Cutting Edge

Portland's knife industry is on point

By Annelise Kelly

On August 24, a lively crowd gathered at a small manufacturing shop on N.E. Sandy near Interstate 84. The pleasant summer day attracted people of all ages who share a common passion: knives. It was National Knife Day, celebrated by Portland’s first-ever Knife Maker Showcase. Five local knife manufacturers– STEELPORT Knife Co., Benchmade, CRKT, Gerber Gear and Leatherman– collaborated to launch the Portland Knife Center of Excellence, or PKCoE, with a common goal of spreading the word. Portland is America’s knife-crafting capital.

The event took place at STEELPORT Knife Co., spilling out from the workshop into the parking lot where the knife companies displayed their latest innovations and fielded questions from the enthusiastic crowd. Many also displayed a few heritage models, examples of their early products.

Surrounded by the hum of conversation whispered a red-hot forge where Arnon Kartmazov, owner and mastersmith of Bridgetown Forge, demonstrated traditional knife making. He explained each step and responded to questions as he hammered in rhythmic partnership with a young assistant. The OSU blacksmithing club had a table, representing the future of knife-making arts. Commissioner Carmen Rubio was proud to read a mayoral proclamation, declaring it Portland’s Day of Excellence in Knife Manufacturing.

The knife industry in Portland

Many Portlanders know there’s a local knife industry. Perhaps you remember that Gerber was founded here, or that the game-changing Leatherman multi-tool was invented in Portland (by a man named Leatherman) or how truly rabid knife enthusiasts camp overnight at the Kai USA warehouse in Tualatin for its annual sale.

However, Portland punches seriously above its weight in the knife-making business, manufacturing more than half of all domestically made knives in the United States. Today it’s a billion-dollar industry, employing at least 1,200 people.

Representative Earl Blumenauer, quoted in the event press release, stated he’s “convinced that a knife making center of excellence could be beneficial to the city, but specifically help elevate and boost trade careers in the region.” He regards investing resources in the local knife industry as a potential “lifetime ticket with many applications” for Portland’s young workforce.

Why Portland?

Portland’s dominance in domestic knife manufacturing started with the founding of Gerber Gear 85 years ago. Keith Carrato, the company’s vice president, says “there's a lot of family tree, if you will, that originated through Gerber in some way, shape or form.” Some Gerber employees launched other brands, and Pete Gerber, the founder’s son, who helped other brands relocate locally to take advantage of the existing suppliers and infrastructure.

Eytan Zias, co-founder of STEELPORT Knife Co., notes how Portland and Oregon support locations for start-ups, and that “there's a lot of complementary industry here.” STEELPORT collaborates with “companies and suppliers that service the knife industry and also aerospace… machining and heat treating along with general fabrication and polishing. There are a lot of correlations between these industries.”

Ron Khormaei, co-founder of STEELPORT Knife Co., agrees, saying “such a high concentration of manufacturers has led to infrastructure and supply chain like strong heat treatment and steel conditioning. This has worked great in tandem with the region’s strengths in the culinary and outdoor arenas.”

Launching PKCoE

The concept of a local knife-maker’s organization “germinated at the realization of the unappreciated knife manufacturing depth we have here in Portland,” explains Khormaei. “My wife and I were visiting an outdoor chain's store in Denver. I was feeling proud of STEELPORT yet disappointed our brand was the only American-made kitchen knife on their large culinary display. I then looked around the broader knife category and realized all the outdoor knives and multi-tools were not only American brands but also Portland-based companies.”

A few months later, he met with Blumenauer, who “was very supportive of us starting this PKCoE concept after hearing that over 50 percent of American-made knives sold in the U.S. are made in Portland, Oregon,” said Khormaei. “Internally, we discussed the idea of creating this center at STEELPORT and received positive feedback. Reaching out to my peers in the founding member companies garnered enthusiastic support. Each leader invested their organization’s energy to get the concept up and running without expecting any specific return. Within nine months, we successfully launched this center on National Knife Day.”

Khormaei also acknowledges the organization received crucial help from local agencies and suppliers. He says a central mission is to “promote Portland as the knife capital city of the U.S., parallel to places like Seki City in Japan,” a globally recognized destination for knife enthusiasts.

