Corporate Office HQ

Consumer Goods

HSN Corporate Office

Lowell “Bud” Paxson and Roy Speer founded the Home Shopping Club in 1982 as a local cable channel in Pinellas County, Florida.

Three years later it expanded nationally and was the first national shopping network, under the name Home Shopping Network.

In 1986 HSN began a second network that broadcast over the air on a number of television stations it had acquired under the name Silver King Broadcasting.

The stations were sold in 1999 to Barry Diller and again in 2001 to Univision Communications.

In 1999 the company launched hsn.com, which is one of the most trafficked e-commerce websites.

Today HSN is an interactive, multichannel retailer with two operating segments: HSN and Cornerstone. The company’s brands include Bllard Designs, Chasing Fireflies, Frontgate, Garnet Hill, Grandin Road, Improvements, and TravelSmith. HSN has 6,700 employees and had $3 billion in revenue in 2012.

HSN, Inc.

Lowell “Bud” Paxson and Roy Speer founded the Home Shopping Club in 1982 as a local cable channel in Pinellas County, Florida.

Three years later it expanded nationally and was the first national shopping network, under the name Home Shopping Network.

In 1986 HSN began a second network that broadcast over the air on a number of television stations it had acquired under the name Silver King Broadcasting.

History

The stations were sold in 1999 to Barry Diller and again in 2001 to Univision Communications.

In 1999 the company launched hsn.com, which is one of the most trafficked e-commerce websites.

Today HSN is an interactive, multichannel retailer with two operating segments: HSN and Cornerstone. The company’s brands include Bllard Designs, Chasing Fireflies, Frontgate, Garnet Hill, Grandin Road, Improvements, and TravelSmith. HSN has 6,700 employees and had $3 billion in revenue in 2012.

W. W. Grainger, Inc. Corporate Office

W.W. Grainger was founded by William W. Grainger in Chicago in 1927 as an efficient solution for fulfilling customer’s business needs.

Sales were primarily through mail-order catalog and post cards in the early days of the company.

In 1967 Grainger became a publicly traded company, going public on the New York Stock Exchange.

In 1984 the company reached $1 billion in sales.

By 2008 Grainger’s catalog had 183,000 products, and 350,000 available products on www.grainger.com.

In 2010, 400,000 products were available in the catalog and 900,000 on the website.

Today Grainger sells products and services to small and medium-sized businesses, large corporations, government entities, and other institutions through local branches sales representatives, catalogs, and the internet.

The company has operations in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

W.W. Grainger is an S&P 500 component, has 18,400 employees, and had $8.1 billion in revenue in 2011.

 

W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger was founded by William W. Grainger in Chicago in 1927 as an efficient solution for fulfilling customer’s business needs.

Sales were primarily through mail-order catalog and post cards in the early days of the company.

In 1967 Grainger became a publicly traded company, going public on the New York Stock Exchange.

History

In 1984 the company reached $1 billion in sales.

By 2008 Grainger’s catalog had 183,000 products, and 350,000 available products on www.grainger.com.

In 2010, 400,000 products were available in the catalog and 900,000 on the website.

Today Grainger sells products and services to small and medium-sized businesses, large corporations, government entities, and other institutions through local branches sales representatives, catalogs, and the internet.

The company has operations in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

W.W. Grainger is an S&P 500 component, has 18,400 employees, and had $8.1 billion in revenue in 2011.

 

Amway Corporate Office

Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos, lifelong friends and business partners, founded the Ja-Ri Corporation to import wood products from South America in 1949.

After they were introduced to Nutrilite the same year they changed the focus of their new company to be a Nutrilite distributor.

Nutrilite offered its distributors a commission on every product sold, as well as a commission on each product sold by a new distributor that was recruited from an existing distributor. This is called multi-level marketing.

By 1958 DeVos and Van Andel had built a network of 5,000 distributors.

In 1959, amid concerns about the future of Nutrilite, they along with some of their top distributors formed the American Way Association to represent the distributors and look for additional products to market.

Their first product was an organic cleaner called Frisk. Subsequently they formed Amway Sales Corporation to procure and inventory products, as well as sales and marketing, and Amway Services Corporation to handle insurance and other benefits for distributors.

In 1964 Amway Corporation was formed by the merger of Amway Sales Corporation, Amway Services Corporation, and Amway Manufacturing Corporation.

Amway expanded to Australia in 1971, Europe in 1973, parts of Asia in 1974, Japan in 1979, Latin America in 1985, China in 1995, Africa in 1997,  India in 1998, and Russia in 2005.

Today Amway manufactures over 450 products. Amway is #28 on the Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies, has 14,000 employees, and had $9.2 billion in revenue in 2011.

Amway

Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos, lifelong friends and business partners, founded the Ja-Ri Corporation to import wood products from South America in 1949.

After they were introduced to Nutrilite the same year they changed the focus of their new company to be a Nutrilite distributor.

Nutrilite offered its distributors a commission on every product sold, as well as a commission on each product sold by a new distributor that was recruited from an existing distributor. This is called multi-level marketing.

History

By 1958 DeVos and Van Andel had built a network of 5,000 distributors.

In 1959, amid concerns about the future of Nutrilite, they along with some of their top distributors formed the American Way Association to represent the distributors and look for additional products to market.

