Alonzo G. Decker Jr. - The Business Leader Who Became a 'Household' Name

From power tools to handy car vacuum cleaners, the Black & Decker brand is one of the most trusted brands of household and commercial products used in almost every American home or workplace.

Alonzo G. Decker, Jr., scion of the company co-founder and the name behind the brand, came a long way from simply being the heir of his father to becoming an engineer, an innovator, a civic leader, a philanthropist and the business leader that he was.

Alonzo G. Decker , Jr. - The 'Handyman' Who Revolutionized the Concept of D-I-Y

Decker did not sit back and wait for his time to simply inherit his father's business. He worked painstakingly from bottom-up in the then Black & Decker Manufacturing Company by first working part time, and then as a consulting engineer in the export sales department.

Decker did not even escape being laid off from the company during the Great Depression in 1932. When Decker resumed work, he tried his hand in different departments such as engineering, research and manufacturing.

Decker has then revolutionized the concept of do-it-yourself (DIY) in the late 1930's by having Black & Decker introduce in the consumer market some portable and easy-to-use power tools such as electric drills.

Decker was completely hands-on in the development of most of Black & Decker's products, and had even designed and developed products such as electric hammer drills by himself.

Decker did not rest on his laurels and was eager to further improve Black & Decker's products by exploring new technologies and discovering new applications. Decker became most noted for his being responsible in introducing in 1961 the world's first cordless rechargeable drill, a tool that was way ahead of its time and is still widely used to this day.

Decker moved up in his career by joining Black & Decker's board of directors in 1940, becoming CEO in 1964 and serving as Honorary Chairman through 2000. He continued supporting Black & Decker as Director Emeritus until he died in 2002.

The Alonzo G. Decker, Jr. Quick Bio

Full name: Alonzo G. Decker , Jr.

Birth date: 1908 (deceased 2002)

Birthplace: Maryland

Company: Black & Decker Corporation

Industry: Fabricated Goods

Key business leader success traits: a visionary, hands-on approach to leadership, selfless generosity, mentor to his colleagues and community members

Additional:
Decker was not only one of the most admired business leaders of his time but was also one of the most charitable and generous. He selflessly devoted much of his life to various philanthropic causes, including those involving education and science. Decker was a director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and CSX Corporation, and was a trustee at The Johns Hopkins University.

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Donald J. Trump - The Business Leader Who Thrives on the Art of the Deal

Donald Trump (a.k.a. The Donald) is a business leader like no other. Many claim that he is a genius while others report that he is not as rich as he claims to be. Either way, one has to concede one thing that he has achieved - Trump is undeniably a brand name today.

Donald Trump - Real Estate is His Domain

Donald Trump was born to affluent parents. His father, Fred Trump, is a multi-billion dollar real estate tycoon (without much of the publicity that his son has around him). Needless to say, young Donald had a good education but there was definitely a fire in him.

One anecdote often cited is when he punched his music teacher in the second grade because he thought the teacher "didn't know anything about music".

Trump began his business career at his father's company, Trump Organization. His first successful deal was when he bought his first property from a cash-strapped transportation firm and then later sold it to the government. He was 25 years old at the time.

Since then, Trump has had many real estate deals... with many of them not succeeding due in large part to the recession. In fact, in the mid-1990s, Trump had about $900 million in personal debt and approximately $3.5 billion in business debt. These events ended with Trump declaring business bankruptcy. In 1999, however, his father, Fred Trump, died and sales of his real estate business enabled Donald to bail himself out of his own financial problems.

So why then is Donald J. Trump deemed a great American business leader? Donald Trump never gives up. He has tremendous self-confidence and is a huge risk taker. And last but not the least, Trump is a survivor. Case in point - despite the financial losses that surrounded him, he managed to ingrain himself in the minds of the public via the reality TV show The Apprentice where his "You're fired." comment at the end of each show became a popular catch phrase. Trump has indeed bounced back and is today estimated to be worth $2.5 billion.

The Donald J. Trump Quick Bio

Full name: Donald John Trump, Sr.

