Our friendly staff will be happy to explain your options clearly and, when possible, provide a range of options. As experts in all types of plumbing and heating jobs, we have solutions on hand for most plumbing and heating issues. Contact our staff today for fast service and great advice. We are always on call for those after-hour emergencies.
PAT KNOWLES – PRESIDENT, FOUNDER, OWNERI grew up in Indiana and attended college at Indiana State and Purdue Universities for four and a half years. Following that, I spent four years in the Navy. After being honorably discharged I then started working in the plumbing & heating trades. Myself and Danni moved our family to Alaska in 1984 and opened up our own shop in 1988.
When the shop first started the phone would ring at all hours of the day and night, Danni would answer, and if we could help, I would get dressed, start the one van, and was off to work. We wanted everyone to know that we were “Always on Call,” and decided to make that phrase part of the business name. Life for me, 25+ years later, is different than it was in the beginning. Today I run the business from the shop, no more fieldwork for me other than dropping in on jobs from time to time. I now enjoy golf, reading history books, doing a little hunting and fishing, and spending the weekends at our family’s cabin. Soon I’ll be retired, whatever that means.
DANIELLE KNOWLES – TREASURER, FOUNDER, OWNERI am originally from a small town in Indiana and moved to Alaska with Pat and our two daughters in 1984. When the company first began I was only here part-time and worked full time for either the Municipality of Anchorage or the State of Alaska. As the business grew I was needed here full time and left my positions with the Municipality and the state.
Since sponsoring Sonny Russell in the Iditarod in the ’80s, and housing him and his team at our home, I have volunteered in many ways. For the last several years I have volunteered in the computer room updating musher stats, times, dogs, and checkpoints. In our spare time, Pat and I travel often and always pack our golf clubs. I enjoy bowling, spending time with my granddaughters and the rest of my family, and prefer to golf somewhere warm. I also enjoy going to performances such as Broadway shows, local dance performances, and taking my granddaughters to see shows like Peter Pan. I also consider those who work for our business to be family as well, and can always be found at employee’s children’s birthday parties.
Retirement is near and Pat and I will likely travel more often and farther to see new things. We both have bucket lists and have already started checking things off.
EMILY KNOWLES – VICE PRESIDENT, SAFETY OFFICER, & SUPPLY MANAGERBorn in Indiana, but raised in Alaska I have always preferred the colder weather. I was out of Alaska for about five years to attend college and work as a Paramedic in Oregon, but always knew I would come back to Alaska. I graduated from Oregon with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Sciences in Emergency Medical Services.
Before coming back full-time with Mountain Mechanical I did supply management for a local air ambulance carrier which helped me transition into my position here as the Supply Manager. It took me some time to become familiar with a whole new set of parts, equipment, and supplies for the plumbing and heating trades, with ever-evolving technologies, but I am learning. Always having new things to learn when you work in trades that are constantly changing and evolving, which I have with both Plumbing, Heating, and medicine keeps things interesting. Since we have so many experienced people/family working with Mountain Mechanical there is a lot of knowledge in the plumbing and heating trades around here, so there is usually plenty of people to answer any questions that may come up.
It is great to have been witness to the growth of this business over my lifetime and I hope that it continues to grow, is able to bring more people on, and support more families. We are all in it for the long haul.
I grew up in Lafayette, Indiana, and moved to Alaska in 1995. Soon after I started working for Mountain Mechanical and learning the plumbing & heating trades from my uncle Pat. In the past, as Anchorage Municipal codes came under review I served on the committees that discuss and voted on the changes. I have attended courses specifically for Weil McLain and American Standard, who Mountain Mechanical is an authorized dealer and installer, as well as many other brand-specific training courses for Rinnai, Taco, Tekmar, HTP Products, Triangle Tube, Upnor/Wirsbo, and many more. In 2005 I married Gina and the next year we had our son Gabriel. In my free time, I enjoy anything outdoors with my son. We golf, shoot guns, compete in archery, hunt, bicycle, go to the cabin, and play outdoor sports together. I also have two grandsons, from our older daughter.
I grew up in the plumbing and heating business. After graduating from UAA in 2001 with an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts and Hospitality I did a short stint in the restaurant industry. In 2003, I came to work for the family business full-time. I currently handle invoicing, accounts receivable, and payroll along with other random duties around the office. In my free time, I am the associate director and vice president for Momentum Dance Collective, I am also a choreographer and performer for the Collective, and am a jazz dance instructor at Alaska Dance Theatre. I enjoy escaping to Mexico, and other tropical locations, at least once a year with my husband and two daughters.
My dad, Tim, has taught me a lot about this business starting from when I was just a teenager and helped me become the journeyman I am now. I have a lot of interest in fieldwork and really enjoy it. Working for the small, but growing, family business has given me the opportunity to really enjoy working alongside my close friends and family with Mountain Mechanical. I am not a number here at Mountain Mechanical like it can be at some of the bigger companies in Anchorage. I come to work every day and am surrounded by family.
I was born and raised in Alaska and have been working for Mountain Mechanical since 2000. I began my classroom training for HVAC and plumbing at Refrigeration School Inc. in Arizona, with my brother Russell, and continued it here in Alaska, initially as an apprentice with Mountain Mechanical and now as a journeyman.
I have been a lifelong Alaskan, and even when I attended the Refrigeration School Inc. in Arizona for my initial HVAC and plumbing training, I still considered Alaska home. After completing my training in Arizona I came back to Alaska and started working with Mountain Mechanical, initially as an apprentice, and now as a journeyman. I have worked with Mountain Mechanical, and my brother Curtis, since 2001. We also attended the Weil McLain better school of heat together.
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