Before Amos Was Famous

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Wally Amos first started the very first Chocolate Chip Cookie Store “Famous Amos” in 1975 with a $25,000.00 loan. When it came to promoting his product, there was no one better than Famous Amos becoming a household name at the time. Wally claims he only planned on opening one cookie store, but this soon-to-be Famous Shark Tank Star sold over $1,000,000.00 in chocolate chip cookies in the second year and needed to expand, fast. Everything (especially from the early investors views) was going “Great” as Famous Amos Brand started growing at a phenomenal rate. In 1982, Wally’s entire business had revenues totaling over $12 million for the year.

So why is the man behind the most famous cookie company ever, going on the Shark Tank 35 years later selling a new brand called Cookie Kahuna? Well, for those that don’t know, Wally also became famous for losing his company to investors in 1988. The Shansby Group bought Famous Amos Brand for only $3 million after the company reported a $2.5 million loss for the year. Since that time, the Company’s changed hands at least four different times. Currently, the Kellogg Company owns all the rights to Wally’s former business and probably won’t be selling anytime soon.

Q: What was Amos doing before becoming famous for his cookies?

I lived in Indian territory.

I was entitled to land after the Civil War.

The land I received was worth more than anyone thought.

Oil.

$112,000 a year in 1911. ($3,069,837.47 in today’s dollars.)

Unscramble the words below and find them in the word find puzzle below. Each one is related to the identity of this week’s history maker. The identity of the richest colored girl in the world is hidden in the puzzle as well.

The answer to this week’s puzzle challenge will be shared next week.

Scrambled words: Covid, Vaccines, Contagion, Smallpox

Answer: Onesimus (For further study, please review the links below.)

After a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force, Amos returned to New York in 1957. He spent the ensuing years working in the stock room at Saks Fifth Avenue, and in the mailroom at the prestigious William Morris Agency. In 1962, following a number of promotions, Amos became the first Black talent agent in the history of the William Morris Agency. Determined to make his mark by signing a blockbuster act, his tenacity was rewarded when he discovered the singing duo Simon & Garfunkel. Over the next few years, Amos headed the agency’s newly formed rock ‘n’ roll department, where he worked with Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke.

For further study, review the following links: