bosssummer2010

C O N N E C T I N G T O I N D U S T R Y

AluminumWhether recycled or

made from dirt,this shiny metal has

emerged as a starof modern industry

S U M M E R 2 0 1 0asia/pacific – winter 2010

16 E.I. du Pont

Creator of anindustrial giant

34 Chew on ThisThe invention ofchewing gum

20 The Emerald Isle

Why Ireland is a toptourist destination

26HistoryThe curse—and genius—ofGenghis Khan

BOSS_summer10_1:Layout 1 6/1/10 3:05 PM

“WHEN I T COMES TO DE L I V ER I NG TOP - QUA L I T Y PRODUCTS ,

C LOSE DOESN ’ T COUNT. H ERE AT D I XON , THERE ’ S NO SUBST I TUTE FOR

E X P E R I E N C E“ W H E N I T ’ S G O T T O B E R I G H T — E V E R Y T I M E . I T A K E T H A T

R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y S E R I O U S L Y . ”

dixonvalve.com

BILL POULIN,Machinist, 18 years


5 BUILDING CHARACTERMoral willpower makes us better

6 PROFILEElie Wiesel’s fight not to forget

15 FACTS & FIGURESAluminum and bauxite production bythe numbers

26 MILESTONES IN HISTORYThe curse—and genius—of Genghis Khan

30 KEEPING IT SAFETurn down the pressure

31 THE DIXON DRILLER

32 HEALTH & FITNESSMaking exercise a family affair

34 INVENTIONSHow chewing gum became a triumphof mass marketing

on the coverAluminum is the most recycled of all metals—ofthe 100 billion aluminum cans produced annual-ly in the U.S., roughly two-thirds are returnedfor recycling.

departments

featuresSUMMER 2010ASIA/PACIFIC – WINTER 2010

20THE EMERALDISLE EXPERIENCELush landscapes andstorybook townsmake Ireland a toptourist destination

16THEDU PONTLEGACY

Today’s indus-trial giant gotits start as a

gunpowder millon the banksof Delaware’sBrandywine

River

8ALUMINUM:INDUSTRY’SSHINY STARCreated out ofsoil and flecks ofminerals, aluminumhas become themodern metalof choice formanufacturers


4 BOSS � S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

I RECENTLY FOUND a copy of an old book originallypublished in 1923 by Dr. Elwood E. Rice titledStandards of Business. The book was in a box withsome other things that belonged to my grandfatherH.W. Goodall, founder of Dixon. My grandfather evi-dently belonged to the association called the RiceLeaders of the World, which was founded in 1912 byDr. Rice. The association is based upon the principlesof honor, quality, strength and service in business.The following is an excerpt from this book.

The character of a good man inspires faith in him. His example shines like alantern guiding the footsteps of those who would walk in the path of honor and fairdealing. Such a man, in the pattern of his life, unconsciously sets a standard by whichothers, also desiring to live rightly, may measure their own standing and progress.

With his wholesome aims always in view, he calmly pursues his way. He com-mands not only the highest respect and sympathy of those whose ideals resemblehis, but also the secret unspoken regard of those whose aims and methods are, per-haps, less worthy of esteem.

The standard set by such a man is an inspiration to all who know him. As knowl-edge of him increases, his circle of influence widens and benefits to others multiply.

The same principle is applicable to business. A manufacturer whose characterand reputation measure to the highest standard has an inspiring influence upon allwho know him. It is, therefore, clearly to be seen that when more people know ofsuch a manufacturer the business world in general is benefited.

It is true that through wider knowledge of the character and reputation of a wor-thy manufacturer, he benefits individually. Careful buyers naturally place their orderswith a manufacturer known to be deserving of their confidence. But more than this;distributors who sell the goods of such a manufacturer strengthen their own reputa-tion for handling dependable merchandise. The beneficial effect is extended to theconsumer—he has the consciousness of using a product designed for his profit,health, happiness and comfort.

To use an apt illustration: The influence of such a manufacturer is as far-reachingas the influence of a stone cast into a lake—his personal direct profit is the splash atthe touch of the water, but an ever-widening circle continues to ripple on and on,similar to the benefits flowing to distributors and consumers.

Although written in 1923, Dr. Rice’s message is true today. Good character andstrong values never go out of style.

Thanks for reading.

SUMMER 2010ASIA/PACIFIC – WINTER 2010

PublisherDixon Valve & Coupling Company

EditorSue De Pasquale

Editorial BoardRichard L. Goodall, CEOLouis F. Farina, Senior Vice President,DVCC

Douglas K. Goodall, President, DVCCBob Grace, President, DixonTaylor Goodall, Vice President,Distribution, Dixon

Scott Jones, Vice President, Sales &Marketing, Dixon

Mark Vansant, Vice President, DixonJoseph Dawson, Vice President, DixonSpecialty Hose

Karen R. Hurless, Advertising &Communications Manager

Editorial & DesignAlter Custom Mediawww.altercustommedia.com

Art DirectorKim Van Dyke

Copy EditorChris Zang

Please submit address changes to:Alter Custom MediaAttn: Jennifer Hale1040 Park Ave., Suite 200Baltimore, MD 21201443-451-0736Fax: 443-451-6025

BOSS is produced three times a year by Dixon Valve &

Coupling Company and Alter Custom Media. The acceptance

of advertising does not constitute endorsement of the

products or services by Dixon Valve & Coupling Company.

The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement

that is not in keeping with the standing or policies of

Dixon Valve & Coupling Company. Copyright 2010, all rights

reserved. Reproduction of any part of BOSS without written

permission is prohibited.

Dixon Valve & Coupling Company800 High St.Chestertown, MD 21620877-963-4966Fax: 800-283-4966www.dixonvalve.com

E-mail questions or comments about BOSSto: [email protected]

Traditional Values Are Timeless


S U M M E R 2 0 1 0 � BOSS 5

BUILDING CHAR ACTER

There’s no doubt that our characterhas a profound effect on our future.What we must remember, however, isnot merely how powerful character is ininfluencing our destiny, but how pow-erful we are in shaping our own charac-ter and, therefore, our own destiny.Character may determine our fate, butcharacter is not determined by fate.

It’s a common mistake to think ofcharacter as something that is fullyformed and fixed very early in life. Itcalls to mind old maxims like, “A leop-ard can’t change its spots,” and, “You

can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” This“etched in stone” perspective is support-ed by a great deal of modern psychologyemphasizing self-acceptance. LikePopeye says, “I am what I am.” The mes-sage is: “I’m done. Don’t expect me to bemore, better or different.”

These views of character totallyundervalue the lifelong potential forgrowth that comes with the power ofreflection and choice. How depressing itwould be to believe that we really could-n’t get better, that with dedication andeffort, we couldn’t become more honest,

respectful, responsible or caring.There are so many things in life we

can’t control—whether we’re beautiful orsmart, whether we had good parents orbad, whether we grew up with affirma-tion or negation or with affluence orpoverty. And though these circumstancesof our lives surely influence our valuesand experiences, they do not controlthem. People of good and bad charactercome from all sorts of circumstances.

It’s uplifting to remember that noth-ing but moral willpower is needed tomake us better. No, it isn’t easy. But if westrive to become more aware of the habitsof heart and mind that drive our conduct,we can begin to place new emphasis onour higher values and become what wewant our children to think we are.

Reprinted from The Best Is Yet to Come, JosephsonInstitute of Ethics. ©2002 www.josephsoninstitute.com.Permission given by the Josephson Institute of Ethics.

Shaping OurOwn Destiny

BY MICHAEL JOSEPHSON


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Elie Wiesel lost his family, his town,his entire history in World War II.Imprisoned in a Nazi concentrationcamp as a teenager, Wiesel was issuedthe number #A7713, and he wasstarved, beaten and forced to watch asthe people around him, including hisparents and 7-year-old sister, weremurdered because of their heritage.

“Forget where you came from,forget who you were,” Wiesel and hisfellow prisoners were told in thecamps. “Only the present matters.”

Some 6 million Jewish people werekilled in the Holocaust. Wiesel sur-vived. Afterward, he could have cho-sen to erase the experience from his

memory. Instead, beginning in 1958with his groundbreaking book, Night,he has written more than 40 books,taught hundreds of classes and deliv-ered thousands of speeches to remindus of the atrocities of the Holocaust.

“I have tried to keep memory alive… I have tried to fight those whowould forget,” he said when he accept-ed the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.“Because if we forget, we are guilty.We are accomplices.”

In bearing witness, Wiesel encour-aged others to do the same. And inbroadening his message beyond theHolocaust and speaking out againsthuman suffering and injustice all over

the world—from Cambodia to Darfurto South Africa—Wiesel, 81, hasworked tirelessly over the last halfcentury to ensure that the Holocaustwill never be repeated. For his dedica-tion, he has been heralded as a “mes-senger to mankind” and awarded notjust the Nobel Peace Prize, but theU.S. Congressional Gold Medal andthe French Legion of Honor.

Eliezer Wiesel was born in 1928in Sighet, Romania, the only son of agrocer. Religion and education wereat the center of his family’s life andWiesel pursued studies in Judaism,modern Hebrew, and contemporaryliterature. In 1943, his world wasturned upside down when his familyand neighbors in Eastern Europe weresent to death camps in Poland. Wiesel,his parents and his three sisters weretransported to Auschwitz in 1944, andhe saw his mother and little sister

PROFILE

The Fight Not to ForgetElie Wiesel has spent decades bearing

witness to his ‘walk among the dead’

BY MARIA BLACKBURN

Wiesel receives the U.S.Congressional Gold Medalfrom President RonaldReagan, left.Wiesel’s seminalwork, above, has sold morethan 7 million copies.


