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Robert “Trey” Coker inducted into Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame

March 2, 2020

Robert “Trey” Coker was recently inducted into the Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame class of 2020.
Robert “Trey” Coker was recently inducted into the Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame class of 2020.

The Alaska State Committee on Research selected Robert “Trey” Coker as an inductee to the Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame class of 2020.

This recognition honors his world-class research and business venture that has been the only small business in Alaska to receive a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer grant since 2014. Essential Blend LLC’s nutritional products are meal replacements that provide free form, vegan-sourced amino acids that protect muscle during weight loss even in the elderly. The patented amino acid profile helps the body maintain all tissue and organ proteins.

Coker is a former faculty ambassador for the Office of Intellectual property and Commercialization. Read more about Coker’s research and his recognition here.

Other 2020 inductees include:

  • Ping Lan, professor of business administration for the UAF School of Management, was inducted for his role in starting the Arctic Innovation Competition
  • August G. (Augie) Hiebert for his accomplishments in the broadcast and communication industry in Alaska
  • The Alutiiq/Sugpiaq angyat was inducted for the creativity, traditional ecological knowledge and craftsmanship of these large open boats. Crafted explicitly for heavy seas and mass transportation, and made from local materials, these historic skin-covered boats were used in Sugpiaq society for harvesting and traveling. Angyat were owned by families.