Sanjay Kumar and the Rise and Fall of a Good Leader

Sanjay Kumar was a Sri Lanka-born computer expert. He became the Chairman and CEO of Computer Associates International, which is known today as CA Technologies. Following the civil unrest in Sri Lanka, the Kumar family immigrated to the US in 1976 and settled in South Carolina. Kumar studied at Furman University between 1980 and 1983 but quit the school without successfully completing a degree.

Kumar worked with Computer Associates in 1987 after the company was successful in its buy-out of UCCEL Corporation for $800 million. At the time of the purchase, Kumar was the director of software development at UCCEL.

In 1988, Kumar had to move to Long Island where Computer Associates’ headquarters were located because he was promoted as Vice President of Planning. Kumar had to move from one position of leadership to another while he was with Computer Associates. Kumar was promoted two more times; as Senior Vice President of Planning in 1989, and as Executive Vice President of Operations in 1993, before he became the company’s President and COO in 1994. He was 31 years old.

In 2000, Kumar became Computer Associates’ CEO. He replaced Charles Wang, who was his mentor for a long time. In 2002, Kumar became the company’s chairman. Computer Associates evolved to become more customer-friendly, a corporate image credited to Kumar’s leadership.

Kumar was forced to resign as President and CEO in April 2004 after he was involved in an investigation of alleged obstruction of justice and securities fraud at Computer Associates. He stayed with Computer Associates for six more weeks as Chief Software Architect before he left the company completely.

A Brooklyn federal jury indicted Kumar of fraud charges. He pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and obstruction of justice. The jury sentenced him to 12 years of imprisonment and a fine of $8 million for his involvement in accounting fraud while at Computer Associates. Kumar is serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, Florida. He is expected to complete his sentence by January 25, 2018.

Rose Knox: Her Partnership with Her Husband Made Her a Better Businesswoman

Rose Markward Knox was an American businesswoman. She became the CEO of Knox Gelatin Factory following the death of her husband Charles Briggs Knox in 1908.

The Markward’s were originally from Mansfield, Ohio but the family moved to Gloversville, New York in the late 1870s. Rose met Knox there and married him in February 1883. The Knox’s moved to Johnstown in 1896 to establish their gelatin business after Charles saw Rose make gelatin in their kitchen. This was the beginning of the Charles B. Knox Gelatin Company.

Charles and Rose became business partners and did all things together. Rose took care of the recipe books; Charles taught Rose financial management and budgeting. He allocated weekly allowances for her so she can have money to do what she pleased. Charles prepared Rose to run the company herself.

When Charles died in 1908, Rose took care of the gelatin business. She imposed changes in the company; the most prominent of which were gender equality, the five-day work week, and the two-week paid vacation leave for all workers.

William Knudsen: From Business to Public Service

William Knudsen was a Danish-born American businessman. He had a fulfilling industrial career. He opened a number of assembly plants, directed a shipbuilding program during the World War I, and masterminded the expansion of Ford Motor Company in Europe after the war. He worked with Chevrolet and General Motors as president and was the brains behind America’s production efforts after World War II.

Born as Signius Wilhelm Poul Knudsen, he had little technical education back in his native Denmark. His first job was as a bicycle mechanic. Knudsen immigrated to the US via Ellis Island in New York in 1900. He changed his name to William Signius Knudsen. Knudsen had several jobs – with shipyards and railroad shops – until John Keim Mills invited him to Buffalo at a time when Keim was the leading producer of pressed steel parts used in automotives.

In 1911, Ford Motor Company acquired Keim. Knudsen’s new employer assigned him to Detroit in 1913 to supervise the company’s expansion of its nationwide network of assembly plants. Knudsen used his keenness, toughness and strong temper to direct the mass production of submarine chasers while the World War I was going on.

From 1919 to 1920, Knudsen had developed a plan to internationalize Ford’s production while controlling Ford’s European affairs. However, Henry Ford resented Knudsen’s independent manner. On the other hand, Knudsen also resented Ford’s interference to his work. In 1921, Knudsen decided to leave Ford Motor Company. He worked with an auto parts manufacturer as general manager until 1922 when he received an invitation to work with General Motors.

During the interview, he was asked how much pay he is willing to receive. Knudsen could have said that Ford is paying him $50,000. He simply, said, “Anything you like. I’m here for the opportunity, not for the figure.” GM hired him for $30,000. In one month, Knudsen became the vice president for operations at Chevrolet Motor Division for $50,000 annually.

In 1924, Knudsen became Chevrolet’s president. He had an impressive sales performance and this persuaded Ford to stop producing Model T for Model A. Because of Ford’s changeover, Chevrolet’s six-cylinder engine assumed the lead in sales for the first time in 1927 until 1928. While Ford regained the lead in 1929 and 1930, Chevrolet became the leader for the rest of the pre-World War II. Knudsen assumed Chevrolet’s presidency for the US and Canadian car and body manufacturing in 1933 and Chevrolet’s president in 1937.

President Franklin Roosevelt asked Knudsen to join the National Defense Council in its advisory commission. Knudsen accepted the job even if it means giving up a yearly income of $300,000 because the assignment was unpaid. President Roosevelt promoted Knudsen as the director general of the Office of Production Management in 1941. He became the Department of War’s director of war production in 1943. Knudsen became the first civilian to be conferred with the rank of lieutenant general of the US Army. In 1944, Knudsen was the director of the Air Technical Service Command. That year, Knudsen received the Distinguished Service Medal of the US Army.

Terry Matthews: Wales’ First Billionaire

One of the greatest accomplishments in life is to become known as the first to achieve something. In the case of Terry Matthews, his accomplishment was becoming the first billionaire of Wales.

Not only is Terry popular for becoming the first billionaire of a country, he is also well known to be the owner, or have provided funding to over 80 companies in the tech industry. Today, he is the Chairman of Mitel and Wesley Clover, both of which he founded.

His fascination with tech companies began when he became a research apprentice at British Telecom. After that, he joined MicroSystems International, a tech company specializing in the development and manufacturing of micro chips.

It was during his stay at MicroSystems that Terry ventured into the world of business by establishing Mitel together with one of his co-workers, Michael Cowpland. Mitel actually stands for Mike & Terry Electronics. The company started off by selling electronic lawnmowers. Unfortunately, their first delivery almost turned out to be a disaster that would have destroyed the company. Their first shipment container was somehow lost by the shipping company, but was later recovered. However, when the shipment finally arrived, the season had turned to winter, and no one would buy lawnmowers when their gardens were covered in snow.

Sarah Breedlove: Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company

Perhaps one of the most famous female entrepreneurs in America was Sarah Breedlove, also known as Madam C.J. Walker. The title given to her is in fact the name of her company, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Co., who at that time had unique business theme, as they developed and marketed beauty products especially made for black women.

Born in 1867, Sarah was the first of her siblings to be born under freedom. Her parents were slaves and so were her elder siblings. Unfortunately, her parents died while she was still young. Her older sister and her brother-in-law took her in but it turned out that she would be maltreated. Sarah decided to marry at a very young age of 14 in order to escape the maltreatment.