S U M M E R 2 0 1 0 � BOSS 7W W W. D I X O N V A LV E . C O M

sent to the gas chamber (his two oldersisters escaped death and were laterreunited with him). Life in the campswas unbearable. “Men and womenfrom every corner of Europe weresuddenly reduced to nameless andfaceless creatures desperate for thesame ration of bread and soup, dread-ing the same end,” Wiesel said in hisNobel lecture in 1986. “Walkingamong the dead one wondered if onewas still alive.”

In January 1945, soon after Wieseland his father were marched toBuchenwald, the elder Wiesel diedof dysentery and starvation. Weekslater, the camp was liberated by theAmerican Third Army. The teenageWiesel was sent to France to studywith other Jewish orphans. Therehe became a journalist. While inter-viewing French author FrancoisMauriac, the 1952 Nobel Laureatein Literature, Wiesel became inspiredto write about his experiences. So in

1955, a decade after his liberation, hebegan writing Night.

“Never shall I forget that night,the first night in camp, that turnedmy life into one long night seventimes sealed,” Wiesel writes. “Nevershall I forget that smoke. Never shallI forget the small faces of the childrenwhose bodies I saw transformed intosmoke under a silent sky. Never shallI forget those flames that consumedmy faith forever. Never shall I forgetthe nocturnal silence that deprivedme for all eternity of the desire to live.Never shall I forget those momentsthat murdered my God and my souland turned my dreams to ashes. Nevershall I forget those things, even if Iwere condemned to live as long asGod Himself. Never.”

Originally written and published inFrench, Night has been translated into30 languages and has sold more than7 million copies. In the decades sinceit was published, Wiesel married,

became a father and an Americancitizen, and built a career as a well-respected university professor of liter-ature and philosophy. He is currentlyon the faculty at Boston University.His many works range from essaysand memoirs to plays and novels; themost recent, A Mad Desire to Dance,was published in 2009.

Not one to rest on his laurels,Wiesel used proceeds from Nightto establish an Orthodox Jewishschool in Israel in memory of hisfather. With his Nobel Prize winningshe founded The Elie WieselFoundation for Humanity, which isdedicated to combating indifference,intolerance and injustice throughinternational dialogue and youth-focused programs.

Wiesel’s life has gone on, buthe doesn’t ever want to leave hismemories behind. “The oppositeof history is not myth,” he says. “Itis forgetfulness.”


AluminumIndustry’s Shiny Star

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BY MICHAEL ANFT


S U M M E R 2 0 1 0 � BOSS 9

Beneath a crisp blue sky in remote NorthQueensland, Australia, the red dirt landscape offers a star-tling contrast in color. This is the site of the Welpa bauxitemine, a busy operation where front-loaders constantly digaway at vast shallow pits of crumbly ore. Scoop by scoop,the front-loaders deposit their loads into waiting dumptrucks. It’s hard to imagine how these heaping piles of reddirt could ever amount to anything useful.

But they will.During the ensuing days, the pea-sized ore mined

here in Australia will be screened, washed, crushed,refined, smelted and fabricated—and ultimately emergeas gleaming ingots of shiny aluminum.

From a single 4-ton truckload of bauxite ore comesenough aluminum to make more than 60,000 soda cansor the space-frames for seven full-sized cars or 40,000computer memory disks (enough to store all the booksever published).

In the 130 years since scientists discovered the chem-ical magic behind manufacturing this popular metal,aluminum has become a star of modern industry. Todayit trails only iron and steel as the favorite metal of

Created out of soil and flecks

of minerals a little more than

two centuries ago, aluminum has

become the modern metal of

choice for manufacturers

Aluminum starts as a collection of clay and minerals thatcomprise bauxite, above left. Top: Molten metal beingpoured at an aluminum foundry. Temperatures reachmore than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 Celsius) duringthe manufacturing process.


10 BOSS � S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

builders and manufacturers—for every-thing from aircraft and appliances topaint and electrical transmission lines.

It’s easy to see why aluminum hasbecome a mainstay of consumer goods,increasingly prized by manufacturingcompanies around the world. Aluminumbonds well with other metals. It islightweight, reflects heat and is resist-ant to rust. And it is strong but easilyworkable, retaining its shape andholding up to extreme cold withoutbecoming brittle.

Perhaps most importantly, alu-minum comes from readily availableores and has an unmatched level ofrecyclability, which helps ensure aready, renewable supply. (About 34 per-cent of U.S.-manufactured aluminumcomes from reclaimed materials.)

Aluminum might be considered theworld’s “green metal” but for one reason:It requires a huge amount of electricityand other fuels to convert it from rawbauxite ore to a powder of oxide andthen, finally, to a genuine metal.

Humble BeginningsAmong major metals, aluminum comesfrom arguably the humblest beginnings.

The material that ends up becomingaluminum starts as a collection of clayand minerals that comprise bauxite inthe topmost layers of the Earth’s crust.Aluminum makes up 8 percent of theEarth’s crust—more than any othermetal—and is third among elements,behind only oxygen and silicon.

Aluminum compounds have beenused for thousands of years. In 5000B.C., ancient Persian potters used claycontaining aluminum oxide to makestronger tableware. A few millennialater, Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeksand Romans turned various crudeforms of aluminum into cosmetics, dyesand medicines.

But unlike other metals, includingcopper and bronze, that were minedand forged for thousands of years, alu-minum doesn’t occur naturally as ametal. No one could see it.

Finally, in 1808, British chemistHumphry Davy proved the metal’s exis-tence and gave aluminum its name. Itwould take more than 70 more years todevelop a high-volume, low-costprocess for making the metal. Duringthose intervening decades, aluminumwas so rare that its price rivaled that of

gold or silver (See “More Precious ThanGold,” p. 11).

By 1884, total annual production ofaluminum in the U.S. was just 125pounds. Enter Charles Martin Hall. Hewas a young student at Oberlin Collegewhen he became intrigued by a chal-lenge issued by his chemistry professor.Professor Frank Jewett handed aroundsmall pellets of aluminum—producedat that point by a labor-intensiveprocess that involved heating sodiumwith aluminum chloride. Whoevercould discover a cheap way to makethis metal would become rich, Jewettpredicted to the class.

Hall was hooked. He converted hisbackyard woodshed into a laboratoryand began experimenting. He firstlearned how to make aluminumoxide—a white powdery substanceknown today as alumina. Then, in1886, the 22-year-old Hall succeededwith the second crucial step. He filled acarbon crucible with a cryolite bath,added the alumina and then passed anelectric current through it. The result?A congealed mass that, when cooled,could be shattered…into small pelletsof pure aluminum.

Aworker outside the carbon bake scrubbers at Alcoa’s Point Henry smelter in Victoria,Australia, top left. After beingmined, bauxitegets offloaded into a crusher,where it is pulverizedwhile traveling via a conveyor, above. At an Alcoa plant in San Ciprian, Spain, a work-er examines a conveyor belt full of bauxite, above right.The Pinjarra refinery inWestern Australia, right, is one of theworld’s largest.



ALUMINUM HAS ROLLED OFF OF FACTORY LINES FOR ONLY A CENTURY

or so. For decades after its metallic properties were discovered in the

early 19th century, the shimmery stuff was nearly impossible to extract

from bauxite ore. What’s more, those who could separate it lacked a

cheap process that would churn out large amounts of it, so only small

bits were made. Aluminum was considered a precious metal, more

valuable than gold.

The metal’s rareness and showiness made it a favorite among royals.

Bars of it were displayed alongside the French crown jewels during the

Universal Exposition of 1855. Smelted bits of it formed a crown for the

king of Denmark. And, tale has it that Napoleon III treated his favored

guests to rare aluminum table utensils.

Despite some modest improvements in extraction and manufacturing

in the ensuing years, aluminum was worth about as much as silver in

1884, when the United States made only 125 pounds of it (56 kilograms).

More than 6 pounds of that—about 100 ounces (2.7 kg.)—were set aside

for a lasting memorial. The largest piece of aluminum ever cast at the

time was maneuvered into place atop the capstone of a new, 555-foot-

tall obelisk made of Maryland granite, marble and sandstone: the

Washington Monument. Aluminum, cast by William Frishmuth, an archi-

tect and metallurgist, topped what was then the world’s loftiest struc-

ture. It was the first time the metal had been used in architecture.

It still rests atop the oversized pillar today, demonstrating the

metal’s resistance to oxidation—though only the birds can see it.—M.A.

More Precious Than Gold


Weeks after Hall’s discovery, theelectrolytic extraction process he devel-oped was replicated independently byPaul Heroult in France. It becameknown as the Hall-Heroult smeltingprocess. Within two years, Hall foundfinancial backing, built a plant inPittsburgh and began producing the firstcommercial aluminum.

In the years that followed, Hall con-tinued to improve on the process, reduc-ing the price of aluminum from $4.86a pound [$113 today] to 78 cents in1893 [$19.20 today]. The operationthat would eventually become theAluminum Company of America(Alcoa Inc.), today the world leaderin the production and managementof aluminum, was off and running.

Akin to AlchemyToday, aluminum is manufactured inplants all over the world. While opera-tions differ in size and scope, all followthe same basic process—a process thatcould almost pass for alchemy. In thewords of Alcoa’s written history of themetal, “It all begins with dirt…” Mining: While bauxite, an ore rich

in aluminum oxide, was first mined inFrance, today most bauxite mining occursin Australia (the world’s larger producerof the ore), Africa and the Caribbean.

