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.