Consumer Services

UPS Corporate Office

The United Parcel Service, more commonly known as UPS, was founded in 1907 by James Casey and Claude Ryan in Seattle, Washington. The company was originally known as the American Messenger Company.

In 1913, the company purchased their first delivery car, a Ford Model-T. The company merges with another delivery company and becomes Merchants Parcel Delivery. This was unique in its day when most deliveries were done on foot or by bicycle.

In 1919, the name United Parcel Service is adopted when the company opens an office in Oakland, California.

In 1930, service begins in New York City. The company headquarters has moved to NYC soon after.

In 1975 the company began servicing all continental 48 states and Puerto Rico.

In 1988, UPS Airlines is launched. In 1991, the UPS corporate office has moved to Atlanta, Georgia.

The large volume of packages in the 1990s made the company develop new technology for better efficiency. A handheld device called Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD) was created to record and upload delivery information to the UPS network immediately upon pickup by every UPS driver. In 1992, UPS began tracking all ground shipments electronically.

In 1999, the company goes public on the NYSE under symbol UPS. In 2001, the company acquired Mail Boxes Etc and the UPS Stores is introduced 2 years later.

UPS maintains its own airline consisting of 236 aircraft which serve over 200 countries and territories worldwide. Based out of Louisville, Kentucky, the airline also operates out of several major hubs throughout the United States.

In 2013, the company had more than 104,900 vehicles in operation worldwide, including nearly 7,000 alternative-fuel vehicles. In May of 2008, the company placed an order for an additional 200 hybrid electric vehicles, along with an order for 300 compressed natural gas vehicles from Daimler Trucks North America.

UPS is now using AI (Artificial Intelligence) for common customer service questions, as well as mapping routes for drivers, which can save the company millions every year.

UPS currently delivers over 15 million packages per day in 220 countries worldwide. The company had annual revenue in 2017 of $65.872 billion. Headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia.

UPS

The United Parcel Service, more commonly known as UPS, was founded in 1907 by James Casey and Claude Ryan in Seattle, Washington. The company was originally known as the American Messenger Company.

History

In 1919, the name United Parcel Service is adopted when the company opens an office in Oakland, California.

In 1930, service begins in New York City. The company headquarters has moved to NYC soon after.

In 1975 the company began servicing all continental 48 states and Puerto Rico.

In 1988, UPS Airlines is launched. In 1991, the UPS corporate office has moved to Atlanta, Georgia.

In 1999, the company goes public on the NYSE under symbol UPS. In 2001, the company acquired Mail Boxes Etc and the UPS Stores is introduced 2 years later.

UPS is now using AI (Artificial Intelligence) for common customer service questions, as well as mapping routes for drivers, which can save the company millions every year.

UPS currently delivers over 15 million packages per day in 220 countries worldwide. The company had annual revenue in 2017 of $65.872 billion. Headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia.

Best Buy Corporate Office

Originally founded in 1966 under the name Sound of Music by Richard Schulze and Gary Smoliak. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the store focused on specialty audio equipment.

By 1969, the company had 3 locations and was listed on the NASDAQ. There were 9 locations by 1978.

In 1981, the Roseville, Minnesota location, which at the time the largest and most profitable Sound of Music store, was hit by a tornado. The store’s roof was sheared off and showroom destroyed, but the storeroom was untouched. In response, Schulze decided to have a “Tornado Sale” of damaged and excess stock. The sale was held in the damaged store’s parking lot. He poured the remainder of his marketing budget into advertising the sale, promising “best buys” on everything. The company made more money during that four-day sale than it did in a typical month.

So, in 1983, the company’s name was changed to Best Buy and the first superstore was opened in Burnsville, Minnesota. With annual revenue in the $10 million dollar range, the company decided to expand into home appliances and “new” electronics, such as VCR’s.

In 1985, the company went public on the NYSE under the ticker symbol: BBY. The company expanded quickly in the US during the late 80s and 90s. In 1992, the company reached $1 billion in sales.

In 2003, there were 600 Best Buy stores nationwide and the company began to expand internationally.

In 2008, the chain opened its 1000th location in the Mall of America.

