The Story of Henry Rowan
Henry Madison "Hank" Rowan Jr. was born on December 4th in Raphine, Virginia.
Rowan received a ledger book on his 9th birthday to account for his chore money and allowance.
Rowan’s first entrepreneurial endeavor was in the chicken and egg business at age 9.
Henry Rowan started sailing at Lake George. Soon sailboat racing became a lifelong pursuit.
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.
Henry Rowan graduated from Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts.
Henry Rowan started college at Williams and later enrolled at MIT.
Henry Rowan paused his education to enlist in the Army Air Corps.
Henry Rowan received his wings as a bomber pilot.
Henry Rowan married his childhood sweetheart Betty Lou Long.
Discharged in October, Rowan headed back East and re-enrolled at MIT.
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.
Henry Rowan started his first job at Ajax Electrothermic Corporation in Trenton, NJ.
Wanting the opportunity to apply his own new ideas to induction furnace design, Rowan resigned from Ajax.
Henry Rowan founded Inductotherm Corp. Its first order of a 60-pound beryllium copper furnace was built in his garage.
Henry Rowan capitalized Inductotherm by selling his home.
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.
Inductotherm closed the year with $71,000 in revenue, growing to $239,700 in 1956 and leaping to $1 million in 1958.