An Industrial Archive · Overlooked American Builders
REF · FP-ARCHIVE / VOL. I · 083 ENTRIES · 14 SECTIONS
A filing cabinet of the founders and operators who built enduring American companies and were quietly forgotten. Each entry is researched from primary and secondary sources, annotated with footnotes, and narrated aloud.

Berwind-White Coal Mining Company
1886–1930
The Coal King of New York

Deere & Company
1989–2000
Globalizer of the Green Machine

W. A. Burpee Company
1878–1915
America's Seed King

Anderson, Clayton and Company
1904–1940
The World's Cotton Merchant

National Dairy Products Corporation
1923–1941
Consolidator of America's Dairies
Pittston Company
1939–1976
Builder of the Pittston Empire

Texas Instruments
1958–1976
The Visionary Behind Texas Instruments

Intel
1974–1987
Author of Moore's Law

Fairchild Semiconductor
1957–1968
The Mayor of Silicon Valley

Advanced Micro Devices
1969–2002
The Showman of Silicon Valley

Apple Computer
1983–1993
From Pepsi to the Helm of Apple

Paramount Pictures
1916–1966
Father of the Feature Film

Walt Disney Company
1929–1966
Maker of the Magic Kingdom

Viacom
1967–2016
The Mogul Who Declared Content Is King

Warner Communications
1962–1992
Builder of the Warner Empire

Radio Corporation of America
1930–1966
The General Who Built Broadcasting

Winship, Boit, & Company
1888–1928
A Woman at the Helm of the Mills

Chadbourn
1936–1970
Master of Southern Hosiery

Hattie Carnegie
1909–1956
Arbiter of American Fashion

Liz Claiborne
1976–1989
Dresser of the Working Woman

United Shoe Machinery Company
1899–1917
Overlord of the Shoe Machine
J. P. Stevens and Company
1979–1988
The Last of the Textile Barons

Ralph Lauren Corporation
1967–Present
Designer of the American Dream

Burlington Industries
1923–1948
Weaver of the Burlington Empire

Steinway and Sons
1896–1919
Master of the Concert Grand

Milton Bradley Company
1864–1911
Father of the American Board Game
Bulova Watch Company
1930–1958
Master of the American Wristwatch

Briggs & Stratton Corporation
1935–1970
The Small-Engine King

Eastman Kodak Company
1881–1923
The Man Who Made Photography for Everyone

Diamond Match Company
1915–1947
Master of the Match

Fisher-Price Toy Company
1930–1966
Maker of America's Toys

Tecumseh Products
1930–1972
Master of the Compressor

Polaroid Corporation
1937–1980
The Wizard of Instant Photography

Ling-Temco-Vought
1946–1970
The Conglomerate King of Texas

Textron
1923–1960
Father of the Conglomerate

Premier Industrial Corporation
1958–1996
Master of Industrial Distribution

Otis Elevator Company
1945–1966
The Man Who Moved America Upward

General Electric Company
1892–1913
Founding Architect of General Electric

The Vanguard Group
1974–1995
Father of the Index Fund

Bear Stearns Companies
1978–1993
The Trader Who Ran Bear Stearns

Merrill Lynch & Company
1940–1956
Who Brought Wall Street to Main Street

Lazard, Freres and Company
1943–1979
The Picasso of Banking

Goldman, Sachs and Company
1904–1928
Builder of Goldman Sachs

Lehman Brothers and Company
1901–1925
Architect of Lehman Brothers

Anheuser-Busch Brewery
1880–1913
Father of American Lager

American Tobacco Company
1890–1912
The Tobacco King

Kellogg Company
1906–1939
Father of the Breakfast Cereal

Robert Mondavi Winery
1966–1990
The Father of California Wine

Morton Salt Company
1885–1934
The Salt King of America

United Fruit Company
1882–1924
The Banana King

Pepperidge Farm
1937–1960
First Lady of American Bread

Carnation Company
1901–1932
Father of Canned Milk

William Wrigley Jr. Company
1892–1925
The Chewing Gum King

US Healthcare
1975–1996
Pioneer of the HMO

Beckman Instruments
1935–1982
Master of Scientific Instruments

Eli Lilly & Company
1969–1973
The Pharmacist Who Led Lilly
Schering Corporation
1943–1966
The Man Who Built Schering

Stryker Corporation
1977–2004
Builder of Stryker
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
1972–1994
Architect of Bristol-Myers Squibb

Baxter International
1953–1980
Father of Modern IV Therapy

Pacesetter
1972–1985
Pioneer of the Pacemaker

United States Steel Corporation
1911–1932
Steel's Global Salesman

Bethlehem Steel Corporation
1916–1957
The Steelmaster of Bethlehem

Nucor Corporation
1965–1996
The Minimill Revolutionary

International Nickel Corporation
1922–1951
The Nickel King

Elizabeth Arden Company
1910–1966
Queen of the Beauty Industry

Mary Kay Cosmetics
1963–1987
The Pink Cadillac Visionary

Procter & Gamble Company
1907–1930
Architect of the P&G Brand

Amway Corporation
1959–1992
Amway's Evangelist of Free Enterprise

Max Factor Company
1938–1973
Master of Hollywood Makeup

Fuller Brush Company
1906–1943
The Original Fuller Brush Man

Hygienic Manufacturing Company
1898–1946
Pioneer of Black Enterprise

Estee Lauder
1946–1982
First Lady of American Beauty

Helena Rubinstein
1915–1965
Madame of Modern Cosmetics

Amway Corporation
1959–1992
Amway's Quiet Co-Founder