Birth date: June 14, 1946

Birth place: Queens, New York

Key success traits: extremely self-assured, knows how to create and market a brand, un undeniable risk taker, a survivor

Company: Trump Organization

Industry: Construction and Real Estate

Additional: The success of Donald Trump in the entertainment arena has enabled him to branch out into other businesses, all of course bearing the Trump name. These include the Donald J. Trump Men's Collection, Trump Ice (bottled water), Trump Magazine, Trump Vodka and Trump University (a business school established in 2005)

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Gillette - An Empire Borne Out of a Unique Business Model

When a business brand is known so much that even competitors are called by its name, then what better testament could there be that a business is successful? Mention Gillette and safety razors quickly pop to mind.

Ironically though, Gillette is actually falsely credited to be the inventor of the safety razor. (The safety razor was invented in the mid-1870's by the Kampfe Brothers.) What Gillette had though was this - the eye that sees business opportunities.

Gillette - How It All Began

King Camp Gillette was born to a middle-class family who was ravaged by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. To support his family, he started to work as a traveling salesman for the Crown Cork and Seal Company. It was in the 1890s when he suddenly seized upon a business idea . He realized that there was a need in the market for cheap, disposable razor blades.

Prior his 'invention', razor blades required non-stop sharpening to be useful, which of course wore them out quickly. And since men needed to shave all the time, they were 'forced' to keep buying new razors. Gillette thought that he can earn a lot by offering the market a safety razor at a discounted price and then offering them cheap disposable razor blades ... he was right.

Although Gillette's business idea occurred in the 1890's, it was not until 1903 when he began to actually sell his products. This is because inexpensive thin steel was next to impossible to work with and extremely difficult to sharpen. A lesser business man will have abandoned his business idea by now. Not Gillette though and that's why he is regarded as one of America's top business leaders .

In 1903, he sold 51 razors and 168 blades. In 1904, he sold 90,884 razors and 123,648 blades! How did he achieve this growth in so short a span of production time? Gillette's success formula was this - low prices, excellent advertising and automated manufacturing techniques. These are the foundations why we, a century later, are still buying Gillette products.

The King C. Gillette Quick Bio

Full name: King Camp Gillette

Birth date: January 5, 1855 (deceased July 9, 1932)

Birth place: Fon du Lac, Wisconsin

Company: Gillette Company

Industry: Personal Care Home Products

Key Success Traits: patience, the aptitude to see his business idea through, an innovator when it comes to merchandising and advertising

Additional:
The Gillette Company was the maker of Gillette , Oral-B, Braun and Duracell products until 2005, when it was sold to Procter & Gamble for $57 billion.

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Robert S. Abbott - A True African-American Business Leader

When it comes to the newsprint and media world, who doesn't know business leader Robert S. Abbott?

He's the man behind the success of the country's most influential black weekly paper back in the 1900s - the Chicago Defender.

Abbott was staunchly opposed to any form of racism. And with his indomitable spirit and considerable entrepreneurial skills, Abbott was able to catapult the Chicago Defender to national prominence.

Business Leader Robert S. Abbott - His Story

Robert Abbott wasn't exactly an overnight success - far from it actually. Abbott had to battle racial discrimination, which made it impossible for him to work as a lawyer or printer. Abbott then turned his sights on journalism.

Abbott was born to parents who were former slaves. From his humble beginnings, Abbott persevered, mastering the printing trade at Virginia's Hampton Institute. For his law degree, Abbott moved to Chicago in 1897 and worked odd jobs till he graduated from the Kent College of Law.

In May 1905, Abbott showed up on Chicago's streets selling copies of his Chicago Defender with the come-on of being the only weekly in the city worth a cheap two cents. With only the kitchen table of his landlord as desk, Abbott set out to make his publication dream a reality. Abbott served as the newspaper's editor, business manager, publisher, sales force and reporting staff.

Abbott's entrepreneurial expertise paved the way for further national prominence for the Chicago Defender. He recruited Pullman porters and entertainers to handle the paper's national circulation in exchange for newspaper coverage. The Chicago Defender became the first black broadsheet to hit a circulation of close to 100,000. It was the first to have a full-page comics section and the first to have a health column.

