Author speaks on Mormon moneymakers
- posted: 02 Oct. 2007
- scrolllifestyle@byui.edu
American investigative journalist Jeff Benedict has written for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Sports Illustrated. He has also appeared on 60 Minutes, NBC Nightly News and ESPN, and is the author of several highly acclaimed books. After knowing all this, some may be intrigued to find that he is also a Latter-day Saint — and not afraid to tell people about it.
Benedict’s newest contribution to the business world, a talk on CD entitled I Am A Mormon, suggests that a person can be both a good Christian and an aggressive businessman simultaneously.
His talk is primarily centered around the stories of eight Latter-day Saint men who run some of the biggest businesses in America, including JetBlue Airways, American Express and Dell Computers.
On his CD Benedict recounts how his editors at Warner Books surprised him when they asked him to write the book that the CD summarizes. The reason, he says, that he was asked to be the author was because he was the only Mormon these editors knew.
The editors had specific questions in mind for Benedict, such as how these men treat their wives and their children, and whether they really donate 10 percent of their income to their church.
Benedict shadowed each of the eight businessmen to answer these questions. In his talk he says they are high-caliber, family men.
The CD is not meant to convert non-Latter-day Saints, but is meant to teach that, regardless of one’s religion, there are certain things in life that make a person happy.
“It’s not about being rich, and it’s not about being a CEO. It’s about realizing that the most important things are those things that last longest, and nothing lasts longer than family,” Benedict said. 
