It’s quite an ambition, but the Elkay Corporation—now in its fifth generation of family ownership—is determined to be in business forever. In November 2019, Essex Publishing produced a 100th-anniversary book for the company that attempts to explain how. The answer, in a word: values.

Elkay: A Century of Evolution tells the story of a single-product sink manufacturer that, from its founding in 1920, has grown into a diversified, global water-delivery company with synergistic operations in food service, hospitality and cabinetry. We created the 160-page, boldly illustrated book for a primary readership of employees, recruits and retirees; company representatives and distributors; Katz family members and customers. The first comprehensive documentation of Elkay’s history, it tells the story through the eyes of family members, business leaders, longtime employees and retirees—revealing the successes and hurdles, legends, anecdotes, achievements, strategic inflection points and bold decisions that have defined a century in business.

More than anything, the book illuminates Elkay’s unwavering adherence to a set of values imprinted on the company by its founders: make a quality product, provide extraordinary service, treat employees like family, evolve with the times and never, ever give up on the goal of being business forever.