Founders

#66 Henry Kaiser: Builder in the Modern American West

Episode Summary

What I learned from reading Henry J. Kaiser: Builder in the Modern American West by Mark Foster.

Episode Notes

What I learned from reading Henry J. Kaiser: Builder in the Modern American West by Mark Foster. 

He built giant businesses in roads, bridges, dams, housing, cement, aluminum, chemicals, steel, health care, and tourism. (0:01) 

starting a joint venture with Howard Hughes (6:40)

learning how not to run a business (12:00)

how Kaiser was able to start his own business with no money (18:00)

I decided to pick one fellow I wanted most to work for and concentrate on him. (23:15)

how Henry Kaiser used passion and enthusiasm to start a construction company in Vancouver (30:00)

using the leverage that technology provides or how to make big jobs small (44:00)

very difficult work + fewer people willing to do it = opportunity (50:40) 

how Kaiser goes from never building ships to having 200,000 employees building ships (1:00:00), Kaiser promoted himself as an industrialist populist (1:13:00)

Kaiser's managerial style (1:15:00)