John Orin Edson was a visionary entrepreneur who founded Bayliner Marine, a company that revolutionized the boating industry. Born in Bellingham, Washington, in 1932, Edson grew up boating with his family on Lake Washington in Seattle12. He started selling used boats and soon realized he had a business going. To feed his growing retail business and what he foresaw as the demands of first-time boat buyers, Edson began building his own line of boats. He needed a snazzy name and purchased the brand name "Bayliner" for $100 from a local boat builder in Tacoma, Washington. Bayliner became a huge success, and the company was incorporated officially in 1972.