Leonard Shoen
Encyclopedia
Leonard Shoen (1916–1999) was an American entrepreneur
who founded the U-Haul
truck
and trailer organization in Ridgefield, Washington
. After growing up in the farm belt of the United States
during the Great Depression
, he envisioned the market for rental vehicles for families who wished to avoid the expense of professional transfer and storage companies and move themselves around the country.
. He worked his way through college by running a chain of beauty parlors and barber shops, attended Oregon State University
, and did post-graduate work at the University of Oregon's medical school. See _A Noble Function_ for further details.
In 1945, at the age of 29, Shoen co-founded U-Haul with his wife, Anna Mary Carty, in the state of Washington. The company was started with an investment of $5,000. He began building rental trailers and splitting the fees for their use with gas station owners whom he franchised as agents. These early deals were based on little more than a wink and a nod. He developed one-way rentals and enlisted investors as partners in each trailer as methods of growth.
By 1955, there were more than 10,000 U-Haul trailers on the road and the brand was nationally known. While distracted to some extent by growing his business, Shoen also managed multiple marriages after the death of his first wife, and eventually had a total of 14 children, each of whom he made stockholders. Some observers say that Shoen saw it as his duty to confer upon his children the fruits of his labors, others say it was to avoid taxes. In either case, he had transferred all but 2% of control to his children when 2 of them, Edward
and Mark launched a successful takeover of the business in 1986. "Had Leonard Shoen spent five hundred dollars for a lawyer in 1950," said one associate, "none of the rest would have followed." http://www.goodbyemag.com/sep99/shoen.html
, Nevada
, renovating it into the World Trade Center Casino. When it was discovered that two of Mr. Shoen's closest advisers were convicted felons, he lost a long and contentious battle to obtain a gaming license for the property from the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 1998. He later withdrew his application.
In 1999, 83-year old Leonard Shoen suffered fatal injuries when he crashed into a utility pole near his Las Vegas, Nevada
home in what was ruled by the Clark County
coroner's office
as a suicide
. http://gamblingmagazine.com/articles/28/28-413.htm
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
who founded the U-Haul
U-Haul
U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation...
truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
and trailer organization in Ridgefield, Washington
Ridgefield, Washington
Ridgefield is a city in the pastoral, rolling-hills countryside of northern Clark County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,763 at the 2010 census....
. After growing up in the farm belt of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, he envisioned the market for rental vehicles for families who wished to avoid the expense of professional transfer and storage companies and move themselves around the country.
Youth, education
Leonard Shoen was born in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. He worked his way through college by running a chain of beauty parlors and barber shops, attended Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
, and did post-graduate work at the University of Oregon's medical school. See _A Noble Function_ for further details.
Developing U-Haul
By 1955, there were more than 10,000 U-Haul trailers on the road and the brand was nationally known. While distracted to some extent by growing his business, Shoen also managed multiple marriages after the death of his first wife, and eventually had a total of 14 children, each of whom he made stockholders. Some observers say that Shoen saw it as his duty to confer upon his children the fruits of his labors, others say it was to avoid taxes. In either case, he had transferred all but 2% of control to his children when 2 of them, Edward
Joe Shoen
Edward Joseph Shoen is the Son of U-Haul Founder Leonard Samuel Shoen. He is currently the president, chairman of the board, and chief executive officer of AMERCO, the holding company of U-Haul, International...
and Mark launched a successful takeover of the business in 1986. "Had Leonard Shoen spent five hundred dollars for a lawyer in 1950," said one associate, "none of the rest would have followed." http://www.goodbyemag.com/sep99/shoen.html
World Trade Center Casino
Mr. Shoen formed the Amerco Enterpreneurial Institute Inc., which purchased the Chaparral in 1996 at 925 E. Desert Inn Road in Las VegasLas Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, renovating it into the World Trade Center Casino. When it was discovered that two of Mr. Shoen's closest advisers were convicted felons, he lost a long and contentious battle to obtain a gaming license for the property from the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 1998. He later withdrew his application.
Family feuds
Family squabbling over the U-Haul empire turned to physical confrontations between some of his children at company meetings, even before the 1986 takeover. The takeover sparked a major family dispute that led to a $461 million judgment in favor of Leonard Shoen and others.In 1999, 83-year old Leonard Shoen suffered fatal injuries when he crashed into a utility pole near his Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
home in what was ruled by the Clark County
Clark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...
coroner's office
Coroner's Office
Coroner's Office is an album by the American death metal band Post Mortem. The album was their debut LP and is notable for its influences on the genre.- Recording Process :...
as a suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. http://gamblingmagazine.com/articles/28/28-413.htm