CSX Lines: This transportation company ships everything imaginable.

• Author: Grenn, Ben
• Position: 2002 Corporate 100

If the only criteria for judging the quality of a company were longevity, then CSX Lines of Alaska could rest on its laurels.

Of course, that's not how CSX Lines is judged, nor should it be.

CSX Lines of Alaska, formerly known as Sea-Land Service, is beginning its 38th year of visibly conducting business in the 49th state. It was in 1964, hours after the Good Friday Earthquake, when what is now known as CSX Lines accelerated its timeline for moving into the Alaska market from Seattle-Tacoma. Two days later, a ship loaded with water, food, construction materials and other supplies set sail, putting the company on the map in the Far North.

"I can't see any reason why we wouldn't be around for many, many more years," said Frank Peake, vice president/general manager for Alaska.

CSX is a rail-based transportation company--a leader in freight railroading and containerized distribution markets.

"We transport anything from paint brushes to automobiles to lumber, Peake said. "If it comes under the umbrella of consumer goods, we've moved it or will move it."

The company uses special containers to protect freight from the inclement weather. For example, lumber warps and soft drinks aren't that good when frozen. So CSX uses insulated containers to keep merchandise good at above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Produce and other perishables go into refrigerated units.

CSX Corp., a Fortune 500 transportation company, provides a unique combination of rail, container-shipping, intermodal and logistics services, and has a global reach.

Aside from Alaska, the company now ships to Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Guam. Originally developed in 1963, when it bought Alaska Freight Lines (the company's main presence in Alaska began in 1964), CSX's Alaska shipping business operation ranks second only to Hawaii in terms of volume but is first in terms of vessel and container investment. The CSX Alaska office is based out of Seattle, while Virginia is home to its national headquarters.

Their holdings include CSX Transportation Inc., a major eastern railroad, which provides rail transportation and distribution services to a more than 22,700-route-mile network in 23 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. CSX Lines provides domestic ocean liner service and operates 16 U.S.-flag vessels and 27,000 containers along six service routes between the continental U.S. and Alaska. The company also operates offshore domestic port terminals in Anchorage, Kodiak and Dutch...