BAND AID********Who hasn't used BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages? In a world full of cuts, scrapes, blisters and bruises it seems hard to imagine life without those little adhesive bandages. They certainly come in handy on a cut finger. They're even handy on a cut foot, although it sounds a little funny.

Of course, there have always been cuts and scrapes, but there haven't always been BAND-AID® Brand. This fact was painfully clear to a young housewife named Josephine Dickson.

Back in 1920, this newlywed was living in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with her husband Earle and though married life agreed with her, housekeeping did not. Not that she didn't try. When Earle came home from his job as a cotton buyer at Johnson & Johnson, Josephine would always have dinner on the table. Unfortunately, she'd also have several cuts or burns on her fingers. Without an adhesive bandage, Josephine had no easy way of bandaging her own cuts. Earle had to cut pieces of adhesive tape and cotton gauze and make a bandage for each wound. This happened day after day---and---day after day Josephine needed more bandages. They were in a real bind.

Finally, after several weeks of kitchen accidents, Earle hit upon an idea. (Luckily for Johnson & Johnson, his idea was not to go out and hire a cook.) No, Earle sat down and prepared some ready-made bandages by placing squares of cotton gauze at intervals along an adhesive strip and covering them with crinoline. Now all Josephine had to do was cut off a length of the strip and wrap it over her cut. In a way, it was a mother who was responsible for the invention of the BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandage.

Earle soon told his boss at work about his new invention and soon the first adhesive bandages were being produced and sold under the world famous BAND-AID® Brand trademark. Earle was eventually rewarded with a position as Vice President in the company, where he stayed until his retirement. As for Josephine, history does not record whether she ever mastered the art of accident-free cooking. But we do know she had plenty of BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages available just in case. Earle Dickson may not have realized what a cutting edge product he was inventing, but it certainly stuck around.

NESCAFE*********The beginnings of Nescafé can be traced all the way back to 1930, when the Brazilian government first approached Nestlé. Coffee guru, Max Morgenthaler, and his team set out immediately to find a way of producing a quality cup of coffee that could be made simply by adding water, yet would retain the coffee's natural flavor. After seven long years of research in Swiss laboratories, Nescafé found the answer.

The new product was named Nescafé - a combination of Nestlé and café. The company first introduced Nescafé in Switzerland on April 1st, 1938. For the first half of the next decade, however, World War II hindered its success in Europe. Nescafé was soon exported to France, Great Britain and the USA. Without realizing it, Americans played a key role in re-launching Nescafé on the continent by virtue of the fact that it was included in their food rations. Its popularity grew rapidly through the rest of the decade. By the 1950's, coffee had become the beverage of choice for teenagers, who were flocking to coffee houses to hear the new rock 'n' roll music. Today, Nescafé is the number 1 brand of coffee in the world.

A new line of Nescafé coffees were launched in the Western US in September 1999. This new line of gourmet coffee and specialty coffee beverages are designed to meet the unique needs of a new generation of coffee consumers by offering a variety of gourmet quality coffees across all coffee forms. Nescafé gourmet whole bean and ground coffee, Nescafé gourmet instant coffee, and Nescafé Frothé coffee drinks provide a complete coffee experience under one brand.

It is currently estimated that, on average, some 3,000 cups of Nescafé are drunk every second around the world.

XEROX**********Chester Carlson, a patent attorney and part-time inventor, made the first xerographic image in his makeshift laboratory in Astoria, Queens, in New York City, on Oct. 22, 1938. He spent years trying to sell his invention without success. Business executives and entrepreneurs didn't believe there was a market for a copier when carbon paper worked just fine. And the prototype for the copier was unwieldy and messy. Some 20 companies, IBM and General Electric among them, met his invention with what Carlson called "an enthusiastic lack of interest."

In 1944, the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, contracted with Carlson to refine his new process, which Carlson called "electrophotography." Three years later, The Haloid Company, a maker of photographic paper in Rochester, N.Y., approached Battelle and obtained a license to develop and market a copying machine based on Carlson's technology. Haloid later obtained all rights to Carlson's invention. Carlson and Haloid agreed the word "electrophotography" was too cumbersome. A professor of classical languages at Ohio State University suggested "xerography," derived from the Greek words for "dry" and "writing."

Haloid coined the word "Xerox" for the new copiers, and in 1948, the word Xerox was trademarked. Inspired by the early, modest success of its Xerox copiers, Haloid changed its name in 1958 to Haloid Xerox Inc. The company became Xerox Corporation in 1961

after wide acceptance of the Xerox 914, the first automatic office copier to use ordinary paper.

September 1999 marked the 40th anniversary of the Xerox 914, aptly named for the size of paper it used -- 9x14 inches. More than 200,000 units were made around the world between 1959 and 1976, the year the company stopped production of the 914. In 1985, 26 years after its introduction, Xerox announced that it would no longer renew 914 service contracts in the United States. Instead, a time and materials repair service was offered for the more than 6,000 units still in operation. Today, the Xerox 914 is part of American history as an artifact in the Smithsonian Institution.

Xerox adopted "The Document Company -- Xerox" as its corporate signature logo in 1994 to better reflect what has always been the company's core business: document management. At the same time, Xerox launched the "digital X" as its marketing symbol/logo. The symbol's upper right quadrant depicts the pixels of digital imaging and the movement of documents between the paper and electronic worlds.

VAN HEUSEN*************Moses Philips Starts a Business 1881 - 1910

In 1881, Moses Philips and his wife Endel began sewing shirts by hand and selling them from pushcarts to local Pottsville, PA coalminers. Sensing opportunity, Philips and his son Issac came to New York City and started a shirt business. As their business developed, they show foresight by placing one of the first ever shirts ads in the Saturday Evening Post. Incidentally, the foundation was laid for a modern, marketing-driven, world-class company.

John Van Heusen Invents a Collar and Finds a Partner 1910 - 1921

Around a decade later in Holland, John M. Van Heusen developed a unique process of fusing cloth on a curve, creating a soft, comfortable self-folding collar that captured the stiff fashion collar look of the era. Travelling to the United States to find a partner, he met Seymour Philips, Moses, son. They joined forces, creating the Philips-Van Heusen Corporation.

1919 was an outstanding year for the young company. A patent is granted for the Van Heusen Collar, production of "The World's Smartest Collar" commenced and Philips-Van Heusen was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Two Years later the Van Heusen patented collar was introduced to the public with immediate and overwhelming success.

John's Son Crosses the Atlantic 1920's - 1930's

Van Heusen's son of the same name traveled to England and concluded two key arrangements. In Hyde, J & J Ashton was approved as designated weavers and in Taunton, Robert M. Moody was retained on a commission basis to manufacture collars. Production began in 1922. In 1929, the Collarite Shirt - the first collar-attached shirt - was introduced.

Innovation continued with an expanded range of colors and the introduction of the popular Country shirt collection featuring an attached collar using the original semi-stiff fabric. Van Heusen's profile, already high throughout the United Kingdom, was raised still further by members of the Royal Family who favoured van Heusen Collars.

A Master Shirtmaker Looks to The World 1930's - 1970's

In 1935, Harding, Tilton and Hartley purchased the worldwide rights (excluding the Americas and American Island Possessions) to the Van Heusen name. The Company later purchased J & J Ashton and adopted the title The British Van Heusen Company. In 1952, their headquarters were moved to Saville Row, the famed focal point of English men's fashion. In 1974, The British Van Heusen Company was awarded a Royal Warrant as Shirt makers to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Meanwhile, Back In America 1920's - 1970's

The patented Van Heusen Collar was advertised coast-to-coast. Later, when collars were attached, this message was sent to the entire country.Growth was fueled by continuous marketing innovation including the first outdoor advertising of shirts. The New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers thrilled their fans while playing beneath Van Heusen images.

In the fifties, celebrites joined the marketing effort, introducing numerous product innovations. The Stars include Mickey Rooney, Danny Kaye, Charleton Heston, Fred MacMurray, Tony Curtis, Mickey Mantle, Anthony Quinn and future president Ronald Reagan.

Growth Continues and Continues And… 1980's - Present

Management recognized that in order to continue expanding, the company needed to outfit the consumer from head to toe. Accordingly, a plan for the strategic acquisition of top brands in different clothing categories was put in place.

The continued strength of the shirt business provided the financial wherewithal for Philips-Van Heusen (now known as PVH) to make acquisitions including the G.H. Bass Footwear Co. (now the largest casual footwear company in America), the IZOD Sportswear Co. and Gant U.S.A.

Dramatic growth was fueled as PVH decided to enter the retail arena themselves taking their brands (beginning with Van Heusen), to manufacturer's outlet centers across America. A national chain of specialty stores grew to over 200 for Van Heusen alone.

In 1991, Philips-Van Heusen became the number one national brand of dress shirts. This share of market continued to grow throughout the decade.

Finally, the brand which was managed separately in both the U.S.A. and Britain became one as Philips-Van Heusen acquired the worldwide rights to the Van Heusen name, now becoming the number one dress shirt brand in the world

VIRGIN ATLANTIC******************Back in the early ’80s when Virgin Atlantic was born, Richard Branson, the go getting entrepreneur and self confessed sweater lover, had a hugely successful business in the Virgin Group. Born in 1950, Richard established a national student magazine while at the English public school Stowe and started a student advisory service when he was just 17. Three years later he founded the Virgin mail order record company and shortly after opened a music shop in London’s main shopping thoroughfare, Oxford Street. A studio was built in Oxfordshire in 1972, where one Mike Oldfield recorded his massive album Tubular Bells. That sold 5 million copies and was the catalyst for Virgin Records, which went on to sign such household names as The Rolling Stones, Culture Club, Janet Jackson, Peter Gabriel, Simple Minds and The Human League.

Virgin was to become one of the six biggest record companies in the world and by the early ’80s Virgin Group was going great guns. Then, in 1984, Richard received a call out of the blue with the idea of operating a Jumbo jet passenger service between London and New York. Branson liked the plan – a lot more than his fellow directors, who thought he was crazy – and announced to the world that Virgin Atlantic Airways would begin operating within three months.

An aircraft was found, staff were hired, licences obtained and, thanks in a great part to Richard’s infectious enthusiasm, the airline took off on deadline.

On the 22 June 1984 a plane packed with friends, celebs and the media set off for Newark, New York – a star airline was born. Now Virgin Atlantic has become the second largest British long-haul international airline operating services out of London's Heathrow and Gatwick to 18 different destinations all over the world, as far apart as Shanghai and the Caribbean.

In 1992 Richard Sold Virgin Music for $1bn to Thorn EMI and ploughed the profits back into Virgin Atlantic, improving an already great service even more. He still has a big role in the music industry via the international Megastores as well as a chain of cinemas and interests in nightclubs, book and software publishing, film and video editing and hotels.

In December 1999 Richard Branson signed an agreement to sell a 49% stake of Virgin Atlantic to Singapore Airlines to form a unique global partnership - the deal values Virgin Atlantic at a minimum of £1.225 billion. In 1999, the combined sales of the different Virgin holding companies were around £3 billion.

In the 1999 New Years Honours list Richard Branson received a knighthood for his services to entrepreneurship.

TIMBERLAND*************The Timberland story began in 1918, in a small Boston, Massachusetts shoe company where Timberland founder, Nathan Swartz, began his bootmaking career as an apprentice stitcher. With his own hands, he cut leather, stitched seams, attached soles and learned how to craft fine leather boots. In 1952, he bought half an interest in The Abington Shoe Company. Three years later, he bought the remaining interest and welcomed his sons into the company. Together, they made shoes for leading manufacturers for nearly 10 years.

In the '60s, waterproof leather boots as people know them didn't really exist. The Swartz family helped change all that by introducing injection-molding technology to the footwear industry. This technology fused soles to leather uppers without stitching, producing one of the first truly waterproof boots.

In 1973, the Timberland name was born. "Timberland" started as the brand name for the original waterproof leather boot. Then, because the boot was so popular, the company name was officially changed to The Timberland Company. In 1978 and 1979, Timberland added casual and boat shoes to its line to become more than just a boot company.

In the 1980s, the company expanded into an international lifestyle brand. Sidney Swartz took the reigns and under his leadership Timberland was launched in Italy, the first entry into the international market (today the company is represented all over the world). Then the company introduced Timberland® clothing and women's footwear. Timberland also came up with more products and introduced them to the world - watches, socks, backpacks, kids' footwear and other gear. In 1998, it launched the Timberland PROT Series of workboots for professionals.

BUDWEISER**********It all began in 1860, when Ebehard Anheuder (1805-1880), a prosperous soap manufacturer, purchased failing Bavarian Brewery. A short time later, Adolphus Busch

(1839-1913), his son-in-law, joined him as a salesman and manager, becoming a full partner in 1869. Following Eberhard's death 1880. Adolphus became company president.

From a business that had failed three times in its early years, Busch built the brewery into the industry leader through the application of modern technology and marketing. He was the firs U.S. brewer to use pasteurization, artificial refrigeration and refrigerated railcars, as well as the first to bottle beer extensively. These technological innovations allowed him to produce a higher quality beer more efficiently and to market it throughout the country in an era when most brewers were strictly local.

