Nationally recognized manufacturing business makes Palmer its new home

PALMER — An international manufacturing company that has been among the fastest growing companies in the country has chosen Palmer as it’s new home.

While manufacturing may not be a part of Palmer’s storied history, bush planes and bush pilots certainly are. Airframes Alaska is moving its headquarters to Commercial Drive in Palmer and bringing the $15 million a year business with them.

“We’ve grown so much so fast that there is no way to expand here at the airport, so we decided we looked at a lot of different options and decided Palmer is really the place we want to be,” said Airframes Alaska CEO Heather Montgomery.

In a brief history of bush piloting shown on the Airframes Alaska website, Alaskan bush piloting began in 1920 when Ben Eielson began delivering mail by plane. Airframes Alaska started in 2008 when Airframes inc. rebranded. In 2014, AA bought Alaskan Bushwheels and moved the legendary bush tire company back to Alaska from Oregon. In 2015 AA bought Reeve Air Motive where it now operates it’s Merrill Field retail site. In 2017 AA purchased Performance STOL who manufactures flaps for PA-18’s and cub type planes. The company built out of several other smaller companies had centered their products around the Piper Super Cub, and seeking new ways to reach their customer base, bought Alaska Tent and Tarp in October. Alaska Tent and Tarp specializes in covering planes for over 60 years.

“Our customers are the people that actually use the aircraft every day for the business or just for the lifestyle, not just people that really use it on a day to day basis, but also the recreational pilot as well,” Montgomery said.

Airframes Alaska was featured on the Inc. 5000 list for the fastest growing private companies in America as the fastest in the state and 11th fastest in the country. Airframes Alaska was also named the Made in Alaska Manufacturer of the Year for 2014. While Airframes Alaska sells 10 percent of it’s bush plane parts and wheels to international customers, Alaska accounts for 30 percent of the business while the Lower 48 accounts for just 60 percent altogether.

“So many of our customers are really just about being able to get out there in the bush and live this Alaska dream. That’s what we all aspire to,” Montgomery said. “Thirty percent for one state is actually fairly significant. We feel like it’s so important to keep these jobs in Alaska. We are Alaskans and feel it’s important to support Alaskan economy.”

Once they’ve moved into Palmer, they’ll be hiring welders and sewers to keep up with the high demand for their products. Airframes Alaska employs 40 employees statewide in Fairbanks, at Merrill Field and their current headquarters at the Birchwood Airport. All the struts, gear, tailfeathers, engine mounts, seats, petals, fuselages and any other bush plane parts are built by the six tig welders. Responding to their rapid growth, the lead time went from eight months in 2014 to just two weeks in 2016. The five engineers can oversee up to 25 projects at a time, updating or sometimes inventing new products along the way while navigating FAA certifications. The eight tire builders that make every bushwheel by hand made 1,500 bushwheels in 2015 at 11.5 man hours per bushwheel. The two assemblers that build double slotted flaps, the performance STOL that increases takeoff and landing speeds without increasing the angle of attack.

“Our mission is to provide strong and safe products to push pilots or aspiring bush pilots who push the edge of their aircraft while providing vital access to remote villages and outposts supporting hunters, researchers, archaeologists, prospectors, paleontologists, and fellow backcountry adventurers. Simply put, we make the best parts for the best pilots,” reads the company’s website.

While Palmer is certainly more well known for agriculture as it’s seminal industry, Airframes Alaska is hoping to make Alaska as seen from the sky it’s most memorable one. Montgomery said that they looked at several other locations, but none of them offered the ability to grow. Montgomery said that many of Airframes’ employees already call the Valley home, and wants to grow the company in Palmer, as so many farmers have done for generations.

“I have always had a strong fondness for Palmer. People might think we’re crazy for being a manufacturing company in Alaska. There’s really not a strong manufacturing industry up here, especially when most of our customers are in the Lower 48,” Montgomery said. “The place in Palmer really gave us that space as well as the infrastructure that we need in order to manufacture our products.”

Contact Frontiersman reporter Tim Rockey at tim.rockey@frontiersman.com.