Douglas P Taylor became President of Taylor Devices in 1991. He has been with the company since 1966. He has 35 patents in the fields of energy management, hydraulics, and shock isolation. Mr. Taylor has authored more than 75 technical publications on diverse topics ranging from automotive crash safety to ship and spacecraft survivability. This book tells how Douglas Taylor grew Taylor Devices grew from five to 25 million a year by developing new technology and new applications. Many of his inventions are used by the military. He developed new technology for earthquake protection of structures.

Taylor Devices dampers now provide seismic protection for over 700 buildings and bridges all over the world. This book also provide a history of Taylor Devices, going back to when Douglas Taylor was young, working with his father who founded the company. Mr. Taylor's awards include the Franklin and Jefferson Medal for his commercialization of defense technology, the Clifford C. Furnas Memorial Award, and the Dean's Award for Engineering Achievement by the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Mr. Taylor was named Structural Engineer of the Year (2006) by the Engineering Journal, "The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings." even though he is not a structural engineer.

In 2015, Mr. Taylor received the Moisseiff Award for contributions to the science and art of structural design by the American Society of Civil Engineers. In 2015, Mr. Taylor was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame by NASA and the Space Foundation.