George Safford Parker

"... Who is it that gets neglected? The inventor, that's who. The designer, the engineer, the chemist, the brewer, the boffin. The people obsessed by the product; who will willingly accept that the sizzle is important, but who get their kicks trying to make an even better steak. Car companies used to be run by people who loved cars. They knew how to make cars themselves, and were always trying to make them better. Retail companies used to be run by people who loved shops, and a hundred and something years ago, George Safford Parker was nutty about fountain pens. As businesses got bigger and more complex, these obsessive, impractical, product-driven enthusiasts couldn't cope. They had to be helped by money men and lawyers and marketing persons with advertisement agents."