Made in Alaska makes the bix box: supply chain stores seek out products made, grown and manufactured by Alaskans.

• Author: Campbell, Melissa
• Position: Industry Overview

Alaska is a cold, sometimes uninviting place in the wintertime. But with the right insulation, a homeowner can make a pleasant atmosphere out of a veritable icebox. And Alaska could use a good, homegrown insulation manufacturer.

That was the idea that drove Tom Davis when he started Thermo-Kool of Alaska Inc. in 1977 Blow-on insulation is better than the rolls of the itchy stuff installed between gaps in the rafters and studs, Davis says. There are no gaps for the cold to seep through when the product is blown on. It's an environmentally sound product, made from recycled newspapers. And it's not itchy.

For years, Davis' product has sold in Spenard Builders Supply and later in Eagle Hardware and Garden, which was bought by Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse. When Home Depot opened, his product was there from day one. Davis manufactures the insulation under three names, one for each of his main buyers.

"The retail chains have been excellent for us," he said. "And they like us because they don't have to invest in a lot of the product. With Lower 48 companies, they have to predict what the sales will be and take a chance of overstocking."

Davis' insulation joins dozens of Alaska homegrown products that are sold in the so-called "big box stores," the big name chain supply stores that have moved into the Alaska market-place. The products are as varied as Alaskans--from milk and bread to firewood and compost.

Buying locally makes good business sense for everyone involved, said Andrew Pelletier, head of Home Depot's garden department and head of the store's buy local policy.

"Everybody wins. The buy (local) program is so important, it's huge," he said. "We have Alaska-made fertilizer made just for Alaska. That's good recognition for the people who make that. And I know Alaskan people want Alaska products in this store."

It's helped Thermo-Kool. Davis estimates that his business has increased about 35 percent since Home Depot and Eagle/Lowe's came to town. That allows him to keep longer operating hours, which means steadier work for his employees. It also offered an opportunity to expand his product line.

Among them are a couple of varieties of grass seed products, including that green stuff seen on the ground along recently completed road construction sites. He also makes a smaller, home lawn-sized version of that product.

Business is doing well, Davis said. Sometimes, a lack of old newspapers is all that holds him back.

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