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337:, appointing Herbert L. Barnet as the new president. In a five-year span, Steele helped steer profits up 112% compared to Coca-Cola which had only climbed 28%. Steele defined his strategy as “Beat Coke”. Under his leadership, the company launched massive advertising campaigns and sales promotions during the '50s, resulting in an 11-fold increase in net earnings. Sales tripled between 1955 and 1957. As a result, Pepsi-Cola became Coca-Cola's primary competitor.
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256:. Judge John Mendoza officiated. Steele took on the father role for Crawford's four adopted children - Christina, Christopher, and twins Cathy and Cynthia ("Cindy"). The family would be seen at events throughout the marriage and go on vacations together. The twins grew closer to Steele; he was listed as Cathy Crawford's father in her 2020 obituary.
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trips, most of our business is done through top government officials. At those levels, Crawford is fabulous." Some credit this as one of the first instances of using celebrity power to sell products. To quote a 1956 New York Times article: "Together constitute one of the most successful teams in
America's public and private life."
366:, the boy was compelled to write to Steele. In the letter, Arnold asked Steele if having the shares meant he was “crooked like those people in the movie.” Steele wrote back, inviting Chester and his family to New York to meet him and see the company. Steele supplied accommodations for the family at the
344:
Steele is credited with helping push the change of the old Pepsi slogan "twice as much for a nickel, too" stating it was a liability to the company, reducing Pepsi to the "poor man's Coca-Cola". He pushed for a focus on quality, not quantity. Other initiatives for Pepsi were the adaptation of vending
393:
On the morning of April 19, 1959, Steele was found on the floor next to his bed by
Crawford, who immediately called a doctor. A traumatized Crawford covered Steele in blankets and yelled "Get warm, get warm!" The physician who examined Steele pronounced him dead of a massive heart attack. His death
356:
Once during a meeting, a colleague suggested that Steele should use his wife’s star power to increase sales. Steele refused, but
Crawford said she was happy to assist if it would benefit her husband. According to Steele, "I hate to use my wife to help me sell, but let's face it — she does. On these
348:
Steele introduced new cost accounting methods and helped bottlers purchase new trucks and equipment. He further reduced the sugar content and unsweetened the syrup of Pepsi products, and introduced Pepsi to developing countries. Under Steele's leadership, Pepsi built a new headquarters at
290:
In 1956, the couple moved to New York, purchasing and merging two top-floor apartments at 2 East 70th Street into a spacious eight-room family penthouse with views of
Central Park. Broadway columnists dubbed it "Taj Joan." While work was being completed, they stayed at the
345:
machines, global expansion for selling and producing, and for the parent company to help arrange funds with banks for bottlers to buy equipment with no down payment. In 1957, Crawford and Steele toured Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for Pepsi-Cola’s recent expansion.
287:(1967). Crawford would remain on the Pepsi-Cola board of directors until 1973. “I thought I could be different, that I could have it all," said Joan Crawford after Steele died. "And I did — for a little while — with Alfred. I’ll always treasure our brief time together.”
340:
While opening a plant in
Atlanta, Steele remarked Coca-Cola was not Pepsi's biggest competitor - tea and coffee were. He added, "It's a tribute to the Coca-Cola Company that the number of its former employees are on the management team helping Pepsi-Cola move up."
322:
While working for the Union Bed & Spring
Company, Steele conceived the "Sono-Meter", a device that measured the energy lost while people tossed and turned on an uncomfortable mattress. The company's sales increased 80% within nine months.
370:. For three days, the family was shown around the city and spent time with Steele and Crawford. They attended board meetings and were escorted by police to one of the most elaborate ribbon-cutting ceremonies Pepsi-Cola hosted at the time.
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Alfred Steele would later remarry
Lillian Nelson in 1946 and they had a son named Alfred Nelson Steele in 1949. They divorced in 1955. His son would go on to marry a woman named Madeline Spence Haldeman in Montana.