In 1876, Busch introduced Budweiser, America's first national beer brand, based on a recipe of the "highest quality ingredients and time-consuming traditional brewing methods". It soon achieved a national reputation for its quality and is today the world's best-selling beer brand. In 1896, Busch developed Michelob- a brand marketed as a "connoisseur's" beer.

August A. Busch Sr. (1865-1934) and adolphus Busch III (1891-1946), the son and grandson, respectively, of Adolphus, led the brewery through the difficult times of World War I, Prohibition, the Great Depression and World War II.

During Prohibition, August Sr. focused on keeping his workers employed and the company solvent. He introduced new products, including soft drinks, ice cream, baker's yeast, refrigerated cabinets and auto and truck bodies. Upon the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the company quickly shifted back to its core business-beer.

Within a year of repeal, however, August Sr. died and his eldest son, Adolphus Busch III, succeeded him. Under his direction, the company continued efforts to regain its industry leadership position while also becoming the nation's leading producer of compressed baker's yeast. However, further recovery was delayed when World War II began and Adolphus committed company resources to the war effort.

In 1946, August A. Busch Jr. (1891-1989) succeeded his brother as president of the company and for 25 years spearheaded an expansion that rivaled Adolphus' era. A national network of eight regional breweries was constructed and annual sales increased from 3 million barrels to more than 34 million barrels. Busch beer was introduced, and corporate diversification was extended to include family entertainment, real estate and can manufacturing. In 1957, Anheuser-Busch took the industry lead in production (which it has never relinquished) and budweiser became the country's best-selling beer brand. August A. Busch III (1937-present) became the fourth generation of his family to lead the company when he was named president in 1974 and CEO in 1975. Under his guidance, Anheuser-Busch built three new breweries and acquired another; introduced many new beer brands; and acquired SeaWorld, making Anheuser-Busch one of the largest theme-park operators in the nation. The company also opened new can manufacturing and malt production facilities; diversified into container recovery, metalized label printing and creative services; and moved aggressively into the international beer marketplace.

HERTZ********Hertz, the world's leading vehicle renting organization, is represented in over 140 countries, operating from approximately 7,000 locations.

The pioneer of auto renting was Walter L. Jacobs who in September of 1918, at the age of 22, opened a car-rental operation in Chicago. Starting with a dozen Model T Fords, which he repaired and repainted himself, Jacobs expanded his operation to the point where, within five years, the business generated annual revenues of about $1 million.

In 1923, Jacobs sold his car-rental concern to John Hertz, President of Yellow Cab and Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company. Jacobs continued as Hertz' top operating and administrative executive.

This rental business, called Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System, was acquired in 1926 by General Motors Corporation when it bought Yellow Truck from John Hertz.

The Hertz Corporation

In 1953, the Hertz properties were bought from GMC by the Omnibus Corporation, which divested itself of its bus interest and concentrated solely on car and truck renting and leasing. A year later, a new name was taken -- The Hertz Corporation -- and it was listed for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange. Jacobs became Hertz' first President and served in that post until his retirement in 1960. He died in 1985 at the age of 88.

In 1954, the new corporation bought Metropolitan Distributors, a pioneer in New York truck leasing dating back to World War I and the largest concern of its kind in any one city. In the process, the head of Metropolitan, Leon C. Greenbaum, became Vice Chairman of the Hertz Board of Directors; he later became Chairman, and in 1960, Chief Executive Officer.

In 1967, The Hertz Corporation became a wholly owned subsidiary of RCA Corporation and operated as a separate entity, with its own management and Board of Directors.

In 1985, Hertz joined UAL, Inc. On December 30, 1987, Hertz was sold to Park Ridge Corporation, a company formed by Ford Motor Company and Hertz management, for the purpose of purchasing Hertz. In 1988, Volvo North America Corporation joined Ford and Hertz management as an investor in Park Ridge Corporation. In 1993, Park Ridge Corporation was merged into The Hertz Corporation. In 1994, Ford purchased the outstanding shares of Hertz and Hertz became an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of The Ford Motor Company.

On April 25, 1997, Hertz became a publicly traded company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, under the symbol "HRZ." And on March 9, 2001 Ford reacquired Hertz' outstanding stock making the company once again, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford.

Nintendo***** Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, is the acknowledged worldwide leader in the creation of interactive entertainment. To date, Nintendo has sold more than one billion video games worldwide, created such industry icons as Mario and Donkey Kong and launched franchises like The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon. Nintendo manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home video game systems, including Nintendo 64 and Game Boy - the world's best-selling video game system. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Washington, serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere, where more than 40 percent of American households own a Nintendo game system.

1889 - Fusajiro Yamauchi, great-grandfather of the present president, began manufacturing "Hanafuda," Japanese playing cards in Kyoto.

1902 - Mr. Yamauchi started manufacturing the first playing cards in Japan. Originally for export, the product became popular in Japan as well as abroad.

1933 - Established an unlimited partnership, Yamauchi Nintendo & Co.

1947 - Began a distribution company, Marufuku Co. Ltd.

1950 - Hiroshi Yamauchi took office as President and absorbed the manufacturing operation of Yamauchi Nintendo & Co.

1951 - Changed the company name from Marufuku Co. Ltd. to Nintendo Playing Card Co. Ltd.

1952 - Consolidated factories were dispersed in Kyoto.

1953 - Became the first to succeed in manufacturing mass-produced plastic playing cards in Japan.

1959 - Started selling cards printed with Walt Disney characters, opening a new market in children's playing cards. The card department boomed!

1962 - In January, listed stock on the second section of the Osaka Stock Exchange and on the Kyoto Stock Exchange.

1963 - Changed company name to Nintendo Co. Ltd. and started manufacturing games in addition to playing cards.

1969 - Expanded and reinforced the game department; built a production plant in Uji City, a suburb of Kyoto.

1970 - Stock listing was changed to the first section of the Osaka Stock Exchange. Reconstruction and enlargement of corporate headquarters was completed. Started selling the Beam Gun series, employing opto-electronics. Introduced electronic technology into the toy industry for the first time in Japan.

1973 - Developed laser clay shooting system to succeed bowling as a major pastime.

1974 - Developed image projection system employing 16mm film projector for amusement arcades. Began exporting them to America and Europe.

1975 - In cooperation with Mitsubishi Electric, developed video game system using electronic video recording (EVR) player. Introduced the microprocessor into the video game system the next year.

1977 - Developed home-use video games in cooperation with Mitsubishi Electric.

1978 - Created and started selling coin-operated video games using microcomputers.

1979 - Started an operations division for coin-operated games.

1980 - Announced a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc. in New York. Started selling "GAME & WATCH" product line.

1981 - Developed and began distribution of the coin-operated video game "Donkey Kong." This video game quickly became the hottest selling individual coin-operated machine in the business.

1982 - Merged New York subsidiary into Nintendo of America Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., with a capital of $600,000.

1983 - Built a new plant in Uji city to increase production capacity and to allow for business expansion. Established Nintendo Entertainment Centres Ltd. in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, to operate a family entertainment center. Raised authorized capital of Nintendo of America Inc. to $10 million. In July, listed stock on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Started selling the home video game console "Family Computer" employing a custom CPU (Custom Processing Unit) and PPU (Picture Processing Unit).

1984 - Developed and started selling the unique 2-screen interactive coin-operated video game "VS. System".

1985 - Started to sell the U.S. version of Family Computer "Nintendo Entertainment System" (NES) in America. The system included R.O.B. - Robotic Operating Buddy - and the games Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. Mario and Luigi became as big a hit as the NES.

1986 - Developed and started selling the "Family Computer Disk Drive System" to expand the functions of the Family Computer. Began installation of the "Disk Writer" to rewrite game software. Game Counselors were organized and players from all over the world could call Nintendo for advice on games and strategies.

1987 - Sponsored a Family Computer "Golf Tournament" as a communications test using the public telephone network and Disk Faxes to aid in building a Family Computer network. The NES achieved the status as the #1 selling toy in American and The Legend of Zelda became the first new generation home video game to exceed sales of one million units.

1988 - Nintendo of America Inc. published the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine in July. Researched and developed the Hands Free controller, making the NES accessible to many more Nintendo fans. The game library for the NES grew to 65 titles, helping to broaden the demographics to include more adults.

1989 - Released "The Adventure of Link," sequel to the top-selling game "The Legend of Zelda" in the U.S. Started "World of Nintendo" displays in U.S. to help market Nintendo products. Studies show that children are as familiar with "Mario" as they are with Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny! Introduced Game Boy, the first portable, hand-held game system with interchangeable game paks. Nintendo Power magazine became the largest paid-subscription publication in its age category.

1990 - Nintendo Power Fest featuring the Nintendo World Championships tours the country. Japan enters the 16-bit market by releasing the Super Famicom in the fall.

1991 - Nintendo introduces World Class Service Center locations across the U.S. The 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super NES), along with "Super Mario World," is released in the U.S.

1992 - The Super NES Super Scope and Mario Paint with the Super NES Mouse Accessory were released. The long-awaited "Zelda" sequel, "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past," arrived for the Super NES. Nintendo of America Inc. developed portable Fun Centers to assist the Starlight Foundation in bringing happiness to hospitalized children by allowing them to enjoy their favorite video games during hospital stays.

1993 - Nintendo announces the advent of the Super FX Chip, breakthrough technology for home video systems. The first game using the Super FX Chip, "Star Fox," is released in April.

1994 - The Super Game Boy accessory was released, expanding the library of games that could now be played on the Super NES! Everyone's favorite heroine, Samus, returns in another long-awaited sequel, Super Metroid. Nintendo helped pioneer the development and implementation of an industry-wide rating system. This year also saw the introduction of a game that would set a new standard in video game excellence. Using proprietary Advanced Computer Modeling (ACM) graphics, Donkey Kong Country took the holiday season by storm! Nintendo Gateway projected to reach 40 million travelers.

1995 - Thanks to the outstanding success of Donkey Kong Country, ACM graphics were introduced to the Game Boy system by way of Donkey Kong Land. Along with this great boost to the Game Boy system line, Nintendo also introduced the Play It Loud! series of Game Boy systems. ACM graphics made another appearance on the Super NES with the release of the arcade smash-hit, Killer Instinct. At the same time, Nintendo introduced a 32-bit Virtual Immersion system know as the Virtual Boy. Next, Nintendo responded to the demands of fans with the release of Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2. Nintendo even enhanced the quality of ACM graphics for the upcoming release of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Cruis'n USA and Killer Instinct available in local arcades. Celebration of the one-billionth game pak being sold.

1996 - Nintendo 64 launches in Japan on June 23. Thousands line up to be the first to experience the world's first true 64-bit home video game system. More than 500,000 systems are sold the first day. In early September, Nintendo introduces the Game Boy pocket, a sleeker, 30-percent smaller version of the world's most popular hand-held video game system. On September 29, Nintendo 64 launches in North America. The entire initial shipment of more than 350,000 units is sold out in three days. Super Mario 64 is proclaimed by many as "the greatest video game of all time!" For the Super NES we saw the release of the third game in the continuing Donkey Kong series, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble.

1998 - Nintendo introduces Game Boy Color and innovative devices Game Boy Camera and Printer, bringing new life to the longest running hit in the history of interactive entertainment. Pokémon, a breakthrough game concept for Game Boy, was introduced to the world and generated a nationwide craze to collect 'em all! With the release of Banjo-Kazooie for Nintendo 64, new characters were added to the ever-growing list of popular Nintendo characters. The most anticipated video game ever, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64 was released, setting new standards and breaking records for pre-sell for any video game to date.

1999 - The success of the Pokémon franchise expands even further with the release of Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon Yellow, and the first Pokémon title for the Nintendo 64, Pokémon Snap. Nintendo releases several notable N64 titles including Star Wars: Episode 1: Racer, Mario Golf, Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong 64, Mario Party, and Perfect Dark. At E3, Nintendo announces development plans for a new system, code-named Dolphin, that will utilize an IBM Gekko processor and Matsushita's proprietary optical disk technology.

2000 - Nintendo sells its one hundred millionth Game Boy unit, ending the year with more than 110 million sold. Game Boy is responsible for 47% of all U.S. hardware system sales (an all-time high for a portable device). Pokémon Stadium is the top-selling console game, followed by The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, both for N64. Pokémon Gold and Silver for Game Boy Color make their U.S. debut in October, becoming the fastest-selling games of all time by selling a combined 1.4 million copies in one week and 6 million through December.

2001 - Beloved Nintendo characters Mario and Donkey Kong celebrate their 20th anniversaries. Nintendo launches its highly anticipated Game Boy Advance in Japan on March 21. The portable powerhouse debuts in the U.S. on June 11, and sells one million units in six weeks. Following the success of the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo launches the Nintendo GameCube home video game console in Japan on September 14. The U.S. launch on November 18 smashes previous U.S. sales records, becoming the fastest-selling next generation hardware system.

