February 13, 2026 • 10 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before leading ten publicly traded companies, Jerre Stead was waking up at 3 a.m. to deliver newspapers in rural Iowa. In this story, Stead explains how running a paper route at age nine—through snowstorms, strict deadlines, difficult customers, and personal loss—taught him the fundamentals of leadership, ethics, and responsibility. Those early mornings shaped how he later led companies, treated people, and built cultures rooted in trust and performance.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Henry return to our American stories. Joining us next is
Jerry Stead, who may be the most impactful business person
you've never heard of, at least not yet. Jerry has
never sought the spotlight, not during his tenure serving as
CEO or chairman of ten publicly traded companies, perhaps the
first in history to accomplish this, and not during his
(00:31):
philanthropic work where he has given well over half a
billion dollars to charity. Jerry is also unique and that
he never had a contract as CEO or chairman. Jerry
wanted his performance, not a piece of paper, to be
the reason why companies trusted him with command. To give
you an idea of how successful Jerry's leadership has been,
(00:52):
considered that a one thousand dollars investment in his good
friend Warren Buffett's Berkshire halfaway thirty eight years ago would
be worth one million dollars today. That same one thousand
dollars investment in Jerry's companies would be worth eight million,
eight hundred thousand today, more an eight times greater. In
this story, Jerry shares with us how his lofty business
(01:14):
career began many years ago at the age of nine.
Delivery newspapers in the early morning hours in Iowa.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Three am. That's when I rise every morning. Never said
an alarm since I was nine years old. Growing up
in Iowa, you'd think I had been brought up as
a farmer's son. While my parents did assist farmers throughout
using their startup insurance company, we didn't work the land
or heard any livestock. I was a newspaper boy at
(01:48):
the age of nine. I welded the Des Moines Register
like nobody's business. I had fifty one daily newspapers sixty
five Sunday newspapers every morning, seven days a week. From
my bed, get myself together, eat a quick breakfast, padle
to the railroad station where newspapers were thrown from the railcar.
(02:09):
Th newspapers would land alongside the tracks. I carried my
trusty wirecutters that were so important because in those days
they always bundled the papers with wire. I placed the
papers in heavy canvas bags on either side of my
bikes where will It was quite the load, but once
I had the papers on and I hustled to make
(02:30):
it all happen. I had to be at Walley's by
four to twenty am and stands by four to thirty am.
Those were the two taverns in town that were just
three blocks apart. Both of them received three copies of
the register, and if I didn't arrive by four point
thirty with the registered sports sections, i'd hear about it.
I can still remember Wally yelling at me once for
(02:53):
being three minutes late. None of us liked to be
yelled at, and I sure didn't either. I scheduled my
time and arrange my route so the taverns were always first.
Sometimes I'd arrive at the railroad station right on time,
as always waiting for my papers, but the train would
be late. Often it was ten to twelve minutes late.
(03:13):
Then I really had to scramble. I pedal like crazy
to get the papers to the taverns, get these two
customer orders, dropped up, and go on to do my
normal route before school. But into February and Iowa, i'd
be on roads where snow was taller than me, sometimes
as high as five feet high on each side of
(03:34):
the road. I couldn't get my bike to customer's front doors.
The snow and icy roads would double the amount of
time I had to deliver the papers, so I quickly
learned how to toss each paper to its expected spot.
I became very adept at throwing over snow piles. I
used rubber bands to hold the papers together. Every customer
(03:56):
wanted their newspaper in the same location each morning. Was
a unique exercise and target practice and finesse, all while
trying to pull my mind from the strict schedule. Thankfully,
no one minded me throwing the papers when the weather
was bad. I'll never forget one day, one winter day,
(04:17):
my dog Sandy, who always came with me on my route,
was following behind me. Car came over the hill. It
was still dark. Sandy was hit and killed within seconds.
A helpless feeling for me the most I'd ever had.
