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John Joseph Campion

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John J. Campion, Executive Chairman of APR Energy

John Joseph Campion (January 17, 1963 – October 2, 2020) was an Irish-American entrepreneur. In 1987, he founded Showpower, Inc.,[1] a California company that provided portable generators for the Rolling Stones, U2, Kiss and AC/DC.[2] Campion served as chairman and chief executive officer of APR Energy plc (LSE: APR).[3][4]

Early life

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Born in Cork, Ireland, Campion was held back in primary school twice, failed secondary school exams, and did not attend college.[5] At age 21, Campion emigrated to the United States with an airline ticket and $25 in his possession.[2]

Corporate leadership

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Under the leadership of Campion, APR Energy specialized in the rapid deployment of electrical power-generating plants in areas of the world that have been struck by natural disasters or that are experiencing a shortage of energy.[5] The modular power plants are typically constructed in a few months. Campion held several patents for this technology.[6] One such plant was assembled in 45 days following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a task that would normally require from three to four years to complete for a permanent power plant installation.[2][7] It took APR Energy less than a month to deploy a power plant in Cyprus with the equivalent generating capacity to power approximately 120,000 American homes.[5]

Other projects have been undertaken in Uruguay, Yemen, Senegal, Argentina, Libya and Botswana, among other countries.[8][9] The company has received numerous awards for its technology.[2]

From zero revenues at its founding, APR Energy has grown to $486 million in revenues, projected for 2014. The company employs more than 150 people in Jacksonville and over 850 internationally.[10] In 2014, the company was valued at $1.2 billion.[5]

Campion, who founded APR Energy, left his role as CEO in May 2019 to take over as the non-executive chairman for the APR board.[11]

The Campion Automotive Collection

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A portion of John J. Campion's car collection.

Campion assembled a stable of Lancias.[12] His collection includes seven models that have each raced in the World Rally Championship (WRC):

  • 1969 Lancia Fulvia, winner of the 1972 Daily Mirror Royal Automobile Club Rally, a predecessor of the WRC[12][13]
  • 1975 Lancia Stratos, winner of several races in the late 1970s and restored in 2011[12]
  • 1979 Fiat 131, was on the cover of Road & Track, May issue 1980[14]
  • 1980 Lancia Beta Montecarlo GR5, ran in Daytona 24 Hours in 1981 and dropped a valve on hour 14 [15]
  • 1983 Lancia 037 Evo 2 chassis #11 of 20 Evolution 2s. Took part in nearly two dozen rally races, earning several top-three finishes, including first place in a 1985 Coppa Italia race[12]
  • 1983 Lancia LC2 chassis #001 of 7, raced at Monza and Le Mans in the 1983 and ‘84 seasons, and three races at Fuji in 1985 [16]
  • 1985 Lancia Delta S4, used as a test car for all the races that the Delta S4 was in on the World Rally Championship[14]
  • 1988 Lancia Delta Integrale that won the 1988 Portugal Rally and the 1988 Olympus/USA race[12]

His Lancia collection has been displayed at the 2015 Concours d’Elegance on Amelia Island, Florida.[17][18] Campion's complete car collection also includes Ferraris, Alfa Romeos and Porsches.[13]

Philanthropy

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Inaugural Participants on Team Ireland Photo: Peter Houlihan

Campion helped to launch Team Ireland along with the Lord Mayor of Dublin and the President of Motorsport Ireland.[19] The Team Ireland Foundation is a national program designed to support young drivers in the sports of rallying, racing and karting.[20] Campion was involved with the University of North Florida’s Osprey SAE Student Race Team.[21] The UNF Osprey Student Racing team received financial support and mentorship from Campion in 2015 and 2016.[22] A partner of the Just a Bunch of Roadies (JABOR) global humanitarian group,[23] Campion's work included donating fuel, plus trucks and personnel to relief efforts in Haiti following the earthquake in 2010.[24][25] In addition to his other works, Campion served as a board member to The Catholic University of America, providing students development support.[26]

Death

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Campion died from leukemia on October 2, 2020, aged 57.[27][28]

Awards and recognition

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  • 2017 Honorary BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of North Florida[29]
  • 2016 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Recipient[30]
  • Jacksonville Business Journal 2014 Ultimate CEO[10]
  • Performance Magazine Awards : ShowPower Generators 1996, 1997 & 1998
  • Jacksonville Business Journal Innovation of the Year 2014[31]
  • MEED Quality Awards 2014 - Oman Power & Water Project of the Year[32]
  • Asian Power's Fast-Track Power Plant of the Year – 2014[33]
  • Middle East Electricity's Power Plant of the Year Finalist[34]

Patents

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  • Scalable Portable Modular Power Plant, US 8,816,518 B2[6]
  • Scalable Portable Modular Power Plant, US 8,872,366 B2[35]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Joseph Campion.

