Bob Jennings
Encyclopedia
Bob Jennings is President of Lean Management Inc., a consulting company focused on senior management methods and execution. Prior to starting his own company he was President of EFCO
Corp., a world leader in the design and supply of forms for concrete construction, with operations in twelve countries.
, Jennings received his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University
in Ames, Iowa
and his MBA degree from Southern Methodist University
in Dallas, Texas
.
Jennings joined EFCO
in 1981 as a sales representative based in Santiago, Chile
. Promotions and responsibility changes took him and his family to Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles
, and ultimately Des Moines, Iowa
. In 1993 he was named a senior vice president in charge of sales, service and international operations. He was named chief operating officer in 2001 and President in 2002.
Jennings’s was influential in taking EFCO
from a domestic company of 400 employees to a multinational company of 1200 employees. The expansion came with new products, acquisitions, emphasis on employee training and development, and geographic growth that extended into many countries. He holds five patents, has participated in many of the world’s largest construction projects and has been published in various trade magazines. Jennings has become known for his expertise in overcoming hardships and making adversity an asset. He has addressed this topic in the book The Adversity Paradox
, an Unconventional Guide to Uncommon Business Success which he co-authored with J. Barry Griswell
. The book was released April, 2009. Many newspapers, radio shows and blogs have recognized Griswell and Jennings, with their research, as experts on how adversity can create success.
EFCO
EFCO is a civil company based in Des Moines, Iowa. It was founded in 1934 and is today one of the leading providers of concrete formwork systems in the USA and the world. EFCO has an extensive subsidiary network in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe....
Corp., a world leader in the design and supply of forms for concrete construction, with operations in twelve countries.
Background
A native of Des Moines, IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Jennings received his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
in Ames, Iowa
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
and his MBA degree from Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
Jennings joined EFCO
EFCO
EFCO is a civil company based in Des Moines, Iowa. It was founded in 1934 and is today one of the leading providers of concrete formwork systems in the USA and the world. EFCO has an extensive subsidiary network in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe....
in 1981 as a sales representative based in Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. Promotions and responsibility changes took him and his family to Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and ultimately Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
. In 1993 he was named a senior vice president in charge of sales, service and international operations. He was named chief operating officer in 2001 and President in 2002.
Jennings’s was influential in taking EFCO
EFCO
EFCO is a civil company based in Des Moines, Iowa. It was founded in 1934 and is today one of the leading providers of concrete formwork systems in the USA and the world. EFCO has an extensive subsidiary network in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe....
from a domestic company of 400 employees to a multinational company of 1200 employees. The expansion came with new products, acquisitions, emphasis on employee training and development, and geographic growth that extended into many countries. He holds five patents, has participated in many of the world’s largest construction projects and has been published in various trade magazines. Jennings has become known for his expertise in overcoming hardships and making adversity an asset. He has addressed this topic in the book The Adversity Paradox
The Adversity Paradox
The Adversity Paradox is a business book written by J. Barry Griswell and Bob Jennings. Released in April 2009, the book was published by St. Martin’s Press. The book debuted at #8 on The Wall Street Journal Best Seller List....
, an Unconventional Guide to Uncommon Business Success which he co-authored with J. Barry Griswell
J. Barry Griswell
J. Barry Griswell is former Chairman and CEO of the Principal Financial Group and the current president of the .- Background :A native of Georgia, Griswell received his bachelor's degree from Berry College in Rome, Georgia and his master's degree from Stetson University in Deland, Florida. Griswell...
. The book was released April, 2009. Many newspapers, radio shows and blogs have recognized Griswell and Jennings, with their research, as experts on how adversity can create success.