Inbound Logistics | April 2026

Finds An Edge

Addressing Unique Challenges Still, infrastructure alone is not enough. Alaska’s scale, extreme weather, and limited routing options create unique challenges. “It’s a long supply chain with very little margin for error,” Johnson says. “When something breaks, the effects travel fast and take time to undo.” Span Alaska addresses these challenges through proactive planning and operational exibility. “Our goal is to make reliability repeatable—even when conditions aren’t,” Johnson says. “Customers shouldn’t have to redesign their business plans every time Alaska reminds us how big it is.” Span Alaska’s reach is a strategic advantage for customers. By integrating ocean shipping, inland transportation, ALASKA’S GLOBAL ADVANTAGE STRATEGIC LOCATION. Closest U.S. gateway to Asia, the Arctic, and northern shipping routes. LOGISTICS HUB. Top global hub for logistics with advanced infrastructure. COSTEFFICIENT ROUTES. Polar position shortens cargo routes and cuts fuel costs. KEY PROJECTS. Major airports, ports, and the Knik Arm Bridge & Tunnel. INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES. Open for business, attracting global investors. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy consistently emphasizes: • Alaska is “open for business” and actively invites partnerships. • The state seeks cross-border and international economic relationships. • Resource development is central to attracting and sustaining those relationships. • Alaska aims to be a long-term, stable partner for global investors.

Full-service transportation and logistics provider Lynden has been serving Alaska since 1954.

and local expertise, the company simplies supply chains while expanding access. “When customers work with us, they’re not stitching together multiple providers to reach different regions,” Johnson says. “They gain one partner that understands the entire state. Dependability improves how customers plan. When they trust the network, they can focus on growth instead of contingency.” Johnson is direct with companies considering expansion into Alaska. “There’s a cost to entry here—in time, capital, and expertise,” he says. “You can’t shortcut that.” “The consequences of failure here are amplied,” Johnson says. “If freight doesn’t arrive, businesses and communities feel it immediately. That’s why reliability isn’t a feature—it’s the baseline.” Ultimately, Johnson sees Span Alaska’s mission as broader than logistics. “When we help customers reach all corners of Alaska dependably, we’re supporting the state’s entire ecosystem,” he says. “Commerce, development, and quality of life all depend on freight moving the right way.” Taking a Purposeful Approach The state actively seeks strong business partnerships—both domestically and internationally, Alaska Gov. Mike

Dunleavy emphasizes. This reects a broader strategy of positioning Alaska as a partner in global supply chains and energy markets, especially in natural resources. “Whether they are minerals mined in Alaska’s remote interior, or king crab gathered from the bottom of the frigid Bering Sea, the infrastructure needed for production and distribution may have to be purpose-built rather than taken for granted as one so easily does given the extensive, government-provided socio- economic networks available across the Lower 48,” says Prokop. “Alaska has access to technologies that many in the Lower 48 are used to,” he says. “Examples include ber optic cables providing high-speed internet and surgical robots for advanced medical care, among others. “But despite improvements in technology, one constraint remains: Alaska is, in effect, a remote island,” Prokop says. “Furthermore, it has islands within its large land mass.” Imagine a state two-and-a-half times the size of Texas nestled between the Arctic and Pacic Oceans on one end and the vast Yukon wilderness on the other. Only air travel, coastal water ports, or one highway into Canada connect this “island” with the rest of civilization. No wonder, then, that logistics professionals with the skills to move cargo over wide and challenging spaces are among Alaska’s most valuable resources.

Source: Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities

66 Inbound Logistics • April 2026