The Making of a Blockbuster

by Gail DeGeorge

Thirty-five years ago, Wayne Huizenga rose before sunup each morning to run his garbage collection route. Today, the sun hasn't yet set on his multibillion-dollar sports, entertainment, and waste management empire. Now, in The Making of a Blockbuster, Business Week reporter Gail DeGeorge gives us the complete inside story of how a rowdy young college dropout-turned-garbage collector rose to become a corporate titan. Writing in a taut, journalistic style, DeGeorge traces the evolution of Huizenga's business empire, beginning in 1962 when, with $5,000 borrowed from his father-in-law, Huizenga purchased a second-hand garbage truck and a handful of commercial accounts. From this modest start, he built Waste Management, the world's largest waste collection company. He then managed a string of far-flung and highly profitable business ventures - from portable toilets to pest control - and then grew Blockbuster from l9 video stores to a 3,700-store entertainment conglomerate with annual revenu