Grand old company helps develop Alaska: Yukon equipment continues customer-friendly tradition.

• Author: West, Gail
• Position: BUILDING ALASKA

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Customers of today's Yukon Equipment Inc. value the company for its wide range of equipment lines and its commitment to service.

"We handle quality products," said President and CEO Morry Hollowell. "And we have the ability to provide exceptional service for all those products."

Both Yukon's headquarters in Anchorage and its branch in Fairbanks host a full-service dealership. Hollowell said it isn't unusual for a company mechanic to fly into a Bush community to help get a machine back up and running.

"We offer equipment sales, rentals, parts and service at both locations," Hollowell said. "In this business, we deal with other business people - we're not dealing with the consumer on the street. If a customer buys a loader from us, they're expecting to turn around and make money from it. They can only do that if they can rely on the loader and on the dealer to keep it running."

In addition to construction companies across the state, Yukon counts State and city governments among its customers. According to Hollowell, the State, the Municipality of Anchorage and the City of Fairbanks, as well as other communities, purchase Elgin street sweepers, Vactor vacuum trucks, Oshkosh snow blowers and M-B runway brooms for the airports.

"We're a dealer for Case equipment and for Trail King Industries, with trailers to haul the equipment," Hollowell said. "We're a Swiss army knife when it comes to specialty, governmental equipment."

LONG HISTORY IN ALASKA

Now, at the forefront of Alaska's equipment sales and service business, Yukon has a long history in the state, beginning at the turn of the last century.

In 1900, 18-year-old Carl Lomen set out from Minnesota to stake his claim in the Nome Gold Rush. Not willing to let his son wander into the wilderness on his own, Lomen's father joined him. Two years later, the rest of the family moved to Nome and Lomen's father...