Conquering the Complicated

GHEMM gets it done

By David A. James

or more than 70 years, GHEMM Company has been known for its outstanding work, first on road projects and, for the past half-century, on commercial structures in Fairbanks and Alaska’s Interior.

“We do big jobs, we do small jobs,” says Meg Nordale, GHEMM’s president. “We work for private people. We work for public entities. We do building remodels, new buildings, industrial work, office space, hospitals.”

GHEMM has worked on countless prominent projects in the Golden Heart City, including several local branches of Mt. McKinley Bank and the new bus and van garage at the Fairbanks Transit Station, as well as a major renovation of the Bartlett and Moore residence halls on the UAF campus.

Whether clients arrive with a design in hand or need help finding an architect before breaking ground, Nordale says, “We’ll help you through the process, and we’ll build it for you.”

GHEMM’s eighty employees range from engineers to project managers to laborers. Many have been with the company for decades.

“We keep a pretty steady crew of people all year round,” Nordale says. “We dig a hole in the ground in April or May. We get a building up. We get it enclosed. Get it nice and cozy and warm. And then we work through the winter.” She adds that, “When the snow melts, we do the landscaping and we go away.”

She says, “The message we always try to portray is, no job is ever too big, and we’re likely the right fit for anything that’s remotely complicated.”

One of the most complicated types of projects GHEMM specializes in is medical facilities. The company has done extensive work across the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital campus, where it built the surgery center, the imaging center, the Porter Heart Center, and the recently moved urgent care clinic, among other projects.

It wasn’t by accident that GHEMM secured the medical construction contracts; it took focused effort. Company management, engineers, carpenters, and laborers keep abreast of the technological needs of the medical industry, often attending training classes in the Lower 48.

“As the sophistication level of medical facilities in Fairbanks grew, it just necessitated that we grow our knowledge as well,” Nordale explains.

In December 2023, GHEMM Company completed the Fairbanks North Star Borough Transit Facility, used for bus maintenance and office space.

The medical facilities are just part of the portfolio GHEMM has been building since 1952. GHEMM was launched through the five-man partnership of Clyde Geraghty, Carl Heflinger, Carl Erickson, Bob Mitchell, and Harvey Marlin, who lent the first letters of their last names to the acronym that became the company name.

Heflinger, a gold miner, shortly decided he wanted to return to his claims, and Con Frank came in to take his place. All five owners remained with the company through the ends of their lives.

Initially GHEMM focused on roadwork and trucking and built bridges on many Interior highways, most notably the E.L. Patton Yukon River Bridge spanning the third-longest river in North America.

Within a few years the company shifted away from highway projects and began to focus exclusively on vertical construction. In the decades since, it has earned a reputation for high-quality work.

Ownership of GHEMM recently passed into the hands of Bristol Bay Industrial, an investment firm owned by Bristol Bay Native Corporation. But Nordale says the change in ownership hasn’t affected the work. “It’s very much, you just keep doing what you do.”

GHEMM’s work ethic is what keeps clients coming back. “One thing that we pride ourselves in is we do repeat work for many, many people,” Nordale says. “We do a lot of work for Holland America. We do a lot of work for the hospital. We do a lot of work for the university, for Mount McKinley bank, for Tanana Chiefs Conference [TCC]. We have relationships with all of them.”

Tim Troppmann, facilities senior project manager at TCC, says that’s exactly what maintains the Alaska Native nonprofit corporation’s loyalty.

“I have worked hand in hand with GHEMM for over 20 years and would work with GHEMM anytime,” he says. “There are always challenges and issues to resolve with any project, regardless of size. GHEMM always takes the time and initiative to collaborate with the owner, design team, and others to find workable solutions that keep the schedule and cost in the forefront. As an owner, I have grown to trust GHEMM as a substantial value-added partner in TCC’s projects.”

GHEMM strives to accomplish this with every job. “Our reputation is, we tell you what it’s going to cost and we don’t charge you more,” Nordale concludes. “We tell you when we’re going to get done—we’re never late. And the quality is top-notch.”