LOCAL Houston | The City Guide JULY 2016 | Page 42

WHERE ARE JAMES DYSON

THEY NOW

LOCAL has been publishing for over 18 years and we have the
archives to show it. With this column we continue to reach back
into our old issues to see “Where are they now?”

JULY 2016

Photography by Larry Fagala

Photography Courtesy of www.dyson.com

FEBRUARY 2004

VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 62 | FEBRUARY 2004
James Dyson | British brainiac and vacuum innovator
In February 2004, Sir James Dyson graced our cover alongside his revolutionary Dyson Cyclone. From a frustrating vacuum experience in 1978, which
started his journey to create a better vacuum, to 5,127 prototypes over a fiveyear period to more than 10 million Dyson machines sold worldwide to date
in February 2004, things have only grown for the bagless vacuum inventor.
Today Sir James Dyson is a billionaire. There is a James Dyson Award and
Foundation whose mission it is to encourage the next generation of design
engineers to be creative, challenge and invent. There are more products in
over 65 countries worldwide like the Air Multiplier which is a bladeless cooling
fan, hand dryers in public bathrooms, desk fans and hair dryers – all with sleek

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modern sensibilities that flip our expectations of the way things have always
worked.
And Dyson continues to shake things up. As recently as last month, Dyson was
in the news for stating that Britain would gain more from leaving the EU than
it would lose. According to the BBC, Dyson said the single market did not work
because exporters had to adapt products like his to cater for different languages and different types of plugs. Most recently the Dyson company invested in a purpose-built motors facility in Singapore whose sole purpose is to precision-manufacture every single Dyson digital motor. Let’s see what he does in
the next 10 years…