Lynden Inc.

• Author: BONHAM, NICOLE A.
• Position: Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

2001 Top 49er Ranking: 3

Position Last Year: 2

2000 Revenue: $388.2 million

Number of Employees: 1,400

Moving smoothly into the 21st Century with expansion and innovation, Lynden is again among top-ranked Alaska companies. Making the grade as a "Top 49er," Lynden's secret for success comes with blending tradition and advancement, including rising to the recent challenge of bringing a new company aboard the Lynden transportation family.

"What sets Lynden aside? A commitment to exceeding our customers' needs, quality service, efficiency, safety and having the best people in the business," says Lynden CEO and President Jim Jansen. Similarly, the company's strategy for success: "We will be customer-driven, quality-focused, safe, efficient, and strive to be the best in the business."

It's a credo that's exemplified in the growth of a company whose roots started early last century moving agriculture-based products within Washington State.

With the recent inclusion of the Alaska Railbelt Marine as its newest operating company, Lynden next year expects to make a further mark on the transport industry with a new capability.

Offering weekly tug and barge service between Seattle and Whittier, Alaska Railbelt Marine operates barges that carry up to 50 rail cars or any mix of rail cars and general cargo, says Jansen.

"In 2002, the barges will be installed with 'racks' ... this will be the only container-over-rail car system in the world," he says. The racks will handle 80 each, 40-foot to 53-foot containers over the rail cars.

BY LAND, SEA OR AIR

Employing some 1,400 full-time workers, the Lynden companies topped $388 million in 2000 revenue.

Whether it be by land, sea or air, Lynden offers carrier freight service for almost any circumstance or geographic location. Its operations area spans a logistical map of global proportions, including the challenging geographies of Alaska, western Canada and Russia.

In a paragraph, the company sums up the basis of its transportation duties:

"The combined capabilities of the Lynden companies includes truckload and less-than-truckload transportation, scheduled and charter barges, intermodal bulk chemical hauls, scheduled and chartered air freighters, domestic and international air forwarding, international ocean forwarding, customs brokerage, logistics for the rail industry, remote site construction, sanitary bulk commodities hauling, and multimodal logistics."

It's a complicated list of duties under a simple...