18 Business View Magazine - September 2016
Executive View
A sweet legacy of success beyond the family business
By Lorie Steiner
“If you make a really good product that people want and
will pay for, money will come.” Forrest E. Mars, Jr.
To be remembered for insisting repeatedly that every-
one’s work should be fun and meaningful is a power-
ful legacy. Forrest Edward Mars, Jr. practiced what he
preached, and earned accolades over a lifetime of phi-
lanthropy, adventure, and leadership in the family busi-
ness – Mars, Incorporated.
The story began over a century ago, with Frank C. Mars
making candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen. His
son, Forrest, Sr. carried forward the tradition on a much-
expanded scale, growing the family confection business
into one sweet and highly profitable entity. Eventually,
his three children co-inherited the successful Mars em-
pire. Together, siblings Forrest, Jr., John and Jacqueline
melded an already strong core of business values into
the Five Principles that guide the company to this day:
Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Free-
dom.
Currently comprised of six distinct businesses – Petcare,
Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience –
Mars, Incorporated boasts annual sales of $35 billion,
providing 80,000 jobs for Associates in 78 countries.
At the time of his passing on July 26, 2016, Forrest E.
Mars, Jr. was #16 on the richest American list, 25th in
the world, with a net worth of $25 billion. But it’s the man,
not the ranking, that people will remember.
REMEMBERING
FORREST E. MARS,
JR. 1931 – 2016
