Business Leader Profiles for Students. . "In Motown's heyday, they had something called the Motortown Revue, so he booked all that. Wally Amos, married three times and with three sons and a daughter, lives happily in Hawaii. I was committed to creating a new life for myself. Beaverton, Oregon 97077 His entrepreneurial spirit in tact, Mr. Amos switched to a line of low-fat and fat-free muffins. Wally Amos gained prominence as an entrepreneur in the mid-1970s when he developed and marketed a brand of chocolate-chip cookies under the name "Famous Amos." Amos remained on the companys board as vice-chairman, but he became increasingly dismayed as the venture was sold to one investment group after another. Kellogg spokeswoman Kris Charles said the company has not significantly changed the original recipe when it acquired Famous Amos in 2001, as part of Keebler. [19][20][21] Amos currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina, where he is working on Aunt Della's Cookies.[21]. Kellogg Company. . [12], In 2014, an article in Fortune magazine lauded "The cookie comeback of 'Famous' Wally Amos" as Amos bought back his handmade cookies under a new name The Cookie Kahuna. but as a child he had an innate spirit and gift to. The Famous Amos Cookie Company was the first premium chocolate chip cookie. If you respect your customers as friends, they will respect you and support you in good times and bad times, he said. A True Story, Baldwin Hills, 'The Black Beverly Hills': The Life And Times Of The Community, A Los Angeles Family Seeks Answers And Accountability After Black Mom Dies In Childbirth. 1975: Opened first Famous Amos retail outlet. Born in Tallahassee, he has said his mother switched him at the slightest provocation. . By 1967, Amos decided to strike out on his own. Most recently, he appeared on Shark Tank at age 80 pitching The Cookie Kahuna, a business that eventually failed. However, Famous Amos was previously owned by several other companies, she said. Education: Earned high school equivalency. None of them have had the mass appeal or success of Famous Amos. Amos and his cookie empire enjoyed a decade of success. While muffins may be on his mind, Amos couldnt entirely leave the cookie business. Amos held a holiday block party where celebrity guests included Andy Warhol and Muhammad Ali. His good nature and solid work habits soon helped him to advance, and he was eventually named the companys first black agent. Financial backer Jeff Wald told Time magazine: We invested in [Famous Amos] for love, but as it turns out, it will probably be a better investment than any we ever made. He signed South African trumpet player Hugh Masekela and moved to Los Angeles, convinced that he could create an entertainment empire. He later said of the experience, "We certainly had no monetary wealth, but Aunt Della's home was always rich in the principles and qualities vital to a childs upbringing. This time, the company produces its own fat-free muffins and will soon offer take-home cupcake kits. Because he had little money, Amos almost abandoned the idea. Then he landed a job in the mailroom at the New York offices of talent agency William Morris. "I'm not concerned with whether people appreciate me or not. He was the only child of the marriage of Wallace and Ruby Amos. While muffins may be on his mind these days, Amos couldnt entirely leave the cookie business. Leading American Businesses. In 1975, he opened the first Famous Amos store. All Rights Reserved. Costa Mesa, California 92627 Debt mounted to $1.3 million and Uncle Noname filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1997, emerging just two months ago. Amos doesn't even own his own name anymore. Franchises followed. "He just exuded light," his son says. By 1989 it was gone. Amos!" Amos attracted clients by sending them chocolate chip cookies along with an invitation to visit him. Eventually, Amos became a talent agent for the William Morris Agency. [On-line] http://www.kelloggs.com (accessed on August 15, 2002). "On the front cover there was a picture of The Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie," he writes in The Cookie Never Crumbles. Amos also started a new cookie company, called Chip & Cookie the "only company baking from pure, unadulterated Wally Amos recipes," according to Amos's website. As Amos told Diane Toops of Food Processing magazine, "It took me a while to catch up with my name. Lower Lake: Aslan, 1994. He frequently travels, giving motivational speeches or working on behalf of charities like Literacy Volunteers of America, of which he is spokesman. Hindsight being what it is, Mr. Amos is now able to reflect philosophically on the low points. To create buzz for his concept, he developed a backstory for "The Cookie," putting his years in show business to expert use. P.O. I'll call you Famous Amos." The Uncle Nonam (pronounced No-NAHH-may) Cookie Company specializes in five varieties of gourmet cookies. Amos, the former talent agent, became a star in his own right. After years of bouncing from one owner to the next, Famous Amos would be part of a cookie empire with well developed national distribution methods. However, he faced financial setbacks and lost ownership of his company. 