John Barry (WD-40)
Encyclopedia
John Steven Barry was an American
business executive who popularized WD-40
, a water-displacing spray and solvent
that had been created in the 1950s for use in the space program and spread its use in the consumer market.
, Minnesota
. He attended the University of Minnesota
, from which he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering
. He was designated to participate in an officer's training program after enlisting in the United States Navy
, as part of which he attended Columbia University
and Harvard University
. After his military service, he attended the MIT Sloan School of Management
, earning a master's degree in business administration. He had been hired by 3M
after graduation, but was called to active duty in the Navy during the Korean War
.
coming from "water displacement, formulation successful in 40th attempt". One of its earliest users was Convair
, which used the liquid to protect the outside of its SM-65 Atlas missiles. Norm Larsen
, one of WD-40's creators, saw that Convair employees had found uses in their homes and started marketing the product in stores starting in 1958. Barry had no involvement in the company until he was hired in 1969 to succeed his father-in-law, Cy Irving, as its chief executive office and president, with one of his first actions being to rename the company WD-40 after its best-known product, reasoning that the company was not in the rocket business, after all.
Through creative marketing, Barry was able to significantly increase the product's market through additional advertising spending, improving the design of the product and its distinctive blue and yellow aerosol can, expanding sales into supermarkets to tap into impulse purchase
s and growing distribution from 1,200 wholesalers when he was hired to 14,000 within a decade in the United States and internationally. Barry was fond of using free product samples as a promotional tool, including 10,000 that were sent monthly to soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War
to help maintain their weapons in the difficult climate. Barry steadfastly resisted the received wisdom that diversification
was the optimal marketing strategy
, resolutely keeping the company a one-product firm.
Though Barry acknowledged that other companies had products that were similar to his, he ensured that the firm jealously protected its trademark and that it never fully revealed the components used in its manufacture to the public. He refused to produce a private label
version of the product for Sears, Roebuck and Company
, emphasizing that at WD-40 "we are a marketing company" even if they "appear to be a manufacturing company". Company surveys showed that 80% of American households had the product, using it for the standard squeaky hinges and road tar removal, to ungluing tongues stuck to frozen metal and removing a python from under a bus.
Barry stepped down as president and CEO in September 1990 and was succeeded by Gerald C. Schleif. Barry left his role as chairman of the board in September 2000, and was followed in the post by Daniel W. Derbes. Sales grew from $2 million in 1970, his first full year at the company, to $90 million in 1990 and $317 million in the year before his death.
in a skilled nursing center in La Jolla
in San Diego, California
. He was survived by his wife, the former Marian A. Irving; a daughter, Deborah B. Faneros of Camarillo
, California, two sons, Stephen A. Barry of Escondido
and Randy P. Barry of San Diego, and four grandsons.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
business executive who popularized WD-40
WD-40
WD-40 is the trademark name of a United States-made water-displacing spray. It was developed in 1953 by Norm Larsen, founder of the Rocket Chemical Company, San Diego, California. It was originally designed to repel water and prevent corrosion, and later was found to have numerous household...
, a water-displacing spray and solvent
Solvent
A solvent is a liquid, solid, or gas that dissolves another solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution that is soluble in a certain volume of solvent at a specified temperature...
that had been created in the 1950s for use in the space program and spread its use in the consumer market.
Early life and education
Barry was born in MinneapolisMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. He attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, from which he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
. He was designated to participate in an officer's training program after enlisting in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, as part of which he attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. After his military service, he attended the MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
, earning a master's degree in business administration. He had been hired by 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
after graduation, but was called to active duty in the Navy during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
WD-40
The product had originally been created by Rocket Chemical Company in 1953 as a degreasing and rust-preventing spray, with the name WD-40WD-40
WD-40 is the trademark name of a United States-made water-displacing spray. It was developed in 1953 by Norm Larsen, founder of the Rocket Chemical Company, San Diego, California. It was originally designed to repel water and prevent corrosion, and later was found to have numerous household...
coming from "water displacement, formulation successful in 40th attempt". One of its earliest users was Convair
Convair
Convair was an American aircraft manufacturing company which later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Vultee Aircraft and Consolidated Aircraft, and went on to produce a number of pioneering aircraft, such as the Convair B-36 bomber, and the F-102...
