This company, the nation's second leading metal can maker (behind American Can) for much of the twentieth century, was founded in 1904 by Edwin Norton and T. G. Cranwell. Continental's main factories were in Chicago and Syracuse, New York, where it was headquartered. By the mid-1930s, with 38 plants nationwide, the company employed about 1,800 men and 1,200 women around the Chicago area. By the early 1970s, annual sales reached $2 billion and Continental Can ranked as the number one U.S. can manufacturer, with about 6,000 Chicago-area employees. In 1976, it became part of the Continental Group, a conglomerate with operations in many industries. By the end of the 1980s, the remnants of Continental Can became part of the U.S. Can Co., a new can-manufacturing company now headquartered in suburban Lombard.

This entry is part of the Encyclopedia's Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000) that was prepared by Mark R. Wilson, with additional contributions from Stephen R. Porter and Janice L. Reiff.