Hall of Fame Induction Year
2022
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Inductee Biography
Entrepreneur, inventor, and holder of more than 40 US and international patents, Joseph A. McDonnell, J.D., is the founder, president and CEO of For Life Products, Inc., Great Innovations, Inc., Heat Innovations, Inc., Italy Direct, RevitaDerm, Inc., Invent JAM, Inc., Valuty, Inc., and Brand Innovations, Inc. It started while he was still in law school, with his invention of the first of its kind microwave oven leakage detector card for which he holds a US patent. From there, McDonnell created an entire line of home safety testing products and was the first to invent, develop and market carbon monoxide detectors globally, which later grew to a $20 billion industry annually. In 1998, Joe founded iShopSecure, Inc., around an on-line identity authentication technology that he developed and patented to prevent online identity fraud. He worked in collaboration with the FBI and US Secret Service to prevent terrorism. In 1999, he launched the Rejuvenate cleaning and restoration product line on QVC, with a long history of being number one in its product category and distribution through 40,000 retail stores in the US, Canada, Europe, and Dubai. Other brand successes include Air Innovations, Pursfection, Pietra Italia, Smart Stop and Fast Brite. McDonnell is a supporter of many national charities including the Boys and Girls Club of South Florida, Habitat for Humanity, and the Hurricane Relief Fund, to name a few.
Digital Collection
Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame
Disciplines
Business
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