Sampson A. Brown, Past Knight & Carver CEO, Dies

Byline: The Log Staff DEL MAR — When Samson A. Brown set out to do something big, such as attract the world’s largest and most luxurious yachts to San Diego Bay or build a wind blade company that became a leading renewable energy firm, he didn’t stop just because the odds were clearly against him, friends said. In fact, that only motivated him more. Whatever the challenge, whether it was making sure his companies could successfully compete or simply trying to make payroll when things weren’t going so well, he liked to shake things up, recalled those who worked with him a decade ago at Knight & Carver Maritime. Brown was a fighter, a scrapper, an agitator who enjoyed being in charge, friends said. He rarely took “no” for an answer — not from his employees, advisors, clients, suppliers or even his board of directors. With his razor-sharp legal mind and powers of persuasion, he knew he’d eventually get his way, and he never settled for the easy way out, co-workers remembered. “He was absolutely relentless and passionate in the pursuit of his goals,” said Mike O’Leary, who served alongside Brown as a top executive with Knight & Carver Maritime. “He was one of the...