Discovery Drilling Inc. - A Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business
Kyle Brown - Founder, Previous President - Happily Retired
Kyle Brown, making his way to Alaska in the early 80's after a series of interesting events, found himself employed at a local drilling company. The owner of this company decided to retire and sell his equipment fleet in the mid-80's, and Kyle had amassed enough capital to purchase one of the drill rigs and some tooling from his then boss. Using a baby-blue Volkswagen as his support vehicle, and outfitting it with steel roof racks to haul around tooling, Kyle got to work and began operating as Discovery Drilling and incorporating it in 1986. Kyle's hard work, many talents, skills, and dedication to his trade are directly responsible for growing Discovery Drilling into what it is today. Since its inception as a one-man show in the mid-80's, Discovery Drilling has grown to employ upwards of 40 hard working individuals.
Kyle officially retired in 2021, with his son, Keeter Brown, taking over his duties as President. Kyle spends a great deal of his time these days helping out the local community, donating his time, tools, and extensive skillset to help others in need.
Keeter Brown - President & Owner
Keeter began work at Discovery Drilling in 2010, after completing a 5 year enlistment in the United States Marine Corps as a Tactical Data Systems Technician. He is also a veteran of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. In 2021, Keeter advanced to the position of Discovery Drilling's President and Owner, taking over the roles and responsibilities of his father, Kyle, upon his retirement.
While Keeter manages the corporation as a whole, he continues to be heavily involved with every aspect of the business, including operations, logistics, and client and crew support. Keeter is also responsible for much of the modernization of the environment at Discovery Drilling, always seeking out and implementing new technology and equipment to enhance the efficiency and safety of our operations. The positive growth and expansion Discovery has undergone since Keeter began his work here are a direct reflection of his leadership and technical aptitude, as well as his passion for troubleshooting and solving problems as efficiently as possible.
Keeter is also a proud husband and father of two wonderful girls and enjoys traveling and exploring the world with them when time permits. His contagious, positive, and optimistic outlook on things manages to keep a smile on everyone's face around him. Regardless of the time of day, day of week, or his whereabouts, Keeter always keeps his finger on the pulse of Discovery's upcoming and ongoing operations, and is never more than a phone call away whenever that new fire needs to be put out.
Tyler Ellis - General Manager
Tyler served in the US Army as a OH58D “Kiowa” Helicopter Crew Chief/Mechanic and is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom with a deployment to Afghanistan. After his return to civilian life, he spent several years working in Portland, Oregon, before eventually making his way to Alaska in 2019. Tyler officially joined the Discovery team in 2020, spending most of his time working in the field on remote projects and quickly learning our trade.
In 2024, Tyler’s leadership, communication skills, and positive can-do attitude, coupled with his technical knowledge of our work, became cause to begin his training and advancement into the position of Discovery Drilling’s General Manager. Along with the rest of Discovery’s management staff, Tyler helps oversee the management of crews, operations, and fleet resources, as well as client correspondence, ensuring jobs are executed efficiently, safely, and meet our clients’ needs. He assists Keeter with managing every facet of the business and day-to-day operations.
After his cousin, Christopher, tragically passed away from an overdose in 2019, Tyler and his family created the Christopher Walden House of Hope and Rehabilitation, a facility to aid those in need during their addiction recovery, stressing “Recovery through Community”. He volunteers most of his free time raising money and helping with events associated with the House of Hope, a great cause that Discovery Drilling is also proud to support.
Losi Vaha'akolo - Operations Manager
No stranger to hard, honest work, Losi spent his pre-Discovery years working with his family's business, doing concrete and asphalt driveways, rock and brick retaining walls, and lawn maintenance. He joined the ranks of Discovery Drilling in 2019, with his hard work ethic and ability to adapt and overcome challenges quickly setting him apart from his peers. He moved into the role of driller in mid-2020, and grew into one of Discovery's most relied upon and technically proficient employees.
In 2025, Losi continued his advancement at Discovery, and was promoted to the role of Operations Manager. The backbone of our operations management and crew support, Losi is the central nervous system that links our field staff with our local support network, ensuring jobs are properly loaded out and efficiently executed.
In his personal life, Losi is the proud father of five amazing children, which are his biggest motivation to work hard and continue to advance in his professional life. He is also a Lay Speaker at the Church of Tonga in Anchorage, helping lead worship services, delivering messages, and supporting the spiritual needs of his community. When he finds himself with free time, he enjoys four-wheeling, working on cars, and fishing (especially when he gets to do these things with his kids).
Jennifer Aragon - Bookkeeper
Bookkeeper
Keeping us all in line since 2014, Jennifer has become an important part of the Discovery Team. Her contagious positive attitude helps keep the stress of the office environment to a minimum, and she does a wonderful job of keeping Keeter's spirits up by pretending his jokes are funny. She manages and records the countless monetary day-to-day transactions, keeping the books in good order. Her duties include, but are certainly not limited to, payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, bank reconciliations, keepin' it real, and whatever daily fires need to be put out around the office. She also leads a team of two other remarkable individuals who assist her with not only bookkeeping, but ancillary functions like PPE inventory management, new-hire onboarding, and ensuring crew training is up-to-date (among many, many other tasks).
Jennifer is the keystone that holds Discovery's accounting ledger together, on top of everything else she manages here, and we are all blessed to have her as part of the team.