Maybelline founder Tom Lyle Williams

Showing posts with label Maybelline Co.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maybelline Co.. Show all posts

Maybelline undisputed giant during the Great Depression and still is

Maybelline ad, 1936
As the Great Depression continued through the 1930's Maybelline cornered the market in eye cosmetics. No other cosmetic company enjoyed more confidence and higher regard among the trade and had the envy among competitors as did Maybelline. Tom Lyle’s policy for perfection and his reputation for fairness set him apart and above all others in the field. Even his competitors agreed, there would never be another man like Tom Lyle Williams or a company like Maybelline. His sensitivity allowed him to see how women were affected by his advertising strategies. By 1939, Tom Lyle was at the top of his game. He was the most important executive in the cosmetic business. He never became selfish, egotistical, or self serving and his kindness and spirituality never ceased to exist.  Maybelline became known as "The Little Company that Could!"


 
1933 Maybelline Ad.

Tom Llye Williams, believed that a woman’s greatest asset was her ability to capture a man’s imagination through her expressive eyes.

Empowered for the first time since the Victorian era, women discovered a passion for imitating stars who exuded sex appeal on the screen.

Maybelline provided an inexpensive eye beautifier that enhanced a woman's sex-appeal while movies mirrored  celluloid forgeries professing  nonconformity with old world standards.  As Movie stars became models for America's changing values, Tom Lyle threw Maybelline in the dime stores in 1933.  As startup-cosmetic-companies failed, or were bought up by Tom Lyle, Maybelline became the undisputed giant in its field, during the Great Depression and still is today, 103 years later.

a fluke turned a simple idea into an international sensation by a 19 year old boy


The Maybelline Story centers on the life of Maybelline Cosmetics founder Tom Lyle Williams, and his family, during their time in Kentucky, Chicago and Hollywood.

  

Tom Lyle Williams wanted every woman to be able to afford Maybelline at a sensible price. The Maybelline Story captures the readers imagination while spinning through a century of history.




A fun look at the early days of Maybelline advertising and the people behind the name who either are softened by the years or are made more brittle by strife. The Maybelline story is an honest interpretation, a true story of how a brand has become so deeply integrated into society.



The Maybelline Story pulls off the difficult task of creating distinctive voices of Characters spread across the last century. A moving emotional memoir with a moral lesson to be learned at the end.





Original Maybelline Company known as "The Wonder Company" in the Cosmetic Industry





 PEOPLE, CULTURE AND STYLE
by Harris A. Neil Jr. 
One of the of the original executives at Maybelline




Nothing in my work experience, before or since, came close to matching the work environment of the Maybelline Company. The people, from my mentors Tom Lyle Williams Jr. and John Cole on down, were outstanding. Rags Ragland, was the father figure for all of us, the glue that held the place together, no disrespect to Tom Jr.. The management style was professional, but very simple and workable.




COMMUNICATION:

Communication is probably the best indicator of how the company operated. I can’t remember writing or receiving more than a dozen or so internal memos in all my years with Maybelline. If there was an “Employee Handbook,” I can’t remember it. We all knew where we stood, and treated one another with respect and good will. Life was simpler then, with almost no Federal or State personnel oversight except for minimum wage and overtime provisions. There was no OSHA, no ADA, and very few other “alphabet soup” agencies. There was some presence at the City government level. For example, the company had to operate the “Chicago way,” such as the annual courtesy call at Christmas-time from the Chicago Fire Department. Several fire officials would call on Tom Jr., and leave with whatever tribute was prevailing for that year.




ACCOUNTABILITY:

While that streamlined system of communication kept things going internally, things were much more conventional in external affairs. In my case, I had heavy daily contact with our supplier group, and I did almost everything in writing, to put a form of importance and accountability into our relationship. It worked for the most part, and it beat trying to remember what it was that we discussed when so many contacts were buzzing around.



TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT:

As declared by  (Tom Lyle Williallms,) T. L. (as explained in The Maybelline Story), there was no pattern of nepotism within the company. Of course, there was the arms-length relationship, company to vendor, with Deluxe Mascara. Also, Ches Haines was the Maybelline Traffic Manager, responsible for all material and order movement, in and out of our loading dock. The company was 100% dependent on truck movement, so this was a vital function. It could get quite exciting if the Teamsters decided to walk out, or if Chicago had one of its trademarked blizzards.




SPACE MANAGEMENT:

Just as the management group was small in number, so were the personal office needs. In my early days, I worked in the general office area, and there were four private offices on “executive row.” In later years, Mary Ann Anderson came into the company as Vice President of Advertising, and the company converted some apartment space adjacent to the general office and created offices for that function. As mentioned earlier, this expansion also moved further to provide space for the new Computer Department, Credit Department, and for Rag’s now two assistants. Bob Medlin had joined Carle Rollins to assist Rags.




