The People Behind Your Favorite Brands

You wouldn’t believe how many times you refer to an everyday object by its trademark company name and not even realize it. Kleenex is a good example. Are you sure it is not a different tissue paper brand you’re using? Check out these top businessmen behind these multi-million dollar and billion dollar companies. You might be surprised to know the real story behind some of you favorite brands!

Brothers Adolph and Rudolph Dassler owned a self-made shoe company during the 1920s and 1930 in Germany. The Dassler Brothers shoes were so popular that many German athletes wore them in the 1928 Olympics. However, as World War II unfolded, both brothers had a following out. Even though both men marched with the Nazis, Rudolph was far more extreme with his views. The Adolph and Rudolph went on to make their own shoe empires known as Adidas and Puma, respectively.

Another former Nazi who excelled at footwear was Dr. Klaus. He was on leave from World War II because of an ankle injury, and that is when he started making his own durable boots. After the war ended, his company boomed, but he was shocked to see nearly half of his profits came from housewives. A company in the United Kingdom helped the doctor distribute his shoes considering Germans had a bad reputation to say the least. He also softened the company’s name for the same reason.

After learning that people would rather use something a couple times and then throw it away, King Camp Gillette applied this concept to razors. Men hated sharpening a razor multiple times, so after five years of trial and error, King Camp Gillette finally opened Gillette Safety Razor Company in 1901. His viewpoints on business were interesting, to say the least. He thought all businesses should work under one main company, which he offered Teddy Roosevelt a cool $1 million to lead. He declined. As he gave his razors away for free and charged men for the blades, he also desired everybody live in one city powered by the Niagara Falls named Metropolis.

Originally, Charles Rudolph Walgreen wanted nothing to do with pharmacies. He worked in a shoe factory, but accidentally cut part of his finger off. The doctor who tended to his wound convinced him to complete an apprenticeship at a drug store. Even though he did become a licensed pharmacist, Charles Rudolph Walgreen went to the Spanish-American War before he could utilize his new talents. After the war ended, he opened Walgreens complete with not only a pharmacy, but also food and soda fountains. It was a hit and he owned over 100 stores before passing away in 1939.

A true rags-to-riches story, Vidal Sassoon grew up dirt poor and lived in an orphanage for seven years. He eventually became a famous hair stylist and businessman. To this day, Vidal Sassoon is credited with revolutionizing the way women do their hair. He created the Bob haircut and believed women should be able to simply wash their hair and still have a beautiful hair style. In the 1950s, he opened a chain of hair salons and sold his own products.

If you know two things about hockey it’s that the players use a puck and the epic Zamboni machine makes the ice nice and smooth. Frank Zamboni already had a successful ice block business with his brother for years, but after the refrigerator became popular, the brothers decided to figure out a way to still make money with ice. Naturally, they opened an ice rink. It took three men an hour and a half to resurface the ice until Frank came up with the awesome machine, which can do the job in ten minutes. Over 10,000 Zambonis have been sold and Frank only had a ninth grade education.

Did you know the word tupperware is actually a trademark brand? (Just like Kleenex!) Earl Tupper was in the landscaping business until the Great Depression struck. He then got a job at DuPont and created a special plastic. The government used it to make gas masks. In 1938, he founded the Tupperware Plastics Company, but that still wasn’t his big break. Brownie Wise contracted him to sell his plastics at her gathers. He pulled his entire line from the stores and the two got rich from the concept of Tupperware Parties.

Candido Jacuzzi and his six brothers came to the United States in the 1900s from Italy. The airplane was the new invention at the time and they created the first one equipped with a secured cabin. The US Postal Service purchased it for mail delivery. Their mother was worried about their safety, so they went into the hydraulic pump business. As they were promoting their products for irrigation and medical use, Candido’s young son was diagnosed with arthritis. He received hydrotherapy, but Candido desired for him to have the same treatment in the comfort of his own home. Hence, the invention of the hot tub!

