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Ken Overton鈥檚 safety career began with an esteemed military career that included service as a field artillery battalion commander in Vietnam, where he trained soldiers to operate boom trucks.

鈥淭he last seven years of my 26 years was instrumental for my safety development because I was inspector general for Fort Lewis, Washington, and everyone knows the IG sticks his nose into everything,鈥� Overton said.

He retired from the Army in 1977 as a lieutenant colonel and started Overton Safety Engineering in the early 1980s with his late wife, Bobbi, as a home-based business. His second son, Steven, was one of his first two employees, and the company specialized in training and certifying crane and forklift operators in Oregon, Washington and northern California.

鈥淲e started growing exponentially, so I had to put more people on and make sure they were trained in my techniques to make people safe,鈥� Overton said, adding he has expanded his services into 26 states.

Overton said much of his success came from teaching safety from the top down.

鈥淭he people were phenomenal,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y students were hungry for learning how to do it correctly. Not only were they in there, but their supervisors were in the same classes and sometimes the owners were in the same classes.鈥�

When Overton was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the early 2000s, Bobbi encouraged him to work less and take time to enjoy life. They were married for 63 years and Overton called her 鈥渢he glue that kept it all together.鈥� He asked his oldest son, Ron, to take over the business with his wife, Kim. They changed the name to Overton Safety Training.

Ken Overton semi-retired in 2004 and stayed active as a consultant before fully retiring in 2008. He estimates that he issued more than 53,000 licenses during his career.