A new owner, a new face: NAC celebrates a half-century in Alaska.

AuthorOrr, Vanessa
PositionNorthern Air Cargo Inc. - Company overview

Reaching a 50th birthday is a milestone in anyone's life. But when a company turns 50-especially one that has survived in an industry that is among the toughest and most competitive in Alaska-it is truly a reason to celebrate. In 2006, Northern Air Cargo (NAC), headquartered in Anchorage, marked a half-century in the business. And they celebrated this occasion by making some very major changes.

"Through the years, we have received many offers, but with our 50th anniversary year approaching and the capital requirements for continued growth of the company, our family felt it was the right time for new ownership," said Rita Sholton, of the company's purchase by Saltchuk Resources. "My daughter and I have known the principals of Saltchuk for many years and in the end, the terms were satisfactory and we were comfortable that our employees and customers would be in good, capable hands."

Since day one, this concern for the people who make up Northern Air Cargo and the clients they serve has been the driving force behind the cargo airline's success. When Robert "Bobby" Sholton and Maurice "Morrie" Carlson first founded the airline in 1956, their vision was to build an all-cargo airline that would effectively serve Alaska's widespread rural communities. Their philosophy was simple: Do what needs to be done to meet the customers' need.

MEETING EXPECTATIONS

From the first flight to Dillingham carrying telephone poles, to moving 100 million pounds of cargo a year, NAC has exceeded customers' expectations in every way. "We have hauled just about everything imaginable," said Sholton, who became president and CEO of the company after her husband's death in 1982. "On one memorable trip, we flew a cow to Bethel so that the kids could finally see a real, live cow. After so many years, it's hard to say what trip was the strangest."

When Sholton and Carlson first started the airline, it was a relatively new concept to fly large items, including mining and construction equipment, into the Bush. "Both Bobby and Morrie recognized a need and an opportunity within the state," said Rita Sholton, who met Bobby two years after he began the business.

The two men, both of whom were captains for Alaska Airlines, purchased two C-82s "flying boxcars" from the U.S. Air Force and began a charter air freight service out of Anchorage International Airport. Though they had never flown these types of aircraft before, they studied the flight manuals and taught themselves "by the...

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