【美国人物志】雷·克拉克（3/6）

英语自学网

雷·克拉克（Ray Kroc，1902年10月5日－1984年1月14日），美国企业家，生于伊利诺伊州。1955年，他接管了当时规模很小的麦当劳公司的特许权，将其发展成全球最成功的快餐集团之一。他被《时代》杂志列为全球最有影响力的企业创始人之一。1974年开始，他成为圣地牙哥教士棒球队老板。
Hints:
Ray
Lily Tulip Cup Company
Florida
Ray Kroc
Chicago
United States

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After the war, Ray became a jazz piano player. He played with famous music groups. He got married when he was 20. Then he began working for the Lily Tulip Cup Company, selling paper cups.He kept trying new things, however. He attempted to sell land in the southern state of Florida. That business failed. Ray Kroc remembered driving to Chicago from Florida after his business failed. He said: "I will never forget that drive as long as I live. The streets were covered with ice, and I did not have winter clothing. When I arrived home I was very cold and had no money."
Ray Kroc went back to being a salesman for the Lily Tulip Cup Company. He was responsible for product sales in the central United States. His life improved when he started a small business that sold restaurant supplies. He sold a machine that could mix five milkshakes at one time. In 1954, he discovered a small restaurant that was using eight of his machines. He went there and found that the owners of the restaurant had a good business selling only hamburgers, french fries and drinks. At first, Mr. Kroc saw only the possibility for increasing the sales of his mixers to more restaurants. Then he proposed an agreement with the McDonald brothers to start a number of restaurants. Under the agreement, the McDonald brothers would get a percentage of all sales.