Her husband died when she was 20 years old after which she would move to St. Louis where her brother were. Here she met Charles Joseph Walker, a newspaper advertising salesman, who she would later marry.

The idea for creating beauty products designed for black women came to her when she developed a problem with her hair. Most African-American women during that era were having the same problem with their hair. She tried almost every cure for the scalp disease to no avail, so she began experimenting with her own remedy. Sara was able to develop a shampoo that contained sulfur that had effectively cured the disease and made her scalp healthier, thus producing healthy hair.

During those times, Sarah was working as a cook, but would later leave her job in order to focus on the production and marketing of her new product. She sold her product door-to-door and it quickly became popular. Soon after, her product would be advertised in a local newspaper.

Her company, Madam C.J. Walker was established in 1906 and her products started to become popular in almost every part of the country where there were concentrations of black women.

Today, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company still produces her original recipes. Their products are still sought after by women who have scalp problems.

Henrietta King: A Woman Can Do Good Husbandry

Henrietta Maria Chamberlain King was an American rancher. Her mother died when she was three years old. King became self-reliant at an early age. Her father was a missionary. She was often left alone in their home, being an only child.

In 1849, King’s father went to Brownsville, Texas to begin a Presbyterian mission; and King went with him. While there, King taught at the Rio Grande Female Institute. In 1854, she married Richard King. The young couple lived in small hut located in a cattle ranch in Santa Gertrudis Creek. This ranch grew to 53,000 acres in time.

The King’s ranch became the receiver of the cotton of the Confederacy, who were moving to Mexico during the Civil War. The cotton were shipped to England. In 1863, the ranch was captured by the Union troops. Richard had to escape to avoid being captured. King and her five children fled to San Antonio. King became the sole owner of the ranch in 1868 where she raised horses, cattle, goats and sheep.

King and her son-in-law Robert Justus Kleberg managed the ranch well and experimented on several breeding programs. When King died in March 1925, the ranch measured 500,000 acres.

Steve Kim: Korean Ingenuity in Consumer Electronics

Steve Kim is a Korean tech entrepreneur who became successful in the growing electronics industry. He was responsible in putting up two startups that are known as major players in the industry today. One of these startups was Xylan which Alcatel acquired in 1999 for $2 billion. Needless to say, Steve was successful. He shares his secret for his thriving career – his wife Jung. Kim considers her as his most valuable asset.

Steve was born in Seoul in 1952. He moved to the US in 1976 after his mandatory service in the Korean military for two years and studying electrical engineering for four years. He worked in an auto parts warehouse stocking shelves for one year. He used his savings to travel back to Korea in 1977 to marry Jung.

Jung used to point out what Steve overlooked in himself and others. She helped Steve realize his need to increase his income. While attending night school in Cal State Northridge, Steve worked with a local store in Burroughs, and later with Litton Data Systems. He had a third job with a small fiber optics company. This job inspired Steve to establish his own garage-based company named Fibermux that would create networking products.

After seven years, Steve sold Fibermux and earned him $54 million in the deal. In 1993, Steve founded Xylan in Calabasas, California. Xylan would produce the next generation, power-packed switches used in high speed routing in LANs. Xylan’s switches resembled the shape and size of a pizza box, thus Xylan switches were known as pizza switches.

Xylan held its IPO in 1996, which was known as the most successful IPO since Netscape’s. Its shares, priced at $26 for $4.2 million quickly jumped to $75. In 1998, Xylan reported sales of $350 million. This was exceptional considering that the industry is dominated by giants as Bay Networks, Cisco ad 3Com.

Steve’s hard work, coupled with his creativity were instrumental in the most important engineering advances that would keep Xylan’s switches remain on the cutting edge. In 1999, France’s leading telecom company Alcatel showed interest in acquiring Xylan. After the hefty $2 billion payout, Steve remained with Xylan, taking care of Alcatel’s Internetworking division.

James Kim: A Good Son and a Great Businessman

James Kim was an Asian-American businessman who founded the electronics company Amkor Technology. He was a former economics professor who quit his teaching career in 1968 to help his father’s struggling electronics firm, Anam Electronics of Korea. After establishing Amkor, Kim continued to help his father by acting as Anam’s agent in the US.

During the early goings of Amkor, Agnes, James’ wife had to help him by selling calculators and transistor radios in a mall in King of Prussia Pennsylvania in 1977. After more than twenty years Kim’s fortune has grown in a dramatic fashion. In 1998 Amkor has become the world’s leading independent fabricator of chips and ICs for companies like Motorola, Toshiba, Texas Instruments and Philips.

1998 was a year of slump in the semiconductor packaging industry but Amkor has managed to increase its earnings by 10%, or $1.6 billion. The success of Amkor has contributed to the stability of Anam. Amkor had its IPO in May 1998, in which the company has raised $450 million. Kim had to travel from Seoul, taking care of Anam, to West Chester, Pennsylvania to take care of Amkor Technology.

Alfred Knopf Sr.: In Pursuit of a Dream

Alfred Knopf Sr. was a 20th century publisher who founded his own publishing house named Alfred A. Knopf Inc. Knopf’s publishing house has earned the reputation of producing books with high quality of design, printing and binding 204,325 his clients cited him as a purist in presentation and content.

Knopf was born on September 12, 1892 in New York City. His family was of Jewish descent. His father, Edwin, had a short stint working in his company as film producer and director. Knopf attended the law school of Columbia University where he was honed as a debater and literary writer. In his senior year at Columbia, Knopf became very interested in publishing, a passion he attributed to the engaging correspondence of the British writer John Galsworthy. After his visit to Galsworthy in England, Knopf returned to New York, gave up his plans to pursue his career in law and went to publishing.

In 1912, Knopf worked at Doubleday as a clerk after he received his Bachelor of Arts degree. He also worked for Michael Kennerly as editorial assistant in 1914. In 1915, Knopf left Kennerly and established his own publishing house. Knopf focused on European, especially Russian literature at a time when European literature was neglected to a large extent by most American publishers. Knopf published the works of the likes of Albert Camus, Simone de Beauvoir, Joseph Conrad, Sigmund Freud, Thomas Mann, and D.H. Lawrence. He also published American authors like James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Theodore Dreiser, and his personal favorite Willa Cather.

Between 1924 and 1934, Knopf published The American Mercury, a literary magazine established by Mencken and Nathan. Knopf was very personable as he has developed and maintained personal friendships with various authors in the fields of science, sociology and history. Some of the historians with whom Knopf has developed close friendships were Samuel Eliot Morison, Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and Richard Hofstadter.

Knopf was also an accomplished writer. His writings included Publishing Then and Now, Random Recollections, Sixty Photographs, and Portrait of a Publisher.

In 1959, Knopf’s son Alfred Jr. left the company to establish his own company Atheneum Publishers. In order to survive, Knopf merged his company with the publishing house of his friend Bennett Cerf, the Random House in 1960. He remained the editor for the next five years. Knopf calls the merger “a perfect marriage.”

