I built my first house when I was 17. It was not a hobby. It was the start of a life spent building: learning a trade, taking on risk, and putting down roots in Alaska's communities.
In my early twenties I was already buying and selling land, houses, warehouses, and apartment buildings. By 25 I held stakes in several real estate ventures, two construction firms, and a growing set of commercial assets. I learned early that you earn trust by doing what you said you would do.
When shale opened up North Dakota's Bakken, I started companies on the oilfields and grew them from modular water tanks into heavy civil, crane, roustabout, and oilfield services. Then oil prices fell hard and the market turned against operators across the basin. I came home to Alaska and started over. I built new companies and grew them right through the downturn. Those lean years taught me more than any good year ever did: stay diligent, learn from every setback, and keep building until the work pays off.
Today my wife Maiia and I own 15 companies spanning construction, Prudhoe Bay oil and gas infrastructure, real estate, office buildings, warehouses, airport terminals, and the everyday services that keep Fairbanks running. These are not abstract assets to me. They are buildings, jobs, families, tenants, vendors, and communities.
"My philosophy is to surround myself with specialists who are diligent in their work and have strong moral values."
Seth Church
My ambition has always been matched by purpose. When I am 80, I want to look back on my life and say I helped a lot of people, and that I made a difference.