Victorinox***********Worldwide presence is the distinguishing characteristic of the pocket tools from Victorinox. To stay ahead as market leader the Swiss knife maker surprises the market every year with new innovations. Over the many years since its establishment in 1884 the company has also written a turbulent history.

In the 19th century Switzerland was still one of the poorest countries in Europe. Unemployment forced many Swiss to emigrate. Confronted with this situation, the cutler Karl Elsener, son of a hat maker, wanted to create jobs. However, since he did not wish to build a factory, he founded the Swiss Cutlers’ Association, with the objective of cooperating to produce within Switzerland the knives for the soldiers of the Swiss army. The first delivery to the Swiss army was made in 1891. Some 25 fellow cutlers participated, but gave up after only a year because a German firm could produce knives more cheaply in its industrialized plant in Solingen than was possible for Swiss craftsmen working by hand. Only the initiator, Karl Elsener, persevered, but lost all his money in the process. Relatives came to his rescue and gained a delay with creditors to avoid bankruptcy. Later, following the success of his “Officer’s Knife”, he voluntarily repaid all his creditors with full interest. Under the circumstances prevailing at that time, for a craftsman to build up a factory using industrial methods was an adventurous undertaking, and required almost superhuman determination.

The soldier’s knife was very robust but relatively heavy. Karl Elsener therefore developed a lighter and more elegant knife for officers, which had even more functions. He called this new model of pocket knife, which had only two springs for six tools, the “Officer’s and Sports Knife”. He had it legally registered on June 12, 1897. However, unlike the soldier’s knife, the “Officer’s Knife” did not become part of the army’s official

equipment – which is why Victorinox writes the name “Officer’s Knife” in quotation marks. Nevertheless, this did not hinder its success. Army officers bought the knife themselves at cutlery stores, and this versatile pocket tool rapidly became a favorite everywhere. More and more interest was received from abroad. After the Second World War the PX stores of the US Army, Marines, and Air Force sold large numbers of the “Swiss Army Knife” to US officers and soldiers.

Over the years further useful features were built into the practical multi-tool, and improvements were made in their functioning. Today, the “Officer’s Knife” is available from stock in more than 100 different variations and combinations. The flagship of the series is the “Swiss-Champ” with 33 features. It consists of 64 individual parts, weighs only 185 grams, and fits easily in the hand. More than 450 steps are required in its manufacture. The New York Museum of Modern Art, and the State Museum of Applied Art in Munich, have each on their own initiative selected it for inclusion in their collections of excellence in design. Many well-known international companies use the original “Swiss Army Knife” as a symbol of quality and versatility in their own advertising. Time and again, poor-quality imitations of the Victorinox “Officer’s Knife” are made abroad. These imitations have frequently even included the Swiss cross, a practice which has required intervention by Swiss embassies, or legal proceedings, to prevent. The “Swiss Army Knife” even orbits the earth as part of the official equipment of space shuttle crews. US presidents since Lyndon B. Johnson present guests to the White House with Victorinox pocket knives. A special highlight came in 1997 when President George Bush, and his wife Barbara, honored the factory in Ibach with a visit.

The knife has been successfully put to the test on expeditions to the arctic ice of the North Pole, on the highest peak on earth, Mount Everest, in the tropical rain forests of the Amazon, and elsewhere, and in situations of extreme danger and great need it has even proved to be a lifesaver.

With 1,000 employees, Victorinox is the largest employer in the Canton of Schwyz, and the largest cutlery factory in Europe. Approximately 34,000 “Swiss Army Knives” (100 different models) and 38,000 other pocket tools (300 different models) as well as 30,000 household, kitchen and professional knives are produced daily in Ibach. 90% of production is exported to over 100 countries. For an unbroken period of more than 100 years Victorinox has been the supplier of soldier’s knives to the Swiss army. After the death of his mother in 1909, founder Karl Elsener chose her first name, Victoria, as the company’s brand name. When stainless steel was introduced in Ibach following its invention in 1921, the term «Inox» (the international designation for stainless steel) was added to Victoria, and the present-day brand and company name of Victorinox was created from the combination of these two words.

JACK DANIELES****************

In the early 1800s, when Tennessee was still a wilderness, Joseph Daniel and his family settled in Franklin Country. The Motlow family, headed by Agnes Motlow, a revolutionary War widow, settled in adjacent Lincoln Country, Joseph's son, Calaway, and his wife, Lucinda Cook, had ten children, one of them Jasper Newton Daniel, who became known as "Jack". Jack's sister, Finetta, eventually married Felix Motlow, and thus the names Motlow and Daniel became entwined in history.

Jack Daniel was very young when his mother died. His father remarried, and with so many brothers and sisters, there was little attention left for jack, and he left home to live with a neighbor, Felix Waggoner. At the age of seven, he went to work for Dan Call, a preacher who also made whiskey and sold it at his store. Jack Daniel worked very hard for Dan Call, and proved himself an apt student. He took a particular interest in the whiskey-making operation and learned it so well that Dan Call made him a full partner. Eventually, Dan Call began to feel that he needed to give his ministry his full attention, and he sold the entire business to Jack Daniel, who was 13 at the time.

Jack Daniel was set on making the best whiskey possible. He made his whiskey mostly from corn, with rye and barley malt. The old "yeasting back" process was used, which required the retention of a portion of the mash from the previous run, in order to start a new batch. This is often referred to as the "sour mash" batch. He also insisted on using an old leaching process that had traditionally been used in Lincoln County to smooth the newly-made whiskey after it came from the still. It took an additional ten-to-twelve days for whiskey to "leach" through the vats packed with charcoal, but Jack Daniel thought it was well worth the time and effort. No one knows for sure where the idea of "charcoal mellowing" began, but it was known as the "The Old Lincoln County Process," and Lincoln County whiskey was considered to be the finest made.

As the fame of his whiskey spread, Jack Daniel searched for an abundant source of limestone water. He found it flowing from a cave spring in a hollow near Lynchburg. Iron free and always flowing at 56 degree Fahrenheit, this water source has proven to be ideal in making the unique whiskey from Jack Daniel's Hollow. This water, plus the special charcoal mellowing process, set Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey apart from all others.

In the early 1860s, the Federal Government began its plan to regulate and tax all whiskey-making operations, and 1866, the Jack Daniel Distillery became the first registered distillery in America.

Since Jack Daniel never married and didn't have any children, he took his favourite nephew, Lem Motlow, under his wing. Lem had a head for numbers and was soon doing all the distillery's bookkeeping. In 1907, due to failing health, Jack Daniel gave the distillery to his nephew, Lem, and his cousin, Dick Daniel. (Dick later sold his share to Lem) A few years earlier, Jack Daniel had lost his temper and kicked the old safe in his office. At first he suffered only a mild limp, but it got progressively worse. Eventually, gangrene set in, and six years after the original incident, jack Daniel died.

Lem was a very good businessman, and he was known to be a very fair and generous man. When prohibition closed all the distilleries, Lem went into the mule business and started a mule auction. Lynchburg became one of the largest mule trading centers in the south. The mule business thrived until after the First World War

In 1938, some years after the repeal of prohibition, Lem resumed operations at the Lynchburg Distillery and continued until 1942, when the Government banned all whiskey making for the duration of World War II. While the Government lifted its ban on whiskey making in 1946, a provision remained allowing only inferior grades of grain to be used. Lem Motlow, unwilling to compromise the quality of his whiskey, refused to resume operation until 1947, when the restriction was lifted and the fines grains obtainable could be utilized.

In 1947, Lem Motlow died, passing the distillery on to his four sons, Reagor, Robert, Daniels Evans (also known as Hap) and Connor. The Motlow brothers, while increasing production, always remained faithful to the tradition of quality set down by Jack Daniel and their father. Mr. Jacks's slogan "Every day we make it, we'll make it the best we can," remains the goal of the distillery today. Reagor, first born, and always General Manager under his father's guiding hand, assumed the position of President. He, along with Hap, Robert and Connor, became known as the "shirt-sleeve brothers" of Tennessee whiskey fame.

The times were changing as was the tax situation. In the 1950s, a tax of $10.50 for each gallon of whiskey in storage had to be paid upfront before the whiskey was sold. This was a huge sum, and since whiskey is a product of undetermined value, it would have had a devastating effect on all the Motlows if the price dropped. Also, as the distillery was family owned and the stock was "undivided," if a member of the motlow family were to die, there would be a very complicated inheritance tax problem.

For these reason, the Motlows decided to change the financial structure of the distillery, and in 1956, sold out to the Brown-Forman Company of Louisville, Kentucky. The Brown family, like the Motlows, respect the quality, tradition and time honored methods of making whiskey so carefully laid down by Mr. Jack Daniel himself, nearly 140 years ago.

WRIGLEYS*********William Wrigley Jr. came to Chicago from Philadelphia in the spring of 1891. He was 29 years old, had $32 in his pocket and unlimited enthusiasm and energy. He also had great talent as a salesman.

His father was a soap manufacturer, and at the start of his new business in Chicago, Mr. Wrigley sold Wrigley's Scouring Soap. As an extra incentive to merchants, Mr. Wrigley offered premiums. He knew his customers would be more likely to carry Wrigley's soap

if they received a little "something for nothing." One of these premiums was baking powder. When baking powder proved to be more popular than soap, he switched to the baking powder business. Then one day in 1892, Mr. Wrigley got the idea of offering two packages of chewing gum with each can of baking powder. The offer was a big success. Once again the premium - chewing gum - seemed more promising than the product it was supposed to promote.

At that time, there were at least a dozen chewing gum companies in the United States, but the industry was relatively undeveloped. Mr. Wrigley decided that chewing gum was the product with the potential he had been looking for, so he began marketing it under his own name. His first two brands were Lotta and Vassar. Juicy Fruit gum came next in 1893, and Wrigley's Spearmint was introduced later that same year. Getting a foothold in the chewing gum business was not easy. Several times the young company was on the verge of going under, but hard work overcame the difficulties, and the business forged ahead. In the very early days, William Wrigley Jr. personally did much of the selling to the trade. He had a gift for seeing his customers' point of view and accommodating himself to their needs. As the company grew, Mr. Wrigley showed an unusual knack for inspiring enthusiasm in the people who worked with him.

Mr. Wrigley was also one of the pioneers in the use of advertising to promote the sale of branded merchandise. He saw that consumer acceptance of Wrigley's gum could be built faster by telling people about the benefits of the product through newspaper and magazine ads, outdoor posters and other forms of advertising. Then, as more and more consumers began to ask for and buy Wrigley's chewing gum in the stores, the storekeeper would naturally want to keep a sufficient stock of Wrigley brands on hand.

As the company continued to grow, it steadfastly applied this basic principle: "Even in a little thing like a stick of gum, quality is important."

GOOD YEAR*********Looking back, the founding of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in 1898 seems especially remarkable, for the beginning was anything but auspicious. The 38-year-old founder, Frank Seiberling, purchased the company's first plant with a $3,500 down payment — using money he borrowed from a brother-in-law. The rubber and cotton that were the lifeblood of the industry had to be transported from halfway around the world, to a landlocked town that had only limited rail transportation. Even the man the company's name memorialized, Charles Goodyear, had died penniless 30 years earlier despite his discovery of vulcanization after a long and courageous search.

Yet the timing couldn't have been better. The bicycle craze of the 1890s was booming. The horseless carriage, some ventured to call it the automobile, was a wide-open challenge. Even the depression of 1893 was beginning to fade. So on August 29, 1898, Goodyear was incorporated with a capital stock of $100,000.

David Hill, who purchased $30,000 of stock, became the first president. But it was the dynamic and visionary founder, hard-driving Frank Seiberling, who chose the name and determined the distinctive winged-foot trademark that remains an integral part of the Goodyear signature, a symbolic link with the company's historic past.

With just 13 workers, Goodyear production began on Nov. 21, 1898, with a product line of bicycle and carriage tires, horseshoe pads and — fitting the gamble Seiberling was making — poker chips. The first recorded payroll amounted to $217.86 based on the prevailing wage of 13 to 25 cents an hour for a 10-hour day. After the first full month of business, sales amounted to $8,246. Since the first bicycle tire in 1898, Goodyear pedaled its way toward becoming the world's largest tire company, a title it earned in 1916 when it adopted the slogan "More people ride on Goodyear tires than on any other kind," becoming the world's largest rubber company in 1926.

Today, Goodyear measures sales in excess of $14 billion, although it took 53 years before the company reached the first billion-dollar-year milestone. The company has about 100,000 associates worldwide. And it all began in a converted strawboard factory on the banks of the Little Cuyahoga River in Akron, Ohio. Spanning the years, through all of those yesterdays, a legion of firsts and facts and figures appears that reflects, in the highlights that follow, the making of a company.

Origin of Wingfoot as the Goodyear Symbol

The responsibility for the adoption of the Wingfoot symbol, known today in every civilized country on earth, rests to a great extent with Frank Seiberling, the founder and for many years president of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

In the old Seiberling home in Akron, on a newel post of the stairway there stood a statue of the famous god of mythology known to the ancient Romans as Mercury, and to the Greeks as Hermes. Mr. Seiberling's attention was attracted to the statue, and he felt that the god it portrayed embodied many of the characteristics for which Goodyear products were known. A meeting to discuss the idea of suitable trademark was held at the Seiberling home in August 1900. Something distinctively Goodyear was needed to distinguish it from other companies. Among the sketches prepared for the meeting at Mr. Seiberling's suggestion was one using the winged foot of Mercury.

