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Rosenwald and Wood - Giants of American Industry
- Thread starter Codger_64
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Codger_64
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You're welcome Charles. Many people find history to be distant and a dry subject. I find it to be a rich tapestry that, if examined closely, can explain a lot about subjects current and germane.
The men in this narrative were products of their times. Baer shared a lot of victorian principals with Julius Rosenwald, Adolph Kastor, and General Wood. The empires they created, for the most part, avoided government sanctions at a time when anti-trust actions were not uncommon. They proved a successful formula in business of careful expansion of markets, creative advertising, commitment to the welfare of their workforce and society as a whole.
A sad artifact of their management styles was that, in spite of their insight and forethought, they were unable to personally groom successors to their positions of corporate leadership who matched their philosophies and drive.
Rosenwald came close with General Wood, and as long as he was the active leadership of SR&Co., the company continued to thrive.
Kastor came close with Baer, actually closer that he did with his own two sons. Baer came close with Dave Swinden Sr., but in spite of his principals, savvy, experience and creativity, he was severely limited in his efforts by the inheritor of the ISC ownership.
Jim Furgal faced the same problems with Camillus when substantial shares evolved to successive generations of family members. One cannot captain a successful ship by committee.
After the passing of these captains of their respective industries, both companies survived on corporate memory and inertia. Neither of which allow for adaptation to changing markets. The ability to change and adapt, to see new opportunities and move on them forthwith was a hallmark of these men.
The men in this narrative were products of their times. Baer shared a lot of victorian principals with Julius Rosenwald, Adolph Kastor, and General Wood. The empires they created, for the most part, avoided government sanctions at a time when anti-trust actions were not uncommon. They proved a successful formula in business of careful expansion of markets, creative advertising, commitment to the welfare of their workforce and society as a whole.
A sad artifact of their management styles was that, in spite of their insight and forethought, they were unable to personally groom successors to their positions of corporate leadership who matched their philosophies and drive.
Rosenwald came close with General Wood, and as long as he was the active leadership of SR&Co., the company continued to thrive.
Kastor came close with Baer, actually closer that he did with his own two sons. Baer came close with Dave Swinden Sr., but in spite of his principals, savvy, experience and creativity, he was severely limited in his efforts by the inheritor of the ISC ownership.
Jim Furgal faced the same problems with Camillus when substantial shares evolved to successive generations of family members. One cannot captain a successful ship by committee.
After the passing of these captains of their respective industries, both companies survived on corporate memory and inertia. Neither of which allow for adaptation to changing markets. The ability to change and adapt, to see new opportunities and move on them forthwith was a hallmark of these men.
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:thumbup::grumpy:
:yawn: Well said Michael to my thinking the world is devoid to some point of these types of "LEADERS" and "Companys" seems to be all for one and one for all in this day and age.:grumpy:
:yawn: Well said Michael to my thinking the world is devoid to some point of these types of "LEADERS" and "Companys" seems to be all for one and one for all in this day and age.:grumpy:
Codger_64
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A lot, maybe most, of the first portion of this post was condensed from the aforementioned book Sears Roebuck, U.S.A. - The Great American Catalog Store And How It Grew, 1977 by Gordon L. Weil.
My latest acquisition is the book Catalogs And Counters - History Of Sears Roebuck & Co., 1950 by Boris Emmet & John E. Jeuck. Hopefully it will fill in a few more blanks for me, and just possibly give me a lead enabling me to find the history compiled by Alvah Roebuck circa 1931-48 before his death. This volume should be here some time next week.
Next, I will buy a copy of Shaping An American Institution - Robert E. Wood and Sears Roebuck - 1984 by James C. Worthy. As it sounds, a business biography of Wood.
And then The Big Store: Inside the Crisis and Revolution at Sears 1987 by Donald R. Katz. This one promises to be interesting. It details Sears near crash and burn, and how they shifted their business to concentrate on financial services and real estate.
I am waiting to find one going into detail about Sears more recent era, ditching traditional catalog sales through the Big Book after 1993, and the recent merger/acquisition with/by Kresge (K-Mart).
Dunlap would be rolling over to see the Sears exclusive Craftsman branded tools on sale at K-Mart, Fastinal and other merchants and jobbers.
As you can tell, I am taking a brief vacation from the subject of Schrade in my research. Sorta. Not really. I am still looking for older Sears catalogs to survey the knives, the numbers and their makers. But as I find the histories of Schrade and Camillus so intertwined, so also do I find Sears to be a major part of that same picture. Is it coincidence that Baer backed Imperial Schrade away from it's historic uber-dependence on Sears as a retail outlet at the same time that an internal war was flaring over control of the Sears Roebuck & Company and it's direction?
One might imagine, at about this time, Sam Walton visiting with the Baer brothers, establishing a personal friendship and a market supply connection for his fledgling but quickly growing discount retail stores. And yes, this will likely be my next line of inquiry after I finish with Sears.
Meanwhile, I am still looking for research help in New Jersey. I need to find the birth and death of a corporation located there from circa 1946-mid 1950's, possibly later. It is also possible that it was incorporated in Rhode Island, and did business (manufacturing) in New Jersey. Any help from other amateur sleuths would be greatly appreciated!
Michael
My latest acquisition is the book Catalogs And Counters - History Of Sears Roebuck & Co., 1950 by Boris Emmet & John E. Jeuck. Hopefully it will fill in a few more blanks for me, and just possibly give me a lead enabling me to find the history compiled by Alvah Roebuck circa 1931-48 before his death. This volume should be here some time next week.
Next, I will buy a copy of Shaping An American Institution - Robert E. Wood and Sears Roebuck - 1984 by James C. Worthy. As it sounds, a business biography of Wood.
And then The Big Store: Inside the Crisis and Revolution at Sears 1987 by Donald R. Katz. This one promises to be interesting. It details Sears near crash and burn, and how they shifted their business to concentrate on financial services and real estate.
I am waiting to find one going into detail about Sears more recent era, ditching traditional catalog sales through the Big Book after 1993, and the recent merger/acquisition with/by Kresge (K-Mart).
Dunlap would be rolling over to see the Sears exclusive Craftsman branded tools on sale at K-Mart, Fastinal and other merchants and jobbers.
As you can tell, I am taking a brief vacation from the subject of Schrade in my research. Sorta. Not really. I am still looking for older Sears catalogs to survey the knives, the numbers and their makers. But as I find the histories of Schrade and Camillus so intertwined, so also do I find Sears to be a major part of that same picture. Is it coincidence that Baer backed Imperial Schrade away from it's historic uber-dependence on Sears as a retail outlet at the same time that an internal war was flaring over control of the Sears Roebuck & Company and it's direction?
One might imagine, at about this time, Sam Walton visiting with the Baer brothers, establishing a personal friendship and a market supply connection for his fledgling but quickly growing discount retail stores. And yes, this will likely be my next line of inquiry after I finish with Sears.
Meanwhile, I am still looking for research help in New Jersey. I need to find the birth and death of a corporation located there from circa 1946-mid 1950's, possibly later. It is also possible that it was incorporated in Rhode Island, and did business (manufacturing) in New Jersey. Any help from other amateur sleuths would be greatly appreciated!
Michael