002 Sawyer Think: How a Small Company Disrupts Markets and Changes the World
Release Date: 04/20/2026
003 Zen Leadership Institute Founder and Past NASA Executive Explores How Energy is Everything
Sages of Industry
Dr. Ginny Whitelaw as a former NASA senior leader, founder of the Institute for Zen Leadership, and co-developer of the FEBI framework, which focuses on four mind-body energy patterns in leadership. Episode Summary In this episode, Lynne Brodie speaks with Dr. Ginny Whitelaw about leadership, human potential, and the deeper internal capacities that shape how people lead, create, and influence the world around them. The conversation begins with Ginny’s professional journey, including her time at NASA and the turning points that led her into leadership development work. From there, the...
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002 Sawyer Think: How a Small Company Disrupts Markets and Changes the World
Sages of Industry
Kurt Avery is the founder, owner, and president of Sawyer Products. His work focuess on outdoor protection, water filtration, first aid, and a long-standing commitment to expanding access to clean water around the world. He is also the author of Sawyer Think: How a Small Company Disrupts Markets and Changes the World. Episode Summary In this episode, Lynne Brodie speaks with Kurt Avery about building a company that competes successfully in the marketplace while also solving real human problems at scale. The conversation centers on Sawyer Products, the path from a small product business...
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001 Introducing Sages of Industry: Sparking Business for World Good in You
Sages of Industry
In this opening episode, Lynne Brodie introduces Sages of Industry and explains the purpose behind the podcast. She positions the show as a platform for conversations with leaders who build companies, products, and services that do three things at once: serve clients, engage employees, and solve real-world problems. Lynne also shares the professional perspective that led her to create the show. Drawing on decades in corporate America, she reflects on what she has observed inside large organizations: strong ideas often exist, but meaningful follow-through, innovation, and broader impact do...
info_outlineKurt Avery is the founder, owner, and president of Sawyer Products. His work focuess on outdoor protection, water filtration, first aid, and a long-standing commitment to expanding access to clean water around the world. He is also the author of Sawyer Think: How a Small Company Disrupts Markets and Changes the World.
Episode Summary
In this episode, Lynne Brodie speaks with Kurt Avery about building a company that competes successfully in the marketplace while also solving real human problems at scale. The conversation centers on Sawyer Products, the path from a small product business into a globally recognized brand, and the mindset required to stay committed to innovation over decades. Kurt’s background aligns closely with those themes: he founded Sawyer in 1984, started with a snakebite kit, expanded into outdoor protection and water filtration, and has repeatedly framed the company around solving real problems rather than simply adding more products to a catalog.
A major theme in the episode is that impact and business performance do not have to be in conflict. The discussion connects product innovation, commercial discipline, and humanitarian reach, especially around clean water. Clean water has a huge impact on the health of children being able to return to school, families being able to return to work, which results in a pivot from their poverty and educational levels. Thus, it changes a country’s economy and GDP. Company materials describe Sawyer’s water work as both a major business success and a vehicle for large-scale global impact, with Avery consistently emphasizing practical usefulness, durable product design, and a mission larger than retail sales alone.
The episode also points toward a broader business philosophy: long-term persistence, disciplined marketing, category disruption, and a refusal to build second-rate products. Avery returns to those same ideas, including the company’s early years of struggle, its focus on innovation over imitation, and the belief that a small company can change markets and lives if it solves meaningful problems better than larger competitors.
Key Takeaways
- Kurt Avery built Sawyer Products from a narrow starting point into a company known for water filtration, insect repellent, sunscreen, and first aid.
- A core message of the episode is that real innovation begins with solving a genuine problem, not launching a “me too” product.
- Clean water access is central to Kurt’s public mission and to the company’s larger global impact story.
- Clean water has a huge impact on the health of children being able to return to school, families being able to return to work, which results in a pivot from their poverty and educational levels. Thus, it changes a country’s economy and GDP.
Discussed Topics
- Kurt Avery’s background and the origin of Sawyer Products
- Starting with a focused niche product and expanding strategically
- Why product quality and usefulness matter more than trend-driven growth
- Water filtration and the business of solving life-and-death problems
- Clean water, global need, and large-scale humanitarian impact
- Persistence through difficult years of business building
- Innovation inside a small company
- Sustainability as a practical business issue, not just branding
- How small companies disrupt larger markets
- Mission, profitability, and long-term business thinking
- Product development, market trust, and customer education
- What business leaders can learn from Avery’s operating philosophy
YouTube-Style Timeline
00:00:00 Welcome and introduction to Kurt Avery
00:00:42 Kurt’s background and the story behind Sawyer Products
00:02:25 Starting the company and the early snakebite kit foundation
00:04:18 Building around useful products instead of imitation
00:06:05 Expanding into water filtration and broader product innovation
00:08:10 Clean water as both a business and humanitarian mission
00:10:35 What solving real-world problems looks like in practice
00:12:45 Sustainability, usefulness, and business viability
00:14:55 The long road of persistence before major success
00:17:05 Marketing, trust, and educating the market
00:19:25 Product development and how small companies compete
00:21:35 Scaling impact through adoption, partnerships, and reach
00:23:55 Business lessons and the ideas behind Sawyer Think
00:26:20 Leadership, mission, and long-term decision-making
00:28:40 Disrupting markets while staying focused on service
00:30:45 Final reflections on business, impact, and world good
00:32:20 Where to learn more and episode close