Franklin history

Franklin went public in 1971, which gave Charlie and team the capital needed to grow the business and position it for the future.

Franklin Electric passed a number of milestones in 1972.

Franklin's sales grew by leaps and bounds through the 1970s. It expanded its Blufton plant a second time in 1975, adding 50,000 square feet.

In 1976 the company recorded new sales highs, driven by demand for electric motors for home heating and electricity that was increasing so rapidly the company could hardly keep up.

Starting in 1980, the company's total assets under management doubled (or nearly doubled) every year for the next six years.

By 1982, however, the boom times had begun to wane rapidly catching Franklin with large back stocks of inventory.

1983 saw the opening of Franklin's first Mexican plant, a submersible motor facility in Monterrey, Mexico.

Greg had grown up in the business and worked his way through the organisation beginning on the trading desk at age 24 in 1985.

The company's stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1986 under the ticker symbol "BEN". In the same year, the company opened its first office outside North America in Taiwan.

In 1991 it added a distribution center to its European headquarters in Germany to be positioned for the new European Union and the newly opened markets in Eastern Europe.

In 1992, after striking a deal with famed global investor Sir John Templeton for the acquisition of Templeton, Galbraith & Hansberger Ltd., Charlie was named Fund Leader of the Year for spearheading what was then the largest merger of an independent mutual fund company in history.

1994: Franklin acquires a 97 percent interest in Oil Dynamics, Inc.

Then in 1996, in an effort to broaden its line of domestic equity products, Franklin Templeton bought Heine Securities Corporation, investment adviser to Mutual Series Fund, Inc., from Wall Street icon Michael Price.

In 2005, Gregory E. Johnson (Greg), Charlie's son, became chief executive officer, assuming overall responsibility for leading Franklin Templeton.

In 2012, the firm acquired a majority stake in K2 Advisors, a provider of integrated hedge fund and alternative investment products and solutions, to expand the firm’s alternative capabilities.

In 2013, Charlie Johnson retired as chairman.

In 2014, Franklin Templeton offered its first exchange-traded fund (ETF) to provide access to the firm’s investment expertise in a low-cost, transparent vehicle.

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In 2018, Franklin Templeton acquired Edinburgh Partners, an established global value investment management firm.

In November 2019, after 15 years as CEO, it was announced that Greg Johnson would become executive chairman of the board of Franklin Resources, Inc.

In May of 2020, the firm acquired leading digital wealth management platform provider, AdvisorEngine.