John D. Hertz: Yellow Cab, Trucks, and Rental Cars

By: Daniel Alef

Narrated by: Baron Ron Herron

Here's a biographical profile of John D. Hertz, a prolific industrialist and founder of several famous companies. Yellow cabs are as prosaic to America as black taxis are to London. In 1915, Hertz formed Yellow Cab in Chicago and painted his taxis yellow after the University of Chicago determined it was the most distinct color at a long distance. In a single decade, yellow cabs sprouted from Chicago to more than 1,300 American cities.

Hertz went on to establish the largest rental car company, the largest taxi cab manufacturing company, and teamed up with uber-titan Floyd Odlum to take over other industrial giants, from Paramount and RKO to TWA. B.C. Forbes, the founder of Forbes magazine, called the Hertz story "one of the most inspiring and most illuminating romances of modern American business."

©2008 Daniel Alef (P)2008 Daniel Alef