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Who doesn't know J. Willard Marriott? He was the American business leader and entrepreneur responsible for founding restaurant and lodging giant Marriott International of the Marriott-Hot Shoppes firm.
It's one of the world's biggest food services, hospitality and hotel chains companies around.
His firm rose from a simple root beer stand to a chain of successful family restaurants to his first-ever motel between 1927 and 1957.
Marriott led his company to become a force to be reckoned with in the world of hospitality and food service industries.
J. Willard Marriott - His Humble Beginnings
J. Willard Marriott didn't come from a well-off family. He was born at Marriott Settlement in Utah to parents Hyrum and Ellen Morris Marriott and was the second of eight kids. Life on the family's small farm meant pitching in with sheep-raising and sugar beets-growing.
At 13, Marriott got into business, enlisting the help of his younger siblings in raising lettuce on a few unplanted acres on their farm. Harvest at summer's end brought in $2,000. The following year, his dad left him in charge of selling 3,000 sheep.
After finishing a two-year Mormon Church mission in New England, he came back to Utah in 1921 to pursue a degree in college. Money to pay for tuition came from a variety of jobs. While studying, Marriott made plans to start his own business in Washington, DC. He recognized a perfect market in A&W Root Beer.
In spring 1927, Marriott obtained the A&W franchise for Baltimore, Richmond and DC and proceeded to head east. Together with partner Hugh Colton, they pooled together $6,000 for equipment and space rental acquisition. On May 20, 1927, the pair opened their modest root beer stand. Whether refining procedures, exploring new enterprises or adding other locations, Marriott was always hard at work.
Mexican foods were added to the stand's menu and the stand turned into the noted family restaurant, The Hot Shoppe. The business was later incorporated into Hot Shoppes, Inc. a year later in Delaware.
Marriott's firm went public 1953. By 1957, his businesses extended to hotels, opening his first motel in Virginia. 1967 saw the company changing its name to Marriott, Inc.
Even when his son J. Willard Marriott, Jr. took charge of the major business responsibilities after being named the new CEO of the company in 1972, its founder couldn't bring himself to finally retire. Marriott enjoyed spending time with his employees and visiting distant locations. He died on August 13, 1985.
The J. Willard Marriott Quick Bio
Full name: John Willard Marriott
Birth date: September 17, 1900
Birth place: Utah
Company: Marriott-Hot Shoppes
Industry: Restaurants and Lodging
Key success traits: an energetic worker, devoted to employees and driven to succeed
Additional:
At the time of his death, the Marriott firm was operating 143 hotels and resorts and 1,400 restaurants worldwide.
The company earned yearly revenues of $4.5 billion and employed 154,600. Marriott International's interests currently extend to theme parks and cruise ship lines. Marriott's concern for other people extended to charities and churches. Besides making significant contributions, J. Willard Marriott also held positions of leadership in the Mormon Church.
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