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525:"No Question About It; Pepsi-Cola Has Bounce; One Reason: Former Coca-Cola Official Alfred N. Steele Outlook Was Grim in 1950--Concern Booming Now PEPSI-COLA SALES; NET BOUNCE ALSO"
299:, totaling an extra $ 80,000.00 USD ($ 840,000.00 USD adjusted for inflation in 2023). The apartment was paid for by Pepsi as a loan with 6% interest; the loan was repaid in 1958.
295:. Construction took a year and cost $ 387,011.65 USD ($ 4.06 million USD adjusted for inflation in 2023). The apartment was decorated by Crawford’s close friend, interior designer
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237:, Illinois. They had one child named Sally Ostin Steele. Sally Steele married Lieutenant John D. Comer on November 29, 1955, at the MacArthur Chapel in Tokyo, Japan.
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Alfred Steele was selected as chairman of the 1959 fund campaign of the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society on November 6, 1958. He died before the event.
214:, Tennessee. He was the son of Edgar Alfred Steele, a teacher, and his wife Fannie Bartrem. His middle name "Nu" was an homage to his father's fraternity "
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Two years after Steele's death, on
January 8, 1961, Crawford and twins Cathy and Cynthia unveiled a plaque honoring Steele at the
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in
Hartsdale, Westchester, New York. Upon Crawford's death in 1977, the couple's ashes were interred in a crypt together.
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Following Steele's death, Herbert L. Barnet, Steele's handpicked successor as chairman and CEO, appointed Crawford to the
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on June 14, 1945. While at Coca-Cola, he earned the nickname "Pally" as he often remarked, "Let's try this out, Pally".
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was named chairman in his place. The fund was renamed the "Alfred N. Steele Memorial Campaign for the MS Hope Chest."
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came as a shock to his colleagues, friends, and family, who praised him for his leadership and vision at Pepsi-Cola.
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In 1949, Steele took over as vice president of Pepsi-Cola, and as president later that year. In 1950, he became
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In 1957, 11-year-old Chester Arnold Jr. was given five shares of Pepsi, but after watching
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Secret Formula: The Inside Story of How Coca-Cola Became the Best-Known Brand in the World
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Joan Crawford and Alfred Steele returning from their European honeymoon on August 1, 1955.
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in 1923, where he played football, and became an ad executive after college. He enjoyed
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915:"STEELE TO GET $ 85,000; New Pepsi-Cola Official Also Agrees to Purchase Stock"
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1147:"What Happened To Alfred Steele? Joan Crawford's Husband Had A Tragic Passing"
837:"What Happened To Alfred Steele? Joan Crawford's Husband Had A Tragic Passing"
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Steele’s first marriage was to Marjorie Mabel Garvey on December 17, 1924, in
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644:"JOAN CRAWFORD REWED; Married in Nevada to Alfred Steele, Head of Pepsi-Cola"
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596:"SALLY STEELE MARRIED; She Is Bride in Tokyo Chapel of Lieut. John D. Comer"
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Alfred Steele and Joan Crawford's grave at Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum
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Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed
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businessman who was the president and later chairman of the board of
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For the American Baptist clergyman and politician in New Jersey, see
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Strategy As Action: Competitive Dynamics and Competitive Advantage
620:"Montana, U.S., Marriage Records, 1943-1988 for Alfred Nu Steele"
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Alfred Steele began as a geologist, and went on to work for the
263:
Joan Crawford with their adopted twins Cathy and Cynthia "Cindy"
401:. Nearly 1200 people attended. His remains were interred in
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Steele’s funeral was held April 22, 1959, at New York's
723:"Value of 1958 US Dollars today - Inflation Calculator"
549:"Alfred Nu Steele in household of Edgar A Steele, 1910"
326:
Later, Steele became vice president of marketing for
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American chief executives of food industry companies
966:"PepsiCo, Inc. | History & Facts | Britannica"
938:Grimm, Curtis M.; Lee, Hun; Smith, Ken G. (2006).
