Rabbit at Rest by John Updike.
What’s your favorite local restaurant?
Arctic Roadrunner.
Dead or alive, who would you see perform in concert?
Tom Petty.
What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Palm Springs, California.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
Has to be an American Eagle.
Rabbit at Rest by John Updike.
What’s your favorite local restaurant?
Arctic Roadrunner.
Dead or alive, who would you see perform in concert?
Tom Petty.
What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Palm Springs, California.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
Has to be an American Eagle.
Off the Cuff
reaking his leg during a childhood soccer game gave Sean McLaughlin spare time to learn computer coding. Software engineering skills took him as high as COO of the American Red Cross, and then he started over in Alaska. First, he bought Craig Taylor Equipment. Next, McLaughlin took further ownership stakes in diverse manufacturing concerns that he unified as Alaska Gear Company.
These days, he spends his time at Flyntlok, maker of the customer relationship management platform his other businesses use. “It’s almost like I’m in the cockpit of the other two companies by working on the software side,” he says.
He still codes for fun, and he runs his life like a program too. “I am a ritualistic guy,” McLaughlin confides. “Every day, I do the same thing. I make a list of the things I’m supposed to accomplish, and I get ‘em done.”
Sean McLaughlin: Dinner, then I read the news. I limit myself to read the news only once per day so I don’t “light myself up.”
AB: What do you do in your free time?
McLaughlin: Flying my R44 helicopter or PA-18 Super Cub.
AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
McLaughlin: Brooks Range hunts that I’ve gone on.
AB: What are you superstitious about?
McLaughlin: Bad things happen in threes. When the first thing happens, I slow everything down to avoid the second and third problem. That’s a big aviation thing.
AB: What’s your greatest extravagance?
McLaughlin: The aircraft, for sure… The Super Cub is practically business because I make all the airplane parts, but the R44 is pure extravagance.
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?
McLaughlin: Writing fiction.
AB: What charity or cause are you passionate about?
McLaughlin: Anything that affects people within three miles of me. You don’t have to move far to find someone in need. And when you do, you’re probably solving some other problem.
AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?
McLaughlin: I have to answer this stuff like my dad: “hard working, relentless.” And my worst attribute would be, oh, I swear a lot. I’m Boston Irish; what can I say?
