Erman Ayvaz

About

On the water

Born in 1978, I learned to sail at Culver Military Academy in Indiana between the ages of 14 and 16 — my first taste of teamwork, discipline, and solving problems on the water. Sailing came back into serious focus in 2010, when I started racing and cruising again both locally and internationally.

Over the years I've raced a wide range of boats — the Beneteau First 31, MAT 10, MAT 1010, MAT 1070, Farr 40, and SB20 among them — before joining the J/70 fleet in 2020. It's the class that best reflects what I believe sailing should be: preparation, teamwork, and sailing ability over equipment advantages.

I race under a few different boat names and teams — Matrak (TUR 4446), Logo (TUR 1671), and Happyhour Jr (TUR 1720) — at events ranging from Turkish nationals to the J/70 World and European Championships.

Career

On shore

I am the General Manager and a Board Member of Kale Musluk Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (Kalepres), our family-owned manufacturer of brass hot-forged sanitary fittings and precision components, founded in 1969. I hold a degree in Software Engineering from Northwest Missouri State University. Throughout my career, I have also developed extensive hands-on expertise in mechanical engineering, manufacturing, technology, and international business.

Today, I lead a team of 125 people, exporting precision-engineered products to more than 40 countries across Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, and North Africa. My work focuses on continuous improvement, innovation, operational excellence, and building long-term international partnerships.