Kososki Brothers Escape Corporate World on Alaska’s Kodiak Island By Frederick Karst Alaska’s unspoiled Kodiak Island has become an outdoor paradise for two Culver alumni, brothers Trent ’99 and Travis ’02 Kososki. Whether chasing ibex on horseback in Kazakhstan’s Tien Shan mountain range or bill-fishing India’s Andaman Islands, the Kososki brothers enjoy adventure. Today the Duke University graduates combine careers that began on Wall Street with a devotion to their family’s Kodiak Legends Lodge. The lodge offers an extensive and luxurious outdoors experience, Trent said. It operates its own float plane and four boats, providing guests with opportunities for fresh and saltwater fishing, eco-adventures, and hunting. Trent and Travis were Troopers at Culver. Trent graduated third in his class and played varsity baseball and football. Travis was class president, battalion commander, and also excelled in athletics. The Kososkis first visited Kodiak Island in 2006. They immediately were captivated by the remoteness, beauty, and untouched nature of the land. The second-largest island in the United States and a lush, green haven, it is home to the world’s largest carnivore, the Kodiak
Travis ’02 (left) and Trent Kososki ’99 share a love for adventure and Alaska’s Kodiak Island. Photo provided.
brown bear, as well as millions of salmon that crowd its pristine streams each summer and fall. The Kososki brothers recognized a potential for fly fishing, now one of the most popular activities for visitors to the lodge. The Kososki family’s attraction to the island led them to buy the lodge in 2007. It is nestled on Uyak Bay in the western reaches of the island. Travis was the first of the brothers to become closely involved in the lodge. After a couple of years as a rising star with Goldman Sachs in New York City, he became a pilot and moved to the island. He helped to manage lodge operations while he thought about directing his life along a more entrepreneurial path. He now spends most of his time looking after the family companies in Kazakhstan while seeking new business opportunities in oilfield services, agriculture, construction, and aviation. Trent, currently more active in the lodge’s operations, has been with Energy Capital Partners, an energy infrastructure private equity fund, since its inception in 2005. He is a vice president based in San Diego, where he has responsibility for investment origination, execution, and monitoring.
Last fall Trent produced and Culver graduate Zach Shields ’02 directed a documentary film about steelhead fly fishing on Kodiak called “The Kodiak Project” (http://www.thekodiakproject. com/) with a New York Times writer and an editor of Field & Stream as featured personalities. Both Kososki brothers remain enchanted with Kodiak Island. When not engaged by business commitments, they report they are eager to retreat to remote areas of the island to fly their float plane, experience nature, and recharge. Several Culver friends were among the Kososkis’ guests at the lodge last year, and they are looking forward to welcoming others when the five-month season opens in June. The lodge has a web site that gives more information about the resort and the Kodiak Island experience: http://www.kodiaklegendslodge.com. Editor’s note: Frederick Karst is a freelance writer in Culver, Ind., and the former publisher of The Culver Citizen.