Native-owned tour company offers star treatment: have a night out on the town in a luxury bus that seats 33.

• Author: Cutler, Debbie
• Position: Alaska Native Business News - Kenny Timberwolf's executive day coach bus

Kenny Timberwolf's, a Haida/Athabascan Native Alaskan, in his executive day coach. Timberwolf also is willing to bring an entertainment coach to Alaska from the Lower 48, with up to 12 bunks, for travelers who want overnight bus accommodations while traveling.

Kenny Timberwolf's executive day coach is a mixture between a bus and a limousine.

It's shaped like a tour bus, but gone are the standard front facing seals. In their place are black leather couches that line the walls in its front and rear compartments. There are two stereo systems, a microwave, marbled bars, a built-in cooler, closets, a bathroom, mirrored and lighted ceilings, opera wall lighting and more. This executive day coach, which was originally built in 1997 and renovated from the ground up in 2001, boasts three TVs, including a 36-inch big screen version at the rear of the bus, a 21-inch monitor in front of the rear compartment, and a 21-inch screen up front.

"The TVs can play together for meeting purposes, or be used for entertainment," said Timberwolf, owner of Alaska Timberwolf Journeys & Tours LLC. Passengers can use the TVs for a PowerPoint presentation, or utilize the day coach's DVD, VCR and CD players. "It can be a portable office," said Timberwolf.

The day coach, which can be used to transport business passengers to Gird wood for an eloquent dinner in a nice restaurant or cart visitors on a five day tom of the state, seats up to 33 for shorter trips and up to 28 for longer trips. Luxury is Timberwolf's trademark. In fact, when Timberwolf and his wife, Panu Lucier, brought the bus up from Atlanta last summer, curious bystanders approached them.

"Every time we stopped to fuel or to eat, people came up to us wanting to know who was famous inside," said Timberwolf. "This coach has been a day coach for the stars."

There is storage inside the bus, as well as 300 cubic feet of luggage space underneath. "It works great for tours, family outings, camping trips, fishing trips, golfing and for conferences," said Timberwolf. "You can carry all your literature and boards underneath. The sound system makes it a great marketing tool for companies because they can put up their product on all three TVs and can show their clients Alaska while they take them to the Double Musky for dinner.

"It comes with a wireless microphone system that allows a speaker to move from compartment to compartment to answer questions. This way they can walk in the back and be talking to somebody and...