, which used the liquid to protect the outside of its SM-65 Atlas missiles. Norm Larsen
Norm Larsen
Norman B. Larsen was an industrial chemist whose most famous invention is WD-40. Born in Chicago in the 1920s, he had an insatiable desire to create things that would help make life easier for people...
, one of WD-40's creators, saw that Convair employees had found uses in their homes and started marketing the product in stores starting in 1958. Barry had no involvement in the company until he was hired in 1969 to succeed his father-in-law, Cy Irving, as its chief executive office and president, with one of his first actions being to rename the company WD-40 after its best-known product, reasoning that the company was not in the rocket business, after all.
Through creative marketing, Barry was able to significantly increase the product's market through additional advertising spending, improving the design of the product and its distinctive blue and yellow aerosol can, expanding sales into supermarkets to tap into impulse purchase
Impulse purchase
An impulse purchase or impulse buy is an unplanned decision to buy a product or service, made just before a purchase. One who tends to make such purchases is referred to as an impulse purchaser or impulse buyer...
s and growing distribution from 1,200 wholesalers when he was hired to 14,000 within a decade in the United States and internationally. Barry was fond of using free product samples as a promotional tool, including 10,000 that were sent monthly to soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
to help maintain their weapons in the difficult climate. Barry steadfastly resisted the received wisdom that diversification
Diversification (marketing strategy)
Diversification is a form of corporate strategy for a company. It seeks to increase profitability through greater sales volume obtained from new products and new markets. Diversification can occur either at the business unit level or at the corporate level. At the business unit level, it is most...
was the optimal marketing strategy
Marketing strategy
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.-Developing a marketing strategy:...
, resolutely keeping the company a one-product firm.
Though Barry acknowledged that other companies had products that were similar to his, he ensured that the firm jealously protected its trademark and that it never fully revealed the components used in its manufacture to the public. He refused to produce a private label
Private label
Private label products or services are typically those manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company's brand. Private label goods and services are available in a wide range of industries from food to cosmetics to web hosting...
version of the product for Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
, emphasizing that at WD-40 "we are a marketing company" even if they "appear to be a manufacturing company". Company surveys showed that 80% of American households had the product, using it for the standard squeaky hinges and road tar removal, to ungluing tongues stuck to frozen metal and removing a python from under a bus.
Barry stepped down as president and CEO in September 1990 and was succeeded by Gerald C. Schleif. Barry left his role as chairman of the board in September 2000, and was followed in the post by Daniel W. Derbes. Sales grew from $2 million in 1970, his first full year at the company, to $90 million in 1990 and $317 million in the year before his death.
Personal
Barry died at age 84 on July 3, 2009, due to pulmonary fibrosisPulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is the formation or development of excess fibrous connective tissue in the lungs. It is also described as "scarring of the lung".-Symptoms:Symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis are mainly:...
in a skilled nursing center in La Jolla
La Jolla, San Diego, California
La Jolla is an affluent, hilly seaside resort community, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean in Southern California within the northern city limits of San Diego. La Jolla had the highest home prices in the nation in 2008 and 2009; the average price of a standardized...
in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He was survived by his wife, the former Marian A. Irving; a daughter, Deborah B. Faneros of Camarillo
Camarillo, California
Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at the 2000 census. The Ventura Freeway Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at...
, California, two sons, Stephen A. Barry of Escondido
Escondido, California
Escondido is a city occupying a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills, just north of the city of San Diego, California. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city had a population of 143,911 at the 2010 census. Its municipal government set itself an operating...
and Randy P. Barry of San Diego, and four grandsons.