About Us
C.J. Buck
CJ Buck is currently Chairman and CEO of Buck Knives, Inc. and the 4th generation family member to run Buck Knives. CJ started with Buck Knives in 1978, working on the production line building 110 Folding Hunters.
CJ is currently active with the American Knife and Tool Institute (AKTI), which he co-founded back in 1996 and is serving his third stint as President of the organization. AKTI is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that Americans will always be able to make, buy, sell, own, carry and use knives and edged tools. CJ is very passionate and active in hunting and conservation efforts and is one of only 100 regular members of the Boone and Crockett Club, serving on the Club's Board of Directors as Vice President of Communications. He is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Mule Deer Foundation.
On a community involvement basis, CJ's affiliations include being on the Board of the Kootenai County Police and Firemen Memorial Fund, two past stints on the State of Idaho Economic Development Advisory Council appointed by the Governor of Idaho and time on the North Idaho College Foundation Board.
In 2016 CJ was inducted into the Cutlery Hall of Fame, following his father's induction in the 90's and his grandfather's induction in the 80's. He is married with 3 children, 2 stepchildren and 12 grandchildren.
Richard “Rich” Neyman
a multi-faceted man of honor and intellect, has crafted an outstanding career as a Military Historian, Author, and Auto Sales Expert spanning 25 years. Growing up in the 1980’s he exhibited exceptional leadership skills, being recognized as an Eagle Scout. Also running around in his shorts and with an Original BuckMaster Model 184 on his side in the Mountains. This early drive is now mirrored in his professional life and in the unique persona he portrays.
Having studied at the prestigious University of Oregon, Rich has an in-depth understanding of military history. His passion for the subject extended to his writing, authoring books including "Buckmaster Knives the Authorized History of Models 184 and 185”and "M9 Bayonet the Authorized History". Not only did his books unveil captivating aspects of military weaponry, but they also solidified his status as a trustworthy historian in the field.
Rich's impact, however, is not just felt in the pages of his books. He also took part in the design of the innovative new Buck Knife Buckmaster 2.0 “COMBAT SERIES” translating historical expertise into functional design. This fusion of history and modernity is what sets Rich apart from his contemporaries.
For 25 years, Rich has also thrived in the auto sales industry. His vast experiences, combined with his military history background, offer him a unique perspective in this field, bringing an unconventional approach to auto sales.
Rich has managed to strike a balance between his professional commitments and personal life, always putting family first. He shares a beautiful bond of 25 years of marriage and is a proud father to four amazing children.
For Rich Neyman, life is a tapestry of diverse experiences woven together with threads of constant learning, love for history, commitment to family, and a relentless pursuit of excellence
Commander D.T.Coulter “SEAL” retired
Mr. Tom Coulter spent 27 years as a US Navy SEAL, enlisted in the 1960’s and is a Mustang… Was in BUDS Class 1967/02/40 retiring as a Commander and is widely considered one of the leading technology security individuals in the world. He consults for Department of Energy and Homeland Security pursuing the components for dirty nuclear bombs and other WMD worldwide. In the 2000’s, He retired as Chief Staff Officer, Naval Special Warfare, Group 2, and started the high-tech procurement arm for Naval Special Warfare. His other postings included the Third Commanding Officer of SEAL Team 3, which covered Southwest Asia. He was also involved in the training of more than 7,000 foreign Special Forces operators and more than 70% of today’s top SEAL Team Commander's. Wrote the original OR operational requirement in 1984 for “the Survival Knife Package” which led to the development of the BuckMaster Model 184, and NAVSPECWAR purchased 2500 of the BuckMaster Model 184 in 1985 … He has had a 55-year journey to finding the ULTIMATE Dive Knife! Which led to the development and production of the all new BuckMaster 2.0…” COMBAT DIVER PRO” Model 084…
Joseph “Joe” Houser
Joe started working at Buck knives in 1985 while Buck was still located in El Cajon, California. Chuck Buck offered him a job at the factory after Joe married Chucks daughter Maralee when Joe told him he planned on moving to the pacific northwest with her. Maralee and her dad were very close, so Joe took the job working in Bucks engineering department. He eventually ended up running the Customer Service / Warranty department and it was there that he started learning how to repair and customize knives. Joe moved his family to Idaho with Buck Knives in 2004 and set up a small shop on the factory floor where he could start making more customs which eventually were offered on Bucks website and called Limited Collections. Joe has always loved working on knives and still does today ! He retired from Buck on April 1 2021… He set up a knife shop in his garage and hardly a day goes by that he doesn't work on knives. Joe absolute favorite knife to customize has always been the 184 Buckmaster and he worked on many hundreds of them so far. Joe always hoped that someday Buck would reintroduce the 184 and was “VERY excited when the 084 was developed, I am looking forward to creating cool customs on that model!“ you can see some of the Joe custom original model 184 and M9 in both books of Richard Neyman’s books “BuckMaster Knives the Authorized History of the Models 184 & 185” AND “M9 Bayonet The Authorized History" Joe is making the 084 Customs in collaboration with Rich. Only here at thebuckmasterbook.com can you get them … It should be noted that Joe prays when he makes his knives and that just another Special part of a Houser knife.