Lynden is recognizing employees who make a difference every day on the job and demonstrate our core values, Lynden's very own everyday heroes! Employees are nominated by managers and supervisors from all roles within the Lynden family of companies.
Introducing David Curtis, Captain at Bering Marine Corporation in Bethel, Alaska. 
Name: David Curtis
Company: Bering Marine Corporation
Title: Captain
Location: Bethel, AK
On the Job Since: 2006
Superpower: Persistence
Hometown: Oshkosh, WI
Favorite Movie: Jaws
Bucket List Destination: Spain
For Fun: Anything outdoors
How and when did you start working for Bering Marine Corporation?
I worked in the fishing industry in Bethel for 12 years. I first started as I was working my way through college at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. I worked on tender boats and fishing docks. Afterwards I earned my master’s degree. The Alaska lifestyle of making a living for five months out of the year and having freedom the rest of the year was ingrained in me. Although I had plenty of offers for jobs, including a teaching position, I decided to keep doing what I enjoyed, which was seasonal work.
In 2001, the fishing industry in Bethel was dwindling, so I made the move to maritime freight delivery and became a captain in my 30s. I was working as a captain for another company that provided charter delivery when Northland called me. I am now the Captain of the Arctic Gull, a push tug on the Kuskokwim River, and the Padilla, the pilot boat for the tugs and barges going to Bethel.
What is a typical day like for you?
My job is seasonal from mid-May through mid-October. I fly up to Alaska from my home in Kentucky to get the boats ready along with the mate and deckhand. Generally, the last week of May is when the first mainline barge arrives in Bethel. We unload freight in Bethel and begin our village deliveries 400 miles up the Kuskokwim River and down to Kuskokwim Bay. Freight varies from delivering oversized materials for a school or construction project in a village, to basic freight delivery. We often deliver large modular units and equipment on the barge. I remember a project in Tuluksak, which was a washeteria. We deliver diverse freight which is often vital to a village. It takes roughly a week to make all the deliveries. Our schedule is dictated by cargo to be delivered. We start the day by loading the barge in the morning, then we check the manifest, fuel up, and head out. I work with a mate and a deckhand.
I love to cook, and have always provided meals onboard, dating back to my fishing boat days. If I am in contact with someone I’ve worked with, they always mention something I’ve cooked for them in the past, like hearty breakfasts. If you are on my boat, there is probably something in the slow cooker. When you are at sea, a big part of your day is the meals. If people eat well and there is good food being served, it benefits everyone.
What has been most challenging in your career?
I have been extremely fortunate to work on a shallow draft vessel on rivers for my whole career. Even if you have rough weather on a river, you aren’t dealing with heavy seas. However, every day is a challenge with different water levels on the river, wind and adapting to changing conditions. Unloading the barge is physically taxing. You need to be fit to do this part of the job. I’m a captain and an operator, and my joy is no damage to freight.
What are you most proud of in your career?
Helping to improve village life. People come up to me and say thank you often in the villages I deliver to. I am very particular about how freight is loaded and unloaded on the barge. It’s very important to get freight to those remote villages; they can’t just call Costco and have it delivered. We keep that in mind, and all of us sincerely care about delivering intact freight. It can be a physically demanding job, but it’s also a benefit because it keeps you in shape.
Can you tell us about your family and growing up years?
I grew up outside of Oshkosh, in Ripon, WI, with a population of around 7,000. In high school I was a football player (center) and wrestled. When I went to college, I was struggling to find what I loved and ended up leaning toward speaking and business communications. I’ve always been led toward something in sales, teaching, or radio - often trying to get me on the air. I have many friends that I grew up with and from my college days. I still hang out with the same people I hung out with when I was 12. They are all over the country now, but we are still a tight-knit group of friends. Maybe it’s a Midwestern thing where shoveling snow is a hobby in itself. We rode bicycles everywhere – I rode my bike 7 miles to work and didn’t think anything of it. I also enjoyed deer, turkey and duck hunting and ice fishing. I have fond memories of those small-town values. The old timers who knew me at the time said I lived the life of Riley, meaning I led a charmed life. I feel fortunate and blessed to this day.
What was your first job?
I sheared Christmas trees and baled hay on farms. There were a lot of Christmas tree farms in the area, so this was a common job for kids my age. At 12 years old, I used a 4-foot machete and a long pole for grabbing the top of the tree to do my work. Some people don’t realize that Christmas trees are sheared to get the manicured look. I worked for a big company. They piled everyone on school buses and took you to the tree farms. You were paid by how many trees you could shear in an hour. The goal was about 60 trees an hour. There was a fair share of people down on their luck doing this work, so it was a learning experience for a teenaged boy to be working with a diverse group of people. I did it for three summers.
What would surprise most people about you?
I grew up on a 160-acre farm that produces alfalfa feed for dairy cows on local farms. I lived in Winnebago County, America’s Dairyland. When I was a kid there were small farms everywhere. My Dad still lives on the farm in rural Wisconsin. I now live in Kentucky, so I enjoy traveling there for visits with family and friends and to do some hunting.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
I enjoy hiking and mountain biking in state and national parks with my partner, Stephanie and our 8-year-old yellow lab Willow. One of the things I enjoy about living in the Southeast United States is the proximity to many other states like Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee, which have multiple state parks. Every winter or spring we pick a different park, hike there and spend time reading about the local history. We moved from Wisconsin to Hickory, KY, several years ago. Kentucky was an area where I hunted wild turkeys with friends. A house was up for sale there, and they called to let me know. It was 10 below in Superior, WI, at the time and it was 50 degrees in Kentucky, so it was a quick sale. I said, ‘I’m coming down tomorrow.’
What do you like best about your job?
I really enjoy Alaskan culture and visiting the many villages and people that I have gotten to know over the years as well as knowing how much our work is truly valued by the communities we serve. I enjoy the constant variety of challenges every day. It keeps work interesting. The different types of loading logistics, different types of freight and ever-changing river conditions and water levels make it an exciting career.
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