The Road to Palm Springs
Russell Sigler
Chairman and CEO
Russell Sigler, Inc.
Russell Sigler is the Chairman and CEO of Russell Sigler, Inc., a successful wholesale distributor of air conditioning units and parts. At age 95, Russell is the embodiment of hard work and dedication, still working to maintain the integrity of the company he founded more than 60 years ago.
In 1941, the U.S. Army called on Sigler to serve in World War II. After retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1946, he worked as an engineer. But it was the inspirational messages of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends & Influence People and Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich that led him to found Russell Sigler, Inc. in 1950.
Russell’s start-up capital was provided by a savings bond and a series of war bonds. In a few years, he became a Carrier franchisee and, later, a distributor. Today the company has locations in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas.
A true believer in the power of positive thinking, Russell wrote himself a letter in 1949 stating that he expected to “earn $1 million by 1980 by establishing an air conditioning contracting business to install and service the best air conditioning system at competitive prices.” Not only did he meet this goal, but by 1970, the company was already recording sales of $8 million.
Today, Russell Sigler leads a successful business with loyal and dedicated employees. His next goal is to reach $1 billion in sales by 2017, and even though he’ll be 100, he plans to celebrate this accomplishment at work with the family and friends who have supported his vision along the way.
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