Success: A Business History Podcast

Episode 7: Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company

Schlitz beer has always been intertwined with Pabst Brewing Company, but in its heyday, Schlitz was actually the beer of choice. Through a series of unfortunate events, the Uihlein brothers found themselves as the owners of Schlitz Brewing Company by 1875 and were ready to take the company to new heights. Some would even argue that without Schlitz, Milwaukee wouldn’t be the successful city it is today. This episode we’re talking about an escape from Germany, all the reasons you’ll ever need to never want to take a trip on a ship again, and the start of a family dynasty. Streaming on major platforms now! Resources * Ambitious Brew [https://amzn.to/3bHd1x0] by Maureen Ogle * Immigrant Entrepreneurship [https://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entries/political-revolution-emigration-and-establishing-a-regional-player-in-brewing-august-krug-and-joseph-schlitz/] * History of Milwaukee [https://books.google.com/books?id=zJYvAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA706&lpg=PA706&dq=katherine+krug+uihlein&source=bl&ots=qb_xKX3txA&sig=ACfU3U2fWSvM1Gxq6a1lPdBxhNRWM2pkxA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiNyayL6tz3AhWwoXIEHRPZBLsQ6AF6BAgaEAM#v=onepage&q=krug&f=false] * Brookston Beer Bulletin [https://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/historic-beer-birthday-august-uihlein/] * Encyclopedia of Milwaukee [https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/schlitz-brewing-company/] * Wisconsin History [https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS13865] * Leadership and Social Movements: The Forty-Eighters in the Civil War by Christian Dippel and Stephan Heblich [http://www.nber.org/papers/w24656] * Milwaukee Public Library [https://content.mpl.org/digital/collection/RememberWhe/id/301] * Milwaukee Magazine [https://www.milwaukeemag.com/story-behind-this-non-alcoholic-schlitz-brewing-sign/] * United Press International [https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/06/01/Workers-strike-at-Schlitz-brewery/8572360216000/] * New York Times [https://web.archive.org/web/20190413232445/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/09/us/milwaukeeans-face-loss-of-one-of-their-own-in-closing-schlitz-brewery.html] * Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2017/06/05/10-moments-milwaukees-past-june/361798001/] * Herald-Tribune [https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2010/10/10/lakewood-ranch-how-a-town-was-born/28971865007/] * Northern Illinois University Digital Library [https://digital.lib.niu.edu/islandora/object/niu-gildedage%3A24493] * Wisconsin Harness Racing Hall of Fame [http://wiharnessracing.com/whhahalloffame/uihlein-august/] * US Trotting News [http://ustrottingnews.com/august-uihlein-and-the-harvester-to-be-inducted-into-wisconsin-hall-of-fame/]

Episode 6: Kraft Foods Inc.

American Cheese has been a fan favorite of children and adults for decades, but most cheesemakers feel very differently about it. We’re delving into James Krafts’ entrepreneur spirit, the ins and outs of “process cheese”, and the ingenious business strategies that made Kraft Foods a household name. This episode is all about Kraft Foods history starting from a little town in Canada to a big jump across the Niagara River. It’s time to stir up a pot of mac and cheese while we talk about how a horse named Paddy, a little blind ambition, and cheese changed the world. Articles Britannica [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kraft-Foods-Inc] History of Business [https://historyofbusiness.blogspot.com/2009/06/kraft-foods.html] Harvard Business School [https://www.hbs.edu/leadership/20th-century-leaders/Pages/details.aspx?profile=james_l_kraft] American National Biography [https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1000942] Today [https://www.today.com/food/philadelphia-cream-cheese-isn-t-actually-philly-t171953] Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias [https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/7204138] My Companies [https://mycompanies.fandom.com/wiki/National_Dairy_Products_Corporation] Wisconsin State Farmer [https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/opinion/columnists/2017/08/21/plymouths-climb-becoming-cheese-capital-world-1930-s/588632001/] (2) [https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2020/09/15/struggling-kraft-heinz-sells-dairy-brands-lactalis/5813248002/] Websites Kraftwood [https://www.kraftwood.org/] Bon Appétit [https://www.bonappetit.com/story/philadelphia-cream-cheese] Culture Cheese Magazine [https://culturecheesemag.com/blog/real-cheese-product-james-and-the-bacteria-free-cheese-the-founding-of-kraft/]

