Samuel Glazer
Samuel Lewis Glazer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 February 1923 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | 21 March 2012 (aged 89) Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist |
| Known for | Co-founder of North American Systems and Mr. Coffee |
Samuel Lewis Glazer (February 24, 1923 – March 21, 2012) was a prominent American entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. Alongside Vincent Marotta Sr., he co-established North American Systems, the company responsible for introducing Mr. Coffee, one of the earliest automatic drip coffee makers available to U.S. consumers. Glazer and Marotta employed Westinghouse engineers Edmund Abel and Erwin Schulze, whose technical expertise was instrumental in developing the first Mr. Coffee models.
Debuting in 1972, Mr. Coffee rapidly became a household staple, revolutionizing the way Americans brewed coffee at home. By 1975, it had secured its position as the best-selling coffee maker in the country. In 2002, the industry journal Home Furnishings News honored Mr. Coffee as one of the most influential consumer products introduced over the prior seventy-five years.
Early life
Born on February 24, 1923, in Cleveland, Ohio, Glazer was raised in a Jewish family as the fourth child of Isador and Yetta Gross Glazer. Following his father’s passing when Samuel was six years old, he contributed to his family’s income by selling boots and delivering newspapers for the Cleveland Plain Dealer starting at age seven. He continued this work until eighteen, eventually becoming a district manager for the paper. During World War II, he served in the United States Army with assignments within the country.
Real estate development
Post-World War II, Glazer reunited with Vincent Marotta Sr., a fellow alumnus of Shaker Heights High School, to embark on numerous business ventures spanning over sixty years. Their initial enterprises included selling dog food throughout New York and Pennsylvania. Subsequently, they founded a company that transitioned from manufacturing garage doors to engaging in real estate development, constructing shopping centers and residential properties across the nation, notably including the Great Lakes Mall in Mentor, Ohio.
Mr. Coffee
In the late 1960s, Glazer and Marotta purchased a coffee delivery business serving the Cleveland metropolitan area, which utilized large stationary coffee dispensers. Responding to growing consumer interest in convenient home coffee brewing options, they redirected much of their real estate assets to finance research and development aimed at creating an innovative drip brew machine.
Prior to Mr. Coffee’s introduction, home coffee preparation was predominantly reliant on percolators or instant coffee methods. To innovate, they enlisted Westinghouse engineers Edmund Abel and Erwin Schulze to design a compact device featuring a heating element that would drip brew coffee into a glass carafe while keeping water temperature below 200°F to minimize bitterness.
North American Systems launched Mr. Coffee in 1972. By 1975, sales reached approximately one million units, establishing it as America’s leading coffee maker brand; by the late 1970s, it commanded more than half of the market share. In 1987, Glazer and Marotta sold North American Systems for $182 million. As of 2012, ownership of Mr. Coffee resides with the Sunbeam Corporation.
Glazer was known for frequently gifting Mr. Coffee machines to friends across entertainment and business circles. Among these recipients was comedian Johnny Carson, who jokingly requested that Glazer cease sending him additional machines due to their abundance.
Philanthropy
Glazer was a benefactor of the Cedar Sinai Synagogue, Suburban Temple-Kol Ami, as well as the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.
Personal life
Samuel Glazer passed away from leukemia at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 21, 2012, at the age of 89. Living in Beachwood, Ohio, he was survived by his wife Jeanne and their son. For 25 years, he spent winters in Pelican Bay, Florida, a prestigious community developed by Westinghouse. His longtime business associate Vincent Marotta remembered him as "a loyal and trustworthy friend and an exceptional partner."