Kendall Toyota of Anchorage's Support of Alaska Military - ‘Just Part of Who We Are’

In Solidarity
Kendall Toyota staff members stand with representatives of the Alaska Army National Guard during their recent tour of the Anchorage dealership. Service Manager Stan Watts is third from the left, Col Kerrigan fifth and General Manager Mike Morris seventh.

As the crow flies, nearly 3,000 miles separate Kendall Toyota in Anchorage, Alaska, and Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. But to hear Col. Hunt Kerrigan tell it, the two are actually as close as can be.

“There are many similarities between the U.S. military and Toyota,” said Col. Kerrigan, who served as the commander of the Alaska Army National Guard and, more recently, in Afghanistan. “Both share a deep sense of pride and esprit de corps manifested by professionalism, honor and clear vision.”

The military leader’s analysis followed a tour of Kendall Toyota by his officers and him at the suggestion of Service Manager Stan Watts and hosted by General Manager Mike Morris. Many of the dealership’s service personnel have military backgrounds. One technician, who served under Col. Kerrigan, was deployed to Afghanistan while on the job.

The tour, though, is just one example of how Kendall Toyota embraces those who serve. For example, the dealership donates a Tundra each year to the Alaska National Guard Iron Dog Race’s raffle to help generate funds for the local Armed Services YMCA. It sponsors a lane at the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce’s annual bowl-a-thon in support of Military Appreciation Week. And it routinely provides gift certificates to groups that stage fundraisers to undergird military families.

“Col. Kerrigan sent us an American flag that flew in Bagram that’s now on display in our service department’s customer waiting area,” says Morris. “Many of our employees as well as many of our customers have ties to the military. Reaching out to them is nothing special. It’s just a part of who we are and what we do.”