Bill McNutt
Encyclopedia
Lee William McNutt II born in Corsicana, Texas
; (1925 — September 1, 2006), used direct marketing
and mail order
to transform his family's Collin Street Bakery
into a worldwide supplier of fruitcakes. Although he did not invent the fruitcake, Bill McNutt’s claim to culinary fame is having made the cake ubiquitous. Along the way he managed to reinvigorate the mail order business introducing computerized mailing list
s, direct consumer marketing
and efficient shipping
methods. All this back in 1958.
McNutt's father, Lee William McNutt, and an uncle, Bob Rutherford, bought the Collin Street Bakery in 1946. The younger McNutt began working for the company in 1958 and immediately shifted the company's focus to mail order sales of the specialty DeLuxe Fruitcake.
He was quick to recognize the value of emerging technologies and was an early adopter of phone
, fax
and then Internet
ordering systems. Initially, bakery employees copied names and addresses of prospective customers from telephone directories gathered from throughout the United States
. McNutt compiled the bakery's customer list into a database
that was later computerized. He also began a direct marketing campaign outside the United States
. Today the bakery ships its fruitcake to 196 countries. Through his efforts he blazed a mail order path that many companies from Lands' End
to Amazon.com
have emulated.
McNutt served as president of the Collin Street Bakery from 1967 until 1998, when Bob McNutt succeeded his father as president of the company.
. McNutt attended Vanderbilt University
and played on the football team.
His studies were interrupted by World War II
. He served in the U.S. Army at Camp Shelby
in Mississippi, where he guarded German prisoners of war.
After the war he resumed studies at Vanderbilt, graduating in 1949 with a degree in business. He later earned a master's degree at Southern Methodist University
.
Prior to the Collin Street Bakery, McNutt worked in his father's Dr Pepper
bottling franchise in Tennessee
.
McNutt was an avid football fan and became friends with Lamar Hunt
, owner of the Dallas Texans
and co-founder of the American Football League
. McNutt and Hunt owned the Dallas Tornado
franchise in the North American Soccer League
in the 1970s. Hunt later became a minority partner in the Collin Street Bakery.
McNutt is the father to Bill McNutt III
, Bob McNutt, Melanie McNutt and Katherine McNutt.
McNutt died at his home in Corsicana. His death was attributed to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
.
Corsicana, Texas
Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45 some fifty-five miles south of downtown Dallas. The population was 24,485 at the 2000 census...
; (1925 — September 1, 2006), used direct marketing
Direct marketing
Direct marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques such as mobile messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional...
and mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
to transform his family's Collin Street Bakery
Collin Street Bakery
The Collin Street Bakery is in Corsicana, and is world renown for its delicious DeLuxe Fruitcakes. They ship to all 50 states, US possessions and 195 foreign lands.The Bakery is the proud recipient of the president's coveted "E-Award".-Early history:...
into a worldwide supplier of fruitcakes. Although he did not invent the fruitcake, Bill McNutt’s claim to culinary fame is having made the cake ubiquitous. Along the way he managed to reinvigorate the mail order business introducing computerized mailing list
Mailing list
A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. The term is often extended to include the people subscribed to such a list, so the group of subscribers is referred to as "the mailing list", or simply "the...
s, direct consumer marketing
Direct marketing
Direct marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques such as mobile messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional...
and efficient shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
methods. All this back in 1958.
McNutt's father, Lee William McNutt, and an uncle, Bob Rutherford, bought the Collin Street Bakery in 1946. The younger McNutt began working for the company in 1958 and immediately shifted the company's focus to mail order sales of the specialty DeLuxe Fruitcake.
He was quick to recognize the value of emerging technologies and was an early adopter of phone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
, fax
Fax
Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
and then Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
ordering systems. Initially, bakery employees copied names and addresses of prospective customers from telephone directories gathered from throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. McNutt compiled the bakery's customer list into a database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
that was later computerized. He also began a direct marketing campaign outside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Today the bakery ships its fruitcake to 196 countries. Through his efforts he blazed a mail order path that many companies from Lands' End
Lands' End
Lands' End is a clothing retailer based in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, that specializes in casual clothing, luggage, and home furnishings. The majority of Lands' End's business is conducted through mail order and Internet sales, but the company also runs more than a dozen retail operations, primarily in...
to Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
have emulated.
McNutt served as president of the Collin Street Bakery from 1967 until 1998, when Bob McNutt succeeded his father as president of the company.
Biography
Shortly after his birth in Corsicana, McNutt's family moved to Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. McNutt attended Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
and played on the football team.
His studies were interrupted by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He served in the U.S. Army at Camp Shelby
Camp Shelby
Camp Shelby is a military post whose North Gate begins at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. It is the largest state owned training site in the nation. During wartime, the camp's mission is to serve as a major, independent mobilization station of the...
in Mississippi, where he guarded German prisoners of war.
After the war he resumed studies at Vanderbilt, graduating in 1949 with a degree in business. He later earned a master's degree at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
.
Prior to the Collin Street Bakery, McNutt worked in his father's Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper is a soft drink, marketed as having a unique flavor. The drink was created in the 1880s by Charles Alderton of Waco, Texas and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904 and is now also sold in Europe, Asia, Canada, Mexico, Australia ...
bottling franchise in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
McNutt was an avid football fan and became friends with Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
, owner of the Dallas Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
and co-founder of the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
. McNutt and Hunt owned the Dallas Tornado
Dallas Tornado
Dallas Tornado were a soccer team based in Dallas that played in the NASL. They played from 1967 to 1981. Their home fields were Cotton Bowl , P.C. Cobb Stadium , Franklin Field , Texas Stadium and Ownby Stadium on the SMU campus...
franchise in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
in the 1970s. Hunt later became a minority partner in the Collin Street Bakery.
McNutt is the father to Bill McNutt III
Bill McNutt III
Lee William McNutt III is the son of L. William "Bill" McNutt, Jr., and he was born in Nashville, Tennessee on April 18, 1955.-Personal life:Lee William McNutt III, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William L. McNutt Jr. of Corsicana, and the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pritchett of...
, Bob McNutt, Melanie McNutt and Katherine McNutt.
McNutt died at his home in Corsicana. His death was attributed to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma, previously known as Hodgkin's disease, is a type of lymphoma, which is a cancer originating from white blood cells called lymphocytes...
.