Succeeding with What You Have (Life-Changing Classics)

Born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on February 18, 1862, Schwab grew up in Loretto, Pennsylvania and attended St. Francis College but left in two years to pursue employment opportunities in Pittsburgh. His first job was as a stake driver for Andrew Carnegie’s steelworks prior to becoming the president of Carnegie Steel in 1897. Swab also became the first president of U.S. Steel Corporation after he negotiated the buyout of Carnegie Steel in 1901. After resigning from U.S. Steel in 1903, he joined Bethlehem Steel and made it the second-largest steel company in the world. Without any type of organized union, Schwab had proven to be an expert at motivating his men to continually increase productivity through profit sharing incentives and other means. Schwab was called a motivator of men at Bethlehem Steel. In business, his basic philosophy was to win big or lose big. In reference to an extremely risky venture he took at Bethlehem Steel, he told his secretary, if we are going to bust, we will go bust big.” In addition to building the Hotel Bethlehem, Schwab was also instrumental in building Bethlehem, Pennsylvania as we know it today by uniting Bethlehem, South Bethlehem, and Northampton Heights into one city. A music lover, Schwab was a big supporter of the Lehigh Valley Orchestra and the Bach Choir in Bethlehem. Charles Schwab brought an enormous amount of wealth and productivity to Bethlehem, PA and could be credited for virtually building the town from the ground up. In 1929, the stock market crash put a dent in the remainder of Schwab’s fortune and he eventually lost Riverside” and spent his final years in a small apartment. Schwab died bankrupt in London, England on October 18, 1939 and was buried in Loretto. If Schwab would have lived just a few more years, he would have collected millions from his holdings in Bethlehem Steel due to the flood of orders Bethlehem Steel received for World War II material. Schwab portrayed a deep appreciation for the common, dedicated working man and he believed in giving the power to succeed to any employer who was willing to pay the price. Schwab pointed out that he motivated his workers by appeal[ing] to the American spirit of conquest in my men, the spirit of doing things better than anyone has ever done them before.” In that time it has been my good fortune to watch most of the present leaders rise from the ranks, ascend step by step to places of power,” Schwab proclaimed. These men, I am convinced, are not natural prodigies. They won out by using normal brains to think beyond their manifest daily duty.”Schwab, Charles is the author of 'Succeeding with What You Have (Life-Changing Classics)' with ISBN 9781933715001 and ISBN 1933715006.