Sam Carpenter

Born and raised in upstate New York, and after four decades living in Bend, Oregon, Sam now resides in rural SE Kentucky with his wife, Diana.

His professional background includes project engineering, journalism, publishing, forestry, surveying, construction management, consulting, and telecommunications.

As an author and entrepreneur, he is the founder and president of Centratel, the premier telephone answering service in the United States. He’s operated the company, still headquartered in Bend, Oregon, for 41 years.

Originally published in 2008 by Greenleaf Book Group, "Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less" is now in its fifth edition, published in May 2025.

His second book, "The Systems Mindset: Managing the Machinery of Your Life," was published in May 2016.

Sam’s outside interests include mountaineering, skiing, cycling, reading, traveling, writing his next book, and, with Diana, “rucking” hikes with their two hounds in the surrounding Kentucky wilderness.