Leadership

In 1953, Ash and his partner, Tex Thornton, bought Litton Industries, a small West Coast producer of microwave tubes. Litton embarked on an aggressive acquisition course. By 1961, the same year Ash became president of the company, Litton had completed 25 mergers and operated 48 plants in nine countries with $245 million in sales. By 1965, Litton had over $900 million in sales and produced 5,000 different items.