At the Welpa mine near Queensland,Australia, which stretches across some2,500 square kilometers [1,550 squaremiles], about 16.5 million tons of bauxiteis mined each year, according to theAustralian Aluminum Council. Onceextracted from the shallow pits, the redbauxite ore is hauled by trucks to a dumpstation, then moved by conveyors or railto a plant where the ore is screened,washed and stockpiled before beingshipped to nearby refineries.

Refining: At the refinery, workers grindthe bauxite ore, then mix it with lime andcaustic soda. This mix is pumped intohigh-pressure containers and then heat-ed—a process developed and named forscientist Karl Bayer. The caustic soda dis-solves the aluminum oxide, which is thenprecipitated out of the solution, washedand heated to drive off any water. Theresult? A pure white powder resembling

sugar that’s known as alumina.Alumina serves as the raw material

for the Hall-Heroult smelting process.But it can also be used for a wide rangeof products—from toothpaste and fluo-rescent light bulbs to rocket fuel andceramic windshields for military air-craft. Roughly 10 percent of aluminaproduced each year winds up in prod-ucts other than aluminum.

Smelting: At the smelter, the aluminapowder is placed in large, carbon-linedcells (known as reduction pots) anddissolved in a molten cryolite bath (com-prised of sodium aluminum fluoride) thatreaches temperatures of about 1,780degrees F [970 Celsius]. Reduction potsare arranged in rows of 50 to 200 potsthat connect to form an electric circuit.

The transformation occurs when apowerful electric current is passedthrough the bath, breaking the bondsbetween the aluminum and oxygenatoms in the alumina molecules. Oncefreed, the aluminum atoms settle tothe bottom of the pot as molten metal,which is siphoned off.

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What is a Metal?

On the floor of a smelter in Wenatchee,Washington, above. Alcoa’s Corporate Centeron Pittsburgh’s North Shore riverfront, above right, is a gleaming aluminum-and-glassstructure. By recycling aluminum cans, below right, manufacturers use only5 percent of the energy needed to make the metal from ore.

WHETHER AN ELEMENT, COMPOUND

or alloy, a metal is characterized by

high electrical conductivity. Metals—

which comprise about two-thirds of

the known elements in the periodic

table—readily lose electrons to form

positive ions. Those ions are surround-

ed by delocalized electrons, which are

responsible for the conductivity.

Metals can differ widely in terms

of their hardness, ductility, malleabili-

ty, density and melting point—mak-

ing it difficult to distinguish between

them and non-metals.

Aluminum, atomic No. 13 in the

periodic table, does not exist natural-

ly, but is an important constituent of

many minerals.


W W W. D I X O N V A LV E . C O M S U M M E R 2 0 1 0 � BOSS 13

Smelters typically house two or threepotlines, and most potlines produceabout 66,000 to 110,000 tons of alu-minum annually. Smelters operate thepots seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Fabricating: Once aluminum leaves thesmelting pots it is moved into furnaces formixing with other metals (such as copper,zinc, manganese or magnesium)—achoice determined by how the productwill eventually be used. For structuralcomponents in aircraft and truck wheels,for instance, a common copper and mag-nesium aluminum alloy offers a highstrength-to-weight ratio and good fatigueresistance. After being purified through aprocess called fluxing, the metal is pouredinto molds or cast directly into ingots.Further fabrication may include casting,rolling, forging, drawing or extruding.

The entire aluminum manufacturingprocess is run by a law of halves: It takes4 tons of bauxite to make 2 tons of alu-mina, from which manufacturers canreap 1 ton of metal.

Though manufacturers have madeattempts over the past century to replacethe Hall-Heroult smelting process, theirefforts turned out to be too costly orenvironmentally troublesome. So itremains the industry standard today.

Thus, high-energy consumptionremains a trademark of aluminum. Upto 40 percent of the cost of manufactur-ing aluminum comes from the electricpower used to smelt it. Even thoughdomestic operations have become moreefficient in recent years—using abouthalf the electricity to make a pound ofaluminum than it took 50 years ago—the number of primary aluminumsmelters in the United States hasdropped from 33 in 1970 to 15, theresult of the higher cost of domesticenergy. (Industry representatives arequick to point out that, despite the shut-tering of smelting facilities, the nation’sfactories churn out only 1 percent lessaluminum than they did 40 years ago.)

Predictably, many aluminum con-glomerates have transplanted operationsto countries with cheap sources of tradi-tional energy, such as China, Russia andSouth Africa. In Iceland, Alcoa madeheadlines when it spent $1.1 billion toflood a 22-square-mile area there to tapthat country’s vast hydroelectric andgeothermal sources of power.

Countries with plentiful sources ofnatural gas, such as the United ArabEmirates, are becoming aluminum pow-erhouses, too. Wherever there are devel-oping or inexpensive sources of energy,

More than 30 percent of the 25 billion pounds ofannual aluminum supply in the U.S. comes fromrecycled sources. No other metal approaches thatlevel of renewability.


you’ll find aluminum makers (See “TopMakers By Country,” p. 15). Of the 39million metric tons of the metal producedin 2008, China—home to heaps of cheapcoal and few environmental regulationsto limit its use—was the top producer. Itaccounted for one-third of the total glob-al production, with 13.2 million tons.

A Sustainable ProductFortunately, melting down recycled alu-minum cans and other products madefrom the metal requires only 5 percentof the energy needed to make the metalfrom ore. After melting, the serviceablemetal retains the same physical proper-ties as smelter-made aluminum.

More than 30 percent of the 25 bil-lion pounds of annual aluminum sup-ply in the U.S. comes from recycledsources. No other metal approachesthat level of renewability. Of the 100billion aluminum cans produced eachyear in the U.S., roughly two-thirds arereturned for recycling. The reclamationrate for aluminum from automobiles iseven higher—about 90 percent.

According to Alcoa, more than 70percent of the aluminum ever produced

is still in use—equaling 586 millionmetric tons of a total 806 metric tonsmanufactured since 1886, the time ofHall’s discovery.

After aluminum is either recycled orsmelted, and then milled at more than200 facilities in the U.S., it is made into$40 billion worth of products andexports, notes the Aluminum Assoc-iation, which represents primary produc-ers of the metal. The metal’s lightweightdurability continues to advance its popu-larity, with carmakers clamoring formore of it for auto bodies, engines andhousings. In 2006, aluminum became the

second-most used metal in new cars andtrucks worldwide, surpassing iron.

Nearly 4 billion pounds of aluminumare used each year in construction (1.8billion kilograms), while more than5 billion pounds per year are shippedas beverage cans, food containers andvarious types of foil (2.3 billion kg.).

Toward a Sustainable FutureBack at the Welpa bauxite mine inAustralia, workers continue digging,loading and unloading enormous pilesof crumbly red soil.

Australia is the world’s largestproducer and exporter of alumina,and the fifth largest producer of alu-minum. For that reason, the AustraliaAluminum Council is committed tomitigating the industry’s negativeimpact on the environment.

Before mining begins at the Welpamine, workers first take up the existingvegetation. Once all the bauxite ore hasbeen removed from that section, theland is re-planted with indigenousbushes and grass.

Thus, the pebbly red ground thatonce, improbably, gave rise to tons ofgleaming silver metal will revert back toits natural state—a blanket of greengrass and shrubbery.

Sue De Pasquale contributed to thereporting and writing of this article.

14 BOSS � S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

Craning a coil of aluminum sheet,above. Dawn unfolds at an ingot stor-age location in Kitts Green, UnitedKingdom, above right.Workers preparean enormous aluminum ingot to berolled into can sheet, right.


By the Numbers:

1. CHINA.................................................................13,177

2. RUSSIA ................................................................4,187

3. CANADA ...............................................................3,120

4. UNITED STATES .................................................. 2,658

5. AUSTRALIA ..........................................................1,983

6. BRAZIL .................................................................1,661

7. NORWAY ..............................................................1,359

8. INDIA ...................................................................1,308

9. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES........................................910

10. BAHRAIN.................................................................865

Top Makers of Primary Aluminum by Country, 2008(Figures in thousands of metric tons)

FACTS AND FIGURES

1. AUSTRALIA ........................................................63,000

2. CHINA.................................................................32,000

3. BRAZIL ...............................................................25,000

4. INDIA................................................................. 20,000

5. AUSTRALIA ........................................................18,000

6. GUINEA ..............................................................15,000

7. JAMAICA...............................................................6,400

8. RUSSIA ................................................................5,900

9. VENEZUELA..........................................................4,800

10. SURINAME...........................................................4,500

Top Bauxite Producers by Country, 2008(Figures in thousands of metric tons)

TOTAL WORLDWIDE PRIMARY ALUMINUM PRODUCTION:

39.3 MILLION METRIC TONS

Source: The Aluminum Association

Source: The U.S. Geological Survey


16 BOSS � S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

Today’s industrial giant got its start as a gunpowder mill on the banks

of Delaware’s Brandywine River, thanks to enterprising Frenchman E.I. du Pont

Du pontlegacy

The



Portrait of E.I. du Pont, far left. Above,the historical Du Pont seal; duringthe company's first century, the U.S.military was a leading customer.

TDu Pont was dismayed by the

high price and low quality of thegunpowder he found. Tousard wasnonplused. Everyone knew thatquality gunpowder had to beimported from England, he toldhis young companion, who had justarrived in the United States fromhis native France.

E.I. du Pont sensed an opportuni-ty. He asked to tour an Americanpowder plant and Tousard soonobliged, with a visit to the Lane-Decatur factory in Frankford, Pa. The29-year-old du Pont had trained atthe side of renowned chemistAntoine Lavoisier at Essonnes,France’s national powder works. Itdidn’t take him long to find problemswith every aspect of the Americanmanufacturing process—from refin-ing saltpeter, to its mixing with char-coal, to the pressing and glazing ofthe various ingredients.

