A Short History of Sears Roebuck-- Part 2: Julius Rosenwald and His Scientific Management in Business

Richard Sears was a very talented salesman, but really bad when it came to details to get his products out to the customers.  Railroad cars of product sat unloaded.  Customer orders went unfilled, missing and were often filled late.

Fortunately for Sears, Julius Rosenwald, whom Sears brought into the firm in 1895, was extremely orderly and in charge.

"It's with pardonable pride that I confess to being one of the first to introduce scientific management in business with the hope of effecting comprehensive economics for the benefit of the consumer," Rosenwald told the Tribune in 1911.

Rosenwald's insistence on rational planning is shown in the Sears corporate headquarters on Homan Avenue in Chicago.  It was an enormous complex covering 40 acres.  The distribution center was just one part of it.  Some 3 million square feet was incorporated in the various building, providing presses to print catalogs, storage for goods and kitchens that prepared meals for 9,290 employees.

There was even a railroad depot.