One Company Hits 195 Years in 2019

Ashaway Line & Twine

Ashaway is best know as the only U.S. manufacturer of world-class racket strings, but it is also a leader in medical threads and custom braided products. Started in 1824 by Captain Lester Crandall to manufacture fishing line, the Rhode Island company is still in the Crandall family -- including the seventh generation. 

7th Generation Family Company Reaches 230th Anniversary

Hanover, Maryland firm George R. Ruhl & Son has been providing high quality bakery supplies to the mid-Atlantic states since starting as a flour and feed mill in 1789. Typical of Century Club companies, they say "although we continually adapt to the changing marketplace and invest in modern technologies to deliver even better service, we always hold true to the original family values that have always been at the heart of the company." Congratulations on your 230th anniversary!

Two Insurance Companies Celebrate 225 Years of Writing Policies

When you think about it, you kinda want to do business with an insurance company that has been around a while. These two started in 1794 and are still going strong today.

On January 21, 1794, a number of respectable citizens assembled to establish a fire insurance company similar to that created in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin. This meeting gave rise to the birth of the Baltimore Equitable Society. Policy Number 1 was issued on April 10, 1794 to Humphrey Pierce on his three-story brick house on Baltimore Street. By the end of its first year of operation, the Society was incorporated, making it older than Baltimore City itself, which was not incorporated until three years later.

Today, A.M. Best Company, which evaluates the financial stability of insurance companies, has rated Baltimore Equitable Society A - Excellent., meaning in Best's opinion, BEI has an excellent ability to meet their ongoing insurance obligations.

"That the citizens of this state may insure their buildings against losses and damages occasioned accidentally by fire and that the insured pay the losses and expenses, each his share, according to the sum insured." So reads the 1794 charter for the Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia

A mutual insurance company is owned and operated by its policyholders. It is run for their exclusive benefit. There are no stockholders. Each policyholder has a voice in the affairs of the company. Collectively, they elect its board of directors who, in turn, elect the officers who serve as the active managers of the business. Pure mutuals continue to operate in substantially the same manner they did when they began. Today’s economic challenges and technological changes must still be addressed, but the underlying concepts and principles remain.

America's Oldest Funeral Service Celebrates 250 Years

Located in Strasburg, Pennsylvania Bachman Funeral Home is an 8th generation family business. Established in 1769 it can lay claim to being the oldest continuously operating funeral service in the United States: 250 years, 8 generations - lots to celebrate!

Just One U.S. Company Celebrates 175th Anniversary in 2019

Congratulations go out to 5th generation family-owned and operated Maine building materials, lumber yard, and hardware store S. W. Collins Company on 175 years in business! In true Century Club fashion, they are celebrating this anniversary by making major donations to local causes in the communities in which they do business. Significantly, their mission is to continue to offer excellent products and legendary service as they strive to be an active, positive influence in the communities in which they live and work.

Celebrating Collins' 175th anniversary and the company's commitment to continued operations and service to their communities is especially notable since the one other company that would have celebrated 175 years in 2019, Harden Furniture, ceased operations last year. The 5th generation company was acquired through a foreclosure auction by a capital investment group and its later sale to a manufacturer intending to continue it as a brand product line fell through, according to Furniture Today.

Four Generational Companies Celebrate 180th Anniversaries in 2019

All four companies reaching their 180th anniversary this year are family owned and operated, two are 6th generation of the founding family. Join me in congratulating these amazing businesses.

E.B. Horn Jewelers is Boston's oldest jewelry store. Founded by clock and watchmaker Edwin Horn, the business is now owned and operated by 3rd generation Finn family cousins (the Finn family bought the store from the Horn family in the 1940s), with the 4th generation involved as well. A large grandfather clock built by Edwin Horn still stands in the store.

Moulton Ladder & Supply Company of Philadelphia is another 3rd generation business celebrating 180 years in 2019. Perhaps the oldest ladder company in the U.S., it was the first manufacturer of wooden ladders and has evolved into a wholesaler of all types of industrial ladders and scaffolds.

Sixth generation Schaeffer Manufacturing Company of St. Louis started out providing greases and oils for wagon trains and steamboats. Today, Schaeffer's Specialized Lubricants have a achieved world-class reputation for improving engine performance and fuel economy, plus they offer a diverse line of industrial lubricants, greases, and oils.

Another 6th generation company celebrating 180 years in business is Suter's Handcrafted Furniture of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded by Swiss master craftsman Daniel Suter, today they still create heirloom furniture meant to last a lifetime.


Read more about how companies such as these four have managed for long-term success in my book Lessons from Century Club Companies: Managing for Long-Term Success available on Amazon. 

Five U.S. Companies Celebrate 185th Anniversary in 2019

185 may not be a normal "benchmark" year, but when your company has been in continuous operation for that long, it is certainly reason for celebration. Andrew Jackson was President of just 24 United States when these firms began. Congratulations to these five: survival truly is the ultimate performance measure!

