Tips for Locating Information on Private and Local Companies

1. Tips for Locating Information on Private and Local Companies Presented by: • Ed Hahn – Weber State University • Britt Fagerheim – Utah State University

2. Private Companies • What is a Private Company? • Private companies are owned by: • Individuals • Family • Group of shareholders

3. Private Companies • Don’t sell shares on open market • Don’t file quarterly earnings • Financial Statements not publicly available • Information is scattered – Need to use multiple sources

4. Private Companies • Searching for information done by: • Specific company • Competing Companies • Industry Information

5. Private Company Sources • Sources for finding private company information include: • Print Reference Resources • Government and Commercial Websites • Value-Added Databases

6. PrintResources

7. PrintResources • Ward’s Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies • Provides company directories by: • Alphabetical • Geographical • SIC Rankings • NAICS Rankings

10. Print Resources • Hoovers Handbook of Private Companies • Provides background and some financial information on large private companies • Find executives, major competitors, products, and some financial information

13. Print Resources • International Directory of Company Histories • Provides historical information of larger public and private companies • Includes regular updates of companies

16. Print Resources • Plunkett’s Research • Covers top companies in specific industries, including: • Retail Trade • Information Technology • Energy • Entertainment • Banking • Telecommunications

19. Print Resources • LexisNexis Corporate Affiliations “Who Owns Whom” • Provides subsidiary information for both public and private companies

21. Web Resources

22. Web Resources • Hoover’s Online (http://www.hoovers.com/free/) • Provides limited free information for: • Companies • Industries

28. Web Resources • Biz Journals (http://www.bizjournals.com) • Provides company and industry news for: • Cities • Industries

30. Web Resources • Securities and Exchange Commission (http://www.sec.gov) • S-1 forms for private companies intending an Initial Public Offering (IPO) • Find information about private companies doing business with public companies

35. Web Resources • Trade and Industry Associations on the Web from the Internet Public Library (http://www.ipl.org/div/aon/) • Provides links to various trade groups including: • Accounting • Economics • Marketing • Finance

37. Web Resources • North American Industry Classification System from the U.S. Census (http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html) • Listing of all classification codes by sector • Keyword searchable

39. Web Resources • U.S. Economic Census (http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/) • Industry Sector Report by 2 digit NAICS code • Geographic Area Series Reports by state, metro area, county, and city

44. Web Resources • Individual company websites • Contains company specific information • Often includes links to news articles about the company • Most of the information comes from the company itself

47. Value Added Resources

48. Value Added Resources • Business Source Premier (Company Profiles) • Contains profiles of public and larger private companies • Available to the residents of Utah through Pioneer