The Family Business 100: America’s oldest family companies
PAGE 3
* Denotes new listing
40 (tie) 1825
M.A. Patout & Son Ltd.
Patout family
Sugar, syrup, molasses/Patoutville, LA
www.mapatout.com
Pierre Siméon Patout (1791-1847), son of French peasants with Bonapartist sympathies, came to Louisiana, acquired slaves and began producing sugar cane. Now, M.A. Patout & Son Ltd. is the oldest (and largest) continuously operating, family-owned sugar plantation in U.S. Its subsidiaries are Raceland Raw Sugar and Sterling Sugars. The current chairman of the board, Frank William Patout, is a sixth-generation family member; other Patouts serve on the board.
42 1826
Henry W.T. Mali & Company
Mali family
Billiard products/New York, NY
www.malicloth.com
Belgian-born Henri W.T. Mali worked in his father’s cloth manufacturing firm. In 1826, he came to the U.S. to launch an office; his brother Charles joined him shortly after. They were succeeded by Pierre Mali, the son of their brother Jules. Pierre was succeeded by his eldest son, John Taylor Johnston Mali, and then by Pierre’s second son, Henry Julian Mali. The company now makes billiard cloth, cues and cases. Family members served as Belgian consuls in New York, 1831-1949. Ancestors include abolitionist Lucretia Mott. Fifth-generation president and CEO Frederick J. Mali passed away in 2007; his wife, Lucretia, succeeded him as president.
43 (tie) 1828
Cornell Iron Works
Cornell family
Industrial doors/Mountaintop, PA
www.cornelliron.com
In the 19th century, the company manufactured specialty ironwork, grates, railings, stairs and vaults. It originated in New York City, first serving the region and then expanding to New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. It provided circular stairs and ironwork for the Brooklyn Bridge and the iron base and stairways for the Statue of Liberty. Today the company is based in Northeastern Pennsylvania and makes secure overhead doors for commercial, industrial, institutional and retail use. CEO Andrew Cornell is a fifth-generation family member and the seventh family president.
43 (tie) 1828
George Jerome & Co.
Jerome family
Civil engineering, land surveying/Roseville, MI
www.georgejerome.com
Founder Edwin Jerome, originally from Batavia, N.Y., arrived in Michigan Territory and began a surveying enterprise. His company helped divide the township sections into more salable units and laid out the streets of pioneer Detroit. Edwin also taught school in Detroit. The first George Jerome stepped down in favor of his son, Gilbert T. Jerome, in 1924, so he could help Detroit fight corruption in its engineering department. He also founded Michigan’s Board of Registration for Professional Engineers. The current chairman is fifth-generation member George G. Jerome Sr. His son George Jerome Jr. is president. The firm has worked on many of the city’s key structures and systems.
45 1829
D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc.
Yuengling family
Brewery/Pottsville, PA
www.yuengling.com
David G. Yuengling, an immigrant from Germany, founded Eagle Brewery in 1829. Two years later, the brewery burned down and was rebuilt on Mahantongo Street in Pottsville, the site of the current brewery. In 1873, the family adopted the company’s current name and David’s son Frederick joined the business. Frederick died at age 51 in 1899; his son, Frank, took the helm and ran the brewery for 64 years. During Prohibition, the company produced “near beer” and opened a dairy opposite the brewery. The current president is Richard L. “Dick” Yuengling Jr. Sixth-generation members Wendy Yuengling Baker and Jennifer Yuengling-Franquet work with their father.
46 (tie) 1830
E.A. Clore Sons Inc.
Utz, Coppage families/Furniture
Madison, VA
www.eaclore.com
Moses Clore began making chairs with his sons James Osborne and Joel in 1830. Joel is said to be the originator of the curved-back chair. In 1921, Edward Ashby Clore built his own shop; he produced furniture and coffins for his brother, the town undertaker. The shop, located on the site of Clore’s present plant, was destroyed by fire in 1927; it was rebuilt but burned down again in 1930. The wife of President Herbert Hoover, who had bought many Clore pieces, lent the company $200 to help rebuild. The family was among the founders of the Madison County Volunteer Fire Company; many family members have served as fire chief. In 1946, four of E.A. Clore’s sons bought the business. Today the company is in its sixth generation of family ownership; its furniture is sold in all 50 states and abroad.
46 (tie) 1830
Woolrich Inc.
Brayton family
Apparel, outdoor products/Woolrich, PA
www.woolrich.com
John Rich, an immigrant from England, built his first woolen mill in Plum Run, Pa. in 1830. He traveled to logging camps selling fabric, socks, coverlets and yarn from a mule cart. In 1845, he built a new mill up the road; the building still exists as part of the community that became Woolrich, Pa. According to legend, Woolrich was the first company to use a zipper in men’s trousers. The railroad vest and buffalo check shirt, products from the 1800s, are still sold today. The company outfitted Admiral Byrd’s expedition to Antarctica. Today it offers apparel, blankets, outdoor furniture and accessories. Sixth-generation leader Roswell Brayton Jr. died in 2007; his son Nick Brayton joined the company in 2006 and was promoted to director of domestic licensing in 2010.
