Carlile Transportation Systems: securing the load for future generations.

• Author: Sommer, Susan
• Position: Alaska's Top 49ers: Featured 49er

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Selling his family-owned Alaska business of thirty-three years to a large, out-of-state company doesn't worry former CEO of Carlile Transportation Systems Harry McDonaldin the least. In fact, he and his team are excited about the potential growth. And McDonald is ready, at some point, to retire. He'd like to see the company he and his brother, John Carlile McDonald, started from scratch in 1980 continue its successful trajectory.

Seattle-based Saltchuk, Carlile's new parent company as of May, is a family of diversified companies with holdings in transportation and petroleum distribution. Adding one of Alaska's largest trucking companies to its holdings seemed to Saltchuk leaders like a perfect fit. McDonald says the new arrangement is "good for the company and good for the state."

Carlile Director of Marketing Peggy Spittler describes the transition as a natural evolution. McDonald was comfortable selling Carlile to a familiar family-owned company that already owns other Alaska businesses and understands the state's complex transportation needs. Leaders from both companies, as well as other industry partners, have been on a first-name basis with each other for decades. Besides Carlile, Saltchuk's Alaska businesses include Northern Air Cargo, Cook Inlet Tug & Barge, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Delta Western, Inc., and Inlet Petroleum Company.

Some recent projects Carlile has done include hauling steel and other materials to the new University of Alaska Anchorage Sports Arena jobsite and hauling massive wind turbines to the Eva Creek Wind Project near Healy.

Safety comes first at Carlile, and while a typical day runs smoothly, an occasional wrench--er, grizzly bear--is thrown into the mix. In July at the company's Prudhoe Bay Terminal, a bear decided to have breakfast on the house. Before employees could encourage it to leave of its own accord, it devoured nine dozen donuts that were part of a stack of palletized mail outside waiting to be loaded onto a plane.

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Change Means Growth

Growth is nothing new to Carlile. It has grown steadily, from gross revenue of $122 million in 2007 to gross revenue of $150 million in 2012. Carlile again gained Top 49er status this year. Since Carlile is no longer an Alaska-owned company, this is its last year in the running for Top 49er consideration.

And now, for the first time ever, McDonald is someone else's employee. His new title is Managing Director Alaska, and...