Alaska Mining & Diving Supply was founded in 1976 in Anchorage, Alaska by Dudley Benesch and Steve Herschbach. Dudley and Steve started the company while still in high school because of a shared interest in gold prospecting. The business began as a supplier of gold dredges and related diving equipment, hence the company name.

Dudley Benesch & Steve Herschbach
The price of gold began to rise and the company's fortunes rose with it. However, it became clear that mining was a seasonal business, and so the company added product lines. These product lines evolved naturally from the original mining and diving concept. Woodstoves were added to heat the miner's cabin. Chainsaws were added to fill the woodstove. Boats were added to transport divers, and outboards to power the boats. Snowmobiles were a key addition in keeping the company busy in the winter months.
So it continued over the years, and as sales have grown, the staff and facilities have expanded to fill the customer's needs. Alaska Mining & Diving Supply has become what is now Alaska's premier supplier of outdoor power equipment. The product lines are unique and comprehensive. While many of the products fill recreational needs, they are also critical to life in rural Alaska, and so the company has become expert in supplying Alaska's remote towns and villages.
Even though the company has grown far beyond it's beginning as an after school project for two young Alaskans, Alaska Mining & Diving Supply still retains it's unique Alaskan roots. Dudley and Steve are still behind the counters daily, and greet people who in over twenty-five years of business have become more than customers... they've become friends.

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