Hollywood’s Lesson in Lena Horne and Betty White
HAMPTON, Virginia – What do Betty White and Lena Horne have in common? I will answer the question, but please let me tell you a story first. At the entrance... Read more.

Goodyear Model Room and the Ringling Museum
Today’s Wall Street Journal has an article on Goodyear, and what it plans to do with its Model Room. It will eventually move headquarters, and it doesn’t... Read more.

Local Brands: Lamson Brothers, Toledo, Ohio
TOLEDO – In a box of fabric, we found a little label for a dress store called Lamson Brothers. Every town used to have a Lamson Brothers, a stylish local department... Read more.

If and When the Jobs Don’t Come Back
The employment picture is a fright, no matter how nicely the people at Bureau of Labor Statistics spin it. In the last year, my adopted home state of Florida lost... Read more.

Headlines: Schumacher Joins NE Consulting
Westport, Conn – The New England Consulting Group has made Debra Schumacher managing associate. Schumacher has held positions of increasing responsibility... Read more.

Goodbye Continental Airlines. But Why?
There appears to be no logic to what happens to brands when airlines merge. In the airline world, if the company is bigger, it keeps its name, and the smaller company... Read more.

The NYSE Brand, Fat Fingers and Jane Jacobs’ Dark Age
NEW YORK – In 2004, urban theorist Jane Jacobs not only predicted the burst in the real estate bubble, but talked about how it could unwind. In her book Dark... Read more.

Remembering Vinol, the Drug for Anemia
The drug Vinol often appears in old pictures. But what was Vinol? It was a drug for anemia and general weakness. It was part of the companies Chester Kent and also... Read more.

Swab, The Great American Wagon Company
Elizabethville, Penn. – Carriage brands that might have been around during, say, the time of Little House on the Prairie would be gone. Perhaps most are, but... Read more.

Seven Most Underestimated American Brand Names
Today, we explore brand names that are still around, but ignored or underutilized by their owners. In some ways having an underestimated brand is good, as too much... Read more.