Joseph Kennedy: Patriarch of a Political Clan

Joseph “Joe” Kennedy Sr. Was an American investor, businessman and politician. He was the father of US President John F. Kennedy, US Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, US Navy officer Joseph Kennedy Jr., Special Olympics co-founder Eunice Kennedy, and former US Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy.

At the height of his political career, Kennedy was a prominent member of the Democratic Party. He also became the inaugural chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission through the appointment of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). He also served as director of the Maritime Commission and became the former US Ambassador to the UK.

Kennedy started building his fortunes by investing in the stock market, in real estate, in commodities, and many other industries. When the World War I erupted, Kennedy was the assistant general manager of Bethlehem Steel shipyard, where he developed deep friendship with FDR. Kennedy reorganized and refinanced a number of Hollywood studios in the 1920s where he earned huge profits.

In 1933, Kennedy travelled with FDR’s son James to Scotland to purchase distribution rights for Scotch whisky after the Prohibition was lifted. Later, Kennedy’s company Somerset Importers was awarded exclusive rights to distribute Dewar’s Scotch and Gordon’s Gin.

Kennedy’s political ambitions were abruptly halted in November 1940 during the Battle of Britain. After his resignation, Kennedy worked behind the scene, helping the Kennedy family build their political and financial fortunes.

Minor Cooper Keith: The Man Who Became a De Facto Owner of a Considerable Portion of Costa Rica

Minor Cooper Keith was an American entrepreneur who was greatly involved in the development of commercial agriculture, railroads and shipping in most economies in Central America and in Colombia. Keith pioneered the efforts in establishing and administering a multinational company that imports and exports goods to and fro the US and countries around the Caribbean Sea.

Keith was born on January 19, 1848 in Brooklyn, New York. He was educated in a private school. At sixteen, Keith worked in a Broadway store as sales clerk but had to quit the job months later in favor of a new job as lumber surveyor. In one year’s work, Keith was able to save $3,000, which he used to purchase a cattle ranch in a rover island near the Rio Grande opening in southern Texas.  He managed his ranch until 1871 when he received an invitation to join to join his uncle Henry Meiggs in the construction of a railroad in Costa Rica.

President Tomás Guardia Gutierrez of Costa Rica awarded Meiggs with a contract to construct to build a railroad from San José to what eventually became the port to the Caribbean in Limón. Keith got involved in the project and had to take over following the death of Meiggs in 1877.

Costa Rica’s economy at that time was focused on exportation of coffee. The coffee products were transported from the central valley to the Puntarenas port by oxcart. There is not a canal that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans so that in order to transport the products to Europe which was the main market at that time, the Costa Rican government should prioritize creating a route to the Caribbean.

Soon, the railroad project was financially challenged, aside from the difficult terrains, torrential rains, thick jungle and the malaria, dysentery and yellow fever epidemic that hit Keith’s team. In the first 25 miles of track, Keith lost three of his brothers and a number of workers due to various diseases. When he had difficulty recruiting Costa Ricans, Keith has to bring in Jamaican, Chinese and Italian workers to finish the project.

Financially hard up, the Costa Rican government defaulted in paying its obligations to Keith and the London banks where Keith borrowed funds to spend on the railroad. On his own, Keith raised funds of £1.2 million from investors and banks. He also negotiated to reduce the interest on the prior borrowings made by the Costa Rican government.

In exchange for his efforts, Costa Rican President Próspero Fernández Oreamuno awarded an 800,000 acre land located along the railroad, tax free. He was also awarded a 99-year lease to operate the train route. Instantly, Keith became a de facto owner of 5% of the territory of Costa Rica.

Keith also became involved in banana trading, gold mining, general trade retailing and poultry raising.

Donna Karan: The Queen of Seventh Avenue

Donna Karan is an American fashion designer who created the clothing label DKNY, which actually stands for Donna Karan New York. Karan was born on October 2, 1948. She attended the Parsons School of Design.

After college, Karan joined Anne Klein and eventually became the company’s head of the design team. She worked with Anne Klein until 1985 when she decided to create the Donna Karan label.

Karan was joined by her husband Stephan Weiss in building DKNY. Her mission was “to design modern clothes for modern people.” Karan launched her first clothing collection for women in 1985.

DKNY became known for its “Essentials” line. Initially, the line offered seven pieces that can easily be mixed and matched. Karan insisted that the clothing lines she will design and produce are those that she is willing to wear herself.

Karan earned the moniker “The Queen of Seventh Avenue” as her DKNY created affordable lines for younger women. After two years, DKNY started producing denim jeans. Karan also ventured to fragrances.

Henry John Kaiser: Father of Modern American Shipbuilding

Henry John Kaiser was an American industrialist. He was more popularly known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. He founded the Kaiser Shipyard, which became the major supplier of Liberty ships during the World War II. Kaiser also founded other businesses and companies, including Kaiser Steel, Kaiser Aluminum, Kaiser Permanente, Kaiser-Frazer, and Kaiser Motors.

Kaiser was born in Sprout Brook, New York on May 9, 1882. His first job was a photography apprentice. At 20, Kaiser operated his own studio. With his savings, Kaiser moved to Washington to establish his own construction company. He became a contractor for government projects.

In 1906, Kaiser moved to the West Coast. A few years later, Kaiser opened a paving company. Kaiser’s company was one of the first construction companies to use heavy construction equipment. His greatest break happened in 1927 when his company was awarded a $20-million contract to pave roads in Cuba. Kaiser’s next break happened in 1931 when he was involved in the construction of Colorado River’s Hoover Dam, and Columbia River’s Bonneville Dam and Grand Coulee Dam.

Although he did not build ships before, Kaiser built shipyards in Tacoma and Seattle. He developed a new technique in shipbuilding – using welding instead of rivets. During the World War II, Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond, California built cargo ships. His technique produced each ship at an average of 45 days. These ships were known as Liberty ships.

Kaiser rose to popularity after he set a record of building a ship in four days. On November 8, 1942, Kaiser laid the keel of Robert E. Peary. The ship was launched from the shipyard in Richmond, California on November 12, four days and 15.5 hours later. Kaiser broke the previous record of ten days, which was held by the Liberty ship Joseph M. Teal.

Andrea Jung: Modern Face of Woman Power

Andrea Jung is a Canadian-American business executive and a prominent advocate of women’s issues. She was more popularly known as the former CEO of Avon Products while simultaneously serving as the executive chairman of the board until her forced resignation in 2012. She has long been the face and icon of the company.

Jung’s mother was a pianist. Her father was an architect who once became a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jung grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She graduated from Princeton University as a magna cum laude.

Jung started her career with Neiman Marcus as executive vice president. She was handling issues on children’s wear, intimate women’s apparel, accessories and cosmetics. In 1994, Jung moved to Avon Products as president of product marketing. In 1996, she was promoted to the position of president of global marketing. Her responsibilities included market research and strategic planning. Eventually, Jung became Avon Products’ CEO.

Controversies around the company’s dropping shares forced Jung to resign in December 2011. This happened despite Jung’s inclusion in the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women list.