2023 Southern California Public Radio - All Rights Reserved, The Early LA Daredevils Who Defied Gender Norms, The Groundbreaking Suicide Squad That Tested Early Rockets And Flirted With The Occult, Why A Property Worth Millions Was Returned To The Tongva Tribe, The Rise Of Lady Lowriders And Other All-Women Car Clubs In LA, The Murderous Lover Who Lived In A Silver Lake Attic. Mr. Amos became a paid spokesman but left in frustration the next year. "Spoiled Famous Amos; Now He's the Muffin Man." "In the end he was a natural entertainer himself. . Amos said he told him: Im a cookie man, but if you can make a good muffin, I can sell it. Everyone was stoned and had the munchies so he was always warmly greeted. "When I finally entered the cookie business full time, I acknowledged to myself that I had taken a beating and that it was time for a change," Amos writes in The Power in You. But ''it was a shocker at first.'' We made the move to the West Coast, and I fell in love with L.A. the epicenter of the entertainment world. It doesn't even honor a person. How is he? Dozens of Famous Amos stores dotted America and different versions of "The Cookie" could be found in grocery stores around the world. Fax: (816) 502-4155 In 1967, Amos decided to leave William Morris and launch his own talent agency. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Web site: http://www.quiksilver.com Web site: http://www.tek.com Today, Famous Amos is an international brand you can find in most grocery stores. But Wally Amos isn't one to fret over the loss of his name or his company. With the company propped up, it sold Famous Amos to President Baking for $61 million in 1992. ". The new owners came in and I was outside looking in.". One of the first things I shared with Keebler when we met was that I couldn't promote the product they were currently selling, that if I were going to be a part of it we had to make some adjustments so that it could be closer to a Wally Amos product. https://www.comedyhype.com/ - Wally Amos would become a nationally recognized face because of his hit cookie brand 'Famous Amos'. ''I was in Salt Lake City doing some promotion and I discovered that day that my house had been auctioned off,'' he recalled. The move proved to be a mistake, as the new owners began to run the company into the ground. She loved to cook, and she lavished the youngster with her special chocolate chip cookies. By the time Amos started his own LA talent agency, his roster was chockablock with sixties swagger: Diana Ross & the Supremes, Sam Cook, and Simon & Garfunkel were all friends. It is entitled ''Man With No Name: How the Founder of the Censored Cookie Company Lost Everything, Including His Name -- and Turned Adversity Into Opportunity.'' Within two years Amos returned to retail marketing based on a chocolate chip theme with his Chip & Cookie concept. Hard as it is to imagine in the '90s, there was a time in America when there was no shop devoted solely to chocolate chip cookies. In 1967 Amos decided to leave William Morris to manage the career of South African trumpeter Hugh Masakela. What of the man who started it all? But. After a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force, Amos returned to New York in 1957. This page was last edited on 10 February 2023, at 22:25. He quit high school, joined the Air Force, got his GED, and landed a clerical job in New York. Pollack, Judann. His speaking fee runs $10,000 to $20,000, according to a booking agencys Web site. Culinary entrepreneur Wally Amos stands in front of the original Famous Amos store on Sunset Blvd. But hes hardly struggling. Amos struggled to keep up with the brands rapid growth. In 1975, he explained his strategy to the New York Times: The marketing campaign worked. . Born July 1, 1937, in Tallahassee, FL; married, wifes name Christine; four children. The muffins are sold in more than 3,500 stores nationwide. Always the survivor, Amos started a new company in 1992, this time selling freshly baked muffins and cakes. Because the name Famous Amos was trademarked by his former company, Amos had to sell the Famous Amos Company because he couldn't afford to do so, and he chose The Uncle Noname's Cookie Company as his new company's name because he couldn't afford to trademark his previous Uncle Wally's Sold To Give & Go Toops, Diane. He would throw his efforts into the cookies that had come to occupy so much of his time. But the heady times would soon end. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Theres something very nice about it. Asked about his future in Upscale magazine, Amos grinned and said: The possibilities are endless.. His cookie shop, Chip & Cookie, is a couple of miles from his home in the oceanside community of Kailua. Fax: (714) 722-4261 Famous Amos became a fixture in Hollywood, its proprietor staging celebrations much like the music revues he had helped organize in the 1960s. Picture yourself in a boat on a river, with chocolate cookies and kaleidoscope skies. Wallace Amos, Jr. was born July 1, 1936 in his parents' home in Tallahassee, Florida. He has co-written several books of inspiration, including one capitalizing on his failures at Famous Amos. "Amos, Wally He enrolled in a trade high school specializing in cooking, and had a job as a cook after school. 