About 50 percent of all businesses fail within five years. Only a quarter make it to the 15-year mark. Even then, the majority of survivors will be small operations, often based in a home.
So it is that companies like Anthem, VISA, Microsoft and Facebook are the extreme exceptions, businesses that not only beat the odds, but went on to become household names, creating thousands of jobs and redefining their industries.
At FindTheCompany, a data site that’s part of the Graphiq network, we went back to 1950 to find the most successful company founded the year you were born. In order to define success, we ranked more than 10,000 companies traded on U.S. exchanges by recent market capitalization (calculated in late March, 2016). A company’s market cap is essentially its total net worth: the number of shares outstanding multiplied by the share price.
Determining the exact founding year for some companies can be difficult, given the frequency of spinoffs, mergers and acquisitions. For this reason, we turned to Field-Ritter, which carefully tracks the history of every business with an IPO from 1975 through the present day. For example, Field-Ritter defaults to the oldest founding year among two merging companies, even if the name of the original company changes.
Most of today’s big companies — even those founded in the ’50s and ’60s — went public in this modern timeframe, but it’s worth mentioning that our dataset might miss a few businesses that IPO’d in the mid 20th century.
Every company on this list is a big success story. Each grew from nothing, maintained a strong market position and created an enduring brand that thrives to this day. We’ll start in the 1950s, then work our way up to 2000.
1950
Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc.
Market Cap: $4,246,020,000
Ticker Symbol: DNKN
The company started as a small donut restaurant named “Open Kettle,” but became Dunkin’ Donuts just two years later. Today, the popular donut shop brand also owns the ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins.
1951
Barrett Business Services Inc.
Market Cap: $196,690,000
Ticker Symbol: BBSI
This agency finds employees to fill business needs, whether through temporary staffing, contracts or other sourcing.
1952
Zoetis Inc.
Market Cap: $20,970,000,000
Ticker Symbol: ZTS
Zoetis is the largest provider of medicine and vaccines for pets and livestock.
1953
Transocean Inc.
Market Cap: $3,398,760,000
Ticker Symbol: RIG
Started by Southern National Gas Corporation (later, Sonat) in 1952, the company began as an Alabama-based offshore drilling outfit. It was added to the S&P 500 in 2013.
1954
William Lyon Homes Inc.
Market Cap: $375,780,000
Ticker Symbol: WLH
William Lyon Homes has been planning and building homes for more than 60 years. The company currently offers services across six states.
1955
Universal Forest Products Inc.
Market Cap: $1,656,810,000
Ticker Symbol: UFPI
The company manufactures and sells wood products, from consumer lumber to home-building to commercial construction.
1956
The TJX Companies Inc.
Market Cap: $52,062,600,000
Ticker Symbol: TJX
Over the years, TJX has come to own classic American brands in apparel and homegoods, ranging from T.J.Maxx to HomeGoods to Marshalls.
1957
O’Reilly Automotive Inc.
Market Cap: $26,524,100,000
Ticker Symbol: ORLY
What began as a single, modest auto parts store in Springfield, Missouri, has expanded to a massive retail chain with more than 4,500 locations across the U.S.
1958
Visa Inc.
Market Cap: $161,795,000,000
Ticker Symbol: V
VISA can trace its roots back to Bank of America’s 1958 BankAmericard program. It expanded internationally in 1974. Today, it serves more than 200 countries.
1959
IHS Inc.
Market Cap: $8,191,450,000
Ticker Symbol: IHS
The business started as Rogers Publishing Company, which would index product catalogs on microfilm to save space and resources. Today, the company provides data and analysis for decision making in technical industries like defense, aerospace, energy and more.
1960
Domino’s Pizza Inc.
Market Cap: $6,499,340,000
Ticker Symbol: DPZ
Two brothers borrowed $900 (after a $500 down payment) to buy their first pizza store. Today, it operates more than 12,000 stores worldwide.
1961
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.
Market Cap: $9,489,930,000
Ticker Symbol: JBHT
Founder J.B. Hunt founded his trucking company with just five trucks and seven trailers. Today, it’s the nation’s largest public trucking company.
1962
Plantronics Inc.
Market Cap: $1,271,670,000
Ticker Symbol: PLT
In its early history, Plantronics developed specialized headsets for airline professionals and call center employees. More recently, the company has expanded to all sorts of audio equipment, including gaming and Bluetooth.
1963
Regency Centers Corporation
Market Cap: $7,491,820,000
Ticker Symbol: REG
This real estate investment trust mostly focuses on space for shopping centers and office buildings.
1964
Spirit Airlines Inc.
