SPECIAL BONUS CONTENT
From the Nov.-Dec. 2023 Issue of Industrial Supply Magazine's Cover Story: SKIN IN THE GAMESidebar: Meet Mike MortensonThe president and CEO of ARG Industrial, based in Anchorage, Alaska, is actually a transplant from the Midwest who came to visit his dad on Christmas break in 1994, fell in love with Alaska and then fell in love with a girl. Mike Mortenson was hooked, and the lower 48 (aka the contiguous United States) have been in the rearview mirror ever since – at least as far his residence goes. But these days, he and his wife (yes, they got married) try to head south about once a quarter.
Once Mortenson determined to build a life in Alaska, he heeded well his father’s advice and got to work looking for a job. He walked into Alaska Rubber & Supply to fill out an application, and the manager asked him, “Is this what you want to do for the rest of your life?” Whatever he replied must’ve sufficed, because he started driving the delivery truck that afternoon.
Over the course of the next 29 years, he moved from shipping and receiving, production, belt splicing, fabricating, and ultimately leadership roles including branch manager, overseeing acquisitions, chief operations officer, and finally president and CEO in 2020.
“I don't know that I would have had the opportunities I’ve been given if I hadn’t collided with the distribution business,” he said. “And I feel a tremendous responsibility to wake up every day, put on my running shoes, and get out there and try to find more business opportunities so that next generation that's coming up can take a similar journey to mine if that's what they want. If they want to sit in this chair, man, I'm super excited about that.”
Mortenson is the second vice president of NAHAD – The Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution and will serve as president in 2025. He’s also on the executive board of the IDCO buying group, which he’ll soon be chairing.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The January/February issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about MSC Industrial Supply. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam and Frank Hurtte, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
