By Brandon Richardson, Long Beach Business Journal featuring Halbert Hargrove
It has been a big year for many prominent places in Long Beach and the people behind them as many celebrate a longstanding tradition of providing services and goods to the community.
Many notable anniversaries were reached this year, including four Long Beach institutions that celebrated 100 years or more of service.
Here’s a list of businesses, organizations and agencies that hit big milestones in 2023:
Long Beach Iron Works – 110 years
2020 W. 14th St., 562-432-5451
The oldest company on the list, Long Beach Iron Works was founded in 1913. The company is a regional powerhouse when it comes to manufacturing castings and other metal products used in road building, underground construction and utility construction. From manhole frames and covers to drainage casting to airport and port authority castings, LBIW has a wide range of products that it manufactures in its 100,000-square-foot facility on the Westside.
Long Beach Airport – 100 years
4100 Donald Douglas Dr.
In 1919, flight instructor and legendary stunt pilot Earl S. Daugherty established a flight training field and school in Long Beach. Within a few years, aviation was booming in the growing city, and on Nov. 26, 1923, the city broke ground on the 150-acre Long Beach Airport. Today, the airfield — the oldest municipal airport in California — sees thousands of general aviation operations and more than 58 commercial flights per day. LGB also has one of the strictest noise-control ordinances of any airport in the world.
St. Mary Medical Center – 100 years
1050 Linden Ave., 562-491-9000
One hundred years ago, Long Beach was one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation. More people meant higher demand for medical care and St. Mary Medical Center opened its doors with 70 beds on Aug. 26, 1923. The original building was destroyed in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, but it was rebuilt and reopened in 1937. Today, the hospital has over 400 beds and employs more than 1,500 people with an annual operating budget of over $400 million.
Harbor Chevrolet – 100 years
3770 Cherry Ave., 562-326-5555
Since 1923, Harbor Chevrolet has sold cars, trucks and SUVs to residents and the region from its Long Beach lot. For more than nine decades, the dealership was a family-owned business, passing through four generations. At the end of 2021, the new and used car business was sold to Brandon Steven Motors as the company’s second and third California operations. BSM was founded in Wichita, Kansas and now has 18 dealerships across both states.
Electric Construction Co. – 90 years
1709 E. South St., 562-999-1904
Located in North Long Beach, Electric Construction Co. has been providing commercial electrical work throughout the region since 1933. The company has managed electrical requirements for projects of all sizes — from multi-billion dollar new-build construction to minor installations and repairs. ECC boasts a combined 200 years of experience from its staff, most of whom have worked for the company for eight years or longer.
Halbert Hargrove – 90 years
111 W. Ocean Blvd., 23rd floor, 888-780-6420
Halbert Hargrove was founded by John Halbert and Leonard Hargrove in 1933 when they began investing their own money made from Signal Hill oil leases. Within a few years, the pair was taking outside clients. In 1989, the firm became a registered investment advisory and in 1991 it moved into the Landmark Square building in Downtown Long Beach, where it still operates today, more than three decades later.
