Career
Weil joined Weil Brothers-Cotton, Inc. not long after the end of the Second World War. At the time, he was to work for his father and his uncle. As the story goes, Weil had to negotiate his salary with his uncle rather than Adolph. This caused a bit of a stir. But it also initiated Weil into the trading aspect of the business. "Cotton men" are notoriously difficult negotiators.
By taking a position at WBCI, Weil joined his brother, Adolph Jr., as the third generation of Weils at the company. The two brothers were made to start as "squidges;" essentially janitors for the sample room. A sample room is a room in a cotton trading firm's building where cotton samples are handled and evaluated. A large amount of loose cotton makes its way to the floor and must be cleaned sometimes several times in a day.
Weil's handling of the broom eventually changed into handling of samples and then into handling of accounts and sales. By 1949, he was making calls on mills overseas. And in 1968 he and Adolph, Jr. took over the business as president and chairman, respectively.
Read more about this topic: Robert Schoenhof Weil
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