How John Kuntz spent four decades building Olympic Outdoor Center and helping shape Kitsap County’s outdoor recreation economy
For nearly 40 years, Olympic Outdoor Center has helped thousands of people experience Kitsap County from the water and the trail.
What began as a garage-based kayak business has grown into one of the region’s best-known outdoor recreation companies, offering kayak and bike rentals, guided tours, classes and signature experiences from Poulsbo and Port Gamble. Along the way, founder John Kuntz has helped shape Kitsap’s tourism industry, championed the creation of the Kitsap Peninsula Water Trail and built a business he believes showcases the county’s greatest asset: its natural landscape.
None of it was part of a master plan.
When Kuntz moved to Washington from Illinois in 1982, his introduction to the Pacific Northwest came on the Wenatchee River.
“The first thing I did was go on a river rafting trip on the Wenatchee River,” he said. “I just had a great time, loved it… big whitewater. I liked the people, liked the guides and everything.”
Those guides taught him to raft, but another craft caught his attention.
“I saw these people in these really small plastic kayaks that looked super fun,” Kuntz said. “I thought, that’s way more fun than a big raft.”
After learning to kayak and becoming a certified instructor, Kuntz began teaching lessons from his garage. By 1986, he had founded Olympic Kayak Company, the business that would eventually become Olympic Outdoor Center.
He soon realized rafting alone wasn’t a sustainable business. As interest in kayaking grew, he shifted toward instruction, rentals and guided trips. In 1992, he moved into a former auto repair shop in downtown Poulsbo, where the business began offering rentals directly from Liberty Bay. A partnership with the Port of Poulsbo the following year provided dock space and storage, giving Olympic Outdoor Center a permanent waterfront home.
Over the years, the business expanded to include youth programs, adult classes, guided tours, bike rentals and special events while Kuntz became one of Kitsap’s leading tourism advocates, serving as president of Visit Kitsap for about 15 years.
Building a National Water Trail
After paddling around the Kitsap Peninsula in 1992, Kuntz imagined connecting its shoreline into a single water trail.
“I thought this would be a great water trail,” he said. “We could link all this together.”
Working through the North Kitsap Trails Association, volunteers partnered with three counties, 13 port districts, three tribes and multiple cities to map the route. With support from the National Park Service, the Kitsap Peninsula Water Trail became part of Kitsap County’s master plan before earning designation in 2014 as one of the nation’s first 20 National Water Trails—and the first saltwater trail in the system.
“Things just kind of progressed,” Kuntz said. “We became a national water trail.”
For him, the project was about protecting access as much as recreation.
“It’s one of the richest marine environments in the world right here,” he said. “We didn’t have a water trail, and development was ongoing. I realized we’re going to lose all this if we don’t do something.”
Helping Revive Port Gamble
As the 2008 recession approached, Kuntz saw another opportunity.
“In 2008 during the recession, I could see that it was going to be tough times,” he said.
He relocated much of Olympic Outdoor Center’s operations to Port Gamble, then a quiet former mill town beginning its transition into a tourism destination.
“At the time, Port Gamble was nothing,” he said. “You’d walk down the street and there’d be nobody there. Jon (Rose) could see that we were an anchor business, and it could bring in more business for the town.”
The move paid off. Today the company offers kayak rentals, tours, classes and one of the region’s largest rental bike fleets serving visitors exploring the Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park. The cycling business has grown enough to occupy its own renovated building.
“We just ran out of space in the store,” Kuntz said. “They were going to make this available to us, so we decided to rent it and renovate it. It looks pretty cool.”
Creating Experiences
Outdoor recreation has changed dramatically over four decades, and Kuntz has adapted with it.
One of Olympic Outdoor Center’s fastest-growing offerings is its guided bioluminescence tour in Port Gamble Bay.
“Port Gamble Bay is one of the hot spots in the whole country for bioluminescence,” Kuntz said. “Because of its connection to Hood Canal, we get the influx of nutrients. The organism just comes into the bay with the flow of the water.”
The late-night kayak tours have grown from two nights a week to six during peak season.
“You’re out there pitch dark,” he said. “We started out just doing two days a week, then three, and now we’re six days a week.”
He’s also preparing to launch illuminated kayak tours in Poulsbo using remote-controlled color-changing lights.
Investing in People
Kuntz measures success not only by customers but also by employees.
“I’ve hired over 400 kids in 40 years,” he said. “It’s really cool when they come by and say hi and bring their families or their significant others and let me know how they’re doing.”
Many of those employees started with little or no work experience.
“Then we show them how to work,” he said. “We train them on how to do the job properly and how to dress, look, talk in front of customers. It’s a great experience for a young person to build that confidence in themselves.”
His management philosophy is what he calls “super vision.”
“It’s to look ahead,” he said. “Always be aware of what’s going on—your finances, your employees’ time, whatever it is. If you can anticipate problems and solve them, you just created a much easier life for yourself.”
That outlook traces back to advice from the pool manager who first taught him to kayak. During one slow season, Kuntz considered quitting until his mentor challenged him.
“He said, ‘Man, don’t come in here and cry to me. Get out there and earn that business,'” Kuntz said. “I was like, you are right.”
Kuntz doubled down on marketing and community outreach.
“You’ve got to earn it,” he said. “No one’s gonna just give it to you. Along the way, you find those little nuggets that create success, and then you concentrate on those and make those work for you. That’s how you build the business.”
Looking Ahead
Kuntz believes outdoor recreation remains one of Kitsap County’s strongest economic assets.
“It just speaks to what Kitsap is,” he said. “We have a lot of natural open space, a lot of forested areas. That’s the attraction for people—the parks, the biking, the kayaking, the fishing, the nature walks. I think that’s what brings people here.”
Businesses like Olympic Outdoor Center help transform those natural assets into longer visitor stays and greater spending at local restaurants and shops.
“We’re a very vital part in growing Poulsbo over the years we’ve been here,” he said. “And we’re doing that in Port Gamble too.”
Even after four decades, Kuntz still sees opportunities for entrepreneurs willing to start small.
“There’s always an opportunity,” he said. “But you have to be willing to build it. People give up too easily. If I gave up the first time I ran into trouble, I’d be out.”
His confidence in the future comes from the same place his business has always been rooted.
“This type of business we do here is going to last forever,” he said. “There’s always going to be Puget Sound. There’s always going to be people that want to go out and see it, and interact with it. And we built our business around that core principle—giving that experience to people in the highest possible way we can.”
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