Austin in Mower County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Jay C. Hormel

1892-1954

— Pillars of the City —

Jay C. Hormel Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 8, 2023

1. Jay C. Hormel Marker

Inscription. The only son of George A. Hormel, Jay Hormel gained a reputation as an innovator and marketing genius from the very beginning of his involvement in the Hormel business. He was responsible for the development of one of the company's major successes, Flavor-Sealed Canned Ham, as well as one of its most famous products, SPAM®. Jay also instituted forward-thinking employee-benefit programs at Hormel, such as a Joint Earnings Plan and a Retirement Plan in an era when those were still rarities in the corporate world, and he shepherded the company through the Great Depression. He was instrumental in founding the Hormel Institute and the Hormel Foundation. Throughout his working life, Jay embodied his family's maxim: "Originate, don't imitate."

Erected 2016 by Austin Pillars of the City Committee.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.

Location. 43° 40.342′ N, 92° 58.478′ W. Marker is in Austin, Minnesota, in Mower County. It is on Main Street North just north of 5th Place Northwest, on the right when traveling north. The marker is mounted on an Austin flood wall pillar, on the west side of Horace Austin Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 600 Main Street North, Austin MN 55912, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Minnesota.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Jon W. Erichson (here, next to this marker); Ira J. Holton (a few steps from this marker); Esther Mitchell Morse (a few steps from this marker); George A. Hormel (a few steps from this marker); Gary J. Ray (a few steps from this marker); Dr. Richard J. Schindler (a few steps from this marker); Gertrude Ellis Skinner (within shouting distance of this marker); Richard L. Knowlton (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Austin.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Austin Pillars of the City

Also see . . .
1. Jay Catherwood Hormel (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

The son of George A. Hormel, founder of Hormel Foods, and head of the company from 1929 to 1954. In 1914, Hormel left college to work for the Hormel company. He continued to work there with only a brief interruption to serve in the military during World War I. In 1929, he was named president of Hormel.

(Submitted on November 1, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Pillars of the City: Jay C. Hormel. Excerpt:

Jay showed a flair for entrepreneurship and innovative thinking even as

2. Marker detail: Jay C. Hormel
a child, working up money-making schemes around town. When the academic environment at Princeton did not appeal to him, Jay returned to Austin and showed up at his father’s office, dressed in a suit, ready to learn the family business. A testament to the company’s solid foundation, which George had bequeathed it, and in no small part due to Jay’s extremely capable leadership, Hormel & Company not only survived the hard years of the Great Depression, it also made a profit and continued to pay quarterly dividends to its stockholders at a time when millions of people were unemployed and 9,000 banks had failed. Jay’s innovation was in large part responsible for that.
In order to stay ahead of competition from other meat packers such as Swift and Armour, Jay developed a new canned meat product which consisted of spiced ham and shoulder meat. The new product entered the American cultural lexicon as SPAM in 1936.

(Submitted on November 1, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 8, 2023

3. Jay C. Hormel Marker

Looking east. Austin Mill Pond in background.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 468 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 1, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.