Built to Last (forever!) – Oldest companies/corporations

Priya Raju asked me recently – which is the oldest company in the world? I did not know the answer, so I looked the question up on the Net. Guess which is the oldest one? 1. That distinction goes to a Japanese construction company called Kongo Gumi which was setup, hold your breath, in the year 578. 2. The Family Business Magazine has an excellent composition of the oldest family run businesses in the world. Some notable mentions – Beretta – the famous Italian Gunmaker was founded in 1526, the Kikkoman company famous for its soy sauce was founded in 1630 in Japan, Sumitomo of Japan was also started in 1630. 3. The same magazine has another compilation of the oldest family run businesses in the US. The preface to the list has some interesting wisdom gleaned from these companies. Some notable ones – Corning founded in 1851, Levi Strauss & Co (1853), Annheuser-Busch Cos. (1860), RR Donnelley (1864), Cargill (1865), Wawa(1865). 4. The distinction of the oldest corporation in the US goes to Harvard University founded in 1636. Of course, there are universities in other parts of the world that are much older. The oldest one is the University of Bologna founded in 1088. Here is a list of the oldest universities in continuous operation across the world. 5. The oldest company in Canada is the Hudson’s Bay Company  started in 1670 – the owner of Zellers and The Bay.