Our Boatman and Other Characters at Alaska Rivers Company

At Alaska Rivers Company, we take tremendous pride in our staff. All are CPR Certified, and have attended the Kenai River Guide Academy for fishing or rafting. Several are certified by the Coast Guard, and all our fishing guides carry the 52 million pieces of certification required by Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Chugach National Forest, Alaska State Parks, and the Department of Environmental Conservation. (Just to name a few).

We feel that our ARC guide crew is set apart because of the pride we instill in them about the importance of being a boatman, and not just a guide.  We emphasize safety first and adhering to rules of the river. As a part of our staff, we expect our employees to be professional and personable at all times, on and off the water. Finally, we make sure our crew has fun in what they do, and humor in their work. By following these simple steps with our staff, we have created a fabulous loyal team that will provide you a safe, fun and professional Alaskan experience on the upper Kenai and at Alaska Rivers Company.

Erik Route – Owner

Born in Colorado and raised in a very small mountain community west of Denver, Erik spent the majority of his childhood summers in Alaska, mostly in Cooper Landing with his aunt, uncle and extended family. At 13, his uncle started to take him on 10-day wilderness float trips in Western Alaska. Erik confesses that he learned what it takes to become a true boatman: row a boat, cast a line, cuss and tell lies. Erik graduated from college in Colorado with a BS in Geology and then went to Montana to pursue his master’s degree. All of this schooling made him realize how much he missed rowing a boat, casting a line, cussing and telling lies. That’s why he moved to Alaska permanently in 2003 and became a local Cooper Landing resident and started working for Alaska Rivers Company where this sort of behavior is normal. Erik’s likes: boating (of course), skiing, wrestling brown bears, playing music, clubbing salmon, snow machining, hunting, cussing, telling lies.

Cory Route – Owner

This little gal might throw you for a loop when you first meet her, but don’t let this sweet soft-spoken Arkansas gal fool you. She runs the ARC crew year-round (okay… and Erik too) and keeps us all on our toes, organized, moving and groovin’. Cory has a degree in Geology as well, and is a top-notch Alaskan naturalist. In addition to being familiar with our wild berries, mushrooms, flowers and fauna, she’s quite artistic, painting, knitting hats and making jewelry. A competitive runner in college, Cory was at the top of the NCAA crowd in cross country running. Cory also is quite competitive when it comes to skiing, skijoring, kayaking, softball and the basketball game bump. You definitely don’t mess with her at bump…

Gary Galbraith – Founder

In 1976 Gary came upon the beautiful community of Cooper Landing and sank his roots onto the banks of the Upper Kenai River. Starting with very little, and working two to three jobs, while raising a family in the early years,  he built  Alaska Rivers Company to become one of the longest established rafting and fishing guide outfitters on the Kenai Peninsula.  In 2016, Gary handed over the oars of his beloved business to Erik and Cory in showing locals and visitors the wonders of the Upper Kenai and our great state. Now he’s finally able to have carefree summers in the Landing, and can be often found in his garden, out on the trails or water, or be seen flying above, sight seeing on sunny days.

Kevin Ostrowski – General Manager

Kevin is originally from Northern Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with a major in Environmental Law Enforcement. He grew up hunting, fishing, and exploring the forests and shores around Lake Superior. After college he worked as a Park Ranger in Wisconsin for 2 years before becoming a guide with ARC. Kevin is always looking for new adventures and would love to make your Alaskan experience one to remember! When he is not on the water, Kevin enjoys mountain biking, hiking, hockey, football, canoeing, and traveling.

Hamish Svenson

Hamish, known locally as Hambone, is a Maine raised outdoorsman and fishing fool! Constantly in search of wild fish, wild food, wild times, and wild places, Hambone journeyed west to experience bigger waterways and landscapes. While the salmon and trout of the Kenai sparked his interest in Alaska, it was the elusive Kenai Whitefish that pushed him to become a river guide. Hambone also has a degree in aquatic ecology and works in Washington state as a fisheries technician during the off-season. His other interests include canoeing, rafting, pretty much all boating, bush whacking, swamp stomping, gut laughing, bird hunting, goin fast, yelling “woo-hoo”, picking up cool things in the woods (mushrooms, berries, antlers, feathers, etc), and snorkeling rivers.