For the enterprising E.I. du Pont,the future was clear. America was an

up-and-coming nation where gun-powder was essential—for everythingfrom keeping wild animals at bay toblasting out roads, to supplying thefledgling military with munitions.Irénée (whose name means “peace”)approached his father, Pierre Samuel,and elder brother, Victor, with a rec-ommendation: The du Pont familyshould stake its fortunes on becom-ing the finest producer of gunpowder

in their newly adopted nation.Today, more than 200 years after

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.established its first gunpowdermill on the banks of Delaware’sBrandywine River, the DuPont nameis synonymous with one of the mostsuccessful industrial enterprises inthe world. The company that E. I.du Pont started with a single gun-powder mill went on to grow expo-nentially and to diversify—to plas-tics, dyes and synthetic materials(leading the 20th-century polymerrevolution with such products asnylon, neoprene, Teflon, Mylar andLycra). Today DuPont operates inmore than 70 countries, employingmore than 5,000 scientists and engi-neers and generating $31.8 billionin annual revenues.

BY SUE DE PASQUALE

HE AIR WAS CRISP ONE AUTUMN DAY IN 1800, WHEN ELEUTHÈRE IRÉNÉE

“E.I.” DU PONT AND HIS HUNTING COMPANION, THE FORMER FRENCH PATRIOT

MAJ. LOUIS DE TOUSARD, TOOK A BREAK FROM HUNTING. THEY’D RUN OUT OF AMM-

UNITION. SO THE DUO MADE A QUICK TRIP TO THE COUNTRY STORE NEAR TOUSARD’S

FARM IN WILMINGTON, DEL., TO BUY MORE GUNPOWDER.


18 BOSS � S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

AS A CHILD GROWING UP IN PRE-revolutionary France, Eleuthère Irénéeseemed unlikely to achieve greatthings—at least to his father, an outspo-ken and influential intellectual and gov-ernment economist. Young Irénée,marred by a red birthmark on his leftcheek, was quiet and introspective, theexact opposite of his larger-than-lifefather and charming brother Victor,who would serve in the diplomaticcorps in New York.

The compliant Irénée did defy hisfather at age 20, however, when he fellin love with Sophie Madeleine Dalmas,the 16-year-old daughter of a Parisshopkeeper. The elder du Pont was hor-rified: he had risen from toiling as theson of a watchmaker to being an advis-er to the king of France; his son couldnot marry so far beneath his station!But his youngest son persisted, evenfighting two duels for Sophie’s hand,and eventually Pierre Samuel relented.Irénée and Sophie were married onOct. 26, 1791. Their marriage wouldprove to be a loving and productiveunion, yielding seven children.

The post-revolutionary years werepolitically volatile and dangerous for

Pierre Samuel (he was imprisoned atone point and narrowly avoided theguillotine); so, on Oct. 2, 1799, theelder du Pont, Irénée, Victor and theiryoung families set sail for a new life inthe United States aboard the ill-equipped American Eagle. The journey,which stretched on for nearly threemonths, was harrowing; the ravenoustravelers reportedly dined on rats onmore than one occasion. But once theyreached land on Jan. 1, 1800, the dawnof a new century, the family’s fortunesquickly improved.

After scouting a variety of locationsfor his Eleutherian Mills, Irénée wiselyopted to set up shop on Delaware’sBrandywine River. The river’s rapidlymoving waters (averaging a flow of4,500 gallons per second) would offeran ideal source of power, the area’splentiful willow trees could be harvest-ed for charcoal, key to black powder,and the site was sparsely populated (fivemiles north of Wilmington, De.), highlydesirable for a business where explo-sions posed a daily threat.

From the outset, Irénée proved aninnovator. Rather than constructing thethen-customary single building for his

powder works, he puzzled the locals byerecting a series of trapezoidal buildingsalong the riverbank. Each had heavystone walls, a thin wooden roof (con-structed without nails, lest they create aspark), and a lower front side that front-ed the river. Separating the buildingsprevented the potential for a chain reac-tion in the event of an explosion, he rea-soned—and the force of a blast would bechanneled out over the water.

For the latest equipment and tradesecrets, and to raise capital, Irénéereturned to France in 1801, whereNapoleon (eager to decrease U.S.dependence on England’s exports as thenew French leader) was only too happyto supply whatever the du Pont familyneeded, at cost. The first barrel of“Brandywine Powder” was sold inspring 1804. Thanks in part to a lauda-tory letter from Thomas Jefferson,requesting the gunpowder for the WarDepartment, sales of du Pont gunpow-der (renamed Du Pont in 1808) quicklytook off. In less than a decade, with theadvent of the War of 1812, annual salesjumped to $148,597 (more than $2 mil-lion in today’s market).

Despite E.I. du Pont’s taciturn nature

Prized for its high quality, Du Pont gunpowder quickly proved popular among hunters,left. Above, an early photograph of the Du Pont corporate headquarters inWilmington,Del. E.I. du Pont’s passion for raising sheep, below right, also proved profitable, througha woolen mill constructed on his brother’s side of the Brandywine.


and constant concern about safety (heposted a sign on New Year’s Day 1811reading, “All kind of play or disorderlyfun is prohibited!”), he came to be wide-ly respected by his workers for being fairand generous. He was among the firstleaders of industry in the U.S. who sawthe value in building and training a workforce. In 1811, Irénée instituted a systemof overtime and night pay, previouslyunheard of, and two years later he set upa savings plan for his employees; forevery $100 they saved, the companywould pay 6 percent interest, notesauthor Adrian Kinnane in a bicentennialhistory of the company. To help employ-ees go on to establish homesteads, hepurchased a large tract of land inWestern Pennsylvania, offering credit toformer employees who wanted to transi-tion to farming.

E.I. du Pont also believed strongly ineducation. He incorporated theBrandywine Manufacturers’ SundaySchool at the Eleutherian Mills, whereemployees could learn the 3Rs on theirday off each week. In the days beforepublic education, the school alsooffered classes to workers’ children, andIrénée’s daughter Victorine was an espe-cially popular and steadfast teacherthere; between 1817 and her death in1861, she touched the lives of nearly2,000 children and teens at the whiteclapboard school.

Company employees, whose homeswere at the mills, appreciated the factthat the du Pont family was willing toshare in the danger of the industry. E.I.du Pont’s sprawling family home wasperched atop a hill on one side of theBrandywine River, and Victor du Pont’shouse sat across the water. Tragedystruck on March 19, 1818, with one ofthe worst accidents in the company’shistory. A series of explosions (report-edly felt all the way to Lancaster, Pa.,47 miles away) leveled the mill works,killing 40 workers, and severely damag-ing the E.I. du Pont family home.

Irénée and his family were away inPhiladelphia at the time. He hurried

home to survey the damage and com-fort the grieving families of his workers.Rebuilding quickly commenced (theprocess ultimately took a year) andIrénée set up a monthly pension systemfor the families who had lost breadwin-ners in the accident. All but two of theworkmen who survived the blastsagreed to come back to work, reportshistorian Joseph Frazier Wall. As theyears passed, fathers handed down theirsteady and well-paying jobs to theirsons, assuring a continuity and loyaltyto the Du Pont company that paved theway for financial success.

Irénée’s strategy of constantly re-investing profits into the company to fuelgrowth didn’t meet with approval frominvestors—or even his father—early on,but it ultimately proved savvy. In 1822,ever the innovator, Irénée replaced the

company’s up-and-down stampingmethod with less dangerous and moreefficient rolling mills—large, 4-ton ironwheels that mixed the powders—the firstrolling mills in the nation.

When he wasn’t in business meet-ings, touring the company’s new millsthat sprang up around the region orrelaxing with Sophie and his children,Irénée was a gentleman scientist whoenjoyed toiling in his garden (in fact,he’d listed “botanist” as his professionon his passport). While a young man inFrance, he frequently visited leJardin des Plantes, and hebrought a variety of seeds andplants across the Atlantic forhis gardens at EleutherianMills. He also sent samplesfrom his gardens back to col-leagues in France.

Another of Irénée’s passions, raisingsheep for wool, proved quite profitable.In 1805 he purchased “Don Pedro,” aprize ram, for $60. Before long hehad enough livestock to supporta thriving woolen mill, whichwas constructed on Victordu Pont’s side of theBrandywine. When DonPedro died in 1811, the du

Ponts reportedly received cards of con-dolence from across the country—mostnotably from Thomas Jefferson.

Throughout his life, Irénée du Pontsuffered bouts of depression, “habitualdullness and melancholy,” as he wrote atone point to his brother-in-law. Hismelancholy became all-consumingwhen the unexpected death of hisbrother Victor, in January 1827, wasfollowed 21 months later by the demiseof his beloved Sophie in November1828. For months after her passing, hecould be found seated on a rock, staringforlornly out at the flowing waters ofthe Brandywine, reports author Wall.

Eventually, the love of his childrenand grandchildren, and the demands ofbusiness, helped him rally, and hereturned to his involvement with thefamily company. But the strain of con-

stant worry and sadness took its toll.On Oct. 30, 1834, while in Philadelphiaon business, E.I. du Pont suffered aheart attack on a street corner. He diedshortly after, at the age of 63.

The forward-thinking native ofFrance—scientist, innovator, philan-thropist, family man—who had set thestandard for American industry andlaunched a multibillion-dollar familybusiness, was buried along the flowingwaters of his beloved Brandywine, inthe Du Pont family plot.

