Corporate Office HQ

Food Lion Corporate Office

Food Lion

History

The company name was changed to Food Lion in the early 1980s after the chain was acquired by Belgian grocer Delhaize.

The chain grew very quickly during the 80s and 90s, opening over 100 stores per year for much of that period.

In 1993, the company agreed to pay $16 million in damages after violating federal laws regarding overtime pay.

In 1994, the company closed 47 stores. This was the first of many major store closings.

Beginning in 2014, the company began remodeling 76 of their stores in the greater Wilmington and Greenville North Carolina areas. In 2015, plans were announced for remodeling of its 162 locations in the Raleigh, North Carolina market.

Although the company spent seven years attempting to establish a presence in Bangkok, Thailand, they were ultimately unsuccessful. The stores were operated locally by Bel-Thai Supermarket Co, and in 2004, Food Lion withdrew from the country, selling all branches to Tops Supermarkets.

In June of 2015, it was announced that Food Lion’s parent company, the Delhaize Group, and Ahold would merge into one company, Ahold Delhaize. This merger was completed in July 2016.

Today, Food Lion is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize. The company operates over 1100 stores in Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Food Lion was founded in 1957 by Wilson Smith and Ralph and Brown Ketner. The first store was called Food Town and it was located in Salisbury, North Carolina, where the headquarters still resides today. The company name was changed to … [Continue reading] about Food Lion Corporate Office

24 Hour Fitness Corporate Office

24 Hour Fitness

24 Hour Fitness began in 1983 as 24 Hour Nautilus, a one gym company founded by Mark Mastrov and Leonard Schlemm.

Mastrov hired Mark Golob to market the club. Golob created commercials with Pamela Anderson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Mike Tyson.

History

By 1994, there were 32 clubs. The company acquired Family Fitness Centers and renamed to 24 Hour Fitness after an investment by McCown De Leeuw.

In 1997, the company expands to Europe after a failed IPO attempt.

In 2000, 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide is created as a holding company.

In 2005, the chain is listed for sale. It eventually sells to Forstmann Little & Company.

In 2007, the chain was subject to a class action lawsuit by 1.8 current and former members who claimed funds were still ACH withdrawn from their accounts after they had canceled their memberships.

The company was also hit with big fines in late 2017 after a court found that members were deliberately misled when signing up for contracts.

Today, 24 Hour Fitness is the world’s largest privately owned fitness chain. The company has over 420 clubs in 18 states and serves more than 3 million members.

24 Hour Fitness began in 1983 as 24 Hour Nautilus, a one gym company founded by Mark Mastrov and Leonard Schlemm. Mastrov hired Mark Golob to market the club. Golob created commercials with Pamela Anderson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Mike … [Continue reading] about 24 Hour Fitness Corporate Office

T-Mobile Corporate Office

T-Mobile

T-Mobile began in 1994 as VoiceStream Wireless PCS, a subsidiary of Western Wireless.

In 1999, Western spun off VoiceStream as an independent company.

History

In 2002, VoiceStream changed its name to T-Mobile USA. This company is the US operation of T-Mobile International AG, a subsidary of Deutsche Telekom.

In 2011, AT&T announced plans to merge with Deutsche Telekom. This merger faced a lot of regulatory pressure from the US government and AT&T eventually withdrew their bid.

In 2013, T-Mobile merged with MetroPCS Communications to form T-Mobile US, a publicly traded company.

The company has had problems in 2016 with LTE data lines going out for long periods of time. Representatives blame the problems on “upgrades”, but insist the problems are minimal.

In mid-2016, the company announced that it would be introducing 5G, with amazing speeds of 12 gigabits per second. This would be three times faster than what Verizon can offer. However, 5G has an estimated start date of “sometime” in 2018.

The company offered a free iPhone 7 (preorder) for those trading in an iPhone 6 during the month of September in 2016. Customers need to sign up for an unlimited data plan and a 2-year service agreement.

T-Mobile expanded its service of providing verified caller ID service in March 2019 to help customers avoid scams and robocalls.

In September 2020, T-Mobile and the University of Kansas began testing the new 5G system and how it worked for online learning.

Also in September 2020, due to the coronavirus crisis, T-Mobile created a plan to give free internet service to 10 million students for home studies.

Today, T-Mobile US operates the 3rd and 4th largest wireless providers in the US. Together, they provide service to over 63 million customers. As of December 31, 2017, T-Mobile operated approximately 2,200 T-Mobile and MetroPCS retail locations, including stores and kiosks.

T-Mobile began in 1994 as VoiceStream Wireless PCS, a subsidiary of Western Wireless. In 1999, Western spun off VoiceStream as an independent company. In 2002, VoiceStream changed its name to T-Mobile USA. This company is the US operation of … [Continue reading] about T-Mobile Corporate Office

Keller Williams Corporate Office

Keller Williams

Keller Williams was founded in 1983 by Gary Keller and Joe Williams in Austin, Texas.

By 1985, their real estate office had grown to over 70 realtors. Then the recession hit and they were down to under 40 realtors in 1986.

In 1991, the company began franchising.

History

In 1998, the company expands to Canada.

In 2007, the Luxury Homes by Keller Williams program was launched.

In 2008, KW Commercial, a commercial real estate division, was launched.

In 2010, the company announced plans to expand outside North America. In 2012, a franchise office opened in Vietnam.

In 2013, the company announced plans to expand into Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Turkey.

A May 2018 article in Bizjournal says that Keller Williams has grown so large that they now have 181,000 agents, which is larger than the population of most small cities in the US.

Today, Keller Williams is the largest real estate company in the US and Canada with over 80,000 real estate agents.

Keller Williams was founded in 1983 by Gary Keller and Joe Williams in Austin, Texas. By 1985, their real estate office had grown to over 70 realtors. Then the recession hit and they were down to under 40 realtors in 1986. In 1991, the company … [Continue reading] about Keller Williams Corporate Office

Shell Corporate Office

Shell

Shell Oil Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell.

Prior to 1984, Shell Oil was traded on the NYSE and was mostly independent from Royal Dutch Shell. However, in 1984, Royal Dutch Shell bought all outstanding shares it did not own, at a value of $5.7 billion.

Shell Oil has remained somewhat independent from Royal Dutch Shell. Prior to 1998, the logo used in the US was different from the worldwide logo.

History

In 2008, the company was sued for being in violation of the Clean Air Act.

Today, Shell Oil is one of the largest oil companies in the world. There are over 25,000 Shell gas stations in the US.

Shell Oil Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell. Prior to 1984, Shell Oil was traded on the NYSE and was mostly independent from Royal Dutch Shell. However, in 1984, Royal Dutch Shell bought all outstanding shares it did not … [Continue reading] about Shell Corporate Office