The story of Dowland-Bach begins much the same way as the story for Apple Computers – in a garage. While Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were orchestrating the oncoming computer revolution, Ed Clinton and his protégé Lynn Johnson were devising solutions to help companies engaged in Alaska’s oil revolution. Oil at Prudhoe Bay, on Alaska’s North Slope, was discovered in 1968 and Clinton and Johnson developed control systems to monitor the extreme pressures in the oil wells.

The oil companies known today as ConocoPhillips, BP and ExxonMobil needed reliable equipment that could endure the harsh arctic conditions where temperatures in the winter could reach 60 degrees below zero. In 1975, Clinton and Johnson created Dowland-Bach, named after classical composers John Dowland and Johann Sebastian Bach. It was music to the ears of the emerging oil industry and since then Dowland-Bach has built and sold more than 7,000 wellhead control panels from its Anchorage, Alaska manufacturing plant.

In the years following its humble beginnings, Dowland-Bach expanded into other services to support the oil industry and other resource development companies. These include chemical injection modules used in oil production and complex electrical control panels. Dowland-Bach also became one of Alaska’s premier stainless steel fabricators. Customers know when they’re dealing with Dowland-Bach they get the precision of an engineer and the imagination of an artist.

“We’ve come a long way since the 1970s, when Ed and I were tinkering in the garage,” said Lynn Johnson, president of Dowland-Bach. “We went from a staff of two to more than 25, and our products are used all over the world in some of the harshest climates because customers know our reputation for producing durable and reliable products.”

After Ed Clinton passed away, Johnson took over management of Dowland-Bach and continued its trajectory of growth. The company employs mechanical and electrical engineers, fabricators, welders and other specialists. Its entire staff is committed to delivering customer satisfaction at all levels.

Dowland-Bach is the Alaska distributor for several stainless steel products lines including piping, flanges, valves, pumps and tubing. It is also one of the few companies in Alaska permitted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to certify electrical products meet National Recognized Testing Laboratory standards.

Dowland-Bach’s reputation attracted the interest of Koniag, Inc. and in 2008 Koniag bought Dowland-Bach, making it an integral part of the Koniag family of companies. Despite the new ownership, few changes were made, as Lynn Johnson still sits at the helm of the company he helped create more than 35 years ago.

“When Koniag makes investments, we’re looking for long-term, sustainable growth and value for our Shareholders,” said Will Anderson, president and CEO of Koniag, Inc. “Dowland-Bach is a great company, it produces great products and its employees are the best in business.”

While continuing to service existing customers, the Dowland-Bach team is looking for new opportunities both in Alaska and around the world. Dowland-Bach recently refined its website at www.DowlandBach.com and encourages those interested in learning more to visit the website.