S P R I N G 2 0 1 0 � BOSS 19

As the years passed, fathers handed down their steady and well-paying jobsto their sons, assuring a loyalty to the Du Pont company that paved the wayfor financial success.


THE

Ireland’s lush landscapes, rocky shores and storybook towns

make it a top travel destination for tourists from around the world

Emerald IsleEXPER IENCE


S U M M E R 2 0 1 0 � BOSS 21

BY GREG RIENZI

The Old Head of Kinsale, on the southwestcoast of Ireland, is home to a world-classgolf course with panoramic views.

I BRAVED DUBLIN ON ST. PATRICK’S DAYon my most recent visit to Ireland. SomeDubliners will tell you that New York Citystages the holiday on an even grander scale,but there’s no denying the Irish can throw onebanshee of a party.

The city swells as tens of thousands cometo watch a frenetic parade, revel in the twistystreets and throw down a pint—or two—ofGuinness. My favorite pint was had in a pillar-box-red pub in the Temple Bar area. The placejostled with electricity as patrons packed shoul-der to shoulder, desperately trying to keepbeverages upright. The music blared and whenU2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” cameon, the crowd sang in unison.

Later that same trip, while roaming theisland in a tiny rental car, we delightfully wait-ed on a small flock of sheep to cross the road—the legendary Irish rush hour. Not a human insight, just the white woolly animals amid avista of low stone walls and sloped green fields.

Surprises are nice, but Ireland can be at itsmost charming when in stereotype.

For those of Irish descent or anyone whoappreciates a picturesque landscape, the EmeraldIsle remains a top travel destination, with itsbounty of lush green valleys, rocky shores andstorybook towns tucked into rolling hills.

“Just like the song says, visitors come to seethe ‘40 shades of green.’ It really is beautiful,”says Carmel Murray, who has run a bed-and-breakfast in the west coast town of Clifden fortwo decades. “They also love the hospitalitythat they find,” says Murray, and the “unpreten-tious but comforting” local cuisine, with its


22 BOSS � S P R I N G 2 0 1 0

staples of wild salmon, sausages, heartypotato-based soups and stews andbrown bread.

The capital city of Dublin makes anideal launching point for any sojourn toIreland. Located on the east coast of theisland, Dublin is bisected by the RiverLiffey that flows out into Dublin Bay. In841, Vikings sailed up the Liffey andestablished a fortified stockade on highground where the Poddle and Liffey riversmeet, a pond they called Dubh Linn(black pool), hence the name. On this sitenow sits Dublin Castle, one of the coun-

try’s most famous landmarks and theformer seat of British rule in Ireland.

The city attracts nearly 5 millionvisitors a year to its many historical andcultural gems. Dublin blends the modernand medieval in a compact 115 squarekilometers, although most visitors stickto the City Centre.

You’ll want to wander into the TempleBar area, located on the south bank of theLiffey and just over the Ha’penny Bridge(until a decade ago, the only pedestrianbridge over the river). The relatively smallbut lively bohemian district boasts a con-gested hodgepodge of restaurants andpubs painted in a kaleidoscope of primarycolors. This pub-mad town, if you believethe claims, features the smallest, loudest,best-Guinness-pint-serving and oldestpubs in the country. (The oldest would be

the Brazen Head, dated back to 1198.)From Temple Bar, head south to

Grafton Street for some first-rate boutiqueshopping. Farther on up the road liesSt. Stephen’s Green, a public park withponds, statues, walkways and an ornateindoor shopping plaza.

One of Europe’s fasting growing cities,

Dublin now features a revitalized water-front area known as the Docklands. Thedevelopment, said to be the most ambi-tious urban renewal project in the coun-try’s history, has transformed unuseddocks into a vibrant area of watersideapartments, offices, retail space, a parkand tourist attractions.

The area has a slew of new restaurantsand clubs, and in the past two years cele-brated the opening of the Grand CanalTheatre (Dublin’s version of the Sydney

Head to the coastal regions for high-cliffshores, windswept beaches, quant villages,majestic medieval castles and seaside towns.

Clockwise: The Carrick-a-Rede RopeBridge, in Northern Ireland, links themainland to the tiny Carrick Island. Builtin 1520, Dunguaire Castle sits on thesoutheastern shore of Galway Bay. TheGuinness Storehouse, located in theheart of the St. James Gate Brewery, isIreland’s No. 1 international visitorattraction. Pubs abound across theEmerald Isle. A detail from Dublin Castle.



IRELAND BASICSWhen to go: March is a high tourist month, largely due toSt. Patrick’s Day, and best to avoid unless you want to take partin the holiday. The weather is ideal in August, but popular desti-nations within the country can get crowded then. Aim for Apriland September for quieter months and still pleasant weather.What to wear: Pack some sweaters and rain gear, as you neverknow when it’s going to get chilly or wet. Hats also come in handy.Currency: The euro is the currency of the Republic of Ireland.Those in Northern Ireland use the sterling.People: You will find many warm, smiling and talkative typesamong the 5.7 million residents of Ireland. Although the Irishstill teach Gaelic in school, the language is seldom used in pub-lic and English is preferred. Feel free, however, to say “Slainte!”(SLAN-cheh)—Gaelic for “Cheers!”—when giving a toast.Climate: Ireland has a mild, temperate climate with summer tem-peratures ranging from 60 to 70 Fahrenheit (15.5 to 21 degreesCelsius), although recent highs have been in the low 80s (27 C)down south. Temps in spring and autumn are generally in the50s (10 C-plus) and in winter between 40 and 50 F (4.5 to 10 C).Snow is rare.Pubs: The legal drinking age is 18. Pubs in the Republic ofIreland are open seven days a week, usually from 10:30 a.m.Closing times vary from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Smoking is notallowed in any public areas, including pubs and restaurants.Driving: On the left side of the road. A valid driver’s license fromthe home country is required. Many roads are narrow, so don’tbe surprised when a delivery truck pushes you to road’s edgein order to pass.Where to stay: Ireland has some very fine hotels, but if you planto tour the island, opt for bread-and-breakfasts. The B&B ownersprovide a wealth of information on where to go, and you canwake up each morning with a traditional Irish breakfast of eggs,bread and two or three types of sausage. The hefty plate willprovide energy until dinner. The country’s official tourism page,www.discoverireland.com, offers a search engine of more than3,000 B&Bs.

Opera House), and the O2, a Victorianwarehouse turned state-of-the-art con-cert venue that attracts big music actssuch as Rod Stewart and Pearl Jam. Aconvention center is in the works, as isa U2 Experience Museum and the U2Tower, to be Ireland’s tallest buildingand the band’s future recording studio.

When you’ve had your fill of allDublin has to offer, rent a car andhead to the coastal regions for high-cliff shores, windswept beaches, quaintvillages, majestic medieval castles andseaside towns.

The Causeway Coast and Glens inNorthern Ireland ranks high on the listof possible stops. The Causeway Coastalroute, roughly from Belfast Lough (bay)to Lough Foyle, includes such nationaltreasures as the Giant’s Causeway,40,000 interlocking basalt columns,made of volcanic rock, that stand watchover the North Channel; the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, a 24-meter-highwalkway near Ballintoy that offers stun-


24 BOSS � S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

ning views of the sea and the Scottishcoast; and Dunluce Castle, a 13th-century cliff-top castle, now in ruins,surrounded on either side by spine-tingling steep drops.

For outdoorsy types, the north holdsplenty in store—including hiking paths,streams ideal for fly-fishing and ninechallenging golf courses with magnifi-cent sea views. The Royal PortrushGolf Club is hailed as one of the world’sgreatest links. Portrush is also a stone’sthrow from the town of Bushmills,home to the famous Irish whiskeydistillery (which offers guided tours).

Next, head south to Galway City, abig town with a small feel perched on theshore overlooking Galway Bay. Galwaymaintains a strong artistic heritage andis a haven for music clubs, artisan storesand a never-ending lineup of festivals.

Slightly farther down the coast isThe Burren, an area of limestone-lay-ered fields, crumbling stone castles andchurches, underground rivers, magnifi-cent wildflowers and ancient monoliths.

Of course, no visit to Ireland wouldbe complete without a cliff overlook,

and none are more expansive than theCliffs of Moher in County Clare. TheCliffs reach 214 meters (702 feet) attheir high point and spread over 8kilometers (nearly five miles). Fromthe cliffs one can see the AtlanticOcean, Aran Islands, Galway Bay andthe mountains of Connemara.

End your stay with a scenic drivethrough County Cork, which includessome of Ireland’s most attractive andvivid landscapes. Must-see destinationsinclude the medieval town of Kinsale,the quintessential fishing village UnionHall (a seal and whale watching boattour there is a must) and Blarney, thehome to the castle and Blarney Stone.Cork City and the area offer some ofIreland’s best seafood restaurants.

Whichever path you take throughthe island, go slow and don’t pass upthe opportunity to stop and refuel withsome brown bread and potato soup ata local pub or restaurant. You’llundoubtedly encounter a chatty bar-man or patron, whom you might havetrouble fully understanding—but that’shalf the charm.

What to do: Billed as Ireland’s No. 1 touristattraction, the Guinness Storehouse islocated adjacent to the brewery that start-ed it all. Visitors can learn about the histo-ry of the brand and the man, ArthurGuinness (1725-1803). You’ll also get acomplimentary pint of Guinness in theGravity Bar, which offers a fantastic, 360-degree view of the city. Another must-seeis Trinity College, for its Old Library and the

DUBLIN TIPS & VITALS

Sheep graze above Keem Beach onAchill Island, top. An ages-old customof marking them with color makes themeasy for herders to spot. The famedHa’penny Bridge, above right, whichallows pedestrians to cross over theRiver Liffey in Dublin, was built in 1816.


