Dave Longaberger was one of the most remarkable entrepreneurs of his generation. His vision, his unorthodox business methods, and his belief in people resulted in the creation of one of the largest and most successful private companies in America.
Longaberger: An American Success Story is Dave's fascinating firsthand account of how he created and grew his company into the largest basket manufacturer in the United States, employing thousands of people, revitalizing his community, and inspiring everyone involved with a commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and a unique management philosophy.
As Dave himself admits in this moving and compelling memoir, he was an unlikely success story. In addition to having epilepsy and a stutter, Dave suffered from a learning disorder, finally graduating high school at the age of twenty-one. Yet, he ran two profitable businesses, a restaurant and a grocery store -- which, to the horror of bankers and friends, he then sold in order to finance his struggling basket company.
Dave was a business maverick who only let adversities make him stronger and more versatile. He became renowned for his managerial skills -- and his sense of humor. More than once he started a food fight at a company event or launched a wild idea -- like the basket-shaped headquarters building -- that just happened to work perfectly.
This engaging story shows how Dave Longaberger shared his life and unconventional business sense to create what is now the $1 billion-in-sales Longaberger Company. Join him on his journey as he takes his own unique route to success. Learn about the many original and highly unusual management practices that not only contributed to the strength of the Longaberger enterprise but can make any business run more profitably. Follow Dave's example and develop the entrepreneurial skills necessary for business success.
Longaberger: An American Success Story is an affirmation of the American values of independence, hard work, and business ethics. Inspirational as well as informative, this is a moving portrait of an enterprise and an entrepreneur, both of whom are loved and revered by the thousands of people whose lives they have enriched.
About The Longaberger Company
From a bare-bones beginning with a handful of part-time employees in 1972, Longaberger today, under the leadership of president and CEO Tami Longaberger, employs some 8,700 people and inspires some 70,000 independent sales associates across the United States. The Longaberger Company has a sprawling campus of office facilities, production plants where basket makers create more than 40,000 high-quality baskets every day, and tourist attractions in and around central Ohio.
One of 12 children of a basket-factory worker in a small Ohio town, Dave Longaberger came naturally to people oriented business practices long before the days of the management gurus. This engaging memoir explores his life and his unorthodox business sense, which created a solid base for the success of his company. Taking readers through the process of becoming an entrepreneur, Longaberger outlines specific practices, such as managerial evaluation and a mandatory shorter work day, that not only contributed to the strength of the Longaberger enterprise, but can make any business run more profitably. Today, the Longaberger Company is the largest basket manufacturer in the United States and the creator of the fourth largest line of "collectibles" in America. An affirmation of American values of independence, hard work, and morality, this personal story is as inspirational as it is informative. The Longaberger Company has been featured in People, George, and Profit magazines, and cited in Forbes, Working 1Wotker, and Ohio magazines. The Longaberger Company boasts 60,000 independent sales associates nationwide, who market and sell the company's products through home shows.
