A super salesman, Willys took over the foundering Overland company, reforming it as the Willys-Overland Company in 1908. For six years, Willys-Overland was second only to Ford in U.S. vehicle production, with sales in 1914 reaching 80,000. Walter P. Chrysler was brought in to run the company for two years after its fortunes began falling with a disastrous six-month strike in 1918. Willys sold his stock in the company for $21 million in 1929 and became U.S. ambassador to Poland. He returned to the company in 1932 to reorganize the company and save it from bankruptcy.