I cried, but I also felt a deep responsibility to
get the papers delivered. I had to quickly think through
(04:39):
what to do. Working through the emotion of that terrible moment,
alone and in the coal I ended up moving Sandy
to the side of the road, got my paper route done,
and went home so my father could help me gather
up Sandy, and we buried him near our own Interacting
with customers was always fun and satisfying for me as
(05:00):
a young man. I had to go door to door
once a week to collect, but I liked getting to
know the people around our town. Sometimes collecting could be
very tricky. Every now and then I'd call on a
customer and they'd literally hide in their house. They'd refuse
to answer the door. I really dreaded those moments, not
only because they were uncomfortable, but I was the one
(05:22):
out of the money. I had to pay for every
paper myself. If someone didn't pay, I paid the price. Thankfully,
Christmas came around each year and helped these my irritation
with non paying customers. I was always showered with candy,
baked goods, and even homemade gifts. I still to this
day have a few white embroidered ankerchiefs with my initials JLS.
(05:46):
I loved it when the newspapers would offer special incentives
to gain new customers. I enjoy a good challenge and
am naturally driven for success, so the thrill of earning
an extra reward was exciting and welcomed. I was ten,
then a veteran newspaper boy, and then registered offered a
program that allowed me to order five papers free of charge,
(06:09):
with the intent that I would use them to sell
new subscriptions and increase the customer base. I read the
rules quickly realized that I could order extra papers, but
I didn't actually have to use them to win the prize.
I could win the prize without having to gain new customers.
So I ordered five extra newspapers every week for a month.
(06:30):
I piled up the papers in my nana's workship, and
I won the prize. It seems so simple. I'd outthought
the paper, and it felt good that I'd figured out
the loophole. Soon after that, my father noticed all the
papers piled in the woodshed. He asked me what I
was doing. I told him that I'd outthought the paper
and won the prize without actually using the extras they
(06:52):
had supplied. You never want a prize if you're not
being honest, Dad said, you lose, no matter what gain.
My father's comment about honesty was a wonderful life lesson.
I've always operated with his principle in mind. I think
through the many business acquisitions, global meetings, reorganizations, philanthropic ventures,
(07:15):
and personal matters I've faced, and I always operate with
one hundred percent trust of every person. Always, I also
verify my intentions. Yes, I could win the prize, But
am I going about it in the right values? Is
it ethical? Is it it the right way to do business?
My dad taught me that shortcuts take you places not
(07:37):
worthy of going to. Ever, when Sandy died that morning,
I cried for fifteen minutes. My hurt and sadness could
not be stopped for a child who loved his dog. Yes,
I had a job to do, but I also had
to allow my human emotions to run the courts. Throughout
my years as a leader, I continually strive to remember
(08:00):
and teach that when people come to work, they're not
just walking through the door. There are a hundred different
things that they're carrying in their minds and in their hearts.
We have to make sure that we relate to them
and take the time for the humanness of daily living.
For every one of our colleagues. The incident with Sandy
was a reminder for the kind of culture I wanted
(08:23):
to build in every company that I'd led. A few
years ago at the University of Iowa, I met with
twenty five of the top contributors to the school of
the Tippee College of Business. Our hosts started off our
meeting asking each of us what our first jobs were
and how they impacted our lives. In that moment, I
(08:45):
realized how great an impact my newspaper delivery job had
been on my life. Yours as a student, son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, manager, businessman, CEO,
and chairman have been profoundly a affected by the simple
lessons I learned before dawn making five dollars per week.
(09:05):
I asked that group how many of you had newspaper
routes when you were younger. Turns out twenty one of
the twenty five attendees had worked a newspaper route as well.
So many of us have shared experiences. So many around
the great country of ours have commonalities that are unspoken.
So many of us strive to do our best every
(09:27):
day at work, at home, and in our communities. Yet
so often we're running at our own pace, following our
own to do list, and overlooking the opportunity to interact
or share with one another on a deeper level. My
goal as a leader always has been to be layered
and linear, be present in the moment, listen to everyone
(09:50):
and for the people that you are with. Always keep
in mind the vision and the end goal. Early mornings
as a paper boy taught me to be present for
every customer, but to keep in mind the entire route
so that all would be served and the enterprise could
continue for another day.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
And a terrific job on the production and editing by
our own Madison Dericott, and a special thanks to Jerry Stead,
CEO and chairman of ten publicly traded companies. But that
first job as a paper boy taught them a lot
of life lessons that layered and linear approach to life.
Take care of that individual customer, but see the paper
route as a whole. You've got to get to the end.
