50 Years in Alaska: Why "Family-Run" is a Mindset, Not Just a Lineage

In Alaska, "longevity" isn’t just a marketing buzzword. It’s a survival stat. If you’ve been operating here for 50 years, you’ve survived earthquakes, oil price crashes, and the unique brand of chaos that comes with doing business in the Last Frontier.

At Skurla’s, we’re hitting that half-century mark this year. And as I look back at where we started and where we are now (even though I've only been here 18 years), I’ve realized something: we were founded as a family-run business, and we’re still a family-run business—even though the "family" looks a little different today.

The Passing of the Torch

When people hear "family-owned," they usually think of a straight line of succession from father to son. But in the real world, families evolve. Sometimes the people who step up to lead aren't the ones sharing a last name, but the ones who have shared the trenches. And it was with the folks you already know and have been working with for years, like Jesse, myself (Thomas), Julie, and the rest of the team.

When the leadership transitioned at Skurla’s, we didn't sell out to some faceless Lower 48 conglomerate. We kept it local. We kept it personal. The "family" changed, but the culture—the grit, the late-night support calls, and the "we’ll-be-there-in-an-hour" attitude—stayed exactly the same. And we're still family in a lot of ways. My kids know "Uncle Jesse" like a blood relation, and well Julie is my wife. So yeah, still family owned!

Why Should You Care?

If you’re running a bar in Anchorage or a retail shop in the Mat-Su, you’ve probably dealt with the "big box" POS providers. You know the drill: you’re a ticket number in a queue, talking to a call center that doesn't know the difference between Spenard and South Anchorage.

Here is why our 50-year legacy matters to your bottom line:

• We Aren't Going Anywhere: 50 years of history means we have the stability to support you for the next 50. We aren't a startup looking for an exit strategy; we’re a neighbor looking for a partnership.

• We Know Change: We've weathered a ton of change, we embrace it. We've taken the state from primitive mechanical cash registers to modern, high tech POS. Experience speaks volumes and we've got decades of it.

• The Owners Are in the Building: When there’s a crisis, you aren't shouting into a void. You’re dealing with a local team that is personally invested in your uptime.

• No Fine Print BS: We know the Alaskan business climate is tough enough. That’s why we stick to simple, transparent pricing—one monthly fee for hardware, software, and support. No surprises, just service.
  

It’s About the "How"

Longevity in the tech world is rare because the "what" changes every five minutes. The hardware gets faster, the software gets sleeker. But at Skurla’s, we know that staying power is actually about the "how."

How do we treat our staff? Like family. How do we treat our customers? Like neighbors.

We care because we’re in this with you. We’ve built our legacy on helping you build yours. We were founded as a family, we’ve grown as a family, and we’d be honored to have your business join that story.