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of oil, 45 pounds of milk, 30 pounds water, 2.5 pounds salt, and 7 pounds of
Watkins All Natural Baking Vanilla Extract. Watkins commissioned Wuollet Bakery in Minneapolis to create the cake, and the record-breaking event took place at Watkins headquarters during the company's 150th anniversary celebration.
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for greatest number of layers in a layer cake. The record-breaking confection was a 6' 1" Lady
Baltimore cake with 260 layers, exceeding the previous record by 30 layers. Ingredients included 900 eggs, 480 pounds of sugar, 150 pounds of flour, 102 pounds of shortening, 45 pounds of butter, 32 pounds
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were added in 1895 along with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, peppermint extract and lemon extract. Between 1889 and 1914, Watkins constructed six manufacturing buildings behind the Winona
Administration Building. J.R. Watkins died in 1911. In 1914, a prominent ten-story building completed the look of the
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in 1868 door-to-door in the southeastern part of the state. A year after J.R. Watkins began selling liniment, he introduced the trial-mark bottle. Molded into the glass bottle, about one-third of the way down, was a mark which showed how much of the product a customer could use and still get a
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333:, but realized his acting career wasn't advancing. Since taking over the company, he has controlled spending and introduced an enhanced compensation plan for sales associates. He also spearheaded an extensive brand study that led to the introduction of Watkins products onto store shelves.
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In 2017, the
Watkins Company sold its home care, personal care and over-the-counter remedies product lines to Swander Pace Capital. The newly formed sister company, J.R. Watkins Brands, focuses solely on home care, personal care and over-the-counter remedies.
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During World War II, Watkins devoted 90% of its production capacity to support the Allied war effort. To fill government contracts, Watkins produced dried eggs, powdered juice packets, vitamin tablets, hospital germicide, DDT and insecticide powder.
251:, United States, which utilizes an omni-channel marketing strategy which includes a national retail sales force which focuses on selling to the retail channel as well as an independent sales force of 25,000 people to distribute its products.
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refund. A label with the statement, “If not fully satisfied, your money cheerfully refunded,” also appeared on the bottle. The
Watkins trial-mark is believed to be the first money-back guarantee in America.
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In 1996, Jacobs' son, Mark Evan Jacobs, began to take over day-to-day operations. He was 14 when his father bought the company, and had worked as a
Watkins salesman for many years. Mark was an aspiring
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In the 1940s, Watkins was the largest direct-sales company in the world but soon began to decline. The demographics and buying habits of the
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The company moved to Winona in 1885 and added a number of products to its lineup. Baking materials including
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Watkins introduced the first Trial-Mark bottle in 1869, which became
America's first money-back guarantee.
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599:"A slice of history: Winona's Waktins Inc. celebrates 150th birthday with world-record, 260-layer cake"
556:"National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form: J.R. Watkins Medical Company Complex"
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381:. Porter had a 50-year career with Watkins in Portland, Oregon, and worked a route despite having
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had major shifts in the following decades, and the company did not keep pace. Watkins filed for
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Industrial buildings and structures on the
National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
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Architectural overview of the J.R. Watkins
Medical Products Company headquarters, 1911-13.
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70-foot high rotunda dome coated in 24-carat gold leaf, a blue
Bedford stone façade, 224
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products, and other household items. Founded in 1868, Watkins Incorporated is based in
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Vintage Marketing Differentiation: The Origins of Marketing and Branding Strategies
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Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
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647:"World-record layer cake teeters but doesn't topple in Winona celebration"
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National Register of Historic Places listings in Winona County, Minnesota
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Administration Building. Maher's Administration Building included a
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National Register of Historic Places in Winona County, Minnesota
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skylights and three custom-made Tiffany stained glass windows.
703:"Watkins extracts and spices make headway into grocery stores"
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The seven-building Watkins headquarters in Winona is on the
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Williams, Robert L. Jr.; Williams, Helena A. (2017-03-23).
375:, was dramatized in the 2002 Emmy award-winning TNT movie
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design of its 1911 Administration Building by architect
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History of the National Register of Historic Places
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506:"Made in Minnesota: Patent Medicine on the Prairie"
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52:The J. R. Watkins Headquarters from the southwest
232:Watkins Pepper – J.R. Watkins, Winona, Minnesota
670:Winona's Watkins takes leap from door to store.
