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To stand up and be heard, to have the name remembered, to take control, to dominate the market; that has always been the goal. Early HistoryAnarkon's humble roots can be traced to the winter of 1928, when founder William Z. Forester—son and sole heir of famed late 19th century transportation tycoon Fenwick Forester—spearheaded a violent attempt to take control of the city council in his hometown of Bethesda, Maryland. William, then a local commercial real estate magnate, wanted to push through new laws that would allow for the redevelopment of some 2,000 acres of low-income housing to be sold off in adjunct parcels and used solely as for-profit developments. He needed a two-thirds majority vote in the city council to pass the necessary legislation, but failed to garner the required support. As such, he took matters into his own hands, and the company philosophy was born.While the attempt narrowly failed, William's resolve was strengthened, and he later sought a more palpable and expedited means of gaining social and political control of his local government by formally incorporating his venture. Later that year, under the name Bethesda Corporation for The Greater Good, William and a handful of local business leaders—known as affiliates—now had the proper constitutional rights enjoyed by an individual. With this newfound freedom BCGG began a massive public relations campaign to shape local society as they saw fit—starting, fittingly, with widespread land use reform in Bethesda. Though the company never actually produced any marketable wares during these formative years, public response to BCGG advertising campaigns promoting corporate interests were overwhelmingly positive. By the spring of 1932, with the Great Depression in full swing, the Bethesda Corporation had—through the ingenious short-selling of foreclosures—become the single largest private land owner in Bethesda, generating millions in new revenue for the corporation and its affiliates. If a company can do well in bad times, it can surely do well at all times. A Turning PointOver the next 30 years, the breadth of Bethesda Corporation's domain remained local, until William fell suddenly ill and his only son Jacob N. Forester usurped the day-to-day operations of BCGG. Unlike his father, Jacob saw opportunities far outside Maryland, and in the midst of growing opposition to the Vietnam war, Jacob aspired to take the organization to new heights.During a research and development trip to Berkeley, California in the summer of 1968, Jacob's company vision was radically expanded. Upon returning to Maryland, The Bethesda Corporation was rebranded as Anarkon—and an American icon was born. During the next six years Anarkon would produce its first line of consumer goods and open sixteen stores along the Eastern sea board. Anarkon's confident and unique messaging, coupled with reliable and innovative products spoke to a new generation of draft-dodgers and burn-outs—the youthful masses, unhappy and disillusioned with the status quo. Over the next twenty years the company continued steady growth and during the 1980s saw profits and overall brand recognition quadruple. In 1994, the company moved operations from its birthplace in Bethesda to the San Francisco Bay Area—historic home to political extremism and counterculture values. Today Anarkon is one of the most widely recognized and respected names among our target markets and our aspirations and goals have remained just as pure as they were in 1928. |
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