Carriage Services: Providing Death Care Services Throughout the United States

Carriage Services is a funeral services company providing at-need and pre-need services to millions of families in the United States. The company operates 165 funeral homes and 32 cemeteries in 10 States. The company is the leading provider of this funeral services in the US. It is also one of the largest publicly traded deathcare companies.

Most funeral services companies in the US are family owned. As part of Carriage Services expansion plans, the company acquires other family owned deathcare companies and consolidates them into a single unit functioning under the leadership of Carriage Services.

The company can still be considered as relatively new in the industry. It was founded in 1991, but through careful planning and aggressive expansion programs, the company has managed to become one of the largest in the industry. The company considers themselves as being dedicated to innovation. They apply innovation in the operation of their funeral homes, communications equipment, and practically every aspect of funeral services.

Monro Muffler Brake Inc.: Providing Vehicle Maintenance Services throughout the United States

If you own a vehicle there’s a good chance that you’ve had that vehicle serviced in one of the Monro Muffler Brake vehicle maintenance outlets throughout the US. The company has over 800 store locations, three of which are franchised.

Monro Muffler Brake Inc. was established in 1957 by Chuck August. It was originally a franchise of another company, but decided to establish a brand of its own when Chuck decided to add services that weren’t in the company’s line of services. Chuck decided to discontinue the franchise and opened Monro Muffler in 1966.

By 1977, Monro Muffler Brake already had 20 locations. The company employed a rapid expansion program and 3 years later, they had 43 stores in New York. The company still expanded aggressively and by the mid 80’s, they had 59 stores that produced total annual revenue of around $21 million.

The company remained private until 1991 when it made its initial public offering at NASDAQ.   Chuck August had sold the company in 1984, but remained as a member of the board of directors until 2002. The new owners, headed by Donald Glickman, continued with an aggressive expansion program by acquiring other companies in the same or similar line of business.

The company acquired Speedy Muffler King’s 205 locations in the US. They also purchased Mr. Tire and Procare. There are also times when the company would only acquire store locations of other companies, instead of purchasing the whole company.

Due to their expansion, Monro Muffler Brake Inc. became the most reliable under-car specialist in the US. The company services millions of vehicles every year and has hit annual sales of over $700 million.

From a small franchise, Monro Muffler Brake has grown into a company with over 800 stores nationwide, employing over 5,800 people. They are listed in Forbes Magazines list of America’s best small companies. Monro Muffler Brake has its headquarters in Rochester, New York.

Time Warner Cable Inc.: A Telecommunications and Entertainment Company

Formerly named Warner Cable Communications, Time Warner Cable Inc. is also commonly referred to as simply Time Warner. The company is a cable telecommunications business that has 29 states covered and 31 operating divisions. Its corporate headquarters is in Time Warner Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

The company is considered as the second largest cable company in the United States and was once originally controlled by Time Warner, the film and television production company. It was in March 2009 that the business got spun off as part of a larger restructuring plan. It also has its own sports and local news channels but has no affiliation with the Time Warner Company. In 1990, the business changed its name from Warner Cable to Time Warner Cable after it acquired Paragon Cable.

The company has over 14.6 million cable subscribers, 2.5 million DVR subscribers, 4.5 million residential Digital Phone users, 8.8 Digital cable, and about 8.7 million subscribers to their internet services, Road Runner.

Textron Inc.: A Diversified Industrial Conglomerate

As an industrial conglomerate, Textron Inc. has a very rich history. From its humble beginnings as a textile business, the company started its diversification to keep the entire venture afloat. It was through the innovation and resourcefulness of its founder Royal Little that the company was able to survive the decline of demand for their textile products.

It was in 1923 that the business was founded as Special Yarns Corporation. World War II was a monumental era for the company as it was during this time that the demand for their textile increased through the production of parachutes. From its $75,000 revenue during its first year of operation, the company’s profit started soaring. When the war was over, Little was quick to think of other businesses to enter. From the production of parachutes, he ventured into creating lingerie, bed linens, blouses, and other consumer goods. He named the company Textron which was derived from the word textile and synthetics like lustron.

By 1947, the company got listed on the New York Stock Exchange and by then was already generating millions in revenue. Faced with the decline of textiles in 1952, Little started diversifying the business with the acquisition of Burkart Manufacturing Co. The business is a supplier of cushioning materials to the automotive market. This acquisition opened the company’s doors to acquire non-textile related businesses further. The value of their diversification was tested during the time of recession in 1958 wherein their sales dipped but their profit rose and remained strong.

In 1960, Textron purchased Bell Aerospace. This company which included the Bell Helicopter increased the company’s business with the government. This was followed by the acquisition of E-Z-GO, a golf car manufacturer.

Today, Textron Inc. owns the following businesses: Cessna Aircraft, Greenlee, Bell Helicopter, E-Z-GO, Jacobsen, Textron Systems, and Kautex. From its $75,000 starting revenue, the company is now capable of generating up to $12.237 billion. It has presence in 25 countries and is ranked as the 225th largest company in the United States based on the listing released by Fortune 500.

Mentor Graphics: Best EDA Company to Work For

The Business Insider has listed Mentor Graphics, an Electronic Design Automation company, as one of the best companies to work for in 2013.  A review of the company revealed that 95% of its employees approve of their CEO, Wally Rhines.

The main reason that the Mentor Graphics made the list was that the company created and implemented a friendly work environment by ensuring that managers were easily accessible. Unfortunately, the company does have a downside when it comes to employment. The review also revealed that career growth in the company was rather limited.

