Fahrendorf Family Lineage

The name Fahrendorf (Varendorp) is originally composed of the Old Low German words “Vara” and “Thorpe.” The vara of the first syllable means “Scots pine” or “pine tree area.” The second syllable corresponds to today's High German form Dorf and originally referred to a settlement grouping of several farmsteads around a main farm. Over the centuries, the spelling of the family name varied. In addition to the originally Latinized Old Low German form de Varenthorpe, there was a Low German form Varendorp and a High German form Va(h)rendorf(f). The invention of print in the 1450s, brought a new permanence to language. The transition – from a largely oral, sound-based, mnemonic world to a primarily visual culture – had profound consequences. In the case of the Fahrendorf lineage, it should be remembered that V, PH, and FF are all pronounced as F and the various versions of the surname are synonymous. In the year 1060 AD, near the Teutoburg Forest of Westphalia there was a very large estate known as “Varatharp.” Geographic locations at that time were usually described by their particular characteristics. In this case “Vara” meaning “pine tree area” was geographically significant because pine trees were quite scarce in that part of Germany until the seventeenth century. The historian Christian Grupen has been able to trace “Varatharp” back to the Roman General Publius Quinctilius Varus, who was defeated by the Cheruscan prince, Arminius, in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest around 9 AD. The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest occurred when an alliance of Germanic peoples ambushed Roman legions and their auxiliaries. Teutoburg Forest is commonly seen as one of the most important defeats in Roman history, bringing the triumphant period of expansion under Augustus to an abrupt end. The outcome of this battle dissuaded the Romans from their ambition of conquering Germania, and is thus considered one of the most important events in European history. The owner of estate known as “Varatharp” and the first known Fahrendorf was Gerhard de Varendorp who was Leighlord to Philipp, Bishop of Osnabruck around the year 1170. Gerhard I Varendorp is the originator of the “Great Branch” to which our family is (as of yet) unable to be linked. The Great Branch has two major divisions… the Oldenburg Branch came from Schlieswig-Holstien which was once part of Denmark (but is now part of Germany) and the Hannover Branch. The Oldenburg Branch is the Protestant line and the most famous of the lot was Jakob Friedrich von Vahrendorf who was Duke of Oldenburg in the 1700’s. Although descendants of Wilhelm A. Fahrendorf (immigrant to the U.S.) are unable to trace lineage back to this old, noble German family – the likelihood that there is a direct link is strong. The fact that Wilhelm knew these two branches existed is strong evidence that he is somehow part of the Great Branch. In addition, Wilhelm was well aware that his ancestors once carried the title “von” and were part of German nobility – which would have been the case if there was a direct link to the Great Branch. There was also a story from Wilhelm about a Felix Fahrendorf who went to Denmark around 1670 – then years later a grandson of his came back to Germany… which would suggest that Wilhelm is part of the Oldenburg Branch. -Joe Fahrendorf

SAFE Transportation Services

Bill Fahrendorf Founder & Owner | SAFE Transportation Services, Inc. Bill Fahrendorf is the Founder and Owner of SAFE Transportation Services, Inc., bringing over four decades of industry expertise to the company he built from the ground up. A true freight industry veteran, Bill began his career during the transformative years following deregulation and has been a driving force in both LTL and FTL transportation ever since. With a deep understanding of the logistics landscape and a passion for service, Bill has cultivated long-standing relationships with shippers and carriers across North America. His reputation for integrity, reliability, and results has helped position SAFE Transportation as a trusted partner in the freight brokerage space. Today, Bill focuses primarily on sales, leveraging his vast experience and network to develop strategic solutions that meet the unique needs of each customer. His leadership continues to shape the company’s direction, culture, and commitment to excellence. Joe Fahrendorf Vice President | SAFE Transportation Services, Inc. Joe Fahrendorf serves as Vice President at SAFE Transportation Services, Inc., where he plays a key role in driving strategic growth and operational excellence. As the son of company founder Bill Fahrendorf, Joe brings both a deep respect for the company’s legacy and a forward-thinking vision for its future. Joe is a graduate of Yale University and holds an MBA from The Ohio State University. Prior to joining SAFE in 2013, he built a successful career in finance at a global healthcare services and products company—experience that sharpened his analytical skills and business acumen. Since coming on board, Joe has been instrumental in expanding SAFE’s footprint across the Midwest and nationwide, helping the company achieve rapid, sustained growth. Under his leadership, SAFE now handles freight across nearly every major industry sector, backed by a reputation for reliability, responsiveness, and results. Joe’s passion for logistics, combined with his strong relationships and data-driven approach, continues to push SAFE Transportation toward new levels of excellence in service and scale.

Joseph Fahrendorf - Updates

I’m back… sorry for the long absence.

A lot has been going on recently and unfortunately blogging had to take a backseat while I prepared for final presentations, exams and the start of my internship. The good news is that I successfully made it through my first year of the MBA program and have an awesome internship lined up for the summer.

Internship – I have made it through my first week at Cardinal Health. I’m a Finance intern for the Nuclear Pharmacy Services division. I find the work really interesting and have already learned an unbelievable amount. I’ll continue updating the blog with work related updates.

Next summer plans – I recently committed to join some of my Yale rowing friends in a competition next summer (The Henley Royal Regatta) in Henley-on-Thames, England. This will be my fourth time rowing in the regatta, so hopefully we can finally win it. The regatta is similar to March Madness – basically it is a single elimination bracket and teams row a 2112 meter course in a one-on-one competition. If you win every race it will be five consecutive days of exhaustive races.