The man behind America’s most popular popcorn brand did not even start selling popcorn until he was over 50 years old. Orville Redenbacher initially spent his time breeding corn hybrids. He mixed thousands of different strands until he discovered one that popped to an enormously large size. He began selling it as “Redbow” but nobody was interested in buying the expensive kernels. By the 1970s, he changed the name of the business and promoted it with his own picture on the box.

This international brand started off in the United Kingdom, but it was not an instant success by any means. In fact, James Murray Spangler was the one who invented the upright machine in 1908. Spangler loaned a model to Susan Hoover, Boss’s wife. Since Boss’s leather business was going bankrupt thanks to the invention of the car, he desired for a new venture. He bought the patent, but nobody wanted to buy a vacuum from him as much as they did any leather goods. He finally caught a break when he advertised a “free at home cleaning.”

The name Linus is associated with America’s number one locksmith. Linus Yale, Jr. was actually a talented painter when he took over his late father’s lock business in 1858. He applied his skill for drawing to create complex lock systems. In order to secure sales, Linus would intentionally pick the competitor’s lock to expose the simplicity of them. He passed away from a heart attack just ten years later, but he made a lasting impression in the USA in that small amount of time.

These brothers were born in Canada, but they built thee studio of all Hollywood film studios. Jack and Sam were basically in charge, but after Sam passed away, Jack and the other brothers had a falling out. Jack took over control of the production company and even purchased his brothers’ shares after tricking them into a joint sale of stocks. Jack Warner was feared, but respected. Warner Bros. continued to produce award-winning films decade after decade despite Jack Warner’s awkward humor and is still considered one of the big six in regards to American movie studios.

Alvah Curtis Roebuck was born in 1864 and worked in Indiana as a watchmaker. Richard Warren Sears was a savvy young businessman who started his own watch company. Clearly, you can see where we are going with this. These two crossed paths and in 1886, the company was founded. Originally, it was a mail catalog business, but in 1925, they began opening Sears’ all around the country. Over a century later, it is still one of the biggest retailers in the United States.

Did you know that McDonald’s actually started out as a barbecue joint in 1940? It’s true. The McDonald’s brothers, Irish immigrants who moved to California in the 1920, shifted their focus eight years later and the legendary fast-food chain was born. Not only did it feature the classic golden arches, but everyone loved the hamburgers that were prepared so quickly. In 1953, the first franchise restaurant opened in Arizona. Two years later, Ray Kroc became a franchise agent and bought the chain from the brothers.

Born in 1829, Löb Strauß (better known as Levi Strauss) created one of the best denim brands in the United States. He traveled from Bavaria to San Francisco, California to branch his brother’s New York dry goods business in 1853. That same year, he opened his own manufacturing company for blue jeans. He never married or had any children, so after he died, he left his company to his nephews and gave huge portions of his money to charities and orphanages.

James Cash Penney, Jr. was supposed to go to college and become a lawyer, but after his father suddenly passed away, he was forced to work at a retail store to help support his family. The year was 1898 and the store was Golden Rule. Four years later, the owners offered Penney a third of their company because of his strong work ethic. He moved to Wyoming to open a store. After their agreement ended, Penney purchased all three Golden Rule stores, which eventually expanded to be the global retailer we know today.

Swedish business IKEA is multi-billion dollar company that sells furniture, appliances, and other home goods. Did you know it the company name is an acronym? The first two letters are the initials of Ingvar Kamprad, who founded the company when he was just 17 years old. The last letters represent Elmtaryd, the farm he lived on, which was in Agunnaryd, his home town in Sweden.Ingvar Kamprad sold anything he could get his hands on as a young boy from matches and pencils to fish and seeds. After completing his studies, his father gave him some money, and he used to start IKEA.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1880, William S. Harley was a mechanical engineer. Arthur Davidson, Sr. was born just a year later. In 1903, the childhood friends, along with Walter Davidson and William A. Davidson, began building motorcycles in their shed. They desired to take the hard work out of peddling a bike by including a motor. As we all know, they obviously perfected their invention and Harley Davidson is the most well-known motorcycle company in America.

