Morris County Library > Reference > Company research
Company research
- Company home pages, the best place to get the most information
- Contact information, address/phone, whois
- Profiles & reports, NJ Business Gateway, state filings, SEC documents, nonprofit profiles, annual reports
- Lists & rankings, the biggest, the best, the fastest growing
- Company news, management, products, strategy or failure
- International companies, directories, reports and news by continent or country
- Tips & tools for job seekers
Company Web Sites
Company Web sites are the best places to find current information. aA typical site includes company contact information, product catalogs, links to financial reports and employment opportunities. NOTE: many companies still offer toll-free numbers, even if they are not listed on the Web site. Call/e-mail the company to confirm.
Contact information
These databases will let you search by company name, product or location:
- ReferenceUSA...requires Morris County library card
- D & B free company look-ups...free address & phone, U.S. & international
- Foreign Firms operating in NJ/NJ Firms operating abroad (Uniworld Database, use in library)
- Whois search...who owns a particular Web site? Name, address, telephone & e-mail from Network Solutions
- ThomasNet American Manufacturers...registration is required (but free)...you can also look up brand names!
- Trademark Database...from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office...includes company addresses
- Registered Identification Numbers...RN clothing tag numbers
Profiles & reports
U.S. public (stock-offering) companies are the easiest to research because they are required by law to disclose detailed financial data. Small private firms congregate on the other end of the spectrum. Sometimes the best you can do is verify their address and line of business. If you do not find the information you need on the Internet, ask your librarian for help.- Reference USA...basic company profile
- Corfacts NJ Business to Business...allows download of mail labels in .pdf format
- Datamonitor Reports (part of EBSCO Business Source Elite, select "company profiles")
- Company Insight Center, BusinessWeek
- Better Business Bureau Reports...national database of "reliability" reports (good and bad)
- NJ Business Records Services...browse company names & business owners (free); reports cost $5.00 (incorporation date, registered agent name & company address). Call (609) 292-9292
- Public records...free databases maintained by states, counties and cities--check the company's home state Dept. of Taxation and Secretary of State's Office/Division of Commercial Recording for additional records and fee-based services.
- Guidestar...profiles 1.7 million non-profits
- Securities & Exchange filings & company database...U.S. public company 10Ks provide very detailed financial information
Lists & rankings
- Great Places to Work (NJ)
- Best Employers for Workers over 50 (AARP)
- Best Companies for Working Mothers (Working Mother)
- Forbes Lists...best small companies, largest public companies, global high performers, best places for business
- Fortune Lists...500, Global 500, Best Companies to Work For, Fastest Growing Companies, Most Admired Companies
- Franchise 500 (Entrepreneur)
- Inc. 500/5000...fastest growing private companies (employers, finance, R & D etc.)
- Dun's Regional Business Directory...largest companies (ranked by sales) in northern & central NJ
- New Jersey Business Book of Lists...largest architecture firms, real estate developers, manufacturers, engineers, etc.
- NJBiz Book of Lists...best places to work in NJ, cable servcie providers, environmental firms, event planners, management consultants, public relations firms etc.
- Ward's Business Directory...companies ranked nationally and state level by SIC & NAIC. Also largest public, private and employers for each state.
- Reference USA database can be used to cull custom lists of companies by type of business, size (sales/employees) and location (including county).
News
Some companies command international attention, others are covered only by the local media. Corporate events reported by national newspapers, business magazines and trade journals are the easiest to find. Local papers are harder to research. Many Web-based news services require personal subscriptions. Some of these databases may be available to you (free of charge) at your public library. Ask your librarian!- Business News New Jersey.....local focus, searchable archives
- Businesswire.....search by company
- Local newspapers.....some offer free archives
International
Need to locate a supplier in Asia? Interested in obtaining an annual report for a German company? Researching the players in the global telecommunications industry? Go straight to the source!- Dun & Bradstreet ...free company look-ups, address & phone (select a country)
- International telephone books
Infobel offers both white and yellow pages - GlobalEdge (Michigan State University)
Huge list of great links to country-specific manufacturer/supplier directories - Europages
Contacts for 500,000 companies ...plus catalogs, news, trade fairs and organizations - Fortune Global 500
Company profiles presented by size, country or industry - International stock exchanges
Check here for annual reports and financial data...many offer English-language translations.
Interested in .....small business startup.....investment tools?
http://www.mclib.info/company.html
© Morris County Library (NJ)
17 February 2012
