Paul Akers is founder and president of FastCap LLC, based in Ferndale, WA. FastCap is an international product development company founded in 1997 with over 2000 distributors worldwide. Born and raised in Southern California, Akers was drawn towards excellence and high standards from an early age. At the age of 15, he built his own guitar and earned the attention of guitar designer Bob Taylor, who mentored and eventually put him to work for Taylor Guitars. As a true American innovator, Taylor made a lasting impression on Akers, where he was part of building over 2000 world class musical instruments.
Akers catapulted into the business world when his knack for problem solving led to an invention and eventually to his own manufacturing business that started in his garage. Through a series of twists and turns, he discovered lean and the Toyota Production System (TPS) which helped to launch his business from the garage into the successful international product development company known as FastCap. Using Lean, his company has prospered and expanded even in times of economic downturn. He has never had to lay off an employee, nor cut one salary and currently offers the highest entry level pay for any business in the region.
Akers has thousands of followers of his weekly broadcast, “The American Innovator,” where he teaches about the power of innovation and lean thinking. He also shares his insights and observations, along with staggering photography/videography from his travels and adventures around the world.
In 2010, Akers ran for the U.S. Senate in Washington State on a lean platform of transforming government by empowering people. After the election, he has continued to work with various government agencies teaching them lean thinking and helping them create a lean culture in government organizations throughout the country. 
