Ecommerce

Restoration Hardware Corporate Office

Stephen Gordon founded Restoration Hardware in 1980 after he had trouble finding period hardware while restoring a Queen Ann-style house in Eureka, California.

The company went public in 1998 with 47 stores.

Today Restoration Hardware sells upscale home and outdoor furnishings, garden products, bath-ware, hardware, lighting, textiles, and baby and child products through 85 retail and outlet stores in 30 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada.

40% of the company’s sales are through catalog and e-commerce sales.

In 2008 Restoration Hardware was taken private by Catterton Partners and Tower Three Partners and went public again in 2012.

Restoration Hardware has 6500 employees and had $3.76 billion in revenue in 2021.

The company, rebranding as RH, also owns 14 restaurants that are located inside their store locations, including San Francisco, California, Dallas, Texas, and the new location recently opened in Santa Barbara, California.

RH maintains a corporate office in Corte Madera, California.

Restoration Hardware

Stephen Gordon founded Restoration Hardware in 1980 after he had trouble finding period hardware while restoring a Queen Ann-style house in Eureka, California.

The company went public in 1998 with 47 stores.

History

40% of the company’s sales are through catalog and e-commerce sales.

In 2008 Restoration Hardware was taken private by Catterton Partners and Tower Three Partners and went public again in 2012.

Restoration Hardware has 6500 employees and had $3.76 billion in revenue in 2021.

RH maintains a corporate office in Corte Madera, California.

H&R Block Corporate Office

Young Henry Bloch and his brother Leon wanted to open a family business when they got out of the army after WWII. Borrowing $5,000, the pair opened a small bookeeping shop in Kansas City, Missouri. Unfortunately, after just a few months, the business was not doing very well and Leon decided that he would rather go to law school. Henry wanted to keep trying, so he was about to place an ad for help in the local newspaper when his mother suggested that he hire his brother Richard instead since he knew about tax returns.

The pair began doing bookkeeping again, but this time around, also offering tax preparation services.

The new company was called the United Business Company.

In 1955, on the advice of a friend who worked for the local newspaper, the brothers ran an ad in The Kansas City Star for $5 tax services. The next day the office was full of tax clients, and H&R Block was born.

The company expanded by franchising to New York City in 1956, and the company grew quickly. The name was changed to Block, rather than Bloch, which the brothers thought was easier to remember and to spell. H&R Block went public in 1962, trading on the New York Stock exchange, under the symbol HRB.

Today H&R Block is a tax-preparation and and financial services company. The company has 25 million customers, which it serves through 11,000 company-owned and franchised locations in the United States and 1,600 locations in Canada and Australia.

The company competes for a share of the digital market with its online tax programs and software. Unlike other online companies, H&R Block has a program called the Best of Both, where clients enter their information and do their returns online and a Block tax professional reviews, edits, signs, and e-files the return for the client. Many clients claim they feel better about returns that an actual human, trained in tax return laws, has read and at least looked at.

Current CFO Tony Bowen says that the tax delay in 2020 and again in 2021 has had a tremendous impact on the company’s resources.

H&R Block is a member of the S&P 500, is #665 in Fortune 1000, has 2,400 employees, and had $3 billion in revenue in 2016. Headquarters for the company are still located in Kansas City, Missouri.

H&R Block

The pair began doing bookkeeping again, but this time around, also offering tax preparation services.

History

The new company was called the United Business Company.

Current CFO Tony Bowen says that the tax delay in 2020 and again in 2021 has had a tremendous impact on the company’s resources.

H&R Block is a member of the S&P 500, is #665 in Fortune 1000, has 2,400 employees, and had $3 billion in revenue in 2016. Headquarters for the company are still located in Kansas City, Missouri.

Fruit of the Loom Corporate Office

Fruit of the Loom brands has its roots in 1851, when brothers Benjamin and Robert Knight bought a mill and started to produce textiles in Warwick, Rhode Island.

In 1870 Congress passed trademark laws and one year later Fruit of the Loom was registered as an official trademark, making it one of the country’s oldest brands.

Fruit of the Loom’s main business focus is on underwear, activewear, fleece, and casualwear for women, men, and children, and women’s jeans.

The company is a global brand and has significant market share for basic apparel.

Fruit of the Loom also manufactures and sells the brands Russel, B.V.D., Funpals, FunGals, Screen Stars, and Underoos.

Fruit of the Loom filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in 1999 after showing a loss of $576 million and its stock dropping from $44 to $1 per share.

Berkshire Hathaway bought the company from bankruptcy in 2002 for $835 million.

Today Fruit of the Loom has 32,000 employees and had revenue of $2 billion in 2013.

