Belvin Friedson

Belvin Friedson rose from the streets of New York to create an innovative multinational corporation, died on Thursday, following a long illness. He was 81 and he made his home in Miami, Florida. The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Mr. Friedson founded Save-Way Beauty and Barber Supplies in 1963 in North Miami Beach with a handful of investors and just $45,000. The company went public in 1968, became Windmere- Durable Holdings in 1989, and then, in 1999, was renamed Applica. By 2003, its sales approached $750 million. Mr. Friedson left as CEO in 1987, but continued as chairman of the board until 1996. He remained a consultant until 2004. In the 1960's, long before the "global economy" existed, Mr. Friedson's visionary entrepreneurship led him to explore Asia's manufacturing capabilities in Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong. In 1981, he went to the People's Republic of China where he established a manufacturing operation that produced small electrical appliances and ultimately employed 20,000 people. Mr. Friedson's forward-thinking international efforts went beyond the concerns of his company to issues of geopolitical importance. Deeply troubled by the tragic legacy of the Vietnam War, Friedson authored the formation of the U.S.- Vietnam Trade Council in the mid- 1980s, on which he served as founding chairman. The Council sponsored academic exchange programs to foster greater understanding between the two cultures. This organization was instrumental in bringing about the normalization of trade relations with Vietnam, formalized in the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement of 2001. He attended Miami Beach High School and served as president of the student council in his senior year. In November 2002, Friedson was inducted into the Miami Beach High School Alumni Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Lucille; his daughters Deborah Chud (Laurence) of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, Barbara Garrett (Richard) of Coral Gables, Florida, and Joan Friedson Tonks (Robert) of La Jolla, California; his sons David (Susan), of New York, New York, and Adam (Alison), of Kensington, California; and his ten grandchildren.