Amundsen Educational Center

What Amundsen Educational Center does

Amundsen Educational Center (AEC) is a faith-based non-profit vocational training school incorporated in 1996 and operating from a single campus at 995 Roald Ave, Soldotna, Alaska. It was founded by Rev. Roald Amundsen, Rev. Maynard Londborg, Rev. Donald Bruckner, and Dr. Robert Fortuine, originally to serve Alaska Native students, and formally opened in Soldotna in 2001 after a Fairbanks pilot project coordinated through Covenant Youth of Alaska. AEC is authorized by the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education and accepts the Alaska Performance Scholarship.

AEC delivers four diploma programs — Residential Construction (36 weeks), Advanced Residential Construction (36 weeks), Office Occupations (18 weeks, with Accounting Clerk, General Office Clerk, and Computer Information Processor tracks), and Professional Medical Coding (36 weeks, AAPC-aligned) — alongside standalone courses in QuickBooks, Microsoft Office, and Private Pilot Ground School. Its instructional methodology combines small class sizes (1:6 instructor-to-student ratio) with the wholly-owned Building Hope Construction LLC (BHC LLC), a licensed and bonded general contracting company that lets students frame and finish actual 504–560 sq ft homes. On-campus housing and student life services support rural students, including those from 26 communities off the Alaska road system.

Revenue is generated through tuition ($6,900 for Office Occupations, lower for add-on courses), sales of BLC-built homes, standalone course fees ($575–$600), and tax-deductible donations across multiple channels including employer giving fairs, planned giving, vehicle/equipment donations, and Fred Meyer Rewards. AEC partners with 20+ Alaska Native corporations and tribes for recruitment and scholarship funding, supplementing state scholarships and a matching funds program that guarantees no student is turned away for inability to pay. Operations are supported by a five-person staff led by Executive Director Mike Swanson (returned 2019) and supplemented by contracted and partner-provided instructors.

Name

Amundsen Educational Center

Legal name

Amundsen Educational Center

Website

https://aecak.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Amundsen Educational Center is a faith-based non-profit vocational school in Soldotna, Alaska, providing residential construction, office occupations, and medical coding diploma programs to rural Alaskan and Alaska Native students, with hands-on training through its Building Hope Construction LLC subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Training

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit) (EDAHADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK), Construction, Engineering & Skilled Trades Licensure Prep (EDAAANAL)

Keywords

• Vocational training programs
• Residential construction education
• Office occupations training
• Professional medical coding
• Faith-based education

Headquarters

HQ city

Soldotna

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Vocational Program Tuition: Year-long diploma programs in Residential Construction and Advanced Residential Construction (September-May), with tuition costs offset by Alaska Performance Scholarship and matching funds programs.
2. Building Hope Construction Home Sales: Revenue from sale of student-built homes (504-560 square feet) constructed through the BHC LLC program, providing students hands-on experience while generating program income.
3. Individual Course Fees: Standalone courses such as QuickBooks ($600) and Private Pilot Ground School ($575), offered twice yearly in fall and spring semesters.
4. Donations and Charitable Giving: Tax-deductible donations through various channels including monetary gifts, vehicle/land/equipment donations, Fred Meyer Rewards, air mile donations, and planned giving/estate donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Amundsen Educational Center is a faith-based non-profit vocational training school delivering diploma programs in Residential Construction, Advanced Residential Construction, Office Occupations, and Professional Medical Coding, plus standalone courses in QuickBooks, Microsoft Office, and Private Pilot Ground School. Training is delivered on-campus in Soldotna, Alaska, with the Building Hope Construction LLC subsidiary enabling students to construct actual homes for sale as part of their construction coursework.

Product overview

Amundsen Educational Center is a faith-based vocational training school offering multiple diploma programs and standalone courses. The primary offerings include two residential construction programs (Residential Construction and Advanced Residential Construction, each 36 weeks) delivered through the Building Hope Construction LLC subsidiary, which provides hands-on building experience. Additional vocational programs include Office Occupations (18 weeks with three tracks: Accounting Clerk, General Office Clerk, and Computer Information Processor) and Professional Medical Coding (36-week program preparing for AAPC certification). The center also offers supplementary courses including QuickBooks training, Microsoft Office courses through Microsoft Imagine Academy partnership, and Private Pilot Ground School. Student Life services support rural and Alaska Native students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Building Hope Construction (BHC): A fully-owned construction company and vocational training program that engages students in the construction of homes from footings to finish carpentry. Homes are sold upon completion and provide hands-on practical experience in the building trades.

