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Web posted Sunday, September 1, 2002 Business Profile     Curt McBride, left, vice president, and Vern Christianson, president and general manager, work with mining and construction industries at Automatic Welding & Supply Corp. PHOTO/Ed Bennett/AJOC Name of the company: Automatic Welding & Supply Corp. Established: 1958 Location: 3038 Rampart Drive, Anchorage, AK 99501 Telephone: 907-272-2457 Web site: www.ak-biz.com/automaticwelding E-mail: auto@awsc.com Major focus of services: Automatic Welding & Supply Corp. serves the mining and construction industries. The company handles welding repair and fabrication for trucks and other heavy construction equipment and sells specialized supplies. History of the company: Alaskan Emmett Roetman founded Automatic Welding & Supply in 1958 near Merrill Field in Anchorage. Two years later he moved the business to Post Road. In 1963 Automatic Welding & Supply relocated to the current location, and during the 1970s the company expanded its facilities. In 1970 Automatic Welding & Supply diversified its supply line to meet contractors' needs. The business posted steady gains then. An accident in 1981 during work on a fuel tanker trailer killed one man and damaged buildings. Roetman chose to retire that year, selling the business to his cousin Vern Christianson, Dale Davidson and Lloyd Walton. Three years later, Curt McBride bought Walton's share in the business. Automatic Welding & Supply struggled during the economic downturn of the mid-1980s, like other Alaska businesses. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, however, helped jumpstart business. In 1991 McBride and Christianson acquired Davidson's share of Automatic Welding & Supply. Today, the company employs up to 12 people, and designs and manufactures trailers used by the construction industry. Automatic Welding & Supply also provides some aluminum boat repair for its neighbor, Alaska Mining & Diving Supply Inc. Top accomplishment of the company: Christianson listed Automatic Welding & Supply's close relationships with customers as one achievement. "We've built up a very good reputation over the years," he said. Also, the company's more than four decades in business provides knowledge to help clients find specific parts, Christianson said. Major players: Vern Christianson, president and general manager, and Curt McBride, vice president, Automatic Welding & Supply Corp. Christianson moved from Minnesota to Alaska with his family in 1957. He first worked for Automatic Welding & Supply during high school in the early 1960s, helping clear property for a new facility. Christianson was hired as parts manager at the company in 1967 after graduating from Alaska Methodist University, now Alaska Pacific University. He later worked as sales manager, visiting clients around the state. McBride moved to Alaska from South Dakota in 1974. He worked as a welder at Anchorage Tank & Welding Inc. before joining Automatic Welding & Supply. -- Nancy Pounds