Who created Mars. The laws of the cosmos: Who will appropriate the Moon and Mars. Mars Chocolate Bar

John Franklyn Mars (born 10/15/1935) is an American businessman, co-owner of the family corporation Mars Incorporated, from 1999 to 2004 - the chairman of the board of the company.

Mr. Mars is the third generation heir to the family business. The company, founded by his grandfather Frank Mars in 1911, brings good dividends to his grandson in the 3rd millennium. In the Forbes ranking for the past year, The World's Billionaires-2017, John is ranked 26th on the list ($ 27 billion), as is his sister Jacqueline ($ 27 billion). Earlier, the ranking also featured the older brother of John Mars, Forrest Jr., who died in July 2016.

John Mars became the richest resident of Wyoming, his sister is the richest resident of Virginia (Forbes data for 2017).

In the Forbes ranking of the richest people in America "Rischest-400" in 2017, brother and sister are also on the same line, taking 16th place. According to updated data from Forbes for February 2018, John's fortune has slightly decreased, but it is also impressive - $ 23.6 billion.

The surname "Mars" is quite worthy of becoming a household name, as, for example, the last name of Rockefeller. John Mars not only took over the management of the grandfather's company, but also made his own contribution to its development.

Now Mars Inc. Is a global manufacturer of confectionery, animal products, food products. The company is ranked 6th in America's Largest Private Companies-2017, with sales of $ 35 billion.

Mars is not going to be satisfied with what has already been achieved - judging by the logo presented by the corporation on Facebook and translated as “to grow further”.

How did the heir to the family corporation manage to grow up to be hardworking, not spoiled and purposeful? A biography of John Mars will refute the notion that being born with a silver spoon in your mouth is easy to go through life.

John Mars's childhood and family

John Mars was born in the United States in the city of Arlington, Virginia (Arlington, Virginia) on October 15, 1935. In order to understand in which family the character of little John was formed, let us dwell on his pedigree - it is to his relatives that the boy owes what he has become.

Until now, the company remains a family-run, "Martian" business, with members of the Mars clan still at the helm.

Starting a family business: the founding grandfather

The family business was founded by the grandfather of the hero of today's article. Frank's parents - it is by this name that Franklin Mars is better known - lived in poverty. The difficult financial situation of the family was complicated by Frank's illness - he was sick with polio.

Due to illness, he could not, like his peers, attend school. But it is not in vain that the proverb says: "every cloud has a silver lining." Sitting not at the school desk, but at the kitchen table at home, young Frank, watching his mother, learned the basics of making sweets.

After 15 months of married life, John Mars's father, Forrest Mars Sr., is born.

In 1910, when the boy was six, his parents divorced. Ethel and her son moved to another city. Frank Mars received custody and the obligation to pay $ 20 per month. Starting early to think about his own business, Frank did not immediately manage to become financially secure: he could not always pay even the “twenty” for his son.

Franklin Mars is getting married a second time. Due to the fact that both of his wives were named the same - Ethel - sometimes they indicate different dates for the foundation of the company. According to one version, Frank's first marriage fell apart precisely because of his failed attempt to found a business and provide for a family, according to another - that Mars opened his own business after the divorce, along with his second wife. The official founding date given in Forbes is 1911, located in Tacoma, Washington.

The newly minted Mars couple set up a candy shop in their newly acquired home and sell pastries right through the kitchen window. The business did not bring a stable income; short moments of prosperity were followed by sharp failures. In 1920, Mars moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, with only $ 400 in hand. To prepare the sweets that his wife was selling, Frank woke up every morning at 3 in the morning. Soon he begins to experiment in the candy business, and one of the groundbreaking innovations becomes life-changing.

The beginning of the 1920s marks a turning point in the history of the family company.

Mars founds Mar-o-Bar, 1922 Mar-o-Bar and 1923 Milky Way chocolate bars. And - lo and behold! - for a year, the company's sales grow 10 times: from $ 72,800 to $ 792,900.

Key events in the history of companies are often shrouded in legend. Just as there are several versions of the appearance of the name of the company, so Milky Way has its own story-legend about its origin. She says that the idea of ​​releasing Milky Way - packaged chocolates - came to Frank while walking with his son. Having bought him chocolate by weight (and sweetness was sold at that time without packaging and only by weight), Franklin, looking at the child's hands stained with chocolate, thought something like: “Eureka! Why not sell chocolate in packaging, like a foil wrapper? "

In the opinion of the author of the article, the legend is in doubt. It is enough to compare the years of the initial release of Milky Way (1923) and the age of Frank's son, Forrest Mars, when the bar appeared 19 years old. Well, how many years ago Frank walked with his son, and why did he wait so long for the realization of the idea that came during the walk? Incredible, "sweet" story.