In 2012, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, losing sales to online giant Amazon, until new CEO Hubert Joly introduced a price match guarantee. This turned the company around since many consumers were happy to not only receive the same price as what was offered on Amazon, but they could take their product home the same day.

In early 2014, the company settled for $4.55 million in a class action lawsuit filed against them in April 2010 by consumers who claimed Best Buy was making unsolicited phone calls in contravention of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

On March 1, 2018, the company announced that it would shut down its 250 standalone Best Buy Mobile stores in the US by the end of May, due to low revenue.

In September 2019, a family filed a lawsuit against Best Buy and their delivery companies after an elderly woman was beaten, set on fire, and died by a person delivering a washer and dryer.

Today, there are over 1026 locations worldwide. Annual revenue in 2017 was $42.151 billion. The Best Buy corporate office is located in Richfield, Minnesota.

Best Buy

Originally founded in 1966 under the name Sound of Music by Richard Schulze and Gary Smoliak. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the store focused on specialty audio equipment.

History

By 1969, the company had 3 locations and was listed on the NASDAQ. There were 9 locations by 1978.

In 1985, the company went public on the NYSE under the ticker symbol: BBY. The company expanded quickly in the US during the late 80s and 90s. In 1992, the company reached $1 billion in sales.

In 2003, there were 600 Best Buy stores nationwide and the company began to expand internationally.

In 2008, the chain opened its 1000th location in the Mall of America.

On March 1, 2018, the company announced that it would shut down its 250 standalone Best Buy Mobile stores in the US by the end of May, due to low revenue.

In September 2019, a family filed a lawsuit against Best Buy and their delivery companies after an elderly woman was beaten, set on fire, and died by a person delivering a washer and dryer.

Today, there are over 1026 locations worldwide. Annual revenue in 2017 was $42.151 billion. The Best Buy corporate office is located in Richfield, Minnesota.

Hertz Corporate Office

The Hertz Corporation was founded in 1918 by Walter L. Jacobs. He started the business in Chicago, IL with 12 Ford Model T cars. Within 5 years, Jacobs company, simply called Rent A Car, had a fleet of 600 vehicles and an estimated annual revenue of $1 million.

In 1923, Jacobs sold the business to John D. Hertz who renamed the business to Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System.

In 1925, Hertz sold an interest in the company to General Motors. The remaining shares were sold to GM in 1943. General Motors opened the first car rental credit card in 1926 and the first airport car rental counter in 1932 at Chicago’s Midway airport.

In 1953, Jacobs purchased the company back from GM and took the company public on the NYSE.

In 1967, the company was purchased by RCA.

In 1987, Hertz was sold to the Ford Motor Company subsidiary Park Ridge Corporation.

In 2010, Hertz acquired British Car Auctions and in 2012, acquired rival Dollar-Thrifty Automotive Group.

In 2013, the company partnered with China’s largest rental company, China Auto Rental.

Currently, the company has 9,700 locations in 150 countries between the three brands; Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty Rent a Car.

Hertz added approximately 335,000 2015 model-year vehicles to its fleet through September 30, 2015.

Annual revenue in the US alone is $9.3 billion for 2016.

Today the company operates in 145 countries worldwide. In May 2013, Florida Governor Rick Scott announced Hertz Global Holdings would relocate their worldwide headquarters from Park Ridge, New Jersey to Estero, Florida.

Due to the coronavirus crisis, Hertz filed for bankruptcy in May 2020.

Despite laying off thousands of employees, the company paid out $16.2 million in bonuses to executives just before filing for bankruptcy.

In December 2022, Hertz agreed to settle with nearly 370 clients who were falsely accused of stealing cars from Hertz.

Hertz

In 1923, Jacobs sold the business to John D. Hertz who renamed the business to Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System.

History

In 1953, Jacobs purchased the company back from GM and took the company public on the NYSE.

In 1967, the company was purchased by RCA.

In 1987, Hertz was sold to the Ford Motor Company subsidiary Park Ridge Corporation.

In 2010, Hertz acquired British Car Auctions and in 2012, acquired rival Dollar-Thrifty Automotive Group.