48 1831
Faries Funeral Directors and Crematorium Inc.
Faries, Timblin families
Funeral services
Smyrna, DE
www.fariesfuneralhomes.com
Alexander Faries began making cabinets and coffins in 1831. The funeral home is Delaware’s oldest. Sixth-generation member Wells A. Faries Jr. serves as funeral director along with Robert M. Timblin. Timblin’s wife, Alison, who is Wells Faries’ niece, also works there and represents the family’s seventh generation.
49 (tie) 1832
Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Co.
Bevin family
Bells/East Hampton, CT
www.bevinbells.com
William Bevin learned bell making as an indentured servant to William Barton in Cairo, N.Y. Bevin returned to East Hampton and, along with his brother Chauncey, made bells as well as coffee mills, kettles and cranes. Another brother, Abner, who had also worked for Barton, joined them; they started the Bevin Brothers bell factory in 1832. They were later joined by a fourth brother, Philo. Bevin Brothers reportedly made the first bicycle bells, and up to 20 different sizes of sleigh bells. Once one of many American bell makers, Bevin Brothers is now the only U.S. company that manufactures bells exclusively. Sixth-generation member Matt Bevin, who also operates an asset management firm in Kentucky and is involved in multiple other ventures, took over the company in 2008; he succeeded his uncle, fifth-generation member Stanley R. Bevin.
49 (tie) 1832
William H. Sadlier Inc.*
Dinger family
Publishing/New York, NY
www.sadlier.com
The company produces catechetical and educational publications for Catholic dioceses, schools and parishes throughout the U.S. Brothers Denis and James Sadlier, immigrants from Ireland, began publishing materials for New York’s Catholic community in 1832 under the name D&J Sadlier. Mary Anne Sadlier, James’s wife, translated religious books from the French and wrote inspirational novels. A nephew, William H. Sadlier, joined his uncles; later, he branched out and started his own firm. Before he died at 31, he urged his wife, Annie, to keep the family business. Son Frank took over in 1896; a nephew, F. Sadlier Dinger, later took over from Frank’s widow, Neva Sadlier. In the 1970s, the company acquired Oxford Book Company, an academic publisher. Today the business is led by chairman Frank Sadlier Dinger and his brother, president William Sadlier Dinger. Children of each brother now work at the company.
51 1833
C.F. Martin & Co.
Martin family
Guitars/Nazareth, PA
www.mguitar.com
Christian Frederick Martin Sr., descendant of a long line of cabinetmakers from Germany, apprenticed with guitar maker Johann Stauffer in Vienna. He returned to Germany to set up shop but left Europe to escape a dispute between guilds. He arrived in New York and started his business in 1833; in 1838, he moved to Nazareth, Pa. His son, C.F. Martin Jr., built a plant in 1859; it’s still used today as a warehouse, shipping facility and retail supply house. Sixth-generation member Christian Frederick Martin IV has been CEO since 1986. The company also makes ukuleles and guitar strings.
52 1834
Bahney’s
Bahney family
Furniture retailer/Myerstown, PA
www.bahneys.com
In 1834, Isaac Noecker founded a cabinetmaking, furniture and undertaking business in Myerstown, where the business is still located. His daughter Sarah married Adam Bahney, who had been Noecker’s apprentice, in 1866. The business evolved into a furniture retailer under their son Isaac. Today the store is in the fifth generation of family ownership.
53 (tie) 1835
Hussey Seating Company
Hussey family
Seat manufacturing/North Berwick, ME
www.husseyseating.com
William Hussey invented a more efficient plow in 1835 and founded the Hussey Plow Company. The company survived a fire in 1895 and reinvented itself several times as plow demand declined during the Industrial Revolution. While fulfilling an ironwork contract for the Boys’ Club in Portland, Maine, in the 1930s, Philip Hussey recognized the potential of portable bleacher seating; the company later moved into permanent grandstand seating. During World War II, it manufactured wartime materials. Today, under the leadership of sixth-generation president and CEO Timothy Hussey, the company makes spectator seating for schools, auditoriums, gymnasiums, houses of worship, performing arts centers and arenas. In 2011, Hussey acquired portable seat manufacturer Clarin Seating.
53 (tie) 1835
McLanahan Corp.
McLanahan family
Mining equipment/Hollidaysburg, PA
www.mclanahan.com
In the early 1830s, James Craig McLanahan bought minority ownership of a foundry operation that produced castings used in farm implements. In 1848, he bought majority ownership. His sons James King and Samuel Calvin McLanahan later joined him. In 1866, they designed the first coke oven built in the U.S. In the 1890s, the company moved into process equipment and systems. The company took its present name in 1961. Today McLanahan Corp. makes iron and steel castings and mineral processing equipment. Fifth-generation member Michael W. McLanahan is chairman and CEO. His son Sean K. McLanahan is executive VP and CFO.