The selection of candidates for admission to the Frank Mars factory was tough, but he also paid above average. The boss did not tolerate misconduct and violations: once in the workshop, Mars noticed an employee who picked up a fallen chocolate bar from the floor and intended to wrap it in a package. Mars immediately jumped to the worker, grabbed him and pushed him away from the workplace.

In 1928, after graduating from Yale University, Mars' son Forrest comes to the factory. Although he did not hold an official position, the right of the son of the founder of the company allowed him to influence the production processes. Frank Mars did not like this alignment of forces. A former assistant to Frank Mars recalls: "He was proud of his son, but was not going to give him control." It is no secret that the relationship "dad - son" at Mars was not easy, in fact, Forrest grew up without a father.

In 1932, Mars escorts his son “to hell”: “This company is too small for both of us. Go to some other country and start your own business. " Frank "sweetened" the farewell a little: he gave the offspring $ 50 thousand and granted the right to release a "sweet hit" - Milky Way. Forrest leaves for the UK and opens a chocolate factory in Slough (southeast of England).

In 1930, the mass production of the Snickers bar began. Mars, Inc. becomes one of the largest candy producers in the country.

In 1930, sales were $ 24.6 million, and almost $ 2.3 million.

During the Great Depression (the global crisis of the 30s), sales of sweets fell by two-thirds, but Mars and his wife continued to live in grand style. The trappings of a wealthy life were evident: the best cars (a $ 20,000 Duesenberg and a 16-cylinder Cadillac), the Marlands mansion near the lake in Minokwa, Wisconsin, and a huge (about 1000 hectares) farm in Tennessee called Milky Way Farms (Milky Way Farms). For a couple of years, Frank Mars spent about $ 2 million on real estate, where about 100 people constantly worked. And once he did not have enough funds to pay his father's alimony in the amount of $ 20 ...

Frank Mars died at the age of 50, having bequeathed control of the business to his second wife. The widow of Mars, while serving as president, was more interested in horse racing and breeding stallions at Milky May. In fact, the management of the company was taken over by her half-brother, the vice-president of the firm, William Kruppenbacher. In 1945, when Ethel Mars died, a serious struggle broke out for the right to run the company.

Struggle for the inheritance: the activities of Forrest Mars Sr.

Forrest, meanwhile, is setting up the release of Milky Way in Foggy Albion.

In addition to the production of TM Mars, Forrest launches a new sweet brand - M & M's glazed chocolates. In 1941, their production begins for the US Army. Advertising “melt in your mouth, not in your hands” appeared even then.

Sweet dragees went only to the front, bypassing ordinary shops. The Mars company was not the only one that jumped in advance during the hostilities - stories and examples. In 1945, M & M's became available to the civilian population and were published in tin boxes.

Unlike his father, Forrest was not obsessed with sweets. It expands its product line and adds pet food to its range of brands. In 1939, KITEKAT cat food was introduced to the UK market.

Later brands Pedigree (1957) and Whiskas (1958) appeared.

To launch another brand - Uncle Ben’s rice - Forrest Mars takes out a government loan. The government decided to support the production of this parboiled rice, which was transported better and faster than regular rice. However, everything comes at a price. The American magazine Reader’s Digest published a laudatory article about Uncle Ben’s in 1944 and interested creditors requested a patent from Mars for the production of this rice. Without revealing their secrets, Mars has since stayed away from the media and government loans.

Like his father, Forrest was obsessed with quality. Once in a store, he came across poorly packaged candies of his own production. Forrest rushed to the plant, gathered the top managers, and began tossing the candy, one after another, right into the glass wall of the conference room (to the delight of the rest of the staff who watched the show).

In 1945, after the death of his stepmother, Forrest decided that there was a good chance to regain control of the family company. At that time, he was the holder of a third of the securities, his half-sister Patricia (Patty) owned another third of the shares, Kruppenbacher had one-sixth of the securities, the rest of the shares were distributed among the old employees.

