ALYSSA RODRIGUES, Ph.D.
Director, The Alaska MEP

Dr. Alyssa Rodrigues has over a decade of experience with Alaska's economy as a research economist and economic developer. In her most recent role as the Development Manager for the State of Alaska, she managed the implementation of the Statewide Comprehensive Development Strategy. Dr. Rodrigues has a BA in Forest Management and a Masters in Forest Economics from Oregon State University and a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

Dr. Rodrigues wants to be a resource for manufacturers to improve their businesses; whether that be decreasing costs, increasing sales or providing classes for manufacturers to work internally with a group to problem-solve and relate to one another. She is excited to partner across the state to tackle challenges and capitalize on opportunities in Alaska's manufacturing industry.

Kassim Kurani
Associate Director, The Alaska MEP

Kurani graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a minor in Economics. His background includes working as a Director ofOperations for Kurani Inc. since 1997, where he served as an operator for Pizza Hut of Alaska from 2008-2018. During his tenure, he made significant contributions to the business's success, from marketing to asset development.

His passion for coaching and leadership were demonstrated in his previous role as a Personal Trainer for Carlo's Crew/Fitness Redefined from 2018-2023. He developed and implemented training programs for clients based on their desired goals, ensuring proper progression from their current fitness level. Kurani also worked as an Investment Advisor Representative for New York Life/Eagle Strategies from 2020-2022. In this role, he helped clients understand their investing options and guided them to make the best long-term strategic plans available. Kurani has always embraced his role as a Fiduciary and put his clients' best interests first.

His expertise in business planning, financial knowledge, and exceptional leadership skills will be an asset to our organization as we continue toward our mission to advance the manufacturing industry in Alaska.

SAMI JO LEWIS
Communication & Outreach Manager 

Born and raised in Palmer, Lewis graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor’s degree in strategic communications and a double minor in journalism and criminal justice. After graduation, she honed her client management skills as an account coordinator for a local public relations agency before joining the Alaska MEP team.  

Lewis plays a vital role in assisting local manufacturers to improve their business, decrease costs, increase sales, and build relationships to help advance Alaska’s manufacturing industry. She is eager to utilize her experience in strategic communications and public relations to assist in developing the MEP to grow and diversify Alaska’s economy. 

Payton Bennett
Client Research Professional

Raised in Fairbanks, Roberts is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Accounting at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She started at the Alaska MEP as a research assistant for a statewide manufacturing survey that aimed to assess the specific needs of manufacturers across the state and has remained on the team as a student intern.

With a passion for all things local and business, she is eager to assist Alaska’s manufacturers with any challenges they face. She accomplishes this by facilitating connections across the state, connecting manufacturers with specific Alaska MEP courses, and designing resource sheets to make their busy lives easier. Bennett cares about the small business community in Alaska and aspires to make an impact by supporting the manufacturing community across the state.

Bentley Hamilton
Business Development Manager

Hamilton has a wealth of experience in personnel, contractor, and performance management, and has demonstrated critical thinking and problem-solving skills in effectively resolving customer experience challenges. In his role at Odom Corp, Hamilton managed numerous, highly confidential details for national chains Kroger, Safeway, and Walmart. He also built trust with clients and increased sales while overcoming distribution shortcomings and detailing delivery schedules from start to finish. Prior to this, Hamilton spent seven years at Ferguson Enterprises, where he closed new client opportunities, managed existing client performance, and built and promoted strong, long-lasting customer relationships.

In his role as Business Development Manager, Hamilton will be responsible for driving growth and increasing revenue for Alaska MEP clients. Additionally, he will work to develop and implement effective sales strategies that meet the needs of makers and manufacturers across the state.

Hamilton is passionate about providing exceptional customer service, and will work to ensure that clients receive the highest level of service possible.

The Alaska MEP Center draws significant support from being housed within the UAA Business Enterprise Institute (BEI). This is a natural fit as the BEI was established specifically to link and align the business and economic development serving programs across the University of Alaska statewide system and carries a mission of growing and diversifying Alaska’s business economy. While Anchorage-based, the existing programs of the UAA BEI already serve all of Alaska with the UAA BEI having satellite offices in Fairbanks, Homer, Soldotna, Seward, Mat-Su, Juneau and Ketchikan via our Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) programs.

The BEI already serves over 100 of Alaska’s 586 manufacturers across the state via programs such as the Alaska Small Business Development Center, the Alaska Procurement Technical Assistance Center, the EDA University Center for Economic Development (CED), the Alaska Center for Rural Collaboration, and the Alaska Cooperative Development Center. This partnership enables Alaska MEP Center clients the ability to move more seamlessly among service providers, as well as leverage embedded BEI expertise with Agile Strategy deployment, Design Thinking, and Lean Startup Methodology. These tools will be an asset to manufacturers through a focus on iterative processes of improvement, strategy execution, and human-centered design.

The MEP National Network is a unique public-private partnership that delivers comprehensive, proven solutions to U.S. manufacturers, fueling growth and advancing U.S. manufacturing. Focused on helping small and mid-sized manufacturers generate business results and thrive in today’s technology-driven economy.

The MEP National Network comprises the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, and its 1,300 trusted advisers and experts at nearly 600 MEP service locations, providing any U.S. manufacturer with access to resources they need to succeed.

BEN KELLIE, Founder/CEO, The Launch Company

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  • Chairman of the board, Kellie is the founder and CEO of The Launch Company, an aerospace company based in Anchorage, Alaska that provides standardized hardware and launch services to New Space rocket companies. He was born and raised in Alaska and grew up flying with his family to deliver groceries, fuel, and other supplies to off-road communities across the state. Crossing remote expanses of the state and spending time with the people who make it their home gave Kellie a deep appreciation for this land and way of life. Being scrappy, resilient, and generous are all core values developed from that time and carried forward today. As part of the MEP, Kellie plans to help develop Alaska manufacturing with a focus on in-state resiliency, last mile logistics, and export of high-value creations that make the most of Alaskan ingenuity.