Everyone present agreed that this should be the symbol for the company, with the Wingfoot to be set in the middle of the word "Goodyear." The original Wingfoot, however, was much larger in relation to the word "Goodyear" than the one in use today. Mercury in ancient times was the god of trade and commerce; but it was as a swift messenger for all the gods of mythology that he was best known, and as such he has continued to be known through the centuries. The idea of speed had much to do with Goodyear's selection of the symbol, for the wingfooted Mercury was regarded as a fleet herald of good news. But it is as a herald or carrier of good tidings to users of Goodyear products everywhere that the Wingfoot now stands in the minds of the people of the world.

blaupunkt***********For more than 60 years, generations of car enthusiasts have regarded Blaupunkt (pronounced as Blaow-poonkt) as a symbol of quality, innovation and performance. The name, which means "blue dot" in German, refers to the quality control mark used by inspectors to identify the best products of the original Ideal Radio Factory. When customers began asking for radios with the "blau punkt," the name stuck.

With more than 75 years behind the company, the origin of Blaupunkt can be dated to November 17, 1923, when Ottmar Voelk, Alfred Daeschner and Alfons Geister founded a company called Ideal-Radiotelefon und Apparatefabrik GMBH in Germany. Their aim: to be in the forefront of technology that was slowly edging into Germany. Berlin Radio had broadcast its very first program only three weeks before.

The first radios were "detector sets" which needed earphones. As a symbol of quality, 'Ideal' headsets sported a quality control mark with a 'Blaupunkt'. With time, more and more customers started to ask for radios with the 'Blaupunkt' and the trademark Blaupunkt was born. In 1932, the first Blaupunkt (and World's First) Car Radio was created.

As the car multimedia division of The Robert Bosch Corporation, Blaupunkt's products represent the finest examples of German attention to high performance, craftsmanship and ergonomic detail. Sixty-two years ago, the company made its first car radio. To prove its durability, the vacuum-tube unit was installed in a car and driven across the Sahara desert -- no easy trip even today. In the years that followed, Blaupunkt has left many marks on the mobile communications industry: the first FM car radio, the first FM stereo car radio, the first remote control car radio, the first in-car CD player, the first data-bus operated car stereo, the first RDS car radio, the first fiber-optic linked CD changer, the first car stereo amplifier with built-in all-source noise reduction, and the first tuner timer.

Blaupunkt Milestones

1923 Foundation of 'IDEAL Radio Telefon Apparatefabrik GmbH' (Later called Blaupunkt)

1932 First "Blaupunkt Autosuper" 1951 First FM Car Radio 1969 World's first Car Stereo - Car Radio "Frankfurt" 1974 Introduction of the Traffic Information System (ARI) 1980 First Cassette Car Stereo with Microcomputer and Digital Tuning 1983 First Car Stereo with integrated CD- Player - Presented in International Berlin Fair (IFA) 1986 Shock Proof Memory System

1987 First Car Radio with Release Panel (Detachable Face) 1988 First Radio Data System (RDS) Radio - "Montreux RDR 48" 1990 First Keycard Car Radio 1994 New technological platform from Blaupunkt - Car Entertainment with TV/ Video and Navigation System 1997 World's First Radiophone - "Amsterdam TCM 127" 1999 100th million Blaupunkt car Radio sold

DOMINOS **********Thomas S. Monaghan began Domino's Pizza with one store in Ypsilanti, Michigan, when he and his brother James purchased (for $900) an existing pizza store called Dominick's Pizza on December 9, 1960. At the time, Thomas Mohaghan was only interested earning enough money to attend the University of Michigan School of Architecture, a burning ambition of his at the young age of 23. Eager to make money to pursue his academics, he soon found himself absorbed in the pizza business and immediately began to make improvements. Although a novice in terms of pizzamaking skills and knowledge of the industry, Mohaghan had the self-determination to get the job done and to do it better than anyone else.

Struggling through the first five years of business, Mohaghan slowly began to fine-tune his operations into what has now evolved into the company's operating standards. Having dissolved his partnership with his brother, James, in 1961, and later with a second partner in 1964, and undergoing countless financial setbacks and roadblocks along the way, Monaghan managed to persevere. On August 25, 1962, Monaghan married Marge Zybach and she played an integral role in turning the small company's debt around. By 1965, Monaghan officially changed the company name to Domino's Pizza, Inc., which consisted of three stores located in Ypsilanti, Mt. Pleasant, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Monaghan knew he could make a go of the business; all he needed was to consistently make great pizzas fast and safely deliver them to the customer's door

Focusing on every aspect of the business, Monaghan began a process of continuously finding better and faster ways to conduct daily operations. A pioneer and innovator in the pizza delivery industry, he developed a fast pizza-making method and an efficient order taking system. From the moment the phone rang to the time the pizza was delivered to the customer's door, Monaghan stressed the need for hustle. Whether he had one pizza to make or 100, every order was treated as though it was a rush order. "Never get behind" was the operating motto. Even though delivery drivers were instructed to abide by the traffic laws at all times, once they got out of their delivery vehicles they were to run to the customer's house, ensuring a piping hot pizza.

Capitalizing on the success he had found in his three stores servicing college campuses, Monaghan adapted the same successful system at Michigan State University in 1967. A massive pizza-craving population of more than 20,000 students living on one campus, offering one size of pizza with only six toppings to choose from and introducing the

company's 30 minute delivery pledge soon made this store the company's biggest money maker. This store is also notable because it solidified in Monaghan's mind the need to expand. Monaghan sold his first franchise to Charles Gray on April 1, 1967, after personally training Gray for the job himself. All seemed to be going well for Domino's as profits were on the rise and the company's debt was quickly diminishing. However, on February 8, 1968, the company's central office and commissary were destroyed by fire.

Having suffered tens of thousands of dollars of damage in inventory loss, irreplaceable documents and having inadequate insurance, Monaghan recouped only $13,600 in losses. Nevertheless, Monaghan believed in himself and everything he was doing and he pushed the company forward and triumphed again. Quickly assigning dough and product preparation steps throughout his stores, Domino's Pizza never missed a beat when it came to servicing its customers. The Company opened five more stores that year, as well as signing the first franchise outside the state of Michigan to Steve Litwhiler, who opened a store in Burlington, Vermont. By the end of 1969, Domino's Pizza, Inc. consisted of 42 stores reporting an estimated $8.1 million in total sales. However, its financial problems had become rampant as Monaghan faced $1.5 million of debt owed to more than 1,500 creditors, resulting in nearly 200 lawsuits by the start of 1970.

Monaghan lost control of the company to the banks only to have it returned to him 10 months later in worse condition than when they had taken it over. Having suffered much damage both externally and internally, Monaghan and his wife managed to salvage what was left of the company and once again took off in pursuit of their dreams. Rebuilding the trust of his creditors and the company's reputation, Monaghan spent much of his time visiting his stores in Michigan and Ohio, talking with store managers and team members, stressing on the importance of the Domino's system of simplicity and speed. Although several lawsuits remained and debt still loomed, Domino's Pizza was definitely on the rise again.

This hard-working group and their peers were crucial to the company's revival and paving the way for future success. Ten years later Monaghan's vision of promoting from within to build the best company with the best people paid off as 92% of Domino's Pizza franchisees had started their careers in the company at entry-level jobs. Maintaining his persistence on making training a top priority, a week-long new employee orientation program was developed as Monaghan toured the country visiting stores. After a decade and a half of 16 hour shifts and endless obstacles to overcome, Monaghan and Domino's Pizza were finally running smoothly. Amounting to nearly 100 stores and $20.4 million in sales by the end of 1974, it appeared the company had made the turn and was now on a steady course for continued growth. And then, on November 27, Monaghan received a letter from Amstar Corp. which had been using the trademark "Domino" since 1900 and demanded that he change his company's name. With nearly 100 stores nationwide and a growing public recognition and acceptance, Domino's Pizza was being told to return to the starting gate. Things complicated further when Amstar followed up with a suit against Domino's Pizza for trademark infringement, which resulted in a loss of several franchisees. However, Monaghan ignored these adversities and went about refocusing on business and nurturing franchisees. Initially, Monaghan only had the support of his wife

Marge to count on, but with time quality people who shared Monaghan's dream came on board one by one. People such as accountant and later franchisee Jerry V. Kolassa Sr.; attorneys Townsend Beaman, Robert Ulrich and Laurence W. Sperling. Offering moral and financial support, these people had made a commitment to Domino's Pizza. Even in the bleakest hours, they stuck to that commitment. As Charter members of the DPI team, they shared fully with Monaghan in the excitement as the company began to prosper.

In 1981, Domino's Pizza officially entered a new realm of success. After 20 years of Zigzagging on a route of black roads and annoying detours, the company had finally taken off. In the year's biggest move, Domino's Pizza decentralized its operations, a strategy that strengthened the company from coast to coast. The 400th and 500th stores opened for business in the year 1981, bringing the year's end total store count to 582 outlets in 42 states with sales of $179 million. The commissary system experienced extensive growth at this time under Vlcek, totaling 22 operations. This subsidiary also took on the responsibility of supervising the Equipment & Supply Division of the Company.

With the support of the promote-from within policy, franchising also continued to thrive. In fact, by this time, most of the company's growth came from its strong franchise base, and the majority of the franchisees were from the internal ranks. They were either existing store owners adding to their store count or other Domino's Pizza employees who reached their franchising goal after working their way up from entry-level jobs. Opportunity kept the Domino's Pizza team motivated and highly productive. There was something big waiting for everybody who was willing to work for it. Monaghan often referred to his franchisees as the very heart of the company and time and time again they have proven this to be true. With their energy, dedication and financial investment, they would help bring Domino's Pizza to a level of success beyond what Monaghan had ever imagined possible

BACARDI********In 1862 Don Facundo Bacardi Massó purchased a small tin-roofed distillery for 3,500 pesos in Santiago de Cuba. The distillery contained a copper and cast-iron alembic used for the distillation of rum. It was also home to a colony of fruit bats that resided in the rafters. In order for his rums to become identifiable and sell, his wife, Doña Amalia suggested the use of the Bat Device as the symbol for his rums. Shortly thereafter, his creation became known by the populace as 'el ron del murcielago,' the rum of the bat.

On that momentous day, a very symbolic act took place. Don Facundo's second son, Facundo M., planted a Coconut palm in front of the distillery to symbolize the birth of rum, as we know it. During the early years, as the Company struggled to survive during Cuba's Ten Years War for Independence, the distillery grew around the palm and Don Facundo continued perfecting his proprietary charcoal-mellowing, blending, and aging techniques.

Shortly after winning the first of thirty medals in the Madrid Fair of 1877, Don Facundo retired and entrusted the Company to his eldest son Emilio and the secret rum formula to his second son Facundo M.. While Emilio excelled in business, politics, and in the arts, it was Facundo who continued to perfect his father's experimentation with rum production. During the 1890's, Don Facundo's third son, José, opened a sales office in the city of Havana. Shortly thereafter, in 1898 after the defeat of the Spanish in the Spanish-American War, the Company's popularity grew with the invention of two new drinks: the Daiquirí, by American Mining Engineer Jennings S. Cox, and the Original Cuba Libre ? BACARDI rum and COCA-COLA ? by the U.S. Signal Corps in Havana.

In the following decades Emilio Bacardi expanded the Company to Spain, the United States and built a new distillery in Santiago de Cuba. After his death, with the onset of Prohibition in the United States, his brother-in-law, Henri Schueg, completed the Art Deco 'Edificio Bacardi de la Habana.' The building attracted American tourists in large numbers who flocked to consume BACARDI Cocktails, Piña Coladas, and Mojitos.

In 1927, Henri Schueg diversified the Company into HATUEY beer and continued to expand Bacardi to Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United States. After his death, his son-in-law, José M. "Pepín" Bosch, was elected as the fourth president of Compañía Ron Bacardi S.A.. Pepín Bosch continued his father-in-law's expansion by building state-of-the-art facilities in both Mexico and Puerto Rico. Mid-way during the construction of a new facility in Recife, Brazil, on October 14, 1960, Cuba's totalitarian regime illegally seized Compañía Ron Bacardi S.A.'s assets ? 76 million ? in Cuba. Shortly beforehand, the Coconut palm planted in 1862 withered and died.

From 1960 onwards the Bacardi company's growth was nothing short of remarkable. Having had left Cuba, the Family built new facilities in the Bahamas, Canada, the United States, and Spain. By the mid 1970's, BACARDI rum had become the largest selling premium spirits brand in the United States and shortly thereafter in the world.

