In 1925, after he graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Francis Willard (F.W.) Griffith joined his father and brother in the company. F.W. was an excellent salesman with an easy-going and fun-loving personality. He used his formidable powers of persuasion in Washington, D.C., to lobby for company approvals from the USDA.
His salesmanship, interest in Latin America and eagerness to learn Spanish prompted F.W. to found Griffith Laboratories, South America in the early 1950s, which became the foundation for today's operations in Mexico and Brazil.
F.W. used Griffith Laboratories in the United States as a model for the South American company. Although he focused most of his attention on Latin America, he also started an export department in Union, New Jersey, in the 1940s.
F.W.'s export department was small but profitable. It consisted of a single salesperson, which was later expanded to three, who traveled around the world and sold Griffith's standard items. This export division inspired Dean Griffith to establish companies overseas.