Otto Hermann Kahn: Fulfilling a Father’s Dream

Otto Hermann Kahn was a German-born American banker, philanthropist, and art collector. He was born on February 21, 1867 to Jewish parents. He grew up in Mannheim, Germany. When the revolution of 1848 was over, his father became a US refugee. His father returned to Germany after earning his US citizenship.

As a little boy, Kahn wanted to be a musician. Even before his graduation from a gymnasium in Mannheim, Kahn learned to play a number of musical instruments. However, his father set the career path of all his eight children.  He wanted Kahn to be a banker. When he was 17, Kahn had to work for three years as junior clerk at a Karlsruhe bank. He became thoroughly grounded in the intricate world of finances. Later, he served kaiser’s hussars for one year.

After his short stint with the hussars, Kahn worked with the London agency of Deutsche Bank for five years. There, he displayed exceptional talents and became the second in command at such a short time. The English social and political lifestyle appealed to him, and Kahn became a naturalized British subject.

Kahn went to the US in 1893 after he was invited to join Speyer and Company in New York City. He married Addie Wolff in January 1896. One year later, Kahn joined his father-in-law at Kuhn, Loeb & Co. Kahn gave up his British citizenship in 1917 to become a US citizen.

Kahn’s association with his father-in-law created many connections for him. One of the most prominent of them was railroad builder E.H. Harriman. Although Kahn and Harriman had many differences in methods and temperament, they were close as brothers. They reorganized the Union Pacific Railroad where Kahn demonstrated his ability to mathematically and scientifically analyze and solve problems.

Because of his keen business acumen, Kahn became known as the ablest railroad reorganizer in the US. He had associations with railroads such as Texas and Pacific Railroad, Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad, Wabash Railroad, Missouri Pacific Railroad and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He promptly and vigorously acted each time there is an imminent financial panic.

Kahn suffered from complications of arteriosclerosis. He died of heart attack on March 29, 1934 at 67.

Alan Sugar: The Baron of Success

Alan Michael Sugar, also known as Baron Sugar, is an English media personality, political advisor, and business magnate. He is said to have an estimated fortune of £770 million, which is equivalent to about 1.14 billion USD. He was also ranked 89th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2011.

Sugar was born in Hackney, east London. He was from a Jewish family and is the youngest of four children. When he was young, his family lived in a council flat. After leaving school when he was 16, he worked as a statistician at the Ministry of Education. He also began to sell car aerials and electrical goods out of a van that he had bought from his savings of £50.

Sugar was the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur from 1991 to 2001. He can be seen in BBC’s The Apprentice, which is based upon the popular TV series of the same title.

Nicholas Woodman: Innovation Inspired by Surfing

Nicholas “Nick” Woodman, founder and CEO of GoPro, a digital camera manufacturer, is one of the recent members of the Forbes 400 list of Richest Americans. His net worth is over $1.3 billion and his company is still going strong.

Nick’s fortunes were built on a common device – a digital camera. If you’re wondering how he was able to compete with giant manufacturers in the industry, the answer is simple – innovation. Lots of people get inspired to innovate from hundreds of different things or events in their lives. Nick’s inspiration was surfing. 

While recovering from a failed business venture called funBag, Nick decided to focus his attention on surfing. He travelled the world in search of the best surfing destinations. On one of his trips, Nick discovered that it was an amateur photographer’s dream to capture surfing action up close. At that time, he was using a digital camera strapped to his hand with a rubber band while riding the waves. After that, an idea was born. He decided to create digital cameras that people could wear. 

His idea led to the birth of a new company called GoPro. Nick worked 18-hour days to create the camera’s design. With a small amount of funds, he was able to gather with his wife, Nick started producing the cameras and selling them wherever he could. 

While participating in a sports show in 2004, Nick grabbed his first large-scale order of 100 units from a Japanese company. His product was starting to get worldwide attention and in 2012, a Taiwanese Company called Foxxcom invested $200 million dollars in GoPro. 

GoPro has been a statement of success from day one. After the first large-scale order in 2004, the company has been doubling their sales almost every year. Today, the company makes billions of dollars a year in sales, and this keeps on adding to Nick’s billion-dollar fortune. 

Tom Johnson: Blend of Business and Politics

Thomas Loftin Johnson was an American democrat who became a US representative, mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, and was nominated to run for the Democrats as Ohio Governor in 1903.

More popularly known as Tom, Johnson was born on July 18, 1854 to a wealthy family. He had a very limited formal education, though. His first job was with a street railway company. He owned the patent for trolley pay-box. This invention gave him a huge fortune. Soon, Johnson started investing in railways in many parts of the US such as Detroit, Cleveland, and Indianapolis.

Johnson’s lines became profitable, especially when he introduced fares and transfers. Eventually, Johnson became the owner and president of Detroit City Railways. In 1899, he sold his stakes in Detroit City Railway and moved to Cleveland and joined politics there.

Among his political advocacies included the endorsement of the Kansas City platform and public ownership of public utilities. Johnson retired from politics in 1910.

Roy Howard: The Man Who Never Let Go of Opportunities

Roy Wilson Howard was an American publisher and editor who was considered an icon in journalism. Howard was the leader of the United Press at the time of its greatest growth and led it to become a global news agency. He also served as chairman and business director of Scripps-Howard newspaper chain, which eventually became the largest chain in the US.

Howard was born in Gano, Ohio on January 1, 1883. His family moved to Indianapolis when he was seven. The early demise of his father exposed Howard to the delivery of daily paper in order to help in raising the family’s finances.

When he was in high school, Howard worked as correspondent for Indianapolis News. His assignment was for the Manual Training High School. Since his rate was based on space, he used the name E.H. Kemper McComb in order to earn more. At five cents per line, Howard made $35 per week.

After high school, Howard worked full time with Indianapolis News for a weekly pay of $8. He was promoted because of his talent. He quit from Indianapolis News and joined its rival company Indianapolis Star as sports editor.

While at Indianapolis Star, Howard longed to find a larger newspaper company. In 1906, Howard worked for Scripps-McRae as news correspondent for New York. At that time, E.W. Scripps was acquiring smaller news agencies to form the United Press. Scripps appointed Howard as the general news editor for New York.

After working hard with Scripps, Howard was appointed as president of United Press in 1912. It was during his presidency that United Press had the greatest growth. In 1907, United Press had 369 afternoon clients. In 1909, it grew to 392. It was at 491 in 1921. Howard led United Press to become a global news agency.

Under Howard’s presidency, United Press made its first wireless dispatch. It was also the first news agency to transmit feature stories. United Press was also the first to use automatic printers outside New York.

Howard became the chairman of Scripps-McRae in 1921. Howard proposed the changing of the company’s name to Scripps-Howard. The change occurred in 1925.

Howard died of massive coronary complications on November 20, 1964.

Howard Johnson: Unschooled but Realized Success Through Hard Work

Howard Johnson was an American restaurateur and businessman who was known for owning the chain of motels and restaurants named Howard Johnson’s. Johnson was born on February 2, 1897 in Boston Massachusetts. After finishing his elementary, Johnson worked in his father’s cigarette business. He was not able to go back to school.

