The vision of Harry Wayne Huizenga for an improved service industry

They say that one man’s garbage can be another man’s treasure. Ok, sure, this does not apply to every situation, but in some especial cases, this old saying seems to fit in perfectly.

A businessman, a good and experienced one that is, has vision and knows about timing, he knows when to step in and seize it, and this is what truly gives him an edge over others. The story of Harry Wayne Huizenga illustrates this seeming irony of fate, but also how vision and effort conjure up to produce those opportunities that will define the future of our business.

Today, he’s well known for building three of Fortune’s 500 top companies, he has owned the Miami Dolphins, the Florida Marlins, and even the Panthers hockey team, which means he has owned two national championship winner teams during his life, now, how many businessman can boast about something like that? Huizenga was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1937. He moved to Florida in his teens, when his parents tried one last time to make their marriage work.

He had been born to an abusive father that just wouldn’t change. When they divorced, Harry went to live with his mother and helped her regularly with the expenses. He used to drive a truck and pump gas after school and on the weekends.

Eventually, Harry decided to drop out of school and go to work with a family friend who had a garbage collection company, this would be the seed moment for his first major business. It took him two years before he could buy his own truck and branch out on his own, but after he had it he would work harder than ever, from 2:30 am until noon just to go knocking on doors in the afternoons to reach out for more clients. Forty trucks and a merger latter and Waste Management Inc. was born. It became one of the largest in the country after acquiring 150 local and regional smaller companies.

Real vision is found in his actions to buy the Blockbuster franchise and turning it from a 7 $ million dollars business into a 4 $ billion global enterprise, reaching 11 different countries with over 3,700 stores. He went on to sell the company to Viacom for 8.4 $ billion in stock. His ventures with AutoNation and Extended Stay America are also perfect examples of Huizenga’s talent for business and vision regarding the service industry.

Although he received the Horatio Alger Award, given to those who have faced great difficulties in the road to success, as well as recognition in several business magazines as an inspiring figure within the service industry, there’s little doubt the he is also a very controversial person, with claims of domestic violence, criminal ties and political corruption, he remains nonetheless as one of the most interesting personalities in business culture.