Donor profile: Tom Napa, Seattle
- ellenvalter
- 16 hours ago
- 7 min read
Update # 271
Pedal power propels this energetic entrepreneur
Tom Napa has pretty much redefined what it means to put a new and adventurous spin on things when it comes to fulfilling your life’s purpose.
And he knows the deep feeling of gratitude that comes from having Estonian parents who encouraged and applauded that journey every step along the way.
“I look fondly back at the memories I have of my parents, and how they supported me,” he says. “They worked hard and provided me with a lot of inspiration. We all come from parents who sacrificed a lot so we could have good lives.”
As a result of that early connection, and the way it shaped the inventive individual that he became, he has joined the KESKUS donor family at the Kalevipoja Laud level.
But back to the spin…
Tom, who lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife Laurie, has cycled an astonishing 350,000 kilometres as an avid world traveller. He has spun his way across the U.S. three times and has done his own “tour de France” trips in Vietnam, throughout Europe, Japan, Chile and Australia. He cites the “down under” country as his favorite cycling destination.
Naturally, he has cycled around Estonia as well, visiting his extended family of cousins along the way.
Tom’s sister Eneken makes her home on the west coast of Canada in West Vancouver. She inherited the traveling gene as well and had a career as a flight attendant. She married Estonian Denis Tusar from Victoria, B.C. and their daughter Lysanne also lives in Vancouver.
How it all began
Tom’s parents Mart and Elizabeth, who were from Ida Virumaa and Viljandi respectively, were the only ones in their family able to escape from Estonia after the Soviet invasion in 1944. Eneken was born in Estonia and was just a year old when the family fled. Tom came along some years later and was born in Toronto, just one of the landing spots for this forward-thinking and hard-working family.
“My father had been a career officer with the Estonian Air Force and when the German army occupied Estonia, was conscripted. This allowed him to arrange for passage for his wife and daughter when the Soviets invaded,” he said.
Though they were able to escape, the journey was nonetheless harrowing as his mother and sister, just a baby, endured two weeks in a lifeboat with 20 other escapees for two weeks before they were able to reach land safely. They were among thousands of Estonians who found themselves in the Geislingen displace persons' camp in Germany as their first landing stop. Geislingen was the largest DP camp for Estonians and had at its peak 4,400 residents.
After earning certification in the camp as a bricklayer, Mart knew he could provide for his family in a new country.
He was sponsored by a church is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and left Germany for Canada. After six months, he had earned enough to be able to send for his wife and daughter and met them in Halifax where they had made the ocean journey to Canada.
The family was reunited, and Tom was born in Toronto in 1952.
Life in North America unfolds
Then the adventure, and hard work, began in earnest.
“My father’s trade as a bricklayer served our family well in the years that followed,” Tom recalls.
It ended up being a good choice, and though the work was hard, it helped the family literally build their lives and Mart worked until he was 65. This included building one house in Edmonton, two in Vancouver and, after learning their 1948 application to live the U.S. had been accepted, their final home in Seattle, Washington where they moved in 1964.
“My mother, who worked in a cannery in Seattle, was quite astute and a strong believer in ‘location, location, location” when it came to real estate,” Tom recounts. They bought a view lot in central Seattle for $6,000, overlooking the iconic Space Needle, and built their home in this increasingly valuable part of the city.
Tom says that his father encouraged and supported him in his education. He attended the University of Washington and earned his BA in Accounting in 1974 and MBA in 1976.
Tom’s business acumen took him far
Tom’s father’s belief in his son never wavered, and he may have had a premonition on what was to follow.
“My father looked at my hands, which are long and slender like my mother’s, and said that I was not destined to be a bricklayer – that I was meant to work with my brain,” he laughs.
Turned out the senior Napa was correct. Tom flourished, and after graduating, worked first for leading accounting firm Deloitte for four years, then moved on to the company Physio-Control as an International Controller. Physio-Control is a medical device supplier best known for manufacturing the defibrillator. It was here that he met his wife, Laurie, a native of Seattle who worked as a systems analyst in the accounting department.
“My next big step was helping start Precor, an exercise equipment company, with a group of former colleagues,” he said. “It grew to be the second largest exercise manufacturer in the world with over 1,000 employees.”
Precor manufactures a range of equipment such as treadmills, stair-climbers and stationary bikes, but their most significant milestone came with the invention of the elliptical trainer. It became a huge success, now found in gyms and fitness facilities worldwide.
“The elliptical turbo-charged the company into phenomenal growth,” he said. “It really took off as it’s very popular and easy to use, people really like it.”
Precor is now part of the Peleton company.
The connection with Estonia stays strong
Tom maintains close ties with his ancestral homeland. His parents were involved with the Estonian community in Seattle and the west coast and Tom followed suit. He has been to every Lääneranniku Eesti Päevad (LEP) except for the first two, and served as president of the event held in Seattle in 2009.
“I’m proud to say I’ve been to every laulupidu and tantsupidu since 1990,” he said, and added that he performed in the first dance festival that included “välis eestlased” (Estonians from outside the country) in 1990.
Tom is a member of korp! Vironia (fraternity), and is on the board of Rotalia Foundation (also a Viru Vanemad level donor to KESKUS), which awards scholarships to students in Estonia.
He and Laurie also established endowments to his alma mater to support Baltic studies.
“The University of Washington is one of the few institutions that offers Baltic studies, and it’s a special connection for me as an alumnus to be able to really make a difference with these endowments.”
What is the secret to his health and vitality?
Tom continues to be an avid cyclist and world traveller. What is his “secret sauce” for this healthy lifestyle? We had to know!
“Since I’m a ‘numbers guy’, what motivates me to stay active is to set quantifiable goals and measure all of my physical activities, which are primarily cycling and running,” he explains.
“The stamina part comes from staying consistent and persistent, and then slowly increasing the mileage/time. It also helps to have good equipment as well as good nutrition and hydration regimens. And, of course, good rest!”
Left, Tom's "tour d'Estonie" with second cousin Tarmo Napa; right in a favourite destination: Slovenia
What about travelling smart?
He has tried and true advice for travellers as well.
“Traveling with my wife or friends is always fun, and I find solo traveling can be also be rewarding in being free to do whatever pleases you and setting your own agenda.”
He suggests taking advantage of one's Estonian background and visit friends and family – always offering to reciprocate – whenever possible.
And group travel is also a good choice as the planning is already done. Tom has organized nine separate week-long cycling tours in Europe for friends over the years, but he says one thing is key:
“My basic tip is just to get out there. The more one travels, the more one knows what works. And this leads hopefully to more travels…while you still can!”
The KESKUS support is meaningful
“Being able to support KESKUS is a recognition of my birthright,” Tom said. “It honors my parents and my extended family in Estonia.”
He added that he has always been involved with companies that give back to the community and the causes in which they believe.
“It’s a very strong part of my life to be able to support what is important to me.”
And he makes a prediction. “I think KESKUS will really thrive in Toronto as a central gathering place for all Estonians. As a small community and country, we really need it.”
And this sums it up for this active and engaged donor:
“I feel very privileged to be Estonian.”
And KESKUS is privileged to include Tom in our strong and growing donor family.
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