BEGINNINGS

The Bic Corporation (Societe BIC S.A.) is a French company founded in 1945.  It is best known for it's ball point pens but also manufactures lighters, razors, mechanical pencils and other paper related products.  It is the leading manufacturer of ball point pens in the world.  The company does about $2.5 billion in sales per year with over $1 billion in gross profit.

Enough with the numbers!  Here's what caught my eye and why I bring this to your attention.  The founder of the company was Marcel Bich.   Knowing that his company was going to market internationally, he dropped the letter 'h' from the firm's name to avoid potentially inappropriate pronunciation in English-speaking countries.  Smooth move!  I can hear the commercial now, "Ain't that a Bich?"

Cute.  Marcel has passed away but the Bich family still owns the company.