Watkins Incorporated
Encyclopedia
Watkins Incorporated is a manufacturer of health
remedies, baking
products, and other household items. The entire catalog includes 400 products. It is based in Winona, Minnesota
, and largely relies on an independent sales force of 25,000 people to distribute its products. This sales force sells the products using various methods, including the Internet, person to person, trade shows, party planning, and fund-raising. In order to increase overall awareness for the brand, the company has begun offering a select number of products in national retail outlets.
The company was founded by J. R. Watkins in Plainview, Minnesota
, who began selling liniment
in 1868 by traveling to homes in the southeastern part of the state. The company moved to Winona in 1885 and added a number of products to its lineup. Baking materials including pepper
and vanilla extract
were added in 1895. J. R. Watkins died in 1911.
By the 1940s, Watkins was the largest direct-sales company in the world, but it soon began to decline. The demographics and buying habits of the United States
went through major shifts in the following decades, and the company was unable to keep pace. Watkins filed for bankruptcy protection in the 1970s, and was purchased by Minneapolis
investor Irwin L. Jacobs
in 1978.
In 1996, Jacobs' son, Mark Evan Jacobs, began to take over day-to-day operations of the company. He was 14 at the time his father purchased the company, and had worked as a Watkins salesman for many years. The younger Jacobs was also an aspiring actor
, having appeared in minor roles in films like Biloxi Blues
and Goodfellas
, but he realized that his acting career wasn't going very far. Since taking over the reins, he has carefully controlled spending, introduced an enhanced compensation plan for sales associates, along with doing an extensive brand study that led to the introduction of products onto store shelves for the first time.
Wal-Mart
has carried about 20 Watkins products since 2003, and other nationwide stores including Cub Foods
, Hannaford
, Whole Foods
, Rainbow Foods, Pick 'N Save, Schnucks
, Hy-Vee
Food stores, Walgreens, Smith's Food and Drug, Target, Sunflower Market, Ultas and others are carrying select items particularly spices and extracts as well as some personal care items from the catalog as well. The reception from the retail community has been strong to date. A new all-natural line of personal care products were introduced to the retail community in the spring of 2008 and has quickly gained market share against Burt's Bees and others. A new home cleaning line that is also all-natural has debuted at Target and will roll out nationally in the 2nd half of 2008. The sizes of the spice and extract line offered to the retail community are different than that offered to the consumer via the independent representative which allows the independent representative to maintain an advantage in their marketplace. At this time both channels are performing well with this approach.
The Watkins headquarters in Winona, designed by Prairie School
architect George Washington Maher and built between 1911 and 1913, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The front entrance includes a window designed by stained-glass artist Louis J. Millet, depicting Sugar Loaf Mountain, a landmark of the city.
In 2002, the story of an extraordinary Watkins salesman, Bill Porter
, was told in the TNT movie Door to Door
. He worked a route despite suffering from cerebral palsy
.
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
remedies, baking
Baking
Baking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food by dry heat acting by convection, and not by radiation, normally in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones. It is primarily used for the preparation of bread, cakes, pastries and pies, tarts, quiches, cookies and crackers. Such items...
products, and other household items. The entire catalog includes 400 products. It is based in Winona, Minnesota
Winona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
, and largely relies on an independent sales force of 25,000 people to distribute its products. This sales force sells the products using various methods, including the Internet, person to person, trade shows, party planning, and fund-raising. In order to increase overall awareness for the brand, the company has begun offering a select number of products in national retail outlets.
The company was founded by J. R. Watkins in Plainview, Minnesota
Plainview, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,190 people, 1,157 households, and 824 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,452.5 people per square mile . There were 1,223 housing units at an average density of 556.9 per square mile...
