Profiles in Mining: Soloy Helicopters g y p Supporting mining since day 1
SPECIAL TO THE ALASKA MINER The Soloy family has been providing helicopter services in Alaska for more than 30 years. Soloy Helicopters is an Alaskan-owned and operated he- licopter charter company, based in Wasilla and op- P]L_TYRLʮPP_ZQ $`_TWT_dP\`T[[POSPWTNZ[_P]^ Soloy Helicopters was founded by Jan and Chris Soloy in 1979 with a desire to provide innovation in the Alaska utility helicopter market, and they continue to lead the company. Their son Sam is now director of operations for the company. Sam’s grandfather was an entrepreneur in Alaska, with several companies serving the min- ing industry. “We still do some of what Grandpa did,” Sam said. “Dad always knew he wanted to come back to ,WL^VL3P^_L]_POTYLT][WLYP^LYOʮPb_SPXQZ] LbSTWP,YOSPOPNTOPOSL`WTYRʭ^SbT_SLSPWT - copter was something to get into. One job led to another and pretty soon he made a business of it. “But mining has always been our mainstay in the summer,” Sam said. “We’ve been in the mineral industry and sup- porting those companies basically from day one, and that holds true today. “We are still at the point where everybody does PaP]d_STYRBPL]PʮdTYR $SPWTNZ[_P]^_ST^dPL] \`T_P L OTʬP]PY_ ʮPP_ _SLY bSL_ _SPd SLO MLNV then.” Sam for example is both pilot and mechanic, LYO LW^Z ʮTP^ L .P^^YL ! ^`[[Z]_ LT][WLYP _Z get into camps quickly. “We save our customers time and money by reducing their down time.” That mission drives everything the company does, from management systems to a focus on safety. “We have not worked too hard on mission statements. We provide good quality and safe ser- vice to our clients. We make sure we do what we can to provide reliable service, so when they’re on the job, they can count on us.” >ZWZdVPP[^LQ`WW^_LʬZQXPNSLYTN^LYO[TWZ_^ able to adapt to whatever work needs to be done. ɭBPʮd_SPbLd_SL__SPN`^_ZXP]bLY_^_ZMP ʮZbYɮ
Their year includes some interesting other jobs, like helping the Alaska Department of Fish & Game capture animals including polar bears, brown bears and black bears. “I have to applaud a lot of the companies we work for. They spend money on helicopters be- cause that’s the only way to get to their work. But they also leave no trace that they’ve been there.” The ability to use helicopters to minimize im- pact on remote areas is often overlooked, he said. “They’re able to do a job with low harm to the PYaT]ZYXPY_ BSPY dZ`ɪ]P ʮdTYR Zʬ dZ` NLYɪ_ see that anyone has ever been there. You’re not having to bulldoze trails to get there. It’s pretty environmentally friendly.” Soloy expanded in 2018, moving to the Wasilla Airport. “That allowed us to have a larger hangar and move our helicopters inside for the winter. That speeds up our annuals. From the day we are done with the mineral industry in September, we are tearing these helicopters apart for next year. We spend all winter long working on helicopters, so we’re available every single day in summer.” It’s important that support industries actively support mining, he said. “We like to support AMA. They give us the op- portunity to get our name out there in the local community, to get together with everybody, and obviously the convention is a big part of that. “But they also advocate for the mineral indus- try in Alaska. They play a big part of doing busi- ness in Alaska, to keep us attractive for investors in Alaska. Doing the right thing for the environ- ment for local people, and also for the people and companies that invest in Alaska, is always a del- icate balance. “I think AMA does a good job of that.” 3PLY_TNT[L_P^ʮPcTMTWT_dLYOPʯNTPYNdbTWWMP the necessary future of everyone working in Alas- ka. “In Alaska there is only so much work, so in- stead of expanding what we want to do is run XZ]PPʯNTPY_WdLYOMPʮPcTMWPbT_SbSL__SPTY - dustry is doing. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
July 2019
The Alaska Miner
23
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