Forrest hoped to form an alliance with his sister: she had a large family, and, having inherited a grand style of life from her parents, Patricia was only interested in the size of dividends. Forrest outlined the prospect of a large income for her in the event of his leadership of Mars. But her uncle's voice sounded more convincing to Patty: Kruppenbacher insisted that loyalty to the uncle, whom she had known all her life, was more important than the money that her half-brother promised her.

With Patty Kruppenbacher's backing, Mars, Inc. remains at the helm. His attempt to prohibit an opponent from entering the plant looked a little childish - having introduced a pass system at the enterprise, he did not issue a pass to Forrest Mars. However, already in 1947 a "truce" was signed: Forrest Mars received 3 out of 9 seats on the Board of Directors. In late 1959, James R. Fleming, Patty's third husband, replaced Kruppenbacher as president. In 1962, Kruppenbacher sold his shares, and Forrest and Patty had 41% each. After 2 years, Patty sold the securities to her brother.

This is how, three decades later, Forrest Mars took back control of Mars. In 1964, he merged his own company with his father's.

At the time of the merger, Forrest Food Manufacturers, Inc.'s annual sales, including subsidiaries, were several times higher than Mars. The combined corporation (about 80% of which was owned by Forrest Mars and his family) was named Mars, Inc. and became one of the largest in the world.

Gathering the leaders of his father's firm in a conference room, the newly minted boss, 60-year-old Forrest Mars, said: “I am a believer. I pray for the Milky Way, I pray for the Snickers "(English" I pray for the Milky Way. I pray for Snickers ").

This is how he laconically outlined his management principle: all employees of the organization must be united by faith in the leadership of the company and the product being produced.

One of Forrest’s first decisions at his father’s enterprise was the demolition of partitions - the walls in the office, in his opinion, interfered with communication between departments. The luxurious dining room for the “elite” was also dismantled, the interior of which was decorated with the family coats of arms of privileged employees. Fair and equal treatment of subordinates was integral to the management of Forrest Mars.

In 1966, Fortune estimated sales of Mars, Inc. amounted to more than $ 350 million, which significantly exceeded the same figure for the famous American candy company Hershey Chocolate Corp. ($ 226 million).

John Mars's childhood

Forrest Sr. kept his children in "iron grip", in childhood they sometimes did not get even sweets. Here is such a life "in chocolate". From an early age, John Mars had to learn the lessons of economy: his father did not allow to squander the accumulated, investing all the money in the business. There were no fashionable clothes, expensive cars - everything that is called "signs of a luxurious life." Young John got into the habit of working to get what he wants.

The father wanted to instill in the children hard work, to make them productive people, and not pampered playboys. “Everything in life must be earned,” he thought. It is interesting that the billionaires of our time, for example, also adhere to a similar approach in raising children.

John Mars Education

In 1953, John graduated from Hotchkiss School in Connecticut.

After he continued his education at Yale University, he graduated in 1957. Subsequently, his children (as well as the children of his older brother) will receive diplomas at this prestigious university.

Brothers Mars, leaving the walls of the university, did not forget about the "alma mother". They provided financial assistance to their native university. In 1999, John and his brother supported the university's program in Ethics, Politics and Economics (EPE) with a donation of $ 2 million.

Richard Levin, President of Yale since 1993, expressed his gratitude to Forrest and John Mars: "I am truly grateful for the thoughtful support of one of the university's most innovative and promising interdisciplinary programs."

Upon graduation, John Mars served two years in the United States Army.

The first independent steps of John Mars in the family business

After military service, John Mars, with the consent of his father, joined the family business. But even then no one presented him with everything ready on a silver platter.

The first assignment for John Mars is to launch animal feed in Australia. It was a challenge that surpassed the level of a novice businessman, but John nevertheless took up the challenge. Gradually, in the country of kangaroo, he comprehends all the basics of doing business. Overcoming obstacles, John has grown into a successful businessman. It will become the real brain, the intelligence of the company. And his brother, Forrest Jr., wasted no time - he managed to open chocolate factories in France and Holland.

Despite this, the father found something to "scold" his offspring for. Old-time workers said that Forrest-st. he sometimes lectured his sons in the factory so loudly that screams could be heard on several floors. In 1969, Forrest Mars retired, and his adult sons finally took over the management of the family corporation. Forrest St. set a condition for the children - while he was alive, not to sell the company.

