U.S. Steel: Among Giants of the Global Steel Industry

In 2 March 1901, J. P. Morgan and Elbert H. Gary founded U.S. Steel by merging the Carnegie Steel Company, Federal Steel Company, and National Steel Company. At one time, the American integrated steel producer was the world’s largest corporation and largest steel producer as well as the world’s first corporation to reach a $1 billion market capitalization.

Today, U.S. Steel may not be the titan it once was but it is still a giant among its peers in the global steel production industry. In 2014, it was the ranked as the world’s 15th largest steel producer with major production operations across North America and Central Europe.

Its headquarters are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania while its production facilities have a combine annual raw steel production capability of over 24.4 million tons. U.S. Steel also manufactures several value-added products including steel sheets and tubular items for distribution to diverse industries including oil and gas, appliance, automotive, industrial machinery, container, and construction.

The corporation has several integrated steel facilities including:

• Gary Works with the facilities in Gary, Indiana; Midwest Plant in Portage, Indiana; and East Chicago Tin in East Chicago, Indiana
• Mon Valley Works including the Irvin Plant and Edgar Thomson Plant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as well as the Fairless Plant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Great Lake Works with the plants in Ecorse and River Rouge, both in Michigan
• Fairfield Works in Fairfield, Alabama
• Granite Clay Works located in Granite City, Illinois
• U. S. Steel Košice located in the Slovak Republic

U.S. Steel has also established several joint ventures for steel finishing projects in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil.

As a recognized leader in steelmaking process and product technology, U.S. Steel has been known to produce the world’s best steel-based products. It has four R&D facilities with scientists dedicated to discovering new technologies and pushing the boundaries of steelmaking.

Indeed, U.S. Steel may yet take back its crown as the titan of the global steelmaking industry!

Education Realty Trust, Inc.: Operator of Collegiate Housing Communities

Education Realty Trust, Inc. is one of the real estate investment trust (REIT) firms that focus its resources on the acquisition, development, ownership and redevelopment of collegiate housing communities. The properties owned by the business are near university campuses across the country.

Incorporated in July 2004, the business holds its corporate office in Memphis, Tennessee. As of December 2014, their portfolio is comprised of 50 collegiate housing communities. These properties are located in 21 states. In aggregate, these properties have a total of 10,444 apartment units and are near 37 universities. In addition to managing and owning their own portfolio, the business also engages in providing third-party management services for m23 collegiate housing communities.

The company has been around since 1964 and is now a multi-million venture. It remains publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and continues to market its common shares using the ticker symbol EDR.

Brandywine Realty Trust: More than 20 Years of Excellence in Real Estate

Founded in 1994, Brandywine Realty Trust operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) firm. The company engages in the acquisition, ownership and development of Class-A offices and mixed use properties. On the company’s website they highlighted their operations to be always “Best of Class”.

For more than 20 years, it has provided the United States with some of the most remarkable properties that further harness their tenants’ potential to grow and expand their operations. It was Jerry Sweeney, who created the business. It is now headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania and manages more than 220 commercial properties. Additionally, they have about 25 industrial parcels of land and mixed use properties. The business is capable of generating more than $500 million in annual revenue. As of 2010, their assets are estimated to be around $4.69 billion.

Through the company’s strategic approach in acquiring not just properties, but entire companies, they continue to expand their operations and presence across the country. Some of the companies it has acquired include the Prentiss Properties Trust and a substantial holding value in Center City. Brandywine Realty Trust maintains offices in Northern California, Texas, Delaware, Virginia, Southern California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and in Metro D.C. For years, the company has benchmarked some of the best practices in the industry. Out of its boards, sprung some of the most visionary development projects in the country.

The business remains listed on the Wilshire 5000 Index. It continues to publicly trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Common shares of the business are marketed using the ticker symbol BDN. In addition to the development and ownership of properties across the country, a substantial portion of the company engages in offering construction and development services. The company remains strongly rooted on the communities it serves and never fails to give back through outreach projects and community services.

WSI Industries, Inc.: A Leader in Contract Manufacturing

Until 1999, WSI Industries, Inc. continued to operate under the flagship banner of Washington Scientific Industries. The business is a publicly traded company and made its initial public offering on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange using the ticker symbol WSCI in 1958.

The business is an expert in engineering and manufacturing of precision parts and assemblies that are used in a wide range of industries. It has become a reliable partner in providing businesses their needs to keep on growing despite stiff competitions in the markets they serve. The offerings of WSI Industries, Inc. promote the reduction of operating costs, increase in efficiency and improvement of finished products. It supports a wide range of industries that range from aerospace to powersports.

The business is a national partner in contract manufacturing. It maintains several facilities around the country and holds its headquarters in Monticello, Minnesota. Operations of the company remain onshore and doesn’t have any sales in other countries.

WSFS Financial Corp: A Delaware Bank Holding Company

WSFS Financial Corp is a Wilmington, Delaware financial holding company that offers a wide range of financial products and services through its operating subsidiary, the WSFS Bank. The history of the company goes back to the founding of the bank in 1832. The bank is considered as the 7th oldest bank that continuously operates under the same brand brand name since its founding.

Based on total deposits, the bank is considered as one of the largest financial institutions in the state of Delaware. The operations of the company cover three counties in the state and as well as certain areas in northern Virginia and southeastern Pennsylvania. Despite the stiff competition in the market, the business remains competitive in its operations. It attracts new depositors and retain new account through the efforts put in by their associates, who are not only known for their financial knowledge, but also for operating with their customers’ best interest at heart.