Book of Kells Exhibition. Located in theheart of Dublin City, Trinity hearkens backto the 18th century, when its magnificentlibrary building was constructed. Inside ishoused the Book of Kells, a ninth-centurygospel manuscript famous for its colorfuland detailed medieval Celtic art. Dublinhas a wealth of museums and one of thebest is the National Museum of Ireland,home to the greatest collections of Irishmaterial heritage, culture and natural his-tory in the world. To see Dublin, take aLiffey River cruise, a popular 45-minute sailup the river with commentary that offerssome insight into Dublin folklore and histo-ry. For a less formal tour, don a Vikings hatand hop on the Viking Splash Tours, anamphibious World War II vehicle thatshows off the sights by land and water.Currently, one of the most popular activi-ties is the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, a four-stop tour of traditional pubs with profes-sional actors performing works of Dublin’smost famous writers including Joyce,Beckett, Oscar Wilde and Brendan Behan.

Getting there: Fly into Dublin Airport,which serves all the major airlines andoffers many direct flights from major citiesaround the world. The City Centre area isroughly six miles from the airport. UseAirCoach, Dublin Bus or taxi.Getting around: Dublin is compact andeasy to navigate, so no need to rent a car.You can walk to most points, or buy a 24-hour hop-on, hop-off pass to ride the open-top double-decker tour buses. To zip fromone point of the city to another take theDART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) or Luastram (light rail system) red or green lines.The Dublin Pass: For extended stays inDublin, consider purchasing a Dublin Pass,a card that offers free entry to more than30 of the city’s top visitor attractions—including the Dublin Castle, GuinnessStorehouse and Dublin Zoo—plus trans-port from the airport to the city and otherspecial offers and discounts. A three-daypass costs 65 euros.Where to shop: Grafton Street, locatednear Trinity College, has a long row of big

stores, little boutiques and cafes. Thestreet—named after Henry FitzRoy, theillegitimate son of Charles II of England—runs from St. Stephen’s Green in the southto College Green in the north. Buskers—including musicians, poets and mimeartists—commonly perform to the crowds.Where to get a pint: Dublin markets itselfas home to 1,000 pubs, so there’s noshortage of places to tipple. Some stand-outs: The Stag’s Head, a favorite of JamesJoyce’s on Dame Street near Trinity Collegereplete with elaborate mahogany wood-work, a red Connemara marble-topped barand a big stag’s head. The Long Hall, anelegant old bar on South Great George’sStreet, is extensively decorated in mirrors,and has a massive carved wooden arch.You also can’t go wrong at Kehoe’s pub, aquirky pub on South Anne Street thatoffers the traditional snug and walled-inpub atmosphere. Yes, the Guinness reallydoes taste better in Ireland, but if porter isnot your style try a Smithwick’s (pro-nounced Smit-icks).



GENGHISKHAN

BY EUGENE FINERMAN

MILESTONES IN HISTORY

THE CURSE—AND GENIUS—OF


S U M M E R 2 0 1 0 � BOSS 27

Among thegreat conquerors in history,Genghis Khan stands apart, in boththe extent of his victories and hisown remarkable story. It took Romethree centuries to forge an empirestretching from Britain to Iraq.Genghis Khan conquered a realmtwice that size, from China to Iraq.Alexander the Great, his only rivalin military achievements, was bornwith advantages that the Mongoldid not have. Alexander was theprince of a powerful kingdom andinherited the finest army of his day.Genghis Khan was the child of aninsignificant nomadic tribe thatsubsisted in the vast steppes (harsh,arid prairies) of North Asia. But hewould make his tribe the core of aforce that would conquer half ofthe known world.

Although we know him asGenghis Khan, that was actuallyhis title—the acknowledgmentamong his subjects that he wastheir “Universal Ruler.” His namewas Temujin (Tem-oo-gin), and hewas born around 1162 in a Mongolencampment. At the time, theMongols were a loose collection ofkindred tribes, herders strugglingin the harsh environment of thenorthern steppes. When they werenot fighting among themselves,they faced rivals—Tatars, Naimans,Merkits and others—for water andgrazing lands. This hard and vio-lent world made the tribesmen intoformidable warriors: fine horsemen

and skilled archers.For centuries, thesefierce nomads had raidedsouth to the rich lands ofChina; to stop such incursions,the Chinese built the Great Wall.

Temujin's father, a chieftainamong the Mongols, was killed inthe ongoing feud with the Tatars.No more than 13 at the time,Temujin was considered too youngto succeed his father, and the campdispersed as the members alliedthemselves to other chieftains. If hecould not inherit his father's posi-tion, Temujin would win it in hisown right. He certainly had all theattributes of a leader: the courageof a warrior, a confidence thatinspired men to his banner and acunning that earned him victoryafter victory.

Temujin started out with onlya small following of kinsmen andfriends, but he turned that bandof fierce but disorganized warriorsinto a cohesive, coordinated force.Applying military discipline to hissoldiers, he transformed the natureof steppe warlord. On his own, themounted archer was a formidablefoe; as part of a synchronizedattack, the Mongols of Temujinwere unequaled and unbeatable.The other Mongol chieftains eitherbecame allies…or corpses.

But it was not enough forTemujin to reclaim his father'sposition or even assert his ruleover all the Mongol tribes. He

intendedto be themaster of allthe peoples of thesteppes, forging theminto one nation. To thevanquished tribes, heoffered what seemed magnan-imous terms: pledge their per-sonal allegiance to him and enjoyall the protection and wealth of thegrowing Mongol Empire.

Of course, there was a brutalalternative. One Tatar tribe refusedhis offer, so Temujin had everymale in the tribe executed by thesword. He was not one to leavedefiant enemies behind, and thatdemonstration of his ruthlessnessmade the other tribes much moreamenable. Temujin knew the valueof terror. (One Mongol custom wasto collect severed heads and buildthem into a pyramid.)

By 1206, he had establishedhimself as the Genghis Khan of thesteppes. He controlled a realm thatbordered Persia in the west andChina in the south. Both neighborswere rich and tempting.

With the combined might of the

Howan

unlikely Mongol nomad

summonedthe brutal force to

conquer

half the knownworld


tribes, the Khan first moved on Chinain 1211. The Mongol Horde was in factthe best-organized army since theRomans, with an effective chain ofcommand linking the smallest unit of10 men to the division of 10,000. WhileChina’s Great Wall could deter raidingparties, it couldn’t hold back such anarmy, and political divisions in Chinahad weakened the country.

There now were two Chinese emper-ors: the Jin dynasty ruling in the north,and the Sung dynasty in the south. TheJin Empire had the misfortune to becloser to the Mongols. Its armies were nomatch for the Khan’s. The Mongol forcesconsisted solely of cavalry but their tac-tics were devastating. When confrontedby a Chinese army, the Mongols’ mount-ed archers would attack, unleashingwave after wave of armor-piercingarrows. The Chinese cavalry mightcounter the attack but would be riddledwith arrows for the effort. The infantrywould be helpless under the archers’onslaught. Demoralized and suffering

heavy casualties, the infantry wouldinevitably become disorganized. Thenthe Mongol lancers would attack, mow-ing through the Chinese ranks. At thatpoint, the battle was over and theslaughter had begun.

But the Chinese initially did haveone successful defense against theMongols: walled cities. The Mongolshad no equipment and little patiencefor sieges. But Genghis Khan wasalways resourceful, tapping a numberof Chinese units that had been bribedor intimidated into defecting to theMongols. Their engineers foundsteady work building the siege equip-ment the Mongols needed. Then, therewas the tactic of terror. In the customsof war at the time, any city thatrefused to surrender could expect nomercy if it fell—its people subject topillage, rape and enslavement. ForGenghis Khan, that threat was insuffi-cient. When any city defied him itwould be burned to the ground andits entire population exterminated.

That was the fate of the imperialcapital of Zhongdu in 1215. (TheChinese eventually built a new citynearby and called it Beijing.) Suchatrocities did persuade other cities tocapitulate. Yet, the conquest of northernChina was so vast an enterprise that itwould not be completed in the Khan'slifetime. Indeed, he was diverted by awar with Persia.

If you have never heard of theKhwarezmian Empire, that wasGenghis Khan's intention and themeasure of his success. In the early13th century, Khwarezmia was thegreatest nation in the Islamic world,a Persian empire that encompassedmodern Iran, Afghanistan andTurkmenistan. Although the MongolEmpire extended to the northernborder of his empire, the shah dis-missed any threat posed by GenghisKhan. After all, the Mongols werethousands of miles away fightingin China (where the conquest of 120million people would seem to be a full-

28 BOSS � S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

The Mongol Horde was in fact the best-organized army since the Romans.


time job), and the shah had an armytwice as large as the Khan’s. In 1219,a Mongol caravan was seized by aPersian governor. When a Mongolembassy complained to the shah, hehad the Mongols' translator beheaded.

That effectively ended the conversa-tion and started a war.

The Mongol conquest of Persia isstill studied in military science as amasterpiece of mobile warfare.Although at the other end of Asia, theMongol Horde could move at a routinepace of 80 miles a day—a pace thatmodern armies would find a challenge.With 200,000 horsemen under his com-mand, Genghis Khan synchronized aseries of attacks that confused, bledand eventually overwhelmed the largerarmies of the shah.