John Mars' Contribution to the Company: A Business Shrouded in Mystery

Mars Inc. is one of the most closed to prying eyes. The company’s sparse press releases do not allow us to specify in detail the degree of involvement of John Mars in the management of the business. John is known to be in charge of innovation and new product launches. The closeness of the company and its heirs from the media has become a proverb. This applies not only to the working life, but also to the personal life of Mars.

Here are some facts to give you an idea of ​​the extent of Mars & Co.'s secrecy:

1 Mars Forrest Sr. only gave one interview to Candy Industry and Confectioners Journal. He admitted to reporters: "Money will come to you if you release a really good product that people need"

2 Mars Forrest Jr. also did one interview with the Washington Post in 1992. The tape with the recording of his voice was destroyed according to the agreement.

3 the company did not provide reporters with information regarding Forrest Mars-st .: it was not clear whether he died or worked for the company.

4 Americans find it amusing that the company's headquarters are located in the same place as one of the CIA headquarters - in McLean, Virginia. Coincidence?

5 in the 1980s, when John Mars was included in the list of people with the greatest personal fortune, Forbes was unable to get his photo. And in 2018, instead of his image, this one flaunts:

Members of the Mars family can compete in their dislike for candid interviews and photo shoots with such persons as the founder of the Wildberries and the richest lady in China.

The crisis year was 1988, when the Hershey company, for the first time in the history of the industry, ousted Mars from the pedestal of the leader. During this period, John Mars helped his brother Forrest Jr. return the palm.

The brothers acquired Ethel M Chocolates (the firm founded by their father after leaving Mars), which expanded the company and regained its leading position in 1991.

In 2008, Mars completed a major deal - merging business with the chewing gum manufacturer Wrigley. Having invested $ 23 billion, the corporation became the main shareholder of Wrigley. , founder of Berkshire Hathaway, partially funded the deal. The fact that both Mars and Wrigley have one thing in common played a role in the purchase: they are family-owned companies, like Inc., which is not easy enough in today's reality.

In January 2017, John Mars paid $ 7.7 billion for the purchase of VCA, Inc, a company specializing in medicines for animals (pets)

The Martian Chronicles: Interesting Facts About MARS

  • the number of MARS Incorporated employees is about 100 thousand employees in more than 80 countries of the world
  • In 2017, Mars took 4th place in the TOP of employers "Great Place to Work". The international rating is valuable because the best employer is chosen directly by employees. Not a bad result for MARS, considering that in 2017, 10 million employees from 6,600 companies were interviewed

  • At the headquarters of Mars Inc, there is a sculpture of a scaffold with an ax, signed: "The head of each employee rests on the scaffold of responsibility."

The brands that are part of the corporation increase the capital of John Mars - the portfolio contains dozens of the most famous brands. Here is just a small list of well-known TMs: M & M’s, Snickers, Dove, Orbit, Spearmint, Milky Way, Mars, Skittles, Twix.

The Orbit brand even got into the song of the Splin group - the chewing gum was immortalized in the musical hit Orbit Sugar Free

Mars Inc. illustrates successful diversification (expansion of the product line). The Mars family has established a sustainable non-resource business.

To speak of the company only as a “confectionery empire” is not at all correct, because Mars operates in 5 world business segments:

2 pet products Petcare

3 food Food

4 drinks Drinks

5 Symbioscience - the life sciences business

The company has strong strategic marketing. For example, chocolate bars are produced for a specific target audience, a specific situation.

This made it possible to successfully enter the Russian market in 1991, in 2016 the company celebrated its 25th anniversary of operation in the Russian Federation.

Mars-Ians (as employees call themselves) “go to the people”: they meet with students, telling them about professional development opportunities at Mars. Mars days were held at Moscow State University, Moscow State Technical University. Bauman and the Financial University.

In 2011, the company published its Five Principles of Operation. Briefly enough, as for the charter of a global corporation. Often, celebrity tips and company strategies include a lot more points: remember the "8 principles of leadership from" or "25 rules of success."

The rules that all members of the Mars family have subscribed to are as follows:

  • a responsibility
  • efficiency
  • quality
  • mutually beneficial
  • Liberty

Principles are not an empty phrase. Take, for example, item 1 "responsibility."

With the arrival of the 90s, the company set itself the goal of making its products more useful. An agreement was signed with Procter & Gamble to purchase caprenin (a substitute for cocoa butter). But when it was revealed that caprenine increased cholesterol, Mars suspended the contract.