(10:31):
You've got to take care of your best customers, but
you've got to take care of all of them. By
the way, I had my first job too, as a
paper boy, delivering the Bergen Record, Jerry Stead's first job
here on our American Stories
Henry return to our American stories. Joining us next is
Jerry Stead, who may be the most impactful business person
you've never heard of, at least not yet. Jerry has
never sought the spotlight, not during his tenure serving as
CEO or chairman of ten publicly traded companies, perhaps the
first in history to accomplish this, and not during his
(00:31):
philanthropic work where he has given well over half a
billion dollars to charity. Jerry is also unique and that
he never had a contract as CEO or chairman. Jerry
wanted his performance, not a piece of paper, to be
the reason why companies trusted him with command. To give
you an idea of how successful Jerry's leadership has been,
(00:52):
considered that a one thousand dollars investment in his good
friend Warren Buffett's Berkshire halfaway thirty eight years ago would
be worth one million dollars today. That same one thousand
dollars investment in Jerry's companies would be worth eight million,
eight hundred thousand today, more an eight times greater. In
this story, Jerry shares with us how his lofty business
(01:14):
career began many years ago at the age of nine.
Delivery newspapers in the early morning hours in Iowa.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Three am. That's when I rise every morning. Never said
an alarm since I was nine years old. Growing up
in Iowa, you'd think I had been brought up as
a farmer's son. While my parents did assist farmers throughout
using their startup insurance company, we didn't work the land
or heard any livestock. I was a newspaper boy at
(01:48):
the age of nine. I welded the Des Moines Register
like nobody's business. I had fifty one daily newspapers sixty
five Sunday newspapers every morning, seven days a week. From
my bed, get myself together, eat a quick breakfast, padle
to the railroad station where newspapers were thrown from the railcar.
(02:09):
Th newspapers would land alongside the tracks. I carried my
trusty wirecutters that were so important because in those days
they always bundled the papers with wire. I placed the
papers in heavy canvas bags on either side of my
bikes where will It was quite the load, but once
I had the papers on and I hustled to make
(02:30):
it all happen. I had to be at Walley's by
four to twenty am and stands by four to thirty am.
Those were the two taverns in town that were just
three blocks apart. Both of them received three copies of
the register, and if I didn't arrive by four point
thirty with the registered sports sections, i'd hear about it.
I can still remember Wally yelling at me once for
(02:53):
being three minutes late. None of us liked to be
yelled at, and I sure didn't either. I scheduled my
time and arrange my route so the taverns were always first.
Sometimes I'd arrive at the railroad station right on time,
as always waiting for my papers, but the train would
be late. Often it was ten to twelve minutes late.
(03:13):
Then I really had to scramble. I pedal like crazy
to get the papers to the taverns, get these two
customer orders, dropped up, and go on to do my
normal route before school. But into February and Iowa, i'd
be on roads where snow was taller than me, sometimes
as high as five feet high on each side of
(03:34):
the road. I couldn't get my bike to customer's front doors.
The snow and icy roads would double the amount of
time I had to deliver the papers, so I quickly
learned how to toss each paper to its expected spot.
I became very adept at throwing over snow piles. I
used rubber bands to hold the papers together. Every customer
(03:56):
wanted their newspaper in the same location each morning. Was
a unique exercise and target practice and finesse, all while
trying to pull my mind from the strict schedule. Thankfully,
no one minded me throwing the papers when the weather
was bad. I'll never forget one day, one winter day,
(04:17):
my dog Sandy, who always came with me on my route,
was following behind me. Car came over the hill. It
was still dark. Sandy was hit and killed within seconds.
A helpless feeling for me the most I'd ever had.
I cried, but I also felt a deep responsibility to
get the papers delivered. I had to quickly think through
(04:39):
what to do. Working through the emotion of that terrible moment,
alone and in the coal I ended up moving Sandy
to the side of the road, got my paper route done,
and went home so my father could help me gather
up Sandy, and we buried him near our own Interacting
with customers was always fun and satisfying for me as
(05:00):
a young man. I had to go door to door
once a week to collect, but I liked getting to
know the people around our town. Sometimes collecting could be
very tricky. Every now and then I'd call on a
customer and they'd literally hide in their house. They'd refuse
to answer the door. I really dreaded those moments, not
only because they were uncomfortable, but I was the one
(05:22):
out of the money. I had to pay for every
paper myself. If someone didn't pay, I paid the price. Thankfully,
Christmas came around each year and helped these my irritation
with non paying customers. I was always showered with candy,
baked goods, and even homemade gifts. I still to this
day have a few white embroidered ankerchiefs with my initials JLS.
