Alaska Mining and Diving Supply, Inc. Information

AMDS - Alaska Mining & Diving Supply was founded in 1976 in Anchorage, Alaska by Dudley Benesch and Steve Herschbach. Dudley and Steve started the company while still in high school because of a shared interest in gold prospecting. The business began as a supplier of gold dredges and related diving equipment, hence the company name. The price of gold began to rise and the company's fortunes rose with it. However, it became clear that mining was a seasonal business, and so the company added product lines. These product lines evolved naturally from the original mining and diving concept. Woodstoves were added to heat the miner's cabin. Chainsaws were added to fill the woodstove. Boats were added to transport divers, and outboards to power the boats. Snowmobiles were a key addition in keeping the company busy in the winter months. So it continued over the years, and as sales have grown, the staff and facilities have expanded to fill the customer's needs. AMDS has become what is now Alaska's premier supplier of outdoor power equipment. The product lines are unique and comprehensive. While many of the products fill recreational needs, they are also critical to life in rural Alaska, and so the company has become expert in supplying Alaska's remote towns and villages. Dudley and Steve were quick to recognize the benefits the internet would offer not only their customers in Alaska but those in other states as well. The www.akmining.com website was established in 1998, making it one of the older existing websites on the internet. Orders ship out daily quickly and efficiently via the website to all 50 states giving the company a reach far beyond what Dudley and Steve could ever have imagined in 1976. In 2010 another step was taken in the evolution of the company. Dudley and Steve transitioned the company to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Alaska Mining & Diving Supply, Inc. is now an employee owned company! Every employee/owner is committed to providing the best service possible to the company's customers.