Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Obituary

His business knack transcended genres

Ed Dodd worked as a stockbroker, in real estate, at a sign business, in the phosphate industry and sold fountains. He died at age 67.

By MARTY CLEAR
Published November 18, 2005

David E. "Ed" Dodd, 1938-2005

"I said, "Hey, good lookin',' and that was it," she recalled.

"We were together from then on. We were married for 46 years."

It was a chance meeting, but it was probably destined to occur. Several of her friends had been telling her about a great guy that they wanted her to meet. His friends had been saying they knew the ideal woman for him.

"I don't know what it was, but everyone said we were perfect for each other," she said. "And they were right. We just had so much in common."

Mr. Dodd, who had grown up in eastern Tennessee, had a reputation around campus for being bright but irreverent. His scores on standardized tests were the highest in the school's history, but he had a reputation for arguing with teachers, even telling them they were wrong. That didn't sit well in a small, religious, Southern college.

It turned out he had a natural talent for business. He worked successfully as a stockbroker after college, and then worked for a large national corporation that made signs for major retail chains. He later became a commercial real estate broker in Tennessee.

A business acquaintance noticed Mr. Dodd's business acumen and asked him to come to Tampa to run a business that provided services for the phosphate industry.

Mr. Dodd was always eager for new business challenges, so he accepted and moved with his wife to Apollo Beach in 1984. He later started his own similar business.

But Mr. Dodd, already well into his 50s, wasn't ready to finally settle into a career just yet.

His office was next to a company that made fountains. One day, his wife said, the owner of the business told him: "I don't know what it is about you, Ed, but you come over here and talk to me about my business and you know more about it than I do. Why don't you buy it from me?"

Eventually, Mr. Dodd agreed and bought Hitech Products Inc.

It had been just a small company, but in the 12 years Mr. Dodd ran the operation, it grew into a major international designer and builder of ornate display fountains, including ones at Florida theme parks and the Hard Rock Casino on Hillsborough Avenue.

"We've done work all over the world," his wife said. "We've done work in China and Korea, and we've even had an inquiry from Saudi Arabia."

But he wasn't all business. He loved boating and was a founding member of the Apollo Beach Yacht Club. He bought the land for the club's building and organized fundraisers for its construction.

Besides business and his family, Mr. Dodd's real passion was for Tennessee walking horses. He owned several and would show them in competitions all over the country.

"He loved those Tennessee walking horses," his wife said. "He thought they were the only horses in the world."

Mr. Dodd had been in failing health for the past several years, but he was looking forward to his annual trip to Tennessee in a few months to compete in one of the country's largest horse shows.

But it wasn't to be. On Nov. 4, Mr. Dodd suffered a heart attack and died. He was 67.

He is survived by his wife, his son David E. Dodd Jr. and his daughter DeAnne and four grandchildren. His daughter Debbie predeceased him.

[Last modified November 17, 2005, 08:15:09]