Mollie Donohue-Meyer

Raised in beautiful Western Massachusetts, Mollie first came to Alaska out of high school to work with 72 dogs at a sled dog kennel! Even after an Alaskan winter, she’s back for more and loves being part of the crew at ARC. She’ll be starting her second year of college in the fall at Tulane University in New Orleans where she studies Sociology and tries to squeeze in as many languages as she can. She loves to laugh and hike and will swim just about anywhere any time of the year.

 Matt Okeefe

Matt was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He grew up fishing small streams and going river rafting with his father and brothers any chance he could get. It’s been 19 years since his father taught him how to row a boat through whitewater and he doesn’t ever plan to stop doing it. He’s an avid snowboarder and backpacker as well. But during the summer, fishing and boating are his priorities. He has a 3 year old Aussie-golden doodle back in salt lake that friends and family take care of while he’s here in Cooper Landing for the summers and if there ever was a dog version of Matt, Howie would be it. He’s looking forward to taking you down the river and showing you a good time. 

Will Meni

Will was born and raised in Escondido, California but came to Alaska looking for a new adventure. He’s been moving between schools for the past couple years studying environmental sciences, so he’ll always make sure you’re recycling. In his free time he loves to hike, backpack, camp, climb, bike; you can almost always find him on the trail on his days off. Will’s worked everywhere from a zoo to a swim school, but rafting guide has jumped to the top of his list for favorite jobs.

Kip Kime

Kip Kime is a seasoned Alaskan big game hunter and fisherman. He has been fishing the Kenai River since the early ’80s and specializes in fly fishing for rainbows and salmon. Kip’s family has been here since the early ’60s and he calls the Kenai Peninsula his 2nd home.

Camden Mullis

Camden, or more known just as Cam, was born in Georgia and came to Alaska for the adventure and the fishing. He also lived and worked in Yellowstone National Park as well in Utah. He graduated from Middle Georgia State University with a bachelors in Business Management and also earned his private pilots license while there. Fishing is his passion and now is how he spends the majority of his free time. Cam loves floating rivers, hiking, camping, rock climbing, and snowboarding as well.

Jim Shirley

Jim is our international man of mystery. He is your typical Alaskan mountain man, a master welder, and can fix just about anything. If you end up taking one of our rafting trips, Jim most likely welded the frame for that raft! He also helped build a majority of the buildings here on camp. Jim lives in a canvas, platform wall tent year round in Cooper Landing, accompanied by his dogs, chickens, goats, and rabbits on his property. Fun facts about Jim: he can’t find gloves large enough to fit his hands, he can perform a C-Section on a cow, he lived on a boat in Prince William Sound, he lived on Caribou Island on Skilak Lake, and he fended off a moose by hitting it on the head with a 2×4 after it had charged into our Big House Cabin during construction.

Chris DeGeneres

If you join us for one of our guided hikes, you may have the pleasure of going out with this wonderful Alaskan lady. An experienced outdoors woman (hiking, fishing, hunting, chopping wood… you name it), Chris is right at home hiking and tromping around the wonderful trails in Cooper Landing. (And it doesn’t hurt that she is also a year round resident!) She is an avid birder and naturalist that loves to share her knowledge, so having her take you or your group out on a hike is a wonderful treat to add to your Alaskan experience.

Krissy Route

Krissy is one of our go-to gals who works in our office, a top notch naturalist for conducting hikes and helps running shuttles.  She graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Park and Protected Area Management, and is currently going for her Masters at Alaska Pacific University. She is one busy gal, as she also works full time for AmeriCorps, and is very involved in educating our visitors and our little community on the impact of waste on our environment. That being said, be sure to not even think about littering around her… definitely not a good idea!

Yvette Galbraith – ARC Marketing Coordinator

In 2003 Yvette was introduced to a handsome fellow that owned a rafting and fishing guide business on the Kenai Peninsula. After 3 years of dating, she found herself marrying this adrenaline junkie and relocating with her two boys (Kyle and Jimmy), their dog and her marketing consulting business to Cooper Landing. Yvette was raised in Anchorage and received her degree in Marketing with a minor in Tourism Industry Management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She owns and operates Alaska Marketing Consultants and handles the promotion of ARC. She loves to get away from her computer when she can, so you often can find her gardening or helping outside when needed. Also during the summer you may find her doing “extensive market research” on various raft trips or drift fishing with the employees, especially on gorgeous sunny days.