Step into Jakob Gerdy’s workspace in the Executive Suites on Avenue of the Fountains and one might find themselves in a deluge of toolboxes, sharpening tools and most of all, knives. Gerdy is the 15-year-old owner and sole operator of Saguaro Sharp, making him the youngest entrepreneur on the Avenue.

In his workshop, Gerdy sharpens kitchen knives, pocketknives, shears, hunting gear, gardening equipment and more.

A DIY foam-padded enclosure built with plywood scraps and 3M spray glue sits on his office desk to cut down on the noise of his electric sharpener.

“When I was eight years old, my mom finally let me buy my first pocketknife, and then I just kept buying more whenever I had money,” Gerdy said. “I did woodworking for two years, and then one thing led to another and I had a bunch of knives and I wanted to learn how to sharpen them.”

Gerdy watched hours of knife sharpening videos on YouTube and started sharpening knives around the house. Impressed with his work, Gerdy’s neighbor encouraged him to start a business.

In August, Gerdy opened Saguaro Sharp and since that time, has sharpened hundreds of knives for members of the community, including many business owners. His tagline is “Sharpening Fountain Hills, One Knife at a Time!”

“It was the first hundred [knives] or so that it took for me to get confident sharpening,” he said. “Now, it’s just muscle memory.”

Gerdy is in the tenth grade at Inspiration Academy in Fountain Hills. He clocks in after school around 6 p.m. and works until dark. In exchange for $10 and an old whetstone, Gerdy enlisted his friend and classmate Roman Ballew (14) to help clean his office space.

On the wall hangs Gerdy’s first dollar, which he earned from an individual who paid him $15 plus a $2 tip for sharpening a pair of garden shears. Next to it hangs a wooden Chamber of Commerce emblem that he received at a recent Chamber breakfast led by Chamber President Betsy LaVoie, who has been Gerdy’s biggest fan since starting his business.

“We are proud of the example Jakob is setting for future young entrepreneurs and look forward to our community and business community embracing Jakob and his business, Saguaro Sharp,” LaVoie said.

Inspired by and created for Saguaro Sharp, the Chamber introduced its newest Chamber membership, entitled Young Entrepreneur, to support business owners 17 and younger in guiding, educating, marketing and providing networking opportunities to grow successfully.

“The Chamber membership helped me grow on social media,” Gerdy said. “Facebook says it’s boosted by 125% since before this happened, so it’s helped me a lot.”

Over the years, Gerdy has collected a number of sharpening tools including whetstones, honing steel, grinding wheels and even a field sharpener he keeps attached to his belt at all times. His main tool is the Work Sharp – Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener.

“It’s what I started the business with,” he said. “It’s my workhorse.”

In his first few months, Gerdy has learned to manage his time between school and running a business. For practice, he purchases cheap knives and accepts work that he’s unfamiliar with to expand his knowledge and reach a wider customer base.

“I had a knife handle that was chewed up by a dog, and I used my blow torch and a pair of flush cuffs to smooth the handle,” he said.

In the future, Gerdy is planning to teach knife sharpening classes and become registered as an official Work Sharp dealer. He’s engaged in an ongoing 3D printing project with his dad and is interested in welding and diesel tech classes at East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) in Mesa.

“I’ve always been interested in figuring out how things work,” Gerdy said. “I just gotta see whatever I can make the most money with the least work.”

As parting advice, Gerdy said one of the most underrated, durable knives on the market right now is the Cuisinart Stainless Steel Knife Set at Walmart.

“Benchmade is nice, but they’re overpriced, and with inflation, they’re not worth getting anymore,” he said.

To schedule a drop-off with Jakob Gerdy, email jakob@saguarosharp.com or call 602-802-6992. For more information on Saguaro Sharp, visit saguarosharp.com or visit Facebook.com/saguarosharpfh.