Pa
ul Akers is founder and president of FastCap LLC, based in Ferndale, WA. FastCap is an international product development company founded in 1997 with over 2000 distributors worldwide. A prolific inventor, Paul holds US and International patents. His company FastCap, a lean manufacturer, launches approximately 20 new innovative products per year and has won business of the year in 1999 and 2010. Paul and his wife, Leanne, have built FastCap from their garage into a multi-million dollar company.
He graduated from Biola University in 1983 with honors, obtaining a degree in education with an emphasis in Greek and German. Paul worked in Pasadena restoring some of the most prestigious historical homes and became part of an exclusive group of craftsmen that built the home for the editor of Architectural Digest. Paul taught Industrial Arts at Mark Keppel High School where his innovative thinking led to the development of a program that focused on teaching kids to actually build furniture, rather than the standard high school projects like key racks and cutting boards.
He catapulted into the business world when his knack for problem solving led to an invention and eventually to his own manufacturing business that started in his garage. Through a series of twists and turns he discovered Lean and the Toyota Production System (TPS) which helped to launch his business from the garage into the successful international product development company known as FastCap.
Paul is an instrument rated pilot with over 2000 hours of flight time, which includes 3 North Atlantic crossings in a single engine plane.
Paul is a master craftsman, gardener and designer. He built his own exquisite Greene & Greene craftsman style home in Bellingham, Washington, as well as the furniture and guitars in his home. Paul and Leanne?s gardens have won garden of the year 2 years in a row in their city.
Born and raised in Southern California, Paul was drawn towards excellence and high standards from an early age. He earned his Eagle Scout at age 14. Inspired by woodworking artisans, he earned awards and recognition for furniture design before graduating high school. At the age of 15 he built his own guitar and earned the attention of guitar designer Bob Taylor, who mentored and eventually put Paul to work for Taylor Guitars. As a true American innovator, Bob made a lasting impression on Paul, where he was part of building over 2000 world class musical instruments.
Paul Akers Biography
Using Lean, Paul?s company has prospered and expanded even in times of economic downturn. He has never had to lay off an employee, nor cut one salary and currently offers the highest entry level pay for any business in the region.
Paul is an avid outdoorsman and has summited Mt Whitney 3 times. At 14, 495?, Whitney is the highest peak in the continental US. In Oct 2014 Paul made it to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro and to Everest Base Camp.
Paul is an energetic speaker whose core passion is helping people discover their full potential in life and teaching others how to implement Lean thinking for their own business and personal success. He has spoken to the Israeli Defense Forces, numerous large Construction companies, many Educational Institutions and his passion is to spread the lean message around the world.
Paul has thousands of followers of his weekly broadcast, ?The American Innovator? where he teaches about the power of innovation and lean thinking. He also shares his insights and observations, along with staggering photography/videography from his travels and adventures around the world.
In 2010 Paul ran for the US Senate in Washington State on a lean platform of transforming government by empowering people. After the election, Paul has continued to work with various government agencies teaching them Lean thinking and helping them create a lean culture in government organizations throughout the country.
In June 2011 Paul won the prestigious award of Business Executive of the year for Seattle Business Magazine. He also wrote his first book, 2 Second Lean, about manufacturing and creating a fun lean culture. In 2015 he wrote his 2nd book Lean Health.
In 2013 Paul was invited to do a TEDX talk on making Lean Fun. And in 2014 was invited to be part of the Liker Leadership Institute, where he continues to teach Lean concepts to others.
Paul has been married to Leanne for 33 years and has 2 children: Andrea and Kolbe.You can find both ?2 Second Lean? and ?Lean Health? in print, audio-book, Audible, CD, and eBook at all the great retailers and e-stores, or by visiting paulakers.net.
