Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-29
BAN|ShED TO
WOODSHED BY
HIS PARENTS
Kent's Hill Boy Started
His Career With
Noisy Typewriter
And Lantern

900, 00O-Augusta, HALLOWEEN
and Readfield Boys Active in
This Biggest Farm Agency in
the World.
DO YOU know of farm for sale
in this section?"~
The stranger addressed this inquiry
to Young man standing beside the
front gate Of farm in kents Hill,
Maine.
NO. sir, ] don't, but I'll find one
for you" was the reply he received.
Tho next day the farm was found
and tGc sale was made.
ms .ipple incident. occurring in
lJUJ. marked the beginning OF the L.
4. s,,r0Tt Farm Agency. one Oh the
rlcst unique business developments
tails country has ever known.
Tie fact that ono man wanted 10
buy a farm suggested the possibility
OF locating other purchasers.
The Young farmer. after turning in
a full DAYS work on his fathers
place. devoted his evening hours to
the writing OF letters TO possible buy
crs and to prospective sellers. He
Obtained Il C.liSIaph typewriter, and
because the Old fashioned writing
machine succeeded in upsetting the
entire household with its clatter
Mr.. Strout was baniShcd to the wood
shed. There with the aid of the type
writer on q bench and lantern hung
I,h nrn1 will, n1nI-
cnce designed 70 establish contact
between buyer and seller. falth ana
determination were his partners. The
first years efforts resulted in the sale
of but four farms. While the profits
to him from these transactions were
almost negligible, the sales them
selves served to maintain his conf
dcncc. Reassurcd that the plan was
fundamentally sound he entered the
second year of its development with
characteristic vigor
Recognizing the limitations OF sim
gle handed operation he arranged
with other farmers to act as his rep
rcsentatives. Before the end of the
year he had six agents in his employ.
Today he has six hundred and for
ty-and it is especially interesting to
record that certain principles that
he decided upon in those early days
are adhered to now as faithfully as
they were observed twenty years ago.
One requirement was that a Strout
representative must be- first of all,
farmer. Sales ability was secondary.
He must be farmer and he must
know farming and farm values. To-
day that rule is still in full applca-
ton. A representative, in accepting
a farm for listing on the books of the
Strout Agency must list that farm in
exactly the same manner as If he
planned TO purchase it himself. In
no instance does he consider this part
of the transaction as properly ham
died until he knows he has secured
bottom price and the most advanta-
gcous terms.
Today the F.. A. Strout Farm
Agency stands as an emphatic tribute
to the genius of its founder. Mr..
Strout, a big, broad shouldered in
dividual. with n magnetic personality
and q ready smile, is a splendid eX-
ample of the type of men whose en-
ergy, resourcefulness and foresight
have given leadership to American
business.
Always a student of human nature,
the soundness OF his judgment is re-
fected again in the personnel of his
organization. The executives in
charge of ten offices in the principal
cities of the United States and Can
ada have advanced to their present
posts by the force of their own abil-
ity.
+. c. Frost. who became General
Manager of the business in 1915,
is virile illustration of the
type of men who are contrib
uting their efforts and their ex-
perience to the further building
of the business. Mr.. Frost became a
part of the organization in 1907.
when he assumed the management of
the Boston office. Shortly thereafter,
this office began to establish
new sales records and ultimately
headed the branches in business VOL
ume. His appointment to the gener-
al management of the business was
the logical outcome of his exceptional
success as Branch Manager. To-
day every Strout man is energized
by the force of his personality and
each year of his regime has seen pre-
vious sales records go by the board.
Mr.. Frost is a farmer-and is
proud of it, Like Mr.. Strout, he is
devoted to farm life and is regarded
as one of the leading Holstein breed
ers of Maine, spending a portion Of
each year on his property at Read
field
This New England state has made
further contributions to the execu-
tive staff:
There is w E. Quinn. newspaper
and publicity man, noted in New
York newspaper and business circles
as a writer, an organizer, a super
salesman and a mighty good fellow.
He halls from Hallowell. Maine, and
is the National Sales Manager Of the
Strout organization.
E. l.. Chadbourne, another Maine
product, with a reputation as news
paper man that extends beyond his
native state, has achieved we'll
earned fame as an advertising expert
in serving as the National Manager
of Strout's great Advertising Depart
ment.
c.. II. Jordan, Assistant General
Manager, is a Harvard graduate and
the owner of a thriving farm in Read
field, Maine.
I. S. Randall. now Sales Manager
of the New York Division, was for
merly the manager of a big Maine
lumber company.
Donald Hight. a college baseball
star an ayinfor in France and a