Products and services

• Residential Construction Diploma Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 1:6 instructor-to-student ratio enables intensive practical instruction
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Covenant Youth of Alaska (CYAK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing Life Coach and Financial Literacy Instructor John Hege to AEC through CYAK. The Lord called John Hege to Alaska in 1994, and he has been working with AEC for 3 years through this partnership, serving in various ministry capacities.
• Kenaitze Indian TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for scholarship and job training programs. Located at 510 Upland St, Kenai (907.335.7600). Provides assistance programs and vocational training funding for eligible tribal members.
• Microsoft Imagine AcademycoreTechnology or IntegrationAEC is a Program Member of Microsoft Imagine Academy. All Microsoft curriculum is provided by Microsoft and designed for students to pass the Microsoft Office Specialist Exam upon completion.
• IDEA Homeschool ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with IDEA homeschool program for dual credit. AEC offers Private Pilot Ground School as a dual credit course worth 1/2 high school credit upon completion for homeschool students.
• Missionary Aviation Repair Center (MARC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Rev. Roald Amundsen, MARC in Soldotna provided the inspiration and founding vision for AEC. April Erhardt, a flight instructor at MARC, serves as Private Pilot Ground School instructor for AEC.
• Alaska Native Corporations (20+ organizations)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExtensive network including Ahtna, Aleutians Region, Arctic Slope Regional Corp, Bering Straits Native Corp, Bristol Bay Native Corp, Calista Corp, Chugach Alaska Corp, Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI), Doyon, Koniag, NANA Corp, and Sealaska. These corporations provide vocational training funds and scholarships for Alaska Native students attending AEC.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alaska Works Partnership: Industry-driven nonprofit training organization providing apprenticeship and craft training for Alaska's unionized construction trades. Comparable as a construction-trades apprenticeship training provider serving Alaska's labor-market needs.
• AVTEC (Alaska's Institute of Technology): State-operated vocational training center in Seward, Alaska offering diploma programs in construction, welding, diesel/heavy equipment, and industrial trades. Directly comparable as a residential-construction-focused vocational training provider serving Alaska workforce-development needs.
• University of Alaska Anchorage Community & Technical College: Alaska's largest community/technical college offering certificate and associate programs in construction technology, office occupations, and medical coding. Comparable as a regional public CTE provider competing for Alaska's vocational training market.
• Ilisagvik College: Tribal college in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska serving primarily Alaska Native students with vocational and career-technical programs including construction trades. Directly comparable as a culturally-relevant, Alaska-Native-serving postsecondary vocational training institution.
• Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) Training & Employment Services: Alaska Native nonprofit providing vocational training, apprenticeship programs, and career pathways for Alaska Native and American Indian people in Anchorage. Comparable as a tribal-affiliated workforce development and trades training provider for Alaska Natives.
• Yuut Elitnaurviat (Bethel, AK): Yup'ik-operated vocational training center in Bethel serving rural Alaska Native students with construction, heavy equipment, and office training. Directly comparable as a rural Alaska, culturally-relevant vocational training provider for Alaska Natives.

Regional players

• Northwest Indian College: Tribal college in Bellingham, Washington serving Native American students with vocational and career-technical programs including construction. Comparable as a faith-adjacent tribal-affiliated vocational training provider for Indigenous students, though operating in a different geography.
• Idaho Building Trades Apprenticeship Programs: Regional multi-trade apprenticeship programs combining classroom and on-the-job construction training. Comparable as a work-based construction apprenticeship model similar in structure to BHC's hands-on residential construction training approach.

Others

• Missionary Aviation Repair Center (MARC): Soldotna, Alaska-based aviation repair organization founded by Rev. Roald Amundsen (same founder as AEC). Adjacent as the founding inspiration and physical neighbor of AEC, with ongoing operational partnership via the Private Pilot Ground School instructor.
• Microsoft Imagine Academy (member network): Microsoft's global education program for institutions offering Microsoft Office curriculum and certification pathways. AEC is a Program Member; comparable as a technology-credentialing enabling partner for the Office Occupations program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amundsen-educational-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Amundsen Educational Center