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.
Pediatric Medical Center – 90 years
2921 Redondo Ave., 562-426-5551
Dr. H. Milton Van Dyke founded the Pediatric Medical Center in 1933. In 1963, the health care provider moved into its current home, an Edward Killingsworth building near Long Beach Airport. The center offers a full range of pediatric services for patients from birth through young adulthood, including allergy testing, vision and auditory screenings, behavioral and mental health evaluations, minor injury treatment, on-call physicians and more.
The Termo Company – 90 years
3275 Cherry Ave., 888-260-4715
In 1926, EE Combs mortgaged his house to fund his first oil drilling operation in Signal Hill. Seven years later, Combs partnered with Roscoe Oaks, a retired Union Carbide executive, to create The Termo Company. The company began oil operations in Huntington Beach in 1935, the Wilmington Field in 1942 and discovered the Brentwood Field in 1962, according to its website. The company operates 107 wells in California, Wyoming and Louisiana, and has additional operations in Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas.
Jewish Long Beach – 75 years
3801 E. Willow St., 562-426-7601
While it was incorporated in 1948, the Long Beach Jewish Community Council traces its roots back to the 1929 creation of Jewish Welfare Funds, which supported Jewish refugees fleeing Europe — an exodus that peaked during World War II. In 2019, the organization merged with the Jewish Federation to create Jewish Long Beach, an independent nonprofit organization. The group spearheads grant-making programs, cultivates Jewish leaders through its Alpert New Leaders Forum, advocates for Israel and Jewish peoplehood and propels the stewardship of nearly $30 million in philanthropic funds. The group also owns and operates the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Jewish Long Beach Campus.
Long Beach Pride – 40 years
1017 Obispo Ave., 562-987-9191
Long Beach Pride was founded as a means to celebrate the city’s LGBTQ+ residents. Over four decades, the three-day festival and parade has become the third-largest Pride event in California. The nonprofit, all-volunteer organization focuses its efforts on inclusion and teaching the broader community that “diversity builds a strong and healthier society,” according to its website. On Sept. 29 of this year, Bob Crow, the last of the original founders of Long Beach Pride, died after a years-long battle with lung cancer.
Aquarium of the Pacific – 25 years
100 Aquarium Way, 562-590-3100
The Aquarium of the Pacific, one of the city’s most popular attractions, was founded in June 1998 as a nonprofit organization. The aquatic facility is home to about 12,000 animals in more than 100 exhibits that celebrate the Northern Pacific, the Southern California/Baja region and the Tropical Pacific. In 2019, the Aquarium celebrated the opening of the 29,000-square-foot, two-story Pacific Visions wing — its first major expansion since opening. Each year, 1.7 million people visit the 360,000-square-foot Aquarium, which has over 35,000 memberships and employs 1,200 volunteers and over 350 employees with an annual operating budget of about $40 million.