The TechStar Team

Hop Howlett - Founder

Implementing Operational Success...

1972 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Hop Howlett has been developing and presenting special-skills training programs in a variety of technical arenas for nearly thirty years. His military service began as an infantry officer with the Berlin Brigade in West Berlin, Germany. He was later trained and certified as an explosive ordnance disposal officer and served as unit commander of an Army bomb squad in the Washington, D.C., area.

Following military service, Hop was certified by Westinghouse Electric Corporation as a nuclear plant engineer and shift supervisor for reactor plant operations at the Department of Energy's Naval Reactors Facility, part of the U.S. Navy's Nuclear Propulsion Program. As an operator, shift supervisor, and training manager, he acquired nearly a decade of hands-on experience in naval nuclear plant operations, maintenance, training, and emergency preparedness.

In June of 1988, Hop founded TechStar, a multi-service training and publishing firm whose mission is to develop practical training programs and materials for improving the performance of industrial teams. Under his leadership, TechStar, has acquired a superior reputation for effective, interesting training in the areas of leadership and human performance.

Mitch Samuelian

Mitchell M. Samuelian is the CEO and Founder of NuConsult Services and a solar and electric utility industry leader with more than 40 years of experience. He has a long record of leading teams, managing complex projects, and delivering results on time and within budget.

Mitch’s background spans corporate asset management, engineering, plant management, and strategic planning. He has served as CEO of Tonian Renewables, Vice President of O&M at NRG Energy, Director of Plant Operations for First Solar, and General Manager of the 392 MW Ivanpah facility. He is also a board member of Dead Sea Vision, LLC.

Over his career, Mitch has led the development and operations/maintenance of more than 6 GW of solar, wind, and battery storage projects. His experience includes oversight of operations and construction for three Loan Programs Office (LPO) projects—Agua Caliente, CVSR, and Ivanpah—as well as 24/7 monitoring and operations through a NERC‑certified control center and extensive performance reporting and analytics work. He has broad O&M expertise across hydro, solar, wind, battery storage, and nuclear power.

Mitch’s professional development includes the Negotiation Workshop: Creating Value in Deals & Disputes at Harvard University, Facilitation & Mediation of Public & Environmental Conflicts at CDR in Boulder, Colorado, and Legislative Operations for Executives at Georgetown University. He also holds an NRC Reactor Operator License (OP‑50330), NRC Senior Reactor Operator Certification, and Westinghouse Instructor Certification. He earned an MBA in HR Management from the University of Phoenix, a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Thomas Edison State College, and an A.S. in Technology from the State University of New York (SUNY), Albany. Mitch and the NuConsult leadership team have incorporated TechStar’s human performance and operational excellence training into NuConsult’s offerings, continuing a long‑standing focus on practical, field‑tested training and consulting for high‑reliability industrial operations.

Al Meadows

1985 graduate of the United States Navy’s Enlisted Nuclear Power School, Al Meadows has been developing and presenting special skills training programs in a variety of technical arenas for nearly thirty-five years. He was trained and certified as a Master Training Specialist and served three Instructor Tours at the Navy’s Nuclear Power Training Command. Al retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9) in 2007. He holds a BS in Nuclear Engineering Technology and an MA in Organizational Security Management from Webster University.

Following military service, Al was recruited by Siemens Energy Inc., to work in the O&M Training group. During his five years with Siemens he worked with multiple Combined Cycle Power Plants around the globe and served as a Maintenance Manager at a 2x1 50 Hz Dual Fuel Plant in Argentina. Al has worked with multiple plants to enhance liquid fuel reliability. He also worked in a successful pilot program to run liquid fuel GTs on biodiesel. Al has written multiple sets of operating and maintenance procedures for various plants in the U.S. and South America.

In August of 2012, Al left Siemens to work with Hop Howlett and TechStar, a multi-service training and publishing firm whose mission is to develop practical training programs and materials for improving the performance of industrial teams. During the following years Al worked with TechStar and Flowserve’s Nuclear division as a turnkey project manager for large scale projects in commercial nuclear plants. Al was handpicked and certified by Hop to independently conduct all of the TechStar training topics.

In December of 2017, Al went to work at Powerhouse Resources where he is currently the president and runs the day-to-day operations. He also still does all the curriculum development and teaches the TechStar heritage training.

Email: Al@TechStarTraining.com