Samson Tug and Barge
Family-owned company credits long-term relationships for eight decades of success
By Vanessa Orr
From its humble beginnings as a horseand-cart operation delivering materials and goods to mining camps almost eight decades ago to its current iteration as a fully integrated, inter-modal, interstate marine freight common carrier, Samson Tug and Barge has always prided itself on being “Alaskans serving Alaskans.”

“We’re family owned, and we treat each other and our customers like family,” says Vice President Cory Baggen of the company started in 1937 and still run by her father, George Baggen. “Our success has come from looking out for our friends and neighbors.”

tug and barge out in Alaska
These close relationships include those with long-term vendors like GCI. For more than twenty years, GCI has helped the business grow, providing internet, cellular, and landline service at the majority of Samson’s locations. Samson offers barge freight and cargo hauling services on a scheduled, yearround basis from and throughout Alaska, as well as interport connections and charter and seasonal services.

“Any place that has GCI available, we use it,” says Baggen.

tug and barge out in Alaska with green mountain top in the background
tug and barge out in Alaska during sunset
She notes that GCI has gone above and beyond when needed, including when Samson was a victim of a cyberattack eight years ago. “It shut us down and I didn’t know what to do,” says Baggen, who had no computers or servers at her disposal to track and ship freight. “GCI called in the calvary, and their team got us up and running in days—sometimes working until 2 a.m. To be quite honest, without them, I don’t know if we’d still be in business.”

“They have always responded when we’ve called,” adds Annika Hansen, director of information systems. “Our new account manager, Andrea, even called us recently to let us know that we would be getting reimbursed for the services we couldn’t use when a cable was cut in Sitka. I hadn’t even contacted her about it, but she wanted us to know that they were going to take care of us.”

“We’re really thankful for their service,” adds Baggen. “We’re big GCI fans.”

Samson III boat on the water
Headquartered in Alaska, GCI provides data, mobile, video, voice, and managed services to consumer, business, government, and carrier customers throughout Alaska, serving more than 200 communities. The company has invested more than $4 billion in its Alaska network and facilities over the past 40 years and recently launched true standards-based 5G NR service in Anchorage. GCI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Broadband Corporation. To learn more about GCI and its services, visit www.gci.com.
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