Diversity Paper

“This was a kid who had been in school for 10 years and was only in the seventh grade… Besides that he stuttered terribly, particularly when nervous” (Williford, 1988). Dave Longaberger, founder of The Longaberger Company, is an excellent example of a minority entrepreneur. He created a multimillion-dollar company out a business that many told him would not last. Longaberger had the correct entrepreneurial intentions and traits that helped him overcome the many barriers he encountered over the years.

I. Brief biography of Dave Longaberger Dave Longaberger, the fifth of J.W. and Bonnie Longaberger’s twelve children, was born in Dresden, Ohio, in 1934. “Early in life, Dave had three strikes against him. His family was economically disadvantaged, he stuttered so badly people had difficulty understanding him, and he had epilepsy in a time when the condition was not widely understood” (“The History”, 2013). Dave started his employment record at the young age of seven years. He worked at Fred Shoemaker’s neighborhood grocery store. Dave had several employers before most children of the time ever thought about having a job (Williford, 1988). Longaberger graduated high school at the age of twenty-one. He had several jobs, including owning a restaurant and grocery store. Everything he learned about business comes from his past of different jobs under several employers and his parents (Longaberger, 2001). In 1973, Dave opened J.W.’s Handwoven Baskets. His father, J.W., thought Dave was crazy for selling baskets at $10 each. Longaberger did it, and continued to from then out (Williford, 1988).

II. Brief description of Dave Longaberger’s business or industry The Longaberger Company since its inception in 1973 has become a multimillion-dollar company. They sell their traditional, tightly handwoven baskets of many shapes, sizes, and colors with a variety of accessories including