 The deal, which cost Siegler five shares for each seven Lear shares, nearly doubled the company's sales - from $96.2 million in 1961 to $190.8 million by the end of 1962.John G. Brooks was founder, President and Chairman of Siegler; and William Lear was founder, President and Chairman at Lear.The merger was based on Brooks' plan of acquiring and growing successful but possibly unrelated operating companies (with resources and management in common) into one of the first conglomerates (with a focus on aerospace, defense and consumer markets) and Lear's goal of divesting his ownership interest in Lear to pursue development of his Learjet corporate aircraft (the first pure jet private aircraft) as well as other engineering innovations.