Eight Companies Celebrate 145 Years in 2020 - Four are 5th Generation

145th anniversary may not seem like a major milestone, but think about what it takes for a company that began in 1875 to survive to 2020. These eight companies did it:

Anderson's Bookshops, Naperville IL, 5th generation (started as a pharmacy that also sold books, now three bookstores)

Chauvin Brothers, Chauvin LA, 5th generation (lumber and building materials)

Columbus McKinnon, Getzville NY, public (global equipment manufacturer)

Daniel Orr Sons Hardware, North Branch MI, 5th generation (retail hardware store)

Keep & Martinson Lumber, Tekonsha MI (lumber & building materials)

Normandin, San Jose CA, 5th generation (retail automotive)

Prudential, Newark NJ, public (global insurance & investments)

Schnipper, Britton & Stobaugh, Hot Springs AR (law firm)

150th Anniversary Celebrations for These Companies

The year was 1870. The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving black males the right to vote, became law. And of the many companies getting started as the United States was recovering from the Civil War, these 13 have survived to celebrate their 150th anniversaries in 2020. Eight are generational family companies; two are public. Five provide food or beverage products; four are in manufacturing; there's a bank, a bus line, a real estate investment firm, and a specialty construction firm (ironwork and masonry).

Androscoggin Bank, Lewiston ME

Brown-Forman, Louisville KY

Case's Pork Roll, Trenton NJ

Challenge Machinery, Norton Shores MI

Clark & Wilkins, Larchmont NY

DeCamp Bus Lines, Montclair NJ

Graeter's, Cincinnati OH

Kissling Interests, New York City NY

Pendery's, Dallas TX

Star of the West Milling, Frankenmuth MI

Tennant, Minneapolis MN

White's Marble Works, Sweetwater TN

Woodward Hexcel, Fort Collins CO

12 Companies Celebrate 155th Anniversaries in 2020

In 1865 the Civil War ended. Of the many businesses founded that year, these 12 have survived to celebrate their 155th anniversary.  A few grew to be large companies, but all except one are privately owned - and ten are generational family businesses. 

American Hotel Register, Vernon Hills IL, 3rd & 4th generation hospitality products and services

Cargill, Minnetonka MN,  6th generation agricultural products

Carter's, Atlanta GA, apparel manufacturer (public)

DWS Printing Associates, Deer Park IL, 5th generation printer specializing in labels

J. Henry Stuhr Funeral Home, Charleston SC, 5th generation funeral services

Kipp Visual Systems, Baltimore MD, commercial security systems (private)

Kositcheck's, Lansing MI, 4th generation retail menswear

Lacy Foundries, Baltimore MD, 5th generation metal products

Langlois Pianos, Bremerton WA, 5th generation piano sales and service

Law Jones Funeral Home, Savanna IL, 2nd generation funeral services

Milliken & Company, Spartanburg SC, 4th generation textile products, floor coverings (and more)

Newman Galleries, Philadelphia PA, 5th generation art gallery and dealer

1860 Was A Turbulent Year; 7 Companies Founded Then Survive 160 Years

The Pony Express began its first run from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California; Abraham Lincoln was elected 16th President of the United States; South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union. And these seven companies opened for business. Two are 7th generation family operations, three are 5th generation, one is a "mutual" organization owned by its policy holders - all are private. Join me in congratulating these seven amazing firms on their 160th anniversary!

Graafschap Hardware, Holland MI  7th generation

Guardian Life Insurance, New York NY  Mutual

James Thompson & Co, New York NY  (textile dyer & finisher)

Langeland-Sterenberg Funeral Homes, Holland MI  5th generation

The Requarth Co, Dayton OH  5th generation (lumber & building products)

W.A. Bean & Sons, Bangor ME  5th generation (butcher)

Wilson Bohannan Lock, Marion OH  7th generation (manufacture padlocks)

Five Generational Companies Celebrate 165th Anniversary in 2020

Of the eight companies founded in 1855 surviving into 2020 to celebrate their 165th anniversary, six are private and five of those are generational family-owned firms; the other two are public. We have two funeral homes, two real estate services firms, two very different manufacturing firms (one a diversified manufacturer of engineered industrial products and the other hand-crafted beds & mattresses), a forest products company, and a bank. Here is the list:

Baird & Warner, Chicago IL, 5th generation

Charles P. Rogers, New York City NY

Collins Companies, Portland OR, 5th generation

Crane, Stamford CT, public

David Funeral Chapel, Leavenworth KS, 7th generation

Dollar Bank, Pittsburgh PA, public

N.P. Dodge, Omaha NE, 5th generation

Schoedinger Funeral Homes, Columbus OH, 6th generation

Eight Companies Celebrate 170th Anniversaries in 2020

An interesting mix of companies were started in 1850 and now celebrate their 170th anniversaries, proving you don't have to be in a certain industry in order to survive. Two of the eight are public and the other six are private - two in the 6th generation family ownership and one 7th generation. Two are manufacturers, though in very different areas (billiards and industrial technologies) and have branched beyond just manufacturing (retail and brand management); one financial giant; one art restorer; one jeweler; one hardware store; a wood products company; and a funeral home. Take a few minutes to reflect on what it has taken for these firms to weather the changes that have taken place over the past 170 years to remain in operation today.

A.E. Schmidt Billiards, Chesterfield MO - 6th generation

American Express, New York City NY

Matthews International, Pittsburgh PA

Oliver Brothers: Art Restoration & Conservation, Boston MA

Preusser Jewelers, Grand Rapids MI

Raymond Hardware, Port Sanilac MI

Stimson Lumber, Portland OR - 7th generation

Wilbert Funeral Home, Plaquemine LA - 6th generation

Three 175th Anniversary Celebrations in 2020

A public manufacturing company, a law firm, and a mutual insurance company all celebrate 175 years of continuous operation this year. Century Club congratulations!

Brunswick is a public (NYSE:BC) manufacturer of a variety of products and brands in the recreational marine market. Though they had expanded into other areas over the years (bowling, cycling, billiards) their primary focus today is boating.

Based in Newark, McCarter & English is among the oldest law firms in the U.S. Founded in 1845 it now has over 400 lawyers with offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Washington DC in addition to New Jersey.

New York Life is the third largest insurance company in the United States and the 6th oldest insurance carrier by my records. It is a mutual insurance company, which means it is owned by its policy holders. As a "customer-owned" company, profits earned in are either retained within the company or returned to policyholders in the form of dividends or reduced future premiums. Interestingly, many agricultural cooperatives, another form of a customer owned company, have also thrived for over 100 years.