Ed Lowe
Encyclopedia
Small Business School
Small Business School is a weekly, half-hour television program that began airing in 1994 first in the USA on PBS-member stations and then also throughout the world via the Voice of America...
described him as "building a huge business from nothing", and cite him as a textbook example of an individual who "created a product, brought it to marketplace, invented an industry and sold his business for millions". By the time of his death, his company was worth half a billion dollars.
Background
Edward Lowe was born on July 10, 1920 in Saint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
to Lulu and Henry E. Lowe. His family moved to Cassopolis
Cassopolis, Michigan
Cassopolis is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 14,275. It is the county seat of Cass County. The village and county are named after statesman Lewis Cass, a New Hampshire native and a prominent U.S...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, where he attended high school at Ross Beatty Junior/Senior High School
Ross Beatty Junior/Senior High School
Ross Beatty Junior/Senior High School is the community high school for Cassopolis, Michigan, USA.-Staff:Co-Principles:Hiawatha FransiscoTracy HertselTeachers:Kate Baer Former teacherPaul "The Beast" ChapmanJulie "Super Saiyan" Herwick...
.
He had four children and six grandchildren.
Invention of Kitty Litter
Before Lowe's invention, people kept their cats outside, using ashes, dirt or sand as cat litter when it was necessary to keep them inside. One day in January 1947, Kaye Draper, Edward Lowe's neighbor in Cassopolis, MichiganCassopolis, Michigan
Cassopolis is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 14,275. It is the county seat of Cass County. The village and county are named after statesman Lewis Cass, a New Hampshire native and a prominent U.S...
, came to him asking for some sand to use as cat litter. Her sand pile was frozen so she had been using ashes but they tracked all over her house. Instead of sand, Lowe gave her some clay called Fuller's Earth
Fuller's earth
Fuller's earth is any non-plastic clay or claylike earthy material used to decolorize, filter, and purify animal, mineral, and vegetable oils and greases.-Occurrence and composition:...
, a set of clay minerals capable of absorbing their weight in water. She found it worked far better than sand or ashes.
His career
In 1947, Lowe decided to sell the clay. He packaged it in 5 lb bags and called it "Kitty Litter". Then he went to a local pet store and asked them to sell it for 69 centCent (United States coin)
The United States one-cent coin, commonly known as a penny, is a unit of currency equaling one one-hundredth of a United States dollar. The cent's symbol is ¢. Its obverse has featured the profile of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909, the centennial of his birth. From 1959 to 2008, the reverse...
s. The store owner refused, saying that it would not sell because sand was so much cheaper. Lowe told him to give it away free until people were willing to pay for it. Kitty Litter was a success. Lowe drove around the country selling Kitty Litter. He even cleaned boxes at cat shows so he could get a booth to demonstrate his product. He founded Edward Lowe Industries and created Tidy Cat kitty litter in 1964. In the early 1980s he almost lost his market to Clorox
Clorox
The Clorox Company is a US-based manufacturer of various food and chemical products based in Oakland, California, which is best known for its bleach product, Clorox.- History :...
, but by 1990 Edward Lowe Industries was the top producer of cat litter.
In Lowe's later years, he decided the best way for his business to continue after his death was to hand the running over to a management team funded by venture capitalists from New York and Chicago. The sale went through in 1990, with the company being renamed to the Golden Cat Corporation; Lowe remained as an equity holder and director. The sale was later estimated by the New York Times as being $200 million dollars. Following his death, the group sold the successful company to Ralston Purina.
External links
- The Edward Lowe Foundation
- Ed Lowe page from the Small Business SchoolSmall Business SchoolSmall Business School is a weekly, half-hour television program that began airing in 1994 first in the USA on PBS-member stations and then also throughout the world via the Voice of America...
- includes resources and show transcript - Entrepreneurs as Heroes - tribute to Lowe from his wife