1983, Reprint. "Amos! U.S.A. ." Amos is like a parade float, drifting cheerfully along, vaguely familiar looking, never failing to evoke a smile as he wanders the wards at Winter Park Hospital, which brought him back to Florida to celebrate its 36th birthday. Perhaps Dennis Kimbro and Napoleon Hill of Black Enterprise said it best when describing Amos: "Some call him a promoter, others say he is a public relations wizardbut neither title adequately describes what he does best. The grand opening was a star-studded gala with over 1,500 people in attendance. . In 1975, a friend suggested to Amos that he set up a store to sell his cookies, and in March of that year, the first Famous Amos cookie store opened in Los Angeles, California. He quit after two years, however, and joined the U.S. Air Force in 1953 where he earned his high school diploma equivalent. "Workshop to Feature Famous Amos Founder." Returning to New York City, Amos went to college to become a secretary, and after graduating, took a mailroom clerk job with the William Morris Agency. He has written 10 books,[6] many of which have a self-help theme, including The Cookie Never Crumbles[7] and The Power in You. Amos didn't only befriend the glitterati. Mr. Amos again found himself in a money-losing venture on the verge of collapse. How much did Wally Amos sell his company for? In 1999, Keebler approached Amos to help promote Famous Amos, and he happily agreed. His company had lost millions of dollars for several consecutive years. I believe, along with many others, that you must first ask for what you want before you can have it. Hollywood tastemakers began to take notice: Id go to meetings with record company or movie people and bring along some cookies, and pretty soon everybody was asking for them, Amos told The New York Times in 1975. I want to tell people that if life hands them a lemon, they can turn it into lemonade. He added: Theres a lot of wisdom and spirituality in these cookies., For his part, Amos has become wiser and more spiritual himself. Feeling he had little choice, Amos sold his remaining interest in Famous Amos to the Basses for $1.1 million, keeping a small tie to the company as a board member. Current Biography Yearbook. Before long he had worked his way up to secretary for Howard Hausman, an executive vice president at the agency. "Amos, Wally 1937 he cries. The Sunset Boulevard set couldnt get enough of the Cookie Mans magic mix. "The secret of Famous Amos was my attitude. Wallace "Wally" Amos, Jr. (born July 1, 1936) is an American television personality, entrepreneur, and author from Tallahassee, Florida. In developing his cookie business, Amos' approach was highly personal. "I walked into the little cubicle that was my office, and got out my phone book," Amos writes in The Cookie Never Crumbles. (Photo of Wally Amos courtesy of Shawn Amos; photo collage by Elina Shatkin). New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001. . In 1975, Amos launched the first Famous Amos store on Los Angeless Sunset Boulevard. Being famous is highly overrated anyway, said Amos, who has lived in Hawaii since 1977. I deal in love." He began mixing up a new idea. Business Leader Profiles for Students. He and his third wife have created two cookie-character dolls -Chip (a boy) and Cookie (a girl). This is also how Toll House brand cookies got their start. Today, Famous Amos is an international brand that you can find in most grocery stores. Food Processing (June 1999): p. 46. You cant compare a machine-made cookie with handmade cookie. Famous Amos eventually became a household name, as did Wally Amos. Wally Amos had long ago lost control of Famous Amos, the cookie company he founded in 1975, and had even lost the right to use his name or the famous likeness of himself with his salt-and-pepper beard, Panama hat and embroidered Indian shirt. As an article in Current Biography Yearbook, states: "In the process of promoting his client, whether an entertainer, or a cookie, Amos himself became a star of sorts on the American scene.". Amos put together a packet for potential investors touting his product as though it was a Hollywood starlet. Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Company. Additionally, he has written 10 books, including an inspirational work entitled Watermelon Credo: The Book. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/amos-wally-1937, "Amos, Wally 1937 By 1985, the year before America's free-market President was hailing him as a hero, his company lost $300,000 as revenue slipped to $10 million. By 1988 the company lost $2.5 million. Burdened with the debt of his failing business, Amos began to take comfort in baking chocolate chip cookies. He has also authored ten books. Before long, the company had changed ownership four times. I was like a kid in a candy store!". He was Simon & Garfunkel's first agent, he booked the Supremes' first tour. While Famous Amos still widely uses Amos name and image on its products, Uncle Wallys challenge is to let people know that the man behind the muffins is Amos. "The cookies' reputation began to grow as my contacts multiplied," he recalled in his book, The Power in You. ''In quicksand, if you start flailing all about and panicking with each movement you go in deeper, but if you just stay calm and look about, chances are you'll see a twig or something you can reach to pull yourself out. Amos was born Wallace Amos Jr. on July 1, 1936, in Tallahassee, Florida. Why did Wally Amos lose his company? Famous Amos was bought by Keebler Foods in 1998, which pleased Amos. Eventually Amos laughs and wheels back into the hall. Kun kytt sivustojamme ja sovelluksiamme, kytmme, tarjotaksemme sivustomme ja sovelluksemme sinulle, todentaaksemme kyttjt, estksemme roskapostia ja vrinkytksi sek toteuttaaksemme tietoturvatoimia. With the help of a friend, Mr. Amos eventually got the house back. It filed for bankruptcy in 1996. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html, Born: July 1, 1936Tallahassee, FloridaFounder, Famous Amos Chocolate Chip CookieCompany. Wally Amos was born on July 1, 1936, in Tallahassee, Florida. In the back of his mind, however, he considered the idea of selling his cookies. In addition to being proprietor of Chip & Cookie in Kailua, the former cookie king is now a muffin mogul. "Amos, Wally Famous Amos cookies began to be found in vending machines and in warehouse food clubs; the treats were marketed to people who had heard of the products but never had bought them. Like any great star, the famous Wally Amos continued to reinvent himself, launching other baking ventures including Uncle Noname Gourmet Muffins (now Uncle Wally's Muffin Company) and The Cookie Kahuna. who always remained true to himself," worked in Tallahassee at the local gas company. Baldwin Hills communities began with an Olympic village in 1932 and later became home to affluent Black families in L.A. Forbes, March 10, 1986, pp. Wally Amos, Jr. was born in Florida in 1936. In 1989, yet another group of investors dismissed Amos from the company he had founded. A local history about the extraordinary lives of a generation of female daredevils. And Keebler was willing to let him use his name for his own business. ", Amos's name soon became synonymous with the crisp chocolate chip cookies he whipped up in his L.A. kitchen. But this wasn't Wally Amos's greatest creation. Telephone: (816) 502-4000 ''I'd lost the company really because I didn't use to listen to people a lot because I was Famous Amos,'' the founder now acknowledges. Mr. Amos was a rising star. After his. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/economics-magazines/amos-wally, "Amos, Wally Amos decided to change the brands name to Uncle Nonam. He decided to take a chance with his cookies. In financial terms, Wally wrote in 1996, all Ive done since is amass debt and miss payments.. Instead, he started thinking of ways to promote his business. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Wally Amos, Birth Year: 1936, Birth date: July 1, 1936, Birth State: Florida, Birth City: Tallahassee, Birth Country: United States. [1] When his parents divorced, he moved to New York City with his aunt, where he enrolled at the Food Trades Vocational High School. Cookies made him famous, but Amos has his own take: I want to be known as a guy who cared about people. He served at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1954 until 1957. and bake, and it was she who gave Wally Amos his first chocolate chip cookie. Amos tries to coax the pillow away from him. Confidential column in 1975. . ''It's a full-circle kind of thing,'' said Mr. Amos, who still flashes the toothy grin shown on cookie packages and television talk shows two decades ago, though his chocolate-colored face is creased with more lines these days. He eventually returned to Famous Amos as a "director of cookie fun," and travels the country lecturing on how to overcome misfortune and concentrate on the positive aspects of life. ". Amos later recalled that the person of greatest influence in his childhood was his father's mother. My heart left the company in 1985, Amos told Forbes. He bursts in, looking around in exaggerated puzzlement. Amos's penchant for cooking led him to enroll at the Food Trades Vocational High School, where he studied culinary arts for two years. Hughes, Allan J., Jr. "Wally Amos Still Famous but with a Lower Case "F." Providence Business News, 11 December 1995. Around the time Wally lost ownership in his company, his career took perhaps it's most remarkable turn. "It's interesting," he recalled in 1987 during a speech at the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, "because friends would see me and before even saying 'hello,' they would say, 'Hey man, where are my cookies?'". Jos et halua meidn ja kumppaneidemme kyttvn evsteit ja henkiltietoja nihin listarkoituksiin, napsauta