, who began selling liniment
Liniment
Liniment , from the Latin linere, to anoint, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Preparations of this type are also called balm...
in 1868 by traveling to homes in the southeastern part of the state. The company moved to Winona in 1885 and added a number of products to its lineup. Baking materials including pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
and vanilla extract
Vanilla extract
Vanilla extract is a solution containing the flavor compound vanillin. Pure vanilla extract is made by macerating and percolating vanilla beans in a solution of ethyl alcohol and water. In the United States, in order for a vanilla extract to be called pure, the U.S...
were added in 1895. J. R. Watkins died in 1911.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
went through major shifts in the following decades, and the company was unable to keep pace. Watkins filed for bankruptcy protection in the 1970s, and was purchased by Minneapolis
Minneapolis, 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...
investor Irwin L. Jacobs
Irwin L. Jacobs
Irwin L Jacobs is an entrepreneur and the CEO of several large corporations, including Genmar Holdings, Inc. the worlds largest boat building company. He earned the nickname "Irv the Liquidator" for his aggressive business practices in the 1970s and early 1980s...
in 1978.
In 1996, Jacobs' son, Mark Evan Jacobs, began to take over day-to-day operations of the company. He was 14 at the time his father purchased the company, and had worked as a Watkins salesman for many years. The younger Jacobs was also an aspiring actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, having appeared in minor roles in films like Biloxi Blues
Biloxi Blues
Biloxi Blues is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. The second chapter in what is known as his Eugene trilogy, it follows Brighton Beach Memoirs and precedes Broadway Bound....
and Goodfellas
Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
, but he realized that his acting career wasn't going very far. Since taking over the reins, he has carefully controlled spending, introduced an enhanced compensation plan for sales associates, along with doing an extensive brand study that led to the introduction of products onto store shelves for the first time.
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
has carried about 20 Watkins products since 2003, and other nationwide stores including Cub Foods
Cub Foods
Cub Foods is a supermarket chain with seventy-three stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based SuperValu...
, Hannaford
Hannaford Bros. Co.
Hannaford is an American supermarket chain based in Scarborough, Maine. Founded in 1883, Hannaford now operates stores in New England and upstate New York. Formerly known as Shop 'N' Save, Hannaford is owned by the American subsidiary of the Belgian Delhaize Group, Delhaize America, which owns over...
, Whole Foods
Whole foods
Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added ingredients, such as salt, carbohydrates, or fat. Examples of whole foods include unpolished grains, beans, fruits, vegetables...
, Rainbow Foods, Pick 'N Save, Schnucks
Schnucks
Schnucks is a supermarket chain. Based in suburban St. Louis, the company was started in 1939 with the opening of a store in north St. Louis city and now operates 100 stores in five states throughout the midwest. Schnucks also runs stores under the Logli Supermarkets and Hilander Foods banners...
, Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets located in the Midwestern United States. Over 100 of its supermarkets are located in Iowa, with additional stores in Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and now Madison, Wisconsin...
Food stores, Walgreens, Smith's Food and Drug, Target, Sunflower Market, Ultas and others are carrying select items particularly spices and extracts as well as some personal care items from the catalog as well. The reception from the retail community has been strong to date. A new all-natural line of personal care products were introduced to the retail community in the spring of 2008 and has quickly gained market share against Burt's Bees and others. A new home cleaning line that is also all-natural has debuted at Target and will roll out nationally in the 2nd half of 2008. The sizes of the spice and extract line offered to the retail community are different than that offered to the consumer via the independent representative which allows the independent representative to maintain an advantage in their marketplace. At this time both channels are performing well with this approach.
The Watkins headquarters in Winona, designed by Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
architect George Washington Maher and built between 1911 and 1913, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The front entrance includes a window designed by stained-glass artist Louis J. Millet, depicting Sugar Loaf Mountain, a landmark of the city.
In 2002, the story of an extraordinary Watkins salesman, Bill Porter
Bill Porter (salesman)
Bill Porter is an American salesman for the Watkins Company. Born with cerebral palsy, Porter came to the public's attention in 1995, when an Oregon newspaper wrote a series of feature stories about him....
, was told in the TNT movie Door to Door
Door to Door (film)
Door to Door was a 2002 TV movie about Bill Porter , a door-to-door salesman with cerebral palsy. The film was produced for the TNT cable network and was nominated for twelve Emmy Awards, winning six...
. He worked a route despite suffering from cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
.