Harold Butler, Entrepreneur, founder of Denny’s Restaurant

Entrepreneurs are an integral part of my family history. Both my grandfathers were life-long entrepreneurs, but family member about who I am reporting is a cousin on my father’s side. My father had a cousin named Harold Butler, whom I have met.  Harold’s mother and my paternal grandmother were sisters, so some of this report is anecdotal.

Harold Butler (1921 to 11 July 1998), born and raised in Buffalo, New York, was one of many children. Personal anecdote reports that Harold’s father disappeared when Harold was in his youth. The family reportedly counted buttons for money. Harold also sold donuts, which allowed him to purchase a row boat. He used this row boat, goes the family lore, to take paying customers out on Lake Erie for short rides. My mother was a little fuzzy about the donut connection, but apparently he eventually owned a donut shop in Buffalo. He decided he didn’t want to live the rest of his life in Buffalo, however, so he moved to California, which is where he started a donut shop he called “Danny’s Donuts”. (Schwartz, 2011)

In 1953, Harold founded the first of his donut shops, which he called “Danny’s Donuts”. The Denny’s corporate site reports that he used the name “Danny” because he felt that would have a large appeal to the general public. (Denny's Restaurant, 2011)  I am guessing he used the name “Danny” because “Father Knows Best” was a popular TV show and Danny Thomas was the male lead of the show.  According to Denny’s corporate site, it only took Harold a year to expand his donut shops and he decided to add sandwiches and other entrees to his menu (Denny's Restaurant, 2011), again, I suppose, to increase the appeal of his shops to the general public, and this served to differentiate him from McDonald’s, which was a healthy and growing franchise, even then. By 1959, Danny’s Donuts had been renamed as “Denny’s Restaurants” and had become a 20 restaurant chain (Denny's Restaurant, 2011)

The differentiation from McDonald’s while still using the franchise model set up by Rae Croc was a critical factor in Denny’s Restaurant growth. Harold’s concept for Denny’s was to be a restaurant that offered decent food for low prices, in high volume with uniform menus and fast service. The difference from the diner model would then be the uniformity of the service and menu, giving people continuity wherever they went, as long as there was a Denny’s available. In fact, Denny’s occupies a unique niche, as it is a hybrid between a donut shop, a franchise and a diner. This is the crux of Harold Butler’s success in building this particular business. He did go on to build some other businesses, most of which were restaurant chains. “When one chain's fortunes failed or declined, Butler went on to another one.

"I love to feed people," is the way he once explained his dedication.” (Oliver, 1998)

Submitted by: Karen Schwartz-Mcgady

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Denny's Restaurant. (2011, March 19). Denny's Restaurants History. Retrieved March 19, 2011, from Denny's Restaurants: http://www.dennys.com/en/page.aspx?ID=31&title=History

Oliver, M. (1998, July 11). LA Times|Article Collections|Obituaries. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from LA Times Archives: http://articles.latimes.com/jul/11/local/me-2694

Schwartz, E. B. (2011, March 19). (K. Schwartz-McGady, Interviewer)

  Denny’s Timeline (Denny's Restaurant, 2011)2011

1953
Harold Butler founds the first Denny’s in Lakewood, California, under the name Danny’s Donuts.

1954
Butler opens additional Danny’s Donut shops and expands the menu to include sandwiches and other entrees.

1959
Now a 20-restaurant chain, Danny’s Donuts name is changed to Denny’s.

1966
Denny’s makes its initial public offering on the American and Pacific Coast Stock Exchanges.

1977
Denny’s introduces the Grand Slam Breakfast in Atlanta as a nod to Hank Aaron. It went on to become Denny’s most famous, and still-popular, breakfast.

1981
Denny’s continues to grow, now with over 1,000 restaurants across the country.

1991
Denny’s headquarters moves from Irvine, California, to Spartanburg, South Carolina.

1994
Denny’s becomes the largest corporate sponsor of the national charity Save the Children.

2005
Denny’s common stock is relisted on The NASDAQ Stock Market under a “DENN” ticker symbol as a result of the company’s sustained sales growth and continued improvements to its restaurant operations.

