COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 531210

Office of Real Estate Agents and Brokers

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

32companies1892–1997founding years32still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedKeramik Holding AG Laufen
1892
FoundedIberdrola, S.A.
1901
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedLand Securities PLC
1905
FoundedBrascan Corporation
1912
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedWirtz Corporation
1922
FoundedBodycote International PLC
1923
FoundedRockefeller Group International Inc.
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedMitsubishi Estate Company, Limited
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedIRSA Inversiones y Representaciones S.A.
1943
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedIndustria de Diseño Textil S.A.
1963
FoundedLincoln Property Company
1965
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedRE/MAX International, Inc.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedElectricidade de Portugal, S.A.
1976
FoundedThe Staubach Company
1977
FoundedKennedy-Wilson, Inc.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedFlorida East Coast Industries, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAlderwoods Group, Inc.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedJones Lang LaSalle Incorporated
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Keramik Holding AG Laufen →
Active · founded 1892 · Switzerland
Keramik Holding AG Laufen is one of the world's leading producers of sanitary ware--toilets, bathtubs, sinks, and other…
Iberdrola, S.A. →
Active · founded 1901 · Spain
Bilbao-based Iberdrola, S.A., with more than nine million customers worldwide, is the second largest electric utility…
Benguet Corporation →
Active · founded 1903 · Philippines
Former Philippines mining giant Benguet Corporation has been redefining itself as a "total natural resource development…
Land Securities PLC →
Active · founded 1905 · United Kingdom
Unlike most of its competitors, Land Securities PLC has achieved and maintained its position as the United Kingdom's…
CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1906
CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc., is the world's largest commercial real estate services firm.
Brascan Corporation →
Active · founded 1912 · Canada
Brascan Corporation is working on an image change, from being known as one of Canada's largest conglomerates to a…
Granaria Holdings B.V. →
Active · founded 1912 · The Netherlands
Publicity-shy Granaria Holdings B.V.
Wirtz Corporation →
Active · founded 1922
Wirtz Corporation houses the varied business interests of Chicago's influential Wirtz family, best known as the owners…
Bodycote International PLC →
Active · founded 1923 · United Kingdom
The United Kingdom's Bodycote International PLC is the world's leading provider of metallurgical services to the steel,…
Heijmans N.V. →
Active · founded 1923 · The Netherlands
Heijmans N.V.
Rockefeller Group International Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Rockefeller Group International Inc., which does business as The Rockefeller Group, is no longer linked to the…
Alleghany Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
Alleghany Corporation operates as a diversified conglomerate with holdings related to insurance, industrial minerals,…
Mitsubishi Estate Company, Limited →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
A unit of the Mitsubishi Group, Mitsubishi Estate Company, Limited (MEC) is one of the foremost real estate management,…
Nichirei Corporation →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
Nichirei Corporation has developed a two-pronged leadership strategy in two core markets: processed foods, on the one…
IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones S.A. →
Active · founded 1943 · Argentina
In the space of less than a decade--the 1990s--IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones S.A.
Trammell Crow Company →
Active · founded 1948
Trammell Crow Company is one of the world's largest real estate management companies.
Industria de Diseño Textil S.A. →
Active · founded 1963 · Spain
Industria de Diseño Textil S.A., also known as The Inditex Group, is one of the world's leading and fastest-growing…
Lincoln Property Company →
Active · founded 1965
Lincoln Property Company is one of the top developers of both office buildings and residential apartment complexes,…
Dallah Albaraka Group →
Active · founded 1969 · Saudi Arabia
The Dallah Albaraka Group is one of the leading, privately held conglomerates in Saudi Arabia.
RE/MAX International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
During the 1990s, RE/MAX expanded aggressively, as the company completed its first 25 years of existence.
The Corcoran Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
The Corcoran Group, Inc.
Electricidade de Portugal, S.A. →
Active · founded 1976 · Portugal
Electricidade de Portugal, S.A.
Henderson Land Development Company Ltd. →
Active · founded 1976 · Hong Kong
Henderson Land Development Company Ltd.
The Staubach Company →
Active · founded 1977
The Staubach Company is one of the leading providers of corporate real estate services in the United States.
Kennedy-Wilson, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
In 1999, Kennedy-Wilson added to its property management business.
Unión Fenosa, S.A. →
Active · founded 1982 · Spain
Unión Fenosa, S.A.
Florida East Coast Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
In 2000, Amtrak reached an agreement to use FECR's coastal tracks to begin a passenger service.
ILX Resorts Incorporated →
Active · founded 1986
While some still equate the word "timeshare" with fraud or scams, the concept of owning a small piece of a resort or…
Alderwoods Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987 · Canada
Alderwoods Group, Inc., is North America's second largest operator of funeral homes and cemeteries.
CarrAmerica Realty Corporation →
Active · founded 1992
CarrAmerica Realty Corporation operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) focusing on the acquisition,…
Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated →
Active · founded 1997
Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL) is a global real estate services and investment management company with offices…
NRT Incorporated →
Active · founded 1997
Based in Parsippany, New Jersey, NRT Incorporated is the world's leading residential real estate brokerage firm,…
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