<p>What many call careers, Joe Zeigler calls interests. Beginning as a firefighter in Williamsburg, Virginia, Zeigler left to earn a degree in fire protection from Oklahoma State University, picking up a BA in business along the way<br/><br/>Taking a job as a fire protection engineer with Kemper Insurance somehow led to a ten-year stint as a professional motorcycle racer<br/><br/>In 1981, Zeigler founded the Penguin Road Racing School and wrote How to Fly, a how-to manual for motorcycle racers. Intrigued by the developing world of personal computers, he retired from racing to become a consultant for Digital Equipment Corporation<br/><br/>Zeigler launched six computer stores and the nation's first computer discount warehouse—only to lose them at the hands of an arsonist. He rebounded to write FirePrograms, a software package for fire departments and the world's first low-priced UPS shipping manifest software. He sold both businesses to focus on his writing.</p>
