Biographies of
Your Project Management Team
John R. Brodin - President
Law Enforcement Officer:
Following his studies at the University of Minnesota and service
in the United States Army, John was on the job as a law enforcement officer for
more than thirty years. He has logged over 5000 hours as a pilot and flight instructor,
including assignments with the FBI, Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms, the Drug Enforcement
Administration and the Minneapolis, Minnesota Police Department. He built the Minneapolis
Police Street Crimes Unit starting in 1978, including the K-9 Unit, the Bomb Squad
and the Emergency Response Unit where he was in charge of over 120 police officers.
This Unit was assigned to all disturbances, demonstrations, labor disputes, armed/barricaded
person situations, hostage and sniper confrontations, and grew over time to include
the High Risk Entry Team, the Gas Delivery Team, the Communications Team and specialized
teams for Paramedic and Fire Rescue Department Support. The Emergency Response Unit
also coordinated all dignitary security in the Minneapolis area with the Secret
Service, Military Intelligence, the State Department, and state and county police
departments for visiting American Presidents, numerous heads of state and other
VIP's and their families.
Artist/Sculptor:
As an artist and sculptor, John studied at the Minneapolis Institute
of Art for four years and at the Camden Gallery for two years. In collaboration
with his brothers Rodger and Neil at Brodin Studios from 1979 to 1994, John assisted
in the production of many exquisitely detailed bronze sculptures of emergency and
military service personnel in action and numerous other dignitaries including: "The
Price of Freedom is Visible Here" Monument at the Veterans Administration Medical
Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Lumberman" Monument in Camden, Minnesota;
the Richard Sorenson World War II U.S. Marine Medal of Honor Monument in bronze
"Above and Beyond" in Anoka, Minnesota; the "Hubert H. Humphrey" life-size bronze
sculpture at the Minneapolis, Minnesota City Hall; and the "Firefighter Protector"
and the "Police Protector" two-thirds life-size bronze sculpture at the Maple Grove,
Minnesota City Hall. The Brodin "Police Protector Series" and "Firefighter Protector
Series" consisting of two-thirds life-size bronze Monuments and their six-inch exact
replica miniatures in bronze have been placed in numerous cities throughout the
United States and Canada. Brodin bronze sculptures also grace the collections of
five U.S. Presidents, Mikhail Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, many military leaders, entertainment
stars and thousands of law enforcement officers and military veterans across the
country. At Honors For Excellence, John’s life-size sculptures for the “Los Angeles
Firefighter Memorial Plaza”, the “South Carolina Fallen Firefighter Memorial Monument”,
the “Miami-Dade Firefighter Memorial Monument”, the “Herb Brooks Olympic Miracle
on Ice Monument”, and the “Crowley Louisiana Fallen Firefighter Memorial Monument”
have been acclaimed for their intricate detail as several of the finest "realistic
representational" sculpted works in the country. In 1997, collaborating with businessman,
Douglas Smith, John formally merged his life-long passions for the worlds of art
and emergency/military service and opened the doors to "Honors For Excellence, Ltd.”.
Douglas K. Schiedel - Principal Sculptor
Doug's formal training in sculpture, drawing, painting and art history included
three years at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, as well as one year at
Yankton College under Professor Jerry Gallagher. Doug served as a cartoonist for
the Key West Citizen newspaper and as the Art Director at the Prior House Resort
in Key West, Florida. For nine years, Doug apprenticed and collaborated with sculptor
Rodger M. Brodin (1940-1995) in the design and production of hundreds of bronze
sculpted works of art in the Brodin Studios Law Enforcement Recognition Program
for the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Central Intelligence Agency, Alcohol
Tobacco & Firearms and the Texas Marshals. Doug's collaborative works, in addition
to those mentioned earlier in John Brodin's biography, include the bronze sculpted
bust, "Hubert H. Humphrey", at the Minneapolis, Minnesota Courthouse; the "Lech
Walesa" ten-inch bronze sculpture presented by the President of the AFL-CIO to the
President of Poland; and the ten-inch "Top Cop" bronze sculpture presented to the
President of the United States, William J. Clinton. Doug's role as Principal Sculptor
for the “Los Angeles Firefighter Memorial Plaza”, the “South Carolina Fallen Firefighter
Memorial Monument”, the “Herb Brooks Olympic Miracle on Ice Monument”, the “Miami-Dade
Firefighter Memorial Monument”, the “Crowley Louisiana Fallen Firefighter Memorial
Monument”, and the “Cypress-Fairfax Texas Volunteer Firefighter Monument”, the have
produced some of the best examples of his ability to replicate the most intricate
details in his sculpted works. In this respect, Doug is among the most highly regarded
artists in the country. "When an organization bestows on me the very high calling
of crafting its Honors for Excellence recognitions", declares Doug, "only the very
best will do".
Douglas G. Smith - Chairman
Doug graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and spent over 28
years in senior management with an employee benefits administration and management
consulting firm headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was a board member and
partner in the firm that employed over 300 professionals and support staff at the
time of its sale to a larger financial services organization in 1995. Doug is an
Executive Board member of the Viking Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He served
as the co-founder and Board Chairman of The Crisis Connection, a United Way crisis
intervention and referral service, a board member of the Rotary Club of Minneapolis,
a Trustee of the Wayzata Community Church and a business consultant for the Minnesota
School Boards Association. He is a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee for
Congressman Jim Ramstad, Ways and Means Committee, U.S. House of Representatives.
A life-long patron of the arts, Doug is a committed equity partner in Honors For
Excellence, Ltd., and manages the business activities for the company
Tel: 952-938-6566 Fax: 952-935-8854
4765 Hamilton Road, Minnetonka, MN 55345
HnrsForExc@honorsforexcellence.com