2007
Denny’s ends the year with system wide sales of $2.4B and $1.72M average unit sales for company-operated restaurants.

2010
Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council named Denny's Corporation of the Year in Supplier Diversity

2002
Denny’s parent company, Advantica Restaurant Group, Inc., is renamed Denny’s Corporation to reflect the one brand focus.

2006
Black Enterprise magazine ranks Denny’s at the top of its list of “Best 40 Companies for Diversity” in July 2006.

2009
Denny’s remains the largest family-service restaurant in America, with 21,000 employees and 1,546 restaurants.

(Denny's Restaurant, 2011)

Kevin Plank is a Very New Giant in a Sports Clothes Business

One of the best examples of the modern and local entrepreneur is Kevin Plank.

Kevin Plank, is the founder and chief executive of Baltimore-based Under Armour, the highly successful sports apparel company. He is talented entrepreneur who turned Under Armour from cash-starved brand into a legitimate Nike and Reebok opponent.

 Frustrated by his sweat-soaked cotton T-shirt’s, he started look for a material that would wick the sweat from his body and provide muscles support. (Heath, 2010)

Plank recalls sitting in his dorm room during his senior year at Maryland and drawing the first Under Armour shirt. “I thought, ‘I figured it out, I am going to make a T-shirt,’ ” Plank says. He bought fabric that he hoped could combine the snug fit of a “Hanes cotton T-shirt” and the lightness and fast-drying texture of synthetic, stretchy fabrics used in women’s lingerie. He found a tailor outside College Park and paid him “$480” to sew seven prototypes. Plank then had football teammates and athletes from other Maryland teams test them.

Plank says he built his company using the same principles he learned during his years on the football field. (Salter, 2005)

By the end of 1996, Plank says Under Armour had generated $17,000 in revenue purely by word of mouth. The next year he had $100,000 in orders to fill and found a factory in Ohio to make the shirts. He had gone through the $17,000 from the rose business in college and run up $40,000 in debt across five credit cards.

The company first made a profit in 1998, but a pivotal moment came in 1999 with the release of Oliver Stone’s football movie Any Given Sunday, in which actor Jamie Foxx wore an Under Armour jockstrap in a locker room scene. After hearing about the movie through a Fork Union teammate, Plank sent samples of his products to the costume designer and convinced Stone’s assistant to pay for the Under Armour goods.

With the Stone movie about to be released, Plank decided that Under Armour had to tell its “story.” The company had only $25,000 to spend, and Plank put it all on an ad in ESPN The Magazine. He calls the move a turning point. “We generated close to $750,000 in sales from the advertisement,” he says. Three years after starting the company, Plank put himself on the payroll. (Dessauer, 2009)

Submitted by: Olga Samokhvalova

Bibliography

1. Dessauer, C. (2009, march-april). Team Player. Retrieved 03 24, 2011, from bethesdamagazine.com: http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Magazine/March-April-2009/Team-Player/

2. Heath, T. (2010, January 24). Taking on the giants: How Under Armour founder Kevin Plank is going head-to-head with the industry's biggest players. Washington Post Staff Writer .

3. Salter, C. (2005, August 1). fast company. Retrieved March 23, 2011, from Protect This House : http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/97/under-armour.html

 

Teresa Vetter, Annapolis, MD “Tessemae’s All Natural” Dressing

Teresa Vetter is a Pilate’s instructor and the mother of 3 lacrosse players. Two of her sons play major league lacrosse for the Bayhawks and the youngest son plays for Towson.  When the boys were younger, she was always trying to prepare healthy meals for her family. Getting her boys to eat their salads was a challenge, so over the years she began enticing them with homemade dressings. Over dinner one evening in 2009, her eldest son Greg told his mother that he wanted to sell her dressing. Greg has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business. The whole family readily agreed to pursue the business venture together. “Tessemae’s All Natural” was to become a reality.

Greg took the responsibility to acquire the necessary paperwork. They formed an LLC, received an employer ID number and gained approval for a loan. To make the dressing, the Vetter’s needed a certified restaurant kitchen. The owner of Adam’s Ribs in Eastport agreed to let them use his kitchen after the restaurant closed in the evening. This worked out well with the Vetter’s busy schedule. Adam’s Ribs now even offers Tessemae’s as the house dressing.