The company fights against childhood and adult obesity. In 2008 Mars launched Generation Max, a low-calorie sweets sold in vending machines.

In 2016, Mars announced it was phasing out the use of colorants in its products. This decision dictates to the company concern for the safety of customers.

The responsible executives of Mars Inc. resolved the situation with accusations of violation of labor laws. Large corporations are often accused of similar charges, and Nike has been criticized for negotiating contracts in countries with cheap labor. Mars was charged with child labor. The crux of the problem was that the company was buying cocoa beans from Indonesian farmers who exploited child labor. The company launched a program aimed at improving the lives of women and children in Indonesia. Mars has officially announced that it partners with suppliers that adhere to labor standards.

If we take clause 5 "freedom", then the freedom of "Mars" lies in the non-publicity of the company: shareholders (since they do not exist) do not impose decisions on the management.

John Mars's personal life

At 23, John Mars married Adrienne Bevis. The marriage took place in June 1958. The couple had three children - daughter Linda Anne Mars (born 05/23/1960), son Frank Edward Mars (03/13/1963) and Michael John Mars (11/22/1967).

Previously, the billionaire lived in his native Arlington, at the moment he and his wife live in Jackson, Wyoming (Jackson, Wyoming).

In March 2015, Queen Elizabeth II conferred the knighthood on him at Windsor Castle.

In 2018, the heir to the corporation, Sir John Mars, will turn 83 years old. The business tycoon is great, is a participant in charitable initiatives.

Change of CEO in the third millennium

In 2004 Mars - John and Forrest Jr. - officially transferred management responsibilities to Paul Michaels. Michaels has worked at Mars since 1988 and became the first non-Mars CEO in the company's history. The media hoped that the new CEO would make Mars more open to the press, but their aspirations did not materialize.

Since 2016, Grant Reed, who previously worked in various areas of the brand, has become the CEO of the company.

The fourth generation of Mars is currently running the company. Victoria Mars, daughter of Forrest Jr., is now president of the company.

But whoever is “at the helm” of the company, the strategy of the family corporation Mars for more than a hundred years has been described as follows: to satisfy the needs of consumers with high quality, bearing responsibility for the result.

The large private company Mars is a kind of phenomenon in the American market. All key positions in the administration of the company belong to members of the same family, which is particularly mysterious. Mars owners make billions without the hustle and bustle.

Mars is the history of the largest private company. Mars is one of the most mysterious in the American market. It is one of the few private companies in which family members play key roles.

Mars has revenues in the billions of dollars, it owns more than 10 brands, each of them can be easily built a separate business. Mars was and remains a privately held company from the very beginning. Its owners have never sought the hype around their names, and have not expressed a desire to show off on the cover of Forbes. This, in turn, gave rise to a lot of rumors about the company.

Some argue that the owner and manager of Forrest Mars started each workday by bypassing production, and personally sampled product samples, including animal feed! Let's slightly open the veil of mystery over this company, and get to know its founders better.

How it all began

The history of Mars goes back to the 19th century. The future founder of the "sweet giant" Franklin (Frank) Clarence Mars was born in 1883. The family in which Frank grew up was not wealthy, and he had to start working at a fairly early age. At the age of 19, he briskly traded in sweets. It was Frank's kind of "start" in the confectionery industry. Little by little, Mars rose through the ranks, and began to earn pretty good money.

It was difficult to call him rich, but Frank had his own house, a stable income, and by the age of 28 he had married his girlfriend Ethel. By the way, Franklin's wife Mars became his first business partner. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. When Mars is 28, he decides to "quit" with work, and. Together with his wife, they begin to sell sweets. The first Mars "store" was located right in their house, and trade took place through the kitchen window. Business went well, sales grew steadily, and the couple decided to found their own company.

They named it Mar-o-Bar in 1911. So Frank's dream of his own business began to come true. The assortment of goods then consisted mainly of sweets with different fillings. Nothing original. The idea that radically changed Frank's life and gave his business a significant "acceleration" came to him by accident. At that time, chocolate was sold exclusively by weight. Naturally, he quickly melted in his hands, people got dirty, it was uncomfortable and unpleasant. Frank thought - what if you sell pieces of chocolate wrapped in foil?

This is how the Milky Way bar was born. In just a few days, it became a kind of hit among sweets. By early 1925, the Milky Way bar was breaking all sales records in this segment of the market. 20s. Mars opens a factory near Chicago. The staff of the company is constantly growing. New products appear. Among them is the world famous Snickers bar.

