Cathy Mosley, owner of Alaska Warehouse Specialists in the Huffman Business Park in Anchorage, says good customer service will help her business succeed.
PHOTO/Pat King/AJOC
Name of the company: Alaska Warehouse Specialists, Inc.
Established: 2003.
Location: 12101 Industry Way, Building C, Unit 3, Anchorage, AK 99515 (Huffman Business Park).
Focus of service: Alaska owned and operated, the company is a wholesale equipment and materials handling corporation, specializing in the sales and service of warehouse products, shipping and packing supplies, pallet racking, shelving, installations and equipment rentals. It also services warehouse machinery, such as forklifts, pallet jacks, handcarts, dock doors, levelers and lockers. In addition, the company offers forklift training classes.
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>History of company: Owner Cathy Mosley started the five-person company on May 1 after stepping away from nursing studies at the University of Alaska.
Mosley has extensive background in business, including 18 years at Long's Drugs, with five years as store manager in Anchorage.
"My experience in life has been business," Mosley said. "I bring a lot of business savvy to the table."
After her long stint with Long's, she worked three years as a sales manager for Bromar-Marketing Specialists and three years as an area manager for Gillette.
Her husband, Tim Mosley Sr., is sales manager, and their son, Tim Mosley Jr., is warehouse supervisor.
"Alaska has been good to us," Cathy Mosley said. "You would need four times the capital in the Lower 48 to start the same business as in Alaska."
Major accomplishments: Cathy Mosley is projecting revenue of $675,000 for 2003, with growth to $870,000 in 2004, $965,000 for 2005 and more than $1 million for 2006.
"We're going to make it," she said. "I'm a very determined person. Customer service is going to be our main focus. We're going to follow through and follow up."
The company is a new member of Alaska General Contractors, and, as a woman-owned business, receives preferential consideration when bidding on certain federally funded projects.
Mosley has a solid background in outside sales.
"I love sales," she said. "That's my forte."
Currently the company is bidding on about 20 jobs, including work for Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif. The company has a contract with Elmendorf AFB to supply hospital carts. It also has done work for regional Native corporation Calista Corp., and for Alaska Mining and Diving Supply.
Major players: Helping the three Mosleys are Charlie Stewart, mechanic, and Sherri Saari, office bookkeeper.
