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Personally Speaking ... with
Nick Kaiser
2013
Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Interview and photos by Mike McKenzie
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he year 1946 was a big one for Nicholas F. Kaiser, though he could not know that at the time. Dr. Robert Kaiser, his father, opened his ophthalmology practice in a Bellingham building across Holly Street from Nick Kaiser’s present office at Saturna Capital. Later that year, Nick was born, the first of four sons born in Bellingham after a sister who was born in Panama. Kaiser has adhered to his Bellingham roots, and he’s built one of the most prominent mutual fund advisor/manager firms in the nation, primarily on assets of Islamic investment funds. A stroll into the lobby of Saturna Capital reveals shelves lined with 35 awards for excellence in that niche. You also immediately step into a nautical world – photos, paintings, and model boats, including a sports craft that Kaiser built called The Markell, named for his late first wife. And a sea and diving Orca scene that he papered on a wall himself in the conference room. His life’s trail has wound widely and afar—a Yale and University of Chicago 12 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM
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