When his father died, Johnson inherited his father’s business along with its debts of $10,000, which he had difficulty erasing. He sold the business, paid the debts and ventured into the restaurant business with what was left with the liquidation.

Johnson acquired a soda shop in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1925. He enhanced the flavour of his ice cream. By 1928, his soda was earning $240,000 from the ice cream sold. He expanded and sold frankfurters and hamburgers.

Soon, what started as a soda shop became a chain of restaurants and motels. He retired from business in 1959. He left his business under the care of his son Howard Brennan Johnson.

Samuel M. Jones: Testament of the Power of the Golden Rule

Samuel M. Jones was an American inventor, manufacturer, and political reformer. He served as mayor of Toledo, Ohio between 1897 and 1904, the time known as the Progressive Era. Jones was an important icon in American Progressivism. He earned the nickname “Golden Rule Jones” because of his golden rule advocacy in Toledo. Oftentimes, Jones was mistaken for a socialist, but as most followers of Henry George were known, Jones was a “Single Taxer.”

Jones was born on August 3, 1846 in Caernarvonshire, Wales. His family immigrated to the US in 1849. His family was not well off so he had to work as a boy to help his family survive. Consequently, Jones had little education.

In his adolescence, Jones tried a number of odd jobs. But the most important work in his earlier years was spent in the oil fields of Western Pennsylvania. There, he accumulated enough knowledge running the oil business. In 1870, Jones decided to leave his job and start his own oil company from his savings.

After his wife died in 1885, Jones transferred to Lima, Ohio in search for oil. While there, Jones helped establish the Ohio Oil company. Later, Ohio Oil was acquired by Standard Oil Company, and Jones walked out a wealthy man. Thereafter, Jones decided to stay in Toledo Ohio in 1892.

In 1894, Jones founded the Acme Sucker Rod Company to manufacture tools called sucker rods for use in the oil industry. Jones inspired all his employees to display hard work and honesty and observe the Golden Rule at all times. Because of the Golden Rule, Acme paid all its workers based on prevailing wages, observed the 8-hour workday, gave Christmas bonuses and paid vacation leaves, involved the workers in profit sharing, allowed workers to keep their own time, provided hot meals at low cost, provided a park outside the factory where employees cans stay during free time, and established the Golden Rule Band.

In the 1897 elections, Jones was nominated by the Republicans to run for Toledo mayor. Because his workers were happy with his advocacies, Jones won the elections. While he was mayor of Toledo, Jones used his Golden Rule policy to improve the condition of the working class in Toledo.

Mayor Jones’ administration offered kindergarten classes, developed parks and playgrounds, build free public baths, refused the enforcement of blue laws, removed the truncheons from the police, and implemented the 8-hour work week for city employees.

Jones died in 0904 while in office for his second term as Toledo mayor.

Eldridge Johnson: Unschooled but Successful

Eldridge Johnson was an American industrialist and businessman who co-founded the Victor Talking Machine Company. At one time, this company was the leading producer of phonographs and phonograph records in the US.

Johnson’s mother died when he was just two years old. He lived with his aunt until he was ten when his father remarried. He lived with his father and stepmother until he was fifteen. Because he was poor, he did not have the chance to go to college after high school. Instead, he entered trading.

In 1883, Johnson apprenticed in a Philadelphia machine shop, J. Lodge & Son. When he became an experienced machinist, Johnson moved to Scull machine Shop in New Jersey.

Johnson became the foreman, and later, manager of Scull. He continued on the work left by John W. Scull, who died earlier that year – a bookbinding machine. After completing the machine, he went as far as Washington.

There, he established the Eldridge Johnson Manufacturing Company. He manufactured and sold bookbinding machines and other devices such as the gramophone.

Henry Huntington: The Man Behind the Many “Huntingtons” Today

Henry Edwards Huntington was an American railroad businessman and art and rare books collector. He was born in Oneonta, New York on February 27, 1850. He moved to Los Angeles where he founded the Pacific Electric Railway. He also owned substantial interests in real estate and has spent a considerable amount of money in collecting art works and rare books.

Huntington’s uncle, Collis, was one of the four investors in the Central Pacific Railroad. Huntington has worked alongside his uncle in many executive positions in Southern Pacific Transportation Company.

In 1898, Huntington acquired the Los Angeles Railway which was known at that time in its colloquial name ‘Yellow Car.’ This inspired Huntington’s founding of the Pacific Electric Railway, an interurban standard gauge. Pacific Electric Railway was colloquially called the ‘Red Car.’

In order to beat the competition, the Red Car featured passenger-friendly streetcars. Its cars run the streets 24/7, which was favorable at that time because at that time, the land development market was booming in Southern California. For instance, the residents of the houses built at Huntington Beach were serviced by the streetcars because the railroads could not serve them. The Red Car connected Downtown Los Angeles to the suburbs of the city.

Huntington’s trolley system extended over 1,300 miles in Southern California by 1910. At that time, the entire system contained more than 20 streetcar lines with about 1,250 trolleys that run through the core of Los Angeles and its surrounding neighborhoods.

In 1916, Huntington retired from business. He died on May 23, 1927 while undergoing surgery. Huntington’s legacy included the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, Huntington Beach, Huntington Park, Huntington Lake, Huntington Hospital, Henry E. Huntington Middle School, and Huntington Drive. In honor of Huntington, Adolfo Müller-Ury, a Swiss-born American artist, painted portraits of Huntington which are displayed at the Huntington Library until today.

Mark Hopkins: In Pursuit of His Passions

Mark Hopkins was an American businessman and railroad investor. He was one of the four entrepreneurs who invested in the Central Pacific Railroad in 1861. Hopkins was born on September 1, 1813 in Jefferson County, New York.

Hopkins’ father died when he was a boy so he did not know that he was his father’s “Junior.”Hopkins studied law and later entered a number of business ventures. One of his businesses was “Hopkins and Hughes” where he was partner. He was also associated with “James Rowland and Company” as bookkeeper and later, manager.

During the height of the California Gold Rush, Hopkins formed the “New England Mining and Trading Company.” this company purchased goods to sell them to California. Hopkins moved to Sacramento, California and opened a wholesale grocery with his friend Edward Miller.

In 1855, Hopkins and a fellow businessman Collis Huntington established Huntington Hopkins and Company and sold iron and hardware. Hopkins, Huntington, Charles Crocker and Leland Stanford became the investors of Central pacific Railroad in 1861.

Howard Hughes Jr.: From Drill Bits to Movies

Howard Hughes Jr. was an American businessman who was more popularly known as an aviator and movie producer. In his later years, Hughes was also known as an eccentric and reclusive millionaire.

Howard Jr. was born on December 24, 1905. His father, Howard Sr., owned a patent for a drill bit that can drill through hard rock. Howard Sr. earned a huge fortune out of his drill bit that was produced by his own company, the Sharp-Hughes Tool Company.

