Colgate-Palmolive and Intel Corporation are very much products of industrial and technological development in America. In 1806 when William Colgate founded the Colgate company in Manhattan to produce soap, candies, and starch, single owner or family owned companies with limited product lines were the norm (Hoover's Handbook, 1985). Some other companies reflecting the same trend were Goodyear, Firestone, Kraft, and Jos. Schmidt Breweries. In general, initial distribution was local or regional, and expansion to the national scene slow -- Colgate's beginnings are much the same.
William Colgate died 10 years after the inception of his company, and leadership passed to his son Samuel. Samuel Colgate moved the company to Jersey City and renamed it Colgate and Company. Under his direction, product diversity and distribution mushroomed. Dental cream was introduced in 1877 and available in tube form by 1890. By 1906 Colgate was manufacturing 160 kinds of soap, 625 perfumes and 2,000 other products. (Hoover Handbook of American Business, 1995 pg. 368). The company went public in 1908 and merged with Palmolive-Peet in 1938.
In 1968 3 Ph.D. engineers from Fairchild Semiconductor created Intel in Moutainview, California in order to realize the potential of large-scale integration for silicone-based chips. Robert Noyce (co-inventor of the integrated circuit, 1957) and Gordon Moore oversaw long range planning while current CEO Andrew Grove oversaw manufacturing (Hoover's Handbook of American Business, 1995, p. 634).
Intel's approach is similar to Apple, Microsoft and Symantech -- find a niche, do it better, and cheaper. The goal is to market nationally and be the standard-setting manufacturer within the niche. In many ways, Intel has achieved this goal. Starting with 12 employees and a first year sales of $2,672, it soon mushroomed as a supplier of semiconductor memory for large computers (DRAM chips). Intel reinvested the mo...