January 4

Parker Pens

Our pens will write in any language.

George S. Parker

George Parker kept his eyes open for new opportunities. Of course, he had to make a living in the meantime, so he taught telegraphy. One day in 1892, George finally found an idea worth pursuing. He had come up with a concept for a fountain pen design that would eliminate a bothersome leakage problem that had plagued pens for over fifty years. George knew that the market for his pen would be huge. Virtually every person in the entire world who wrote anything was a potential customer. As he began to have success distributing his pens in the United States, George encouraged his associates to expand into new markets with the message, “Our pens will write in any language!” To that end, George began exporting his pens in 1903.

George was a meticulous manufacturer. Even though he had a fine design, he insisted on spending plenty of time and money to make sure that the pen would write in all conditions. It had to write equally well when used left-handed, slanted forward, slanted backward, etc. George insisted on innovation but was never too eager to bring a product to market until he was sure it was the best. When ballpoint pens were introduced, George continued to research for another nine years before introducing the “T-Ball Jotter.” Always keeping Parker pens at the top of the price lists, George acquired Eversharp in 1957 to address the lower price market. Today, Parker is one of the best-known American brands around the world.

CONSIDER THIS: Someone will be at the top of the heap, and it will probably be the company that pays the most attention to quality.