Episode 5: H.J. Heinz Company

When Henry Heinz lost everything to a bad business investment, he turned to his family for help to build a ketchup kingdom. With a little creativity and a lot of business sense, Henry was able to create America’s most beloved condiment. Grab some fries and layer on the ketchup as we dish on ketchup, rotting cucumbers, and a sinking ship (metaphorically and literally). Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Success PDCST to see photos from the episode! Website Senator John Heinz History Center [https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/blog/collection-spotlight/heinz-first-products-innovative-factory] Heinz [https://www.heinz.com/] Articles H.J. Heinz Pickle Factory [https://digitalholland.org/around-town/h-j-heinz-pickle-factory/] TV Shows The Food That Built America [https://www.history.com/shows/the-food-that-built-america] Books In Good Company by Eleanor Dienstag [https://www.amazon.com/Good-Company-Years-Heinz-Table/dp/0446517976]

Episode 4: Pabst Brewing Company

You’ve seen Pabst Beer in the grocery stores for decades, but it was not any easy road to success for this two hundred year old company. It all started with the Best family’s decision to leave Germany and take a chance on building a new business in a budding new American town, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Pour a Blue Ribbon brewski and settle in as we uncover the story of Pabst that was brewed with company pivots, family shame, and a hostile takeover. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Success PDCST to see photos from the episode! Books The Pabst Brewing Company [https://www.amazon.com/Pabst-Brewing-Company-American-Business/dp/1258159252] by Thomas C. Cochran Ambitious Brew [https://www.amazon.com/Ambitious-Brew-Story-American-Beer/dp/0156033593/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3P6E4S3R1YL3V&keywords=Ambitious+Brew+by+Maureen+Ogle&qid=1641485369&s=books&sprefix=ambitious+brew+by+maureen+ogle%2Cstripbooks%2C200&sr=1-1] by Maureen Ogle Websites Urban Milwaukee [https://urbanmilwaukee.com/] Pabst Mansion [https://www.pabstmansion.com/] Pabst [https://pabst.com/] Sussex-Lisbon Amea Historical Sociaty, Inc. [https://www.slahs.org/sussex-lisbon-area-historical-society-inc-6/] Videos Pabst Farms: Pabst in Cow Country USA [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvMrSOpTMdQ] Business References Forbes [https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2020/07/03/how-to-pivot-successfully-in-business/?sh=536aec757316] Zen Business [https://www.zenbusiness.com/blog/5-reasons-in-house-manufacturing-better-than-outsourcing/]

Episode 3: Berkshire Hathaway

182 years ago the foundation was put in place for one of the world’s largest conglomerates. And it all started in a little town in Massachusetts. This episode, we’re headed down the Berkshire Hathaway rabbit hole to figure out how one boat ride from London to New York set off the events that would lead Warren Buffet to owning one of the most well-known businesses in the nation. Strap in for the journey as we talk cotton mills, sibling rivalries, and blind revenge. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Success PDCST to see photos from the episode! Books Elizabeth Buffman Chace, 1806-1899: Her Life and Its Environment [https://archive.org/details/cu31924092519424/page/n51/mode/2up] by Lillie Buffum Chace Wyman Representative Men and Old Families of Southeastern Massachusetts [https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=GHIWAAAAYAAJ&rdid=book-GHIWAAAAYAAJ&rdot=1] Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. [https://www.amazon.com/Berkshire-Hathaway-Inc-saga-courage/dp/B0007DUK50] by Seabury Stanton Memoir of Samuel Slater [https://www.amazon.com/Memoir-Samuel-Slater-Manufactures-Manufacture/dp/1163247723] by George S. White The Textile American [https://books.google.com/books?id=wUQAAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA10-PA17&lpg=RA10-PA17&dq=charles+plunkett+adams+massachusetts&source=bl&ots=gxfzUrPoLG&sig=ACfU3U1XJzpR6aA1rVT0hyFELXuHDpx8Xg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjOydyQ2dn0AhWgAZ0JHbmTAtwQ6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=charles%20plunkett%20adams%20massachusetts&f=false], Volumes 9-10 Websites Greener Pastures [https://greenerpasture.com/Ancestors/ShowPics/4087] Explore Adams [http://exploreadams.com/adams-is/history] Find a Grave [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/80618161/seabury-stanton]Britannica [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Slater] National Parks Service [https://www.nps.gov/blrv/learn/historyculture/wilkinson.htm] Articles The Berkshire Bunch [https://www.forbes.com/forbes/1998/1012/6208110a.html?sh=3003a62a2a58] Warren Buffett’s $200B Berkshire Blunder and the Valuable Lesson He Learned [https://www.cnbc.com/id/39724884] Berkshire Hathaway, The Legacy of a Yankee Carpenter [https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/berkshire-hathaway-legacy-yankee-carpenter/] Nylon: A Revolution in Textiles [https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/nylon-a-revolution-in-textiles] Videos Berkshire Cotton Mfg. Co., Adams, Massachusetts, circa 1917 [https://vimeo.com/30093783]