In the 1990's the Bacardi company was consolidated into Bacardi Limited with its headquarters in Hamilton, Bermuda. The Company also launched BACARDI Limón, one of the most successful new premium spirits brand of all time. During the nineties Bacardi Limited also embarked on the most monumental steps forward in its history by acquiring MARTINI vermouth, DEWAR'S scotch whiskey, and BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin. These purchases propelled Bacardi Limited to the position of one of the top five spirits companies in the world.

Today, Bacardi Limited remains the only major privately held Spirits Company, with more than 6,000 dedicated employees, and sales in excess of 60 million cases per year in 170 nations. After six generations of Don Facundo's descendants being directly involved in the business, Bacardi takes pride in its position as the producer of "The world's great rums since 1862."

BOSE

********Today, we can hear Bose wherever quality sound is important. From the Olympic games to the Sistine Chapel. From NASA space shuttles to the Japan National Theatre. In the home and on the road, from large outdoor arenas to intimate neighborhood stores and restaurants, we can hear the realism of the most respected name in sound - Bose. Bose believes that audio products exist to provide music for everyone, everywhere-that music, not equipment, is the ultimate benefit.

Bose Corporation was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar G. Bose, professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While doing graduate work at MIT in the 1950s, Dr. Bose decided to purchase a new stereo system. He was disappointed to find that speakers with impressive technical specifications failed to reproduce the realism of a live performance. This led to extensive research in the fields of speaker design and psychoacoustics - the human perception of sound.

Dr. Bose's findings resulted in significantly new design concepts that help deliver the emotional impact of live music. His investigation of the relationship between reproduced sound as perceived by people and sound as measured by electronic instruments led to the development of new audio technologies that he patented.

MIT encouraged Dr. Bose to start his own company and create products based on his patents, which he has done with great success. Bose Corporation established itself by introducing the 901® Direct/Reflecting® speaker system in 1968. With this introduction, Bose achieved international acclaim by setting a new standard for lifelike sound reproduction. The list of major technologies emerging from Bose continues to grow. Fourteen years of research led to the development of acoustic waveguide speaker technology, found in our award-winning Wave® radio and Acoustic Wave® music systems. The introduction of Acoustimass® speaker technology reshaped conventional thinking about the relationship between speaker size and sound. Speakers small enough to fit in the palm of your hand produced sound quality previously thought impossible from small speakers.

Today, in addition to his position as chairman and technical director of Bose Corporation, Dr. Bose retains his MIT faculty appointment as professor of electrical engineering and computer science. He teaches acoustics, and supervises graduate and undergraduate thesis students.

Sherwin Greenblatt, an MIT electrical engineering student with Dr. Bose in the early 1960s, was the company's first employee and is today company president.

DR PEPPER***********Like its flavor, the origin of Dr Pepper is out-of-the-ordinary. Charles Alderton, a young pharmacist working at Morrison's store, is believed to be the inventor of the now famous drink. Alderton spent most of his time mixing up medicine for the people of Waco, but in

his spare time he liked to serve carbonated drinks at the soda fountain. He loved the way the drug store smelled, with all of the fruit syrup flavor smells mixing together in the air. He decided to to create a drink that tasted like that smell. He kept a journal, and after numerous experiments he finally hit upon a mixture of fruit syrups that he liked.

To test his new drink, he first offered it to store owner Morrison, who also found it to his liking. After repeated sample testing by the two, Alderton was ready to offer his new drink to some of the fountain customers. They liked it as well. Other patrons at Morrison's soda fountain soon learned of Alderton's new drink and began ordering it by asking him to shoot them a "Waco." Morrison is credited with naming the drink "Dr Pepper" (the period was dropped in the 1950s). However, the origin for the name is unclear.

Dr Pepper gained such widespread consumer favor that other soda fountain operators in Waco began buying the syrup from Morrison and serving it. This soon presented a problem for Alderton and Morrison. They could no longer produce enough at their fountain to supply the demand.

Robert S. Lazenby, a young beverage chemist, had also tasted the new drink and he, too, was impressed. Alderton, the inventor, was primarily interested in pharmacy work and had no designs on the drink. He suggested that Morrison and Lazenby develop it further. Morrison and Lazenby were impressed with the growth of Dr Pepper. In 1891, they formed a new firm, the Artesian Mfg. & Bottling Company, which later became Dr Pepper Company. Lazenby and his son-in-law, J.B. O'Hara moved the company from Waco to Dallas in 1923. In 1904, Lazenby and O'Hara introduced Dr Pepper to almost 20 million people attending the 1904 World's Fair Exposition in St. Louis. The exposition was the setting for more than one major product debut. Hamburgers and hot dogs were first served on buns at the exposition, and the ice cream cone was introduced.

From 1910 to 1914, Dr Pepper was identified with the slogan, "King of Beverages." "Old Doc," a typical country doctor character with monocle and top hat, became the Dr Pepper trademark character in the 1920s and 1930s. Dr Pepper's slogan in the 1950s was "the friendly Pepper-Upper," which led the brand into the 1960s when it became associated with rock and roll music and on Dick Clark's American Bandstand TV show.

With changing times came changing slogans. To broaden its appeal across the nation, Dr Pepper hailed itself as "the most misunderstood soft drink," and then in the 1970s became "the most original soft drink ever in the whole wide world." In 1977, Dr Pepper advertising was marked by the famous "Be a Pepper" campaign, and today Dr Pepper's slogan is "Be You."

ADIDAS*******From his humble beginnings as a cobbler in Herzogenaurach, Germany, adidas founder Adolph Dassler built one of the world's most popular brands of sports shoes and apparel.

Growing up in economically handicapped, post World War I Germany, Adolph, nicknamed Adi, joined his family in making and selling homemade house slippers to put food on the table. Adi's sister marked chalk patterns on leftover military bags, while Adi glued, sewed and nailed the shoes together. During these years, Adi Dassler received his first training in the craft of making shoes.

An avid soccer player, Dassler began producing training shoes in 1920 when he was only 20 years old. He later began to manufacture soccer, tennis and running shoes. To ensure that each shoe would be both safe and performance enhancing, Dassler used his own athletic experience and the input of doctors, trainers and coaches and other athletes to guide the design of his shoes.

As his experience grew, so did his reputation. Dassler became widely known as the "equipment manager of the world." His shoes were first worn in Olympic competition in 1928, and from then on he worked with everyone from Olympic athletes to national soccer teams. Some of history's greatest athletic performances are in debt to Dassler and his work. Jesse Owens wore adidas track shoes, during his spectacular Olympic performance in 1936, where he earned four gold medals. And Armin Hary was the first athlete to run the 100-m sprint in 10 seconds, also wearing adidas shoes. In 1949, Dassler created the first soccer shoe with molded rubber studs, adopting the trademark three stripes. The German National team triumphed in the 1954 World Cup wearing adidas soccer boots with screw-in studs, which enabled the game to be played under vastly different conditions without slipping. Hundreds of world records, Olympic medals, and World Cup victories stand as a testament to Adi Dassler's life work.

One of Dassler's goals in producing athletic shoes was to design them according to each sport's specific demands. Dassler's drive to fulfill this goal resulted in more than 700 patents. His long list of sport shoe innovations includes nylon soles and running spikes. He considered any material that might enhance the performance of his shoes. Dassler experimented with sharkskin as a sole material and kangaroo skin for the sides of his shoes.

Whatever the athlete's needs, Dassler took them into consideration when designing a shoe. Gold medals, world records and personal athletic accomplishments are the true testaments to Dassler's shoes and the effectiveness of Adi's innovations. Recognizing the genius of Dassler's work, the American Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame inducted Dassler in 1978 as its first non-American member. Today the world refers to Dassler as the founder of the modern sporting goods industry.

Today, the legacy of the Dassler family lives on in the design and manufacture of contemporary adidas products. The same meticulous attention is paid to athletes' evolving needs. adidas keeps abreast of sport technology, incorporating the most advanced materials into its shoes and apparel to ensure performance and safety. And the company's aggressive marketing strategy is aimed at communicating adidas quality to as large and athletic an audience as possible. Though times and technologies have changed, the goal

of adidas today is the same as Adi Dassler's nearly 80 years ago: to be the best sports brand in the world.

The Adidas Logo

The "Trefoil" was adopted as the corporate logo in 1972. It represents the heritage and history of the brand. In 1996, it was decided that the Trefoil would only be used on heritage products. Examples of products featuring the Trefoil logo include the Stan Smith, Rod Laver, A-15 Warm-Up, and Classic T-Shirt.

The adidas Equipment line was launched in 1991. This line of footwear and apparel represents the most unique and functional of adidas products. Equipment is the ultimate expression of what is uniquely possible by design when form follows function.

In January 1996, the Three-Stripes brandmark became the worldwide adidas corporate logo. This logo represents performance and the future of the adidas brand. This logo is used in all advertising, printed collateral and corporate signage.

ATLOIDS*********Altoids, as many people know, were first produced in England at the turn of the 19th century which was during the reign of King George the III. Smith & Company, a small London firm established in 1780, developed the original recipe. Smith & Co. promoted Altoids as a "stomach calamative" that would relieve intestinal discomfort. The firm was later bought by Callard & Bowser, an English confectioner established in 1837.

The first owners of Smith & Co. and Callard & Bowser were devout members of the Anglican Church. (Callard & Bowser-Suchard traces its roots back to a time in the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland when sweets were handmade in small batches by local confectioners who created their own unique specialties). It is, therefore, not surprising that they developed a method of liturgical Altoid consumption. The owners, their employees and the consumers of their products were all known to have participated in this tradition.

The Wintergreen and Cinnamon varieties of Altoids were manufactured well into the first part of the 20th century. Due to financial concerns these Altoids were discontinued shortly before Altoids introduced in the United States in 1918. It is only recently that these varieties of mints have been "reissued," allowing the tradition of Liturgical Altoid Consumption to continue as it did in the time of King George III.

***********Renowned by connoisseurs around the world, Chivas Regal sets the standard of excellence for all distilled spirits and is without question the best of the Scottish blends. This legendary whisky had its origins in the hands of two young brothers of the Chivas

family... James and John Chivas had ten brothers and sisters and, as so many younger sons of large families have done throughout history, they abandoned the countryside for the excitement and opportunities of city life. In 1836, the brothers walked the twenty miles from their home to Aberdeen, Scotland's great city port. John started work in a clothing warehouse and soon rose to prominence. James became an assistant in William Edward's busy grocery store on Castle Street, selling fine foods, beverages, wines, and spirits. And it was here that James learned the value of giving customers high quality and superior service at keen prices. A thriving business prompted Mr. Edward to move the store to larger quarters on King Street in 1839. This would remain the company headquarters for the next 120 years.

When Mr. Edward died in 1841, James acquired the business and took a partner, Charles Stewart. Focusing on the wine and spirit side of the business, Stewart & Chivas began to bottle their own blend of Scotch whiskies. Their first brand, Royal Glen Dee, proved highly popular, and the firm's reputation as blenders of fine Scotch whiskies soon spread beyond Aberdeenshire to the United Kingdom. It was around this time that James began laying down stocks of the finest Scotch whiskies with a vision of creating the world's finest blend. During Queen Victoria's first visit to Scotland in 1842, the Royal Household requested many deliveries from the King Street shop. In 1843 this popularity was to earn James Chivas a Royal Warrant, appointing him "Purveyor of Grocery to Her Majesty." This was just the first of many Royal Warrants to be granted to the firm over the following 112 years. James Chivas dissolved his partnership with Charles Stewart in 1857, and formed Chivas Brothers with his brother John. Regrettably, John died in 1862-but the name lived on. In 1879, a branch of the shop was opened in Union Place, in the fashionable west end of Aberdeen. James schooled his eldest son Alexander in the skills and arts of the business, then made him manager of the west end branch. While the grocery shops continued to prosper, it was Chivas Brothers' blended whiskies that exceeded all expectations. New brands like Royal Strathythan 10-year-old, Magna Charta, and Loch Nevis 20-year-old were introduced, and orders flooded in from every corner of the British Empire. A Regal Creation Alexander carried forward the Chivas Brothers' philosophy of quality blending when James Chivas died in 1886. Alexander instilled all his employees with the importance of aging stocks of the best Scotch whiskies to ensure a continuing supply for the future. When Alexander died tragically at the age of 37, the business passed to Alexander's former clerk, Alexander Smith, and his partner, Charles Stewart Howard. They promptly set about creating a blend that would live up to the exceptional standards set by James Chivas nearly half a century ago. The result was possibly the world's most famous whisky-Chivas Regal.

Despite World War I and American Prohibition, Chivas Brothers continued to prosper. Not even a fire-that destroyed archives, business records, and the beautifully crafted Sampling and Private Business Rooms-could stop the company's exceptional growth. In 1936, the firm became a Limited Liability Company (Corporation in the U.S.), and registered as Chivas Brothers Ltd. But that didn't change the company's philosophy or its total commitment to quality. However, with the outbreak of World War II, which brought shortages of all kinds, rationing of food and supplies, it became necessary to stop whisky distilling for some years. Despite all this, Chivas Brothers Ltd. prevailed-thanks to the

shrewd practice James Chivas began so many years before of laying down stocks of the finest Scotch whiskies. In 1950, Chivas Brothers began the search for a secure supply of fine malt whisky. Strathisla Distillery in Keith, the oldest and most beautiful distillery in the Highlands, was the obvious choice. The distillery was purchased and now the highly praised Strathisla Single Malt Scotch Whisky is truly the heart of Chivas Regal.

