Alaska

As the owner of Rod’s Alaskan Guide Service, Rodney Pangborn hasn’t strayed far from his childhood passions. “I do today what I did as a kid growing up in New York–hunting, fishing, and being outdoors,” he says. “It’s just on a much larger scale here in Alaska.” After joining the Air Force at 17, Rod jumped at the chance to be stationed in Alaska and soon fell in love with the outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. When he retired from active duty in 2016, he returned and opened Rod’s Alaskan Guide Service. Today, Rod has 40 employees, including his three children, and together they lead guests from around the world on adventures like dog sledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and viewing the northern lights.

Rod began using Google Business Profile as soon as he launched the business, and he responds to every review–825 of them so far. “Good, bad, or indifferent, reviews are important,” he says. “We always like to hear the good stuff, but I like to hear if we didn't succeed on something, too, because that allows us the opportunity to make things better.” In 2018, Rod began running Google Ads and quickly saw results. Today, Google Ads account for about 15 percent of his business. Rod also uses Google Workspace to share documents and schedules with guests before they head into the wilderness, and he hosts his website’s videos on YouTube, giving guests a taste of the activities they can enjoy. A YouTube Short of boiling water meeting -50 degree air has over 22,000 views. Rod feels fortunate to be able to host several hundred guests from the Make-a-Wish Foundation and to sponsor events that help bring kids outdoors. In the coming years, Rod’s son, Rod Jr., and daughter-in-law will take over the business–but not quite yet. “I love what I do, and I love coming to work every day,” Rod says. “I may step back a little more, but for the foreseeable future, Big Rod is going to be around!”

Trickster Company arose from a personal passion: Rico Worl, a Tlingit and Athabascan Alaska Native, was looking for a way to express himself when he painted his clan’s crest on his skateboard. “As a modern Indigenous person, I wanted to represent my identity in my hobby,” he says, “and it caught people’s attention.” Demand for his designs grew quickly, so in 2014 he and his sister Crystal Worl founded Trickster Company, which sells artwork, apparel, and jewelry featuring their own modern Indigenous designs. “We’re passionate about creating products with Indigenous innovation that inspires all people to carry our gear with pride,” he says. They set up a Google Business Profile to reach a wider audience beyond social media and word of mouth. “Any business that wants to be serious should have a Business Profile,” says Rico.

Trickster Company sold their products in their local store until they closed it during the pandemic. Crystal describes this as a blessing in disguise. “It allowed us to move online, where people discovered us more quickly,” she recalls. “Our business took off. Now, in addition to our website, our products are carried by stores across Alaska and the continental U.S.” Trickster enjoys a steady 10 percent annual growth, helped by Google Workspace tools like Gmail, Drive, and Calendar. “I don’t know how we would run our business without Google Drive,” Crystal says. She and Rico use Drive to collaborate on designs remotely and then share large art files with the company’s Anchorage production facility. Both use Gemini to help brainstorm ideas and generate content–such as artist statements, social media captions, or product descriptions–which they modify with their own unique voices. “I’m a visual artist, but storytelling is an important part of sales. AI helps me fill in the gaps in my creative writing skills,” Rico says. “It’s become part of our process.”

Growing up fly fishing in Colorado, Adam Cuthriell dreamed of leading expeditions into the heart of the finest angling on Earth: Alaska. With passion to guide him, Adam moved to the Last Frontier and in 2015 opened FishHound Expeditions, a guide-owned and -operated company offering fly fishing trips on some of Alaska’s best rivers. From small beginnings, FishHound has grown into a one-stop shop for tourists, anglers, and adventurers from around the globe. Adam and his team of 10 employees operate 17 boats in four locations across Alaska, sharing not only the beauty of the backcountry with clients but the need to preserve it for generations to come. “I want people to walk away with an appreciation for what Alaska stands for, and how important that is,” Adam says.

FishHound uses Google Analytics to help them understand what adventures customers are most interested in, and uncover untapped opportunities hiding beneath the surface. “We saw a huge spike in people searching for steelhead trips, and realized it might be a viable thing to start offering in Alaska. Analytics made it loud and clear–and now we’re booked up,” Adam says. FishHound actively encourages awestruck clients to share videos of their trips on YouTube and to leave reviews on FishHound’s Google Business Profile. “Google Reviews are a cornerstone of our business, quite frankly,” he shares. “People can talk to you, they can see you, you can engage with them.” Today, over 50 percent of FishHound’s customers find them through their Business Profile. Google Analytics shows that their web traffic has tripled since 2020. With sales doubling year-over-year, FishHound is now ready to expand its conservation work to Central America. “We’re trying to help change the world with a fly rod,” Adam says, “and we’re stoked."

Linda Leary grew up in Maine and relocated to Alaska, experiencing both ends of the country in all its rugged beauty. As president of a trucking company, she enjoyed inviting clients to join in her favorite pastime–fly fishing. Linda loved being in nature and introducing other women to the sport, but was exasperated by the ill-fitting men’s waders and drab-colored clothing available for women. “I wanted to design fly-fishing apparel for women that would be colorful and functional–that could go from the river to dinner or shopping,” Linda reflects. After 30 years in trucking, Linda switched gears and founded Fishe® (pronounced “fishy”) in 2015, selling leggings, jackets, and belts out of her trunk. She hired women artists to create eye-catching, piscine-themed fabric designs, such as “troutrageous rainbow.” Google Ads helped Linda get her business and her e-commerce website off the ground. By 2017, Fishe had a flagship store in Anchorage and retailers carrying the brand across the U.S. Since then, sales have increased 272 percent.

Business kept growing during the pandemic as people sought refuge in the great outdoors, and Fishe now employs seven women. Their Google Business Profile informs customers of store hours, while showcasing new products and featuring reviews. Google Analytics and Google Data Studio let Fishe reel in their best performing products and web pages. “It’s really important for us to understand our audience better,” Linda says. Around 15 percent of sales now comes from Google traffic. Fishe also supports causes like Casting for Recovery and Covenant House with themed collections and donations. They plan to further expand internationally (they currently ship to 30+ countries), and Google tools will help them get there. “I love that our products inspire women to get on the water and to know that they are welcome in the fishing world,” says Linda.