55 (tie) 1836
Bromberg and Co. Inc.
Bromberg family
Retail jeweler/Birmingham, AL
www.brombergs.com
Prussian immigrant Frederick W. Bromberg founded the business in 1836. Bromberg’s, Alabama’s oldest business, is older than Birmingham itself. Sixth-generation brothers Ricky Bromberg and Frank Bromberg III run the business, which is a high-end retailer of fine jewelry, giftware, china and crystal. The family also owns Underwood Jewelers, a Florida store with three locations that the Brombergs acquired in 1974.
55 (tie) 1836
Thompson Rexall Drug Co.
Thompson family
Pharmacy?Spring Valley, IL
Gilbert Thompson originally opened a pharmacy in Ottawa, Ill., in 1836. His son E.G. moved the store to Spring Valley, where coal had been discovered, in 1885. E.G.’s son George graduated from pharmacy school in 1903 and ran the business until his death in 1953. George’s son Edward took over and was joined by his brother Dean. Current owner Terry Thompson, Edward’s son, represents the fifth generation.
57 (tie) 1837
Garretson Farm
Garretson family
Agriculture/Salem, IA
www.eastgrovefarms.com
www.garretson.us
The farm, Iowa’s oldest, was founded by Joel C. Garretson, an important figure in the abolitionist movement. The farm is currently owned by several branches of the family, descendants of Joel C.’s youngest son O.A. Garretson. Three of O.A.’s six sons (Sumner, Joel and Gilbert) retained ownership in the farm and passed it down to their heirs. A portion is incorporated under a partnership named Garretson Farms, owned by the heirs of the Sumner Garretson branch of the family. It is primarily farmed in traditional Midwest row crops of corn and soybeans. The remainder of the farm is a mixture of timber, pasture, cropland and conservation acres. Sixth-generation member Kurt Garretson recently planted elderberries and other sustainable crops. His brother, Justin, and his parents, Marlene and Joel Howard Garretson Jr., are helping Kurt launch his sustainable agricultural initiative. The operation is named East Grove Farms, after a small Quaker abolitionist community located on and around the farm. The family is restoring O.A. Garretson’s old country Victorian home as their base of operations.
57 (tie) 1837
Harland Family Farm
Harland family
Cattle, corn, soybeans, oats, turnips/LaFayette, IL
In 1837, Jonathan Gibbs homesteaded a beef cattle farm, starting with 120 cows. The farm is now operated by fifth-generation member A.J. Harland and his wife, Jeanne. They are cow-calf producers and also raise corn, soybeans, oats and turnips. The family house dates from 1854. The Harlands, along with seven other beef producers in the state, helped create Illinois Crown Beef, a branded beef company.
59 (tie) 1839
Schaeffer Manufacturing Company
Herrmann, Shields families
Lubricants/St. Louis, MO
www.schaefferoil.com
Nicholas Schaeffer was born in 1814 in a village in what is today Alsace Lorraine, France. He came to America at age 17 and spent two years in Baltimore before heading to St. Louis. In 1839 he started a soap- and candle-making business. The company survived an 1849 fire that destroyed most of downtown St. Louis. Its first lubricant, a byproduct of soap and candle production, was used by steamboats on the Mississippi River. Nicholas Schaeffer’s son Jacob ran the company from 1880 to 1917. Jacob’s son-in-law, William Shields, took over until 1946, when his son Tom Schaeffer Shields took the reins. When Tom died in 1982, his brother John Schaeffer Shields became chairman and CEO. In 2006, Tom Herrmann, son of Shields’ sister Jacqueline Schaeffer Herrmann, became CEO and John Shields’ son Jay Schaeffer Shields became president. Today the company sells petroleum and synthetic lubricants and agricultural chemicals.
59 (tie) 1839
Southworth Co.
Southworth family
Paper mill/Agawam, MA
www.southworth.com
The company was founded by brothers Edward and Wells Southworth, paper-makers. President Lincoln used Southworth paper to accept Stephen Douglas’s invitation to debate. Fifth-generation member David Southworth is president. In addition to its headquarters in Agawam, the company has a manufacturing facility in Turners Falls, Mass.
59 (tie) 1839
Suter’s Handcrafted Furniture
Suter family
Handcrafted furniture/Harrisonburg, VA
www.suters.com
Daniel Suter, a young Mennonite carpenter and cabinetmaker, left Switzerland for America in the 1800s and settled in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. He crafted his furniture after popular English styles. The shop was founded in 1839 and today is operated by sixth-generation member Carol Suter Michael. The colonial reproduction pieces are built with classic construction techniques: dovetail joinery, mortise and tenon joints, pegging, hand finishing, etc.