Distinguished Early Career Professional Peter Newport, ‘98 believes to predict the future, you have to create it.

Pete Newport

An extreme athlete and self-described “serial entrepreneur,” Crazy Pete is currently Owner and President of Sawyer Paddle & Oars, and has creatively manufactured every successful outcome in his career.

A thirst for adventure, leadership and learning started at a young age for Newport. Though Newport estimates his family moved 20 to 30 times by the time he was in high school — going from town to town buying, fixing up and selling houses — he was active in student government at each stop along the way. At one point he was class president at Redmond High School while attending Mountain View High School.

Newport’s pursuit of higher education did not take a traditional path, either. He spent years traveling around Oregon, working and taking college courses, but mostly focusing on his dream of becoming an Olympic kayaker.

That dream came to a crashing halt, however, when he broke his ribs running a waterfall in his kayak. It was at this point that he decided to go to finish his degree and landed at Oregon State.

“I turned to my true passion, which was branding and developing people,” Newport said. “I was really hungry at that point to develop the skill to be a leader and manager. I think just about everything I learned in that two and a half years at the College of Business I use every single day now.”

Newport’s first entrepreneurial success came after a friend approached him about taking over Breedlove Guitars, a struggling guitar company that needed new life. The company was nearly bankrupt with four employees and less than 60 retailers when he took it over. When Newport sold the company 11 years later it had more than 50 employees with distribution in more than 30 countries.

After he sold Breedlove, Newport took six months off to recharge and dream again. Taking his love of skiing and kayaking, he began to list companies, but got no further than Sawyer Paddles & Oars before picking up the phone to call the owner. Newport had spent some time in the late ‘90s working the night shift sanding paddles at Sawyer, so he was familiar with the company. When he finally connected with then-owner he said “Hey Bruce! It’s Crazy Pete. I sold Breedlove. Teach me how to run Sawyer, and I’ll help you retire!”

Newport, his wife and son have spent the last year and a half living in an apartment within the the company’s factory. He carries two business cards – one that says “President and Owner” and one that says “Crazy Pete – Visionary and Night watchman.” He spends his time creating the future for Sawyer, but he also does the accounting, human resources, a lot of the purchasing and all of the design work.

 

Part of the future for the native Oregonian and College of Business graduate, who considers himself a “global citizen,” includes running for mayor of small Oregon town Gold Mill, which he intends on turning into the “recreation capital of Oregon” and the “coolest town in the world.”

Beaver Nation: "Crazy" Pete Newport from Oregon State University on Vimeo.