Consequential Kodiak.

• Author: Griffin, Judith Fuerst
• Position: Kodiak Island's economic development plans

Consequential Kodiak

Service, depth and reliability pave the way for Mammoth of Alaska Inc.'s success. According to Rich Whitbeck, vice president and general manager of the trucking firm, those ideals were the cornerstone on which this Anchorage-based company was founded nearly 16 years ago. Today they continue to drive Mammoth - one of the largest and busiest trucking firms in the state.

"Mammoth is a professional company," Whitbeck says. "Every one of our drivers is an experienced professional committed to serving our customers."

One of few carriers serving the Port of Anchorage, Mammoth's commitment to customers ensures rapid and efficient response to their hauling needs. "When a customer calls and has a trailer to move, it means money to that customer if the trailer is moved promptly. And we move it promptly," Whitbeck explains.

Particularly in seafood and oil field freight transportation, Mammoth is recognized as a leader. Operating one of the most modern fleets in the state, Mammoth last year invested more than $1 million in improvements to its vehicles and in a state-of-the-art computer program that tracks vehicles and aids the company in quickly dispatching trucks to customers.

"In an industry with a standard four-hour response time to a customer call, Mammoth shines," says Whitbeck. "Our response time is half that - we'll be at a customer's door within two hours after we receive that call." The company's service is a tribute both to its computer dispatching system and the dedication of its drivers, he adds.

Mammoth researched and developed the computer software that gives the company an edge on competitors. An advanced LORAN communications network links most vehicles to the Anchorage dispatch center, enabling dispatchers to track the precise locations of vehicles.

"Because we have instantaneous access to our vehicles and drivers, we can boost efficiency and profit for our customers. And that's one of the primary reasons Mammoth leads its competitors in freight hauling," says Whitbeck.

Operating a fleet of 60 vehicles today, Mammoth has chalked up an enviable safety record. "In the past 10 years, we've hauled more than $1.7 billion worth of valued cargo in seafood alone, with a claims-loss history of less than $7,000. That's a record that translates into profit for our customers. If cargo is lost, insurance may cover it, but insurance can't cut the loss on that cargo's potential profit," explains Whitbeck.

Mammoth's employees are recognized in the industry for their driving safety records. Several of the company's drivers have logged more than a million miles on the road without a chargeable accident.

Adds Whitbeck, "Most of our drivers have also been with Mammoth for more than 10 years. There's very little turnover here. These people are veterans and know the business."

Drivers operate top-quality modern tractors. Most of the fleet are 1989 vehicles. "When we ordered them, we specified the items that would allow our vehicles maximum compatibility and minimum wear on customers' equipment. That, too, translates into speed and profit for our customers," says Whitbeck.

Maintaining Mammoth's rolling stock is a complement of certified heavy-equipment mechanics who work in a fully equipped facility with a complete parts inventory at the company's Anchorage headquarters. In addition to minimizing down-time, the availability of qualified mechanics and a self-sufficient repair facility helps to ensure that every vehicle is in top mechanical condition. Mammoth's ready-to-roll strategy complements the company's ability to serve its customers quickly and safely.

Because of the firm's pervasive commitment to service, customers trust Mammoth and stay with the company. Several customers have been with Mammoth for 15 years.

"It makes sense to call Mammoth," Whitbeck says. "We're fast, efficient and reliable. We're professionals."

ITS BOUNDARY AND ITS BREAD-basket, the sea defines life on Kodiak and surrounding small islands. It isolates, but also insulates; seizes life and property, but surrenders rich maritime resources whose harvest drives the region's economy.

Victims of nature's fury and beneficiaries of her bounty, the people of the Kodiak Island Borough are a different breed than many Alaskans in other centers of commerce. Resigned to suffer the fates of unpredictable weather and limited access, the islanders often cope with inconveniences that would thwart many Alaskans grown comfortable with predictable urban lifestyles.

Says one longtime Kodiak resident, "Living on an island, we have to be flexible."

Although they meekly accept challenges as a way of life, the borough's inhabitants recognize that opportunities of their lifestyle must be defended. Depletion of fisheries would strike a devastating blow to the area's economy and to its people, particularly to those who venture to the sea to earn their incomes.

Jim Ramaglia, vice president and manager of Kodiak Oil Sales in Kodiak, says he enjoys doing business with fishermen. He notes that although they could make good livings in other, less risky lines of work, they become driven by more than profit. "If they do it (fishing) right, they can make a lot of money, and that attracts people. But it also gets in their blood. Dad used to say, `I'll never hire another fisherman.' They get the itch and want to get back to sea."

Fishing also is the life force of the borough's economy, which centers in and around the City of Kodiak on the northeast coast of Kodiak Island. About 6,800 of the more than 3-million-acre borough's 15,000 residents live in the city, a 45-minute flight south...