Joel Rodgers

Published 2:53 pm Wednesday, November 20, 2024

TAMPA, Fla. – Joel Rodgers, a retired business executive and educator, died on November 12, 2024, at his home in Tampa, Florida. He was 87. A native of Minneapolis, Mr. Rodgers was the son of Robert and Jeanne Hague Rodgers.

He was predeceased by his wife of 50 years, Johanna Peschel Rodgers, and his brother, Burke Rodgers.

Mr. Rodgers was an accomplished engineer and business leader, with a career spanning several decades. He was a graduate of Edina High School near Minneapolis. After earning a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Mexico, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He subsequently worked for the Trane and Modine companies.

In the early 1970s, he moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he became plant manager at the Detrex Chemical factory, a position he held for 18 years. He later served as President and CEO of Baron Blakeslee division of Bendix, and as Vice President of Allied Corporation’s chemical division, working in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Morristown, New Jersey.

In addition to his business accomplishments, Mr. Rodgers was an active civic leader. He served on the boards of numerous local organizations, including the Bowling Green Rotary Club, The Medical Center, and the city’s library and municipal utilities boards. He was also a founding member of the Liars Club and a dedicated supporter of many charities, including his favorite the Red Stocking Revue in Bowling Green.

After retiring from business in the early 1990s, Mr. Rodgers became a professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he taught business administration and strategy for two decades. He published articles on corporate leadership and empowerment and represented the U.S. State Department in international negotiations on environmental policy in China, Mexico and Brazil regarding the Montreal Protocol, which aimed to reduce fluorocarbon emissions.

Mr. Rodgers held a Doctorate of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University, an MBA from the University of Kentucky, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Mexico. He was also a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois.

He is survived by his two sons, Bruce Rodgers (Carol Linn Gould) of Tampa and Jay Rodgers (Sandrine Baudry) of Irvine, California; grandchildren Joel D. Rodgers of Boulder, Colorado, Alley (Mike) Kapusta, Zach Rodgers, and Nick Rodgers, all of southern California; and his niece Sherri Rodgers-Conti of Yankton, South Dakota, and nephew Mark Rodgers of Columbus, Ohio.

A private burial will be held at Chandler Memorial Chapel at Western Kentucky University.