Maybe you're familiar with Joseph Juran. He passed away last week at the ripe old age of 103, and he managed to make the best of them all.
His accomplishments are impressive and his contributions to quality and industrial management should interest all manufacturers. He was perhaps best known for contributing to the rebuilding of Japanese manufacturing muscle after WWII. Whether of not you knew much of Juran or not, spend some time mulling over what he did and what he was via a Google search.