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- John Larson is chief operating officer of Niron Magnetics, whose clean earth magnet was named one of Time magazine’s best inventions of 2023. Photos: Courtesy of John Larson
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- Larson is a leader in emerging manufacturing, an engineer and a member of Bethel Lutheran Church, Northfield, Minn.
Chief operating officer, Niron Magnetics
Bethel Lutheran Church, Northfield, Minn.
My wife, Claire, and I connected with Bethel when we moved to Northfield from Minneapolis in 2001. I was the son of a Lutheran pastor, and my wife came from a strong Lutheran family in Chicago. It was one of our first priorities, when we moved to Northfield, to find a Lutheran home. At the time, we had started our family, and we enjoyed and valued the youthful energy of Bethel. All three of our children eventually went through the full confirmation program at Bethel. We are so grateful we chose Bethel as our home over 20 years ago.
While there are true Bethel saints who are vastly more involved than I have ever been, I have given a little bit here and there, which has been incredibly rewarding and gratifying. I shared my musical talents many times over the years; my instrument is the euphonium, a low-brass instrument. During our early years at Bethel, I co-led an adult Sunday school, known as Daily Disciples, for several years. We discussed Scripture but also discussed the challenges we faced in our daily lives and applied what we learned from Scripture to these situations. Preparing each Sunday helped me explore and understand my faith deeper than ever before.
Most recently, I was a member of the Bethel endowment committee, which was rewarding especially, as we announced awards for special projects that do not fit within Bethel’s normal operating budget.
The church community has been critical as we raised our kids from infants and launched them into college. It means that our children experienced Christian and Lutheran values and beliefs from the time they were infants through confirmation, high school and beyond. Raising young adults who know and understand God’s promise and the hope that it brings is essential for them as they enter a complicated world. This was one of our top priorities as parents. Bethel’s youth program and leaders were like a second family for our children, and for this we are grateful.
From as far back as I can remember, I enjoyed building things, including a Lego city that covered my bedroom floor and various model railroads and hobby model kits. My cousin Jim, who is several years older than me, advised me while in high school to focus on math and physics to build a “toolbox” for engineering, and then train as an engineer in grad school. And so that’s what I did, obtaining a math and physics undergraduate degree from St. Olaf College [in Northfield] and entering the University of Minnesota mechanical engineering graduate program in 1995 in the High Temperature and Plasma Laboratory. Here I studied the fundamentals of making synthetic diamond.
The joy of the vocation is amplified when you know that what you’re doing makes people’s lives better or the natural world a better place.
During my 25-year career, I’ve had two vocations: I was an engineer for 17 years, and then I pivoted to a leadership role in an emerging manufacturing business for the past eight years. My favorite part of being an engineer is solving incredibly difficult problems for products that can make the world a better place. I am a strong believer in the sciences, and that big problems will yield to effort, science and engineering over time. As a leader, I enjoy building high-performance teams that solve these same sorts of world-changing big problems. The joy of the vocation is amplified when you know that what you’re doing as an engineer or leader makes people’s lives better or the natural world a better place.
Since starting as the second employee of Niron Magnetics in 2017, the major theme for my role as COO has been building. (Back to the Legos!) I’ve led efforts to build the first Niron lab, the organization, the product, the operational systems, and, most importantly, I’ve prioritized building the culture. From 2017 to today, this building process grew the organization from two to 95 employees, our facilities grew from zero to 8,000 square feet to now 75,000 square feet, our product is being tested by customers, and we have a strong culture. Culture, while difficult to pinpoint or put your finger on, is one of the most important things a young company can nurture. At Niron, we care for our employees, our community, the environment and the world.
I have spent parts of my 50-plus years deep in the wilderness of Minnesota and at Lake Superior, sailing, fishing, hiking, skiing and sitting around the campfire. I enjoy walking through the forest of our tiny cabin nestled up north in the Chippewa National Forest, surrounded by majestic pines, wolves, bears, loons and fish. Since childhood, I developed and maintain a deep connection to God’s creation while in nature. Today I enjoy walking through the forest, observing the majestic trees and the miracle of tiny fungi on the forest floor. It’s a spiritual bond that I have, and I am very concerned about caring for this magnificent creation.
This is why I’m passionate about Niron’s work, because it will have massive impact, at a large scale, on critical issues including the environment and sustainability. Niron’s magnets, invented at the University of Minnesota, use a clean manufacturing process and use abundantly available raw materials, unlike rare earth magnets. [Niron’s clean earth magnet was named one of Time magazine’s best inventions of 2023.] They will impact a wide range of product areas, many of which are hidden behind the scenes in the world around us. It’s a complicated and exciting story about a little company striving to change the world in a big way.
I’m able to live out my faith through my vocation in two ways. First, by building a caring, team-oriented culture where the health and well-being of Niron’s employees comes first, I live out Christ’s call to care and love our neighbor. Second, one of the profound outcomes of Niron is around sustainability and improving the environment. Niron’s high-power magnets are produced using clean manufacturing methods, and unlocking [a] supply of high-power magnets is essential for high-efficiency motors and generators needed by our electrified economy. In this way, I live out the call to care for God’s creation.
I went to St. Olaf because of its great math and music programs. It also is a Lutheran liberal arts school, which nurtured my faith and ensured I maintained that strong connection to Lutheran traditions in which I was raised. I double-majored in math and physics—which, in fact, built a great toolbox for my engineering career, as my cousin predicted. On the music side, I was in the St. Olaf band for four years, and this is where I met my wife. You could say my entire faith, life, family and career were influenced by my profound experiences at St. Olaf.
Niron’s work will have massive impact, at a large scale, on critical issues including the environment and sustainability. … In this way, I live out the call to care for God’s creation.
How I spend my free time has changed quite a bit now that we’re empty-nesters. At home, I love to read and exercise, I’m starting to get into yoga, I spend time with the dog, and, most importantly, Claire and I love our morning coffee and evening dinner conversations. We discuss our days, talk about the kids and reflect on this crazy world we live in. Outside of home, I love to sail on our boat on Lake Superior, spend time up north at our property on a beautiful northern Minnesota lake, travel with Claire, and travel to see our kids thrive in their new lives; we currently are spread across four time zones.
I have a ritual prayer that I recite at bed in my head. I pray for peace in the world, I pray for my family—each one individually, I pray for those I know who are suffering, and I pray for my friends. But most importantly, I give thanks for the gifts that have been provided by God to me, and I ask that I share these gifts to the best of my ability. I don’t remember to pray every night, but when I do, these are the things that I pray for.
Claire and I have been blessed to develop relationships with folks who have a wide range of viewpoints about the world. But what we’ve learned is that, while we have vastly different views on the world, these friends are full of a spirit of love. They care for their communities, for their children and for us. There is a spirit of love when you get to know just about anyone, even if their view of the world is very different. Love is everywhere, and this gives me hope.
To me, grace is unconditional. Grace is love. Grace is a gift.
I’m a Lutheran because I came from a very strong Lutheran family, even beyond my father, who, as I noted, was a Lutheran pastor. It reached across all the Lutheran Norwegian and Swedish grandparents, aunts and uncles. It pervaded life. That is where it started. But I think a more interesting and difficult question is “Why are you still a Lutheran?” I am still a Lutheran because the Lutheran church’s emphasis upon acceptance and inclusion resonates with me. We are all God’s children, and the Lutheran church lives out this belief every day.
If you’d like to nominate someone for “I’m a Lutheran,” email livinglutheran@elca.org.
