Against the Grain – Purpose Maker Podcast
We are honored that Dr. Wegmann of Purpose Maker Podcast invited Jason to sit down for a chat. Enjoy!
We feel super honored that Dr. Wegmann invited Jason to sit down for a podcast chat.
Dr. Wegmann: All right, we’re live. Welcome to another recording of Purposemaker. This is where wisdom and leadership get into some interesting conversations on business and life. Today, I’ve got a very interesting guest. Jason’s here. Jason, thanks for joining me.
Jason Thelen: Hi. Thanks for having me, man. I’m excited about this.
Dr. Wegmann: This is good. We’ve been trying to connect for a little while, so this is going to be a good conversation.
Jason Thelen: Yeah. Last I remember we were trying to get together, you were going down to Miami.
Dr. Wegmann: Yeah, I was on my way down to the International Boat Show to show some boards down there. I’m going to give him a formal introduction and then we’re going to get rocking. We’re going to pick his brain and get a little wisdom out of him.
Jason Thelen is a master carpenter, husband, father, Northern Michigan native, and founder of Little Bay Boards. He’s here in Petoskey, and most importantly, he’s a Christian. Jason built his first wooden paddleboard in 2012 for his daughter. He is the fifth-generation great-grandson of Chief Pe-to-se-ga, the man our city was actually named after. He has since handcrafted over 500 boards from sustainable wood. Sir Richard Branson rides a Little Bay Board, too. Jason has proven that when you lead with purpose and refuse to compromise your craft, the world takes notice. Welcome, Jason.
Jason Thelen: Thanks, man. Thank you. That was a nice intro. Makes me sound a lot more fancy than what I thought I am.
Dr. Wegmann: Little Bay Boards arguably builds some of the nicest boards in the country. Nobody just sets out to do that—you didn’t one day set up a table and go, “I’m going to build the nicest board in the world.” Let’s start with this genesis story. Clearly, you had to have some wood knowledge prior to attempting that first board. You were a carpenter. Tell me about that.
The Foundation: From Kitchens to Fine Carpentry
Jason Thelen: I started carpentry—like real carpenting—when I was in my 20s after I met my wife. Before that, my dad and my stepfather always had a woodshop. It was basically a beer-drinking area with baseball playing in the background. He would refinish furniture here and there, and I’d go in and tinker, making little things to try to sell at school.
As I grew up, I got into the kitchen business in Petoskey. When you’re a kid here, there’s only the service industry. I was working in kitchens when I met my wife-to-be, Julie. I was about 22 or 23, and I was between jobs. I was trying out for an elite chef, Chef Garrett, down in Charlevoix at the country club. I had a 90-day trial period with him. I had no culinary education other than just grinding through kitchens my whole life. In the interview, he asked, “You’re the 60th person trying for this job. Why should I hire you?” I just said, “Yes, chef. No, chef. You’ll never hear anything else from me.” He said, “You’re hired.”
During that 90-day trial, I was only working three days a week. Julie’s father, John, needed someone to clean up shingles. He offered me nine bucks an hour. This was the 90s, when nine dollars actually meant something. When the chef finally sat me down to hire me full-time, he offered $13 an hour for nights, weekends, and holidays. I asked John if I could come on full-time with him instead. He offered $15 an hour, weekends and holidays off, and an education in building. That seemed smarter.
John is a fascinating man. He grew up doing it the hard way in California with earthquake codes. I learned everything from laying footings to putting a roof on and eventually became a lead finish carpenter.
“God granted me the ability to learn from John—not only the aspects of woodworking but how to be a hell of a family man and a hell of a Catholic.”
The Legacy of Chief Pe-to-se-ga
Dr. Wegmann: One of the things I read in your intro was “fifth-generation Petoskey.” For the listeners all over the world, tell us what that means. Your great-great-great-grandfather founded this area.
Jason Thelen: Yeah, my great-great-great-grandfather was Ignatius Pe-to-se-ga. History is a bit skewed, but my grandmother told me the story before she passed. Ignatius was a fur trapper back when beaver fur was the economy of the world. He was a French-Irishman who married the daughter of the local tribe’s chief. As time went on, he became an honorary chief.
When they decided to name the town after him, they thought “Pe-to-se-ga” was a little too native and hard to pronounce. They changed it to “Petoskey” so it could have the “ski” on the end because it sounded a little more Polish—better for tourism. That’s what Grandma told me, and I’ll stick with it.
Dr. Wegmann: You were raised here, but you weren’t exactly a straight-A student, right?
Jason Thelen: On the contrary. I was a very old soul in a very young body. My parents were very young when they had me. In the 70s, the legal drinking age was 18, and that changes people’s journeys. I grew up in and around a biker bar. I had a different upbringing. I was a latchkey kid; nobody even noticed I was there.
I struggled in school. I’m mostly dyslexic and have ADHD—I’m an artist, so that comes with the territory. In ninth grade, the faculty sat me down and told me they had voted me “most likely to end up in prison.” I dropped out a week later and moved out of my parents’ house when I was 15.
Dr. Wegmann: 15 years old? How did you survive?
Jason Thelen: I couch-hopped for a bit, then found a lady with a third-story attic for rent. I told her, “I have a job. I’ll give you the first six months of rent upfront so you know I’m okay.” It was $275 a month. I loved that little place. I just structured my life, worked in kitchens, and slowly grew up.
The First Board: A Father’s Gift and a Business Spark
Dr. Wegmann: You eventually built that first board for your daughter. Talk about the moment you decided to do this for real.
Jason Thelen: That was 13 years ago. Paddleboarding was brand new. Boards were $2,000 or $3,000, and we couldn’t afford one. I found a booklet on how to build a wooden surfboard and realized a paddleboard is just a surfboard with more volume. I built a small one for my daughter, Shaunie, who was nine at the time. I used some old fascia and wood I had lying around.
“I had made something that could float in water out of wood. It was eco-friendly, and I was proud of that.”
Everywhere we took it, people wouldn’t shut up about it. My wife, Julie, said, “Maybe you could build one and sell it for $400 for Christmas money.” That was the spark. I started building for a local store, Lake Effect, and just kept perfecting the craft. I eventually beat down the door of Paul Jensen—who invented the modern hollow wood surfboard—until he finally answered my questions. We’re still friends today.
From a Tiny Garage to 10,000 Square Feet
Dr. Wegmann: You started in a small garage. How big is the shop now?
Jason Thelen: 10,000 square feet. My wife named the company Little Bay Boards. I was going to call it something like “Minnehaha Boards,” but she picked a fabulous name. She is way smarter than I am. The gift of my wife is unquestionable to my success in every way.
Dr. Wegmann: If people want to see these boards, where are you located?
Jason Thelen: We’re at 355 North Division, at the top of the hill at the corner of Mitchell and Division in Petoskey. Come up and take a peek.
Dr. Wegmann: How long does it take to build one?
Jason Thelen: We average 40 to 60 hours, but some custom orders take over 100 depending on the design. We do a lot of custom work and “Artist Choice” boards. We also have definitive lines where we build 25 of a design as a limited series.
“Nothing in this business was planned out. I wasn’t trying to be a world-known paddleboard builder; I was just an artist trying to pay the bills.”
