John Joseph Campion

John Joseph Campion (January 17, 1963 – October 2, 2020) was an Irish-American entrepreneur. In 1987, he founded Showpower, Inc., a California company that provided portable generators for the Rolling Stones, U2, Kiss and AC/DC.

Early life Born in Cork, Ireland, Campion was held back in primary school twice, failed secondary school exams, and did not attend college. At age 21, Campion emigrated to the United States with an airline ticket and $25 in his possession. One such plant was assembled in 45 days following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a task that would normally require from three to four years to complete for a permanent power plant installation. It took APR Energy less than a month to deploy a power plant in Cyprus with the equivalent generating capacity to power approximately 120,000 American homes. The company has received numerous awards for its technology. In 2014, the company was valued at $1.2 billion.

The Campion Automotive Collection

Campion assembled a stable of Lancias. His collection includes seven models that have each raced in the World Rally Championship (WRC):

1969 Lancia Fulvia, winner of the 1972 Daily Mirror Royal Automobile Club Rally, a predecessor of the WRC 1975 Lancia Stratos, winner of several races in the late 1970s and restored in 2011 1980 Lancia Beta Montecarlo GR5, ran in Daytona 24 Hours in 1981 and dropped a valve on hour 14 1983 Lancia 037 Evo 2 chassis #11 of 20 Evolution 2s. Took part in nearly two dozen rally races, earning several top-three finishes, including first place in a 1985 Coppa Italia race 1985 Lancia Delta S4, used as a test car for all the races that the Delta S4 was in on the World Rally Championship Campion's complete car collection also includes Ferraris, Alfa Romeos and Porsches. The Team Ireland Foundation is a national program designed to support young drivers in the sports of rallying, racing and karting. Campion was involved with the University of North Florida’s Osprey SAE Student Race Team. The UNF Osprey Student Racing team received financial support and mentorship from Campion in 2015 and 2016. A partner of the Just a Bunch of Roadies (JABOR) global humanitarian group, Campion's work included donating fuel, plus trucks and personnel to relief efforts in Haiti following the earthquake in 2010. In addition to his other works, Campion served as a board member to The Catholic University of America, providing students development support.

Death Campion died from leukemia on October 2, 2020, aged 57.

Awards and recognition

2017 Honorary BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of North Florida 2016 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Recipient Jacksonville Business Journal 2014 Ultimate CEO MEED Quality Awards 2014 - Oman Power & Water Project of the Year Asian Power's Fast-Track Power Plant of the Year – 2014 Middle East Electricity's Power Plant of the Year Finalist

Patents Scalable Portable Modular Power Plant, US 8,816,518 B2