COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 7300

Business Services, Not Elsewhere Classified

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

52companies1744–1996founding years50still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedSotheby's Holdings, Inc.
1744
FoundedGATX Corporation
1902
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedJostens, Inc.
1906
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedCCH Inc.
1927
FoundedThe Sanwa Bank, Ltd.
1933
FoundedHandleman Company
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedEBSCO Industries, Inc.
1944
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedThe Atlantic Group
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedBetz Laboratories, Inc.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedJapan Leasing Corporation
1963
FoundedInternational Data Group, Inc.
1964
FoundedItel Corporation
1967
FoundedCORT Business Services Corporation
1972
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedSAP AG
1976
FoundedFirst Pacific Company Limited
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedCorrpro Companies, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedAll American Communications Inc.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedU.S. Office Products Company
1994
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Sotheby's Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1744
Sotheby's Holdings, Inc.
New Valley Corporation →
Active · founded 1851
The inheritor of the businesses once owned by Western Union Corporation, New Valley Corporation is the owner of an…
GATX Corporation →
Active · founded 1902
GATX Corporation's business is to provide capital equipment to its customers--usually other companies&mdash-abling them…
Badger Meter, Inc. →
Active · founded 1905
Badger Meter, Inc.
Galeries Lafayette S.A. →
Active · founded 1905 · France
Galeries Lafayette S.A.
Jostens, Inc. →
Active · founded 1906
Jostens, Inc.
Penton Media, Inc. →
Active · founded 1910
Considered a primary business resource by marketing leaders around the world, Penton Media, Inc.
Deluxe Corporation →
Active · founded 1920
A shining example of a company built upon the right idea at the right time, Deluxe Corporation is the largest supplier…
CCH Inc. →
Active · founded 1927
Best known as the publisher of the Standard Federal Tax Reporter, CCH Inc., publishes a wide array of topical law…
Nalco Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
With nearly one-fifth of the global market for water treatment chemicals, Nalco Chemical Company dominates that $3…
Transamerica Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
Transamerica Corporation is involved, largely through semi-independent subsidiaries, in life insurance, financial…
The Sanwa Bank, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1933 · Japan
The Sanwa Bank, Ltd.
Granada Group PLC →
Active · founded 1934 · United Kingdom
Granada Group PLC is a leading U.K.
Muzak, Inc. →
Active · founded 1934
A fixture of the American soundscape, Muzak, Inc.
Handleman Company →
Active · founded 1937
Handleman Company is one of the largest U.S.
Carlson Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1938
Carlson Companies, Inc.
Broadcast Music Inc. →
Active · founded 1940
Broadcast Music Inc.
EBSCO Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1944
EBSCO Industries, Inc.
Longs Drug Stores Corporation →
Active · founded 1946
Longs Drug Stores Corporation is one of the top ten drugstore chains in the United States, with more than 370 stores in…
Aris Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1947
During a checkered career the company known in the mid-1990s as Aris Industries, Inc.
The Atlantic Group →
Active · founded 1947
The Atlantic Group consistently ranks among the most successful recording companies in the United States.
Rollins, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Rollins, Inc.
Chemi-Trol Chemical Co. →
Active · founded 1952
Headquartered in a small, northwest Ohio community of 2,500 people, Chemi-Trol Chemical Co.
Betz Laboratories, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Betz Laboratories, Inc.
AMREP Corporation →
Active · founded 1961
AMREP Corporation is the largest builder of housing in the state of New Mexico, and the 80th largest builder in the…
SCI Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
SCI Systems, Inc., is one of the world's largest electronics subcontractors.
Japan Leasing Corporation →
Active · founded 1963 · Japan
The Japan Leasing Corporation is one of the largest commercial leasing companies in Japan.
Leslie's Poolmart, Inc. →
Active · founded 1963
The world's largest specialty retailer of swimming pool supplies, Leslie's Poolmart, Inc.
International Data Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Over the course of some 30 years, Patrick J.
Analytic Sciences Corporation →
Active · founded 1966
The Analytic Sciences Corporation (TASC) is a leading provider of applied information technology services.
Linamar Corporation →
Active · founded 1966 · N1K 1B2
Canadian-based Linamar Corporation is one of the fastest-growing manufacturers of high precision machined and assembled…
Itel Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
Itel Corporation is a diversified transportation and logistics company.
CMP Media Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
When CMP Media Inc.
Mecklermedia Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1971
Mecklermedia Corporation is a small but important player in the world of the Internet, with a relatively long history…
CORT Business Services Corporation →
Active · founded 1972
Calling itself "America's National Furniture Rental Company," CORT Business Services Corporation is the largest, and…
Ha-Lo Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
The largest marketer and distributor of promotional products in the United States, Ha-Lo Industries, Inc.
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.
SAP AG →
Active · founded 1976 · Germany
SAP AG is the fifth largest independent software producer worldwide and the largest producer of standard…
Levy Restaurants L.P. →
Active · founded 1978
A fast-growing foodservice operator based in Chicago, Levy Restaurants L.P.
AHL Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
AHL Services, Inc.
First Pacific Company Limited →
Active · founded 1981 · Hong Kong
In the somewhat murky world of Asian conglomerates, First Pacific Company Limited is one of the fastest-growing and…
The Greenbrier Companies →
Active · founded 1981
The Greenbrier Companies is the largest manufacturer of railroad freight cars in North America through its Gunderson,…
Copart Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
With 50 locations across the nation, Copart Inc.
Corrpro Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Corrpro Companies, Inc.
The Turner Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Founded in 1902 by Henry C.
Caribiner International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Caribiner International, Inc.
All American Communications Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1991
All American Communications Inc.
Hospitality Worldwide Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Hospitality Worldwide Services, Inc.
PMT Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
PMT Services, Inc.
U.S. Office Products Company →
Active · founded 1994
Starting from scratch in 1994, U.S.
SABRE Group Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1996
SABRE Group Holdings, Inc.
Thorn plc →
Active · founded 1996 · United Kingdom
Thorn plc is an international rental and rent-to-own group whose various chains rent electronics, personal computers,…
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