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Master Entrepreneur: Powel Crosley
Chuck Clampitt - MT Etna No. 333, Grand Lodge of Indiana
An entrepreneur is defi ned as "a person who inner tire, he saw the need for aft ermarket parts. Th e
organizes and operates a business or businesses, outgrowth was that in 1916, Powell became the co-
taking on greater than normal fi nancial risks in order founder with Ira Cooper, of Cooper Tire, an Americo
to do so. Many entrepreneurs see potential in this Auto Accessories Company and supplier of all sorts of
market." Names such as Henry Ford, Walt Disney, things to deck out a car including a radiator cap that
Sam Walton, or Ray Kroc might come mounted four miniature fl ags to fl utter as
to mind as individuals who saw a need the proud owner zoomed down the road.
based on products, markets, or services Th at same year Henry Ford sold 500,000
that hadn't been created or tapped. An Model Ts and Americo Auto Accessories
individual that fulfi lls all these criteria had a million dollars in sales.
but is oft en overlooked is Powel Crosley.
Crosley's younger brother Lewis came
Crosley was born in 1886, near to work for him aft er being discharged
Cincinnati, and showed promise from the Anny. Th rough the ensuing
for inventiveness and mechanical years, the two brothers worked closely
capabilities. He attended the University and complemented one another. Powel
of Cincinnati for two years, but like was the visionary, always ready for the
many young men of the era fell under next big idea, do it big, and do it now.
the spell of the automobile. Lewis was the manager. He handled the
fi nances, made arrangements to rent and
While most would identify Michigan buy buildings, hired people, and most
as the focal point for the infant important, reined in Powel and some
automobile industry, Indiana was of his more outlandish ideas. Th e two
truly the Mecca. Over time car manufacturers came brothers would go on to create an array of dazzling
and went, but supposedly more than 350 diff erent successes.
automobiles were manufactured in Indiana at one
time or the other. Powel wanted to build and race Following WWI, commercial radios were in their
cars. In the early 1900s, there was no better place to infancy. In 1921, Powel took his son to a hardware store
do that than Indianapolis. Powel made acquaintances to look at radios and was dumbfounded that the cost
with many of the industry leaders there, worked in was $100. As a comparison, in 1914, Henry Ford started
Carl Fisher's car dealership (Fisher was a promoter paying his employees the unheard-of wage of $5 a day.
and co-founder of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway), Powel bought a book on radios, had a commercial
and worked in a variety of capacities in the auto radio designed, and started manufacturing them.
industry including sales management in Indianapolis
and Muncie. In 1907, Crosley attempted to build an Like Henry Ford, he targeted the low price/mass
automobile in Connersville, IN, called the Marathon market and was committed to providing a quality
Six. Undercapitalized on $10,000 borrowed money, a product. While the Crosley radio was a dazzling
fi nancial panic caused the company to close aft er only success, the Crosley brothers were absolutely
building a prototype. marketing wizards. Every new radio included a mailer
so the proud new owner could invite friends over for "a
By 1911, the Ford Model Twas dominating new car radio party." By 1923, Crosley was making 1000 radios
sales with 35,000 sold. Th e Model T was reliable and a day as well as manufacturing component parts for
at $700 for a base model 4-door runabout, Henry other manufacturers.
Ford was targeting the mass market. While cars were
becoming more reliable, tires weren't. Most tires were If radio manufacturing was in its infancy in the early
incredibly narrow, lacked any kind of signifi cant 1920s, so was radio broadcasting. Control of radio
tread or sidewall reinforcement, and were susceptible frequencies and station programming were both major
to fl ats. It was then that Powel Crosley saw his fi rst issues. Most stations were only on the air 2 or 3 hours
opportunity. Crosley developed a stiff wall tire a day. Programming consisted of an inexperienced
inner-lining called the "lnsyde Tyre," installed in a announcer playing records on a phonograph,reading
regular tire with the inner tube inside. It made the poetry, or plays. Crosley received a license in 1922 for
tire stronger and reduced having fl ats. Using Cooper a 50-watt station with the call letters WLW. WLW
Tire to manufacture his new invention, Crosley set would become a leader in radio programming and
about marketing it to shops and dealers. New cars of aired the fi rst Cincinnati Reds baseball game on
this era had few options and aft er the success of his March 22, 1922. Studio equipment and sound eff ects
Montana Freemason Page 34 March/April 2021 Volume 97 No. 2
