Forrest Mars, Jr., the chocolate titan's hidden billionaire owner and the grandson of its founder, Frank C. Mars, became a billionaire not just through his family company, but also through his own abilities and efforts put into the corporation. Chocolate fans all across the world may thank Forrest E. Mars, Sr. for the milk chocolate sweets that "melt in your mouth, not in your hands." M& M's® are, of course, the candy. Mars not only invented, patented, and marketed the invention, but he also established a chocolate candy empire through the international corporation that would become M&M/Mars, Inc.
Mars was born on March 21, 1904 in Minnesota and was raised in Canada by his grandparents following his parents' divorce. He enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, and subsequently moved to Yale University, where he earned a degree in industrial engineering in 1928. He was a very competitive guy with a knack for business. Forrest Mars Senior, his father, had to work really hard to be competent at overseeing the company and taking it to the next level of success. Similarly, Mars senior required his children, including Mars junior, to work hard and master every part of the firm before passing ownership.
After receiving his BA from Yale University, Forrest served in the Army as a financial officer before joining the accounting firm Prince Waterhouse in New York. Before being let into the family business, he spent a lot of time in New York. He gained respect inside the family by starting from scratch and growing a firm. He joined Mars in 1960, but it was not the end of his battle because he had a long way to go to establish his potential. Forrest Jr. was tasked with managing the launch of the company's new headquarters in downtown Washington.
The next year, he was transferred to Veghel, Netherlands, where he began serving the European continent by constructing a new candy factory. He worked entire nights at the factory to improve efficiency and quality, but he still failed to impress his father. An unfortunate occurrence occurred, and the facility caught fire just days before its scheduled opening, and Forrest Jr. lost all respect. Instead of giving up, he spent another 9 months reconstructing the factory, but the outbursts haunted the brothers for years.
The company's ownership was transferred to Forrest Jr. and his brother in 1973. Before another blow in the shape of Hershey arrived, they took over the charge and continuously strived to improve their effectiveness and quality. On July 22, 1988, this new company took over the US Division of Cadbury Schweppes. By gaining a larger market share than Mars, it moved the latter down to number two for the first time.
Forrest Jr. fought for 15 years to reclaim the lost position, including the acquisition of their father's newly founded firm, Ethel M. Former Mars, and the appointment of a remarkable recruit as marketing head. In the end, Mars restored its position and expanded its product range with the release of Uncle Ben's Rice, as well as pet food brands Whiskas and Pedigree, in 1991. Thus, Forrest rose to his current position by working hard and overcoming his deficiencies.
I’m not a candy maker, I’m empire-minded.
I wanted to conquer the whole goddamned world.
I like building businesses.
It isn’t how big the fish is that matters.
I told my father to stick his business up his ass.
Do only what we can do best.
Profit is our single objective.
To get the best you had the pay the best.
The consumer is our boss.
Quality is our work.
Value for money is our goal.
Damn thing sold with no advertising.
The consumer is our boss, quality is our work and value for money is our goal.
A mutual benefit is a shared benefit; a shared benefit will endure.
We use resources to the full, waste nothing and do only what we can do best.
We need freedom to shape our future; we need profit to remain free.
I told my father to stick his business up his ass. I wanted to conquer the whole goddamned world.
The ability to be secretive is one of the finest benefits of having a private company.
Single businesses, that’s what you need, if you wish to go for the world.
Quality means our brands will live up to their expectations
A mutual benefit is a shared benefit
