Evening star., 1963-01-25
jim BISHOP.
REPORTER
Success Story:
Irving Cowun

Irvington, N. j., is q
crowded town. I was driving
through 1t. thinking: II know
a man from this place. Quite
a man." His name is Irving
Cowan, and he is only 80, but
he is one of the most sue
cessful business men know.
We don't meet often, these
days. He's In Florida. I'm
north.
Cowan is a smiler. He has
Jet hair In deep waves and q
movie star face. He likes to
dress and he has a persuasive
voice. He was born on Paine
avenue, son Of q Jewish meat
packer. The father made a
good living until the black
market began to flourish in
World War II. Then he quit
and took his brood to Florida.
THE FATHER had some
money, and he liked to say
that he had retired, but he
was lying to himself. In
North Florida, he went back
into the business Of bidding
for animals on the hoof and
selling them in side to New
York wholesalers.
The Oldest son, Herman,
studied medicine and became
an internist. A daughter,
Frances, married. Irving g-my
friend might have become a
good lawyer, or perhaps an
engineer. His natural talent.
was business.
Irving left the University
Of Miami in the Korean
crisis and enlisted. When he
got out, his father said: II
bought a slaughter house In
Barlow, Fla. Will you manage
it for me?" Irving said sure.
The kid never doubted that
he could do a good job. He
attended cattle auctions and
bought $4,000 in live meat
per week.
The business grew. But fav
ther had no notion of spoil
ing his son. Irving got SIS q
week and a SIS allowance for
the use of his car. He was %,
when his dad sold the busi-
ness and retired again.
The boy was out of work.
He found a man who sold lots
of hides for leather, and was
going broke doing 1t. Cowan
studied the business a little
offered the man more money
for the hides, and resold them.
at a higher price. In his first
deal, Irving made $4,000.
He remained around Bar
tow until he had $4,000.
Then he began to miss girls,
and bright lights, and Miami
Beach. He rented a cabana
at the Fontainebleau. Girls.
He was introduced to several,
but he liked a pretty brunette
named Margie Friedland and
began to date her.
Miss Friedland was serious.
A few months Of dates con-
vinced Cowan that he wanted
to marry her. The wedding
occurred at Christmastime
1856. There was only one
weakness: She was the
daughter of Sam Friedland.
Mr.. Friedland is chairman Of
the board of Food Fair 500
big stores. He was a man who
started in the meat business
in Bayonne, N. j., at $1S q
week.
Irving didn't want to be the
boy who married the Million
aires daughter. So, to be in
dependent, he went into the
fat rendering business with
his father. Sam, however, is
a logician. He said that If
Irving was such a smart busi-
nessman, why not start work
behind a butchers block in q
Food Fair store? Well, why
not?
COWAN ACCEPTED the
challenge. He cut chops and
loins of pork and ground beef.
He got $50 a week. His
father-in-law was building a
huge hotel called the Dip
lomat in Hollywood, Florida.
Irving wasn't interested. He
cut meat until he worked his
way to meat merchandizer.
Sam was immersed in the
hotel business. He built the
Shelburne in Miami Beach
and bought the Monte Carlo.
He put $40 million into the
Diplomat.
Irving had worked himself
up TO $4,000 a year at Food
Fair when Sam asked him to
take over management Of the
Diplomat. A topflight hotel
man, Eugene Suits, broke
Cowan in. The young man
didn't know room service
from curb service. Cowan
learned so fast that Suits
said: Il came here TO teach
you the hotel business; in
stead, you're teaching 1t to
me-" =
Today, Cowan is managing
director. He's 30. His salary
is $4,000 q year and is going
up.
dKing Features Syndicate, lneO