Hylk kaikki. It seemed to be shining as if neon paint had been used. But Amos became restless and dropped out of school just months before graduation, signing up for the U.S. Air Force in 1953. Encyclopedia.com. Within months, Amos had opened two more West Coast franchises, and the New York-based Bloomingdale's department store had begun selling the gourmet cookies. He opened a small shop on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, and began making mass quantities with the same recipe hed used in his own kitchen. Outside of his entrepreneurial work, Amos travels as a motivational speaker, advocating for ending illiteracy in the United States and working with organizations like Read to Me International and the YMCA. ." Now living in South Carolina, 83-year-old Wally Amos has plans for one last venture, Aunt Della's Cookies. Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies, as seen in an alternate universe. And though few people knew it, Mr. Amos's personal affairs were in such disarray that during the worst of it, he was 15 months behind on the mortgage for his house in Hawaii. Within months, Amos had opened two more franchises on the West Coast, and New York-based department store Bloomingdale's had begun selling gourmet cookies. Marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of Famous Amos in 2000, Amos went on the road for Keebler, calling himself a "director of cookie fun.". He was granted a National Literacy Honors Award by President George H.W. kehittksemme ja parantaaksemme palveluitamme sek tuotteitamme. mitataksemme sivustojemme ja sovellustemme kyttsi. The concept of a zero-preservative, craft-made cookie was uncommon, says Jesse Szewczyk, author of Cookies: The New Classics. Many who resort to crime ultimately can't read or write. ''It was just an uphill battle, looking to establish a new cookie company without having the resources and still in the minds of everybody being Famous Amos,'' he said. ", While "The Cookie" was supposedly the star, Amos's kindness and goodwill helped make Famous Amos successful. "Not just once" -says Amos, grinning and pausing to clap his hands sharply twice -"but two times! When you were born or when you died is not nearly as important as what you did in betweenwhat you put in that dash. . "Wally Amos Launches Baked Goods Line Out of Long Island Headquarters." Wally Amos, creator of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies, creator, in fact, of the whole idea that chocolate chip cookies might be worthy of their own stores, turns up his nose these days at Famous Amos Cookies. How Did Famous Amos Lose His Company In the late 1980s, Famous Amos ran into trouble when sales of his cookies began to decline. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Wally Amos Net Worth: $20 Thousand Childhood Private Life Career g, ght, nd Wght Additional Ventures He lived with an aunt, Della Bryant, who taught him how to make chocolate chip cookies. Like our content? chitchat. He spent the ensuing years working in the stock room at Saks Fifth Avenue, and in the mailroom at the prestigious William Morris Agency. This is considered such a breakthrough that Famous Amos' shirt and straw hat are in the Smithsonian. Still trying to make it as an entertainment manager, Amos began baking chocolate chip cookies for therapy, using a recipe similar to his Aunt Dellas. ''If Dave left Wendy's and came back after 10 years because things had not gone well the message is signaling change that 'We're going back to the way we used to be.' A guy who loved people and loved life.. His rise serves as the most infamous cautionary tale for aspiring entrepreneurs. It was bittersweet, says his son. After his parents divorced, his mother moved the family to Harlem, to live with her sister Della. "He had a headshot made of 'The Cookie,'" Shawn says. However, in 1985, mismanagement forced Amos to gradually sell off parts of his company. Mr. Amos was hardly in a position to play the tough negotiator. He and Andy would sign autographs. Like all sugar-induced highs, Wally later wrote in Watermelon Wisdom: Seeds of wisdom, slices of Life, it didnt last. In the mid-80s, the company began churning through owners until Amos was demoted to a figurehead, then bought out entirely by a foreign banking conglomerate. With this remark, made by Amos after he sold his cookie business, Amos turned to the new passion in his lifelecturing on inspirational issues. He signed Simon and Garfunkel and The Animals.". As the charismatic Amos told the story of "The Cookie" over and over, his concept received plenty of good PR. During its first year in business, Famous Amos had sales of $300,000 and Wally Amos's smiling face became increasingly well known since it was featured on every tin or bag of cookies. When his parents divorced, Wally was booted to Aunt Dellas in Harlem. How Chinese Restaurants Shaped Tiki Culture In LA, The Weird And Wild Flavors Of Musso And Frank's Most Old Timey Dishes. On June 13, 1977, Amos' picture was on the cover of Time magazine, which ran a lengthy article about him and his success. Amos!