Great Mondays: How to Design a Company Culture Employees Love

INTRODUCTION

In 1932, Ed’s father lost a finger in a gruesome accident at the factory. Ed was 10. He had watched his father and uncle make mattresses at their shop in the Bronx all his life. As first-generation immigrants they were lucky. Lucky to have their own business. Lucky to be able to support their families. Lucky the Great Depression never took the factory.

After the accident they stopped manufacturing and started selling furnishings. Rockers, tables, dinette sets. Ed came of age during a time of uncertainty and transition. For him stability was a luxury. He studied accounting at the City College of New York near his home. He eventually got a job in the field when he graduated. It was a step up from retail. But when his father got cancer ...