MARINA DEL REY – There are thousands of family businesses in the U.S. that were once considerable enterprises, so it is refreshing to see some of them come back, even if they are but modest start-ups. To wit, Cohen & Sons Apparel. I don’t know much about the original, butMORE HERE
LOS ANGELES – For fans of cars and Formula One, the Ron Howard film Rush is a feast. The film details the epic rivalry between the 1976 Formula One racers James Hunt of the U.K. and Austrian Niki Lauda. Released last fall, it is just out on DVD. Sports withMORE HERE
PETERSBURG, Va. – For those who love writing instruments, the restoration of the identity of a pen company is welcome. In Petersburg, Virginia, right on the main drag, the Remmie Arnold pen sign has been a key landmark in that historic Virginia city. I have a personal interest in it,MORE HERE
Ball Mason jars are one of the great American brand names that define a particular category. It is so much so, that most could not even name any other brands that competed against it, though if you think hard, Libby and Kerr come to mind. This year, the company celebratedMORE HERE
DETROIT – When General Motors was bailed out, the Pontiac brand died. General Motors customers, dealers and employees were stunned. The decision cost money, and Pontiac was well on its way to a revival. Sales just disappeared, and they were not replaced by other brands that were preserved, such asMORE HERE
MONTVALE, N.J. – Eight O’ Clock, the nation’s greatest coffee brand, has modified its logo with a second redesign that appeared in coupon mailers this week. The design is an update of a failed 2010 design, an improvement but not that much. The packaging debuted in August. In a pressMORE HERE
GAF, once known as General Aniline and Film, is the nation’s leading name in roofing. It has roots as old as 1842, with the E. Anthony & Co. photography enterprise of Binghamton, N.Y. and General Aniline Works, a textile dye company. MORE HERE
The whole natural food movement has strong roots in religious circles, not only with Kosher food and Mennonite dairies, and natural foods and the Jesus movement of the 70s, but in a new generation of foods and consumer products made on Biblical principles and sold with a religious theme. OneMORE HERE
CINCINNATI – Two well known regional brands are re-finding their place in the pantheon of Ohio business history. Christian Moerlein Brewery and Rookwood Pottery are profiled in a recent issue of the Cincinnati Business Courier. U.S. Bank’s Business Watch profiled the two companies in a TV report, seen above. TheyMORE HERE
NEW YORK – While private equity continues its long-running obsession with the high-tech sector—pumping cash into start-ups with zero history and names like Jive, Aerohive and Hadoop—one category has been woefully neglected and fully ripe for profit making today: a low-tech sector with more familiar monikers like Hai Karate, Modess,MORE HERE