Yukon Equipment, still making the grade: oldest Alaskan-owned heavy equipment dealer.

• Author: West, Gail
• Position: CONSTRUCTION

Yukon Equipment Inc. had a pretty good year in 2011, according to Roy Rank, general manager, "but the industry is in an uncertain mode fight now."

The nation continues to face one of its biggest recessions and the world's economy is in turmoil. Alaska, although it hasn't felt the recession as heavily as other states, hasn't been completely immune. Most of the state's economic sectors have been relatively flat, "but in the heavy equipment industry, we're all cautiously optimistic that the economy will climb back up," Rank added. "Everyone who has done well to this point is positioned to do well in the future, and Yukon is those ranks."

With several projects in the pending stages--mines in the permitting process, Susitna hydro project moving forward, the Knik Arm Bridge, the gas line and bullet line under discussion, and the governor trying the get the oil industry back on track--Rank said there are several mega projects that could be ahead for the industry.

"There's no other state with so much work in front of them," he said. "If we only get one or two of those big projects, we'll do well."

Helping Yukon stay at the forefront of the heavy equipment sales and rental business is its new owner, Calista Corp. Calista is one of the 13 Alaska Native regional corporations and one with its roots in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. According to its website, "Calista's success is built upon solid partnerships and the formation of strategic teaming relationships." Certainly, one of those partnerships is the one with Yukon Equipment which Calista purchased in the fall of 2010.

"We're a subsidiary of Calista now," said Morry Hollowell, Yukon's president, "but we continue to manage and operate the company as we have for the past 66 years. With Calista behind us, we're now a more highly capitalized company--they've added their financial strength to Yukon."

Besides the relatively new ownership of the company is the addition of Rank as general manager. "I just came on as general manager June 1," he said.

ADDING EXPERIENCE

Rank first began working as a salesman for Yukon in 1993 when he moved to Alaska from San Diego. He brought with him years of experience in the heavy equipment sales and rental industry. Two years after joining Yukon, he went a bit further north to Fairbanks and opened the company's store there. Eventually, Rank became a part owner of the company, then sold his portion of Yukon to pursue other opportunities with Alaska Construction Equipment Inc...