Blumenauer remains a strong supporter, telling Oregon Wine Press, “I’m proud Portland is America’s knife manufacturing center of excellence. This is a hidden story, too few people know that half of America’s highest quality knives are made right here. Coupled with our amazing culinary scene and outdoor recreation economy, this is a unique opportunity to showcase some of the finest products in the world. I know a Knife Center of Excellence will benefit the region, specifically helping to elevate and boost trade careers and tell a positive, emerging story about Portland manufacturing.”

The new organization intends to “shine a spotlight on great craftsmanship, product and companies that treat their employees right, which I think all of us do,” says Carrato. “Portland has a really deep and wonderful history of craftsmanship across all sorts of different areas, right? Whether it's beer, wine, our stellar culinary culture and obviously, the footwear industry. I think it's also valuable to Portland because it draws tourism and attracts talent.”

Zias recognizes how Portland’s reputation has lost some of its appeal in recent years. He owns Knife House, a retail store, and says “I used to see more food tourism; people would hit up all the restaurants and then visit the STEELPORT factory. We see less of that now. So, I think this gives people a reason to return.
“We're all in the Portland area, but still pretty spread out,” notes Zias, “so I would love to see a central location where visitors can go to really start capturing the heritage of knife making all in one place. At the knife day event, people brought their historical prototypes and first editions. We featured some of the earliest handmade Leathermans beside the first Gerbers and STEELPORTS. I would love to see a permanent collection like that, any kind of knife enthusiast would be fascinated by it. It would be good to have a brick-and-mortar hub, same as you have in Seki in Japan or Solingen in Germany and other worldwide knife hubs.”

The burgeoning organization has created a vibrant sense of collaboration among member makers. “Most of these companies are still owned by the original families,” observes Zias. “They have shared histories, yet, many haven't been in the same room in a long time. Everybody's been really open and collaborative.”

Portland Knife Center of Excellence founding members

STEELPORT Knife Co.
The company released its first forged carbon steel knife in 2021. Currently, it represents the only domestic culinary knife-maker in widespread retail distribution. It was founded by Eytan Zias, bladesmith, and Ron Khormaei, CEO. Zias is a chef and knife enthusiast who founded Knife House, selling and sharpening knives, with two locations in Phoenix, Arizona and on Belmont Street in Portland. Khormaei, who has a Ph.D. in engineering, is on the faculty at OSU and PSU, and founded FINEX Cast Iron Cookware, among other enterprises. The company currently offers six high-end knives hand-crafted in Portland.

Gerber Gear
Gerber Gear launched in 1939 when advertising man Joe Gerber collaborated with blacksmith David Murphy, making their first sale to New York City outfitters Abercrombie & Fitch. Starting with culinary carving knives, the selection has expanded to a wide range of blades with a particular emphasis on outdoor use– think pocket knives, folding knives, multi-tools, and even axes and saws. Seven models of their classic carving knives can be viewed in the online collection of the Portland Art Museum.

Leatherman
Tim Leatherman, a mechanical engineer, conceived of the need for a “Boy Scout knife with pliers” while vagabonding internationally with his wife in 1975. After several years of design and prototypes, he received a patent in 1980 and sold his first order of Pocket Survival Tools to Cabela’s in 1983. Today they offer over six dozen multi-tools, along with eight folding knives.

Benchmade
In 1979, Benchmade moved to Oregon in 1990. It currently occupies a 35,000-square-foot factory and is one of Oregon City’s largest employers, with over 400 people working 24 hours a day, six days a week. The company maintains an internship program and works with Clackamas Community College. Founder Les deAsis was succeeded by his wife, and then his son Jon deAsis, the current CEO. Knife categories include culinary, outdoor, hunting, water, tactical, everyday carry and custom.

CRKT
CRKT stands for Columbia River Knife and Tool. While the company manufactures some culinary knives, the bulk of their wares fall in the everyday carry category. It was founded in 1994 by Rod Bremer and Paul Gillespie, who both worked for Kershaw Knives. CRKT makes a wide range of fixed blades and folding knives, multi-tools, sharpeners and carrying systems, including three newly introduced culinary knives.

After living in Denmark, the Netherlands, L.A. and the Bay Area, writer Annelise Kelly settled in Portland, where she delights in food carts, Douglas firs, dancing and getting crafty. Thanks to Annelise’s broad interests, her career path has weaved through cooking, events, technical writing, decorative painting and retail display.Wanderlust takes her across borders and oceans every chance she gets. Connect with Annelise at www.annelisekelly.com.