Discover the inspiring stories of successful entrepreneurs and executives in our collection of captivating business biographies.
Alonzo G. Decker was a tool-and-die maker who built Black & Decker with S. Duncan Black. Their influential portable-drill design was followed by industrial expansion, serious financial hardship, and a move into household power tools.
Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck moved into franchising in 1974 after building 16 shops. This biography explains the strategy, the people behind Subway’s expansion, and why more locations did not guarantee stronger sales.
Arthur Calbraith Dorrance succeeded his brother as Campbell Soup president in 1930. His biography follows his rise through management and a sixteen-year presidency marked by wider markets, new advertising, popular soups and factory labor disputes.
Eldridge Reeves Johnson went from running a Camden machine shop to leading the Victor Talking Machine Company. His biography follows the invention, collaboration, commercial growth, and cultural and scientific projects that marked his life.
Elizabeth Arden developed a distinctive red-door salon identity, expanded her cosmetics business across borders, and brought beauty and fitness together at Maine Chance. Her legacy extends beyond the business she personally controlled.
George A. Hormel turned practical experience in tanning and meatpacking into an independent Minnesota business. Follow his path from a borrowed stake in an Austin butcher shop to a major company and a carefully staged handover to his son.
George F. Johnson joined the Lester brothers’ shoe business as a foreman, acquired a financed ownership interest and later became president. His leadership coincided with industrial expansion and an influential approach to employee welfare.
John D. Hertz brought more accessible taxi service to Chicago and put his name on Walter Jacobs’s car-rental company. His career moved through manufacturing, bus transport, and finance before he and Fannie Hertz established an engineering foundation.
Joyce C. Hall began with postcards and helped build Hallmark Cards into a national business. His life traces a shift into greeting cards, distinctive branding, television sponsorship, and family-led succession.
F. Kenneth Iverson helped turn a troubled corporation into steelmaker Nucor. His biography follows the first mini-mill, the move into sheet steel, and the decentralized management system he championed.