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Gray America Corporation history
Gray America Corporation company history timeline
Gray entered the international market with a project for Toshiba in 1979.
1980: Conahay & Lyon is purchased by Grey-2, forming a joint agency.
In 1981, Gray & Company was acquired by an ownership group led by James G. Reynolds.
1983: The company forms Grey Strategic Marketing.
James Gray's Death in 1986 Affected the Company's Ownership, Fortunes
The company was in good financial shape when Gray died. It earned $3.5 million in 1986, a 13 percent return on equity.
The company transferred its Chicago shop to a Swiss firm, and in November 1988, Grey sold for $38 million its LBS Communications (formerly Lexington Broadcast Service), a television syndicate whose high cash flow had made Grey ripe for takeover.
The agency got into the audiovisual corporate communications business in 1988, with its purchase of Gindick Productions.
1990 Barry Lewis, Richard L. Boger and Howell W. Newton joined Gray's Board of Directors, and James H. Gray, Jr. resigned from the Board.
In April 1991 James Gray, Jr., filed two lawsuits to remove Terry P. McKenna from the estate, charging that he was blocking the sale of the estate.
By 1991, the company had 188 offices in 40 countries.
In 1991, the company reported earnings of $528 million.
In 1992, Gray & Company acquired the Queen Anne brand of cordial cherries from Hershey.
1992 Atlanta businessman J. Mack Robinson purchased control of Gray Communications Systems from the estate of James H. Gray, Sr.Mr.
Toward the end of 1992 the board announced it would consider offers for all or part of the assets of the company.
The newspaper's circulation was 14,100. It was served by the Gwinnett Daily News until that newspaper was shut down in 1992.
The sale to Gray was subject to the approval of Kentucky's Insurance Commissioner Don Stephens, because the state had taken control of the troubled Kentucky Central in February 1993.
Then in March 1993 Robert Prather, president and CEO of Bull Run Corporation of Atlanta, Georgia, bypassed the board and approached the Grays directly.
The Company announced the passing of its Chairman since 1993, Doctor Billy Mayher, III.
Grey won $160 million in new business in 1994.
For fiscal 1995, Gray Communications reported net income of $930,969 on revenues of $58.6 million.
In 1995 the company's broadcast division's profit margins were rising as those of the publishing division were falling.
In January 1996, Gray laid off 29 of the Albany Herald's 200 employees.
In February 1996, the Atlanta Constitution observed the transformation taking place at Gray Communications.
In September 1996, newly named president and CEO Ralph Gabbard died unexpectedly at the age of 50 of a heart attack.
1996 Harriett J. Robinson joined the Board of Directors.
In April of 1997, Gray opened the doors to its new home in the heart of downtown Lexington.
Acquisitions Continued in 1997
During 1997 Gray boosted the circulation of the Gwinnett Daily Post by entering into agreements to provide copies of the daily paper to cable television subscribers.
1998 The Company acquired the Goshen News daily newspaper (Goshen, IN).
At the beginning of 1998 Gray Communications owned eight network-affiliated television stations in medium-size markets in the southeastern United States and was in the process of adding three more stations.
In 1999, the company formed MediaCom Digital, a strategic developer that connected all advertising services.
2000: Grey Advertising creates Grey Global Group as a holding company; Grey Worldwide becomes its advertising unit.
Grey's revenue was $1.3 billion in 2003, but labor costs and real estate expenditures took their toll on profit margins.
2003 The Company launched start-up station WCAV-TV in Charlottesville, VA.
The WPP Group PLC made a $1.4 billion play for Grey in 2004.
Despite global advertising growth as a result of the Summer Olympics, Grey's future as the last independent agency of its kind came into question in 2004.
2004 Former United States Senator and Georgia Governor Zell B. Miller joined from the Board of Directors.
2005 The Company purchased WNDU-TV (South Bend, IN) from the University of Notre Dame.
In 2005, Gray developed a renewed focus on customers, markets, and relationships dedicated to creating unforgettable customer experiences.
In January of 2006, Gray & Company sold Queen Anne to World's Finest Chocolate, returning the brand to its roots as a Chicago confection.
2008 Governor Miller resigned from the Board of Directors.
In 2009, a shift in leadership occurred when Stephen Gray was name president and chief operating officer with Jim Gray stepping into the chairman and chief executive officer roles.
In 2011, Stephen Gray was named president and chief executive officer of the company.
In 2012, Gray celebrated the life of the company’s co-founder and Gray family matriarch Lois Howard Gray, who lost her courageous battle with Alzheimer’s Disease on March 19, 2012.
2013 The Company announced the passing of “Second Founder” J. Mack Robinson.
2014 The Company announced the opening of its Washington D.C. News Bureau.
In 2014, Gray announced its acquisition of Timberwolff Construction, Inc., an Upland, CA construction firm specializing in the retail construction industry.
In 2015, Gray & Company was acquired by Seneca Foods, North America’s leading provider of packaged fruits and vegetables.
2015 The Company announced the promotion of its five Senior Vice Presidents to new roles as Executive Vice Presidents.
Fortune Magazine announced that Gray Television ranked 77th in its ranking of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in the World for 2016.
2016 The Company announced that it anticipated receiving $90,824,000 in proceeds resulting from the Federal Communications Commission’s reverse auction for broadcast spectrum.
Fortune Magazine announced that Gray Television ranked 96th in its ranking of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in the World for 2017.
The Company announced that it was recognized with the Ad Council’s 2017 Crystal Bell Award at Forward 2017, the Television Bureau of Advertising’s (TVB) annual leadership conference in New York City.
2017 The Company wins 19 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in journalism.
Then, in May of 2018, Gray additionally announced the acquisition of InLine Engineers, an engineering and design solutions firm also in the Food & Beverage sector.
The National Association of Broadcasting Educational Foundation chose Gray's WJRT (ABC) in Flint, Michigan, as the winner of its 2018 Service to Community Award in the Media Market category and WCTV (CBS) in Tallahassee, Florida, as the winner in the Small Market category.
InvestigateTV was launched in 2018 and provides innovative, original journalism from a dedicated investigative team and key partners.
Early in 2018, Gray announced the addition of Gray Solutions, a full-service Automation, Operations, and Information Systems Integrator with a heavy Food & Beverage focus.
The transaction completes Gray's transformation from a small, regional broadcaster to a leading media company with nationwide scale based on high-quality stations with exceptional talent in attractive markets. (January 2nd, 2019)
2019 On January 1, Circle officially launches.
Gray Television’s Chairman and CEO, Hilton H. Howell, Jr. is named Broadcast & Cable’s Broadcaster of the Year (2019).
Gray proudly announced that two of its team members were named to Constructech magazine’s 2019 Women in Construction list.
Gray’s television stations raise $12.6 million in donations benefiting local residents and local organizations in need during March and April 2020.
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| Cast Products | 1966 | $17.2M | 50 | - |
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Gray America Corporation may also be known as or be related to Gray America Corp, Gray America Corp. and Gray America Corporation.