Industrial Support Services.

Behind the curtain of Alaska's superstar industries, a crew of peripheral businesses keeps the whole show moving. These industrial support services are specialists in their niche, satisfying operational needs that no single company can manage on its own.

Of these supporting players, several equipment dealers have found an advantageous spot at the crossroads of high revenue and local ownership. Construction Machinery Industrial, Airport Equipment Rentals, and Craig Taylor Equipment all rank alongside their major building contractor clients among the Top 49ers (Alaska companies ranked by gross revenue). "Equipment Rentals" visits some of their peers, unfolding a map of how to succeed in equipment rental.

Industries need room to work and to store materials and inventory, and that's the job of warehouse support businesses. It's not...