Lee Iacocca, 2009 IW Manufacturing Hall of Fame Inductee
An engineer by training, Iacocca found his true calling in sales and marketing and rose rapidly through the ranks at Ford Motor Co. to become its president at age 46.
Iacocca helped develop the Ford Mustang and Lincoln Continental Mark III, but his considerable ego clashed with Henry Ford II and he was fired in 1978.
The second act of his automotive career brought even more fame and fortune as he engineered the triumphant turnaround of Chrysler Corp. In 1979, Iacocca persuaded President Jimmy Carter and Congress to pass the Chrysler Corp. Loan Guarantee Act, which provided the corporation with $1.5 billion in federal loan guarantees that saved the company and allowed it to produce best-selling new products such as the K-cars and the revolutionary minivan.
While at Chrysler, Iacocca accepted the job of spearheading the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Since leaving Chrysler, Iacocca has been an author, consultant, entrepreneur and served numerous charitable organizations, most notably the Iacocca Foundation, which focuses on diabetes research.