Market Cap: $3,374,160,000
Ticker Symbol: SAVE
Spirit Airlines began as Clipper Trucking Company in 1964, but transitioned to an airline over the next several decades. Today, it is a low-cost airline with service to 52 destinations.
1965
Dolby Laboratories Inc.
Market Cap: $4,200,170,000
Ticker Symbol: DLB
Dolby Laboratories began in 1965. Founder Ray Dolby wanted to develop noise reduction technologies. Today, the company has grown to nearly 2,000 employees and produces audio products and services across the industry.
1966
Mastercard Inc.
Market Cap: $101,344,000,000
Ticker Symbol: MA
MasterCard began when a group of California banks created the Interbank Card Association. Today, the company processes transactions for more than 150 currencies.
1967
Fastenal Company
Market Cap: $13,993,300,000
Ticker Symbol: FAST
Fastenal began as a small-town fastener shop. Today, the industrial supply company operates nearly 2,700 stores across 50 states and more than 20 countries.
1968
HCA Holdings Inc.
Market Cap: $30,252,500,000
Ticker Symbol: HCA
HCA had modest beginnings, with just one hospital (Park View) in the early days. By 2014, the company was operating 168 hospitals and 113 surgery centers.
1969
The Gap Inc.
Market Cap: $11,529,000,000
Ticker Symbol: GPS
The Gap began in San Francisco in 1969, but has expanded to other famous brands since. The company purchased Banana Republic in 1983 and launched Old Navy in 1994. To this day, the iconic “1969” founding date appears on several items of Gap clothing.
1970
Vantiv Inc.
Market Cap: $10,037,200,000
Ticker Symbol: VNTV
The payment processing and technology provider was the second-largest merchant payment processor in the United States in 2015.
1971
FedEx Corporation
Market Cap: $43,535,700,000
Ticker Symbol: FDX
What started as Federal Express Corporation in Little Rock, Arkansas, has expanded to a massive shipping and delivery company. Scientist and web cartoonist Randall Munroe estimates that FedEx’s bandwidth (AKA capability to transfer large amounts of data) is still greater than that of the entire internet.
1972
Carnival Corporation
Market Cap: $29,089,800,000
Ticker Symbol: CCL
Carnival Corporation started as the Carnival Cruise Line, but has gone on to become the single largest cruise ship operator in the world. Some estimate Carnival owns a slight majority of the market (52 percent).
1973
CBOE Holdings Inc.
Market Cap: $5,320,770,000
Ticker Symbol: CBOE
Established by the Chicago Board of Trade, CBOE has grown to become the largest U.S. options exchange.
1974
Tech Data Corporation
Market Cap: $2,667,230,000
Ticker Symbol: TECD
This IT products and services company started by selling processing supplies for mainframe computers, but has continued to adapt to the advance of technology, including modern-day cloud service solutions.
1975
Microsoft Corporation
Market Cap: $423,464,000,000
Ticker Symbol: MSFT
Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the modest tech geek outfit grew to become the dominant face of consumer and enterprise computing in the 1990s, and remains one of tech’s biggest players to this day.
1976
St. Jude Medical Inc.
Market Cap: $15,428,800,000
Ticker Symbol: STJ
St. Jude Medical began by producing artificial heart valves, but has grown into a leading medical device company with customers across the globe.
1977
Apple Inc.
Market Cap: $583,235,000,000
Ticker Symbol: AAPL
Begun by Steve Wozniak (computer programmer) and Steve Jobs (businessman, geek, visionary), Apple sparked at least two revolutions, first in computing (ex: the Apple II), and later, in mobile technology (ex: the iPhone).
1978
Factset Research Systems Inc.
Market Cap: $6,182,800,000
Ticker Symbol: FDS
The data and analysis company set out to help people understand financial information better. Today, the company serves more than 60,000 users.
1979
Boston Scientific Corporation
Market Cap: $24,324,200,000
Ticker Symbol: BSX
The medical device company wanted to develop less-invasive medicine for patients. Today, the company says it treats 40 patients per minute with Boston Scientific products.
1980
Amgen Inc.
Market Cap: $111,588,000,000
Ticker Symbol: AMGN
Originally Applied Molecular Genetics, AMGen now provides medicine and other biopharmaceutical solutions to more than 75 countries.
1981
Linear Technology Corporation
Market Cap: $10,562,300,000
Ticker Symbol: LLTC
Linear Technology Corporation manufactures integrated circuits for use in technology products in a dozen industries, from automative to medical, consumer to military.
1982
CNOOC Ltd.
Market Cap: $52,148,300,000
Ticker Symbol: CEO
CNOOC is the largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas in China.
