2025 Atigun Awards spotlight: Sam Craft, Silent Runner of the Year
Sam Craft, Sr. Inventory Control Coordinator, takes on a leadership role at Alyeska’s Central Warehouse in Fairbanks, where his efforts result in a more organized and better utilized warehouse and outdoor space. Sam collaborates with multiple groups to address staged, deferred maintenance, and obsolete materials for work on TAPS. Sam’s resourcefulness and creative approach to managing valve inventory is innovative and especially valuable with recent global supply chain delays. His work ethic promotes core mindsets, encourages strong communication, and builds strengthened partnerships with groups that engage with the Materials team.
In this Q&A, Sam shared his surprise about being honored for what he loves doing every day: helping people across the pipeline do their jobs.
How did you feel when you heard you won this award?
I was completely surprised of course and very humbled.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I really enjoy helping people, especially when it saves them time and money. Road trips are fun. I’ve enjoyed meeting people at the stations, terminal and CPW.
Do you have a favorite day on TAPS? Tell us about it!
It would have to be when I was the Staging Area Manager for a Fast Water Oil Spill Responder training exercise in 2013 — a five-day day event on the Salcha and Tanana rivers. Crews came from all over TAPS and included response partners and agency observers. We had airboats, river boats and helicopters. I was lucky enough to catch a ride in all of them, seeing up close what our responders are capable of.
Alyeska’s commitment to protecting our workers and the environment has always been a great source of pride for me. It was a great week.
Is there anyone you’d like to recognize who has helped you along the way or supports your work?
This is a tough question because over the years my work has put me in direct contact with so many talented, gracious and supportive coworkers across TAPS.
Dennis Stacy started me off in the right direction when I became an Inventory Control Coordinator in June of 2009. Dennis pulled double duty working day to day Inventory Control tasks and teaching me the ropes. His attention to detail was inspiring. Dennis retired in February of 2016.
I couldn’t do what I do without the support of Nichole Gentz-Wilkins and my fellow Inventory Control Coordinators, Tina Fulford and JW Bogart IV.