Whole Foods at Annapolis Towne Centre was planning to open and agreed to sell their dressing. At the grand opening, the Vetter’s offered samples served over fresh spinach. Within 90 minutes, they sold out of all of their cases.

Since the beginning in 2009, “Tessemae’s All Natural” is now sold at numerous Whole Foods, has a blog site and can be found on Twitter and Facebook.  http://www.tessemaes.com

The Vetter’s admit there have been obstacles along the way. One such task was to create a label and find a glass bottle manufacturer. One time the bottles did not arrive on time and they quickly had to find another manufacturer. The label didn’t fit the new bottles so another label had to be created right away. Working late into the night is exhausting, but the family appears to be very upbeat, driven and focused.

Starting a business in their hometown is a key component to their success. Teresa works in a health club. The boys have attended local schools, gone to college in Baltimore and gained wide spread recognition in lacrosse. These have all been great opportunities for socializing and networking.

Since I was working on this project, I felt I had better purchase a bottle for myself. I found it in the chilled section of the produce department. The label was interesting and printed with Teresa’s story and I liked how the lid was sealed with wax. So far, I have tried the dressing over salad as well as with grilled asparagus. It’s delicious.  There are also some interesting recipes for chicken and rockfish.

I enjoyed researching the history of “Tessemae’s All Natural”. It’s a “feel good” and “taste good” story. I wish the Vetter’s much success.

Submitted by: Jane Gilleland

Reference:

Sauers, Elisha. “Annapolis Sons Take Mom’s Salad Dressing to Grocery Store”. 

        

      Capital (Annapolis) 2 June 2009. Hometown Annapolis. Web. 22 March 2011.

http://www.tessemaes.com

                                                                                                           

Phil Knight - Entrepreneurial Thinker

Philip Hampson Knight is an American billionaire. He is the founder and CEO of the athletic gear company known as Nike, which is the number one athletic shoe company in the world. Together, Philip Knight and the Nike Corporation helped start a sports business revolution in the 1970’s, changing old-fashioned tennis shoes into highly specialized equipment and promoting them as symbols of athletic prowess and success. The success of Nike has made Philip Knight one of the wealthiest men in the world. As of 2007, Knight’s 35% stake in Nike gives him an estimated net worth of $9.8 billion, making him the 30^th richest American. Over the years Knight has earned a reputation as both a visionary businessman and a hard-nosed CEO.  He resigned as the company’s chief executive officer (CEO) as well as the president of Nike in 2004, while still maintaining the position of chairman of the board and advisory to the company.

Philip Hampson Knight was born on February 24, 1938 in Eastmore, which is a suburb of Portland, Oregon. He is the son of William W. (publisher of the Oregon Journal as well as a lawyer) and Lota (Hatfield) Knight (stay-at-home wife and mother). Philip Knight attended Cleveland High School where he excelled at track and field. Knight’s interest in running track continued throughout his years at the University of Oregon,  where he distinguished himself as a mile runner. After graduating from the University of Oregon with a BBA in 1959, Knight went on to earn his masters in Business Administration at Stanford University.

Right after graduating from the University of Oregon, Philip Knight enlisted in the Army and served one year on active duty and seven years in the Army Reserves. During this period of his life, Philip Knight attended Stanford Graduate School of Business where he realized that he is meant to be an entrepreneur. After graduation, he became employed as a CPA, however, shortly thereafter he realized that this was not the type of work that he wanted to do. In 1963, Knight decided it was time to put his business school plan into effect.