Gerry Langeler, Dave MOffenbeier, and Tom Bruggere founded the company in 1981.  During those times, computer aided-design for electronics wasn’t popular when it came to creating a company that would use this as its business base. However, Mentor’s founders had an innovative approach to the business. 10 years after the company was founded, the company was already earning revenues of up to $384 million a year.

Mentor Graphics has its headquarters in Wilsonville, Oregon. Their 4,400 employees are distributed between their head office and their other locations around the world.

MGM Resorts International: One of the Leading Hospitality and Entertainment Companies in the World

If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas and marveled at the beauty of the top hotels there, such as the Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and The Mirage, you can thank MGM Resorts International for constructing the magnificent infrastructures. MGM Resorts International owns and operates 23 hotels, all of them considered to be among the top hotels in the industry.

MGM Resorts International was founded in 1986, but the company’s history started in 1969 when Kirk Kerkorian, a billionaire investor, acquired the MGM Film Studio. During those times, he was also the owner of Western Airlines and International Leisure. Both MGM and Western Airlines were wallowing in debt forcing the sale of the now known Las Vegas Hilton casino to Hilton Hotels.

After the sale, Las Vegas Hilton’s popularity grew and Kerkorian took close notice. His interest in the gaming industry was renewed, and he built the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Although the hotel was successful, Kerkorian was against forced to sell, this time to enable him to focus on another of his companies, United Artists. Bally Manufacturing purchased MGM Grand Hotel and later renamed it to Bally’s Las Vegas.

In 1986, Kerkorian’s Tracinda Corporation setup another company called Grand Name Co. This would later become MGM Grand Inc., and then take on its present name as MGM Resorts International. The company’s first two investments would be MGM Grand Las Vegas and MGM Grand Adventures theme park. The success of the company led to the construction of more hotels, thereby, establishing the company’s current reputation as one of the leaders in the hotel and gaming industry. Other than the United States, they also have international hotels in Macau, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Monte Carlo. While most of these hotels include casino’s, those in countries where gambling is prohibited do not.

Scripps Network Interactive Inc.: A Cable Television Company

When E. W. Scripps Company spun off its cable television division in 2008, Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. was formed. The company became a publicly traded business on the New York Stock Exchange as SNI.

HGTV is a brainchild of the company in 1994 which led to the business diversifying its offering to include lifestyle media, internet satellite radio, books, magazines, on merging media platforms and developing relevant content for television. Some of its brand names include Great American Country (GAC), Travel Channel, DIY Network, Food Network and the Cooking Channel. The company’s President and CEO Kenneth W. Lowe was also the same mind responsible behind the founding of HDTV. The business has already an international presence in the United Kingdom, Middle East, Africa and several other European territories, thanks to its Food Network channel.

In May 2013, Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. already announced its plans of opening its headquarters in Sao Paulo, Brazil and is starting its operations to broadcast its channels in the entire region of Latin America.

SCANA Corp: A Diversified Energy Company

Based in Cayce, South Carolina, SCANA Corporation is a $9 billion energy-based holding company. It is in the business of natural gas, regulated electricity, and other energy-related ventures. The company’s brand name is not an acronym but is just taken from the letters in South Carolina.

The company, together with its subsidiaries, services approximately 661,000 electricity consumers in South Carolina and more than a million subscribers of their natural gas in Georgia, North and South Carolina. There are six subsidiaries that the company operates namely: SCANA Energy, SCANA Energy Marketing, Inc. (SEMI), PSNC Energy, South Carolina Electric & Gas Company, and Carolina Gas Transmission.

The company’s earliest predecessor is Charles Gas Light Company which was formed in 1846. The company was in the business of manufacturing gas from oil, coal and resin. The diversified holding company was not formed until 1984. It was through this restructuring that the business was able to segment its various businesses and further diversify its offerings.

One of the notable milestones in the history of SCANA happened on September 21, 1989 when Hurricane Hugo hit the area of Charleston, South Carolina. What took 100 years to build was wiped out by the powerful Category 4 storm in just a matter of hours. In 17 days, their employees worked tirelessly to restore power to their 300,000 customers.

As a diversified business, the company has also ventured into the communications industry through its SCANA Communications. The company offers a wide range of cutting edge communications solutions to its consumers in the Georgia, North and South Carolina areas. It operates LONG-HAUL and ACCESS networks and leverages the fiber of its partners Palmetto Net and FRC, both regional interexchange carriers.

SCANA Corporation is known for bringing power to the world’s first electrically-powered textile mill. Together with this, the company was also the first business to provide gas street lights in the areas of Aiken, Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina.

Cbeyond: To Telecommunications Success and Beyond

Cbeyond, Inc., formerly known as Cbeyond Communications, is a NASDAQ-traded telecommunications Company. Founded in 1999 by Jim Geiger, the Atlanta-based company is recognized for developing the first ever 100% Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network in the world. The company provides voice, data, mobile, and cloud services to more than 60,000 SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in 14 markets across the United States.

Cbeyond was established to provide managed technology services to SMEs. It started serving the Atlanta area in 2001. After that, more offices were opened in different cities in other states: Dallas-Forth Worth, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Houston, Texas; and others.

Cbeyond went public on November 2, 2005, starting at $12 per share. In that same year, the company also added SIPconnect service to its service offerings and opened a branch in Chicago, Illinois. The following year, the company launched its Mobile Services division and opened another office in Los Angeles, Califonia.

As of 2010, Cbeyond is reported to have about 2,000 employees, with revenues of $450 million.