Lynn Johnson, president: Dowland-Bach.

• Author: Stomierowski, Peg
• Position: View from the Top

Lynn C. Johnson, president of Dowland-Bach Corp., has been with the manufacturing and distribution firm from its beginning in 1975. Having worked summers since 1967 for his parents' helicopter charter operation, Alaska Helicopters, Johnson started Dowland-Bach with their neighbor Ed Clinton the year after getting his degree in business and operations from California State University Stanislaus. Lynn and his wife, Terri, have two grown children.

The corporation, which began with a contract to build 72 wellhead control panels for BP, had only three employees when Johnson became general manager, moving to treasurer and president in 1998. It now employs 24, including welders, electricians, mechanical and electrical engineers, sheet metal fabricators, and sales and administrative personnel. Average service with Dowland-Bach exceeds 10 years.

VIEW FROM THE TOP: A tremendous amount of oil remains in Alaska and offshore here. We need a friendlier business environment, especially in regard to taxes and permitting processes, and to view such states as North Dakota, Montana, Texas and Wyoming as competitors for oil investment capital dollars. Currently, much employment on the North Slope and along the trans-Alaska oil pipeline is maintenance related. Very little new investment is taking place.

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WHAT WE DO: Our primary products are wellhead control and chemical injection systems for corrosion control, UL industrial control panels, and specialty stainless steel sheet metal fabrication. On the distribution side, we stock and sell a variety of stainless steel pipes, tubing, fittings, flanges, and stainless steel sheet, plates, angle, screening and round bar. We design, engineer and fabricate systems for industrial applications across the state, with the bulk of the fabricated systems heading to North Slope oilfields.

TOUGH SLEDDING: Overall, business has been down, due to the taxation environment imposed by the State on producers. Major producers are investing capital dollars...