Fruit of the Loom

Fruit of the Loom brands has its roots in 1851, when brothers Benjamin and Robert Knight bought a mill and started to produce textiles in Warwick, Rhode Island.

In 1870 Congress passed trademark laws and one year later Fruit of the Loom was registered as an official trademark, making it one of the country’s oldest brands.

Fruit of the Loom’s main business focus is on underwear, activewear, fleece, and casualwear for women, men, and children, and women’s jeans.

History

The company is a global brand and has significant market share for basic apparel.

Fruit of the Loom also manufactures and sells the brands Russel, B.V.D., Funpals, FunGals, Screen Stars, and Underoos.

Fruit of the Loom filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in 1999 after showing a loss of $576 million and its stock dropping from $44 to $1 per share.

Berkshire Hathaway bought the company from bankruptcy in 2002 for $835 million.

Today Fruit of the Loom has 32,000 employees and had revenue of $2 billion in 2013.

JetBlue Corporate Office

David Neeleman founded JetBlue on 1999 under the name NewAir. Neeleman, along with several of the original executives of JetBlue, were former Southwest Airlines Employees.

JetBlue follows Southwest’s low-cost model, but has sought to distinguish itself by having first-class amenities for every traveler such as personal televisions for every seat and Satellite radio.

The airline grew quickly and profitably; JetBlue was one of the only airlines that showed a profit after the downturn in travel after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Major airlines such as Delta and United Airlines started rival mini-carriers but these have now been disbanded and absorbed by their parent airlines.

JetBlue expanded to add routes all over the United States and in 2008, the airline also had twelve Caribbean/Atlantic destinations.

From 2008 to 2013 JetBlue entered into codeshare agreements with Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, South African Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Jet Airways, and Air China.

Today JetBlue is a publicly traded company, trading on the NASDAQ under the symbol JBLU. The company is #495 in the Fortune 500, a member of the S&P 400, has 18,000 employees, and had $5.89 billion in revenue in 2015.

The company announced in June of 2016 that it plans on overhauling 15 of its planes to begin introducing flights to Europe in 2019.

In July of 2016, the company stated that it would provide commercial flights between the US and Cuba beginning in August of that year.

As of September, 2016, JetBlue Airways flies to 96 destinations in North, Central, and South America; some countries include Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Maarten, and Saint Lucia

JetBlue

David Neeleman founded JetBlue on 1999 under the name NewAir. Neeleman, along with several of the original executives of JetBlue, were former Southwest Airlines Employees.

JetBlue follows Southwest’s low-cost model, but has sought to distinguish itself by having first-class amenities for every traveler such as personal televisions for every seat and Satellite radio.

The airline grew quickly and profitably; JetBlue was one of the only airlines that showed a profit after the downturn in travel after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

History

Major airlines such as Delta and United Airlines started rival mini-carriers but these have now been disbanded and absorbed by their parent airlines.

JetBlue expanded to add routes all over the United States and in 2008, the airline also had twelve Caribbean/Atlantic destinations.

From 2008 to 2013 JetBlue entered into codeshare agreements with Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, South African Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Jet Airways, and Air China.

The company announced in June of 2016 that it plans on overhauling 15 of its planes to begin introducing flights to Europe in 2019.

In July of 2016, the company stated that it would provide commercial flights between the US and Cuba beginning in August of that year.

GEICO Corporate Office

GEICO is an acronym for Government Employees Insurance Company. GEICO is an auto insurance company.

GEICO was founded by Leo Goodwin, Sr. and his wife Lillian to provide auto insurance directly to government employees. He had worked for USAA, an insurer to military personnel; he decided to start his own business after he reached the highest position a civilian could hold in the military-dominated hierarchy.

Despite the word “government” in its name, GEICO is and has always been a private corporation. Goodwin’s original aim to sell to government employees reflected his belief that they were less risky as insurance customers than the general public.

The company went public in 1948.

GEICO began selling insurance policies to the general public in 1974 under the leadership of David Lloyd Kreeger.

The next year it was clear that the company had grown too quickly when it reported a $126 million loss. The company recovered by issuing a stock offering to raise money.

In 1996 GEICO was bought by Berkshire Hathaway.

Today GEICO has 12 million customers, 37,000 employees, and had $16.7 billion in revenue in 2012.

GEICO

GEICO is an acronym for Government Employees Insurance Company. GEICO is an auto insurance company.

History

The company went public in 1948.

GEICO began selling insurance policies to the general public in 1974 under the leadership of David Lloyd Kreeger.

The next year it was clear that the company had grown too quickly when it reported a $126 million loss. The company recovered by issuing a stock offering to raise money.

In 1996 GEICO was bought by Berkshire Hathaway.

Today GEICO has 12 million customers, 37,000 employees, and had $16.7 billion in revenue in 2012.