Built For Success: Starbucks

Product Description

On August 18, 1987, Howard Schultz walked into the Seattle, Washington, roasting plant of Starbucks Coffee Company. Fresh beans were rattling through the roasters, filling the space with a warm, comforting aroma. Schultz, who had just purchased the assets of the company for $4 million, stood before his new employees and told them about his plan to turn the regional coffee roaster with only a handful of retail outlets into a national chain of coffee shops. He was convinced that he could turn the company's success in Seattle into a national phenomenon, that the appeal of a steaming cup of coffee was almost universal. "I'm here today because I love this company," he said as he laid out the business plan. "I love what it represents."