1983
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Market Cap: $67,027,500,000
Ticker Symbol: COST
Costco began under the name Price Club in a converted airplane hangar in San Diego, although the first official Costco opened in Seattle in 1983. In 2015, it became the second-largest retailer in the world behind Walmart.
1984
Cisco Systems Inc.
Market Cap: $140,396,000,000
Ticker Symbol: CSCO
Started by a husband-wife pair at Stanford University, Cisco (which got its name from San Francisco) is now a massive networking solutions company with more than 71,500 employees.
1985
Starbucks Corporation
Market Cap: $87,148,800,000
Ticker Symbol: SBUX
Starbucks’ modest origins began in 1971, when two teachers and a writer founded the coffeehouse in Seattle. It wasn’t until the enterprising Howard Schultz bought the chain over a decade later that Starbucks’ modern history started. Today, the coffee shop boasts more than 20,000 locations worldwide, making it the biggest coffee chain in the world.
1986
Celgene Corporation
Market Cap: $77,556,800,000
Ticker Symbol: CELG
This drug manufacturer produces therapies for cancer. In 2013, Forbes named it the No. 2 drug company for financial performance and medical output.
1987
Gilead Sciences Inc.
Market Cap: $126,379,000,000
Ticker Symbol: GILD
Founded by 29-year-old Michael L. Riordan, Gilead Sciences has grown into a major biopharmaceutical company, selling drugs like Viread and soon, Descovy.
1988
Blackrock Inc.
Market Cap: $55,233,700,000
Ticker Symbol: BLK
A late-’80s investment management firm, BlackRock now manages more money (approximately $4.6 trillion) than any other investment firm in the world.
1989
Accenture PLC
Market Cap: $71,688,900,000
Ticker Symbol: ACN
What started as a consulting division of accounting firm Arthur Andersen has split off to become the world’s biggest consulting firm by revenue.
1990
Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc.
Market Cap: $12,224,500,000
Ticker Symbol: ULTA
After opening a single store in 1990, Ulta Beauty has expanded to become the biggest beauty retailer in the United States, with more than 20,000 individual products.
1991
Open Text
Market Cap: $6,038,280,000
Ticker Symbol: OTEX
Open Text manages information for companies — often referred to as Enterprise Information Management. Today, the company employs more than 5,000 people.
1992
Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Market Cap: $29,851,100,000
Ticker Symbol: ALXN
Four years after its inception, Alexion went public. Today, the major pharmaceutical company employs more than 3,000 employees and serves patients in 50 countries.
1993
Nvidia Corporation
Market Cap: $18,877,900,000
Ticker Symbol: NVDA
Nvidia started out as a standard chip maker, but has expanded its reach to the gaming, visualization, data and auto industries. Nvidia’s GPUs remain a staple in the computing business.
1994
Amazon.com Inc.
Market Cap: $273,027,000,000
Ticker Symbol: AMZN
Jeff Bezos left a swanky Wall Street job when he saw the potential of the emerging internet and dreamed up “the everything store.” Today, Amazon is the world’s biggest online retailer.
1995
eBay Inc.
Market Cap: $28,430,400,000
Ticker Symbol: EBAY
EBay began as a side project and hobby for entrepreneur and tech geek Pierre Omidyar. With the explosion of e-commerce, however, it rapidly grew to become the go-to website for secondary market shopping (i.e. buying used goods from other users).
1996
Chunghwa Telecom
Market Cap: $26,119,300,000
Ticker Symbol: CHT
In an attempt to privatize various businesses, the Taiwanese government spun off Chunghwa Telecom in 1996. Today, it is the country’s largest telecommunications company and it trades on the U.S. stock market.
1997
The Priceline Group Inc.
Market Cap: $63,858,600,000
Ticker Symbol: PCLN
Known early on for their Name Your Own Price service, Priceline has expanded its brand portfolio to include OpenTable and KAYAK, among others.
1998
Alphabet
Market Cap: $504,903,000,000
Ticker Symbol: GOOG
When Stanford students Larry Page and Sergey Brin set out to organize the internet’s information, they created Google. It would become the most powerful company on the internet. While the company changed its corporate identity to Alphabet, Google’s core, most successful product remains Search.
1999
Alibaba.com Inc.
Market Cap: $192,151,000,000
Ticker Symbol: BABA
Essentially the Chinese version of Amazon, Alibaba actually delivers more packages per year than Amazon, although Amazon still wins on straight-up revenue.
2000
Baidu, Inc. (ADR)
Market Cap: $64,081,800,000
Ticker Symbol: BIDU
Sometimes considered the Chinese Google, Baidu offers a variety of services, though its Chinese-language search portal is the most popular.