References

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  1. ^ Blatt, Ruth. "How Two Former Roadies Created A Billion-Dollar Energy Company". Forbes. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Jarvis, Rebecca. "From High-School Dropout to Billion Dollar Biz". abcnews.go.com. ABC News. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  3. ^ "HORIZON ACQUISITION COMPANY PLC ORD 10P Share Price - Shares - London Stock Exchange". Archived from the original on 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  4. ^ "Board of Directors". aprenergy.com. APR Energy plc. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d Blatt, Ruth. "How Two Former Roadies Created A Billion-Dollar Energy Company". Forbes. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  6. ^ a b "US 8,816,518 B2". uspto.gov. United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  7. ^ "From Rock n' Roll Roadie to Energy Company CEO". bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  8. ^ Werley, Jensen. "APR Energy could be losing $17 million a month with contract delay, causing its stock to plummet". Jacksonville Business Journal. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  9. ^ Mathala, Oaitse. "Energy boost for Botswana". The Botswana Gazette. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  10. ^ a b Snite, Eleanor. "2014 Ultimate CEO: John Campion". bizjournals.com. Business Journal. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Management & Board: Board Members". APR Energy. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d e Woodyard, Chris. "This Lancia collector is ready for Florida car show". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  13. ^ a b Golfen, Bob. "Driven: 1969 Lancia Fulvia heads for Amelia Island". blog.classiccars.com. Classic Cars. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  14. ^ a b Gushue, Ted (5 April 2016). "John Campion's Lifelong Obsession With Group B Rally Has Shaped A World Class Collection". Petrolicious.com. May Moon Media. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  15. ^ Campion, John (15 February 2017). "What It's Like To Drive A Lancia Beta Montecarlo At Daytona". Petrolicious. May Moon Media. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  16. ^ McKenzie, Aaron (4 May 2017). "LANCIA RACING HISTORY ENDURES IN JOHN CAMPION'S LC2". Hagerty.com. The Hagerty Group, LLC. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  17. ^ Golfen, Bob. "Exotic Lancia rally racers star at Amelia Island Concours". blog.classiccars.com. Classic Cars. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  18. ^ Haden, Peter (13 March 2015). "Jax Businessman Showing Off Rare Cars At Concours D'Elegance This Weekend". WJCT. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  19. ^ "Team Ireland Foundation". Rally.ie. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  20. ^ McHugh, Robert. "TEAM IRELAND FOUNDATION LAUNCHED AT THE MANSION HOUSE". Business World. Newsaccess. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  21. ^ "APR Energy becomes the new sponsor of the Osprey SAE Student Race Team". unf.edu. The University of North Florida. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  22. ^ Scanlan, Dan. "Osprey Racing improves by design". Jacksonville.com. Florida Times Union. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  23. ^ "Partners and Affiliates". justabunchofroadies.com. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  24. ^ "DELIVERING HAPPINESS AS WELL AS HEALTH TO HAITI". justabunchofroadies.com. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  25. ^ "APR AND ROCK-IT SUPPLY RELIEF TO HAITI". rockitcargo.com. Rock It Cargo. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  26. ^ "School of Business and Economics". cua.edu. The Catholic University of America. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  27. ^ Nulty, Leo (2020-10-08). "Obituary - John Campion". Motorsport.ie. Archived from the original on 2020-10-08.
  28. ^ Gibbons, Timothy (October 5, 2020). "John Campion, co-founder of APR Energy, dies at age 57". Jacksonville Business Journal. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020.
  29. ^ "Information Item # 3- Submitted by the Faculty Affairs Committee (2016/2017 - Dec)". unf.edu. University of North Florida. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  30. ^ "Ellis Island Medals of Honor". Neco.org. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  31. ^ Lasher, Neill. "Innovation of the Year: APR Energy". bizjournals.com. Business Journal. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  32. ^ Observer, Oman. "Six Omani projects win MEED Quality Awards". omanobserver.om. Oman Observer. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  33. ^ "APR Energy's Myanmar Project Named Asian Power's Fast-Track Power Plant Of The Year". poweronline.com. PRNewswire. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  34. ^ "Power Project of The Year". middleeastelectricity.com. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  35. ^ "US 8,872,366 B2". uspto.gov. United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
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