Abbott became one of the first African-American millionaires as a result of the Chicago Defender's success and is considered the single greatest force in the field of African-American journalism.

The Robert S. Abbott Quick Bio


Full name: Robert Sengstacke Abbott

Birth date: November 28, 1868 (deceased February 29, 1940)

Birthplace: Georgia

Company: Chicago Defender

Industry: Publishing Print Media

Key Success Traits: unwavering determination in the face of adversity, a dreamer AND doer

Additional:

Abbott created the Chicago Defender back in 1905 with only 25 cents in his pocket and a press run of less than 400 copies. The year 1921 saw the newspaper turn national, with a total of 70 employees and a plant that's valued at a cool half a million dollars.

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Henry J. Heinz - The Business Leader Who Founded the Heinz Empire

HARD WORK. This phrase comes to mind when reading about business leader Henry J. Heinz, whose products' presence on just about every table makes people include him as one of the greatest business leaders in American history.

Henry J. Heinz - Working Since Nine!

Heinz was one of eight children born to German immigrants Heinrich Heinz and Anna Margareta Schmitt.

He was born in Birmingham, Pennsylvania, but the family would later move to Sharpsburg (on the outskirts of Pittsburgh).

Heinz started in 'business' very young. At just six years old, he was already helping his mother look after a backyard garden from which they sold vegetables to neighbors. At age eight, young Heinz would be selling produce already door-to-door!

By the time Heinz reached 17, he was already earning $2,400 annually, a staggering amount during those times.

Laying the Foundation for Heinz

In 1869, Heinz founded his first company - the Heinz Noble & Company with L.C. Noble - to sell horseradish but it was not successful and it ended in bankruptcy in 1875.

Never the one to just give up, Heinz established F & J Heinz with family members and started selling products, one of which was tomato ketchup. In 1888, Heinz bought out his partners and re-organized the firm to the H. J. Heinz Company and it is still the name of the firm to this day.

As a business leader , Heinz was known to be fair in his treatment of employees and was a great supporter of safe and sanitary food practices. In fact, in 1906, he lobbied in favor of the Pure Food and Drug Act. He was also known to be very involved in church activities and did many philanthropic works during his lifetime.

The Henry J. Heinz Quick Bio

Full name: Henry John Heinz

Birth date: October 11, 1844 (died May 14, 1919)

Birth place: Birmingham

Key success traits: a hard worker to the core, a strategist, never a quitter

Company: H. J Heinz Company

Industry: Food & Tobacco

Tidbit:
Heinz' well-known tagline "57 varieties", applied in 1896, actually bears no actual meaning. Heinz just happened to like a shoe store ad he saw while in New York City which said "21 styles" and wanted to copy it. In reality, Heinz was already selling more than 57 types of products at the time the slogan was introduced.

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Steve Jobs - The Business Leader Who Changed the Way We Compute and Listen

Before, only those who were loyal to their Apple Computer PCs were aware of who Steve Jobs was.

Nowadays, nearly everybody knows him thanks to that phenomenon called the iPod.

Steve Jobs and Apple Computer have had a love-hate relationship even ending at one time with Jobs being booted from the firm only to return in 1996 and completely turn the company around and back to profitability.

This achievement definitely merits Steve Jobs to be included in America's greatest business leader list.

Steve Jobs ' Beginnings Steve Jobs was born to a Syrian father and an American mother, who gave him up for adoption immediately after he was born. He was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of California and spent his 'schooling days' in Cupertino, CA, where he often went to the after-school lectures of the Hewlett-Packard Company. Not surprisingly, he was later hired by HP and worked with Stephen Wozniak.

Steve Jobs' First 'Business Deal'

In the mid-1970's, Jobs, then working at Atari, was approached by its founder Nolan Bushnell and offered $100 for every chip that he can reduce for a new circuit board for the game Breakout. He made a deal with Wozniak to share the bonus 50 50. Wozniak amazed everybody by reducing the number of chips by 50. His 'bonus'? $250... Jobs wasn't exactly truthful; he told Wozniak that Artari only gave them a $500 bonus (instead of the $5000 he received).

