Employees stood scattered throughout the H1 hangar of Bering Air’s Nome headquarters. All eyes were on Tony Matson as he descended down a dark stairwell. Applause echoed against the walls of the large facility as it was announced that July 12, 2024 was Matson’s 40th anniversary with the regional airline.
Matson grew up on a small farm in Minnesota. There, he honed his mechanical skills and decided he wanted to pursue a career in aviation. While earning his aviation mechanic’s license, Matson was inspired by classmates that set off to Alaska after graduating.
Matson later made the courageous decision to send his resume to Wien Airlines in Kotzebue. As luck would have it, his resume was handed over to Jim Rowe. The Bering Air founder and owner gave Matson a call and offered him a job on the spot.
“He obviously must have got ahold of my instructors, I didn’t really have any other references for mechanicing. He said, ‘Well, if you want it, there’ll be a ticket at will-call at the Anchorage Airport’,” Matson recalled. “I tell people that’s been the one and only job interview in my entire life.”
Matson’s career at Bering Air began in 1984, just five years after the company was founded. His employee number is 11, a number now in the 1,100’s for new hires. He’s witnessed the rise of Bering Air as the predominant airline for village travel on the Seward Peninsula. Matson credits their success to the dedication of his fellow employees.
“When it started out there was half a dozen airlines, we were just one of many. Not that we were ever trying to drive anyone out but I believe we just did the job better."
- Tony Matson, Parts Manager at Bering Air
Matson has since progressed into his current role as Parts Manager, where he is responsible for all of the small bits and pieces needed to keep Bering Air’s fleet flying safely. His desk sits just feet away from rows of shelves packed with parts, a space akin to a supermarket where every product is the size of a box of tissues and the price tags are random strings of numbers and letters.
According to Bering Air’s Director of Maintenance Ben Koelsch, his supervisor and coworker for nearly three decades, Matson clocks in at 6:00 a.m. everyday, he rarely misses a day of work, and is a crucial piece of Bering Air’s operations. Koelsch said Matson’s relentless work ethic serves as an example to Bering Air employees new and old.
Matson hopes that upon retiring he can return to Minnesota, where he and his wife Sylvia Matson are from. For now, he’s focused on serving the people of western Alaska.
“We’re part of everyone’s day to day life. They ride on us, their groceries, their Amazon orders. Anything they do we’ve had a hand in it. I’m very proud to be part of something that important,” Matson said.
