Special Appreciation for the Prologue

A Life of Leadership and Learning

John E. Rehfeld, author of Alchemy of a Leader: Combining Western and Japanese Management Skills to Transform Your Company, was born on March 30, 1940, in Monterey Park, California. Throughout his remarkable life, John cultivated friendships, built businesses, and inspired countless individuals through his leadership and teaching.

Early Years and Education

John was the second child, after his sister Judy, to Harriet and Harold Rehfeld. During his early years, the Rehfeld family moved frequently but eventually returned to Minnesota. John attended several elementary and middle schools, skipping a grade along the way and graduating in 1957 from Alexander Ramsey High School in Roseville, Minnesota. There he fell in with four other boys, forging lifelong friendships, including with Jerry Fraser, who became his best friend.

After high school, John followed his father's path and enrolled in a five-year Chemical Engineering program at the University of Minnesota. He lived at home and worked summer jobs to help pay his tuition. During this period, he met Frances Hankinson, whom he married one year before graduating. John earned his Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from UMN and then turned his attention to potential career prospects in the computer industry.

Career and Leadership

John interviewed at IBM and was offered a job at the Minneapolis branch office. Almost immediately, he was able to relocate to the IBM office in Worcester, Massachusetts. He loved the computer industry and developed a warm rapport with several colleagues who had graduated from Harvard Business School. They all encouraged John to enroll. Despite loving his job, he quit IBM in the fall of 1965 and started HBS as a full-time student. Decades later, he would reflect on it as the single most positive, consequential decision of his professional life.

During his career, John held leadership positions with a variety of technology companies including vice president and general manager of Toshiba North America, where he launched the first successful laptop computer in 1986. He was subsequently named one of the top 25 computer executives by CRN magazine. He left Toshiba to become president of Seiko Instruments USA, followed by CEO positions with three other technology companies in California, including Etak, a forerunner in in-vehicle GPS navigation, and Proxima, a NASDAQ-traded company.

He was an independent board member of five different public companies and six private venture-funded companies. He also served as chairman of the Corporate Directors Forum in Orange County for three years. John wrote op-eds and articles on computer industry topics. He was a member of the Young Presidents Organization and was listed in The Who's Who of American Business Leaders.

Teaching and Mentorship

In the 1990s, John began teaching, which he found very rewarding. He taught Marketing and Strategy in the University of San Diego's MSEL program for 11 years, and he guest lectured at the HBS management development program in San Diego. He was adjunct professor in the executive MBA program at Pepperdine University for 20 years and was recognized twice with the university's award for outstanding MBS support faculty, in 2001 and 2009. His students gave his classes high ratings, citing his terrific guest speakers as especially impactful. He was always lending constructive support to the professional aspirations of others.

Life with Gunvor

During John's early working life, he focused intently on his career. When he relocated to the West Coast in 1968 and met Gunvor, he found in her an independent-minded partner with career goals of her own. They married in Sweden in 1981. John called it a "life merger ceremony," which was apt. They were always planning projects, house renovations, travel, and activities. Over 55 years, they bought 19 houses, acquired three time-shares, and bought, fixed, and flipped another half dozen houses. They were always on the go, with many trips related to John's business. He loved planning cruises with his sister Judy and daughter Susan, visiting friends, and making annual pilgrimages to Sweden.

Gunvor and John both enjoyed entertaining. There were lots of parties and many occasions and people to celebrate. John loved planning those activities, too, but he left the execution to Gunvor. Involvement with family came into greater focus as the years passed. Long after the children fledged the nest, John was still guiding, advising, and helping his kids and grandkids thrive. He was ever a happy warrior, mentor, cheerleader, and coach.

Legacy

John passed away at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California, on February 8th, 2025. He was 84. John is survived by Gunvor, his wife of 44 years; son Erik and his wife Joy; grandson Jason and his wife Caitlin and their son Oscar; daughter Susan and her husband Kirby; granddaughter Annika; stepdaughter Lisbet; stepson Nils; sister Judy; nephew Grif and his wife Mollie and their daughter Delaney; and Gunvor's sisters Sonja and Vanja and their children.

In 2001, John was early to get a personal domain, JohnRehfeld.com, although currently not functioning, it shows his forward-thinking.

Throughout his life, John cherished his friends, nurtured relationships, and believed in the power of supporting those around him. His prologue for Create in the NOW stands as a testament to his generous spirit and his understanding that creative thinking and meaningful connections are the foundation of lasting impact.