Because of Howard Sr.’s fortunes, Howard Jr. grew up in a relatively wealthy household. However, he had difficulty getting focused on his studies so he had to transfer from one school to another. He preferred to use his curiosity to tinker with machines. When his mother did not allow him to own a motorcycle, he built his own by attaching a motor to his bicycle.

When Howard Jr. was 16 years old, his mother passed away. Two years later, his father also died. Seventy-five percent of his father’s estate went him; the rest of the 25% were given to some relatives. Almost immediately thereafter, Howard Jr. had disagreements with his relatives in running the Hughes Tool Company. Because he was only 18 and the legal age was 21, he could not do anything.

Howard Jr. was determined to take over his father’s company so he brought his case to the court. When the judge granted him adulthood, he acquired the shares owned by his relatives. He became the sole owner of Hughes Tool Company at 19 years old.

Howard Jr. and his wife Ella Rice, ventured into movie making in 1925. He spent time with his uncle, Rupert, who was a Hollywood screenwriter. His enchantment with movies led to his first movie project, the Swell Hogan. Two Arabian Knights, his third movie is an Oscars winner.

In 1932, Howard Jr. moved to aviation and founded the Hughes Aircraft Company. He hired the best aeronautics engineers and designers. His obsession was on speed and he focused on produced high-speed aircraft.

At the time of his death in 1976, Howard Jr. was a billionaire.

George Hormel: From a Butcher to a Food Magnate

George Hormel was an American meatpacker who founded Hormel Foods Corporation. He was born in Buffalo, New York on December 4, 1860. His mother’s family had been connected with slaughterhouses and Hormel himself was exposed to butchering at age 15.

Hormel moved to Minnesota in 1887 and opened a butcher shop with his partner, Albrect Friedrich. Disagreements on expansion caused them to part ways. Hormel sold half of his stakes in the business. He opened a new business in 1891 and named it Hormel Provision Market. He acquired a bankrupt creamery and expanded his meatpacking business to produce ham, bacon, and sausages.

In 1895, Hormel introduced his sugar-cured pig back bacon, which is known in America today as Canadian bacon. He incorporated his business in 1901 and officially named it George A. Hormel Company. He opened a number of distribution centers in Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas. Hormel introduced the first canned ham in 1926.

Johns Hopkins and His Legacies that Changed Millions of Lives

Johns Hopkins was an American businessman and philanthropist. Among his legacies are the Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Hopkins was born in Baltimore, Maryland on May 19, 1975. He grew in the family’s 500-acre property in Anne Arundel County. The Hopkins family members were known Quakers. In compliance with their Society decree, the Hopkins emancipated their slaves in 1807.

At 12 years old, Hopkins had to stop schooling to work in the farm. When he was 17 years old, Hopkins left the farm in favor of a wholesale grocery owned by Gerard Hopkins, his uncle. He managed the business while Gerard was away for the War of 1812. This was Hopkins’ first exposure to business.

Alongside his friend Benjamin Moore, Hopkins opened a new business but the partnership was dissolved later on. After this, Hopkins and his brothers founded the Hopkins & Brothers. The business sold wares, sometimes in exchange for corn whiskey. But a huge part of the Hopkins fortune was from investments the brothers made with existing companies. Among the most notable was with Baltimore and Ohio Railroad where Hopkins served as director. Hopkins also became the president of Merchants’ bank. He also served in other companies as director.

During difficult financial times, Hopkins used his own wealth to help Baltimore City. In two instances, he had to bail out Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from debt. Hopkins was in the 69th place in “The Wealthy 100: From Benjamin Franklin to Bill Gates – Ranking of the Richest Americans, Past and Present” in 1996.

During the American Civil War, Baltimore was hit by cholera and yellow fever epidemics, killing 853 people in the summer of 1832. Hopkins saw the need for medical facilities. In 1870, he earmarked $7 million to establish a hospital and a college to train nurses. He also founded orphanages to take care of colored children, and a university.

From the humble beginnings of his vision during the Civil War, Hopkins was associated with institutions that have been making contributions even until today. Among them are the Johns Hopkins Colored Children Orphan Asylum, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Press, and the Johns Hopkins Hospital, as well as the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.

Henry Holt Authored “Old School” Publications with Timeless Value

Henry Holt was an American publisher and writer who was born in Baltimore, Maryland on January 3, 1840. He is an alumnus of Yale University. He attended Columbia Law School but dropped out of his Bachelor of Laws to marry Mary Florence West.

In 1862, Holt became an employee of Frederick Leypoldt’s publishing house. He acquired the company in 1873 and renamed it Henry Holt and Company. His company focused on publishing and did not retail books. He was active in Henry Holt and Company until 1916.

Two of his novels, Calire (1892) and Stumsee: Man and Man (1905) were anonymously published but were late republished under Holt’s name. In an issue of The New York Times, these novels were described as follows: “In Sturmsee the economic problems of the present day are treated in an interesting fashion. The theory of 'social service' is set forth in it, and there are many satirical touches. The scope of the other novel, Calmire, is somewhat broader."

William Hoover: Putting Vacuum Cleaners in the Mainstream

William Hoover was an American industrialist who was born in 1849. He worked as a tanner in a local leather store while he was a boy. He was involved in tannery business until the early twentieth century. Hoover’s first crack at business took place in 1908 when he acquired the patent rights of John Murray Spangler for the upright vacuum cleaner.

Eventually, Spangler’s invention became known as Hoover vacuum cleaner. Hoover, who was married to Spangler’s first cousin, became interested in the earlier models of the vacuum cleaner. Hoover invested in Spangler’s company and later became connected with the Electric Suction Sweeper Company as president.

Hoover changed the company’s name to Hoover Company in 1922. While at the helm of Hoover Company, he improved the design of the vacuum cleaners and developed new sales strategies. Hoover entered into dealership agreements with store owners. He awarded commissions to the dealers for each vacuum cleaner sold. Customers were offered ten days of free trial. Because of his innovative marketing strategies, Hoover Company became the world’s largest vacuum cleaner manufacturer.

In spite of his successes, Hoover kept on innovating and improving his precious commodity to make it more appealing to customers. One of his earlier innovations were the vacuum cleaners with replaceable bags, the self-propelled vacuums, and the steam cleaners.

Hoover looked to expand his business internationally. In 1911, he opened a manufacturing facility in Canada and in England in 1919. No wonder why in England, using the vacuum is also called “hoovering.”

Despite his death in 1932, Hoover Company continued to succeed. To help the US armed forces during the World War II, Hoover Company shifted from producing vacuum cleaners to war components such as bomb fuses and helmet liners.

William Hoover was a recipient of a number of awards for his contribution to the US government’s war efforts. After the World War II, Hoover Company went back to the production of its flagship products – vacuum cleaners.

Hoover Company held its IPO in the 1940s and in 1985, it was acquired by Chicago Pacific Corporation. Meanwhile, in 1989, Chicago Pacific Corporation was purchased by Maytag Corporation.

Herman Hollerith: Father of Modern Automatic Computation

Herman Hollerith was an American statistician who invented the mechanical tabulator that can rapidly tabulate millions of data derived from punch cards. Hollerith founded the Tabulating Machine Company which later merged with another company that eventually became IBM. His contribution to the field of statistics earned him the honor as the Father of Modern Automatic Computation.

