, Columnist
What Makes Danaher Corp. Such a Star?
Two brothers and a philosophy borrowed from Japan.
Steven Rales with his favorite director, Wes Anderson.
Photographer: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFIThis article is for subscribers only.
Every once in a while a business journalist notices how well Danaher Corp. has performed during the past few decades, and feels compelled to remark upon it. Well, now I’ve noticed, and I guess the most appropriate remark is, “wow.” Or maybe “jeepers.”
There are a few companies with even more impressive long-run returns than this -- Berkshire Hathaway and Altria since the late 1960s; Microsoft and Oracle since their 1986 initial public offerings. But everybody knows about them (well, maybe Altria is a surprise). Danaher is in rarified territory, but it doesn’t get much attention.