A Cutting-Edge Merger Abroad

Some of the best marriages begin with a surprise proposal. On a cold February day in 1996, at a Paris trade show, Greg Wahl, 45, received an astounding proposition. The third-generation chief operating officer of Wahl Clipper Corp., an international manufacturer of personal care products based in Sterling, Illinois, was minding his own booth when one of his European competitors offered to drive Wahl eight hours to Germany to show him his factory. “His factory,” says Wahl, still shaking his head, “not his office. It was unheard of.” Wahl hemmed and hawed. He had more discussions with the German company, a few of which included his 70-year-old father, Jack Wahl, the president and CEO. Jack is more direct than his son. He came right out and said to his competitor, “Are you telling us you're for sale?”

He was. Jack, for one, was skeptical. “I didn't think it would amount to much,” he recalled in an interview. “From what I'd read, Germany was a terrible place to manufacture. I guess I just didn't think Greg would find such a perfect match.”

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