is some mountain," Flaharty adds.

To remember the mountain, Flaharty borrowed its name for his business -- and he's used the same energy it took to reach the mountain to build Apocalypse Design.

The Fairbanks company's growth and popularity are blowing people away. Flaharty now employs 12 to 25 people, depending on the season -- winter is the busiest -- and enjoys an annual sales volume of $500,000. The little company has done contract work with more than 70 Alaska companies, has 30 regular in-state accounts, 25 accounts in the Lower 48, and close to 20 more spread overseas. This summer, Flaharty plans to open a seasonal outlet, joining other stores at the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve.

But the company needs more room to grow. "We outgrew this place three years ago," Flaharty says of his cramped quarters on the corner of College Road and Illinois Street in Fairbanks. He and his shareholders are discussing expansion possibilities, but so far no definite plans have been made.

Flaharty's desk and computer are stuffed into his office among file cabinets and stacks of paperwork. All available nooks...