Goodyear History

The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was founded on August 29, 1898 by Frank Seiberling when he was 38 years, Frank, bought the first factory of the company with an initial outlay of $ S3.500 using money borrowed from his brother and a $ 100,000 capital stock. The rubber and cotton that were the heart of their industry were to be transported from halfway around the world, to a landlocked town and have only limited rail transportation. Even the man for whom the company is named, Charles Goodyear, had died poor in 1960 despite having discovered vulcanization of rubber.

David Hill, who purchased $ 30,000 of stock, became the first president. But it was the dynamic and visionary founder, the conductor Frank Seiberling, who chose the distinctive name and registered image of the winged feet to remain an integral part of the Goodyear company, a symbolic link with the past history of the company.

With just 13 employees, Goodyear production began on November 21, 1898, with a line of tires for bicycles and carts, pads for horseshoes and poker chips. The first payment on the payroll amounted to U $ S217.86 based on the predominant form of payment from 13 to 25 cents an hour and 10 hours. After the first full month of employment, sales amounted to U $ S8.246. Since the first bicycle tire in 1898, Goodyear pedaling their way to becoming the largest tire manufacturer, a title he won in 1916 when it adopted the slogan "More people go on Goodyear tires than any other," becoming the largest rubber company in the world in 1926.

The adoption of the symbol of Goodyear, the "winged foot", which is known today in every country in the world, largely due to Frank Seiberling, founder and president for many years of "The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company."

In the old house Seiberling in Akron on one of the pillars of a grand staircase, is supporting a statue of the famous god of mythology known to the ancient Romans as Mercury, and by the Greeks as Hermes. Seiberling's attention was drawn to the statue and then became the god he represented, customize many of the characteristics for which Goodyear products were known.

A meeting to discuss the issue of an appropriate trademark Seiberling's home in August 1900. Something distinctive and unique Goodyear needed to distinguish from other companies.
Among the sketches prepared for this meeting, the suggestion was to use Seiberling foot winged Mercury. All present agreed that this would be the symbol of the company, as the winged foot in the middle of the word "Goodyear". The "winged foot" original was, however, much larger in relation to the word "Goodyear" compared to that seen today.

Mercury in ancient times was the god of business and trade, but was best known as a speedy messenger of the gods of mythology and as such continued to be recognized throughout the centuries.

Goodyear currently is the largest tire company in the world with presence in six continents and annual sales of more than 15,000 million dollars. In addition to Goodyear brand tires, makes several other prestigious brands such as Dunlop, Kelly, Fulda, Lee, Sava and Debica. Business units not related to tire manufacturing rubber products and polymers for various markets in the automotive and industrial.