General Communication Inc.: 1988 revenue: 42 million; employees: 150; rank: 17.

• Author: Kelder, Bill
• Position: The New Forty-Niners - Company profile

IN THE TELEVISION ADS, employees of General Communication are smiling and cavorting as they sing about how their competitor, Alascom, uses hocus-pocus" to come up with the rates they charge for intrastate long-distance telephone calls. Though the ads are, well, hokey, Alaskan viewers remember them largely because the people in them are having such a good time.

But GCI's employees are not the only ones smiling; so is Ron Duncan, company president and chief executive officer. "We did those ads just to have a little fun. Our hard work over the years is paying off and it seemed like a good thing to do," he says.

Located in Anchorage, on the Denali Tower's 10th floor, Duncan's spacious office is tastefully decorated in modern furnishings. The east wall of the office is glass, affording a spectacular view of the Chugach Mountains.

Though his demeanor is reserved, Duncan exudes enthusiasm and confidence when talking about his company. He has good reason to feel confident.

GCI's 1988 revenues hit $42.28 million. That continues an upward trend that saw GCI's revenues increase 21 percent in 1987, $35. 1 million compared to 1986's $29 million. Not bad for a company that was licensed to operate in Alaska in 1977.

"There are three keys to success in the telecommunications business: customer service, hard work, and keeping your firm on the cutting edge of innovative technology," Duncan says. "We stress all three here."

When GCI announced in 1977 that it was jumping into Alaska's interstate long-distance telephone market against Alascom, many of the state's business people and consumers did not know what to think. They were, after all, used to a fairly non-competitive marketplace, and Alascom seemed to many a hard giant to fell.

By using Duncan's three keys, however, GCI not only prevailed in the interstate market, it made Alascom look less formidable in the process. "I don't think they ever expected us to take 50 percent of the interstate long-distance market," Duncan says. "But we did, and we're not finished.

"I also think the competition has been good for Alascom. They were too heavy at the management end and seemed unsure of what to do in a competitive atmosphere. Now, Alascom is a leaner corporate entity and is, I think, better off for it," he says.

GCI has undergone a few changes of its own since beginning Alaska operations. From 1977-86 the company operated as a subsidiary of the Denver-based Western Telecommunications Inc. On Dec. 28, 1986, GCI...