New York based Champion Sailmakers is run by 5th & 6th generation family engaged in the "world of canvas." As with many Century Club companies, their business has changed over the years but their commitment to producing high quality marine canvas products has stayed the same.

Still an independent local newspaper, the Galena Gazette is privately-owned and operated serving their northwestern Illinois community.

Maine's Hingham Institution for Savings is one of America's oldest banks. Though now a publicly traded stock, HIFS remains proudly independent and committed to "community, family, and local businesses."

Hinkle Chair Company is a 5th (& 6th) generation family owned and operated furniture manufacturer located in Greenbrier TN, Check out their rockers, benches, porch swings and other fine furniture.

The fifth celebrant is law firm McGuireWoods LLP of Richmond VA. From the founding in 1834, they now have over 1,000 lawyers in 22 offices across the U.S. and Europe.

Just One US Firm Celebrates 175th Anniversary in 2019

Century Club congratulations go out to S.W. Collins Co., a thriving 5th generation lumber and building supply dealer founded 1844 in Aroostook County, Maine. Visit their website to see how they are celebrating this amazing milestone: https://swcollins.com/

Two Companies Celebrate 190th Anniversaries in 2019

New Jersey based dancker started in 1829 making roll-top desks. Today they are an "integrated interior solutions" provider serving New York, DC and Baltimore as well.

5th generation D.G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating independent brewery in the U.S. (Though Laird & Company, 1780, is the oldest distiller.) Based in PA, Yuengling celebrated their 100th anniversary in 1929 during Prohibition -- by producing near beer.

Two Firms Celebrate 200 Years in 2019

200 years in business - what an accomplishment! Kudos to these two firms founded in 1819 on two centuries of serving customers, taking care of employees, and contributing to their communities.

The Jacob Bromwell Company is a specialty manufacturer of American-made kitchenware, housewares, and heritage products (popcorn poppers, flour sifters and tin cups). And take a look at their copper Moscow Mule mug!

Cravath, Swaine & Moore is a New York City law firm widely considered one of the most prestigious in the world. Since 2017 it has been ranked the #1 law firm in the U.S.

29 Companies to Join the Century Club in 2019

Congratulations to these companies founded in 1919 and still going strong - 18 are 3rd, 4th or 5th family generational companies, one is employee-owned, and two are public


Community Coffee 4th generation coffee roaster and seller in Baton Rouge, LA

Crescent Electric Supply Company is a privately-owned electrical equipment wholesaler based in East Dubuque IL

Cummins public company in Columbus, IN

D-A Lubricant is a privately-owned engineered products company in Lebanon, IN

Fourth generation Doyle Security Systems of Rochester, NY celebrates 100 years of protecting families and businesses with security services

Third generation Durkee-Mower Inc. of Lynn, MA is best know for their Marshmallow Fluff, which they have been producing since 1920.

Fourth generation Elebash's Jewelers has been a fixture of downtown Pensacola, FL since 1919 when two Elebash brothers purchased Lindenstruth Jewelers and renamed the store Elebash's

Farmers Elevator and Exchange Monroe City, MO co-op

First National Community Bank New Richmond, WI

Garris Evans Lumber is a 4th generation building materials business with several locations in Eastern North Carolina

Max Gordon is the 3rd generation owner-operator of Max Gordon Auto Parts and Battery Mart in Racine WI, a business started by his grandfather, Max, in 1919

Halliburton public Houston, TX

Hy-Point Dairy Wilmington, DE 3rd generation

Jefferson Lines Minneapolis, MN

Kuhnhausen's Furniture in Portland, OR is a 3rd generation retail furniture store now owned and run by women

Lake Union Dry Dock Seattle, WA 3rd generation shipyard and ship repair

Meadowlark Dairy Pleasanton, CA 3rd generation dairy turned ice cream parlor

Michuda Construction Tinley Park, IL is a 5th generation contractor

Reno Agency is an insurance agency in Wayland, MI

Grand Rapids, MI based Rowerdink is one of the largest wholesale auto parts distributors in the Midwest, led by John Rowerdink (I need help with generation of ownership)

Scully-Monroe Agency in Howell, MI was one of Citizens Insurance earliest appointed agencies (Citizens Insurance, founded in 1915, is now a member of the Hanover Insurance Group), now run by 2nd generation family

Serrano's Family Restaurants in Chandler, AZ started out as a department store, now 3rd & 4th generation with 5 locations of restaurants

Servco Honolulu, HI

Standard Electric Supply is a 3rd generation electrical products distributor in Milwaukee, WI

With the invention of the 1st practical electric hair clipper in 1919, 3rd generation Wahl Clipper Corp of Sterling, IL has been a leader in home and professional grooming.

Walter's Hot Dogs Mamaroneck, NY 3rd generation

Whipple and Co general store in Moorestown, MI

Wimmer's Diamonds 4th generation jeweler in Fargo, ND

Woodman's Market Janesville, WI employee-owned general store