Corporate Office HQ

Cargill Corporate Office

Cargill

Cargill was founded in 1865 by William W. Cargill when he bought a grain flat house in Conover, Iowa. His brother Sam joined the business a year later and together they built grain flat houses and opened a lumberyard.

In 1875 another brother, James, joined the family business. In 1898 John H. MacMillan and his brother Daniel began to work for the company. John H. MacMillan later married William Cargill’s eldest daughter, Edna. He ran the company from Sam Cargill’s death in 1903 until his retirement in 1936.

The current owners of the company are descendants of John MacMillan’s sons, John H. MacMillan Jr. and Cargill MacMillan, and his youngest brother-in-law, Austin S. Cargill.

History

Over time Cargill grew from a grain storage facility to an international producer and distributor of agricultural products and a provider of risk management and commodities trading services, among others. Cargill employs almost 130,000 people in 63 countries.

Cargill is #1 on the Forbes List of America’s Largest Private Companies with $110 billion in revenue in 2011.

Koch Industries Corporate Office

Koch Industries

Fred C. Koch formed the Winkler-Koch Engineering Firm with MIT classmate, Lewis E. Winkler. The partners developed a more efficient thermal cracking process for turning crude oil into gasoline. They were sued for patent infringement and were unable to continue to work in the United States. The partners opened 15 cracking units in Russia between 1929 and 1932.

In 1940 Koch joined new partners to form the company Wood River Oil Company. Fred’s son Frank joined the company in 1961 and became president the next year following the death of his father.

The company changed its name to Koch Industries to honor Frank Koch after his death.

History

In 1969 Koch Industries acquired a majority interest in Great Northern Oil Company.

In 1980 Koch Chemical Technology Group is formed.

In 1992 Koch acquired a $100 million portfolio from Chrysler, putting Koch in the municipal finance business. By the end of the decade, Koch Financial Corp. had #1 billion in assets.

Today Koch Industries operates in diverse industries, including refining and chemicals, process and pollution control equipment, and technologies, fibers and polymers, commodity and financial trading, and forest and consumer products. Its Flint Hills Resources subsidiary owns three refineries that together process more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil daily.

Koch Industries is #2 on the Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies. Koch has 67,000 employees and had $100 billion in revenue in 2011.

Fred C. Koch formed the Winkler-Koch Engineering Firm with MIT classmate, Lewis E. Winkler. The partners developed a more efficient thermal cracking process for turning crude oil into gasoline. They were sued for patent infringement and were unable … [Continue reading] about Koch Industries Corporate Office

Mars Corporate Office

Mars, Inc.

Frank C. Mars opened The Mars Candy Factory in 1911 with his second wife, Ethel Mars, in Tacoma, Washington. The factory produced fresh candy which the company sold wholesale. This venture failed.

In 1920 Frank, now back in his home state of Minnesota, founded Mar-O-Bar Co., which is the earliest incarnation of the present company.

History

Frank’s son, Forrest Mars, introduced the Milky Way bar, which became the company’s best-selling candy bar.

In 1929 Frank moved the company to Chicago.

In 1932 Forrest expanded to the United Kingdom. The same year, Mars launched the Mars bar.

Today Mars continues to be a family business, now owned by fourth-generation Mars family members. The company is now run by non-family members.

Mars, Inc. is an American global manufacturer whose global brands include M&M’s, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Mars bar, Dove, Milky Way, Skittles, and Twix. The company also makes Uncle Ben’s rice, pet food made under the Pedigree, Sheba, and Whiskas labels, Seeds of Change organic food, Klix and Flavia beverage systems, and owns the world’s largest chewing gum maker, Wm. Wrigley Company.

Mars, Inc. is #3 on the Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies. Mars has 80,000 employees and had $35 billion in revenue in 2017.

Frank C. Mars opened The Mars Candy Factory in 1911 with his second wife, Ethel Mars, in Tacoma, Washington. The factory produced fresh candy which the company sold wholesale. This venture failed. In 1920 Frank, now back in his home state of … [Continue reading] about Mars Corporate Office

PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Office

PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers is the result of the 1998 merger of Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand.

Price Waterhouse was founded in by Samuel Lowell Price, William Hopkins Holyland, and Edwin Waterhouse in 1849 in London.

Cooper Brothers was founded in 1854 by William Cooper, with the name being changed in 1973 to Coopers & Lybrand.

History

The 1998 merger was intended to put the new firm in a new league of accounting firms.

Today Pricewaterhouse Coopers is one of the Big Four accounting firms. The company offers auditing and human resources, tax-related and other advisory services, consumer products and services, financial services, entertainment, utilities, and technology.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers is #4 on the Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies. The U.S. arm of the London-headquartered parent company has 80 offices in 30 states, 168,000 employees, and had $29.20 billion in revenue in 2011.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is the result of the 1998 merger of Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand. Price Waterhouse was founded in by Samuel Lowell Price, William Hopkins Holyland, and Edwin Waterhouse in 1849 in London. Cooper Brothers was … [Continue reading] about PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Office

Bechtel Corporate Office

Bechtel Corporation

Warren Bechtel founded Bechtel Corporation in 1898 when he started a sizable contracting business that specialized in railroad and highway building.

In 1925 Warren’s sons Warren Jr., Stephen, and Ken joined the business, incorporating as W.A. Bechtel Company.

In 1928 when the U.S. Congress mandated the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Colorado River, named the Hoover Dam in honor of president Herbert Hoover, W.A. Bechtel Company joined up with five competitors to form the Six Companies Corporation. The companies’ combined strength gave them the best bid, and Six Companies was awarded the contract in 1931.

History

After the Hoover Dam was completed two years ahead of schedule, Bechtel’s reputation soared. Warren’s son Warren Jr. was now running the company, and he diversified the company to engineering and oil contracts.

During WWII Bechtel built a shipyard for the US government and participated in the CANOL pipeline project, the company’s first pipeline and one for which they received criticism and eventually a federal investigation for mismanagement.

Through the 1940’s and 1950’s Bechtel continued to expand its pipeline business.

In the 1960’s and 1970’s the company expanded its energy engineering activities. At the same time Bechtel launched its development, finance, and investment arm, Bechtel Enterprise Holdings, Inc.

Today Bechtel has had involvement in a large number of high profile construction and engineering projects, numerous power projects such as refineries and nuclear power plants, and transportation projects. Notable projects include the BART system, the King Fahd International airport in Saudi Arabia, which is the largest airport in the world, and the rebuilding of civil infrastructure in Iraq through USAID.

Bechtel continues to be a family business and is run by fourth-generation CEO, Riley Bechtel.

Bechtel is #5 on the Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies. The company has 52,700 employees and had $27.90 billion in revenue in 2011.

Warren Bechtel founded Bechtel Corporation in 1898 when he started a sizable contracting business that specialized in railroad and highway building. In 1925 Warren's sons Warren Jr., Stephen, and Ken joined the business, incorporating as W.A. … [Continue reading] about Bechtel Corporate Office