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Paul Schodorf
Paul Schodorf, vice president of sales at Schodorf Truck Body & Equipment, has some advice for people no matter their age: exercise. Schodorf won gold in the World Indoor Rowing Championship 2018 for the 30-minute event in the 65-69 age group. The competition, held in Alexandria, Va. earlier this year, was the culmination of around five years of training.
Schodorf says he has always been athletic. He used to be a runner before discovering his love of rowing thanks to his daughter, Bridget, who had a rowing scholarship at The Ohio State University. The school won the NCAA Division I Rowing Championships from 2013-2015. When her parents bought her an ergometer, or rowing machine so she could practice in the winter, Schodorf began using the machine for his own workouts. He first began competing about three years ago.
“I’ve exercised my entire life, but I always wanted to be competitive,” says Schodorf.
While his passion for rowing stems from his daughter’s career, it’s his son, Tim, who acted as coxswain during his race. Schodorf plans to compete in the World Indoor Rowing Championship 2019 in Long Beach, Calif., in February.
He describes rowing as an endeavor for a person of any age to improve their overall fitness.
Tim Schodorf (left) with his father Paul Schodorf (right).
“It embellishes my capacity to do work, mentally and physically,” he says. “It gives my working life more of a punch.”
Schodorf says he doesn’t feel almost 68 years old. As unemployment stays low and the demand for skilled labor grows, exercise allows Schodorf to keep working at the family business longer.
Schodorf Truck Body & Equipment was founded in 1881. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the company is a fourth-generation, family-owned business. Schodorf says that as an athlete he strives to do his best, which is something that carries over into his work mentality.
“Striving to do our best and treating our people and customers accordingly is why we’re still here,” he says.