It was in 1961 that three Southern Californians, George Aratani, Bill Kasuga, and Yoichi Nakase decided that what the country needed was a better stereo. Rather than building something from scratch, the three looked around to find who was already making advanced stereo equipment that they might market themselves. What they found was a Japanese corporation called Trio. Trio had a track record. Founded in 1946, they'd built Japan's first FM tuner and its first all-transistor amplifier, and plenty of other respected stereo equipment. A deal was made, and soon the three were importing and marketing their new line, which they decided to call Kenwood. What neither could have guessed was just how successful the upstart Los Angeles company would become. Within a few years Kenwood was making the most popular receiver in the country, and by 1986 the Kenwood name was so well known that the Trio corporation in Japan changed its name to Kenwood worldwide. That combination of ambition and engineering excellence has characterized Kenwood ever since. Dozens of groundbreaking products came to market because of the company's unusual way of developing products, with the American side discovering what people wanted and the engineers in Japan designing and building it. Thus, Kenwood built the first audio/video amplifier for home theater way back in 1981 and the first anti-theft car cassette deck that could be slid out of the dash.

Kenwood tries to pay attention to what people want, not just what is possible to build. For example, Kenwood developed the Stage 3 products after spending three years listening to what people said about home theater. What they wanted was an easier way to control their system. Another exciting achievement was the creation of MASK, the world's first self-hiding car stereo.

In the meantime, Kenwood continued to improve and invent technologies that made their products sound or work better. Like DRIVE, a circuit that all but eliminates digital distortion, DualMag car speakers, which use two opposing magnets to increase accuracy, and K-STAT, the world's only output transistor with built-in heat sensors, which significantly reduces distortion and improves musical detail. Today, Kenwood products are distributed in over 120 countries around the world, and Kenwood USA markets more than 250 products.

volkswagen*********The story of Volkswagen, the car as famous for its appearance as it is for its advertising, is strongly intertwined with the history of the world. The company was originally

operated by the German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront), a Nazi organization; and the legendary Ferdinand Porsche was brought in to design the car. Production was interrupted by World War II, and by the end of the war both the Volkswagen factory and the city of Wolfsburg were in ruins. Allied attempts to revive the West German auto industry after the war centered on the Volkswagen, and in little more than a decade the company was producing half of West Germany's motor vehicles.

After the Second World War, a certain Major Ivan Hirst was in charge of the Wolfsburg Factory. At the time, most of it was destroyed by allied bombing. More importantly, the machinery was also taken for war preparations. Major Hirst was clear about his goal. He wanted to revive this automobile at all costs. However, at that time, Volkswagen as a company did not even exist. It was a NAZI enterprise it was called KDF stadt. The French tried to get the British to sell the equipment to France, but that did not happen. As the chaos of post war europe went on, germans, and others migrated to the city. There was work, and some hoped food. The war produced enormous devastion throughout Europe and Asia. So what started in Wolfsburg (as the allies named it), was an indication of coming rebirth, of german industry, and western europe. It is also important to note that Wolfsburg was very close to the "Russian" zone of occupation and considered a war prize by the Russians.

So after a rough beginnning a process was developed, and the british started looking for a car company to manage the plant. At one time even contacting Ford Motor Company, and Henry Ford II came to the plant to assess it. They opinion was that the beetle and the "volkswagen" was not worth their investment. With the turnover of the factory to german management under Heinz Nordoff a new chapter was born. And thats the real beginning of the Volkswagen Corporation we know today. Exports to most parts of the world were strong, but because of the car's small size, unusual rounded appearance, and historical connections with Nazi Germany, sales in the United States were originally slow. This changed in 1959, when an American advertising agency, Doyle Dane Bernbach, began a landmark advertising campaign, dubbing the car the Beetle because of its shape and pointing to its size as an advantage to the consumer. This campaign was very successful, and for some years following, the Beetle was the leading automobile import sold in the United States. Although the company had been founded by the German government, in 1960 the state essentially denationalized it by selling 60 percent of its stock to the public. Volkswagen acquired the Audi auto company in 1965. Volkswagen and its affiliates operate plants throughout most of the world. In addition to cars, the company produces vans and minibuses, automotive parts, and industrial engines. It owns several other auto companies, including Audi in Germany and SEAT (Sociedad Espanola de Automoviles de Turismo) in Spain, and it also makes and markets cars with Fiat of Italy and Skoda of the Czech Republic.

The Volkswagen hardly changed from its original design, however, and by 1974, with increasing competition from other compact foreign cars, Volkswagen came near bankruptcy. This spurred the company to develop newer, sportier car models, among them were the Rabbit and its successor, the Golf.

ROLEX*******The history of Rolex is, to all intents and purposes, the history of the wristwatch.

Founded in London in 1905 by the Bavarian Hans Wilsdorf and his English Brother in Law William Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis; it began life as nothing more than one of hundreds of small importers buying movements, cases & dials and assembling them into finished watches. Wilsdorf's great breakthrough was deciding to specialize in wristwatches after 4 or 5 years of getting nowhere fast in making his company stand out from all the others.

Just prior to the outbreak of WW 1, Wilsdorf sent one of his watches for testing by one of the Swiss observatories, no one had ever attempted this before and his faith was rewarded with the issuing of the world's first timing certificate for a wristwatch. The following year, 1915, he submitted a watch for the famed "Kew A" test; then as now, the world's toughest timing test; 45 days later the certificate was in his hand; Rolex wristwatches had proved themselves as accurate as the world's finest pocket watches; and just in time. World War One turned out to be the market opportunity Rolex had been waiting for, officers found that a wristwatch was so much easier to use than a pocket watch in the trenches. Whilst almost all previous Rolex watches had been made for ladies (including the two watches sent for testing) now Rolex produced mainly watches in the 13 ligne size specifically for men.

By the end of the war, wristwatches were an accepted part of a man's accoutrements and no longer seen as solely for the ladies. Wilsdorf, who has never been given the credit he deserves as one of the 20th century's greatest marketers, realized that the problem with wristwatches was that being much smaller than pocket watches they were more susceptible to dust & other objects entering the case. He had experimented with screw back & front cases during WWI but he realized the problem still remained the winding button and as long as that was not hermetically sealed watches would still have difficulties. When he saw the patent for the screw down crown first proposed by Perret & Perregaux, he knew his difficulties were at an end. He bought all rights to the patent and the first "Oyster" watch was introduced in late 1926. Now he had a product that sharply differentiated his company from all others and he was determined to promote it in the best way he could.

Mercedes Gleitze was the first English woman to swim the English Channel; however there was some controversy over her swim and so she offered to do it again in the full light of publicity. Recognizing the value this would have, Wilsdorf offered a new Rolex Oyster watch to Miss Gleitze. She then wore the watch on her successful "confirmation" swim and a month later Wilsdorf launched the watch in the UK with a full page advertisement on the front cover of the Daily Mail, the first time a watch company had ever done this.

Wilsdorf had now bought out his erstwhile partner and had entered into a joint shareholding with the Aegler family of Bienne whose movements Rolex now used exclusively.

There was just one small problem with the Oyster, people had to unscrew the winding button each day in order to wind it. There were two side effects of this; sooner or later the customers would forget to screw the winder tightly again and then get water in the watch and in time the gaskets or the threads would wear out and the same result would happen.

The answer to this was found in 1931, when Emile Borer, son in law of the Aegler family and head of R&D at the Rolex Bienne factory patented the perpetual winding mechanism. Now the winder was no longer needed, except for the occasional adjustment of time, and the watch remained waterproof for much longer.

The next major invention from Rolex was the addition of a date window at 3 o'clock; this was introduced in 1945 and with it came a new model name, the Datejust. Now over 55 years later the Datejust is still in production and is probably the most recognized watch in the world.

Over the next 20 years Rolex introduced a number of major new watches, the Submariner (the world's first diving watch); the Day-Date (otherwise known as the President); the Explorer (an extra tough watch made for sportsmen) and the GMT Master (the world's first dual timezone watch). Interestingly every one of these watches has been copied by other watch firms, to say nothing of the legions of fakes of varying quality.

With the introduction of the Cosmograph Perpetual in 1988 and the Yachmaster in early 1990 Rolex has continued its tradition of innovation and conservatism. Rolex has never followed the market, rather it has always led and its leadership has been confirmed not only by the market but also by a panel of the leaders of the Watch Business, who voted the Rolex Oyster "The Watch of the Century".

ROLLS ROYCE*************Since 1907, the name of Rolls-Royce has been synonymous with refined and distinctive motor cars that have made it one of the world's most celebrated marques.

The famous Rolls-Royce badge has two interlocking letter R's and these simple initials of the founders, Sir Henry Royce and the Hon. Charles Rolls, have acquired significance as an immediately recognised symbol of quality, evoking ideals of precision, integrity and attention to fine detail.

The Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, which has adorned the motor cars since 1911, likewise identifies characteristics of Rolls-Royce with a romantic representation of elegance and craftsmanship.

What makes a Rolls-Royce motor car unique is the combination of advanced technology and timeless attention to the finest detail, creating an individually commissioned motor car which meets each and every owner's personal needs and tastes.

It is now almost a century since the first auspicious meeting took place between two men who, despite quite different backgrounds and temperaments, would combine their talents to create a motor car... and a legend.

Mr. Henry Royce, born in 1863, the son of a miller, was a well-established engineer (his Manchester-based firm, F. H. Royce & Co., manufactured cranes and dynamos) when in the spring of 1904 he was introduced to the Hon. Charles Rolls in Manchester. They had agreed to discuss an innovation for F. H. Royce & Co. - making motor cars that would be ahead of their time.

The aristocratic Hon. Charles S. Rolls, born in 1877, the son of a landowner, was noted at the time as an entrepreneur, as well as an adventurer (in Dublin in 1903 he set a world land speed record of 93mph) and a hot-air balloonist (tragically, he was destined to be one of the earliest casualties of aviation when he died in a flying accident in 1910).

Engineer Royce had focused his unquenchable enthusiasm to improve mechanical things on automobiles. He had firm views on the need for quality and a Victorian fancy for expressing his aims in stirring phrases: "Small things make perfection, but perfection is no small thing," declared Mr. Royce. "Whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble," he added. And one of his cannier observations in this vein was to note that "The quality remains long after the price is forgotten."

The Hon. Charles Rolls was hugely impressed by the precision he found in Mr. Royce's first, two-cylinder prototype. It started on the button and progressed with remarkably silent smoothness. What was more, it did not seem to break down with the regularity which was customary at the time. Charles Rolls appreciated such qualities. He was not himself a professional engineer, but he had acquired a degree in mechanical engineering at Cambridge University and was an accomplished driver. He arranged to borrow the Royce and as soon as he was back in London, rushed round to his business partner, Claude Johnson, and took him on an extended drive to show off its abilities. They were agreed that in the single-minded Mr. Royce they had found an engineering talent to take on the world.

Their first stop was France, where a pioneering Royce went on show at the Paris Salon in early December, 1904. It was a sensation and, two days before Christmas, an historic agreement was signed for Messrs C. S. Rolls and Co. to have exclusive rights to sell Royce cars in Britain, on the understanding that they should henceforth be known by a new name - Rolls-Royce.

LEVIS STRAUSS**************Levi Strauss, the inventor of the quintessential American garment - the blue jean - was born in Buttenheim, Bavaria on February 26, 1829 to Hirsch Strauss and his second wife, Rebecca Haas Strauss. Levi - named "Loeb" at birth - and his older sister Fanny were the last of the Strauss children; Hirsch succumbed to tuberculosis in 1845.

Two years after his death Rebecca, Loeb, Fanny and Mathilde emigrated to New York. There, they were met by Jonas and Louis, who had already made the journey and had started a dry goods business, called “J. Strauss Brother & Co.” Young Loeb soon began to learn the trade himself, and by 1850 he was known among his family and customers as “Levi” (in the census of that year, his name is spelled “Levy”).

When news of the California Gold Rush made its way east, Levi decided to emigrate to San Francisco to make his fortune: not by panning gold, but by selling supplies to the throngs of miners who arrived daily in the big city to outfit themselves before heading off to the gold fields. In January of 1853 he became an American citizen, and in March he arrived in bustling, noisy San Francisco, establishing a dry goods business under his own name and also serving as the West Coast representative of the family’s New York firm.

The first address where Levi conducted business in wholesale dry goods (that we know of) was at 90 Sacramento Street, and the name of his firm was simply, “Levi Strauss.” In 1856 Levi moved the business to 62 Sacramento Street and then to 63 & 65 Sacramento as its trade and reputation expanded. By this time David Stern - who was married to Levi’s sister Fanny - was associated with the firm. In 1861 the business relocated to 317 & 317 Sacramento Street, and in 1863 the company was renamed “Levi Strauss & Co.” Then in 1866 Levi moved the headquarters again, to larger quarters at 14-16 Battery Street, where it remained for the next forty years..

