The monthly roundup from Editor-in-Chief Susan Sutton.
Before Warren Avis founded Avis Airlines Rent-A-Car
Systems in 1946, no one had thought to make airports the focal point of a car
rental business. Car rentals weren't a new idea at the time. Indeed, rentals
had been available nearly since the invention of the car. Making rental cars
available at airports wasn't entirely novel, either. Hertz had begun offering
rentals at Midway Airport in Chicago
in the '30s.
However, as a military pilot, Warren was tired of having to wait for a taxi
once he'd landed at airports around the country. Thinking that other travelers
were probably similarly frustrated, he borrowed $75,000 and used $10,000 of his
own money to start his business. The first location featured three cars and was
in Detroit, where Warren was able to offer the latest cars from
his partial ownership of a Ford dealership.
Less than a decade later, his hunch was proven to be
right on. Rapid growth enabled the company to expand beyond airports and offer
services within major cities, and Avis grew throughout the U.S., Canada,
Mexico and Europe.
Warren sold the
business in 1954 for $8 million (not bad these days, but definitely quite a
windfall back then). The idea, to put it lightly, had taken off.
Sapphire's role in the manufacture of transparent armor
systems is a similar story. Though it's often known simply as a gemstone,
sapphire has long been used in industrial applications ranging from
semiconductors to orthodontics. Our cover story in this issue, "Crystal
Clear,” details how researchers have capitalized on this established material's
properties in order to improve the performance and reliability of the latest
transparent armor systems.
Once your great idea has been realized, what can you do
to protect it? Patent laws can seem labyrinthine even to those with previous
experience in the process. Read "Protect Your Inventions" and
discover the basics of applying for patent protection.
The Internet is another existing tool that constantly
evolves with numerous possibilities and benefits, and
CI
continues to offer a variety of useful online resources and services. From our
numerous, fully searchable directories and buyers' guides to reference
information and the well-established Bulletin Board-not to mention the
continually updated Industry News and archived content from
CI's
print issues-we strive to provide you with the tools you need to succeed.
Toward that end, we recently added a Submit Editorial
Online link to our homepage at
www.ceramicindustry.com so you can quickly and easily
send us your news releases, and even Case Study and Investing in Ceramics
stories. We've also added a form on the Classified Ads page that enables you to
submit your classified ads online.
Philosopher John Locke said, "The thoughts that come
often unsought, and, as it were, drop into the mind, are commonly the most
valuable of any we have." Warren Avis had a great idea back in 1946. He
decided to act on it, using the tools that were at his disposal to take a risk.
It certainly paid off.
