At a Glance
Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.
What charity or cause are you passionate about?
Local food banks, Covenant House Alaska.
What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Savannah, Georgia.
Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert?
Nirvana.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
A squirrel.
At a Glance
Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.
What charity or cause are you passionate about?
Local food banks, Covenant House Alaska.
What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Savannah, Georgia.
Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert?
Nirvana.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
A squirrel.
Off the Cuff
dvancing from delivery driver to CEO might seem like a stretch, but then again, stretchy is Alaska Rubber Group’s middle name. Mike Mortensen started working for the Anchorage-based industrial supplier in 1994 during a break from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln—a break that became permanent when he decided to stay in Alaska for love.
From pulling hoses and building orders to flying out to the Bush to splice conveyor belts, Mortensen worked his way up to COO when the company expanded to Washington and Oregon in 2013, through the acquisition of Arctic Wire Rope & Supply in 2020. He became chief executive when longtime president and CEO Janeece Higgins retired in 2021.
Mortensen says he’s passionate about creating opportunity for everyone who wants it, just as he was given.
As for rubber: “That’s a weird smell, but I don’t smell it anymore.”
Mike Mortensen: I love to spend time at the gym. Physical fitness is my go-to thing… In the wintertime, I spend a lot of time with my wife playing golf in the Phoenix area.
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?
Mortensen: I just re-engaged with learning guitar again after twenty years. After a long day at work, I’m trying to learn some guitar chords.
AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Mortensen: I’m not a real outdoorsman, sleep on the ground, hike, carry a pack… [but] last summer I took fifteen young men, ages 11 to 17, and we did Crow Pass in three days.
AB: Is there anything you’re superstitious about?
Mortensen: Every time I walk on an airplane, I always tap the door, the side of the doorframe.
AB: What’s your favorite local restaurant?
Mortensen: Haute Quarter Grill.
Mortensen: I have a drift boat and a powerboat, so yeah. Now, they’re co-owned! I have a buddy and we own ‘em together… The Kenai River is my zen place… I like to go trout fishing in the fall.
AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?
Mortensen: Loyalty is my best attribute, and my worst attribute is probably that I talk too much [he laughs].
AB: Other than your current career, if you were a kid today, what would your dream job be?
Mortensen: Naval aviator. I was just in Annapolis… and I was so impressed by these young people in their midshipman’s uniforms, the history there. It was super impressive.
AB: What does it take to be successful in what you do?
Mortensen: Hard work, determination, and getting up every day and taking the opportunities that come your way. 