The interest in sports, especially that of track, gave Knight the impetus to study the way that track shoes were being made and marketed in the late 1950s. Knight contacted Bill Bowerman, his former track coach from the University of Oregon. Working together, they determined that American shoes were inferior in style and quality, too heavy, and too easily damaged. By doing intensive research, they learned that the Japanese’s were trying to manufacture shoes using light-weight durable nylon.  He later became personally involved by arranging to import the new trimmed down styles to America. He started a company that he called Blue Ribbon Sports. Knight made a purchase of 200 shoes and began selling them out of the trunk of his car at local track meets. In 1965, the first Blue Ribbon Sports store was opened in Santa Monica, California and Bowerman began experimenting with his own designs for durable, lightweight, supportive sports shoes. By the year of 1970, Knight and Bowerman had twenty employees scattered around his stores as well as his East Coast Distribution Center. Blue Ribbon Sports had revenues of just under $300,000 and promising potential, but they needed venture capital to expand. In 1971, they sold shares to a handful of friends for $5000 and arranged further financing in Japan, where they began manufacturing their own model of soccer shoe for import to the United States (American Decades). They changed their company name to Nike and adopted the well-known logo, called the Swoosh. And the rest is history. Nowadays, you see Nike products, such as shoes, shirts, pants, shorts, jackets, hats, etc.. everywhere you go. 

According to article in the Encyclopedia of Business, Knight said that there were three separate events that lead to his success as the leader of Nike. The first event occurred in 1957 when he first meets Bowerman. Bowerman was a former Olympian who had a passion for athletes and innovation, which would eventually inspire Knight to create a business dedicated to those two things. The second event occurred while he was attending business school at Stanford University. One of his business professors gave him an assignment where he had to devise a business plan for importing- high quality running shoes from Japan and then sell them in the United States at a high-profit margin. The third event occurred in1963, when Knight actually traveled to Japan in order to have meeting with the executives of Onitaska Company, which distributed the Tiger running shoes. The final result of these three particular events was the creation and success of the Nike empire.

Submitted by Cheryl Haynes

                                         Biography

Krentzman, Jackie. “ The Force Behind the Nike Empire.” Print .

“ Nike.” American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, Victor Bondi, Richard Laymam, 

             Tandy McConnell, and Vincent Tompkins. Vol. 8: 1970-1979. Detroit: Gale,

              2000. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Anne Arundel Community College.

              23 Sept. 2009.

              http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=aacc_ref>.

“ Philip Knight.” Newsmakers 1994, Issue 4. Gale Research, 1994. Reproduced in 

              Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009.    

              http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC

“ Philip Knight.” Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, Vol. 19. Gale Group,

              1999. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale

              2009.

              http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC.

Philip Knight.” Business Leader Profiles for Students. Gale Group,

              1999. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale

              2009.

              http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC.

Genzo Shimadzu - Not a lot of hot air

In 1875 scientist Genzo Shimadzu would visit the Chemistry Bureau in Japan often.  He began by making physical and chemical instruments.  He would sit in on lectures and was able to study scientific technics under a German professor Dr. Wagener who was a scientist from Chemistry Bureau.  Genzo learned the science and technology from Dr. Wagener.  One of the products that the Japanese wanted Genzo to do was to make a passenger carrying hot air balloon.  After 6 months of trying he succeeded and made the first hydrogen gassed balloon. 

Today people still use the hot air balloon.  In 1909 he manufactured the first X-ray machine in Japan.  After several inventions he was invited to the Emperor’s dinner party in 1930 as one of the 10 greatest inventors of Japan. Genzo went on to manufacture scientific instruments such as the spectrographs , Shimadzu manufactured Aircraft equipment, electron microscopes, liquid Chromatographs, gas chromatographs, testing instruments to test different materials for strength and durability.  In 1975 the Japanese company came to the United States. These instruments are used in all the science classes in all the University colleges and other companies that have to run tests on everything from the oil spill in Louisiana to the aspirin in your medicine cabinet.  The company has really grown since 1875 they are a worldwide company that has hit the $100 million dollar earning mark twice in the last 3 years.  So when you see Shimadzu Scientific Instruments on an instrument you can say this was all started with a hot air balloon invention.  My Entrepreneur was Genzo Shimadzu for having a great scientific mind to want to help better the world for over 100 years and beyond.

Websites  to visit: 

www.SSI.Shimadzu.com;  

www. shimadzu.com

Submitted by Karen Winiarski

Michael Heveron

How do you determine a successful entrepreneur? The best answer for this question is to look at the individual and the whole of his/her business endeavors. One very successful small business entrepreneur has made his mark within the state of Minnesota. Michael Heveron is the new CEO, owner, and entrepreneur of his own computer business “MDH Computers Inc.,” previously and currently associated as “Glacier Ridge Computing” (http://www.grcomp.net/).

Michael’s humble beginnings began on a farm in Minnesota.  At a young age in the mid-1980’s his grandfather introduced him to a computer.   Michael taught himself first how to play the games and then, after near mastery of that, delved further into the components of the computer.  His ability and determination with computers grew over the course of his teen years. Naturally, this inquisitiveness and skill with computers gave him a craving to learn more such as building and repairing computers. This led him to attend Alexandria Technical & Community College to pursue a degree in Computer & Voice Networking.  

With a wife and child by his side he began his own computer business MDH Computers Inc. In order to achieve this goal Michael returned to a previous employer and bought him out. Even though this change occurred Michael was still driven with the same idea as the previous owner: A need for affordable computing solutions in the rural market. Within a short time, thanks to Michael’s natural genius and 10 years of experience, his small business has flourished into a company including two additional employees selling and repairing software and hardware including the latest technology devices -from iPods, iPads, and notebooks to desktops and networking.  Currently, Michael has gained the trust and partnership of five vendors that allow him to successfully sustain and expand his business.  His business covers not only big name industries, but small residential homes as well. As an extra bonus either Michael or one of his employees will do on site work to ensure that everything goes smoothly for whatever the desire may be. Michael’s business stretches not only within the immediate town of his store, but over about 100 miles of towns and cities. This not only allows the business to get more customers for repairs of hardware and software, but also gives a competitive edge when dealing with computer hardware and software sales.

All the products sold are built from scratch by Michael and his team who are determined to stand by and sell only quality products that have longevity. Michael will also direct a customer into the right direction if he/she does not want to purchase a computer from him specifically.

            Attentive and determined for ensuring the business’s success, all of Michael’s spare time is devoted to developing a strong foundation for the new business and legacy for the old “Glacier Ridge Computing.” Recently asked if it was worth the effort and did he enjoy what he did - Michael replied, “I not only enjoy it, but love every second and wouldn’t haven’t any other way!” 

Submitted by Travis Athnos

            

Entrepreneurs that change the world

We were given the assignment to pick an entrepreneur that has changed the world for the better. In my research I came upon Charles Best, CEO of Donorschoose.org . DonorsChoose.org is a website that helps sponsor classroom projects in under privileged schools. The website allows teachers to take charge and become change makers. Teachers upload their ideas for class projects, field trips, and class improvements to the website, and then the public can choose which teacher they would like to sponsor and donate money towards their ideas. The program was started in 2000 at a school in the Bronx. Teachers at this school felt that school system funding didn’t evenly distribute resources, Shortages of learning materials discourage thorough, engaging instruction, and Top-down distribution of materials prevents teachers from developing targeted solutions for their students. Charles Best a social studies teacher sensed that the public was willing to give the money, but were wary to how it would be used, so he launched the website in 2007. Since then it has brought in over 14 million dollars to help out needy classrooms across the country.

The really cool part about the website is that you can search for projects that you find relevant or interesting, from pre-k reading activities, to basketballs for a physical education class, even zoo field trips. The website screens all the ideas before posting them, once posted and donated to the website purchases the materials requested and then follows up and delivers feedback to the donors. This gives the donors a sense of satisfaction and knowing that their money actually went to something useful. Since its inception, citizen philanthropists from all 50 states and 10 countries have funded over 32,000 classroom projects at DonorsChoose.org, channeling over $14 million worth of resources to students in low-income communities. More than 75% of these resources are reusable for future classes. Donors Choose exposes people to the workings of public schools, and the dire need that many are in. this message hits hard and knowing that a few donated dollars can make a big difference in the education of our future, is the greatest feeling in the world. This idea is noble, innovative, and life changing, this is why I chose Charles Best as my entrepreneur that changed the world.

Submitted by Patrick Smith