McKesson Corp. - 175th Anniversary: 1833 - John McKesson, Charles Olcott founded Olcott & McKesson in New York City; focused on import, wholesaling of therapeutic drugs and chemicals; 1853 - renamed McKesson & Robbins (Olcott died, Daniel Robbins made partner); distributed products via covered wagons in 17 states and territories, from Vermont to California; early 1900s - leading distributor of drug products in United States; 1926 - acquired by Frank D. Coster of Adelphi Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company, manufacturer of high alcohol-content products such as hair tonic, cosmetics  (real name Philip Musica, twice-convicted criminal); 1938 - true identity revealed; company treasurer became suspicious of large payments to one customer; ordered Dun & Bradstreet credit reports on customer - customer fictitious; December 6, 1938 - SEC opened investigation into company's accounting, New York Stock Exchange suspended trading of company’s shares; investigation revealed Coster had embezzled $3 million,  inflated company's assets by more than 20% fictitious (inventories, accounts receivable); 1940s - returned to private ownership; 1967 - McKesson & Robbins Inc. merged with Foremost Dairies (San Francisco) after hostile takeover; formed Foremost-McKesson Inc.; became largest U.S. distributor of drugs, alcoholic beverages and chemicals; largest supplier of whey by-products; largest producer of processed water; leader in fresh dairy products field; multiregional distributor of hospital and laboratory supplies and equipment; 1976 - corporate raider, Victor Posner, acquired 10% of company's stock in start of takeover attempt; McKesson management initiated negative public relations campaign to publicize Posner's overstating of his company's 1975 earnings; April 1976 - bid dropped; McKesson stockholders approved charter change, prohibited any "unsuitable" party (any business that might jeopardize company's liquor, drug licenses) from acquiring over 10% of company's common stock; May 4, 1981 - acquired Sharon Steel stock in Foremost-McKesson in targeted repurchase ('greenmail') for $65.1 million; 1982 -  Foremost Dairies division acquired by group of private investors for about $65 million; emphasized distribution business, other proprietary product lines.

American Banknote - 150th Anniversary: 1858 - American Bank Note Company formed from merger of Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson (founded 1847, 23.9% share), Toppan, Carpenter & Co. (founded 1845, 22.4% share), Danforth, Perkins & Co. (founded 1858, 21.8% share), Bald, Cousland & Co. (founded 1853, 13.3% share), Jocelyn, Draper, Welsh & Co. (founded 1854, 8.4% share), Wellstood, Hay & Whiting (founded 1855, 8.2% share), John E. Gavit (founded 1851, 2% share); 1891 - introduced "planchette paper" (supplied by Crane & Co.), contained colored paper discs (rather than silk fibers or silk threads), instantly revealed any counterfeit; became pre-eminent supplier of engraved travelers check forms (with safeguards against counterfeiting); 1900 - supplied bank notes for 48 countries, printed stock certificates, bonds, checks; 1911 - merged with United Bank Note Corp. (formed in 1906 as holding company to acquire stock of American Bank Note Co.);  1940s - worked with American Cyanamid Company, Crane & Co. to develop "Melamine" paper, provides increased resistance to folding, tearing, rubbing, wet strength or resistance to wear when subjected to moisture; 1990 - International Banknote merged with U.S. Banknote Company L.P. (founded 1884) in transaction valued at $104 million, formed United States Banknote Corporation, second largest security printer in world; July 1, 1995 - name changed to American Banknote Corporation;  1999 - forced to restate 1998 earnings because of questions regarding overstatement of revenues, net income; December 18, 1999 - filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection; April 8, 2005 - Bankruptcy Court confirmed Company's Plan of Reorganization as American Banknote Corporation.

First Hawaiian Bank - 150th Anniversary: August 17, 1858 - Charles Reed Bishop, from upstate New York, William A. Aldrich, opened Bishop & Co. in basement room in "Makee & Anthon's Building" on Kaahumanu Street in Honolulu, HI; ran advertisement in local newspaper: "Bishop & Co.'s Savings Bank! The undersigned will receive money at their Savings Bank upon the following terms: On sums of $300 or under, from one person, they will pay interest at the rate of 5 per cent per annum from date of receipt"; $4,784.25 in deposits at end of first business day; first successful banking partnership under laws of independent Kingdom of Hawaii; 1895 - acquired by Samuel M. Damon; 1910 - opener first branch in Hilo, total assets of $4.8 million; January 2, 1919 - incorporated as Bank of Bishop and Co., Ltd.; 1925 - $22 million in assets, half-dozen branches; January 30, 1929 - merged with First National Bank of Hawaii, First American Savings Bank, Army National Bank of Schofield Barracks, Baldwin Bank (Maui), name changed to Bishop First National Bank of Honolulu (assets over $30 million); 1933 - name changed to Bishop National Bank of Hawaii at Honolulu; 1956 - renamed Bishop National Bank of Hawaii; 1960 - changed to First National Bank of Hawaii (Hawaii became state in 1959); 1969 - name changed to First Hawaiian Bank; second largest bank holding company in Hawaii; March 1971 --introduced photo credit card; oldest photo card product in continuous production in U.S.; 1974 --First Hawaiian, Inc. formed as holding company for First Hawaiian Bank; May 3, 1991 - acquired First Interstate Bank of Hawaii; April 1992 - ranked tenth safest lender in nation by Business Week; August 6, 1993 - acquired Pioneer Federal Savings Bank (founded 1890); $7 billion assets, 92 branches in state; November 1, 1998 - merged (about $1 billion deal) with San Francisco-based Bank of the West (45% owned by Banque Nationale de Paris; renamed BancWest Corporation; largest stock deal in history by Hawaii company; December 20, 2001 - BNP Paribas completed acquisition of 55% of BancWest stock it did not already own; 2003 - First Hawaiian Bank became Hawaii's largest bank in terms of assets.

