| Sam Brodsky and Gloria Christian have a big problem. | | | | populations expanded. They, too, lasted 50 years as |
| Their business was under attack. | | | | heads of the company. Finally, Israel Brodsky (Sam's |
| It seems that Muhammed Attuch, their southeastern | | | | father) and Jean Christian-Wilkes (Gloria's mother) |
| representative, saw it first as he made his rounds. | | | | inherited the business, and promptly went worldwide |
| Sam's great grandfather, Yiskel, started the business | | | | to quadruple their lucrative income. |
| 125 years ago, joining with his good friend Jesus, | | | | Unfortunately, in late 1994, Israel and Jean were |
| Gloria's great grandfather, in repairing the new-fangled | | | | traveling together from a visit to the emerging |
| machinery that became the bedrock of the "industrial | | | | country of China when their plane crashed and they |
| revolution." They called the business | | | | died. Immediately, Sam and Jean, who were already |
| "Brodsky-Christian Manufacturing Products Fixers." | | | | working in the business, assumed command and |
| They were part of the hordes of people who were | | | | watched it grow even bigger. |
| joining the revolutionary change that took place in | | | | And then the trouble began. Sort of a whispering |
| agriculture, manufacturing and transportation that had | | | | campaign that Brodsky-Christian Manufacturing |
| a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural | | | | Product Fixers was really a Jewish company |
| conditions of the world. It started in the last part of | | | | supporting Israel with lots of money. Volume dropped |
| the 1700s when parts of Great Britain's previously | | | | incredibly; their 200 or more employees, who were |
| manual-labor based economy turned towards | | | | of many religious persuasions, began to worry. |
| machine-based manufacturing with the mechanization | | | | Sam said to Gloria one day, "We have to do |
| of the textile industries, the development of | | | | something drastic to quell this precipitous drop in |
| iron-making techniques and the increased use of | | | | business." She agreed. So they decided to hire a top |
| refined coal. A second Industrial Revolution occurred | | | | notch ad agency and a high-flying public relations |
| around 1850 when technology and economic progress | | | | group to work on a new promotion approach, |
| gained momentum with the development of | | | | changed their corporation to a publicly-held non-voting |
| steam-powered ships, railway, and then later in the | | | | one, and gave each employee 1,000 shares of voting |
| century with the internal combustion engine and | | | | A stock to make them "owners." |
| electrical power generation. | | | | After a few months, the campaign's promotional |
| Another part of this revolution was due to the | | | | strategy was devised...playing up the United Nation's |
| presence of an entrepreneurial class which believed in | | | | features of the company. They said through |
| progress, technology and often linked to the | | | | advertisements and public relation releases that their |
| Protestant hard work ethic. Contributing to the | | | | company was really a United Nations of workers of |
| revolution was the confidence in the rule of law and | | | | all different types of religious affiliations. There were |
| the emergence of a stable financial market and | | | | Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and many |
| interest of private financial investment in industrial | | | | other types from all over the world working in their |
| ventures. Other factors were the spread of | | | | company...and were owners, too. Each of their |
| knowledge through periodical publications, increase of | | | | employees was an "expert" in their own right on the |
| large scale production of chemicals and machine tools, | | | | various industrial machinery that covered hundreds of |
| gas lighting, freeing up agricultural labor for industrial | | | | different markets all around the world. |
| mills, canals to help transportation, road | | | | Their opening promotional salvo for their new |
| improvements, and the triumph of the middle class of | | | | campaign features this slogan..."No matter which God |
| industrialists and businessmen over a landed class of | | | | you believe in or which religion your follow, and even |
| nobility and gentry. | | | | atheists and agnostics are included, if it's the |
| Following Yiskel and Jesus in this family business after | | | | machinery that requires fixing no matter who repairs |
| the founders' 50 year reign, Jacob Brodsky and Joan | | | | it...WE'RE THE UNITED NATIONS OF |
| Christian doubled the partnership volume as more | | | | MANUFACTURING PRODUCT FIXERS AND THE |
| machinery was manufactured and the world started | | | | BEST THERE IS!" |
| to rely on these labor-saving products, and | | | | Did it work? What do you think? |