From Army to oats: An entrepreneur's journey

Megan Militello photographed Nov. 11, 2019 (Photo by Sam Davenport)

Megan Militello always wanted to start a business — but joining the Army before the end of her senior year put that dream on the backburner.

Following high school, Militello worked as an air traffic controller and at the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense. She was deployed to Iraq twice and received a Masters in aeronautical science.

Militello, originally from California, lived in Hawaii before moving to Anchorage in July. She received her business license in August for Elevated Oats — a Veteran-owned business producing small-batch granola and oat products.

“I always wanted to do something on my own, I just never had the guts to do [it],” Militello said.

She flirted with the idea of launching a business centered around health coaching. As a certified trainer, she knew she could put her talents to good use — but realized soon after that the root of her business should encompass her beliefs — a love of being healthy.

“People just don’t eat the right food,” Militello said. “And everybody eats out nowadays, so I wanted to do something that I could do with food but make it better.”

Militello’s entrepreneurial spirit sprouted at a young age. Her father, who lives in Alaska, owns a screenprinting business, a handful of vape shops and an assisted living home. Her grandfather was a business owner, too.

“I was like seven or eight selling these pipe cleaner flowers that I would make,” Militello laughed. “I would go around at my grandfather’s building to all the different offices and sell these pipe cleaner flowers.”

Now, Militello is out there hustling her own business, selling direct to consumers through holiday shows and educating people about what you can do with granola and oats — desserts, cookies and overnight oats are a handful of options. Elevated Oats also educates consumers through their  Facebook and Instagram.

Elevated Oats has a variety of granola flavors, including Not Creamsicle, Velvet Beet, Not Banana Bread and Dark and Salty (Photo courtesy of Elevated Oats).

Elevated Oats has a variety of flavors, including Not Creamsicle, Velvet Beet, Not Banana Bread and Dark and Salty. They also sell caramel cups and cookies made from their oats.

“The goal is to start it out, try it, test it, see how people like it, adjust and then go wholesale,” Militello said.

Currently, Anchorage-ites can purchase Elevated Oats at Anchorage re:MADE every Wednesday. Next year, Militello says they will launch their website, where consumers can purchase their products there. This weekend, Elevated Oats will be at the Holiday Craft Show at the Dimond Center Dec. 7 and 8.