Did you realize before how literal the company names within the United States of America are? Well, here is another one. Together, these two gentlemen created one of the largest manufacturing companies of power tools, home improvement products, and other hardware technology. The brand name is so popular today that it is hard to believe it was founded in 1910 over a 100 years ago. The company has over 27,000 employees and a multi-billion dollar revenue.

Roy Allen was born in 1882 in Illinois, but he moved to California to work in a hotel. During this time, he met a pharmacist who claimed to have made the perfect root beer. Roy Allen purchased the recipe and started selling it for a nickel in 1919. Three years later, one of his employees, Frank Wright, joined the partnership and the company began opening drive-in restaurants. The company continued to prosper and is now famous for its cold mug beverages.

Michael Saul Dell founded the computer mogul Dell Technologies. Although he is labeled as a businessman and investor, he started out as a somewhat dorky kid. He remembers buying his first calculator when he was seven. When he turned 15, he received his first computer and immediately took it apart to see how it worked. In high school he was able to sell subscriptions to people via cold calling. He mastered the demographics of his town and was able to target those with higher mortgages. That year, he made more money than his high school teachers. It is no surprise he is the founder and CEO of a multi-billion dollar company.

Born in Germany, Henri Nestlé became the founder of the world’s biggest food and beverage company. His company is also a major creator of condensed milk. How did he do it? First, he completed an apprenticeship with a pharmacy, which lasted four years. He moved to Switzerland and began experimenting with chemicals and selling medicines. Later, he invested in the production of seeds, nut oils, lemonade, mineral water, and more. He went from gas lighting and fertilizers to infant formula and was able to make a powdered milk product in 1867. Just a few years later, the combination of cow’s milk, malt, sugar, and wheat flour was selling in the USA.

Growing up through the Great Depression, Samuel Walton had to do extra jobs to help make money including milking cows and delivering the hand-poured bottles. He was voted Most Versatile Boy in high school and went off to college. He worked for JCPenney and DuPont until he joined the war and began a captain. He eventually purchased a chain of Ben Franklin retail stores. The first Wal-Mart opened in 1962, which he said was in part due to Meijer’s concept of a one-stop shop. Now, Wal-Mart is an retail empire with the cheapest prices around.

Affectionately known as Dave, he was adopted when he was just sick weeks old. His adoptive mother died when he was five and he spent time with his grandmother, who he credited for teaching him how important it is to treat others with respect. He started working in a restaurant when he was only 12 years old. He eventually worked at KFC side by side with the Col. Sanders himself. He opened his own restaurant in 1969. It was called named after his eight-year-old daughter. The fast-food chain turned into a fortune.

Notorious for its coffee and donuts, Tim Horton’s started in Canada and is still the country’s largest quick-service restaurant. It has expanded across the globe as a multinational chain.You probably already knew that, but did you know that Miles “Tim” Horton was a Canadian hockey player who opened the first one in 1964? He initially failed at capitalizing on a burger joint restaurant and decided to try something new. After his death in 1974, his party Ron Joyce built the restaurant into the company it is today.

Although he was not the original inventor of the sewing machine, Isaac Merritt Singer made drastic improvements to it.Patents already existed for the sewing machine, but it was Singer who really analyzed the powerful tool. He took an practical approach to the sewing machine and allowed seamstresses to use the bulky machine in their own home. He also allowed customers to make payments through the Singer Sewing Machine Company. He died in 1875 and had 24 children with multiple women.

P&G made 84 billion dollars in sales in 2014 thanks to its 65 brands of cleaning agents, personal care products, and other household items. William Procter was born in England in 1801 and immigrated to the United States as a candle maker. Eventually, he would go into business with James Gamble, an Irish soap maker. James married William’s sister, which is how the two met. His father-in-law then persuaded James to go into business with William and P&G was founded in 1837.

Mattel, Inc. is home to some of the best American toys around including the Fisher-Price. Elliot Handler and his wife, Ruth, created Barbie (named after their daughter), Chatty Cathy (the first talking doll), Hot Wheels and some of the other biggest toy brands in the world. Meeting up with Harold Matson, the Handler’s put their names together to come up with the company name. In the 1940s, the Handlers bought out Harold Matson’s shares of the company.