Concannon Vineyards - 125th Anniversary: 1883 - James Concannon planted first vines  in Livermore Valley, CA; established Concannon Vineyards, one of California's oldest wineries; first Irish vintner; 1961 - produced world’s first Petite Sirah; discovered America’s first female winemaker, Hungarian ballerina named Katherine Vajda.

Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley - 125th Anniversary: 1883 - Robert M. Fitzgerald opened Oakland legal practice in two-room office on Broadway; 1895 - Carl H. Abbott became junior partner; 1900 - formed partnership with Donald Y. Campbell, E.S. Fowler; moved practice to San Francisco; 1906 - earthquake, fire precipitated Fitzgerald and Abbott's return to Oakland; 1908 - Charles A. Beardsley became  associate; 1913 - made partner; name changed to Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley; oldest law firm in continuous existence in East Bay area, one of oldest firms in California.

Hannaford Bros. Co. - 125th Anniversary: 1883 - Arthur Hannaford opened small store on waterfront in Portland, ME to sell high-quality produce;  1902 - Howard, Edward Hannaford (brothers) joined business, incorporated as Hannaford Bros. Co.; leading produce wholesaler in northern New England; 1944 - opened first retail grocery store; 1971 - went public; 2000 - acquired by Delhaize Goup (founded in Belgium in 1867); 2004 - Hannaford operated 142 stores.

CIT Corporation - 100th Anniversary: February 22, 1908 - Henry Ittleson, former dry goods retailer, law student, real estate agent, stockbroker, founded CIT Corporation; May 1908 - 22 businesses as clients (including Monsanto); 1916 - joined with Studebaker automobile company (4,000 dealerships) to provide financing to car buyers (put one-third down, paid balance in eight monthly installments); 1924 - went public; 1925 - business volume exceeded $148 million, recorded capital in excess of $26 million; 1926 - record profits of $3.5 million; 1928 - entered factoring market (Commercial Factors Corporation subsidiary nation’s largest factoring business in 1929); 1965 - $100 billion in financing volume since 1908 (half since 1955); 1969 - withdrew from auto financing, turned to personal, home equity loans, equipment leasing; 1971 - record-high earnings for 20th consecutive year; 1977 - more than 1,000 consumer finance offices; 1980 -- acquired by RCA Corporation; 1984 - acquired by Manufacturers Hanover Trust Corporation ($8 billion in factoring business volume, largest factoring unit in world); 1989 - 60% majority interest in CIT acquired by Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, Limited of Japan (DKB); 1997 - went public, earnings above $300 million for first time in its history; 2007 - 1 million clients across 30 industries in 50 countries.

Fisher Body - 100th Anniversary: July 22, 1908 - Frederic and Charles Fisher established the Fisher Body Company to manufacture carriage and automobile bodies; quickly abandoned carriage building to concentrate on car frames; 1910 - supplied some car bodies to General Motors (GM); 1919 - controlling interest in company acquired by GM to shore up supplier for its car bodies; June 30, 1926 - GM traded 667,720 shares of its own stock, at market value of $136 million, for remaining 40 percent of Fisher Body; became Fisher Body Division of GM; 1944 - Fisher family; relinquished control of Division; brothers Lawrence, Edward on board of directors until 1969; 1919 - 1944 - every GM body passed approval of a Fisher man; family's impact on automotive industry second only to that of Ford family.

Ford Model T - 100th Anniversary: August 12, 1908 - Henry Ford's first Model T ("Tin Lizzie") rolled off assembly line in Detroit; result of five years of research and development, and 20 attempts, to produce inexpensive car for mass market; christened Model T after 20th letter in alphabet (representing 20 attempts); affordable, reliable car for average American; cost only $850, seated two people ( (low cost due to Ford's control of all raw materials, mass production); October 1, 1908 - went on sale; 1915 - electric lights introduced; 1919 - electric starter introduced as an option; 1927 - production discontinued after manufacture of nearly 15 million cars with Model "T" engine; longest run of any single model apart from the Volkswagen Beetle = car for the masses. 

