Jeffrey L. Rodengen - Author, Columnist, Historian
Jeff was born in Minneapolis, MN, and grew up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, accounting for an early interest in boating. After a brief tenure as the Assistant Director of the Naval and Underseas Museum in Newport, RI, Jeff migrated to Southern California, beginning a remarkable 15-year career as a writer, producer and director in Hollywood. Attending six colleges and universities along the way, Jeff earned degrees in psychology and post-graduate degrees in engineering. Having written, produced or directed nearly 30 films, network television specials (six for Arnold Schwarzenegger), Las Vegas revues and Broadway productions, Jeff moved to Florida in the early 1980s to write about the evolution of American technology and industry.
He became the editor of Southern Star magazine, then Florida's largest circulation magazine. To reach an even broader audience, Jeff began to syndicate his business, technology and industrial history columns, ultimately reaching nearly two million readers a month. His specialties include advanced technology, American industrial history, contemporary business strategies, corporate biography, corporate ethics and principles of business leadership.
Author of hundreds of technical and general interest articles, he is the author of 23 books on American technology and industry. Among his best-selling works are: 'The Legend of Chris Craft,' 'Evinrude-Johnson and The Legend of OMC;' 'Iron Fist:' The Lives of Carl Kiekhaefer, which reached 14th on national best-seller lists in the highly competitive business book category, and Serving The Silent Service: 'The Legend of Electric Boat,' which chronicles the evolution of the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics, from their earliest electric launches to today's nuclear submarine fleet. During one busy week, he signed over 8,500 volumes of his best-seller in three cities in four days. Jeff was honored with four Pulitzer Prize nominations for his work on the history of these American corporations. Over the last year, Jeff has signed more than 50,000 books throughout the country and world, which, according to Business Week is more than twice that signed by Colin Powell during his well-publicized tours.
His recent works, 'The Legend of Honeywell;' 'The Legend of Dr Pepper / SevenUp;' 'The Legend of Ingersoll-Rand;' 'The Legend of Briggs & Stratton;' 'The Legend of Stanley: 150 Years of The Stanley Works; 'The MicroAge Way;' 'The Legend of Halliburton;' 'The Legend of York International;' 'The Legend of Nucor Corporation;' 'The Legend of Goodyear:' The First 100 Years; 'The Legend of AMP;' 'The Legend of Cessna;' 'The Legend of VF Corporation;' soon to be released 'The Legend of Pfizer:' Part of the Cure for 150 years, and latest collaboration with eminent cardiothoracic surgeon Larry Stephenson, M.D., 'Affairs of The Heart', have positioned Jeff as the most highly regarded author on the evolution and promise of modern industry and technology. His books have been reviewed by more than four-hundred publications world-wide, and through his frequent appearances on national and regional television, radio talk shows and syndication, his titles have made over 40 million impressions.
Jeff lives in Ft. Lauderdale with his wife, award winning photographer of the Classic Mahogany Boats and Classic Race Boats Calendars, Karine, and their twin children Kevin and Chloe. Additional biographical information can be found in: Who's Who in the West, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Personalities of the World, Men of Achievement, and Who's Who in American Literature.