At this time, Frank's son, Forrest, is graduating from Yale University. With his diploma, he is determined to enter the world of business. Forrest travels to the UK, where he starts his own business. According to one of the versions, the reason for his departure from the States was a quarrel with his father. One thing is certain - Forrest "started" in business with his father's money. In addition, his company obtained the rights to manufacture and distribute Milky Way chocolate. So, even if you believe the version of the quarrel between Frank and Forrest, they still maintained a certain relationship.

In 1932, in Slow, Forrest buys a small production facility. By the way, it is at this factory that another equally well-known product of the company will subsequently appear - the Mars bar.

With a modest staff, Forrest started working. It should be noted that Mars Jr. did not focus exclusively on confectionery like his father. It was with his submission that the range of the company was replenished with animal feed - Whiskas and Pedigree. Forrest's dad had the idea for the Milky Way bar. Forrest would not have been true Mars if he had not come up with something of his own, no less grandiose. He succeeded in full - M&M candies - the brainchild of Forrest Mars.

Their stunning success was explained very simply - they were covered with a special shell, and did not melt in the hands. This feature formed the basis of the advertising slogan that we still hear today: "It melts in the mouth, not in the hands." The popularity of the candy was so great that Forrest decided to rename his company to M&M Ltd. Unfortunately, Frank Mars could no longer share his triumph with his son - in 1934 he died of heart failure.

The most successful deal for M&M Ltd was the purchase of Uncle Ben's. This company was the leader among the manufacturers of instant rice. With such a powerful assortment, Forrest increasingly looked towards the American market. In 1964 he merges his company with his father's. This is how the giant M&M / Mars was born. Interestingly, Forrest did not want to hear about going public, and insisted that the business should remain at the disposal of the family.

Features in company management

Forrest Mars did not like to advertise himself or his income. He was not attracted by the covers of popular business magazines. All his time, Forrest worked, rolling up his sleeves, and nothing else interested him. The structure of the company at that time was very similar to the modern one. It was almost impossible to get any information about her. But some of the methods that Mars used in relation to their employees are still known.

First of all, it is a strict control over the quality of products. Forrest tried to create the best possible working conditions for employees, as he was well aware that the company's success depended on them. This, however, did not prevent him from subjecting the guilty workers to the most severe criticism, sometimes getting personal. Another important point is that Mars has abandoned offices and any partitions separating workers from each other. This was done so that all employees could feel like one team.

Today, this organization of jobs is also very popular in some companies. It should also be noted that the company was one of the first to acquire its own personnel training center.

Mars company today

The giant Mars has remained a private company, possibly the largest in the world. It is already run by Frank's grandchildren - Jacqueline, Forrest Jr. and John. The company makes great efforts to ensure that its products meet modern requirements.

For example, Mars has eliminated the use of many potentially harmful additives, and significantly changed the composition of almost all of its products. For example, the bar of the same name has lost its artificial flavors and has become much less high in calories. The company constantly carries out actions to promote a healthy lifestyle, in particular, in England. Mars continues to evolve, and the company is doing great despite the crisis. And, apparently, we will never witness the company's IPO.

Mars is a private, non-public, family-owned company. Ownership shares are distributed among the grandchildren of Frank Mars (estimates of the state - according to Forbes magazine, 2006):
John Mars, Chairman of the Board - Estimated net worth of $ 10.5 billion
Forrest Edwards Mars Jr. - Estimated net worth $ 10.0 billion
Jacqueline (Jackie) Mars - net worth $ 10.4 billion

According to Forbes, members of the Mars family are ranked 27th, 28th and 46th on the planet's list of billionaires. The secrecy of the company from the press does not allow us to accurately represent the degree of involvement of members of the Mars family in running the business, however, it is known that long-term managers, John and Forrest Mars, formally resigned and transferred control to the current CEO Paul Michaels.

The status of a private company, or perhaps its location next to the headquarters of the CIA, led to the fact that Mars has always been a closed company. Its founders never aspired to personal fame, and to show off on the cover of Forbes (however, this does not prevent them from being one of the hundred richest people in the United States according to the famous magazine). This closeness gave rise to a lot of rumors circulating around the company. It has been claimed by many that Forrest Mars' CEO makes a daily walk through which he tastes all Mars products, including animal feed! Be that as it may, it is worth opening the veil of secrecy over Mars by talking about this company.