In 2013, the company partnered with China’s largest rental company, China Auto Rental.

Currently, the company has 9,700 locations in 150 countries between the three brands; Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty Rent a Car.

Hertz added approximately 335,000 2015 model-year vehicles to its fleet through September 30, 2015.

Annual revenue in the US alone is $9.3 billion for 2016.

Due to the coronavirus crisis, Hertz filed for bankruptcy in May 2020.

Despite laying off thousands of employees, the company paid out $16.2 million in bonuses to executives just before filing for bankruptcy.

In December 2022, Hertz agreed to settle with nearly 370 clients who were falsely accused of stealing cars from Hertz.

Office Depot Corporate Office

Office Depot was founded in 1986 by F. Patrick Sher and Jack Kopkin. The first location was located in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida.

In 1988, the company went public on the NYSE.

There were many acquisitions and mergers in the 90s, the 50th store was opened in 1995.

The OfficeDepot.com website was launched in 1998.

In 2000’s there was a major expansion into Europe. In 2005, the 1000th location was opened in Countryside, Illinois.

In late 2013, Office Depot and OfficeMax merged.

In February 2015, Staples announced it would purchase Office Depot for $6.3 Billion. The merger was ultimately blocked by the FTC.

Today, there are over 1600 locations worldwide. The Office Depot corporate office is located in Boca Raton, FL.

Office Depot

Office Depot was founded in 1986 by F. Patrick Sher and Jack Kopkin. The first location was located in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida.

In 1988, the company went public on the NYSE.

There were many acquisitions and mergers in the 90s, the 50th store was opened in 1995.

History

The OfficeDepot.com website was launched in 1998.

In 2000’s there was a major expansion into Europe. In 2005, the 1000th location was opened in Countryside, Illinois.

In late 2013, Office Depot and OfficeMax merged.

In February 2015, Staples announced it would purchase Office Depot for $6.3 Billion. The merger was ultimately blocked by the FTC.

Today, there are over 1600 locations worldwide. The Office Depot corporate office is located in Boca Raton, FL.

Rent-A-Center Corporate Office

Rent-A-Center or RAC for short was founded in 1973 by Thomas Devlin and W. Frank Barton. Mr. Devlin came up with the rent to own idea after working for an appliance rental company in Wichita, KS.

The company offers brand name new and used household appliances, televisions, computers, and other electronics on a rent to own scale. Customers can return items for any reason, then pick up the items and resume payments again if they wish. Delivery, pick-up, repair, and service are all included in the rental price.

The company went public in 1995 and has gained many of its current locations through acquisitions of other companies including DEF Investments, Thorn Americas, Rent-Way, Rainbow Rentals, and Rent-Rite.

The company is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol: RCII

Annual revenue in 2015 was $3.28 billion. RAC has 22,200 full-time employees.

In July of 2015, the company sold several of its Ontario, Canada, locations to EasyHome Financial for $3.4 million. The company has plans for expansion in Mexico, where there are currently 176 locations.

In November 2017, RAC came under federal investigation for alleged unfair, abusive, and deceptive practices.

The company reduced the number of corporate employees by 25 percent or approximately 250 jobs in March 2018.

In February 2021, Rent-A-Center reported 4th quarter gains of 7.3 percent.

Rent-A-Center currently operates over 3000 locations in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Although originally founded in Wichita, the corporate office is now located in Plano, Texas.

Rent-A-Center

Rent-A-Center or RAC for short was founded in 1973 by Thomas Devlin and W. Frank Barton. Mr. Devlin came up with the rent to own idea after working for an appliance rental company in Wichita, KS.

History

The company is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol: RCII

Annual revenue in 2015 was $3.28 billion. RAC has 22,200 full-time employees.

In November 2017, RAC came under federal investigation for alleged unfair, abusive, and deceptive practices.

The company reduced the number of corporate employees by 25 percent or approximately 250 jobs in March 2018.

In February 2021, Rent-A-Center reported 4th quarter gains of 7.3 percent.

Rent-A-Center currently operates over 3000 locations in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Although originally founded in Wichita, the corporate office is now located in Plano, Texas.