I mentioned Arthur Meyerhoff in a post in my Empoprise-NTN blog (he was the subject of a trivia question), so I thought I'd delve into Meyerhoff's fame a little bit over here. You see, Meyerhoff was the co-creator of a cooking spray that was named after him. And if you're not familiar with a cooking spray called Arthur, read on:
The first patent for a non-stick cooking spray was issued in 1957. Arthur Meyerhoff, Sr. and Leon Rubin who started PAM® Products, Inc. marketed the product in 1959. In 1961, Leon Rubin invented his own non-stick cooking spray. Along with Arthur Meyerhoff, the two men founded Gibralter Industries to market this new PAM® All Natural Cooking Spray. PAM® actually stands for a Product of Arthur Meyerhoff.
The subsequent history of PAM indicates how brands are sometimes more important than companies. Now Fords are made by Ford, and Chryslers are made by...never mind. But PAM has been passed around, as it were:
In 1971, Gibralter Industries merged with American Home Products, Inc, who in turn, gained title to the patent for PAM®. The company's Boyle Midway Division took over the product's marketing and distribution responsibilities. In 1990, American Home Foods assumed responsibility for the brand. In November 1996, AHF was acquired by Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst Inc., and C. Dean Metropoulos and Company. This became International Home Foods, Inc. In 2000, PAM® was acquired by ConAgra Foods, Inc.
