RAY KROC AN AMERICAN LEGEND!
Many of us do not know who Ray Kroc is although millions have been served over the past 44 years of service. Ray Kroc was nick named "Pharaoh of fast food" is the owner of the McDonald's franchise. Ray Kroc is the man who revolutionized the multi-million-dollar fast food chain business.
Ray Kroc was born in Oak Park, just west of Chicago in 1902. His father Louis Kroc and Mother Rose Kroc were very supportive of their family. Ray had a brother Bob who was born in 1905 and a sister Lorraine who was born in 1910. Ray and his brother Bob never shared anything in common with each other so, as years past Ray and Bob grew farther apart. Ray's mother Rose was a piano teacher and Ray soon took to the piano naturally. Ray began to enjoy the piano but did not enjoy practicing day in a day out. That was when he new he loved music. Ray and two of his friends opened a music store (when he was in high school) he used every single penny he earned to keep the music store open, but soon the store went under.
Ray never really put his full attention to school. He would spend all his time dreaming up new ideas so his mother started to call him Danny the Dreamer. He never really enjoyed working, he enjoyed playing baseball and soon he became a baseball buff. He really enjoyed going to baseball games especially the Chicago Cubs.
As school ended for Ray the United States went into war and he pleaded with his parents to let him join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver. Finally rays parents said yes. Although, Ray had to lie about his age to get in. After he had finished training in Connecticut the war had ended and he was marching back home.
Soon he had many musical jobs and was making more money than his father. Ray gave music playing up in the summer of 1919 when he met a women named Ethel. Ethel and Ray were in love.
Rays next job was in Chicago's financial district as a board marker on the New York Curb. In 1920 Ray's father was promoted and was transferred to New York. Ray moved to New York with his family and got a job at the Wooster-Thomas office in New York. That was over in much less than a year when the place had gone bankrupt. Ray moved back Chicago to see Ethel and to get away from New York. His father gave up the promotion to move back to Chicago because he hated New York too.
In 1922, Ray and Ethel decided to get married. Ray found a substantial job selling Lily Brand paper cups. Soon enough they had a daughter named Marilyn she was born on October 1924, and that pushed Ray to work even harder to support his wife and daughter.
In 1925 Ray was selling Lily Brand paper cups like never before. Soon had enough money to buy a car (a ford Model T.) Ray had been very interested in the booming real estate business in Florida and convinced Ethel to come down to with him for the winter. They packed up all their valuables, cranked up the Model T and headed for Florida. Ray got a job with W.F Morang & Son selling real estate. Ray soon left the real estate business and got out of Florida as fast as he could.
Rays father began to occupy his time by picking real estate and when the market crashed he was beneath a pile of deeds. The land Ray's father owned was worthless and his father could not sell them. Louis Kroc died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1932. Ray said his father killed himself with worry.
For many years Ray Kroc was in nearly $100 000 in debt and his wife Ethel just couldn't handle it. In the late fall of 1948, Rays accountant convinced him that he needed to hire a bookkeeper for his new business, selling multi-mixers (milk shake makers). So when Mrs. June Martino walked into Ray's office he hired her right on the spot and in less then 20 years she is one of the top women executives in the country, secretary and treasurer of McDonalds Corporation.
When Ray heard about the McDonalds out in San Bernardino owned by the McDonalds brothers that had eight multi-mixers in operation, he was impressed and decided to fly out to San Bernardino himself. When Ray saw them working that day in 1954, he felt some magnificent feeling. Ray talked with the two brothers about buying their franchise. They made an agreement that gave Ray 1.9 percent of the gross sales from franchisees, and gave the McDonalds brothers .5 percent out of Rays 1.9 percent. Soon Ray was plotting out new McDonalds; improving the architectural design on the McDonalds buildings and hiring more and more people to help him get the job done.
When Ray went out for dinner with a man who wanted to become a McDonalds franchisee, Ray found himself entranced by Joni Smith a piano player at the restaurant he was eating at. Later in the year Ray moved out of Ethels and his home to an apartment in Whitehall. Then he filed for divorce. Ethel wound up getting everything of Rays except his McDonalds stock. Now he could marry Joni Smith as soon as she got her divorce.
The McDonalds brothers Mac and Dick were getting on Ray's nerves and he was sick of them interfering with the McDonalds business plans. So Ray called Dick McDonald and asked them their price. They asked for 2.7 million! Ray finally owned McDonalds after many loans.
In 1963 Joni and Ray sold there home in Woodland Hills and moved to a big house in Beverly Hills. McDonalds was doing even better than before and they had a net income of $2.1 million on sales of $129.6 million. McDonalds was expanding rapidly. In July 1966, McDonalds broke through the top of their charts again with $200 million in sales. McDonalds first store with inside seating open in Huntsville, Alabama, in July 1966 this was one major innovation to the McDonalds corporation.
In 1974 when Ray was flying out to Los Angles he saw a story in the newspaper reporting that The San Diego Padres were for sale. But Ray was waiting forever to buy the Chicago Cubs (his favorite childhood baseball team) but since they weren't for sale he settled for the San Diego Padres. Ray Kroc made baseball history by turning the San Diego Padres in to a very successful team the won the wold championships.
Ray Kroc was a tough, ornery old man who became one of the most successful men in the United States. He took risks, he jeopardized his personal life and financial value but this made him appreciate his business even more. And now I leave you with an address from Ray Kroc when asked what is the art of entrepreneurship by a group of Dartmouth students.
"You're not going to get it free, and you have to take risks. I don't mean you have to be a dare devil, that's crazy. But you have to take risks, and in some cases you must grow broke. If you believe in something, you've got to be in it to the ends of your toes. Taking responsible risks is part of the challenge. It's the fun."
For more information
1. Chapters Book Store Official Website - On this website you
can order ,Grinding it out: The making of McDonalds. One of my major resources.
Go top the website and search for the book Grinding it out: the making of
McDonalds.
www.chapters.com
2. The Official McDonalds Website. This contains lots of recent
information on the McDonalds coorperation.
http://www.mcdonalds.com
3. Chapters Book Store Official Website - At this website you
can purchase the book TIME Great Events of the 20th century. This has information
on Ray Kroc and the McDonalds coorperation
www.chapters.com
