Shareholder Describes Work at a Subsidiary
Storyknife, May/June 2025 edition
Yukon Equipment, Inc., under Calista Brice LLC, Calista’s construction holding line, is turning 80 years old this year. Formed in 1945, Yukon Equipment is the oldest Alaska-owned heavy equipment dealer in the state, with a longevity to reflect its wealth of experience.
From the city to remote locations, the experienced team at Yukon Equipment supports its customers, no matter where they are. Yukon Equipment has dealerships in Anchorage, Fairbanks and the Mat-Su Valley, but it also serves remote customers in the Calista Region and other parts of rural Alaska.
John Bill, a Calista Shareholder recently promoted Territory Sales Manager at Yukon Equipment, is excited to work in a place that can help other Shareholders.
“I help people find parts from across the state, but when I get a call from the [Calista] Region, I speak to them in Yugtun or let them know I’m from the Region too,” Bill says. “It helps build rapport with the customer when they know you understand where they’re coming from.”
Bill was born in Bethel and raised in Toksook Bay. He works at the Yukon Equipment dealership in Anchorage and before his promotion, he worked in parts and in the warehouse.
“People here [at Yukon] are great to work with and I love coming in to work,” Bill says.
What I learned from my Elders is to never get complacent. Like the military, something bad can happen if you become complacent.
John Bill, Calista Shareholder from Toksook Bay and Territory Sales Manager at Yukon Equipment
Bill was a laborer at QAP before joining Yukon Equipment, and before that, he served in the U.S. Army for 17 years.
“The discipline I learned from the Army brought me over here to continue working as a civilian,” he says.
His military experience and the subsistence way of life he learned in Toksook Bay have a positive influence in the workplace. For example, his military training has helped create a process to train new employees through leading by example.
“To show new employees what to do, we first talk them through it, walk them through it, then let them learn by themselves,” Bill says.
He says there are also some similarities between living the subsistence lifestyle and military service because both are essentially about survival.
“What I learned from my Elders is to never get complacent,” Bill says. “Like the military, something bad can happen if you become complacent. You have to know what you’re doing and stay vigilant.”
Bill also compares the work he does to subsistence fishing.
“It works the same way in this field, you need to have the right numbers and the right parts to help the customer,” Bill says. “In the same way you need to place your wooden guides properly to set up your net for ice fishing.”