Dr. Rodney Heiligmann '94, '96, '03

Dr. Rodney Heiligmann is the president of LifeFormations dba LF Studios, an Ohio-based design and fabrication company specializing in animatronics and sculptural scenic elements for use in attractions, exhibits and visitor-based installations around the world. 

The company is a pioneer and leader in the field animatronics and sculptures with integrated technology, and has worked with clients in more than 25 countries. Heiligmann started working at the company in 1993, became president and partner in 2001, and purchased it from fellow BGSU alumnus Dr. Gene Poor ’73 in 2009.

During his career at LifeFormations, Heiligmann has focused on exhibit design, media production, entrepreneurship, communication theory and theme park attraction development. He has consulted with dozens of start-up companies across the world and has co-written two books with Poor – “Animatronics: A Designer's Resource Guide” in 2003 and “The Entrepreneur's Journey: From Dreaming to Doing” in 2005.

From 2003 to 2008 Heiligmann was a faculty member in the Visual Communications Department at BGSU, and from 2009-2011, he served as the executive in residence and director of BGSU’s Dallas/Hamilton Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, later renamed the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. 

Heiligmann is a three-time alumnus of BGSU. He earned his bachelor’s degree in film studies in 1994, his Master of Education in learning design in 1996 and his Ph.D. in communication studies in 2003.

He currently lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Susanne, and son, Wyatt, where he continues to grow LifeFormations while supporting local charities focused on providing food to the food insecure and cancer research.