The shah had stationed nearly halfof his forces on the Northern border,along the Syr Darya River. In February1220, a Mongol force of 20,000 mencrossed the eastern end of the river,outflanking the Persian defenses there.As the shah’s main army marched tomeet that threat, a larger Mongol force

forded the western end of the river.Caught between the river and theMongols, the first Persian line ofdefense collapsed...and the Mongolswere not taking prisoners.

The two Mongol forces unitedand moved toward the great city ofBukhara. The shah could anticipate theinvaders’ objective, and he met themwith an army of 200,000 men. But theMongols had maneuvered him into atrap. A third Mongol force, personallyled by Genghis Khan, had movedthrough a desert and evaded Persianattention, taking the circuitous routeto Bokhara. The shah thought that hewas facing the entire horde—only todiscover 50,000 Mongol horsemenbehind him. Most of the shah’s armydied on that battlefield, as did hisempire. Khwarezmia was left defense-less against the Mongols, and the entirecampaign had taken less than sixmonths. The Mongol Empire nowextended to Mesopotamia.

Genghis Khan died in 1227 whilecampaigning in China, but his sonsand grandsons would continue his lega-

cy of conquests: Russia, Mesopotamiaand Southern China. Marco Polo wouldtravel throughout Asia, from Syria toChina, and always find himself underMongol rule. But in time, the empirewould fragment, divided among vyingand weak descendants whose realmsgrew increasingly smaller. The Mongoldynasties of the Middle East and Chinalasted less than a century; over Russia,for two centuries.

The nation of Mongolia reveresTemujin as its founder, but in most ofAsia his memory is a curse. The geniusof Genghis Khan is indisputable, but hisachievements are measured in shatterednations and millions of deaths.

W W W. D I X O N V A LV E . C O M S U M M E R 2 0 1 0 � BOSS 29

The Shrine of Hazrat Ali Mazar-l-Sharifwas destroyed by Genghis Khan and rebuilt byTimurid Sultan Husain Baiqara in 1481, far left.Walls of an ancient city of Khiva,Uzbekistan.The GreatWall between Jinshanling and Simatai,above. From his original realm,Genghis Khanconquered a region from China to Iraq—halfthe knownworld at the time, shaded, right. KHAN’S ORIGINAL REALMKHAN’S ORIGINAL REALM


30 BOSS � S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

Construction work, as an occupation,routinely falls into the Top 10 list ofmost dangerous jobs. One would thinkthat construction companies, knowingthe inherent perils of the job, would bestout advocates of workplace safety.First, it’s the morally right thing to do.Second, it’s the financially right thing todo. With workmen’s compensationinsurance premiums already sky high,it makes fiscal sense to try to ensurethat everyone goes home intact at theend of the day. The truth is, mostemployers, construction companiesincluded, value the safety and well-being of their employees.

But then, you find one that refusedto prioritize worker safety—a companythat values the dollar above all else.

The new hire, because of his experi-ence, was assigned to the grout crew ofa construction company that was build-ing a new housing development. Whenthey arrived at the site, the crew began

setting up the equipment. The new guywas staring at the pump and hoses witha quizzical expression on his face whenone of his co-workers yelled, “Hey! Getthose hoses connected now! The firstload will be here any minute.” The newhire turned and said, “I’ve been work-ing with concrete for over 10 years andI’ve never seen camlocks used on any-thing but water lines.” Another workerchimed in, “That’s all we’ve ever used.Be on your toes. These things break alot and it’s real easy to get hurt.”

“Yeah, the Boss don’t care as longas the work gets done,” added anotherworker. Uneasy about what he hadgotten himself into, the new guy startedconnecting hoses.

Just as the first load of cementarrived, so did the owner of the con-struction company. The new hire sawhim pull up in his pickup and wentover and asked, “Hey Boss, what’s upwith the camlocks on the concrete

hose?” The boss turned to him andsnarled, “My father did it this way whenhe started this company 20 years ago.I took over this business five years agowhen he passed. If it was good enoughfor Pop, it’s good enough for me. You’dbetter get over there and do some workif you want to get a paycheck. I’ve got ahundred guys lined up to take your jobif you don’t want it. Those fittings arecheap and easy to replace just like you.Now, get back to work.”

Humiliated, he trudged back torejoin the crew.

The crew was into their second load,pouring what would be the foundationslab for a new home. The new guy’s jobwas to help move the bulky 3-inch hosesaround when needed. One worker wasat the end of the hose directing the flow.The two other crew members weretamping and smoothing the poured“’crete.” All of a sudden, the workerholding the end of the hose yelled,“Plug!” The new guy looked on inamazement as the worker holding theend of the hose dropped it and begansprinting away. The other two guys wererunning in the opposite direction likescared rabbits. In a flash, the camlocknearest him exploded. The hosewhipped violently, striking him in thethigh. It snapped his femur like a twig.

In trying to save money, the con-struction company owner ignored thesteps he should have taken to ensurehis workers’ safety: Fittings designed forthe applications and the pressures asso-ciated with pumping concrete, as well asits abrasiveness, are the only ones to use.Always adhere to the STAMPEDacronym (Size, Temperature, Application,Media, Pressure, Ends, Dixon) for properhose and coupling selection.

All employees have a reasonableright to a safe working environmentwithin the constraints of their particu-lar occupation. Asking any componentto handle more than five times its ratedworking pressure is a recipe for disaster.A dollar saved today can mean millionsspent tomorrow if someone is seriouslyhurt or injured on the job.

KEEPING IT SAFE

Courting DisasterPutting profits above worker safety can be costly

BY PHIL KIMBLE


DRILLERErnest Vincent Wright wrote a novel,Gadsby, which contains over 50,000words—none of them with the letter E!The most used letter in the Englishalphabet is 'E', and 'Q' is the least used!The names of Popeye's four nephews arePipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye, and Poopeye!A lightning bolt generates tempera-tures five times hotter than thosefound at the sun's surface!A “jiffy” is an actual unit of time for1/100th of a second!

When glass breaks, the cracks movefaster than 3,000 miles per hour. Tophotograph the event, a camera mustshoot at a millionth of a second!There are 18 different animal shapes inthe Animal Crackers cookie zoo!It takes glass one million years todecompose, which means it neverwears out and can be recycled aninfinite amount of times!The average life span of a major leaguebaseball is 5-7 pitches!

The two-foot long bird called a Keathat lives in New Zealand likes to eat thestrips of rubber around car windows!No piece of square dry paper can befolded in half more than 7 times!If you counted 24 hours a day, it wouldtake 31,688 years to reach one trillion!The longest recorded flight of a chick-en is 13 seconds!Tourists visiting Iceland should knowthat tipping at a restaurant is consideredan insult!

Dates inHistory

For years, three men were strandedon a desert island.

One day, a magic lamp washed onto the beach. They rubbed the lamp,and a genie appeared that grantedeach man a wish.

"I wish I was off this island andback with my familly," said the firstman, and he disappeared.

"I also wish I was off this islandand back home," said the secondman. He too disappeared.

The third man, looked aroundand feeling lonely, looked up tothe genie,

"I really kind of like this island. Ihave everything I want, but it is gettinga little lonely, so I wish my two friendswere back to keep me company."

In some foreign country a priest, alawyer and an engineer are about tobe guillotined. The priest puts hishead on the block, they pull the ropeand nothing happens—he declares thathe's been saved by divine interven-tion—so he's let go.

The lawyer is put on the block, andagain the rope doesn't release the blade.He claims he can't be executed twice forthe same crime and he is set free too.

They grab the engineer and shovehis head into the guillotine, he looksup at the release mechanism and says,"Wait a minute, I see your problem...."

Once there was a retired pirate whodecides to live with his brother. Thepirate walks up to his brother's house

and knocks on the door. His brotheranswers the door and says, "Oh mygosh , what happened to your hand?"

The pirate said, "I lost it in a swordfight , but now I have a hook."

Then the brother said, "What aboutyour leg?"

The pirate said, "A cannonball hit it,but now I have a peg leg ."

Then the brother said, "Well , whatabout your eye?"

The pirate said, "I got some dustin it ."

The brother said, "How could youlose your eye by just getting some dustin it?"

Then the pirate said, "It was my firstday with my hook!(http://www.danggoodjokes.com)

THE DIXON

“Published once a moon since 1932”

1887On July 9, the All EnglandCroquet and Lawn TennisClub began its first lawntennis tournament atWimbledon, then anouter-suburb of London.Twenty-one amateursshowed up to compete inthe Gentlemen's Singlestournament, the onlyevent at the firstWimbledon. The winnertook home a 25-guineatrophy.

1931On July 26, a swarm ofgrasshoppers descendedon crops throughout theAmerican heartland, dev-astating millions ofacres. Iowa, Nebraskaand South Dakota,already in the midst of abad drought, sufferedtremendously from thisdisaster.

1940On July 18, FranklinDelano Roosevelt whofirst took office in 1933as America's 32nd presi-dent, was nominated foran unprecedented thirdterm. Roosevelt wouldeventually be elected toa record four terms inoffice, the only U.S. pres-ident to serve more thantwo terms.

1958On July 29, the U.S.Congress passed legisla-tion establishing theNational Aeronautics andSpace Administration(NASA), a civilian agencyresponsible for coordi-nating America's activi-ties in space.

1984On July 1, the MotionPicture Association ofAmerica (MPAA), whichoversees the voluntaryrating system for movies,introduced a new rating,PG-13.

1992On July 2, the 1 millionthCorvette, a white LT1roadster with a red interi-or and a black roof—thesame colors as the origi-nal 1953 model—rolledoff the assembly line inBowling Green, Kentucky.

(http://www.history.com)

TRIVIA

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

Did you know that...

