Houston's largest private companies have deep roots in city

Cherry Cos.

Year founded: 1952

Note: A parking ramp on the southeast side of the Astrodome falls to the ground after Cherry Demolition imploded them, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, in Houston.

Rank among the top 55 biggest private companies headquartered in Houston: 48 less Note: A parking ramp on the southeast side of the Astrodome falls to the ground after Cherry Demolition imploded them, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, in Houston. Cherry Cos.

Year founded: 1952

Note: A parking ramp on the southeast side of the Astrodome falls to the ground after Cherry Demolition imploded them, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, in Houston.

Rank among the top ... more Note: A parking ramp on the southeast side of the Astrodome falls to the ground after Cherry Demolition imploded them, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, in Houston. Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Houston's largest private companies have deep roots in city 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

Of the 55 top private companies in Houston, 19 were founded before 1971.

Many of these companies have long been leaders in construction and product distribution in this region. As such, their names have often appeared in the Chronicle.

For example, a 1958 item reported that Houston City Council awarded a $38,000 contract to SpawGlass Construction Corp. to build new quarters for two hippos at the Houston Zoo, five years after the company was founded. (In 2019, SpawGlass ranked No. 23 among the largest privately held companies headquartered in Houston.)

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Some weren't founded in Houston but have relocated here over time. Academy Sports + Outdoors (ranked No. 3, founded in 1938) originated in San Antonio, but it didn't enter the Houston market until 1973, when it took over Southern Sales, an Army-Navy surplus chain that formed here in 1946.

Other companies changed names. Silver Eagle Distributors (No. 14) was formed in 1961 as Southwest Distributing Co. Its name changed in 1990 after John L. Nau III acquired majority ownership.

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Some companies, like HydroChemPSC (No. 20, formed in 1968) and HISCO (No. 31, formed in 1970), would often appear in the newspaper through want ads.

Click through the slideshow above to see how some of the largest and oldest private companies in Houston, based on 2018 revenue, appeared in the Chronicle in their early years.

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