ehind a successful company is a businessperson who sees a need and fills it. In Kodiak, that’s Cooper Curtis of Highmark Marine Fabrication.

Born in Anchorage, he grew up in Talkeetna and graduated early from high school. Afterward, he gained skills in small engine mechanics and completed welding courses at Alaska Vocational Technical Center in Seward.

“I worked for a company in Seward, but I fell in love with Kodiak,” Curtis says. “I left that company with no options to go on and moved to Kodiak.”

There, he set up with a welding truck as an independent contractor. But, he recalls, “I realized my clients needed more.”

In March 2014, Curtis opened his fabrication shop and grew it from one employee—himself—to forty-five full-time workers.

His military service provided him with insight into how to work with people. “I was enlisted for six years as a Marine and deployed to Botswana, Serbia, and Ukraine,” he says.

Those years were formative in how he approaches running Highmark Marine. “I gained the knowledge and insight into the leader I could be, and it was a huge help to making this company successful,” he says.

First and foremost, he says, is hiring good employees: “I realized as I grew that I needed more people.”

As the departments evolved, Curtis added skilled workers in varying specialties, from welding and fabrication to painting and finishing.

To keep up with the new departments, employees were given advanced training. “We hired people and sent them to additional training, and then they would pass on that knowledge,” he says.

Along with the surge in workers, Curtis added more locations and warehouse space. “We outgrew our old location and acquired an existing business in Kodiak in order to expand our operations,” he says. “Since then, we have added three more industrial warehouses and a dock that support our different operations.”

The old location boasts the 600-ton Marine Travelift hoist, the largest in Alaska, capable of lifting vessels up to 1.3 million pounds. The Travelift is in the shipyard owned by the City of Kodiak, which contracts with Highmark Marine to operate the shipyard.

The new dock is around the corner from Saint Paul Harbor, at East Point Dock in the Kodiak channel by Alimaq Bridge. “East Point Dock is owned and operated by us,” he says. “It expands our services to the waterfront and allows dockside repairs to be conducted at our own facility.” East Point Dock is open to marine vessels of every type and size for moorage, wharfage, crane services, underwater inspections, dockside repairs, and other services.

By adding a commercial diving division, Highmark Marine brought new capabilities and options to Kodiak and Alaska’s fleet and marine infrastructure. Pier and vessel-based with fast deployment capabilities across Alaska, diving services also enable piling and hull inspections, cleaning, welding, and repair. Diving, says Curtis, is the most physically demanding job.

A four-acre site on Mill Bay Road near Kodiak Municipal Airport encompasses Highmark Marine’s fabrication facility and an extensive inventory of metals, plastic, pipe fittings, compressed gases, coatings, abrasives, tools, marine propulsion equipment, and rental equipment.

In the waterjet and machine shop, Highmark Marine added the Flow Mach 500 CNC Waterjet, a fast and accurate computer-driven cutting platform that sprays garnet abrasives through a hair-thin water stream.

In the propulsion and alignment division, machinists diagnose, repair, and align marine propulsion steering systems. If a more extensive repair is needed, there is a full set of line boring and welding equipment, as well as bearings from Craft Roller and Duramax Marine.

Hull coatings are subject to constant maintenance at the shop. A vessel’s existing coating can be safely removed and replaced with traditional paint, spray foam, polyurea, or a thermal spray coating for vessels, exposed steel, and bridges that is similar to a field-applied galvanized coating.

Highmark Marine also supports the aerospace industry. Pacific Spaceport Complex, about 50 road miles from downtown Kodiak, has brought rocket launch activity to the island since it opened in 1998. Boosters and payloads occasionally demand the kind of services Highmark Marine provides for sea-going vessels.

In January, Highmark Marine acquired Salamander Exhaust Wraps, formerly in Kasilof, and moved its manufacturing operations to Kodiak.

“For over thirty years, Salamander has provided Alaska’s fishing, workboat, military, and pleasure vessel fleet with the highest quality exhaust insulation, manufactured right here by Alaskans,” a press release about the acquisition states.

The shop adds the capability for equipping marine engine exhaust systems with heat-resistant fiberglass wraps. Former owner Arnie Nelson passed on the manufacturing to Highmark Marine, while services remain available for installations and measuring on the Kenai peninsula.

Last year, the Highmark Marine added a new division, Alderknot Transport. “Alderknot Transport is our vessel division,” Curtis says. “We provide water taxi, freight transportation, and logistics services.”

The new division has a small but growing fleet. Curtis explains, “I built the work barge but purchased the [M/V] Nostromo and the [M/V] Osprey. Both of them underwent significant modifications after purchasing them. Alderknot was started last year.”

Highmark Marine worked on M/V Nostromo’s main engine exhaust, electrical system, propulsion, and a complete paint job from top to bottom. The 66-foot aluminum landing craft embodies Alderknot’s motto, “Per mare, per terram,” borrowed from the United Kingdom’s Royal Marines: by land, by sea.

Curtis says building the business was the most difficult thing he’s ever done.

“It’s very demanding, but I enjoy the challenge,” he says. “I just solve problems. That’s all there is. People have problems, and I come up with solutions.”

He enjoys bringing together all the varied aspects of a job in a way that satisfies his clients. “I integrate our twelve divisions into a project that’s turn-key and in-house,” says Curtis.

Sam Heitzenroder, the port engineer who oversees thirty vessels at Trident Seafoods in Seattle, Washington, is a fan.

“He’s the best of them,” says Heitzenroder. “I love working with him. He’s always fair, always treats us good. He’s gone out of his way, always willing to go that extra… Of all the dealings and vendors in the industry, he’s the most professional person I have dealt with. Is he expensive? Well, you get what you pay for, and he’s the best.”

Known for supporting the Kodiak community, Highmark Marine provided free drive-in movies at the local fairground during the COVID-19 pandemic. Curtis has also organized a clean-up for shore debris and arranged for certified divers to scour the harbor depths.

“It’s about making a difference in my community and the lives of my employees with excellent salaries and full benefits,” he says. “It’s not about me.”

Away from work, Curtis prefers the simple life. “I have a remote cabin, and that’s enough for me.”