Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/873071
18 | AD Today 2017 | #ADSTRONG In today's competitive, fast-paced business environment where ventures often flame out in short time, a company's achievement of the centennial mark is something to be proud of – in fact, data reveals that less than 1% of all North American businesses make it to their 100th birthday. With a whopping 73 member companies out of AD's total 605 members (or 12%) successfully in business for 100 years or more (and another 37 on their heels at the 90 + -year mark!), AD members have demonstrated an unusual and laudable degree of longevity in the business world. From weathering the many storms inherent in industry to successfully evolving and paving their way to a bright future again and again, AD members in the '100 Club' share what it takes to survive and thrive over the long haul. RISING ABOVE It's often said that a company's character isn't defined by what happens to it, but by how it rises to the challenge, and AD members have all navigated deep waters at different times. For many, it's been the challenge of economic downturn. Founded in 1907, "my grandfather, Claude Johnson, Sr., guided Johnson Electric Supply through the Great Depression, keeping every employee on staff and using rolling furloughs and reduced hours to keep the business financially stable, while my father guided the business through inflationary times in the 1980s by relocating the company from downtown Cincinnati to our current location on the Ohio River and increasing efficiency throughout the operation," President Doug Johnson said of the many historic challenges that confronted his 110-year-old firm. "More recently, our sales fell off