Foundation of the company

The history of Mars dates back to the 19th century. In 1883, the future founder of the chocolate giant Franklin Clarence (Frank) Mars was born. Frank's parents were poor enough that he had to grow up early to go to work. At the age of 19, he was already selling sweets with might and main. It was from that moment that he entered the industry that defined his entire life. Gradually, Frank rose through the ranks, and as a result earned quite decent money. No, he certainly did not live richly, but he had his own house and married a girl named Ethel, who would become his main business partner.

At the age of 28, Frank leaves his job and decides to start his own business. Together with his wife, they start selling sweets, opening their own confectionery shop right in their house. All trade went through the kitchen window of the Mars family. Sales began to grow rapidly and the couple founded a company called Mar-O-Bar. It happened in 1911. Frank's dream of his own business, which would allow him to forget about hired work once and for all, began to come true.

In general, at that time, the main assortment of the Mars confectionery family was a variety of sweets of very different fillings. The idea that changed Frank's whole life came to him quite by accident. One day he went with his son to the store. Forrest (that was the name of little Mars) asked his father to buy him some chocolate. At that time, chocolate was only sold by weight. It was, to put it mildly, not very convenient. Customers quickly got dirty with it. It was at that moment that Frank thought, why not start selling small pieces of chocolate wrapped in foil? The idea seemed promising to him. After talking with his wife, he came to the conclusion that it was worth trying. We tried it. The Milky Way bar became a hit in a matter of days. By 1925 Milky Way will be the recognized market leader. Sales will begin to grow annually, and the company will open more and more new markets for itself.

In the 1920s, Mars will have its own factory in the suburbs of Chicago. The staff of the company will begin to grow. All this will result in the emergence of new products, including the legendary Snickers chocolate bar, which is still one of the flagships of the Mars product line.

Meanwhile, Forrest Mars is graduating from Yale University. Having received an excellent education, he was about to enter the world of business. Here there are certain differences regarding what happened. The fact is that historians have no consensus regarding this time. It is known that Forrest went to England, where he started his own business, not associated with Mars. According to one of the versions, it was his father who invited him to try his hand and create his own business from scratch. But there is another version, according to which the relationship between father and son has seriously deteriorated, and as a result, Forrest left the United States to start his own business. Be that as it may, Forrest started with his father's money (not counting the fact that Mars Jr.'s company received the exclusive right to produce Milky Way chocolate outside America). And this suggests that the father and son maintained some kind of connection, even if the second theory is correct.

In 1932, Forrest Mars purchases premises for a factory in Slow. After hiring several employees, he begins production. It is at this factory that another legendary bar will be born, which is in no way inferior in fame to Snickers - Forrest will call it Mars. It should be noted that the first steps in the production of chocolate bars were not easy for Forrest. He even had to give up the idea of ​​developing his own chocolate at first. Instead, he partnered with the Cadbury company.

Unlike his father, Forrest was not obsessed with just confectionery. The idea of ​​differentiation was not at all alien to him. It is not surprising that it was with his light hand that animal feed such as Whiskas and Pedigree appeared in the company's assortment. But Forrest's main discovery will appear a little later - they will be the now popular MM sweets. It is a pity that Mars Sr. will no longer see this success of his son, since in 1934 he will leave this world. He will die of heart failure.

"Melts in the mouth, not in the hands"

If Forrest's father came up with the famous Milky Way chocolate bar, then his son owns the equally famous MM candies. The idea came to Forrest when he came to Spain to solve some of the problems associated with his business. There he saw the candy that became the prototype for MM. The problem with most chocolates at the time was that they melted quickly in their hands. Especially on hot summer days.

Forrest Mars solved this problem by using a special protective shell that covered all MM candies. Thus, there was a sweetness that consumers, tired of melting chocolate in their hands, have long dreamed of. Needless to say, MM is becoming a staple of Forrest Mars' company overnight. At the same time, his success was so great that Mars Jr. decided to change the name of the company to MM Ltd.

The next major step for Mars was the purchase of Uncle Ben's. This was another important diversification move. At the time, Uncle Ben's was one of the leaders in the instant rice market. With such a strong assortment of goods, Forrest began to visit America more and more often. And in 1964 he merged his company with his father's brainchild. The company MM / Mars appeared, which already then impressed with its power and the number of successful brands in its product portfolio. However, there was no question of any entry to the stock exchange. Forrest believed that the company should remain the property of the family. At least until his death, it was pointless to talk about the sale of at least some part of the company.

