Two companies celebrate major milestones

by Heather B. Hayes
for Virginia Business
December 2007

Through more than a century of world wars and economic upheaval, two Richmond-based companies not only have survived but have thrived.

Owens & Minor Inc., a Fortune 500 medical supply company, recently celebrated its 125th anniversary by, among other things, ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Meanwhile, C.F. Sauer Co. a manufacturer of spices, Duke’s mayonnaise and other food products, held an outdoor birthday party for employees and guests to mark 120 years in business.

At both companies, the founders’ descendents still have a hand in steering operations. G. Gilmer Minor III is chairman of the board at Owens & Minor. Fourth-generation family members involved in C.F. Sauer include Conrad F. Sauer IV, president and CEO; Mark Sauer, executive vice president of sales and marketing; Brad Sauer, the head of Sauer Properties; and R. Tyler Sauer, who is in charge of plant scheduling.

Owens & Minor has been a public company since 1988 and now has annual revenue approaching $7 billion. The company distributes medical and surgical supplies to about 4,000 health-care customers. C.F. Sauer remains a privately owned company with 900 employees and nearly $300 million in annual sales.