Leaders All — John E. Storey, Sales Executive (1924) 🇺🇸

Leaders All — John E. Storey

Because he laid the foundation for a commercial career by a course in a business college; because in that course he specialized in secretarial work, as a result of which he was enabled to establish close contact with men of large affairs; because of a genial personality which quickly wins the confidence as well as the respect of a buyer; and because of his fairness with subordinates, which has given him their regard as well as their loyalty.

One of the quickest lifts from the sales field in a minor capacity into the chair of a branch manager was scored by John E. Storey, general sales manager of Pathé Exchange. Mr. Storey’s experience in or rather out of an exchange had totaled six months when he was offered a top position in a Kansas City distributing office, and he accepted it.

But behind that six months out in the Missouri territory of V. L. S. E., which when he took hold of it had been rated as a graveyard and which he built up to rank with the other blocks in the same jurisdiction, was a successful career of selling in other lines.

Mr. Storey is a Canadian, having been raised on Lake Erie at a point just opposite Cleveland — right on Rond Eau Harbor, to be exact — and he lived there until he was seventeen years old.

His father was engaged in the lumber business, owning a mill and cutting government timber on a royalty basis lad’s boyhood was spent in the atmosphere of big timber and powerful tugs. And during school holidays he was Pretty to be found either afloat or ashore.

Following his father’s retirement from business the lad concluded he was going to get away from the farm, which contained no particular appeal for him, while business life had a very strong attraction for him.

So he accepted a welcome invitation from a relative in Oswego, N. Y., to come there to live and to attend the Chaffee Business College, at that time considered one of the best business institutions in the country.

Here for two years young Storey pursued a business course, specializing in secretarial work, which included the mastery of shorthand. As to the latter accomplishment the Pathé sales chief admitted recently he had never let it get away from him.

The lure of the big town drew him to New York. Here he secured employment in the American branch of a Montreal medicine company, but after six months experience came to the conclusion the town was too big.

An Oswego schoolmate who had gone west and entered the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad had been importuning him to take Horace Greeley’s advice. When this was fortified by a telegram that a place was awaiting him as secretary of the general passenger agent of the company a quick move was made.

In the course of a number of years Mr. Storey was promoted until he became chief clerk to the general manager. Then he was engaged as private secretary by Arthur E. Stillwell, a big railroad promoter connected with the Pittsburgh and Gulf, now the Kansas City Southern. Later he was given charge of the township department.

Then he was transferred to the desk of assistant land commissioner, in charges of sales of lands along the roads. At the outbreak of the war there came a heavy demand for mules for the British government, and Mr. Storey was given charge of the purchasing for the Guytons & Harrington Company of Kansas City.

So many were taken that Uncle Sam decided for the sake of his own army to cut down the sales to a minimum. As a result Mr. Storey began looking around for something to do.

The motion picture business appealed to him and he secured a position as salesman for the Missouri block out of the V. L. S. E. exchange in Kansas City. This was in 1915.

Six or seven months later Mr. Storey was called on the telephone by Elmer Pearson, head of the V. L. S. E. Exchange of Kansas City, who said he had recommended the salesman to George Kleine for the position of branch manager in Kansas City.

It was the first intimation Mr. Storey had had that Mr. Pearson was following his work. But the position was accepted, with thanks.

A year later Mr. Storey was called to the Pathé Exchange in the same city, following the summons of Mr. Pearson to the home office as feature sales manager. He remained here for a twelvemonth, when he was named western district manager for Pathé.

After a year in that capacity Mr. Storey was called to New York as assistant to Director of Exchanges Elmer Pearson.

When Associated Exhibitors was reorganized Mr. Storey was made sales manager, which position he held until Arthur Kane and his associates took over the management of the company. Then he was made Special Representative of Pathé home office, with supervision of district and branch managers.

Following the resignation of E. A. Eschmann to go to First National a year ago. Vice President and General Manager Pearson named Mr. Storey general sales manager, which position he now holds.

In the Pathé office Mr. Storey has five assistant managers. His jurisdiction includes besides these the district managers as well as the entire sales personnel.

Mr. Storey’s progress in the Pathé organization has been consistently steady, an exemplification of the Pathé tradition that meritorious work will bring advancement within the ranks of the organization.

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Collection: Exhibitors Trade Review, 2 August 1924

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