In 1955, John H. McConnell, the son of a steelworker, borrowed $600 against his 1952 Oldsmobile to finance the Worthington Steel Company. McConnell, an experienced steel broker, perceived an opportunity: large mills were shifting processing capabilities away from smaller customers. Today, Worthington has earned a position as one of the nation's largest steel processors by serving customers with specialized needs, and in the 1980s, built a large custom plastic capability. The company produces metal framing for construction, body panels for cars, railcar castings, and pre-formed dashboard assemblies for major automakers. Jeffrey L. Rodengen captures the story of free enterprise and personal drive in this well-illustrated volume.

"The Legend of Polaris" recounts the remarkable saga of the company that invented the snowmobile. After becoming the number one manufacturer of snowmobiles, Polaris went on to create the first automatic transmission ATV; a line of stable, reliable personal water craft; a sport-boat line; and Victory, the company's celebrated motorcycles.

With sales of more than $13 billion, IBP is a world-leading producer of protein. In fact, one out of every three steaks and one of every five pork chops consumed in America today was produced by IBP. Yet remarkably, the company is less than 30 years old. Founders Andy Anderson and Currier J. Holman built IBP by applying seemingly simple concepts to one of America's most established industries. Instead of shipping live cattle across the country to stockyards in Chicago and on the East Coast, Currier Holman located processing plants in Iowa and Nebraska near the largest ranches. From there, they shipped vacuum - packed boxed beef, already trimmed and packaged, to supermarkets across the country. With this single idea, and an unwavering attention to quality and efficiency, IBP transformed the industry.

The Legend of HCA chronicles the exciting sometime turbulent story of one of America's most influential corporations. HCA's founding in 1968 started a revolution in the healthcare industry, not only in Nashville, where the company began, but across the entire country. HCA was one of the first investor-owned hospital companies in the nation. As such, the company pioneered an entirely new way of running hospitals. Over the years, HCA has been a leader in balancing and improving the nation's healthcare system. Today it is one of the most well-respected companies in the nation and arguably stands head and shoulders above other investor-owned hospital companies when it come to policies, ethics, and quality healthcare.

Trinity Industries, the nation's largest railcar manufacturer and a leading builder of inland barges, highway guardrails and metal components, has a fascinating history of growth through diversification and strategic acquisitions. The company grew from a small household butane and propane gas tank manufacturer to become a $2.5 billion global giant. Trinity has acquired the assets of more than 100 companies, including the venerable Pullman Standard Company, manufacturer of passenger railcars. The Legend of Trinity Industries, by industrial historian Jeffrey L. Rodengen, recounts the determination and corporate strategy that have propelled Trinity to the leadership role of its industry.

In The Legend of Litton Industries, author Jeffrey L. Rodengen recounts how a small electronics company evolved into a global giant. Since its founding in 1953 by Charles Tex Thornton, one of the famed Whiz Kids of Ford Motor Company, Litton has been on the leading edge of technological innovation, developing and manufacturing products from the Litton microwave oven to the LN 3 inertial guidance system, which became standard on all NATO fighter aircraft. Ingalls Shipbuilding, one of Litton's most vital acquisitions, has become a leading supplier of combatant ships for the U.S. Navy. Today, Litton Industries is a pioneer in worldwide technology for electronic warfare, navigation, guidance and control, communications systems, and information technology.

Recounts the remarkable saga of one of America's oldest and largest privately held construction companies.

Polytechnic University, the second oldest private engineering and science institution in the United States, has for over 150 years provided the academic crucible and talent to advance the principles and frontiers of engineering and technology which have improved the lives of the vast majority of the world's inhabitants. Its students and professors have been honored for groundbreaking discoveries in numerous areas, including microwave technology, aeronautics, barcode technology, polymer science, and telecommunications. Noted author Jeffrey L. Rodengen details the rich and colorful history of this distinguished institution, ranked in the top 10 percent of all U.S. colleges and universities by The Princeton Review. Foreword by Wm. A. Wulf, PhD, president of the National Academy of Engineering.