Two-way street: Washington-Alaska connected by more than just the highway.

• Author: Colby, Nicole Bonham
• Position: ALASKA WASHINGTON CONNECTION

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Live in Alaska long enough and you are sure to cross paths with something grown, constructed or transported from Puget Sound and Washington state. It's simply a case of geography--and ends/means doctrine. While Alaska remains a global leader in the natural resource and cargo transport realm, many items are simply too expensive or cumbersome to manufacture in-state--and therefore are cheaper and easier to simply import via Pacific Rim logistics hubs, Seattle and Tacoma. In turn, Alaska exports travel the reverse route, with our world-class fish, timber and cargo transiting south to Seattle or Tacoma, and then fed onward to the rest of the world via a complex transportation network.

More than just geographic siblings, Alaska and Washington State are connected via a logistics and supply chain infrastructure that provides world-class expediting to a worldwide market. For perspective, consider that Alaska international exports grew 12-plus percent last year, coming in at more than $4 billion, according to the Governor's Office of International Trade. Of course, not all of that represents transport via Puget Sound. But many traditional Alaska industries continue to use the north-south route favored by early explorers and adventurers to the state.

ALASKA SOUTH

One of the best examples of products typically en route from Alaska is arguably its premier marine resource--its seafood. Visible on store shelves and fresh meat & seafood grocery sections across the globe, wild Alaska salmon has built name-brand recognition. That's largely due to the delicious attributes of the product itself, plus a little extra help from ambitious marketing and stable export infrastructure network. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, created 20-plus years ago as a partnership between Alaska fishing industry and state government, reports that 50 percent of U.S. seafood production is produced in Alaska. How that silvery, slippery salmon moves from the frigid water of Alaska to the table of a fancy New York restaurant in literally hours is one example of the many feats of modern-day transportation infrastructure.

From its established cog in the logistics wheel, Alaska Airlines is among many logistics handlers and transporters that meet the need of transiting such precious cargo from Alaska south to Seattle and onward. Such was the case again last year with the much-coveted annual Copper River salmon rush. In one day, Alaska Airlines was estimated...