NJBIZ In the Lead 2026: Legacy Businesses

While American culture – and many of the country’s most prominent industries –  celebrates youth, there is something to be said for longevity. Yes, age can bring infirmity. But it also nurtures wisdom. Age can mean slowness. But it also means experience. Age can result in resistance to change and excessive caution. But it also produces better judgment and prudent patience.

Most important, however, is that youthful success may be difficult or impossible to sustain. The best among us remain successful as we get older – applying lessons learned and adapting to new realities. There’s a reason we often say youth is wasted on the young.

The companies recognized in the second NJBIZ In the Lead: Legacy Businesses list exemplify all the best qualities of longevity. They are resilient and have withstood economic downturns, civic upheaval, deadly pestilence, geopolitical conflict challenges that claimed weaker entities.

And they have done so while maintaining the qualities that brought them success in their youth. They take care of their customers and their employees. They respond to market forces intelligently. They pivot away from outmoded approaches and embrace new ideas. In short, they retain the positive characteristics of youth — openness to novelty, willingness to change and ability to move decisively when called upon. At the same time, realism tempers impulsiveness and discipline suppresses unwarranted confidence.

No one should be surprised at the makeup of this list. Many of the companies are household names, a distinction earned over years of hard work and dedication. Others may not be as well-known but are nonetheless embedded in the fiber of New Jersey’s economy.

In a real sense, this list is less a celebration of age than it is a reminder that there is no substitute for the knowledge gained over years of trying, failing, trying again and succeeding.

Keep that in mind as you read through the list. Let us know what you think of the choices represented here and whether we missed any companies that are showing their age in the best possible ways. As always, the honorees are listed alphabetically.

– Jeffrey Kanige
Email: jkanige@njbiz.com

Methodology

The Power and In the Lead lists are compiled by the NJBIZ editorial staff based on our reporting throughout the past year with input from experts in a variety of fields and recommendations from our readers. The staff looks for people and organizations that have gained public attention – and perhaps acclaim – for their accomplishments and public service. Each list identifies honorees who, through their efforts, are helping to make New Jersey a better place to live, work and do business. They are not necessarily better at their jobs than others in their profession or the most profitable companies in their industries, but they have contributed meaningfully to the advancement of the public interest through their work and/or community service.

In the Lead 2026: Legacy Businesses: