Alaska Sales and Service - cruising to fifth decade.

• Author: Reid, Sean
• Position: Alaska Sales and Service Inc.

Defying wartime rationing, the '64 quake and Alaska's rollercoaster economy, Alaska Sales and Service drove down the road to growth -- and to its 50th anniversary.

The year was 1944: The industrial world was mass-producing the tools of war on a scale never seen before or since. Factories that once made toasters and refrigerators now made vital parts for bombers and battleships. Tires once destined for the family car were rolled out for Army trucks.

And the family car itself ... well, Detroit was stamping out tanks, trucks, Jeeps and artillery -- not cars. In fact, General Motors delivered only 107 passenger cars (including 27 Chevrolets and just one Oldsmobile) across the United States in 1944, and those were older models left in stock from previous years. It was one heck of a time to open a new car dealership.

But 50 years ago, in September 1944, Alaska Sales and Service defied the odds. Four partners bought the former Wells Motor Co. and launched what would become Anchorage's exclusive General Motors dealership as well as Alaska's largest auto and truck dealership. Today, the company is celebrating a half century in business.

The fact that they can celebrate that longevity is not lost on the company's current management and staff. For in a land renowned for its transient business successes and periodic economic busts, celebrating a golden anniversary in Alaska is something to celebrate all by itself.

Today, Alaska Sales and Service is one of the oldest and largest Alaskan-owned businesses. The numbers are formidable: With 292 Anchorage employees, Alaska Sales and Service last year sold nearly 3,000 new and used cars and more than 2,700 new and used trucks; serviced nearly 27,000 cars at its shop complex; and maintained more than 24,000 different parts in stock.

The company is one of the largest GM dealers in the region that includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Alaska Sales and Service is also one of the few GM dealers nationwide that carries all six GM model lines.

"I think our success over the years is largely because of our relationship with our customers," explains Leonard Bryant, the company's president and general manager. "We try to be friendly, straightforward and honest. Its a simple concept and it works, year in and year out."

Bryant, a 29-year Alaska Sales and Service veteran, also says he has seen plenty of changes in the car business over the years. "Detroit is now making world-class cars ... better than anything...