This British food company is notorious for its milk chocolate, creme eggs, and other tasty confectionery products, especially around Easter and other candy-filled holidays. John Cadbury began selling coffee, tea, and chocolate drinks throughout England. He developed the company with his brother and nephews. When dairy milk chocolate was created in 1905, it took less than a decade for Cadbury to be one of the three main chocolate-selling company’s in the United Kingdom. It received a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria in 1854 and another from Queen Elizabeth in 1955.

Born in 1867, David Thomas Abercrombie was an outdoor expert and topographer. He opened the company with the idea of creating an elite outfitter. Ezra Fitch was a wealthy manager in New York City. He was one of the first customers of Abercrombie’s line, but then joined the business himself. Both men branched out with their own self-titled clothing lines, but A & F is still a popular brand throughout the United States. PS – did you know Ezra Fitch also introduced Mahjong to America?

Born in Hungary to German Jews, Wilhelm eventually changed his name to William Fox after moving to New York City as a boy.Much like the Warner brothers, he created one of the major American film studios known as 20th Century Fox. He founded it in 1915 and opened a chain of movie theaters five years later. In the 1930s, he lost control of his million dollar company due to the stock market crash and injuries from a car accident. At his bankruptcy hearing, he tried to bribe the judge and committed perjury. He was in jail for six months. After he was released, he retired.

We have already referenced this company on the list, so clearly it has been big since before some of the billionaires on this list became rich. Born in 1771, that guy with the super long name became a chemist and founded DuPont, the gunpowder manufacturing company after arriving in the USA from France in 1800. Although he did not plan on using his previous knowledge of gunpowder, the gunpowder in America was so poor that he trained others to perfect it. His decedents are one of the richest families in the entire country

Referred to simply as Ford, this American multinational car company is known for its deep roots in Michigan. Although Henry Ford is a celebrated American industrialist and the founder of the infamous car company, he did not invent the car nor the assembly line. So what makes him so special? Henry Ford mastered the concept of the assembly line for mass production. Further, he produced an affordable vehicle that middle-class Americans could purchase. He died in 1947, but his company continues to flourish.

While working for a local printer in Pennsylvania, Milton Hershey’s hat fell into a machine.He was quickly fired, but after his father begged his boss, he took Milton back. However, his aunt coaxed him to learn the craft of candy. He learned how to make caramel through the application of fresh milk. In 1894, The Hershey Chocolate Company was created. Clearly, we all know how that ended for him. Not only did he leave a legacy as one of the best confectioners of all time, but there is an entire city in Pennsylvania named after him.

If you have a thermostat, security system, air cleaner, dehumidifier or other related home products, chances are they came from Honeywell. Mark Charles Honeywell created a hot water heating system in 1905 and built it directly into his house. A year later, his self-titled company was creating automatic controls for the heaters. With over 450 employees and sales of $1.5 million in 1927, Honeywell was already well on its way to a great American legacy. In 2007, the company reportedly employed over 100,000 people worldwide.

Did you know that the this chain of supermarkets has been in business since 1883? Bernard Kroger’s parents for German immigrants who owned a dry good store. The family lived above it and Bernard Kroger began working in the family business at a very young age. He began working as a door to door salesman for a tea company. When he became a manager, but the owners refused to make him a partner, Kroger opened his own grocery store. Upon his death, his wife and him had no children, so much of his money went to charity including parts, zoos, and hospitals.

Gaston Glock was an Austrian engineer born in 1929. His career started as a manufacturer for knives on behalf of the Austrian military. Glock understood the concept of polymers and bought an injection-molding machine to make handles for the knives. He was 52 years old when he finally designed his first firearm. It took him an entire year to produce the pistol and he received a patent for the Glock 17 in 1981. He was almost murdered by a hitman because one of his employees was embezzling money and wanted to cover it up.