We recently connected with Kayla, John McGrath and have shared our conversation below.

Kayla, John, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, what do you think about family businesses? Would you want your children or other family members to one day join your business?

Overflow Transit is a family-owned and operated transportation company, serving the remote Alaskan town of McCarthy and it’s visitors. We are proud of the business we have created and the values we uphold and share with our family. We live off the grid with our two young girls (2 and 4 years old). John does the majority of the shuttle driving and Kayla manages the other aspects of the company including the booking, scheduling, client communications, design and advertising. Our daughters witness the work ethic we need to succeed and the way we need to communicate for our business to run smoothly. Challenges certainly exist with John’s long days away from the home, but his youth experience in a family business have helped prepare him for some of these challenges. McGrath Moving & Storage has been a family tradition since 1949. John would sometimes accompany his grandfather, father, or uncle in the truck on long haul moves growing up. Although he did not choose to stay in that family business, it set a foundation for creating a business of our own, rooted in providing quality service in the transportation industry. We would love for our children to carry on the tradition of offering a high quality service to our community and its visitors, if they choose to do so, but will always first encourage them to follow their own dreams and create their own opportunities.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Overflow Transit is a passenger van shuttle service between Anchorage and McCarthy, Alaska and the surrounding area. McCarthy is the gateway to the Wrangell St.-Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest national park in America. Although Wrangell St.-Elias National Park and Preserve covers 13.2 million acres, it is difficult to access and sees limited visitation each year. The towns of McCarthy and Kennicott are located about 8 hours from Anchorage and at the end of a 60 mile dirt road. The road leaves many hopeful visitors questioning their plans to visit the area. Most rental car companies do not allow travel on the McCarthy Road and bush flights in and out are, although stunningly beautiful and perspective changing, out of many traveler’s budgets. This is where we aim to fit. We are proud to offer a high quality, affordable, safe, and pleasant transportation service to provide visitor’s access to the adventure, history, and beauty of area. We operate on a set schedule in and out of Anchorage from June through September as well as charter service to fill the off schedule and out of season needs.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Our most effective strategies for growing our clientele have been communicating with other local businesses and providing a service of the highest quality. In a tourist driven community located in a remote area, every business is interconnected. Many travelers are out of their element and have a limited knowledge of the area and logistics of visiting. We are able to work with other local businesses to fulfill guest’s expectations to the fullest extent. From lodging, to flights, to back country excursions, communicating with other local companies and knowing what their offerings are is paramount. These other businesses are then able to recommend us with confidence to their clients, knowing we will provide a reliable service with a standard of excellence.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Both of our lives and careers have taken many turns but there have been no greater pivots than when we decided to start a family. John was working a construction job in a hazardous environment and Kayla was an independent artist. We knew there was another way to make a living other than working with dangerous toxins and in a stressful workplace. Kayla was able to work remotely as a marketing consultant and John started running freight and other odd jobs. The business and marketing skills Kayla acquired and confidence John gained in working for himself were priceless. These were the things that made starting our own transportation company feel right for ourselves and our growing family.

Contact Info:

• Website: overflowtransit.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/overflowtransit/

Image Credits
Kayla McGrath