534:Minnesota National Register Properties Database
348:company in the early 20th century, and for the
1320:Buildings and structures in Winona, Minnesota
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385:. Porter was also featured in news stories.
321:, appearing in minor roles in films such as
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623:"Greatest number of layers in a layer cake"
371:In 2002, the story of a Watkins salesman,
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769:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
530:"Watkins, J. R., Medical Company Complex"
35:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
1355:Prairie School architecture in Minnesota
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427:"National Register Information System"
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597:Mitchell, Tesla (15 September 2018).
27:J. R. Watkins Medical Company Complex
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554:Frame III, Robert M. (August 1984).
536:. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009
432:National Register of Historic Places
342:J.R. Watkins Medical Company Complex
338:National Register of Historic Places
701:Hughlett, Mike (15 December 2013).
305:in the 1970s, and was purchased by
668:Chris Serres (December 18, 2005).
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510:Digital Public Library of America
392:In September 2018, Watkins set a
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683:"For Watkins, it all began here"
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104:Show map of the United States
1330:Companies based in Minnesota
681:Erdman, Sandy (5 May 2012).
16:United States historic place
1256:National Historic Landmarks
259:The company was founded by
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481:"21st Century Watkins Man"
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199:NRHP reference
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188:Architectural style
1261:Voyageurs National Park
558:. National Park Service
165:2.5 acres (1.0 ha)
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1274:Keeper of the Register
627:Guinness World Records
578:Cite journal requires
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1294:Contributing property
437:National Park Service
394:Guinness World Record
303:bankruptcy protection
239:is a manufacturer of
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146:44.04944°N 91.62806°W
79:Show map of Minnesota
485:Twin Cities Business
368:, a local landmark.
267:, who began selling
265:Plainview, Minnesota
237:Watkins Incorporated
117:150 Liberty Street,
151:44.04944; -91.62806
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651:Star Tribune
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456:. Springer.
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378:Door to Door
376:
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346:direct sales
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328:
324:Biloxi Blues
322:
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236:
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1244:Other lists
964:Koochiching
373:Bill Porter
307:Minneapolis
149: /
125:Coordinates
1309:Categories
1194:Washington
1069:Pennington
1064:Otter Tail
1024:Mille Lacs
869:Cottonwood
859:Clearwater
819:Blue Earth
712:2 February
692:2 February
656:2019-02-15
632:2019-02-15
608:2019-02-15
562:2015-06-29
540:2015-06-23
515:2020-07-24
491:2019-02-15
413:References
366:Sugar Loaf
364:depicting
330:Goodfellas
243:remedies,
137:91°37′41″W
1139:Sherburne
1129:St. Louis
1079:Pipestone
954:Kandiyohi
894:Faribault
874:Crow Wing
814:Big Stone
782:by county
773:Minnesota
313:in 1978.
309:investor
178:Architect
173:1900–1914
134:44°2′58″N
1199:Watonwan
1174:Traverse
1109:Renville
1099:Red Lake
1044:Nicollet
1029:Morrison
1004:Marshall
999:Mahnomen
984:Le Sueur
919:Hennepin
904:Freeborn
899:Fillmore
844:Chippewa
804:Beltrami
401:See also
269:liniment
206:84003940
114:Location
1251:Bridges
1179:Wabasha
1159:Stevens
1149:Stearns
1104:Redwood
1059:Olmsted
989:Lincoln
959:Kittson
949:Kanabec
944:Jackson
929:Hubbard
924:Houston
909:Goodhue
889:Douglas
849:Chisago
829:Carlton
360:artist
340:as the
255:History
1214:Wright
1209:Winona
1204:Wilkin
1189:Waseca
1184:Wadena
1154:Steele
1144:Sibley
1124:Roseau
1094:Ramsey
1054:Norman
1049:Nobles
1039:Murray
1019:Meeker
1014:McLeod
1009:Martin
939:Itasca
934:Isanti
879:Dakota
834:Carver
809:Benton
799:Becker
789:Aitkin
460:
277:pepper
245:baking
241:health
1164:Swift
1134:Scott
1034:Mower
914:Grant
884:Dodge
824:Brown
794:Anoka
780:Lists
319:actor
170:Built
1169:Todd
1119:Rock
1114:Rice
1089:Pope
1084:Polk
1074:Pine
994:Lyon
974:Lake
864:Cook
854:Clay
839:Cass
714:2015
694:2015
584:help
458:ISBN
327:and
279:and
162:Area
771:in
263:in
201:No.
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