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The Story of Henry Rowan

A man born to lead

From a young age, it was clear that Henry Rowan was meant to lead an exemplary life.


1923
The World Welcomes Henry Rowan

Henry Madison "Hank" Rowan Jr. was born on December 4th in Raphine, Virginia.

1932
An Important Gift

Rowan received a ledger book on his 9th birthday to account for his chore money and allowance.

An Entrepreneur in the Making

Rowan’s first entrepreneurial endeavor was in the chicken and egg business at age 9.

1936
Adventures in Sailing

Henry Rowan started sailing at Lake George. Soon sailboat racing became a lifelong pursuit.

1938
An Early Engineering Spirit

On his 15th birthday, Rowan’s mother presented him with his first car - a broken down 1923 Dodge - on the condition that he take it apart and rebuild the engine. By the end of the next summer it was road ready.

I don’t believe in destiny, the notion that we all have an unalterable role in history awaiting us. From what I’ve seen, the most significant turning points in our lives are functions of pure chance and circumstance; success or failure depends on how we deal with both.
Henry Rowan

1941
Graduated from Deerfield

Henry Rowan graduated from Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts.

College Education

Henry Rowan started college at Williams and later enrolled at MIT.

1943
Army Air Corps

Henry Rowan paused his education to enlist in the Army Air Corps.

1945
Bomber Pilot

Henry Rowan received his wings as a bomber pilot.

Marriage

Henry Rowan married his childhood sweetheart Betty Lou Long.

Furthered Education

Discharged in October, Rowan headed back East and re-enrolled at MIT.

1947
A Graduate

Henry Rowan graduated from MIT with a BS in Electrical Engineering. The education at MIT nurtured the inventor, engineer and entrepreneur in Rowan. Three qualities that would prove critical to his success in business.

First Job

Henry Rowan started his first job at Ajax Electrothermic Corporation in Trenton, NJ.

1952
A Resignation

Wanting the opportunity to apply his own new ideas to induction furnace design, Rowan resigned from Ajax.


The Drive to succeed against all odds, to set and meet goals that others considered impossible, burned deeply within Henry Rowan.

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1953
Inductotherm Corp. Was Born

Henry Rowan founded Inductotherm Corp. Its first order of a 60-pound beryllium copper furnace was built in his garage.

1954
A Bold Move

Henry Rowan capitalized Inductotherm by selling his home.

Where possible, we bought in bulk, looking ahead to the day when our little shop would bustle with activity. We planned to create a new art – new designs and better, more efficient furnaces.
Henry Rowan

1957
A New Purchase

Rowan purchased a 1955 Ercoupe starting “InductoAir,” proving Inductotherm’s commitment to delivering the fastest, most economical, and best sales and service to their customer.

1958
Leaps and Bounds

Inductotherm closed the year with $71,000 in revenue, growing to $239,700 in 1956 and leaping to $1 million in 1958.


Henry Rowan would build Inductotherm Corp., slowly but steadily over the next 60 years, into the flagship company that launched a global organization called Inductotherm Group.

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