In 1872, Levi received a letter from Jacob Davis, a Reno, Nevada tailor. Davis was one of Levi Strauss’ regular customers; he purchased bolts of cloth from the company to use for his own business. In his letter, he told the prosperous merchant about the interesting way he made pants for his customers: he placed metal rivets at the points of strain - pocket corners, and at the base of the button fly. He didn't have the money to patent his process, so he suggested that Levi pay for the paperwork and that they take out the patent together. Levi was enthusiastic about the idea and the patent was granted to both men on May 20, 1873.

As the end of the 19th century approached, Levi stepped back from the day-to-day workings of the business, leaving it to his nephews. David Stern had died in 1874 and his four sons - Jacob, Sigmund, Louis and Abraham - came into the business over the next few years. In 1890 - the year that the lot number "501Ò" was first used to designate the denim waist overalls - Levi and his nephews officially incorporated the company, though by this time he had begun to concentrate on other business and philanthropic pursuits.

Levi had been a charter member and treasurer of the San Francisco Board of Trade since 1877. He was a director of the Nevada Bank, the Liverpool, London and Globe Insurance Company and the San Francisco Gas and Electric Company. In 1875 Levi and two associates purchased the Mission and Pacific Woolen Mills from the estate of former silver millionaire William Ralston. Much of the mill's fabric was used to make the Levi Strauss & Co. "blanket-lined" pants and coats. Levi was a contributor to the Pacific Hebrew Orphan Asylum and Home, the Eureka Benevolent Society and the Hebrew Board of Relief. In 1895 he and a number of other prominent San Franciscans provided funds to build a new railroad from San Francisco to the San Joaquin Valley (a project which unfortunately failed). And in 1897 Levi provided the funds for twenty-eight scholarships at the University of California, Berkeley.

During the week of September 22, 1902 Levi began to complain of ill health but by Friday evening the 26th, he felt well enough to attend the family dinner at the home on Leavenworth Street which he shared with Jacob Stern’s family. He awakened briefly in the night, and told the nurse in attendance that he felt "as comfortable as I can under the circumstances.” Then, peacefully, he died. His death was headline news in the Sunday, September 28 edition of the San Francisco Call. On Monday, the day of his funeral, local businesses were temporarily closed so that their proprietors could attend the services. The eulogy was read at Levi’s home by Rabbi Jacob Voorsanger of Temple Emanu-El; afterward, company employees escorted the casket to the Southern Pacific railway station, where it was transported to the Hills of Eternity Cemetery in Colma (now Home of Peace), south of San Francisco.

On April 18, 1906 San Francisco was devastated by a massive earthquake and fire. Counted among the buildings which did not survive the catastrophe was the headquarters of Levi Strauss & Co. on Battery Street. The gas chandeliers were shaken from the walls and the escaping gas added to the already dangerous fire hazard. The building survived the earthquake, but not the fire, which raged for three long days: all dry goods, furnishings and business records were destroyed. The factories on Fremont and Market Streets suffered the same fate.

It was a great loss; but it did not signal the end to the company. As the ashes cooled, the Stern brothers made plans for a new facility and a new factory, as their uncle Levi would no doubt have done. They also continued to pay employee salaries and extended credit to other, less fortunate merchants until they could get back on their feet.

For although buildings and factories fell, the company built by Levi Strauss was bedrock solid, due to his foresight, his business sense and his unswerving devotion to quality.

zippo*******

Zippo Manufacturing Company is the maker of the world famous windproof lighter with the Lifetime Guarantee. And famous it is. In fact, Zippo Manufacturing Company has produced enough lighters (325 million) to fill 122 football fields, including end zones....laid end-to-end they would stretch halfway around the world or from New York City to Los Angeles 3 1/2 times. The secret behind the success of Zippo has been enduring design. Except for improvements in the flint wheel and modifications in case finishes, Blaisdell's original design remains virtually unchanged today. The basic concept of the Zippo windproof lighter has remained unchanged for 66 years. The Lifetime Guarantee that accompanies every Zippo metal product still guarantees that "It works or we fix it free™"

Zippo was founded in Bradford, Pennsylvania in 1932 when George G. Blaisdell decided to create a lighter that would look good and be easy to use. Blaisdell obtained the rights for an Austrian windproof lighter with a removable top, and re-designed it to his own requirements. He made the case rectangular and attached the lid to the bottom with a welded hinge, and surrounded the wick with a windhood. Fascinated by another recent invention, the zipper, Blaisdell called his new lighter "Zippo", and backed it with a Lifetime Guarantee.

Without any question, it was WWII that played the most important role in making Zippo a name known around the world. G.I.'s took their treasured Zippo lighters everywhere they fought for their country. From 1943 until the end of World War II, Zippo's entire production was shipped to the PXs for the soldiers in combat around the world. Because brass and chrome were in short supply, Zippo windproof lighters were made with a porous steel and then coated with a thick black paint that was baked to a black crackle finish. The inside unit was made of zinc.

Many soldiers customized their Zippo lighters, scratching in names, places, images, and messages of all kinds that suggest their hopes, dreams, fears and longings. These kinds of images are often considered a form of trench art. "Trench art", a term from World War I, refers specifically to items made from the rubble of war on the field of battle, ie. in the trenches. Pieces of trench art are extremely valuable and historically important. Many collectors, however, have extended the concept of "trench art" to include the changes to and inscriptions put on heretofore existing items, including lighters.

PEARS********The birth of pears soap began with its originator, Andrew Pears, who arrived in London in 1789 from his native Cornish village of Mevagissey, where he had trained as a barber. He opened premises in Gerrard Street, Soho - then a fashionable residential area - and was soon enjoying considerable patronage from wealthy families, whose tonsorial needs were attended to by Pears in their own homes. The Gerrard Street shop was used for the manufacture and sale of rouges, powders, creams, dentifrice's and other beauty aids-preparations used extensively by the rich to cover up the damage caused by the harsh soaps then used in Britain.

The astute Cornishman recognized the potential of a purer, more gentle soap which would treat more kindly the delicate alabaster complexions then in favor (the upper classes unfavorably associated tanned faces with those of the lower orders who were obliged to toil out of doors for a living). He set about perfecting a manufacturing process for such a product and after much trial and error hit upon a method - which remains substantially similar even today- involving removing impurities and refining the base soap before adding the delicate perfume of English garden flowers. Not only was this product of high quality, it also possessed the great novelty value of being transparent. And it was this latter aspect which gave Pears Soap just the image it needed to be clearly identified by the public.

Though other products were manufactured alongside the transparent soap for many, many years , it was clear almost from the very start that Andrew Pears' fortune would be vested in his shilling and half crown squares of amber soap. In 1835 he took on a partner, his grandson Francis Pears, and they moved to new premises at 55 Wells Street, just off the busy shopping thoroughfare of Oxford Street. The business had consolidated to such an extent that three years later old Andrew was able to retire, leaving Francis in sole charge.

Andrew Pears' legacy was a solid, if not particularly extensive or go ahead trading concern. Andrew Pears was a cautious man, and he cared more for the quality of the products that bore his name than the number of people who bought them. Dogged by inferior imitations, at one stage he even went so far as to sign personally every package he sold. Because of the high price of his products, the market for them was necessarily an exclusive one, and there was little need or point in extensive advertising to try and widen this. Expenditure on sales promotion in the early Victorian period rarely exceeded ,80 per annum.

Sensing the impending stagnation of the firm, and recognizing the increasing buying power of the middle classes, Francis Pears realized that unless he developed and expanded the family firm he would soon be pushed to one side by more competitive rivals. New offices were opened in Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, and in 1862 he bought a house and land at Isleworth in Middlesex, where he built a factory which he placed under the dominion of his young son Andrew. Widespread changes soon took place in the sedate and gentlemanly atmosphere of the West End offices, and into the firm came a new partner, Thomas J. Barratt, who had married Francis Pears' eldest daughter Mary. Barratt was far sighted, aggressive, willing to take risks and infinitely resourceful. Within months he had completely revolutionized Pears' distribution system and was turning his hand towards improving the firm's sales performance by means of expensive and highly original publicity schemes. All this was too much even for Francis Pears, who, fearing imminent bankruptcy, withdrew from the firm, taking most of the money and leaving only 4000 pounds as a loan to be discharged equally by his son and Barratt, who were to remain in sole charge of the business.

Barratt has many modern counter parts in the advertising agencies of Madison Avenue, and his methods were to become widely followed. He imported a quarter of a million

French ten centime pieces (accepted in lieu of a penny in Britain), had the name 'Pears' stamped on every one of them and put the coins into circulation. Since there was no law forbidding the defacing of foreign currency, his scheme earned Pears much valuable publicity until an Act of Parliament could be hastily introduced to declare all foreign coinage illegal tender. The offending coins were withdrawn from circulation and melted down. He persuaded prominent skin specialists, doctors and chemists to give glowing testimonials to Pears Soap; among these were Sir Erasmus Wilson, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, and Doctor Redwood, Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacy to the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, who personally guaranteed that Pears Soap possessed 'the properties of an edicient yet mild detergent without any of the objection able properties of ordinary soaps'. Such endorsements were boldly displayed in magazine and newspaper advertise meets, as handbills and on posters. Lillie Langtry, a highly popular actress of the day, cheerfully gave Barratt a commendation for Pears Soap (for which, as with the other illustrious patrons, no fee was asked) and he broke into the American market by persuading the enormously influential religious leader Henry Ward Beecher to equate cleanliness, and Pears Soap in particular, with Godliness - Barratt promptly buying up the whole of the front page of the New York Herald on which to display this glowing testimonial. It seemed no stone was left unturned in Barratt's endless search for good publicity. Infants whose arrival in the world was commemorated in the columns of The Times received a complimentary cake of soap and pictorial advertising leaflets by courtesy of Barratt. His most audacious publicity scheme, which in the end failed to get off the ground, was the offer of ,100,000 to the British Government to buy the back page of a contemporary national census form for Pears' use. Had he succeeded, Barratt would have put his firm's name before 35,000,000 people's eyes.

Pears advertising, to suit its brand image, was tasteful and restrained, needing no recourse to the hyperbolics often encountered elsewhere in the period we are considering. The message was simple: that Pears Soap was safe and healthy and that it made its users beautiful. Their appeal is simple and immediate, requiring no sophisticated interpretation: they provoke an emotional rather than intellectual response. Barratt aimed, he said, to make his advertisements 'telling, artistic, picturesque, attractive, pretty, amusing' - and of course commercially successful. If for nothing more than that they took art out of the galleries and into homes and streets, thus brightening the humdrum lives of ordinary people, they are worthy of remembrance.

AMUL******AMUL means "priceless" in Sanskrit. The brand name "Amul," from the Sanskrit "Amoolya," was suggested by a quality control expert in Anand. Amul products have been in use in millions of homes since 1946. Amul Butter, Amul Milk Powder, Amul Ghee, Amulspray, Amul Cheese, Amul Chocolates, Amul Shrikhand, Amul Ice cream, Nutramul, Amul Milk and Amulya have made Amul a leading food brand in India. Today Amul is a symbol of many things.... Of high-quality products sold at reasonable prices.... Of the genesis of a vast co-operative network.... Of the triumph of indigenous

technology.... Of the marketing savvy of a farmers' organisation.... And of a proven model for dairy development.

50 years after it was first launched, Amul's sale figures have jumped from 1000 tonnes a year in 1966 to over 25,000 tonnes a year in 1997. No other brand comes even close to it. It was all because a thumb-sized girl climbed on to the hoardings and put a spell on the masses.

Bombay: Summer of 1967. A Charni Road flat. Mrs. Sheela Mane, a 28-year-old housewife is out in the balcony drying clothes. From her second floor flat she can see her neighbours on the road. There are other people too. The crowd seems to be growing larger by the minute. Unable to curb her curiosity Sheela Mane hurries down to see what all the commotion is about. She expects the worst but can see no signs of an accident. It is her four-year-old who draws her attention to the hoarding that has come up overnight. "It was the first Amul hoarding that was put up in Mumbai," recalls Sheela Mane. " People loved it. I remember it was our favourite topic of discussion for the next one week! Everywhere we went somehow or the other the campaign always seemed to crop up in our conversation."

Call her the Friday to Friday star. Round eyed, chubby cheeked, winking at you, from strategically placed hoardings at many traffic lights. She is the Amul moppet everyone loves to love (including prickly votaries of the Shiv Sena and BJP). How often have we stopped, looked, chuckled at the Amul hoarding that casts her sometime as the coy, shy Madhuri, a bold sensuous Urmila or simply as herself, dressed in her little polka dotted dress and a red and white bow, holding out her favourite packet of butter.

That October, lamp kiosks and the bus sites of the city were splashed with the moppet on a horse. The baseline simply said, Thoroughbread, Utterly Butterly Delicious Amul,. It was a matter of just a few hours before the daCunha office was ringing with calls. Not just adults, even children were calling up to say how much they had liked the ads. "The response was phenomenal," recalls Sylvester daCunha. "We knew our campaign was going to be successful."