Teamwork:

In addition, Ches and his assistant, Herb Zimmerman, had an office near the Receiving/Shipping areas downstairs. Also, Julius Wagman was a “vagabond,” spending much of his time across town with the action at Munk Chemical Company, but visiting the Maybelline building frequently.
After the management group loosely outlined above, there were many more wonderful employees involved in clerical, production, warehousing, material handling, accounting, you name the function and there were people covering that square. Most of the employees were long-time veterans, although we had newer hires that came aboard with the growth that moved us all.




LEADERSHIP:

The employment profile was a reflection of the neighborhood surrounding the company. We sat in a North Side neighborhood called “Edgewater.” Chicago, like all large cities, was a city of neighborhoods, and Edgewater was a mixed area of single and multiple residences, retail and commercial, but no industrial. There was also a large public high school across Ridge Avenue from Maybelline..Overarching this idyllic pattern of operation was the mostly invisible hand of our founder and leader, Mr. Tom Lyle Williams. He and his California staff communicated mainly with Rags and Tom Jr., but also from time to time with Dorothy Molander, of course, and John Cole and Julius Wagman. I personally never talked with the gentleman, but one time John recorded a detailed guideline for us and I heard his pleasant, deliberate voice.




EXECUTIVE CONFIDENCE:

The telephone was the conduit for all of T. L.’s daily contact, and it was constant. Rags, of course, traveled in his national contacts, and told me one time, humorously, that T. L. would find him at his hotel and go on and on, whether or not Rags could talk right then. When that happened, Rags would just set the handset on the bed and go about what he needed to do. When he got back, T. L. would still be talking and Rags would rejoin the conversation. Rags said he never got caught!




PERSEVERANCE:

This was the pleasant and very active work environment that we enjoyed with one another over the years. It was pleasant and functional without being stuffy. The only cloud on the horizon was that nagging question of how we’d dodge the bullet on the space crunch we were facing by 1967. The answer came one morning in October.    


The Maybelline Story takes you on a journey through 20th century America, and into the 21st as the worlds largest Cosmetic Brand



The Maybelline Story starts almost a century ago and takes you though the interesting life of founder Tom Lyle Williams and his fascinating family as he climbs his way to achieving the all American dream. Cross country it will take you from Chicago to Hollywood, mingling with the who's who in each era and location. Read how a fluke turned into a simple product, and how it turned into an international sensation and empire. Follow their lives and families lives for almost 80 years.        



The Maybelline Story is one that has left a lasting impression upon America, yet not many realize just how vital a role the cosmetic brand has played in shaping idealism today.  The obsession with perfection is widely seen throughout Hollywood, as it was nearly 100 years ago.  However, the obsession at that time did not reach the rest of society as it has today.  Early cosmetic developers, such as founder Tom Lyle Williams of the Maybelline Co. brought cosmetics to the everyday woman, pushing the idea that every woman, young and old, regardless of class, can obtain glamour and beauty with a simple swish of the eyes.  That’s where Maybelline got its start.  Developed in a time where women were breaking away from being modest and obedient housewives, and starting to seek their right as legal voters and equals in society.





The Maybelline story captivates all audiences by its incredible survival through economic, social, and personal turmoil.  The Maybelline Story takes you on a journey through 20th century America, and into the 21st century where Maybelline New York, now owned my L'Oreal,  thrives as a billion-dollar Icon and still the world’s largest cosmetic brand.



Maybelline's TOTAL LOOK, not just eyes any longer in 1975



If you haven't read my book The Maybelline Story, you can't appreciate the impact this merger had on the stock that all the Maybelline stockholders received at the sale of the Maybelline Company in 1967.  Everyone's money doubled overnight and of course with that windfall came good and bad consequences.  But enough of the drama, let's get back to business. Schering Plough moves the factory to Little Rock Arkansas and Maybelline get's a new look, with the New FRESH AND LOVELY, line of products in 1975. 













Stay tuned tomorrow as the story continues.  

Maybelline was known as "THE WONDER COMPANY" in the Cosmetic Industry


Harris A. Neil Jr with Harris A. Neil lll

5. PEOPLE, CULTURE AND STYLE
by Harris A. Neil Jr.

Nothing in my work experience, before or since, came close to matching the work environment of the Maybelline Company. The people, from my mentors Tom Lyle Williams Jr. and John Cole on down, were outstanding. Rags Ragland, was the father figure for all of us, the glue that held the place together, no disrespect to Tom Jr.. The management style was professional, but very simple and workable.

