Tor Benson was born in Petersburg, Alaska but grew up from the age of five around Olympia, WA and was a three-sport varsity 1A captain in football, wrestling, and soccer. He attended Oregon State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude (Highest Honors) with a double Bachelor in Biology and Education with a Chemistry minor. He studied abroad in Iceland, completed an internship in Ecuador, and spent a total of three years living, working, and traveling abroad. During university he began commercial fishing in Alaska to pay for school, graduating debt free. Upon graduation he bought his first commercial fishing boat and skippered vessels for ten years while saving 50-70% of his annual income. Starting in 2016 he was a member of the Petersburg Planning and Zoning Committee for four years and was involved in the rewrite of the code, the adoption of which was interrupted by Covid. He was appointed for a one-year term to the South East Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA), which oversees two hydroelectric dams in SE Alaska, providing power to three communities. For three seasons he worked for a CPA preparing personal, business, and corporate tax returns primarily for the Petersburg fishing industry.

In 2022 Tor moved to Whatcom County and purchased a home on five acres on Aldrich Rd north of Bellingham where his mother owns the house next door. While waiting to start his new position as a financial advisor he spent six weeks working harvest for raspberries and blueberries in the cold storage at Maberry near Lynden. During the next two years he worked for Financial Plan, a local independent financial advisory firm and earned his Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) credential, the gold standard in the industry. After being self-employed since the age of 18, and spending two formative years at Financial Plan, he started Streamline Advisory, his own financial advisory firm. Tor believes when life is going well you should look for opportunities to help others and he finds fulfillment in helping people understand their finances. In the role of financial advisor, being a fiduciary requires putting the interest of others ahead of one’s own and he brings this mindset to the table as a Bellingham Port Commissioner.

Tor serves as the Treasurer for the Bellingham Bay Rotary Club and has been a member of the Working Waterfront Coalition since 2024. In addition to owning Streamline Advisory, Tor is a logistics manager for GAC North America, coordinating the tankers and cargo ships that come into the terminals of Puget Sound. At GAC Tor collaborates between each vessel and the terminal to provide the local knowledge for 800-foot tankers from around the world that are unfamiliar with Puget Sound. Tor builds and relays the vessel schedule to all parties involved and coordinates the pilots (captains), tugs, re-supply, customs clearance, refueling, and Coast Guard inspections among other requirements, in order to safely and efficiently complete their port call. With his experience in fishing, finance, and shipping Tor brings the varied skillset that a commissioner must rely on in order to make holistic decisions for the good of the county.