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275:for Pepsi was included in several films including
194:(April 24, 1901 – April 19, 1959) was an American
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1084:"Business Man Will Head Sclerosis Society Drive"
210:Alfred Nu Steele was born on April 25, 1901, in
1024:New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
244:Steele’s third wife was American film actress
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1282:People from the Nashville metropolitan area
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669:"Escape Artist: The Case for Joan Crawford"
16:American soft drink businessman (1901–1959)
202:from 1950 until his sudden death in 1959.
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750:"CORPORATIONS: Living It Up with Pepsi"
95:in Hartsdale, Westchester, New York, US
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1202:www.theconcludingchapterofcrawford.com
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1198:"The Concluding Chapter of Crawford"
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781:Crawford, Christina (2017-11-21).
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568:Crawford, Christina (2017-11-21).
218:". The family would later move to
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864:"A.N. Steele Gets Coca-Cola Post"
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472:Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Star
989:Pendergrast, Mark (2013-05-14).
944:. Oxford University Press, USA.
887:Pendergrast, Mark (2013-05-14).
835:Towers, Andrea (March 5, 2017).
667:Denby, David (January 3, 2011).
502:"Alfred Nu Steele Birth Records"
425:Film and television appearances
403:Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum
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93:Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum
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890:For God, Country, and Coca-Cola
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808:Allen, Frederick (2015-10-27).
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458:Joan Crawford: Always The Star
420:Film and television appearances
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410:Albert Einstein Medical Center
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1272:Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery
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399:Saint Thomas Episcopal Church
1170:Wilson, Scott (2016-08-19).
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1108:"Joan Crawford Heads Drive"
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1026:. June 20, 1995. p. 3
414:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
317:D'arcy Advertising Company
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453:(S2 E1) Archive footage
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222:. Steele graduated from
1131:Crawford, Joan (1962).
1044:Crawford, Joan (1962).
363:The Solid Gold Cadillac
313:Standard Oil of Indiana
271:. In her later career,
224:Northwestern University
103:Northwestern University
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727:www.inflationtool.com
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328:The Coca-Cola Company
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126:Marjorie Mabel Garvey
62:Nashville, Tennessee
1017:"Pepsi-Co Building"
814:. Open Road Media.
787:. Open Road Media.
703:Yahoo Entertainment
574:. Open Road Media.
426:
1133:A Portrait of Joan
1112:The New York Times
1088:The New York Times
1046:A Portrait of Joan
970:www.britannica.com
919:The New York Times
868:The New York Times
648:The New York Times
600:The New York Times
529:The New York Times
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353:in New York City.
269:board of directors
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200:Pepsi-Cola Company
1183:978-1-4766-2599-7
1002:978-0-465-04699-7
951:978-0-19-516144-1
900:978-0-465-04699-7
821:978-1-5040-1983-5
794:978-1-5040-4908-5
581:978-1-5040-4908-5
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273:product placement
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1060:"Eye on GSO"
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75:(1959-04-19)
1257:1959 deaths
1252:1900 births
848:January 24,
680:January 24,
281:(1964) and
235:Cook County
111:Businessman
1246:Categories
1231:2023-04-22
1207:2023-04-23
1156:2023-04-21
1117:2023-09-04
1093:2023-09-04
1069:2023-04-23
1030:2021-04-21
975:2023-04-21
924:2023-09-04
873:2023-09-04
767:2023-04-23
732:2023-04-23
708:2023-04-23
653:2023-04-23
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605:2023-09-04
534:2023-04-22
488:References
196:soft drink
108:Occupation
54:1901-04-24
762:0040-781X
254:Las Vegas
212:Nashville
100:Education
284:Berserk!
220:Missouri
216:Sigma Nu
230:music.
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439:Notes
315:, and
303:Career
1020:(PDF)
478:Self
475:2002
464:Self
461:1996
450:Self
447:1978
436:Role
433:Year
430:Film
381:Death
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