Thomas J. Bata: "To be successful and good, you've got to have character of mind"

Abstract

Almost every day, certainly every week, I've got something different on my feet from [Thomas J. Bata] or another organization to find out if the competition has got something better or, better yet, gain satisfaction if they don't. I test shoes for comfort in different climates. And you'll often find me wearing different shoes on my left and right foot to compare them under similar conditions. Bata's father, Tomas, founds company in Zlin, now part of the Czech Republic. He dies in 1932; family members take over. Thomas flees Europe and carries on family tradition in Canada by launching shoemaking operations in Batawa, near Trenton, Ont.