HAI Turns Forty!

This Year, History Associates Celebrates 40 Years of Research, Discovery, and Experience

Founded in 1981 by PhD historians Phil Cantelon, Richard Hewlett, Rodney Carlisle, and Robert Williams, History Associates Incorporated has dedicated the last 40 years growing, evolving, and discovering new ways to put the past to use for our clients. From a small group of subject matter experts serving the federal government, we have transformed into a dynamic company with a multidisciplinary staff offering research, discovery, and experience services to clients around the world.

To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we’ve teamed up with our friends at Pass It Down to create a digital exhibit that explores our history. Click the story tiles to learn about the clients and projects that have defined our first 40 years and shaped HAI’s mission and purpose.

View Our Digital Exhibit

History Associates Incorporated Launches Digital Exhibit Commemorating 40th Anniversary

History Associates Incorporated launches the firm’s 40th anniversary celebration with an exhibit powered by the award-winning digital platform Pass It Down... Read full press release

Creating a Corporate Anniversary Exhibit for HAI

It’s HAI’s 40th anniversary! Founded in 1981, History Associates Incorporated has grown and evolved quite a bit over the past four decades... Read full blog post

Have an HAI story or memory of your own to share with us, or want to wish our team a happy anniversary? We invite past and present employees, clients, and partners to use the form on this page to send us your stories, recollections, or well wishes. We will review and share submissions on this page. Participants will be entered into a raffle to win (1) one of four $40 Visa gift cards!

In our first 40 years, our HAI team has:

Developed content for

exhibit projects

Collaborated with

clients

Inventoried

0M+

individual objects

Completed

historical investigations

HAI Through the Years (1981–Today)

2021

2021: Celebrating 40 Years of Research, Discovery, and Experience

Growing from a few subject matter experts into a multidisciplinary company serving clients worldwide - we've dedicated the last 40 years to growing, evolving, and discovering new ways to put the past to use for our clients.

2020

2020: Reimagining History Associates Incorporated

We are HAI, "The Research, Discovery, and Experience Company". Our new name reflects the organization we've become and the value we deliver for our clients today – and into the future.

2018

2018: Immersing Students in History

History Associates partners with Pearson K-12 Learning to develop Project Imagine: U.S. History, a digital learning experience that uses compelling stories and primary sources to bring the past to life.

2017

2017: Enhancing Immersive Exhibits

Historians collect nearly 500 images from the American Colonial era to support experiential exhibits at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, which opens in April, 2017

2016

2016: Promoting a Legacy

History Associates begins processing Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers. The project will promote the legacy of this important civil rights activist.

2014

2014: Engaging Broad Audiences

History Associates content experts develop engaging exhibits for the newly renovated White House Visitor Center, which opens to the public in September 2014.

2014

2014: Preserving Digital Content

In partnership with the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies, History Associates’ digital archives team develops best practices for the preservation of electronic congressional records.

2011

2011: Celebrating 30 Years

Employees past and present come together with clients, family, and friends to celebrate History Associates’ 30th anniversary at the National Archives in downtown Washington, D.C.

2010

2010: Serving National Parks

Company archivists win a major contract to survey and process thousands of feet of archival material at more than sixty National Park Service sites nationwide.

2009

2009: Documenting 21st Century Conflict

Unable to access recent government records, historians answer legal questions arising from Operation Iraqi Freedom using primary source material mined from social media platforms.

2008

2008: Managing Collections

As they inventory, catalog, and relocate more than 30,000 artifacts for the U.S. National Archives, History Associates staff members develop strong collections management expertise.

2007

2007: Creating Powerful Exhibits

The Normandy American Cemetery Visitor Center, an American Battle Monuments Commission site, becomes History Associates’ first permanent exhibit project open to the public.

2005

2005: Finding New Applications

Company historians demonstrate the broad applicability of their skills when undertaking new types of legal research. Their thorough research documents common knowledge and contributes to a favorable judgment for the National Football League.

2005

2005: Preserving Institutional Memory

The Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society hires History Associates to chart the history of securities regulation. Oral historians conduct more than 180 interviews with regulators and curate five online exhibits.

2004

2004: Going the Extra Mile

To help JPMorgan disclose its historical connections to slavery, researchers travel to repositories all across Louisiana, unearthing thousands of invaluable documents.

2003

2003: Crafting Interpretive Plans

Company historians create an interpretive plan for the Civil War Trust's Third Winchester Battlefield, transforming farmland into a heritage tourism destination.

2002

2002: Moving to a New Facility

History Associates moves to its current office building, which features a climate-controlled archival storage facility.

1999

1999: Telling Stories Online

History Associates undertakes its first major digital history project, developing an online encyclopedia to celebrate DuPont’s 200th anniversary.

1998

1998: Supporting Corporate Disclosure

History Associates staff members travel to more than thirty repositories worldwide to document Ford Motor Company’s use of forced labor at its German plant during World War II.

1997

1997: Documenting the Digital Age

History Associates, the National Science Foundation, and Microsoft bring together key figures from academic, corporate, government, and technology communities to discuss the preservation of electronic records.

1993

1993: Writing Professional Histories

A high-profile history of telecommunications giant MCI is published, strengthening History Associates’ reputation for producing polished, professional books.

1992

1992: Overcoming Setbacks

When two major Department of Energy contracts come to an end, History Associates generates new business by diversifying its services.

1986

1986: Acknowledging Growth

Inc. magazine recognizes History Associates as one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the nation.

1984

1984: Developing Archival Capabilities

When Texas Instruments asks the company to help organize its records, History Associates hires its first professional to create an archive of the technology company’s historical records.

1984

1984: Putting Down Roots

History Associates moves into its first private office space in Rockville, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C.

1982

1982: Serving the Legal Profession

Employees conduct painstaking research for clients requiring historical evidence for legal matters. This expertise forms the basis for History Associates’ Litigation Research service line.

1981

1981: Founding a Company

Philip Cantelon, Rodney Carlisle, Richard Hewlett, and Robert Williams incorporate History Associates on January 2.

1979

1979: Crisis Creates Opportunity

After writing the history of the Three Mile Island nuclear incident, four historians decide to start a pioneering company that will apply historical methods to contemporary research questions.