Profiles of Entrepeneurs/Corsair Neckwear: Made To Measure Magazine

Bob Martin & Robby Martin

Born in 1921 New Orleans, Bob Martin began his career with neckties at age 18. His dream had been to be an airplane pilot (fulfilled during World War II); by the time he graduated from high school, however, Bob decided a steady income on the ground offered a more secure future. He needed a job.

In 1939, he took a position with Wembley—the largest in the world of over 400 tie manufacturers. For 9 years, Martin learned the business from the ground up. Eventually, he headed the cutting department. He was so proficient, the general manager/vice-president of Wembley left that factory with the intent of starting his own shop, asking Bob to run the new plant for him.

Corsair Neckwear began in 1948. At no time has the Martin family owned Corsair; yet, Bob and his son, Robby, have dedicated their lives to its on-going success.

The original owner, deceased in 1971, left the business to his 3 sons who continue to be the sole partners. Management of the plant remains under Martin’s supervision. “When I left Wembley, I knew how to manufacture and sell ties. When I took over Corsair, I also became a mechanic and an engineer,” reflects the soft-spoken Southern gentleman.

The first home for Corsair was above a bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Martin and 10 employees kept the business afloat. When the bar unexpectedly caught fire, Corsair burned along with it. Hanging on by a thread, Bob and his crew started again, this time at the old Magazine Street address, sequestered between the French Quarter and the Mississippi River. Stabilized, the company began to grow.

Now, with over 30 employees, Corsair has spent the last several years in its newer 9,000 sq. ft. building on Elysian Fields Avenue. “We’ve never been a giant, but we’ve held on,” says Bob. Thinking over his 58 years in the business—50 with his wife, 4 children and their families—he recalls surviving society’s radical changes effecting the neckwear industry: Nehru jackets, golf, and stand-collar shirts.

“Sometimes, my wife only saw me once a week. It was a different world, then. I had to be a workaholic to survive. If I did a task myself, it held expenses down. A job was for a lifetime, part of a person’s identity.” Bob still goes to work every day. “When I can’t get out of bed any more, I’ll know it’s time to retire,” he chuckles. “Now, I spend more time with my family, and I enjoy the Blackjack tables at the casinos.”

What Martin contributed to Corsair is its survival. While he contentedly leaves the future to Robby, Bob knows that the presently existing success of the business is due to his own initial efforts and commitment. What was once a flourishing industry has dwindled to 75-80 manufacturers of neckwear in the world market. By selling through catalogues rather than expensive commissioned sales-reps., continual communication with customers, staying within a fairly conservative, unchanging market—uniform and career ties—Corsair has held its own.

“If a person wants to succeed in business, he or she needs to work hard, and be competitive. Try everything you can,” emphasizes Bob. “Remember that most ladies and gentlemen are fine people. Don’t compromise their trust or your values.”

Bob Martin, easy-going and comfortable with the standards he has set for himself over the years, continues to “look in all directions, take my time, hold down my costs, expand my sales. And have a lot of faith in people.”

Robby Martin shares many of his father’s characteristics. He readily admits that his dad is his hero. 38 years old, a high school graduate who prefers working with his hands to reading a textbook, Rob has grown up in New Orleans with the same warm, people-oriented values.

Conversant, open, self-appraising in contrast to Bob’s more formal, objective approach, Robby gushes about his wife, Jill, and their 2 children. “Family is my priority. I have to enjoy myself,” he says in the slow drawl which reveals the gentleness of the Old South. “My thoughts are always going in so many directions. My mind is like a circus.”

Robby is definite about not being a workaholic—lists golf, fishing, close friends as valuable parts of his life. “I have good common sense, I do a good job to the degree it has to be done. But I love to punch out—mentally and physically.”

In the business for the last 10 years, Rob has learned a lot from his dad. Even though Rob now manages the company, he admits his dad is the bottom-line expert; yet, it doesn’t intimidate Robby. Rather, Bob taught Robby to think for himself. “I never forget that I can be wrong, that it’s my responsibility either way.”

What Rob has added to Corsair is his personal relationship with employees and customers. “We are discarding some things, adding others,” deliberates Rob, “in order to get the business closer to its possibilities, achieve its ceiling. Computers and the Internet are very important. We are expanding 1 step at a time. Is it good or bad? I don’t know. I don’t have big goals.”

Robby supports off-shore manufacturing, as long as labor conditions are ethical. “America is not superior—countries should work together as one; export/import laws must be respected, fair.”

He admits stiff competition makes it harder and harder to survive. He is not a supporter of Affirmative Action. “People should compete on the basis of what they do, not what they are. Equal rights go both ways—no discrimination against or for.”

The biggest changes Rob Martin has seen at Corsair Neckwear have been in the area of marketing; both with technology and public relations. “Whatever it takes, I need to change with the times if I want to compete. My customers are my most important product. I always try to be genuine; just tell it like it is. I never try to take advantage of anyone.”