John Knight

Recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Cal Maritime Academy, John founded and ran the globally recognized Knight & Carver Yachtcenter, a company that designed, engineered and built over 100 one-off custom yachts and oceangoing vessels ranging in size from 40'-120', all from the ground up. The company's repair division was the largest on the west coast of the Americas, where they serviced over 40,000 marine craft up to 400' in length. John is a serial innovator who is always looking for ways to improve efficiency; in doing so, he designed and engineered some of the most legendary and unique boats to sail the seas.

The yacht company spun-off to a wind energy division that manufactured and repaired turbine blades for GE, Florida Power & Light, Mitsubishi, Northern Power, and other industry leaders. The wind company grew to nearly 400 employees and was one of the largest manufacturers of wind blades in the world; developing innovative construction techniques and culminating in the design and development of the U.S. Dept. of Energy Top 10 award winning STAR Blade®.