Colville Inc.: they arrived at Prudhoe Bay, even before the pipeline.

• Author: Colby, Nicole A. Bonham
• Position: 2007 Alaska's Top 49ers: Economic Pipelines to the Future - Company overview

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Serving Alaska's North Slope with a collection of varied support services, Prudhoe Bay-based Colville Inc. operates across the sweeping landscape of Alaska's extreme north--literally the top of the world. It's familiar ground for company President and CEO Mark Helmericks, who became sole owner in March 2006. The Helmericks name has a long history in the Arctic regions, with historical family ties to the development of what is today the modern Prudhoe Bay infrastructure.

ARCTIC HISTORY

Colville, in early form, started in the 1950s, first as pioneer Bush pilot Bud Helmericks' Arctic Tern Fish & Freight Co., and eventually evolving to serve the oil-field operators as oil expansion grew. The operation added fuel services and then expanded into serving as an industrial supplier. Today, Colville Inc. is the parent company to several business units, including (beyond its fuel services), a waste-management service, a full-service industrial supply center, and even the general store/post office. It's a wide array of service sectors for a company that specializes in supporting streamlined business operations in the challenging environment of the North Slope. Aiming high--both in latitude and quality of service--Colville Inc. proclaims its intent across the top of the company Web site (www.colvilleinc.com): "World Class Service at The Top of the World!"

"Together, these entities provide essential supplies and services across the entire North Slope, including the supply and delivery of fuel, solid-waste-management services, industrial supplies, hardware, parts, tools, contract services and general store supplies," according to the company Web site.

Incorporated in 1981, the company has 80 employees, with 49 in Alaska. Reporting its 2006 revenue as $49.7 million, Colville Inc. saw a 28 percent increase from 2005 revenue figures. The company operates from two primary locations in Prudhoe Bay.

PRUDHOE BAY GENERAL STORE

Colville Inc. acquired the Prudhoe Bay General Store and Post Office--an institution with a long and colorful history--and moved it to the Brooks Range Supply facility, creating what's been monikered the "Colville Mini-Mall." The busy site serves as the one-stop shop for visitors and workers on the North Slope, serving up everything from local news and history to custom-fit arctic gear. The store Web site (http://www.colvilleinc.com/ store.html) does a similar job, serving double duty both advertising goods and...