(05:46):
I loved it when the newspapers would offer special incentives
to gain new customers. I enjoy a good challenge and
am naturally driven for success, so the thrill of earning
an extra reward was exciting and welcomed. I was ten,
then a veteran newspaper boy, and then registered offered a
program that allowed me to order five papers free of charge,
(06:09):
with the intent that I would use them to sell
new subscriptions and increase the customer base. I read the
rules quickly realized that I could order extra papers, but
I didn't actually have to use them to win the prize.
I could win the prize without having to gain new customers.
So I ordered five extra newspapers every week for a month.
(06:30):
I piled up the papers in my nana's workship, and
I won the prize. It seems so simple. I'd outthought
the paper, and it felt good that I'd figured out
the loophole. Soon after that, my father noticed all the
papers piled in the woodshed. He asked me what I
was doing. I told him that I'd outthought the paper
and won the prize without actually using the extras they
(06:52):
had supplied. You never want a prize if you're not
being honest, Dad said, you lose, no matter what gain.
My father's comment about honesty was a wonderful life lesson.
I've always operated with his principle in mind. I think
through the many business acquisitions, global meetings, reorganizations, philanthropic ventures,
(07:15):
and personal matters I've faced, and I always operate with
one hundred percent trust of every person. Always, I also
verify my intentions. Yes, I could win the prize, But
am I going about it in the right values? Is
it ethical? Is it it the right way to do business?
My dad taught me that shortcuts take you places not
(07:37):
worthy of going to. Ever, when Sandy died that morning,
I cried for fifteen minutes. My hurt and sadness could
not be stopped for a child who loved his dog. Yes,
I had a job to do, but I also had
to allow my human emotions to run the courts. Throughout
my years as a leader, I continually strive to remember
(08:00):
and teach that when people come to work, they're not
just walking through the door. There are a hundred different
things that they're carrying in their minds and in their hearts.
We have to make sure that we relate to them
and take the time for the humanness of daily living.
For every one of our colleagues. The incident with Sandy
was a reminder for the kind of culture I wanted
(08:23):
to build in every company that I'd led. A few
years ago at the University of Iowa, I met with
twenty five of the top contributors to the school of
the Tippee College of Business. Our hosts started off our
meeting asking each of us what our first jobs were
and how they impacted our lives. In that moment, I
(08:45):
realized how great an impact my newspaper delivery job had
been on my life. Yours as a student, son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, manager, businessman, CEO,
and chairman have been profoundly a affected by the simple
lessons I learned before dawn making five dollars per week.
(09:05):
I asked that group how many of you had newspaper
routes when you were younger. Turns out twenty one of
the twenty five attendees had worked a newspaper route as well.
So many of us have shared experiences. So many around
the great country of ours have commonalities that are unspoken.
So many of us strive to do our best every
(09:27):
day at work, at home, and in our communities. Yet
so often we're running at our own pace, following our
own to do list, and overlooking the opportunity to interact
or share with one another on a deeper level. My
goal as a leader always has been to be layered
and linear, be present in the moment, listen to everyone
(09:50):
and for the people that you are with. Always keep
in mind the vision and the end goal. Early mornings
as a paper boy taught me to be present for
every customer, but to keep in mind the entire route
so that all would be served and the enterprise could
continue for another day.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
And a terrific job on the production and editing by
our own Madison Dericott, and a special thanks to Jerry Stead,
CEO and chairman of ten publicly traded companies. But that
first job as a paper boy taught them a lot
of life lessons that layered and linear approach to life.
Take care of that individual customer, but see the paper
route as a whole. You've got to get to the end.
(10:31):
You've got to take care of your best customers, but
you've got to take care of all of them. By
the way, I had my first job too, as a
paper boy, delivering the Bergen Record, Jerry Stead's first job
here on our American Stories
Host
Lee Habeeb
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal Season 5
Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.