Robert Rodin

Robert Rodin
Born	c. 1953
Residence	Pasadena, California
Nationality	American
Education	University of Connecticut
Occupation	business executive, writer
Known for	CEO and president of Marshall Industries

Robert Rodin (born c. 1953) is an American business executive and writer that is best known for transforming Marshall Industries into a pioneering business-to-business e-commerce leader while CEO from 1992 to 1999. Some have referred to him as "visionary" for his early advocation of commerce on the Internet. He is currently the chairman and CEO of RDN Group, a strategic advisory firm, and holds board positions with Supplyframe and Inspirage.

Rodin graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. He was later inducted into the University of Connecticut School of Business Hall of Fame in 2002.

After graduation, he started off in the restaurant industry. When the restaurant was closed, he joined Marshall Industries in 1983 as a sales manager. Based in El Monte, California, the firm was a global distributor of electronic components including semiconductors, electrical connectors, and computer peripherals. Marshall's suppliers included Advanced Micro Devices and Toshiba. Marshall Industries customers included IBM, Solectron, and WebTV.

Rodin was promoted to corporate vice president in 1988 and succeeded Gordon S. Marshall as CEO of Marshall Industries in 1992. During Rodin’s tenure as CEO, Marshall Industries reported six consecutive years of record net sales and was one of the first companies to conduct E-commerce on the Internet. It was reported Rodin often ran around headquarters dressed as Batman, telling his employees to ship their faces off.

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