Manufacturing Alaska's future.

• Author: Callen, Samuel
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Manufacturing

When people think of business in Alaska, manufacturing is often the last thing that comes to mind. Yet, in the 49th state, manufacturing is serious business. While not as prevalent an industry as it is in other states, Alaska's manufacturing industry still accounts for 4 percent of the state's total Gross State Product and about the same share of the state's total employment. However, an organization in the state, the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development (UACED), has led a coalition of organizations in an effort to grow this industry beyond its current successes.

The Project

To bolster the US manufacturing industry and its capabilities, the federal government has long sought to provide small and medium-sized manufacturers with the tools needed to compete in the global marketplace. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, funded by the US Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, is a network of technical assistance centers throughout the country. Just as agricultural extension programs serve the nation's farmers, MEP centers provide a variety of services to manufacturers ranging from operational improvements to streamline processes, energy efficiency, and business development. The MEP program operates these assistance centers in every state in the country, with one exception: Alaska. However, this will change next year.

MEP in Alaska

The MEP program, while lacking an Alaska presence, has operated in the state in the past. Ultimately the program was closed in recent years, but not for a lack of interest within the business community. As a result of this, the UACED, through a cooperative agreement with the MEP program, undertook an exhaustive seven month study that became one of the most in-depth investigations on Alaska manufacturing ever conducted. This study lays the groundwork for the reinstitution of an MEP center in Alaska. The study attempted to identify the unique needs of manufacturers in the Last Frontier and the best methods for assisting them.

The Project Team

One of the most important contributors to the success of the project was the assembly of the core project team to work on the planning study. The lead organization on the study was UACED, an entity housed under the Business Enterprise Institute at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

For years, UACED has served the economic development needs of communities statewide, often working on client engagements with the State...