Hollerith was born in Buffalo, New York on February 29, 1860 to a German father. He earned his Engineer of Mines degree at Columbia University School of Mines in 1879. He also finished his Ph.D. in the same university. He was a professor in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology when he started experimenting with punch cards.

In his experiments, Hollerith developed a mechanism that used electrical connections as trigger for counting and recording information. The idea was to code all data numerically. Hollerith believed that when numbers are punched on specific locations with a card, then the information can be sorted and counted mechanically. Hollerith described the system in his doctoral thesis entitled “An Electrical Tabulating System.” Later, his invention was issued US Patent 395,782.

James Hill: Empire Builder

James Jerome Hill was an American executive who became the CEO of the Great Northern Railway (GNR), which serviced Upper Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and the northern Great Plains. GNR was just one of the many lines the Hill family owned. Hill was known throughout his lifetime as “The Empire Builder” because of the sizeable markets his companies have covered.

Hill was born in Wellington County, Upper Canada on September 16, 1838. He attended Rockwood Academy but was forced to quit schooling when his father died in 1852. At that time, Hill had a good grasp of English, geometry, algebra, and land surveying.

He learned bookkeeping while working in Kentucky as a clerk. He was 18 when he decided to permanently move to the US and settled in Minnesota. Hill worked as bookkeeper in a steamboat company in St. Paul, MN. In 1860, Hill took care of freight transfer while working with a wholesaler that dealt with steamboat and railroad operators. This job exposed Hill to the transportation and freight business.

Using his experience in fuel supply and shipping, Hill started to work for himself. He ventured into the steamboat business in 1873, which eventually grew to a monopoly in 1879. Hill started his coal business in 1867. By 1879, it expanded five times over. Thereafter, Hill entered the banking business by buying bankrupt banks, helped them recover, and resold them at a substantial profit.

Many railroads went bankrupt during the Panic of 1873. Hill saw the crisis as a pot of business opportunities. After three years of research, Hill partnered with Norman Kittson, John Stewart Kennedy, George Stephen, and Donald Smith, and acquired St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (StP&P). The group bargained with Northern Pacific Railway for trackage rights. The expansion was so wide that the venture resulted in the establishment of the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway (StPM&M). Hill was its first general manager.

While sitting as the general manager of StPM&M, Hill moved the homes of his workers along the railways. He sold rice he has imported from Russia to farmers. To encourage farmers to buy his wheat, he also sold wood to them. He scouted potential tracks on horseback. From a net worth of $278,000 in 1880, StPM&M’s net worth grew to $25 million in 1885.

Dee Hock: Huge Name but Small Enough to Fit Your Wallet

Dee Ward Hock was an American banker who founded the Visa credit card association. Hock influenced the Bank of America to give up its ownership and control of its credit card licensing called BankAmericard. Thereafter, Hock formed a non-stock membership company called National BankAmerica, which eventually became Visa in 1976.

Hock left Visa in May 1984 to spend 10 retirement years in isolation in a 200-acre land just west of the Silicon Valley. In 1991, Hock was inducted into the US Business Hall of Fame by the Junior Achievement. The following year, Money magazine inducted Hock into its own Hall of Fame.

In his acceptance speech at the Business Hall of Fame, Hock said he recognized four “beasts:” ego, envy, avarice, and ambition. When he decided to resign from Visa and live in anonymity and isolation, he traded “money for time, position for liberty, and ego for contentment.” He was able to cage the beasts.

Pattillo Higgins: The Wisdom of an Unschooled Geologist

Pattillo Higgins was an American entrepreneur and self-taught geologist. His business endeavors in the oil industry helped many people earn a vast fortune. Because of his contributions, he was nicknamed “Prophet of Spindletop.” He was the co-founder of Gladys City Oil, Gas and Manufacturing Company and the founder of Higgins Standard Oil Company.

Higgins was born in Sabine Pass, Texas on December 5, 1863. After his fourth grade, he worked as an apprentice in his father’s gun shop. This exposed him to violence and often harassed African Americans. When he was 17, his left arm was amputated from the elbow down after he was engaged in a firefight with a deputy after he pulled a prank on a local Baptist Church. He became a Christian in 1885 after he attended a Baptist revival service. Thereafter, he left his work as a logger because he realized that it was not a good job to maintain morality. He left for Beaumont, Texas where he started his own business.

Using his savings as a logger, Higgins established the Higgins Manufacturing Company and with it manufactured bricks. His interest in gas and oil business was kindled because of his requirements for kiln to even the burning of bricks. He traveled to Pennsylvania to study fuels and how to identify areas with underground oil deposits. He read reports from the US Geological Survey and other materials. He remembered what his Sunday school teacher taught him about the “Sour Hill Mound.” It was called sour because of the presence of sulfur under it. Convinced that the Sour Hill Mound indicated the presence of oil beneath, Higgins partnered with J.F. Lanier, Emma John, George Carroll, and George O’Brien, and formed the Gladys City Oil, Gas and Manufacturing Company in 1892.

At that time, professional geologists dismissed the notion that there is oil beneath the gulf coasts of the US. But Higgins’s self study of geology convinced him that there is oil beneath because of gas seepage and the presence of mineral water. Gladys City Oil decided to pursue the drilling. He attempted three times but the shifting sands and unstable clay underneath contributed to his failure. Later, he resigned from the company.

Higgins was unwilling to give up his hopes of hitting an oil well. He placed advertisements in the newspapers hoping to spark interest in others. A man named Anthony Francis Lucas responded. In June 1900, they started drilling but Lucas’ light equipment collapsed upon reaching 575 feet. In October 1900, drilling continued with the help of Corsicana’s Al and Curt Hamill.

The new project used newer, heavier, and more efficient rotary bit. On January 10, 1901, at 150 feet beneath the ground, 100,000 barrels of oil per day flowed from the geyser. And it was at the same spot that Higgins earlier predicted. In the first year of operations, the Spindletop oilfield turned in more than three million barrels of oil and more than 17 million barrels the following year.

William Hewlett: The Other Half of the Great Hewlett-Packard Company

William “Bill” Hewlett was an American engineer who co-founded the computer giant Hewlett Packard Company (HP) along with David Packard. Hewlett was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on May 20, 1913. He earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering at Stanford University and took his Masters in Electrical Engineering at MIT.

Hewlett and Packard became acquainted with each other at Stanford. The idea of establishing a company happened in August 1937. On January 1, 1939, Hewlett and Packard formed a partnership which became the HP. The company was incorporated in 1947 and held its IPO in 1957. HP is known worldwide for its corporate culture embodied in what is called The HP Way. The HP Way says the company exists not only for money but for mutual respect and nurture of its employees.

Hewlett served HP as President from 1964 until 1977. He was CEO from 1968 until 1978 and chairman of the executive committee from 1978 until 1983. He also served as chairman of the board until 1987.

On January 12, 2001, Hewlett died of heart failure. He was buried in San Jose, California.