Of course, all business magazines of the time wrote about Forrest's return to Mars. It was truly a momentous event for the whole of America. It's a shame that Forrest took such a step so late. The thing is that in the early 30s, my father really wanted young Mars to return to the company, but he refused. This was very upsetting for Frank, since when he was dying he was still in some disagreement with his son. However, in the end, Forrest returned and took the company a new course to new heights.

A revolution in management

Forrest Mars never advertised his wealth. He didn’t like it when they talked too much about him. He didn't like showing off on the covers of business magazines. He was absorbed in work, but not at all interested in the attendant fame. The Mars device of that time was very much like the modern Apple. It was difficult to get any information about the company. Nevertheless, it is known about some revolutionary moves that Mars has taken in relation to its employees.

First, Mars had very tight control over product quality. Of course, until it was delivered as well as the Japanese, but the quality was monitored at Mars. At the same time, Forrest always got personal when certain problems appeared. He openly criticized those or other employees. However, this does not mean that he did not value employees. Not at all! He perfectly understood that the fate of his company depended on them, and tried to arrange the best conditions for them.

The second important point was that Mars abandoned private offices and any partitions that separated employees from each other. This was done on purpose so that employees can feel like a team. In addition, this move allowed everyone to convey information much faster to another person, including the leader. Today, the organization of labor in this way is very popular (one office of the company "Sup", which owns LiveJournal, is worth something).

Finally, it should be noted that the company has its own employee training center. This happened in the middle of the 20th century, and it was a truly revolutionary innovation. Overall, this is just a small part of what Forrest Mars has done for the company. Today Mars belongs to the third generation of the family. To be more precise, her fate is decided by Frank's grandchildren - Jacqueline, Forrest Jr. and John. At the same time, they moved away from direct management of the company. The CEO of Mars is hired manager Paul Michaels.

What's surprising is that Mars is still a privately held company. Perhaps the largest privately owned company in the world. Judge for yourself, the company's 2007 revenue was $ 25 billion. According to the data for the same year, the company employed 48 thousand people. Mars owns world-renowned brands in three industries: confectionery, animal food, rice (looking ahead, I will note that there is another one, about which a little below). I think you all know brands like Milky Way, MM, Twix, Skittles, Snickers, Whiskas, Chappy, Pedigree, Incle Ben’s, Dove Chocolate, Bounty, Royal Canin and many others that are simply pointless to list.

Finally, Mars was the first to introduce beverage dispensers that were capable of accepting paper money. This is another area of ​​the company's activities that few people know about. However, this does not prevent the slot machines from bringing substantial profits to the Mars piggy bank.

Mars today

The three main activities of Mars are:
staple foods (rice and Uncle Ben's sauces, Gourmania soups, etc.)
confectionery under the brands MM's, Snickers, Mars, Dove, Milky Way, Skittles, Twix, Bounty, etc.
Pet food (dog and cat) Pedigree, Whiskas, Kitekat, Сhappi, etc.

In addition, the group includes enterprises for the production of:
vending machines (Mars Electronics International)
drinks (Four Square).

Its own information support service, Information Services International (ISI), is incorporated as a separate company and provides services to all companies in the group.

The total sales of the company in 2006 amounted to more than $ 20 billion (in 2005 - more than $ 18 billion).

Mars in Russia

Mars activities in Russia started in 1991 (Masterfoods CJSC, since 1995 Mars LLC). At the end of 1993, the first regional office was organized (Vladivostok), in 1994 a network of sales branches was deployed in other regions of the country.

The first production site - the plant in Stupino - was commissioned in 1995, in 1996 the head office of Mars LLC was removed from Moscow - in Stupino. Subsequently, production facilities were opened in Lukhovitsy near Moscow and in Novosibirsk.

In September 2007, the company announced the start of construction of two new factories (confectionery and animal feed) in the Ulyanovsk region. The cost of the first stage of the project is $ 90 million. In February 2008, it was announced that the amount of investment in these projects would be increased to 4.6 billion rubles.

Revenue in Russia in 2006 amounted to 24.63 billion rubles, net profit - 3.68 billion rubles. The total volume of accumulated investments in Russia since 1993 is about $ 1 billion.

 

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