Biographical Note: Lee Piester

Lee Piester, a model rocket engineer, founded Centuri Engineering Company in 1961 and served as its president and CEO until 1976.

Leroy Edward "Lee" Piester was born on October 17, 1938 in Phoenix, Arizona to Grant E. Piester and Lorraine Martin. He grew up in Phoenix, attending West Phoenix High School. While in high school, Piester began machining parts for amateur rocketeers and through this work he financed his own rocketry projects. After graduating from high school in 1956, Piester attended Phoenix College and Arizona State University where he studied industrial engineering. His passion for rocketry continued, and for his senior thesis he wrote a comprehensive business plan for a model rocket company. This paper became the foundation of Centuri Engineering, and he officially founded the company in 1961.

In its early days, Centuri focused on selling rocket parts and later expanded into full kits and launch equipment. By the mid-1960s, Piester began designing and building his own engine-manufacturing machinery, bringing production in-house. During the early years of the model rocketry industry, Centuri and Estes companies had a friendly rivalry which encouraged technological innovation and development of creative designs. One of Centuri’s most iconic creations was the “Laser-X Space Probe” (#KC-50), which first appeared in 1969, the same year that NASA astronauts landed on the Moon. Its futuristic style went beyond the standard tube, fins, and nose cone designs.

Piester sold Centuri to Damon Corporation in 1971 but remained on as president and CEO until late 1976. Following his departure from Centuri, Piester opened a retail hobby store with his wife Betty in May of 1976. "Hobby Bench" was located in Phoenix and eventually expanded to two other locations in Glendale and Prescott, Arizona.

In 1958 Piester married Betty Jean Carder, who would support his work over the years. As of 2026 Lee and Betty Piester were living in Phoenix, Arizona and continue to operate their hobby store.

Sources: "Centuri Corporation." Encyclopedia.com. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/centuri-corporation. "Laser X2 – A Futuristic Classic, Reimagined." Estes Rockets. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://estesrockets.com/blogs/rocket-talk/laser-x2. "Leroy Piester (Person)." RocketReviews. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://www.rocketreviews.com/leroy-piester-7371.html.

Gender

• male

Occupations

• Businessmen
• Businesspeople

Places

• Phoenix (Ariz.) (Residence)
• Arizona (Residence)

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