I’m going to remain quite busy with FGSA this summer. We are working with Dean Wruck to set-up several “current event debates” between faculty members during the lunch hour. If you have any good ideas for topics, please let me know.

That’s all for now. I’ll start updating the blog more often.

-Joseph Fahrendorf

Fahradamus - Joseph Fahrendorf blog

Joseph Fahrendorf blog:

During the sixteenth century, a French apothecary named Nostradamus scripted cataclysmic predictions for planet Earth such as: the Balkan Wars, World War III, and the release of the iPhone. Unfortunately, Nostradamus’ vague quatrains require intense hindsight and lack the ability to predict the future. As a result, Nostradamus’ literature can be found in the Fiction aisle of the public library.

Nostradamus’ work is a stark contrast to the blog entries of Fahradamus: a strapping, young, Fisher MBA student. In recent blog posts, Fahradamus accurately predicted a curse on the MBA basketball team. The day after the entry was posted; I took an elbow to the cheek while playing basketball which resulted in a humiliating black eye. Perhaps you are thinking that one accurate prediction is just luck. If this is the case, keep reading.

Last week, Fahradamus posted a blog that stated he was planning to play softball for the Fisher MBA intramural team. In this entry he stated, “Although softball might seem relatively safe, I am quite sure that one of my classmates (probably me) will either get a black-eye or sustain some other serious injury while attempting to relive our glory days.” What happened next is probably obvious… In my very first softball game, I sustained a black-eye and required eight stitches above my eyebrow to stop the bleeding after I collided with a guy on the base path. Go figure.

Going forward, Fahradamus will only predict straight-A’s, high paying job offers, and success in safe recreational sports such as golf.

Joseph Fahrendorf Fisher Grad Life Blog

Uncle Joe - Joseph Fahrendorf Fisher Grad Life Blog

I’m now able to add an important title to my name … Uncle. My sister and her husband had their first child on Wednesday night. Her name is Grace Jacqueline Ravasio. She’s amazing (from the pictures I’ve seen) and I am trying to work ahead on projects so that I have some time to return to Cincinnati and meet her. Unfortunately, the third quarter is in full gear and this will probably be the busiest quarter of my MBA studies. This Tuesday I have a finance quiz on stock options. Studying for the quiz was a nice break from all the case studies I’ve been reading, but it somehow consumed my entire weekend.

On a different note, some of you might recall that I was a member of the FCOB intramural basketball team. After receiving a black-eye from an errant elbow (thanks again, John), I determined that I was too old to continue playing competitive sports. After a short hiatus from intramurals, the spring weather has coaxed me to return to the world of competitive sports and play on the FCOB softball team. Although softball might seem relatively safe, I am quite sure that one of my classmates (probably me) will either get a black-eye or sustain some other serious injury while attempting to relive our glory days. It should be fun.

- Joseph Fahrendorf

Joseph Fahrendorf - Cardinal Health

I’m a week into the third quarter and I can already tell that this quarter is going to be hectic. If you have been reading my blog since the beginning, this statement should come as no surprise. Fisher College keeps us busy and it doesn’t help that I lack traditional business class experience. Although my learning curve is steeper than some of my peers, I have found each quarter to be a little easier since class material coincides with earlier work.

This quarter is going to be reading intensive. After previewing the syllabi of my classes, I decided that it would be in my best interest to only take four classes so that I can focus on the reading… and possible a few rounds of golf. Unfortunately, I have the feeling that the reading will trump the golf. Every week I need to read The Economist and be prepared for a short, five question quiz on the material. I enjoy staying informed on current events, but The Economist leaves a lot to be desired. It is basically 100+ pages of dry, British stories regarding the state of the European Union and ObamaCare.

The good news for this quarter is that I will not need to allocate time to my internship search. Last week I accepted a finance internship with Cardinal Health. I am very excited about the opportunity and I can’t wait to rejoin the workforce… even if it is only for a couple months.


Joseph Fahrendorf


This blog is reposted from Joseph Fahrendorf's Fisher Grad Life Blog.

March Madness - Joseph Fahrendorf

Post from Joseph Fahrendorf's Fisher Grad Life Blog:

Two rounds into the NCAA basketball tournament and I can officially throw my bracket in the trash. I picked Kansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Villanova to make it to the Final Four… only Kentucky remains alive. You might be curious why I didn’t take the very talented number two seed Ohio State Buckeyes to go to the Final Four instead of Kansas. My answer is three-fold. First, it is a well-known fact that my teams never do well in the NCAA tournament. I am cursed. If I pick you, then you lose… usually in a painful, last second choke kind of way. Second, Kansas is a tough team and I really questioned Ohio State’s ability to beat perhaps the best team in the tournament. It is no secret that Ohio State relies too heavily on Evan Turner to get them out of sticky situations. Why should I have believed that Diebler, Buford, Lighty and Lauderdale would all of a sudden make meaningful contributions to the team at clutch points in the game? Third, I figured everyone who I was competing against would have Ohio State beating Kansas out of some sense of pride and loyalty to the University. It’s not that I don’t have these things; it’s just that I really, really wanted to win the prize money and the ability to boast about my basketball picking ability. If Ohio State would have lost as I predicted and if Kansas would have won the tournament, I would easily have won the pool since no one else would have had similar picks. It’s too bad none of my strategies ever seem to work as I envision. Fortunately this time the results aren’t entirely negative… Ohio State is still in the tournament and most of the really good teams that would have posed a challenge to them have already been knocked out. Sure my bracket is complete garbage, but maybe this March might just be the month of the Buckeyes.

Joseph Fahrendorf

This post was republished from Joseph Fahrendorf's Fisher Grad Life Blog.