General Motors - 100th Anniversary: September 16, 1908 - Former carriage-maker William Crapo "Billy" Durant (Durant-Dort Carriage Company) founded General Motors (GM), as a holding company, incorporated with  capital of $2,000  September 29, 1908 - GM merged Buick, Oldsmobile (Lansing, MI) into GM; added Cadillac (Detroit) for $4.4 million cash, Oakland (Pontiac predecessor), dozens of parts suppliers (AC Spark Plug); 1908-1910 - added more than 30 companies to GM; 1910 - Chevrolet and William Durant formed the Chevrolet Motor Company; September 26, 1910 - overextended, Durant lost control of the company; July 22, 1911 - General Motors Truck Company (later GMC) organized; November 1911 - Chevrolet incorporated; 1912- Cadillac introduced the electric self-starter, quickly made the hand crank obsolete and propelled sales; 1915-1916 - Durant regained control of GM, used Chevrolet profits to repurchase stock; May 2, 1918 - General Motors (GM) acquired Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware for about $32 million in  GM stock; Durant regained control of GM;  November 8, 1918 - McLaughlin Carriage and Motor Company Limited and Chevrolet Motor Company of Canada Limited merged, formed General Motors of Canada Limited  (President: R.S. "Sam" McLaughlin); GM already owned 49% of company; 1920 - Durant resigned as GM president, overextended in stock market; May 10, 1923 - Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. elected GM president, Chairman of Executive Committee; 1929 - GM surpassed Ford to become  leading American passenger-car manufacturer; 1941 - the company was largest automotive manufacturer in world.

Harvard Business School - 100th Anniversary: 1908 - President Charles W. Eliot requested that the Corporation of Harvard University establish a school of business administration; October 1, 1908 - Edwin F. Gay was appointed the first dean, and HBS opened with a faculty of 15, a course of study, 33 regular students, and 47 special students; 1911 - Bureau of Business Research was established to undertake the first organized research in the field of business administration; "problem" method, the predecessor to the case method, was introduced to classroom as businessmen were invited to present real problems to students; 1922 - Doctoral Program established; Harvard Business Review founded; 1924 - case method established as primary method of instruction; George Fisher Baker, president of the First National Bank of New York, donated $5 million to build a campus for Business School on  Boston side of the Charles River; 1945 - group of sixty executives and recently demobilized veterans enrolled in the School's first executive education program, named the Advanced Management Program (continuation of a wartime retraining course launched in 1943).

FDIC - 75th Anniversary: June 16, 1933 - President Roosevelt signed the banking Act of 1933; established Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC); January 1, 1934 - FDIC insurance started at $2,500 level; 1935 - Banking Act of 1935 provided for permanent deposit insurance, started at $5,000 level; 1950 - coverage increased to $10,000 ($15,000 in 1966; $20,000 in 1969; $40,000 in 1974; $100,000 in 1980); 1989 - largest number of bank failures in FDIC history (206); January 2004-February 2007 - longest period in FDIC history without bank failure; 2005 - Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act provided increased coverage of $250,000 for certain retirement accounts.

Kirkus Review - 75th Anniversary: 1933 - Virginia Kirkus, former head of the children's book department of Harper & Bros., launched book review service, innovation in field of publishing,  selling books.

Chemise LaCoste - 75th Anniversary: 1933 - René LaCoste and André Gillier, owner and President of largest French knitwear manufacturing firm of that time, set up  company to manufacture crocodile logo-embroidered shirt,  designed by tennis champion for his own use on tennis court (nicknamed "the Alligator" by American press after making bet  with Captain of the French Davis Cup Team: win very important match for team, get suitcase made from alligator skin), other shirts for tennis, golf and sailing; may be first time brand name appeared on outside of article of clothing; first LACOSTE shirt was white, slightly shorter than  counterparts, ribbed collar, short sleeves with ribbed bands, made of light knitted fabric ("Jersey petit piquéIt"); irst catalogue produced.

Newsweek - 75th Anniversary: February 17, 1933 - Thomas J.C. Martyn, former foreign news editor at Time magazine, published first issue of News-Week; 1937 - merged with Raymond Moley's Today magazine; Malcolm Muir, former president of McGraw-Hill Publishing, took over as president, editor-in-chief; changed name to Newsweek; 1961 - acquired by Washington Post Company; Muir named honorary chairman of the board.

US News & World Report - 75th Anniversary: May 17, 1933 - David Lawrence produced first issue of weekly newspaper called United States News; 16-page paper devoted primarily to federal government activities in Washington; cost 5 cents; January 5, 1940 - changed format from newspaper to magazine; billed itself as "the Weekly Newsmagazine of National Affairs"; first issue contained 52 pages; May 23, 1946 - introduced World Report, new weekly magazine devoted entirely to international news; January 16, 1948 - United States News and World Report merged, became new magazine titled U.S.News & World Report, combined national, international news coverage; newsstand price 15 cents an issue; 1958 -circulation passed 1 million mark ; 1973 - circulation passed 2 million mark; November 28, 1983 - began annual rankings of American colleges, universities; October 12, 1984 - acquired by publisher, real estate developer Mortimer B. Zuckerman (had been employee-owned from 1962–1984).

American Express Card - 50th Anniversary: October 1, 1958 - introduced travel-and-entertainment charge card (paper printed with purple ink to resemble Travelers Cheques); 1959 - introduced plastic charge cards; 1963 - more than 1 million cards in use at approximately 85,000 establishments within, outside United States; 1966 - launched Gold Card.

Exhibits/Conferences