COMMUNICATION:

Communication is probably the best indicator of how the company operated. I can’t remember writing or receiving more than a dozen or so internal memos in all my years with Maybelline. If there was an “Employee Handbook,” I can’t remember it. We all knew where we stood, and treated one another with respect and good will. Life was simpler then, with almost no Federal or State personnel oversight except for minimum wage and overtime provisions. There was no OSHA, no ADA, and very few other “alphabet soup” agencies. There was some presence at the City government level. For example, the company had to operate the “Chicago way,” such as the annual courtesy call at Christmas-time from the Chicago Fire Department. Several fire officials would call on Tom Jr., and leave with whatever tribute was prevailing for that year.

ACCOUNTABILITY:

While that streamlined system of communication kept things going internally, things were much more conventional in external affairs. In my case, I had heavy daily contact with our supplier group, and I did almost everything in writing, to put a form of importance and accountability into our relationship. It worked for the most part, and it beat trying to remember what it was that we discussed when so many contacts were buzzing around.

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT:

As declared by  (Tom Lyle Williallms,) T. L. (as explained in The Maybelline Story), there was no pattern of nepotism within the company. Of course, there was the arms-length relationship, company to vendor, with Deluxe Mascara. Also, Ches Haines was the Maybelline Traffic Manager, responsible for all material and order movement, in and out of our loading dock. The company was 100% dependent on truck movement, so this was a vital function. It could get quite exciting if the Teamsters decided to walk out, or if Chicago had one of its trademarked blizzards.

SPACE MANAGEMENT:

Just as the management group was small in number, so were the personal office needs. In my early days, I worked in the general office area, and there were four private offices on “executive row.” In later years, Mary Ann Anderson came into the company as Vice President of Advertising, and the company converted some apartment space adjacent to the general office and created offices for that function. As mentioned earlier, this expansion also moved further to provide space for the new Computer Department, Credit Department, and for Rag’s now two assistants. Bob Medlin had joined Carle Rollins to assist Rags.

Teamwork:

In addition, Ches and his assistant, Herb Zimmerman, had an office near the Receiving/Shipping areas downstairs. Also, Julius Wagman was a “vagabond,” spending much of his time across town with the action at Munk Chemical Company, but visiting the Maybelline building frequently.
After the management group loosely outlined above, there were many more wonderful employees involved in clerical, production, warehousing, material handling, accounting, you name the function and there were people covering that square. Most of the employees were long-time veterans, although we had newer hires that came aboard with the growth that moved us all.

LEADERSHIP:

The employment profile was a reflection of the neighborhood surrounding the company. We sat in a North Side neighborhood called “Edgewater.” Chicago, like all large cities, was a city of neighborhoods, and Edgewater was a mixed area of single and multiple residences, retail and commercial, but no industrial. There was also a large public high school across Ridge Avenue from Maybelline..
Overarching this idyllic pattern of operation was the mostly invisible hand of our founder and leader, Mr. Tom Lyle Williams. He and his California staff communicated mainly with Rags and Tom Jr., but also from time to time with Dorothy Molander, of course, and John Cole and Julius Wagman. I personally never talked with the gentleman, but one time John recorded a detailed guideline for us and I heard his pleasant, deliberate voice.

EXECUTIVE CONFIDENCE:

The telephone was the conduit for all of T. L.’s daily contact, and it was constant. Rags, of course, traveled in his national contacts, and told me one time, humorously, that T. L. would find him at his hotel and go on and on, whether or not Rags could talk right then. When that happened, Rags would just set the handset on the bed and go about what he needed to do. When he got back, T. L. would still be talking and Rags would rejoin the conversation. Rags said he never got caught!

PERSEVERANCE:

This was the pleasant and very active work environment that we enjoyed with one another over the years. It was pleasant and functional without being stuffy. The only cloud on the horizon was that nagging question of how we’d dodge the bullet on the space crunch we were facing by 1967. The answer came one morning in October.    


               Stay tuned next  Monday as part 6 unfolds.
                                      "The Plough  Inc. Merger."

Tom Lyle's son takes his name and joins the Maybelline Co.

Tom Lyle's son Cecil Anderson changes his name to Tom Lyle Williams.

Tom Lyle Williams and Cecil Anderson, 1925.

No one loved his son more than Tom Lyle loved Cecil Anderson. He gave as much time and attention as any father living at a distance running a mega-company could possibly give.  However It was a hard situation and Tom Lyle worried that he should have done more.  When Cecil Anderson graduated high school and was accepted into Duke University he asked his father if he could change his name to Tom Lyle Williams. Of course he could and Tom Lye was not only honored, he felt relieved that he had succeeded at being the kind of father his son could be proud of. 


After graduation from Duke University where Tom Jr. had been Captain of the Football Team, he joined his father at the Maybelline Company where he worked for over 30 years helping expand the company overseas and making Maybelline the largest eye cosmetic company in the world.    




Tom Lyle Williams and Tom Lyle Williams Jr.  1934


Read more about Tom Lyle Jr. and his desire to expand the Maybelline Company internationally in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.



Thank you for following the Maybelline Blog and I hope you enjoy my book as much as I loved writing it.


