Maintaining Homes, Building Relationships: 25 Years at Alaska Housing

At Alaska Housing’s two residential buildings in Cordova, Martin is a familiar face – and has been for 25 years.

Whether at Sunset View, with its 22 units of senior housing, or Eyak Manor, with 16 three-bedroom units designed for families, Martin is a regular presence as he patrols the property, ensures that the facility is running smoothly, fixes boilers, renovate buildings, and much more.

His favorite part of the job is getting to know the residents. “Going around town, people always say ‘hi!”

He loves chatting with senior residents, hearing their stories, and learning about their life experiences: “They hold so much history of Cordova and Alaska in general, it’s the greatest.”

As Lead Maintenance Mechanic in Cordova for Alaska Housing, Martin has worked besides hundreds of families in his two and a half decades. When he’s not using his lunch hour to snowboard down Ski Hill, Martin is busy renovating buildings, repairing damage from natural disasters (like a 90 miles per hour windstorm his first week), training new staff, and maintaining the properties. In the process, he’s seen many people come and leave AHFC housing.

“We’ve had several families move in, and while they’re here save up to buy a house or a trailer and really thrive. It’s really wonderful to see.”

Clouds Clearing Over Cordova

When Martin first arrived in Cordova it did not seem like an auspicious welcome. He was 11 years old, raised in Germany, and it was his first exposure to Alaska.

“It was a shock!” he remembers. “We got here in November and it was dark and rainy. We didn’t see the sun until Springtime.”

He recalls turning to his sister, who was also riding in the back of the car with him. “We just looked at one another.”

Then, the clouds cleared – literally! “When it cleared, you could see that the mountains were right there. It was incredible.”

Since then, Martin has travelled and journeyed around the United States– at one point he even owned a pizzeria in Tennessee – but he often found himself coming back to Cordova.

“I’ve done just about anything to make money and stay in Alaska,” he says, working at times in fishing, trucking, logging, as a boiler mechanic, and more.

When he was eventually recruited by the previous AHFC Lead Mechanic in town,  Martin brought to the job a plethora of life experience.

“It was a godsend to get this job and stay in Cordova; this is one of the best jobs here.”

“It was the best decision of my life”

When Martin started at AHFC, it was a hectic time. Y2K was just around the corner, there was an awe-inspiring windstorm his first month, and following that same storm water started pouring out of the light fixtures – to name a few of the many happenings in his first months on the job.

He recalls thinking “Wow, I don’t know if I’ll last a year!” Now, after twenty-five years of building connections, maintaining property, and being a welcoming face, Martin is clear on one point:

“I’ve enjoyed my work at Alaska Housing. It was the best decision I made in my life.”

Martin is now set to retire this year. Thank you, Martin, for helping offer Alaskans safe, quality, affordable housing.

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Looking for a meaningful career where every day is different? Check out our Jobs page to learn more about a role at Alaska Housing!