Paul Christen likes to say that he owes his life to Scouting, which is one of many reasons he and his late wife, Muffy, have been long-time Scouting supporters.
On May 1, 1968, a small plane in which Paul was a passenger crashed, and he was severely injured. Taking stock of his life-threatening injuries, Paul flashed back to the old, blue Boy Scout Handbook from his youth. Recalling the section on lifesaving skills and the illustration of how to create a tourniquet, he reacted quickly, taking off his tie to create a tourniquet for his arm and using his belt to make a tourniquet around his thigh. This rough first aid kept Paul alive until he was located by rescuers and transported to the hospital.
Throughout his career, Paul oversaw several successful business ventures. He was the founder, president, and CEO of First Western Bancorp Inc., which was later acquired by First Interstate BancSystems. He was also part owner of the Minnesota Twins baseball team and founded Christen Group, LLC, a commercial real estate firm.
