xclusive as the Top 49ers are, more exclusive still is the class entering the list for the first time. Four companies appear in the 2025 ranking that were not listed in 2024, but a couple of those are encores. Alaska Village Electric Cooperative makes the cut at #49, returning for a fifth time, and the first time since 2020. Cornerstone General Contractors has been a Top 49er seven times before, and after a hiatus since 2022, the firm is back at #48.
Like the ebb and flow of the tide, some years a company’s fortunes rise just high enough to pierce the revenue floor, allowing them to make their debut as a Top 49er. Others might’ve qualified in years past but hadn’t shared their revenue figures.
This year, Black Gold Express (BGE) and Natives of Kodiak (NOK) are the newcomers. Not only does 2025 mark the first time either company is ranked as a Top 49er, but they did it with their first submission of revenues for consideration.
Although they are new to the Top 49ers, BGE and NOK are hardly new to Alaska business, with a combined ninety years in operation.
“We’re a family owned and operated business,” says General Manager Chris Huffman, who operates BGE alongside his brother, Vice President Jeremy Huffman, and their dad, President and Founder Jim Huffman. “We care a lot about what we’re doing, our team, and our customers. Dedication to safety and good customer service are the primary things that we’re striving for.”
But recognition for robust revenue was never not a goal, either.
“I wouldn’t say that’s our primary focus, waking up in the morning and trying to push revenue up,” Jeremy says. “But we wanted to get on that list.”
As the company expanded, the Huffmans compared BGE’s annual revenues to those of the companies named to the list each year. They decided 2025 was their year.
“We saw the revenues last year and we were like, ‘We should probably submit it,’” Chris says.
That strategy and careful analysis proved to be spot on; the company’s $88,901,000 in 2024 revenue landed it at #45.
“Personally, I think that what propelled us over the last five-ish years is just having good customer service,” Jeremy says. “We’ve focused more on safety and hiring a good team that’s helped propel us and get new, larger contracts.”
BGE began in Fairbanks in 1987 with another brother duo at the helm, Jim and his brother John. The company provided heavy-haul transportation in and around Alaska.
“They had two trucks and rented a shop,” Chris says. “It’s just grown over the years.”
Today, BGE has yards in Fairbanks, Deadhorse, and Anchorage and employs 313 workers. The company provides trucking, transport, and logistics services for oil field, construction, and other industries throughout Alaska, Canada, and the Lower 48. That includes heavy-haul, hot shot, general freight, bulk transfer, and transport services.
“We transport full truckload freight to and from and within the state of Alaska,” Jeremy says. “We mostly specialize in contract work, surveying the oil field, the mining industry, and construction, predominantly.”
Jeremy and Chris believe that the 2013 opening of the company’s Deadhorse yard, combined with a focus on customer service and safety, contributed to the company’s growth.
Black Gold Express
In addition to large contracts with ConocoPhillips, BGE functions as the rolling pipeline between the Manh Choh gold mine and the ore processing mill at the Fort Knox mine north of Fairbanks. Since mining began near Tok in August 2023, BGE has averaged sixty loads per day, around the clock, sending a truck every twenty minutes on the four-hour haul. The continuous loop is a major escalation for the company’s operations.
“We were mostly doing civil contracts, like hauling dirt and asphalt and things like that for building roads and that sort of thing,” Jeremy says. “And then we kind of shifted our business model into more freight and heavy haul. We were operating just in Alaska, and we kind of changed our model a little bit to be a whole-service freight provider. So we’re actually covering the Lower 48 portions and over-the-water portions of the transport, which has expanded our business.”
Part of that expansion includes opening the Anchorage yard in 2024; that addition is part of BGE’s commitment to customer service.
“We’ve got a bunch of customers in Anchorage, so it just helps increase the efficiency,” Chris says. “And we had the opportunity to pick up a few really good employees, so we decided it was a good time to make the move.”
For now, Chris says BGE’s focus remains on “trying to do a really good job of what we do.”
“We want to grow our Anchorage terminal and our Anchorage customer base. That’s a focus for us this year,” he says. “I don’t think we have any plans for more locations, but we’re definitely open to growing.”
Both Huffman brothers believe that finally landing a long-coveted spot on the Top 49ers list will bring even more business opportunities.
“Getting on the list just gets you in front of more large companies, so they can kind of see that you’re a little more trustworthy than a guy that’s running around with five trucks,” Chris says.
“The company chose to focus on strengthening its core business functions and building a sustainable foundation before seeking recognition,” she says. “Now we are proud to showcase the accomplishments to our shareholders and the broader Alaska community.”
NOK was incorporated in 1973 under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act as a for-profit urban corporation, like Juneau’s Goldbelt, Sitka’s Shee Atiká, and Kenai Natives Association Inc. It received 23,040 acres of surface estate and $250,000 in cash and served 542 original shareholders. Over the past fifty-two years, NOK has grown to serve 995 shareholders spread across the United States and employs approximately 400 people nationwide—11 in Alaska—with offices in nineteen states. Its 2024 annual revenue was $204,621,857, enough for it to break through to #26 on the Top 49ers list.
NOK’s nine-member board of directors and its five-member management team work to responsibly grow the organization to support sustainable shareholder benefits and opportunities. It accomplishes this economic growth through a mix of asset diversification, strategic investments, and progressive land management.
NOK’s diverse portfolio spans commercial enterprises, government contracting, timber, land, and resource management. Its holding company, KOMAN Holdings, has a dozen subsidiaries that deliver environmental, construction, and administrative services for government and commercial clients nationwide.
“NOK is a dedicated service provider,” James says. “Our operations team actively seeks new clientele across our diverse service and construction offerings while continuing to pursue growth opportunities within all our business lines.”
“NOK continues to pursue strategic opportunities, whether through diversification or bolt-on acquisitions, that create meaningful synergies and strengthen our portfolio,” James says.
She says being included in the Top 49ers list is an honor, one that will help NOK to continue growing and achieve its overall mission to support its shareholders and the wider community.
“We are honored to be recognized among the Top 49 companies in the state, a distinction that brings honor and pride to our shareholders,” she says. “This achievement reflects the strength and success of our operations while enhancing our corporate profile.”