There are about 63 banking offices that WSFS Financial Corporation operates. These units offer retail and commercial banking products and services. They offer checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposits and a wide range of lines of credit. Their pooled deposits together with their short term borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Banks continue to fuel their financing operations. They provide a strong focus on small and medium-sized and strongly believes on the difference these ventures can give to the communities they thrive in.

Other than organic growth, WSFS Financial Corporation has found growth in strategically acquiring competing brand names. Last October 2015, the company has completed its acquisition of Alliance Bank, which gave the company 17 other banking branches. WSFS Financial Corporation operates as a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. Common shares of the business are marketed using the ticker symbol WSFS.

Walker & Dunlop, Inc.: A Commercial Real Estate Financial Services Company

Operating as a commercial real estate financial services company, Walker & Dunlop, Inc. operates through its subsidiary, the Walker & Dunlop, LLC. The business has several operations across the United States and hold its corporate office in Bethesda, Maryland.

The company focuses in multifamily lending. It continues to originate, sell and service a range of commercial real estate and multifamily financing products. The client base of Walker & Dunlop are owners and developers of commercial real estate. It operates as an approved Freddie Mac Program Plus lender. It offers construction and permanent loans to developers and owners of affordable housing, healthcare facilities and senior housing across the country. Its operations cover 22 states.

The proprietary capital business of Walker & Dunlop uses its own balance sheet or drawn from their partnerships with institutional investors. The business remains publicly traded in the New York Stock Exchange and uses the ticker symbol WD to market its common shares.

Washington Trust Bancorp: Banking for More than Two Centuries

One of the most trusted and is registered as the largest state-chartered bank in the state of Rhode Island is Washington Trust. The financial institution is the operating subsidiary of the Washington Trust Bancorp. As the oldest community bank in the region, the rich history of the company goes back to its founding in 1800.

Despite the changing landscape in the financial sector of the country, the business remains competitive for more than 2 centuries. Through innovation and excellence in customer service, the business continues to attract new investors and depositors and at the same time retain old clients. It remained solid in its influence in the growth of the region and continues to fuel development of communities where it operates in. Through its guiding principles of quality, integrity and community, Washington Trust remains steadfast in its commitment in serving the region and the country.

There are two reporting segments within the venture: Commercial Banking and Wealth Management Services. Both of these segments continue to offer an array of services that are intended to help their clients, businesses and institutions reach their financial goals. The Commercial Banking segment offers commercial, residential and consumer lending activities. This segment also offers customary banking products and services, merchant credit card services, cash management activities and operation of internet banking services, automated teller machines (ATMs) and telephone banking. The services offered by their Wealth Management Services include, personal trust services, financial planning and investment management.

Washington Trust operates 14 banking branches across the state of Rhode Island and 1 in Mystic, Connecticut. Additionally, they also operate 6 mortgage offices, 2 commercial lending offices and 4 wealth management offices. The headquarters of the company is located in Block Island, Rhode Island. Washington Trust Bancorp continues to publicly trade its common shares on the NASDAQ and uses the ticker symbol WASH. The business is registered as one of the components of the Wilshire 5000 Index.

Washburn Guitars: Making Guitars Is Its Passion

Founded in 1883, Washburn Guitars has been in the business of guitar manufacture for over 130 years and, today, it is one of the divisions of US Music Corporation; it was previously a division of Lyon & Healy, a manufacturer of stringed instruments. The name Washburn continues to be associated with world-class guitars, mandolins, zithers and banjos.

Washburn has also been at the forefront of innovations. One of its notable contributions to the music world is the Lakeside Jumbo guitar, the world’s first dreadnought-sized guitar that bridged the gap between parlor guitars and jumbo acoustic guitars; its modern version is the LSJ749. Yet another innovation was the Festival Series of Acoustic/Electric guitars, which had a thinner profile than the standard acoustic guitars of the time (1980s) so that feedback was significantly reduced; it quickly became the favorite guitars among famous guitarists including Jimmy Page, Bob Dylan, and George Harrison as well as a staple in MTV’s Unplugged concerts.

Today, Washburn Guitars makes acoustic and electric guitars, electric and acoustic basses, mandolins, travel guitars, banjos, and amplifiers as well as accessories.

Warburg Pincus: Private Equity Leader

Warburg Pincus has been in the business as a global private equity firm since 1939 when Eric Warburg established E.M. Warburg & Co. with less than 20 employees. In 1966, E.M. Warburg & Co. and Lionel I. Pincus & Co. merged to become E.M. Warburg, Pincus & Co., which would later on become the current version.

The American firm has offices in various locations in the United States as well as in Brazil, China, India and Europe. Its status as a leader in the private equity investment firm started in 1966 with the merging of the two companies, a status reinforced by its multibillion assets under management.

Warburg Pincus’ investments are in diverse areas including industrial services, financial services, consumer products and services, healthcare, media and telecommunications, technology, and real estate. As a growth investor, its portfolio of over 125 companies is classified according to stage, sector, and geography while its 13 private equity funds have invested in more than 675 companies in over 35 countries for a whopping total of $45 billion – and counting.

In the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, the company has made investments in many of the world’s largest enterprises including Telcordia, Avaya, Harbour Networks, PayScale, NeuStar, and Bharti Tele-Ventures.

Warburg Pincus is also a leader in the global private equity industry through another achievement – it is the firm with the highest number of initial public offerings completed with its companies. Over 120 of its companies have been listed on 12 stock exchanges, which have raised approximately $15 billion, with Warburg Pincus being the principal financial investor. Over 20 initial public offerings have been made outside of the United States.

The firm’s history of investments in venture capital includes several historic investments, such as the founding of BEA systems; the partnerships with Bridgepoint Education, Kosmos Energy, and Lepu Medical; and the founding as founding member of several venture capital associations in the United States and China, among others.