USA Today Celebrates 100 Year Old Companies

The June 16 issue of USA Today had a nice article about IBM's 100th anniverary (birthday?). In it they quote Jim Collins of "Built to Last" fame - and me! The reporter had Standard & Poors compile a list of publicly traded U.S. companies over 100 years old, which has given me a number of companies to add to my data base. CBS Sunday Morning also had a segment on IBM's reaching the century mark...as did Forbes...and The Economist...and The New York Times. IBM has done a good job of letting people know about their achievement and bringing focus to what it takes for a corporation to survive over the long term. "One central message," says the Times article: "Dont' walk away from your past. Build on it. The crucial building blocks...are skills, technology and marketing assets that can be transferred or modified to pursue new opportunities. Those are a company's core assets....far more so than any particular product or service."

Perhaps because IBM went through some very difficult times during the 1990s they are especially celebratory now to have made it to the 100 year mark. Whatever the reason, IBM is doing a great job letting the world know about their new membership in the Century Club!