The company was first established in 1953 by two businessmen who combined elements of their last names - Johnson and Stone - and initially focused on refrigeration parts supply.

"The Johnstone 50th anniversary is a great opportunity for us to celebrate and reinforce the core company values of service, quality and teamwork that have made Johnstone so successful though the years," said Gary Daniels, Johnstone president. Daniels noted that the yearlong celebration plans include special recognition of local customers and company vendors.

Johnstone will also celebrate the achievement with a 50th anniversary gala event at its 2003 annual meeting in San Diego from Sept. 15-20.