CEO Hall of Fame
Most Respected CEOs and CEO Hall of Fame
John D. Rockefeller (John Davison Rockefeller, Sr) (1839-1937) - Father of US Oil Industry - USA
- "Men, not machinery or plant, make up an organization" (John D. Rockefeller)
- "The growth of a large business is merely a survival of the fittest." (John D. Rockefeller)
Key Work
- Starts work at Hewitt and Tuttle.
- Rockefeller, Andrews, and Flagler becomes the Standard Oil Company
- He assembled a team of the brightest men in business and harnessed their collective efforts to drive Standard Oil's growth.
- Nationwide distribution system reaches most towns in the United States.
- Standard Oil controls over three-quarters of the U.S. petroleum
industry and
80% of U.S. towns served by Standard Oil carts. - Establishes Rockefeller Foundation.
If it wasn't for John Rockefeller cheap gasoline, it is unlikely that Edison's wide-scale electrification of the country or Ford's the mass-marketing of the automobile would have happened when they did. One of Rockefeller's greatest talents contributing to his success was hiring brilliant people.
Books and References:
- Chernow, Ron. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., Sr. New York: Random House, 1998.
- Hawke, David Freeman. John D. The Founding Father of the Rockefellers. New York: Harper and Row, 1980.
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