hen RavnAir Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April it caused a ripple effect of uncertainty and anxiety that started with the company’s 1,300 employees and extended to thousands of the state’s rural residents. And understandably so—a global pandemic was already threatening rural villages’ food security, and the airline was responsible for transporting everything from groceries and home supplies to mail, freight, and people to villages and towns all over Alaska.

So when RavnAir grounded its entire fleet and ceased operations, many were left wondering… what’s next? COVID-19 was just beginning to wreak havoc on the economy—and the aviation industry was suffering more than most. But it wasn’t long before Alaska’s support system kicked into gear and Grant Aviation and Alaska Air Cargo stepped in to fill some of the service gaps created by RavnAir’s departure.

English author John Donne first said in the seventeenth-century, “No man is an island.” And the saying remains as true today as it (apparently) was then. Rural Alaskans need their deliveries and Alaska companies stepped in to make sure they get them.

While it’s true that no man is an island, it’s also true that no industry is an island. No matter the industry, there are hundreds of support services companies operating, often in the background, to make sure workers are fed, tools and equipment are delivered, and buildings are constructed.

With this in mind we’re proudly launching the Industrial Support Services special section and directory to place a spotlight on the organizations that help keep the state’s industries running smoothly. Alaska’s network of support services companies is nearly as vast as the state itself, encompassing an extensive and varied collection of companies.

But what they have in common is what we admire most: a drive to make Alaska better. It’s not always an obvious choice to operate in Alaska, and those companies that accept the challenges of the Last Frontier and overcome them season after season are an inspiration. What seems impossible today will be conquered tomorrow, and we’re excited to show you how these companies are doing it.