The Success-driven Career of Massachusetts Building Executive Kevin Craffey

As CEO and owner of Craffey & Co., Builders Inc., since 1995, Kevin Craffey heads a Plymouth, Massachusetts contracting firm that has completed diverse retail and commercial projects spanning the country. He directs the efforts of approximately 150 employees in undertaking additions and renovations of high-profile mall tenants and big box retailers. Mr. Craffey also leads the regionally focused KJ Realty Trust Corporation / Court Street Trust, which had pursued office, commercial, and residential development projects in communities such as Avon and Hanover. Among his additional ventures is K & J Interiors, Inc., which has provided highest quality carpentry sub-contracting services since the late 1980s.

Kevin Craffey’s entrepreneurial background includes six years engaged with Mountain View Development as owner and president. Beginning in the late 1990s, he led an enterprise that undertook a major hotel restoration project in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Leading a team of 300 employees, he restored a renowned 200-room grand hotel. The project required the coordinated financing support from than a dozen federal and state agencies. Within a period of two years, he had successfully brought the property to preeminent four-diamond and AAA four-diamond status. Kevin Craffey additionally collaborated with the Whitefield school system in the development of Mountain View Academy, a pioneering public-private hospitality internship program. His leadership in the project ended with the successful sale of Mountain View Development to the Great American Corporation in 2005.

Mr. Craffey holds a degree in Business administration earned at Massasoit Community College. He undertook a four-year apprenticeship through the Massachusetts Carpenters Training Center in  Allston and ultimately earned his Carpentry Journeyman Certificate through the Associated General Contractors of America.

Leona Helmsley: Queen of Mean

Leona Helmsley was an American entrepreneur who possesses a flamboyant personality. She earned the nickname “Queen of Mean” because of her tyrannical behavior.

Helmsley faced charges of income tax evasion and was convicted of the crime after the contractors who worked in her home alleged that she failed to pay the bills. She was also convicted on other crimes. During her trial, Helmsley’s former housekeeper said she heard Helmsley saying, “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.” This saying was notoriously identified with her until her death. She was sentenced with 16 years in prison but served only 19 months in federal prison and two months in hospital arrest.
Helmsley was born as Lena Mindy Rosenthal. She was an Abraham Lincoln High School dropout. She changed her name a number of times – Lee Roberts, Mindy Roberts, and Leni Roberts. Finally, she adopted Leona Mindy Roberts as her legal name.

In 1964, Helmsley started her career as a real estate person after Abe Hirschfield hired her to sell co-ops in New York. Later, she worked as a condominium broker when she met Harry Helmsley, who was a millionaire real estate magnate. Harry Helmsley eventually became her husband. Helmsley spent most of her time managing her husband’s hotel empire.

Reports indicated that it was Helmsley who influenced her husband to convert their apartment buildings into condominium units. Leona focused on the conversion while Harry concentrated on their hotel business. The Helmsleys were known as great realtors in New York following the construction of The Hemsley Palace off Madison Avenue. They were thought to build a real estate empire in New York because of huge projects which include 230 Park Avenue, the Tudor City apartment complex, the Helmsley-Spear, and the Empire State Building.

An ad featured Leona Helmsley where she was portrayed as a demanding queen who wanted the best for all her guests. She earned the reputation to fire her employees because of the slightest mistakes, hurl insults and obscenities at them before they were finally terminated.

Leona Helmsley was 87 years old when she died on August 20, 2007 because of a congestive heart failure.

Meet the Father of the New York City Subway System

Abram Hewitt was an American lawyer, teacher, and businessman. He was the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, former mayor of New York City and US Congressman. He played a significant role in the Cooper Union, the company his father-in-law founded. Hewitt was also instrumental in the construction and financing of the subway system in New York City. Because of that, Hewitt was named the “Father of the New York City Subway System.”

Hewitt started with Trenton Iron Company in 1845. By 1854, the company was able to produce its first structural wrought iron beams. After he married Sarah Cooper, Hewitt supervised the construction of Cooper Union. With this institution, Peter Cooper offered free education. Soon, Hewitt himself chaired the Cooper Union.

Hewitt’s interest in politics started in 1886 after winning the mayoralty race in New York City. However, Hewitt’s administration was not successful because he showed unpleasant behavior and nativist beliefs.

In spite of his unpopular term as mayor, he was known to defend sound money principles and was recognized for the quote, “Unnecessary taxation is unjust taxation.” He also spearheaded civil service reforms and played an important role in the construction of the New York City Subway.

George Hearst: The Best Business and Politics Combined

George Hearst was an American businessman and politician. He was of Scottish descent and was born in Missouri to newspaperman William Randolph Hearst and Elizabeth Collins.

Following his father’s death in 1846, Hearst took care of his mother and siblings. He supported hi family through his mining and general store businesses. In 1849, Hearst first heard of gold discoveries in California. He read about the discovery to be sure it was true. In 1850, Hearst became a part of a party of 16 people who moved to California. The group tried placer mining within the area of Sutter’s Mill by the American River. Meagre finds led them to Grass Valley. Hearst had a background in mining education and he used it to switch to prospecting and dealing in quartz mining. He made a good fortune as a prospector. He was also involved in general store, faming, and livestock raising in Nevada County.

In 1859, silver became very rich in the Nevada County, which eventually became the Comstock Lode. Hearst went to the Washoe district, a part of the territory of western Utah to purchase one-sixth of the interests of Ophir Mine. Later that year, Hearst and his partners were able to mine about 38 tons of high-grade silver ore. They packed those ore on muleback and smelted it in a foundry in San Francisco. In that deal, Hearst earned a profit of $91,000 (or about $4.5 million in 2011 dollar). Ophir silver became the beginning of the silver in Washoe.

Hearst had many other interests in Utah, New Mexico. At that time, his private mining company became the largest in the US. He even earned the reputation as an expert prospector and the most experienced judge of mining property along the Pacific coast. Hearst had a very significant contribution to the development of quartz processing.

When US Senator John F. Miller died in 1886, the Democrats appointed Hearst to fill in his position. He served Miller’s unexpired term from March 23, 1886 until a successor was elected on August 4, 1886. Hearst was elected as Democrat US Senator on March 4, 1887 until his death on February 28, 1891.

Henry John Heinz: Behind the Rise of a Consumer Food Giant

Henry John Heinz was an American entrepreneur who was known as the founder of H.J. Heinz Company. He started the company with two other partners. In 1888, Heinz bought his partners’ interests, took control of the company, and reorganized it into H.J. Heinz Company.

Upon the incorporation of H.J. Heinz Company in 1905, Heinz assumed the position of president and served in that capacity until his death in 1919. Heinz’s management was noted for his fair treatment of employees and his move to pioneer safe and hygienic food preparation. Among his notable programs included free medicare for his workers, educational privileges like libraries, facilities such as gyms, gardens and swimming pools. He lobbied for the ratification of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906.

Heinz was 74 years old when he died on May 14, 1919. At that time, H.J. Heinz Company was operating 20 food processing facilities and a number of seed farms and container factories.