Wednesday, March 8, 2000
Wednesday, March 8, 2000 |
| An
American innovator By GREGORY
SMITH During a blistering summer evening in 1937, Fred Jones sat in his car near a lake in Minnesota. The heat was unbearable. He rolled down a window for a breath of fresh air. To his dismay, when he rolled the window down his car filled with mosquitoes. Up the window went to keep mosquitoes out. Down the window went for some air. This cycle of opening and closing the window continued until he reached a point of total frustration. “Why doesn't somebody make a gadget to aircondition a car, like they do in theaters?” he said. It Can't Be Done! Fred Jones quit school when he was in sixth grade to support his widowed mother. He was quite a handyman. His interests ranged from repairing automobiles, building race cars to sound production equipment. His first involvement with airconditioning began when he was employed at the ThermoKing Company. Shortly after the mosquito episode, he drove to a library and studied everything available on airconditioning and refrigeration. In those days air-conditioning for trucks and cars was deemed “impossible.” Critics said, “It couldn't be done.” Block ice was the only way to keep perishables from spoiling. This made long term storage and transportation of food items extremely difficult and short lived. Once his research was completed, he took out paper and drew the plan for the first mobile airconditioning unit. The next day didn't come quick enough. He presented the plan to his boss. Joseph A. Numero was not interestedIt was too radical of an idea. Numero said, “It is too heavy . . . too expensive, and I don't think anyone would buy it. Besides we're in the sound equipment business, so let's forget it.” On the shelve the idea went until a year later. Numero was playing golf with two other friends when one complained that one of his truck shipments of chickens had spoiled during a recent trip out of town. The entire shipment had to be thrown out and destroyed. On the golf course, the three men dared each other to invent a truck mobile airconditioner. Numero remembered Jones' idea, but did not act on it. It wasn't until one of the golfpartners called back to check on his progress before Numero called Jones in. Jones' idea sprung back to life and his creative powers were released. In short order, Fred Jones, a man with only a sixth grade education finished his design for the first truck airconditioner. He used parts from a local junkyard. This airconditioner quickly became a multimillion-dollar industry for the ThermoKing Corporation. Jones' innovative mind helped to create jobs for thousands of people and the ripple effect had tremendous proportions. His invention and spin-off products have kept food products fresh and available to people around the world. Besides revolutionizing the food business with the mobile air conditioner, he continued to invent many items. Those driving cars today can credit Fred Jones for the airconditioner. He obtained somewhere between 3550 patents for other inventions. The fruits his inventive mind included; bicycles hay loaders, broadcasting transmitters and portable xray machines. He also invented the vending device that ejects movie theater tickets and change. Years later he refined the truck air-conditioning system and created a refrigerator for storing blood products. He developed an air-conditioning unit for use in surgical hospitals during WW II. The same gasoline powered air conditioner is still used today by the military to cool field hospitals. It also was used to calm honeybees during travel and to cool monkeys that flew in America's first space launches. When Fred Jones retired, he had risen to Chief Engineer and Vice President of the ThermoKing Corporation. There are many people in this world born gifted, but few have risen to the heights of innovative success as Frederick M. Jones. A man from humble beginnings with only six years of education had revolutionized the world we know today. His life was a testimony of how one good idea is worth more than all the educational degrees piled on top of each other. A good idea is strong enough to blur the lines of race, gender, education...overcome all disadvantages. Gregory P. Smith shows businesses how to build productive and profitable work environments that attract, keep and motivate their workforce. He speaks at conferences and is the President of a management consulting firm called Chart Your Course International located in Conyers, Georgia. Phone him at (770)860-9464 or send an email at greg@chartcourse.com. More information and articles are available at www.ChartCourse.com. +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Greg Smith's new book, TNT : Dynamic Ideas to Reward, Energize and Motivate Your Team, is now available. Over 230 tips and techniques. Gregory P. Smith is the author of The New Leader, and How to Attract, Keep and Motivate Your Workforce. He speaks at conferences, leads seminars and helps organizations solve problems and help create productive work environments that attract, keep and motivate their workforce. To sign up for the free Navigator Newsletter call (800)821-2487 or visit |