JULY 2010

DIXON VALVE & COUPLING COMPANY | PHONE: 410-778-2000 | 877-963-4966 | WWW.DIXONVALVE.COM

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT EZ-mate couplings can be found on p. 123 of DPL410; or search Dixon’s

online catalog at www.dixonvalve.com for additional information.

EZ-mate couplings are an exhaust type couplerdesigned to exhaust air pressure prior to the disconnectionprocess. To connect, push the nipple into the coupler. Noair is allowed to flow through the coupling at this point.The valve sleeve is then rotated clockwise to open flowand automatically engage the sleeve-lock mechanism.To disconnect, rotate the valve sleeve counter clockwise.The flow of air through the coupling will be shut off andall downstream air is vented to the atmosphere.

EZ-mate couplings combine push-to-connect,exhaust-style action with a self-locking valve sleeve toguard against accidental disconnection. Simply followthe direction of the on-off arrow stamped on the yellow

chromate valve sleeve. The valve sleeve acts as an inte-gral shut-off valve allowing connection and disconnectionat zero pressure. When the sleeve is moved to shut offair flow, it automatically vents air downstream allowingfor disconnection at zero pressure and eliminating therisk of hose whip.

The O-ring interface seal ensures a "bubble tight"seal and long service life. EZ-mate Series couplers useindustrial interchange nipples. For industrial interchangeminimal force is needed to connect and disconnect dueto the internal valve. For more information about the EZ-mate coupling Series or any of our products please call1-877-963-4966 or email us at [email protected].

To read The Dixon Driller on a monthly basis, visit our website: www.dixonvalve.com


Parents are accustomed to their chil-dren nagging them for a new toy, ortype of breakfast cereal, or a later bed-time. But an exercise program? Nowthat’s unheard of.

At least that’s what Ashley Deadwylerthought, until about a year ago whenher two sons Avery, 10, and Julian, 8,began nagging her to take them run-ning. The Houston teacher had justcompleted her first 10K and her sonswere so inspired by the excitement andcrowd at the finish line that they plead-ed with her to train them for a race.

So after consulting with her father,who had helped her with her own train-

ing, Deadwyler, 36, filled some waterbottles and took her boys to a nearbyresidential development that had flatroads and no traffic. They started outslow and ran together, sharing storiesand offering words of encouragementalong the way. Every night after dinner,the Deadwylers went out and ran for anhour. Today, as a result of their training,the boys are running six miles a nightalongside their mom.

The rewards haven’t just been interms of mileage, says Deadwyler,whose family’s story is featured in BeWell, a collection of stories and advicefrom a dozen U.S. mothers who have

reduced childhood obesity risk in theirfamilies through diet and exercise.

“Not only are the boys more active,but they are sleeping better at night andtheir grades and behavior at schoolhave improved,” she says. “Nobodywatches TV anymore.” And when theboys miss a night of running due tosoccer practice, they can’t wait to getout the next night and spend timetogether as a family. Deadwyler is con-vinced that other families could benefitfrom exercising together. “Once anymom started doing this with her childshe would see such a difference in herfamily and feel better, too.”

Childhood obesity rates are rising,daily physical education at school isfalling victim to budget cuts and manychildren and adults struggle with get-ting their recommended daily exercise.

32 BOSS � S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

HEALTH & FITNESS

Family AffairExercising regularly with your kids

has benefits beyond fitness

BY MARIA BLACKBURN



(That’s 60 minutes daily for childrenand teens, 30 minutes five times perweek for adults.) Most U.S. studentsexercise twice a week or more, butthey still rank near the bottomamong all countries for frequency ofexercise, according to a recent federalgovernment report, “U.S. Teens inOur World.”

“When we were growing up we hadphys ed every day in school and parentsdidn’t need to worry so much aboutgetting in the recommended daily allot-ment of exercise,” says Jan Schroeder,an associate professor of kinesiology atCalifornia State University, Long Beach,who is affiliated with the AmericanCollege of Sports Medicine. “Now, weas families have to make sure that ourchildren are being provided withenough opportunities to move.”

Getting out and exercising as a fami-ly doesn’t require any special equipmentor a huge time commitment, saysShawn Dolan, a sports dietitian andtriathlete in California. And the bene-

fits of establishing a dedication to fit-ness early on can last a lifetime.

“Getting the whole family involvedin being active together shows everyonethat activities can revolve around move-ment rather than going out to eat orgoing shopping,” Dolan says.

Here are some tips from expertson how to get moving together as afamily: Let the kids decide on theactivity. “When children choose, theyhave a vested interest,” Schroeder says.“They don’t want to think of this asa chore. This is playtime. This is anadventure.” Ask your children whatthey would like to do, or give themsome choices (like walking to the play-ground or playing tag in the yard) andlet them decide.

Break a goal into manageable mini-goals and ask the kids to keep track,suggests Kay Morris, founder and direc-tor of Marathon Kids, a free school andcommunity-based fitness program forelementary students and their familiesthat currently has 180,000 participants

who walk and run 26.2 miles (thelength of a marathon) over six months.Students keep track of their miles andtheir fruit and vegetable intake by col-oring in a chart as they go. “Little kidsare really visual and they love seeingtheir endurance increase visually,”Morris explains.

Make getting to a destination part ofthe activity. “It might be as simple aswalking your kids to school or ridingyour bikes to the store,” Dolan says.

If you have a teenager, have theminvite a buddy along on your exerciseoutings. “A friend provides a much-needed social connection since it’suncool to be with parents at that age,”Schroeder says.

Take your talk for a walk. Exercisingtogether allows kids to relax and talkabout their day. “I used to get one-wordanswers from my kids when I askedthem about school,” Deadwyler says.“Now that we walk and run together,it’s great because they share the wholestory of their day with me.”


INVENTIONS

On a sweltering afternoon, in the late1920s, deep in the Yucatan rain forest,a nimble chiclero shimmies up thetrunk of a 90-foot-tall sapodilla tree,hacking zigzags into the tree’s gray barkwith a machete. He releases an oozy,rubber-like substance known as chicle,which drips into waiting buckets below.

Over the next weeks, it will find itsway to an eager American audiencewho will chew, chomp and pop thesought-after stuff…in the form ofchewing and bubble gum.

Among American manufacturersof the popular product at the turn ofthe century, competition was stiff.“Anyone can make gum,” noted the col-orful William Wrigley Jr. “Selling it isthe problem.” Wrigley tackled the chal-lenge by launching one of the first massmarketing campaigns of the 20th centu-ry: On placards in streetcars, huge elec-tric signs in Times Square, billboardslining railroad tracks and throughfree samples sent to millions, Wrigleyproclaimed the merits of his Wrigley’sspearmint and Juicy Fruit chewing gum.

The result of such efforts? Gumbecame an ingredient key to Americantaste and culture. During World War II,American companies shipped 150 bil-lion sticks of gum to GIs serving over-seas, where it was a staple of the troops’military ration. At home, kids eagerlybought up and hoarded the pink stuff,cleverly packaged with baseball tradingcards. After the war, consumption leaptby 500 percent, notes Michael Redclift,

author of Chewing Gum:The Fortunes of Taste.

The sweet, minty confec-tion bore little semblance tothe first known chewinggum, tree resin chewed bythe ancient Aztecs. Gumderived from spruce treeresin gained popularity in the UnitedStates in the early 1800s—a habit borrowed from the AmericanIndians. Entrepreneur John BakerCurtis commercialized the product—cutting it into strips covered in corn-starch to prevent sticking—and openedthe world’s first chewing gum factoryin Portland, Maine, in 1852.

Enter the Yankee investor ThomasAdams, whose path crossed with exiledMexican General Antonio Lopez deSanta Anna (who won the Battle of theAlamo) in 1869. In New York, the gen-eral approached Adams with a lumpof chicle. Its rubber-like qualities couldmake them a fortune, he predicted.Adams had no luck transforming theresin into vulcanized rubber—but hedid start production on a chicle-basedchewing gum.

In 1871, the first boxes of “AdamsNew York No. 1—Snapping andStretching” chewing gum began flyingoff shelves. Adams and Son took theirgum on the road and later addedflavors—including licorice to produce“Black Jack gum,” still around today.The market for the chewy stuff wasborn, and soon, other manufacturing

companies entered the fray. Wrigleyemerged as the biggest winner: At thetime of his death in 1932, he was oneof the 10 richest men in the U.S., withfactories in 37 countries.

By the 1950s, manufacturers shiftedto synthetic forms of gum, partly sparkedby Frank H. Fleer, who wanted a gumthat could be blown into bubbles. Hespent two decades experimenting withsynthetic bases, eventually marketingthe first bubble gum, “Blibber-Blubber,”in 1906. But when it exploded on theface, it had to be removed with turpen-tine. Fleer accountant Walter Diemersolved that issue in 1928 with a pinkmixture—dubbed Double Bubble—thateasily peeled away.

Today most chewing gum is manu-factured from vinyl resins or micro-crystalline waxes. But chicle and chew-ing gum have come full circle. In an erawhen organic products and preservingthe rain forest are in vogue, chicle-based gums are making a comeback asa boutique industry for those favoringall-natural products.

34 BOSS � S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

Chew on ThisWith ancient origins, chewing gum became

a triumph of 20th-century mass marketing

BY SUE DE PASQUALE


“ I T ’ S MY JOB TO ENSURE THE CUSTOMER ’ S

EXPECTATIONSARE MET AND THE I R ORDERS DE L I V ERED ON T IME .

I TAKE THAT RESPONS I B I L I T Y S ER I OUS LY. ”

dixonvalve.com

CYNTHIA DORSEY,Team Leader16 years


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