Their first product was an organic cleaner called Frisk. Subsequently they formed Amway Sales Corporation to procure and inventory products, as well as sales and marketing, and Amway Services Corporation to handle insurance and other benefits for distributors.

In 1964 Amway Corporation was formed by the merger of Amway Sales Corporation, Amway Services Corporation, and Amway Manufacturing Corporation.

Amway expanded to Australia in 1971, Europe in 1973, parts of Asia in 1974, Japan in 1979, Latin America in 1985, China in 1995, Africa in 1997,  India in 1998, and Russia in 2005.

Today Amway manufactures over 450 products. Amway is #28 on the Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies, has 14,000 employees, and had $9.2 billion in revenue in 2011.

Johnson & Johnson Corporate Office

Johnson and Johnson logo

Samuel Curtis Johnson, Sr. founded S.C. Johnson & Son when he purchased the parquet flooring business of Racine Hardware Company in 1886.

Customers often asked S.C. Johnson how to care for their new floors, leading Johnson to develop a product called Johnson’s Prepared Wax to sell along with flooring. The new product was very successful.

S.C. Johnson’s son, Herbert Johnson, joined the business and became a partner in 1906, changing the name of the company to S.C. Johnson & Sons. The company is now known as S.C. Johnson Wax and Johnson Wax.

Johnson and Johnson product lineToday S.C. Johnson & Sons is still a family company and are now in the fifth generation of family ownership and family management. The company is one of the largest family-owned companies in the United States.

The company’s well-known products include Raid insecticides, Glade air fresheners, Pledge furniture polish, Windex glass, and surface cleaners, Ziploc storage bags, Off insect repellent, Saran Wrap, and Edge shaving gel, among others.

S.C. Johnson & Son is #29 on the Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies, has 134,000 employees, and had $81.58 billion in revenue in 2018.

Johnson baby powderThe company was forced to recall its infamous baby powder after discovering it was contaminated with asbestos in October 2019. 

Johnson and johnson drugJohnson and Johson, one of the most trusted names in health and home care products, has fallen to 57th place out of 58 pharmaceutical companies, after losing an $8 billion dollar lawsuit over their psychotic drug Risperdal.

The company was also forced to cut its third-quarter profit to account for its proposed opioid settlement payment. This settlement has yet to be approved, however, as of October 2019.

Johnson and Johnson also pledged $500 million towards ending HIV and tuberculosis by 2030.

Headquarters for Johnson and Johnson remain in Racine, Wisconsin.

Johnson and Johnson logo 2

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson and Johnson logo

Samuel Curtis Johnson, Sr. founded S.C. Johnson & Son when he purchased the parquet flooring business of Racine Hardware Company in 1886.

Customers often asked S.C. Johnson how to care for their new floors, leading Johnson to develop a product called Johnson’s Prepared Wax to sell along with flooring. The new product was very successful.

History

S.C. Johnson’s son, Herbert Johnson, joined the business and became a partner in 1906, changing the name of the company to S.C. Johnson & Sons. The company is now known as S.C. Johnson Wax and Johnson Wax.

Johnson and Johnson product lineToday S.C. Johnson & Sons is still a family company and are now in the fifth generation of family ownership and family management. The company is one of the largest family-owned companies in the United States.

The company’s well-known products include Raid insecticides, Glade air fresheners, Pledge furniture polish, Windex glass, and surface cleaners, Ziploc storage bags, Off insect repellent, Saran Wrap, and Edge shaving gel, among others.

S.C. Johnson & Son is #29 on the Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies, has 134,000 employees, and had $81.58 billion in revenue in 2018.

Johnson baby powderThe company was forced to recall its infamous baby powder after discovering it was contaminated with asbestos in October 2019. 

Johnson and johnson drugJohnson and Johson, one of the most trusted names in health and home care products, has fallen to 57th place out of 58 pharmaceutical companies, after losing an $8 billion dollar lawsuit over their psychotic drug Risperdal.

The company was also forced to cut its third-quarter profit to account for its proposed opioid settlement payment. This settlement has yet to be approved, however, as of October 2019.

Johnson and Johnson also pledged $500 million towards ending HIV and tuberculosis by 2030.

Headquarters for Johnson and Johnson remain in Racine, Wisconsin.

Johnson and Johnson logo 2

Renco Group Corporate Office

Renco Group is a family-owned investment holding company that was founded in 1975 by Ira Rennert.

Today Renco Group is a diversified holding company with interests in mining, metal production, material handling, and other businesses. Among its subsidiaries are Doe Run Resources, US Magnesium, and Unarco Material Handling.

The company owns a 30% stake in defense contractor AM General, maker of the all-terrain vehicle the Humvee, used by the US military.

Renco is #38 on the Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies, has 20,000 employees, and had $7.7 billion in revenue in 2011.

Renco Group

Renco Group is a family-owned investment holding company that was founded in 1975 by Ira Rennert.

Today Renco Group is a diversified holding company with interests in mining, metal production, material handling, and other businesses. Among its subsidiaries are Doe Run Resources, US Magnesium, and Unarco Material Handling.

The company owns a 30% stake in defense contractor AM General, maker of the all-terrain vehicle the Humvee, used by the US military.

History

Renco is #38 on the Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies, has 20,000 employees, and had $7.7 billion in revenue in 2011.