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Health & Fitness

A Small Business Success Story

My family moved to Watertown, New York when I was a high school junior.  It was a small culture shock for a Chicago street-wise kid to be dropped into the rural environment of Upstate New York.  One of the first things I noticed was that the teachers acted more like mentors rather than disciplinarians.

Another thing I noticed was the ubiquitous pleasant smelling CAR FRESHENERS shaped like pine trees.  They hung from the mirror of virtually every car in Watertown.  Being curious, I asked questions and was told that these fresheners were manufactured by a company in Watertown.

By the time I returned to Chicago, these little green trees were beginning to show up on local cars.  This made me a little nostalgic for Watertown.  Some years later, on a trip to California, I noticed that they also had CAR FRESHENERS.

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As I became an entrepreneur, my admiration for this small company grew.  What began in an empty garage in 1952 has grown into an international business still owned by the same family more than 60 years later.  I wish the same success for all small business owners.

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