From Iran to Oregon: How a PhD Built an American Knife Company with Ron Khormaei

From Air Force Officer to Serial Entrepreneur with Andrew Henke of Levver

Steve sits down with Andrew Henke, co-founder of Lever, to trace a remarkable journey from Division I basketball at the Air Force Academy to building Sports Academy (a "Four Seasons of sports" training facility that caught Kobe Bryant's attention) to modernizing an old-school plastics manufacturing company from the ground up. Andrew shares what it really takes to transform a dinosaur business, why he believes AI will create more entrepreneurs rather than eliminate jobs, and the two non-negotiable habits every business owner should build into their week. Whether you're scaling a startup or running a 30-year-old company, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons on revenue, culture, and knowing when to pause and ask: what do I actually want this business to look like?

From Iran to Oregon: How a PhD Built an American Knife Company with Ron Khormaei

Ron Khormaei left Iran at 15, attended high school across four countries, earned four consecutive degrees in Oregon, and eventually founded Steelport Knife Co., an employee-owned American manufacturer based in Portland. In this episode, Ron shares how navigating uncertainty as a young immigrant shaped his entrepreneurial mindset, why he believes naivety is a startup superpower, and how Steelport is innovating beyond knives with a patent-pending two-sided cutting board that combines recycled paper composite and end-grain walnut. A fascinating conversation about manufacturing in America, building community, and what it really means to pay it forward.

One Family's American Dream, His Next Chapter with Anthony Tokosky

Anthony Tokosky grew up behind the register of his parents' Chinese restaurant in San Diego. His dad swam from China to Hong Kong with nothing. His mom worked as a bus girl before buying the same restaurant 20 years later. n this episode of The Last Bolt, Anthony shares how he went from software engineer to real estate investor to business buyer. This is a conversation about grit, patience, and knowing when to bet on yourself. This podcast is produced by Rowan, where we help business owners prepare for their next chapter. Learn more at trustrowan.com [http://trustrowan.com]

Building an Industrial Empire from a Family Scrap Business with Ross Gale

Ross Gale's family has been in the machinery business for five generations. In this episode of The Last Bolt, Ross shares how IPP Group evolved from scrapping junk cars to buying, relocating, and repopulating entire chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing plants across the globe. We talk about the power of curiosity in a technical business, what it means to take on environmental risk, why scarcity creates durable businesses, and how a family operation with 150 people manages assets worth hundreds of millions. This podcast is produced by Rowan, where we help business owners prepare for their next chapter. Learn more at trustrowan.com [http://trustrowan.com]

Building a $100M Family Business with Tory Cosich

Tory Cosich's dad left Xerox at 26 to start a company out of his father's garage. He built it, sold it, and then started over at the dinner table with his four sons. In this episode of The Last Bolt, Tory shares how Proven IT grew from zero customers in 2003 to over $100M in revenue — and what it actually takes to build a family business that lasts. This podcast is produced by Rowan, where we help business owners prepare for their next chapter. Learn more at trustrowan.com [http://trustrowan.com]