Johnson Kendall Johnson Recognized on the 2025 Best Evergreen Companies® List by Tugboat Institute®
Mar 24, 2026
This annual recognition honors privately held companies that exemplify the Evergreen 7Ps® principles—Purpose, Perseverance, People First, Private, Profit, Paced Growth, and Pragmatic Innovation—and are building companies to last 100 years or more.
The Best Evergreen Companies list shines a light on businesses across industries and geographies that demonstrate the highest levels of excellence in living out the Evergreen 7Ps principles. Each company recognized has undergone a rigorous evaluation process and stands out for its commitment to remaining private, growing with purpose, and building enduring companies that contribute meaningfully to their people, communities, and society.
This year’s Best Evergreen Companies list includes 30 outstanding businesses spanning industries such as technology, retail, consumer goods, healthcare, and construction. JKJ is proud to stand among these leaders who demonstrate that Evergreen companies can thrive in every sector of the economy.
“Evergreen companies represent the best of what business can be,” said Dave Whorton, Founder and CEO of Tugboat Institute. “Organizations like Johnson Kendall Johnson show that when you build with purpose, invest in your people, and think for the long term, you create companies that strengthen not only their teams but also their communities and endure for generations. We’re honored to recognize them as part of this year’s Best Evergreen Companies list.”
Companies become eligible for inclusion on this Best Evergreen Companies list by either becoming Certified Evergreen or by hosting two-and-a-half-day Tugboat Institute Exemplar Visit. Both paths require a deep, introspective dive into practices across all the Evergreen 7Ps principles and provide tangible measures of Evergreen maturity across each of the principles and into overall excellence.
Tugboat Institute is a membership organization of CEOs and founders of privately held companies united by the Evergreen 7Ps Principles—Purpose, Perseverance, People First, Private, Profit, Paced Growth, and Pragmatic Innovation. Beyond its membership community, Tugboat Institute champions the broader Evergreen movement by promoting the value and importance of Evergreen companies as a powerful and under-recognized force in business and society.
Through peer learning, curated events, research, and thought leadership, Tugboat Institute is working to elevate public understanding of the long-term impact Evergreen companies have on employees, communities, and economies. In 2025, Tugboat Institute Founder and CEO Dave Whorton, together with acclaimed author Bo Burlingham, co-authored Another Way: Building Companies That Last… and Last… and Last, a book that shares the origins of the Evergreen movement and highlights the enduring power of businesses built for the long term.
Visit: www.tugboatinstitute.com for more information.