Steve Jobs and Apple Computer

In 1976, Jobs founded Apple Computer with Wozniak after he saw a computer the latter designed for himself. The company's first product was called the Apple I. The next product was aptly called Apple II and it became such a hit that Apple II is credited to be the best selling computer in the 1970s and early 1980s.

In 1984, the firm introduced the Macintosh, which was the first commercially successful computer with a graphical user interface. It was so successful that Apple abandoned further developments on Apple II.

Alas, not all was smooth sailing. An internal power struggle in Apple ended with Jobs being stripped of his duties in 1985 and so he left the company and founded NeXT Computer. NeXT was not an instant hit but it reflected Jobs' perfectionist side that it garnered its own following.

In 1993, it would transition into a software development firm. Meanwhile, Apple Computer has been struggling and in 1996, it bough NeXT for US$402 million, bringing Jobs back at the helm of the firm he founded. Apple Computer has since then regained its foothold in the computers and electronics industry and has even successfully branched out into the portable music business with the iPod MP3 player, iTunes digital music software and the iTunes Music Store.

The Steve Jobs Quick Bio

Full name: Steven Paul Jobs

Birth date: February 24, 1955

Birth place: San Francisco

Key success traits: a man of action, an innovator, a true over comer of obstacles

Company: Apple Computer

Industry: Computers & Electronics

Additional:
Former Chairman and CEO of Pixar Animation Studios , which is popular for its production of animated films such as The Incredibles and Toy Story . The firm was recently bought by Walt Disney Studios for $7.4 billion in stock, making Jobs the biggest individual shareholder at Disney.

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Bill Gates - The Greatest Business Leader of Our Time?

Who has not heard of Microsoft Corporation? It is a name that has revolutionized business and just about every aspect of our lives that many believe Bill Gates, co-founder, Chairman, and Chief Software Architect of the world's biggest software firm to be the greatest business leader of this generation.

Although this claim may be refuted by many, there is no denying the fact that Bill Gates is a fixture that simply cannot be erased in the history of international business.

Bill Gates - You Either Love Him or Hate Him

Bill Gates' story is not a 'rags to riches' fairytale. Instead, it is a great example of what one can do with the talents that he has within him. Gates was born to affluent parents and showed excellence in school.

At an early age, he already displayed his expertise in the fields of math and science. It is safe to say that Gates breezed through his primary education and in 1973, he enrolled in Harvard University to pursue a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science degree. It is at Harvard where he met Steve Ballmer, his future business partner.

At Harvard, Gates, together with Paul Allen and Monte Davidoff, co-wrote Altair BASIC for the Altair 8800. After this, Gates dropped out of Harvard to pursue a career in software development instead.

In 1975, Gates called Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) to inform them that his group has developed a version of the programming language BASIC for their new microcomputer's platform.

Although this was not true, Gates and Allen were able to come up with the said version after only eight weeks and MITS ended up buying the rights for the said programming language! This clearly shows Gates confidence in himself and his ability. At this point, Gates and Allen left Harvard to establish Micro-Soft (later changed to Microsoft Corporation) and the rest as they say is history.

As a business leader, many find themselves having to decide whether Gates has been 'ethical' in his business practices or not. Why?

The growth of Microsoft is largely due to the fact that Gates ensured that most computers that shipped out came with Microsoft software pre-installed, thereby 'killing' any desire by consumers to purchase any other type of software.

Due to this, Gates Microsoft has also been the subject of various antitrust litigations over the years. So what do you think? Is Gates the greatest business leader of our time or just a very conniving one? Whatever one thinks, one thing is for sure, the name Bill Gates will continue to resonate in the field of business.

The Bill Gates Quick Bio

Full name: William Henry Gates III
Birth date: October 28, 1955

Birth place: Seattle, Washington
Key success traits: self-confidence, an undeniable risk-taker, a man of action

Company: Microsoft Corporation

Industry: Computers & Electronics

Additional:

As of April 2006, Bill Gates is STILL the richest person in the world with a net worth of approximately US$51 billion.

Co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable institution, which to date has donated billions of dollars to help eradicate illiteracy, poverty and diseases.

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