STEVE SUTORIUS – I'M THE BOSS!

I started Wildernest Outdoor Store with some partners in the spring of 2003 with the idea of bringing top quality outdoor equipment and clothing to the Olympic Peninsula. I had been working as a trip leader and guide in the adolescent drug and alcohol treatment field for ten years and was ready for a change. Having spent several Midwest winters working at a ski shop in college and later at a shop in Montana, I had developed an attachment to retail...okay, I LOVE GEAR! So, getting involved with the Wildernest was pretty much my dream.

We found our niche on main street in Port Townsend pretty quickly, and have always enjoyed and appreciated the support we receive from locals and tourists alike. When my business partners decided to move on in 2006, my wife Kerry and I decided to take the plunge full on into outdoor retail and we became the sole owners of the Wildernest. In 2008, we were given the opportunity to open up another shop on Bainbridge Island, and we decided to run with it. Wildernest BI has been very well received since our first day, thanks to customers from this area who had been visiting our PT store for years, a need for this type of store on the island and a killer location!

What I love most about retail is helping people get set up with everything they need for a trip, from fitting backpacks and boots to comparing weights of their 20 year old stove to the latest and greatest model. What people love most about me is my charm, my winning smile and my amazing sense of humor – oh, and the fact that I'm humble too! (Kerry wrote this last sentence)