About the Author

DURING DAVE KURTZ'S high school days, no one in Salisbury, Maryland, would have mistaken him for a scholar. In fact, he was a mediocre student, so bad that his father steered him toward higher education by finding him a succession of backbreaking summer jobs. Thankfully, most of them have been erased from his memory, but a few linger, including picking peaches, loading watermelons on trucks headed for market, and working as a pipe-fitter's helper. Unfortunately, these jobs had zero impact on his academic standing. Worse yet for Dave's ego, he was no better than average as a high school athlete in football and track.

But four years at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia, turned him around. Excellent instructors helped get Dave on sound academic footing. His grade point average soared—enough to get him accepted by the graduate business school at the University of Arkansas, where he met Gene Boone. Gene and Dave became longtime co-authors; together they produced more than 50 books. In addition to writing, Dave and Gene were involved in various entrepreneurial ventures.

This long-term partnership ended with Gene's death a few years ago. But, this book will always be Boone & Kurtz's Essentials of Contemporary Business.

If you have any questions or comments about the new Essentials book, Dave can be reached at [email protected].

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR

WHEN JOHN FRITSCHEN ASKED his high school guidance counselor for some career advice, she dutifully pointed him to the library and a loose-leaf binder containing a list of professions, A to Z. Opening the book, the first entry was Accountant—maybe, but no. Next up was Aerospace Engineering—now, that sounded interesting. And it was with little more thought, that his early education and career path was set. After college he went to work at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in Florida then moved to Davis, California, to work in the wind energy field and then to Santa Rosa, California, and an optical engineering company. It was at the optics company that he was introduced to the exciting world of business, working first in technical sales, then marketing, business development, and management. Wanting to add to his practical business knowledge, he completed a Masters in Business Administration at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2002, he left the corporate world to become a full-time instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College, where he continues to teach today.