A BRIEF HISTORY OF WEATHERPORT®
In 1968, Clayton H. “Sweede” Hansen created a tensioned fabric structure capable of protecting his vehicles from the harsh winter weather of Gunnison, Colorado. Impressed by the rugged durability and year-round use, family, friends, and neighbors started asking Sweede to make structures for various applications. This is how the idea of starting a business making tensioned fabric structures and the WeatherPort® name came to be.
Over the years, WeatherPort® has had many names. The initial family-owned business Sweede created was called Hansen-WeatherPort Corp. In 2006, Chairman and Founder of AKS Industries, Inc. and founder of the Hotes Foundation, Richard Hotes, purchased the business and renamed it WeatherPort Shelter Systems™. In 2022, as part of a strategic restructuring initiative, Alaska Structures® became a division of AKS Industries, Inc. WeatherPort Shelter Systems™ was changed to WeatherPort® and made a consumer- and recreational-focused brand of Alaska Structures®.
With Mr. Hotes’ leadership, our dedicated team has transformed WeatherPort® into a globally recognized brand and worked together to accomplish the following:
- Further improving upon the design of our rugged fabric buildings.
- Increasing and diversifying the range of applications our fabric building systems can be used for.
- Streamlining our already impressive production capability to offer customers even shorter production times with lean manufacturing, drastically reducing waste to become more environmentally friendly.
- Working with the entire management team, providing leadership to improve effectiveness and team cohesion, directly impacting and ensuring our customers have a consistently positive experience.
The WeatherPort® brand from Alaska Structures® builds upon the legacy of providing the world’s most popular, widely used, and engineered fabric buildings.
STEEL-FRAMED YURTS
Modern, Luxury Yurts
Our steel-framed yurts are an advanced frame of mind and a superior yurt solution compared to typical wood yurts. We offer a wide selection of insulation, window, door, and color options to create the perfect yurt!
The Most Heavy-Duty Canopy Available
The WeatherPort® Canopy is the ultimate high-wind, year-round solution for those seeking American-made quality and rugged durability. Easy to set up and take down or leave up year-round!
HEAVY-DUTY CANOPIES
PROMOTIONAL CANOPIES
Promote Your Business with A Branded Canopy
Available in multiple sizes, colors, and many logo options, the WeatherPort® Canopy is an excellent solution for businesses and organizations needing a heavy-duty promotional canopy
Protect Your Vehicles from Bad Weather
Our heavy-duty fabric buildings offer superior protection compared to store-bought vehicle enclosures. WeatherPort® CarPorts and portable garages can be used seasonally or year-round!
CARPORTS & PORTABLE GARAGES
RV CARPORTS
More On-the-Road Time
Quickly create a safe and secure space to store your RV or travel trailer with a WeatherPort® RV Carport. Our heavy-duty RV carports offer superior protection and can be used year-round!
Safely Store Boats and Watercraft
Protect boats and watercraft from harsh conditions with our boat storage facilities. Use year-round or seasonally and keep your boat in pristine condition with WeatherPort® fabric buildings.
BOAT STORAGE FACILITIES
OUTDOOR EVENT STRUCTURES
Not Your Typical ‘Party Building’
Create beautiful outdoor event spaces for guests. We offer small to large event structures in many colors, a selection of side curtains, and anchoring solutions for year-round safety!
Extend Your Growing Season
Backyard greenhouses and greenhouse kits from WeatherPort® allow you to extend the growing season or enjoy fresh fruits and veggies year-round! Fast delivery, easy setup, and many options!
BACKYARD GREENHOUSES
RETAIL GREENHOUSES
Enhance Your Outdoor Retail Space
Adding a greenhouse to your outdoor retail space has never been easier! WeatherPort® retail greenhouses are a fantastic solution for selling plants, gardening supplies, and outdoor goods year-round.
Enjoy Year-Round Swimming
Create year-round revenue with WeatherPort® pool enclosures! Maintain comfortable interior temperatures, reduce chemical usage, protect against harmful UV rays, and create a safe space for swimmers.
POOL ENCLOSURES
HUNTING CABINS
Stay Warm In A Hunting Cabin
Set up at the beginning of the season and have a warm hunting cabin to relax and recuperate after a long day spent outdoors. Or create a high-end hunting camp for guests to return to year after year!
FABRIC BUILDINGS PROUDLY MADE IN THE U.S.A.
An important principle shared by both Sweede Hansen and Richard Hotes is to employ hard-working Americans and maintain complete ownership of the design, engineering, and manufacturing processes to guarantee the highest quality and standards for our fabric buildings and support systems.
Alaska Structures® and the WeatherPort® brand have remained true to this decision, and as part of AKS Industries, Inc., benefit from nearly 400,000 square feet of manufacturing facilities and unmatched production capabilities in the great states of Colorado and New Mexico.
People, companies, organizations, and government agencies around the world that value American-made quality choose WeatherPort® fabric buildings!
