ManpowerGroup 2013 Annual Report Download - page 91

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MITCHELL S. FROMSTEIN, MANPOWERGROUP CHAIRMAN
EMERITUS, 1928–2013
The ManpowerGroup family mourned the passing of
our former President and CEO, Mitchell Fromstein, on
7 November 2013 at the age of 85. Mitchell led the
company for 23 years, growing Manpower from a
$300 million U.S.-based business to a $10 billion global
leader in 50 countries.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, a graduate of Shorewood
High School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
“Mitch”—as he was affectionately known to many—
began his involvement with Manpower in the early
1950s when he was hired by company co-founder
Elmer Winter as a marketing consultant. In 1963, Mitchell
created a program that was to become synonymous
with the employment services industry: the White Glove
Girl program. The marketing campaign—so named
because 100,000 pairs of white gloves were given to
temporary workers— bridged the gap to employment
for many women and helped meet the rising demand
for skilled office workers. “Mitch did his research. His
White Glove Girl program was just an example of his
skill,” said Winter.
Mitchell succeeded the retiring Winter in 1976, the year
Manpower was sold to the Parker Pen company, and
achieved a number of significant milestones during his
leadership. He led the development of Skillware, an
innovative office technology training system, which
has trained more than seven million people worldwide.
In 1986, he oversaw Manpower’s emergence as an
independent company from Parker Pen. The same
year, he took the company public, and Manpower shares
were listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
Among Mitchell’s biggest accomplishments was
Manpower’s reorganization in 1991 after a short-lived
acquisition by Britain’s Blue Arrow PLC. Terry Hueneke,
former Manpower Senior Vice President and a member
of the company’s board of directors, said of Mitchell:
“He was an incredible leader, a visionary.”
Appointed Chairman in 1991, Mitchell led Manpower’s
geographic expansion and broadened its world of work
expertise. After his retirement in 1999 at the age of 71,
Mitchell was named Chairman Emeritus, and was
succeeded by Jeff Joerres, current ManpowerGroup
Chairman and CEO. Mitchell Fromstein left Manpower
with a global footprint that spanned more than 50
countries and 3,000 offices worldwide, and offerings
that included a wide range of innovative workforce
solutions that served millions of associates and
thousands of clients each year.
In 2008, Manpower celebrated its 60th anniversary
and commemorated the occasion by asking Mitchell to
accompany the only other CEOs in the history of the
organization—predecessor Winter and successor
Joerres—to the New York Stock Exchange to ring the
closing bell.
Outside of the office, Mitchell practiced his philosophy of
“doing well by doing good” by serving on public policy
organizations such as the Committee for Economic
Development and the Aspen Institute Domestic Strategy
Study Group. His keen interest in sports led him to write
speeches for legendary Green Bay Packers football
coach Vince Lombardi and to help lead the effort to
start the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team in 1968.
“Mitchell was not only a trusted friend but a great
mentor and an adviser,” said Joerres. “His tremendous
acumen and tenacity helped our business weather
some of the most severe storms in our 65-year history.
At ManpowerGroup, we are proud to carry on Mitchell’s
legacy.”
Mitchell Fromstein, former Manpower* President and CEO, led
the company for 23 years, expanding its geographic reach and
broadening its world of work expertise.
*Manpower changed its name to ManpowerGroup in 2011.