I've always been fascinated with time travel. So, early this summer when I accepted the assignment of documenting the 100-year history of Pitman Co. (Totowa, NJ), I relished the opportunity. You'll find that account of the industry's largest privately held distributor in the special supplement on pg. 33. Before I go any further, let me assure you that contrary to popular belief, I was not around in 1906 when Harold F. Pitman first hung out his shingle. Surviving for a centennial is quite an accomplishment when you consider that 50 percent of small businesses fail in their first year and 80 percent close their doors by year five. As I studied the history of the company, I realized that its surviving for a full century is an incredible achievement and I began to consider the ingredients necessary for that kind of longevity.
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机译：我一直对时间旅行着迷。因此，在今年夏天初，当我接受记录Pitman公司（新泽西州托托瓦）100年历史的任务时，我很高兴能有这个机会。在pg上的特殊补充中，您会找到该行业中最大的私人分销商的帐户。 33.在进一步介绍之前，让我向您保证，与人们的普遍看法相反，1906年哈罗德·皮特曼（Harold F. Pitman）第一次悬挂他的木瓦时，我不在。当您考虑到50％的小型企业在第一年倒闭而80％的第五年关门时，生存一百年是相当成就的。当我研究公司的历史时，我意识到公司生存了整整一个世纪都是令人难以置信的成就，因此我开始考虑长寿的必要要素。
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