Sharrie Williams

Maybelline's Black Sheep - Preston Williams.


Preston, Eva, Tom Lyle, Mabel, Noel, Susan and Sheriff T.J., 1916.
 Tom Lyle's brother Preston has no interest in being part of the Maybelline company.


Preston in front with Ches Haines, 1922.
Why was that? After all he had every opportunity to become part of the executive team for the Maybelline Company.  Oh, if only Preston had shown a little passion or devotion for the family business!  You'll have to read The Maybelline Story for the full scoop about my grandfather Preston but for now here are a few clues into his early years and why he  did it HIS WAY. 

As a child Preston envisioned himself heading out West searching for high adventure and had no desire to  work the family farm in Kentucky.  He was forever attracting trouble, though preferred periods of isolation where he might master his thoughts while fishing, hunting rabbits in the woods or just reading about cowboys while perched on a tree limb next to the barn.  Needless to say he was all boy and detested any restraints put on his free spirit.  However, his refusal to submit to his father T.J. brought  sure and swift consequences.

As Sheriff, TJ was likely to lock boys who got “too big for their britches” in a jail cell for an overnight stay.  Breakfast the next morning was served only after repentance had been made. But no matter what the punishment, Preston proved a hard nut to crack, and his willful behavior often drove T. J. into a rage. 

My great grandfather, Sheriff T.J., tried everything to break my grandfather's wild streak - from extended lectures, whippings, to finally the jail cell with no dinner - but Preston didn't care and when his father was out of sight, he simply pulled out a dime-novel rolled up in his pocket, leaned back and read about the Wild West or dreamed about Tom Mix in his latest Western movie....  

My grandfather ran off and joined the navy at 17 during the Great War, World War 1, only to return a broken man with PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Read more about Preston's wild adventures that left a wake of destruction in my family for generations to come, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.




Preston Williams, 23 in 1922.


The original Maybelline Family from Kentucky to Chicago to Hollywood and beyond.

In my book The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind it, I tell the story the Williams family and the birth of the Maybelline Co.  The original family from Morganfield Kentucky started out with (from right to left,) Sheriff Thomas Jefferson Williams, his wife Susan and six children.  Their first child, a boy named Pearl died at 19 leaving Noel James, (in the middle,) Mabel Anna, Tom Lyle, William Preston, (my grandfather,) and Eva Kay. This picture was taken in 1916 when a little company called Maybell Laboratories first introduced an eyelash darkener called Maybelline.  The company was named after the founder Tom Lyle's sister Mabel and financed by his older brother Noel with $500. he'd saved to marry his sweetheart Frances Allen. 


By 1934 the five siblings had worked together to build the Maybelline Co into an unimaginable success and though the depression destroyed many well know companies, Maybelline continued to thrive.  Here is a picture of Sheriff TJ, with Tom Lyle and his son Tom Lyle Jr.  It was taken while Tom Jr was at Duke University and Tom Lyle lived at the Villa Valentino in the Hollywood Hills.  Susan had died of the great flu in 1919.


By 1934 Noel James, Tom Lyle's older brother was vice president of the Maybelline Co, married Frances and had four children.  From left to right you see, Annette Louise, (Neppy,) Richard Lyle, (Dick,) Noel, Helen Frances, Frances and Noel Allen Williams. 



Mabel married Chet Hewes in 1926 and had three children Shirley Anne, Thomas Randolph, (Tommy) and baby Joyce Mae are in this picture.  Chet handled the manufacturing of Maybelline and eventually formed his own company within the Maybelline Co. called Deluxe Mascara after Maybelline was investigated for being a monopoly.   Mabel, Maybelline's namesake became known as Auntie Mabel to all her nieces and nephews and remained the loving matriarch until the end of her life. Her family still lives in Chicago.




Eva, the youngest child of TJ and Susan married Ches Haines and had three children. June Anne, Marilyn Frances, (Ditty,)
and Robert Charles (Bobby.)  Ches Haines was in charge of transportation at the Maybelline company while Eva, (Auntie E,)  stayed home and raised her three children. 


Preston Williams a WW1 Veteran married my grandmother Evelyn Boecher and had my father William Preston Williams Jr.  Preston never wanted to work for the Maybelline Co. and was the wild card in the family.  Eventually Evelyn and Billy followed Tom Lyle to California and Billy was raised by his mother and Uncle Tom Lyle.


Today the Maybelline family has grown into the third and fourth generation and is a very large family.  The Maybelline Story is told from my branch of the family's point of view, the West Coast branch who grew up in California with Tom Lyle.  


The story goes back to the original family in Morganfield Kentucky, through the heyday's of Chicago gangsters and into the glitz and glamour of Hollywood when Tom Lyle was the King of Advertising. 


I hope you love The Maybelline Story and find it to be a fun ride through the 20th Century with the Williams family.