For 30 odd years the Utterly Butterly girl has managed to keep her fan following intact. So much so that the ads are now ready to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for being the longest running campaign ever. The ultimate compliment to the butter came when a British company launched a butter and called it Utterly Butterly, last year.

India looked forward to Amul's evocative humour. If the Naxalite movement was the happening thing in Calcutta, Amul would be up there on the hoardings saying, "Bread without Amul Butter, cholbe na cholbe na (won't do, won't do). If there was an Indian Airlines strike Amul would be there again saying, Indian Airlines Won't Fly Without Amul.

There are stories about the butter that people like to relate over cups of tea. "For over 10 years I have been collecting Amul ads. I especially like the ads on the backs of the butter

packets, "says Mrs. Sumona Varma. What does she do with these ads? " I have made an album of them to amuse my grandchildren," she laughs. " They are almost part of our culture, aren't they? My grandchildren are already beginning to realise that these ads are not just a source of amusement. They make them aware of what is happening around them."

From the Sixties to the Nineties, the Amul, and their ads have come a long way. While most people agree that the Amul ads were at their peak in the Eighties they still maintain that they continue to tease a laughter out of them. Where does Amul's magic actually lie? Many believe that the charm lies in the catchy lines. That we laugh because the humour is what anybody would enjoy. They don't pander to your nationality or certain sentiments. It is pure and simple, everyday fun.

NOKIA******If you thought that Nokia is only one of the biggest names in telecommunications, you probably have no idea of its diverse history which dates back to 1865, when the Finnish mining engineer Fredrik Idestam established a wood-pulp mill in Southern Finland and began manufacturing paper. Since then, the company has evolved dramatically, growing first into a conglomerate encompassing industries ranging from paper to chemicals and rubber, and streamlining in the 1990s into a dynamic telecommunications company.

The groundwork for the shift to telecommunications was laid in the 1960s, when Nokia's electronics department was researching radio transmission. In the decades that followed, Nokia's mobile phones and telecommunications infrastructure products reached international markets, and by the 1990s, Nokia was established as a global leader in digital communication technologies.

The Finnish Rubber WorksThe Finnish Rubber Works initially opened in 1898, it's main product galoshes. The Rubber Works established a factory in Nokia after its executives passed through the area and recognized not only its beauty but the value of the hydroelectricity available there. In the 1920s, the Rubber Works started to use Nokia as their brand name. In addition to footwear and tires, the company later went on to manufacture rubber bands, industrial parts, raincoats, and other rubber products.

The Finnish Cable WorksThe company that later became known as the Finnish Cable Works opened in 1912 in the center of Helsinki. The increasing need for power transmission and telegraph and telephone networks meant that the company grew quickly. After World War II, the Finnish Rubber Works bought the majority of the Finnish Cable Works shares, and gradually the ownership of these companies consolidated. Finally in 1967 the companies were merged to form the Nokia Group.

Nokia's journey into telecommunications began in the Cable Work's Electronics department, where research into semiconductor technology began in the 1960s.

In the early 1970s, the majority of telephone exchanges were still electro-mechanical analog switches and no general consensus about digitization existed. Yet Nokia began developing the digital switch that eventually became the Nokia DX 200. The DX 200 was a success, and gradually evolved into the multifaceted platform that is still the basis for Nokia's network infrastructure today.

During the 1980s, Nokia's operations rapidly expanded into even more business sectors, countries and products. The strategy was to expand rapidly on all fronts. In 1988, Nokia was Europe's third-largest television manufacturer and the largest information technology company in the Nordic Countries.

During the deep recession in Finland at the beginning of the 1990s, both the telecommunications and mobile phones divisions were the supporting pillars of the company. Despite the depth of the recession, Nokia came to its feet quickly as the company started streamlining its businesses. In May 1992, Jorma Ollila was appointed to head the entire Nokia Group. Nokia made the major strategic decision to divest its non-core operations and focus on telecommunications.

The decision proved to be a wise one, and today Nokia is a world leader in both mobile phones and telecommunications networks.

TIMEX*********Timex's long history is studded with more innovative, best-selling timepieces than any other watch company in the world. It all started around the 1850's to the 1870's when 'Waterbury Clocks' made timekeeping affordable for working class Americans. Its inexpensive yet reliable shelf and mantel clocks, with cases designed to imitate expensive imported models, contained simple, mass-produced stamped brass movements. Waterbury Clock's products grew out of a long tradition of innovative clockmaking that developed in Connecticut's Naugatuck Valley, known during the nineteenth century as the "Switzerland of America."

Waterbury pocket watches sold throughout North America and Europe, and could be found in Africa, where they were presented as gifts to native chieftains, and as far away as Japan. By the turn of the twentieth century, the watch industry's first and most successful mass marketer, Robert H. Ingersoll, worked with Waterbury Clock to distribute the company's "Yankee" pocket watch, the first to cost just one dollar. Twenty years later, with nearly forty million sold, the "Yankee" became the world's largest seller and "the watch that made the dollar famous." Everyone carried the Yankee: from Mark

Twain to miners, from farmers to factory workers, from office clerks to sales clerks. This followed the vastly successful Mickey Mouse watches and clocks which initially sold for $1.50, but are today valued as collectors items.

In the 1950s, U.S. Time's wartime expertise in research and development and advanced mass production techniques led to the creation of the world's first inexpensive yet utterly reliable mechanical watch movement. The new wristwatch, called the Timex, debuted in 1950. Print advertisements featured the new watch strapped to Mickey Mantle's bat, frozen in an ice cube tray, spun for seven days in a vacuum cleaner, taped to a giant lobster's claw, or wrappedaround a turtle in a tank. Despite these and other extensive live torture tests, the Timex kept ticking. When John Cameron Swayze, the most authoritative newsman of his time, began extolling the Timex watch in live "torture test" commercials of the late 1950s, sales took off. Taped to the propeller of an outboard motor, tumbling over the Grand Coulee Dam, or held fist first by a diver leaping eighty-seven feet from the Acapulco cliffs, the plucky watch that "takes a licking and keeps on ticking®" quickly caught the American imagination. Viewers by thethousands wrote in with their suggestions for future torture tests, like the Air Force sergeant who offered to crash a plane while wearing a Timex. By the end of the 1950s, one out of every three watches bought in the U.S. was a Timex.

By the mid-1970s, the renamed Timex Corporation had sold more than 500 million of these mechanical movements. At this time, every other watch bought in the U.S. was a Timex, and the brand retailed in two hundred and fifty thousand different outlets. None of these manufacturing, sales, and distribution records has ever been duplicated by another watch manufacturer.

In the recent 1990s, a nearly 150 year-old Timex vigorously pursued its long tradition of technological innovation and market leadership. The company introduced the industry's first electroluminescent watch face in 1992, when the blue-green Indiglo®" night light feature appeared on some of its digital and analog watches. Today, more than 75 percent of all Timex watches are equipped with the "Indiglo" night light®. All-Day Indiglo®, a hologram-like material, provides greater contrast between digital numbers and the display background. In 1994, Timex introduced the "Data Link®," a sophisticated wrist instrument that carries scheduling, phone numbers, and other personal information, having collaborated with Microsoft to create the necessary software. In 1998, Timex pioneered its "Turn and Pull®" analog alarm watch and, in a joint venture with Motorola, a new wrist pager called "Beepwear.®"

Timex has approached the year 2000 with high brand confidence and a strong global workforce. Seventy-five hundred employees are located on four continents: in Middlebury (next door to Waterbury), Connecticut; Little Rock, Arkansas; Manaus, Brazil; Besancon, France; Pforzheim, Germany; Cebu, the Philippines; People's Republic of China; Jerusalem, Israel; and Delhi, India

NEROLAC

*********September 2, 1920, the whole world was experiencing the aftermath of the World War and the destruction it left behind. In such conditions was born at Lower Parel, Bombay - the Gahagan Paint and Varnish Co. Ltd. In November 1930, three British companies, Goodlass Wall, Cookson Lead and Antimony Co., and Locke Lancaster and Walkers Parker merged to form Goodlass Wall and Lead Industries Group Ltd., which subsequently became Lead Industries Group Ltd. (LIG).

In April 1933, LIG acquired the entire share capital of Gahagan. With this, expertise in paint technology became available to the Indian company, which by then had become Goodlass Wall (India) Ltd. In 1946, this company became Goodlass Wall Pvt. Ltd. A decade later, in 1957, the company came to be known as Goodlass Nerolac Paints (Pvt.) Ltd. and in course of time, went public.

With the passage of time, the Tata Group of Companies, primarily through what is now the Forbes Gokak Group, acquired a part of the foreign share holdings in Goodlass Nerolac Paints, thus making the company a part of the prestigious Tata organisation.

In the early 1960's the competition in the paint industry was growing. The urban markets had saturated and paint companies saw potential in the upcountry markets. Goodlass was a popular paint company, but there was one problem. The five syllable name of Goodlass Nerolac would not roll easily on the tongue of the upcountry dweller. 'Interpub', the advertising agency used by then, suggested to Mr. Denis Ridley the then Sales manager that a symbol should be associated with the company's name.

Full 18 months were spent on discussing as to what the symbol should be like and if it was needed it in the first place. In the year 1970, GOODY the smiling tiger was born. His distinctive and colored personality were just what a paint company needed. Coincidently it was the time when the tiger replaced the lion as the national animal. Project tiger started by the world wide fund had also increased the public interest in this animal.

Goody during his growing years kept changing. His weight fluctuated, sometimes his ears disappeared behind well fed cheeks, his chin flattened and sharpened alternatively. But looking back, perhaps these are the signs of healthy growth in any tiger cub.

Goody has matured now. While posing formally he always has a paint brush in his paw. He keeps changing his position to keep cramped muscles away but his basic features are the same.

jansport**********It started with a single pack. After his flexible frame design won an Alcoa aluminum design competition, Murray Pletz took his winnings and, with cousin Skip Yowell and girlfriend Jan Lewis, started a backpack company in a corner of his father’s Seattle transmission shop.The year was 1967, and the three were among millions of baby boomers who were just starting to apply their experiences , knowledge and adventurous

spirit to the world. The inspiration for JanSport had come as the three hiked at 14,411 feet on Mount Rainier. The name came in return for Lewis’ vow to marry Pletz. Records and remembrance reveal no desire on the founders’ parts to start a company that would grow into the world’s largest backpack company, but that’s in fact what they had done.

Initially, JanSport manufactured external and internal frame packs, including the first teardrop shaped pack, and relied on many of the symbols of the Woodstock generation, flower-power florals and American flag motifs among them. But then, as now, JanSport demonstrated its seriousness about the outdoors with practical, durable products and technical innovations. The flexible frame pack design was patented in 1970, and the company introduced the first dome tent, still the industry standard, the following year. As the 1970’s progressed and more members of the Baby Boom generation made their way into adulthood, interest in a wide range of outdoor activities began a growth spurt that has continued to this day. In 1974, two years after its acquisition by K2 Corporation, JanSport reached the $1 million sales milestone. At about the same time that JanSport was getting its start in Seattle, Kim Vanderhyden and Dan Spaulding were making their way in the imprinted sportswear business in Appleton, Wisconsin. Their company, Downers, geared its printed fleece and activewear products to the college market.

In 1982, Downers purchased JanSport from K2 and, sensing that the Wisconsin company’s name had inadvertently taken on some negative connotations, changed its name to JanSport. By 1984, however, with sales approaching $25 million, the equipment/apparel resource had caught the attention of Blue Bell Corporation, makers of Wrangler and Rustler jeans and other apparel products. This arrangement would be short-lived, however, as Pennsylvania based VF Corporation, makers of Lee jeans and Vanity Fair intimate apparel, acquired Blue Bell and JanSport in 1986. Although the amalgamation of the Wrangler and Lee jeanswear brands was the most noteworthy result of the 1986 VF purchase, JanSport was by this time already well entrenched as the leading brand in the backpack and daypack business, with its primary market of outdoor enthusiasts now strongly supplemented by urban and suburban kids who purchased JanSport packs for their durability, practicality and exciting outdoor image.

But, while the 1990’s would demand higher productivity and efficiency than had been expected in the past, VF and JanSport recognized that it would also require stronger emotional links with consumers, retailers and suppliers. The cultivation of brand loyalty depended on clear and well established strategic positions and strong utilization of such marketing tools as advertising, public relations and special events. To lead JanSport during this phase, Paul Delorey was promoted to president of the company in 1988. An industrial psychology major who had held executive merchandising positions with both J.C. Penney and the university stores of his alma mater, Eastern Michigan University, Delorey brought a philosophy of “putting people first” to the JanSport presidency. He immediately stepped up initiatives involving child care and support for good causes ranging from environmental preservation and support of the National Park Service to the battles against breast cancer and other diseases. He also involved JanSport in numerous philanthropic undertakings, such as Expedition Inspiration, and outdoor-oriented

sponsorships, such as Big City Mountaineers, a non-profit organization created to offer disadvantaged urban teenagers a dramatic learning experience