Company Locators
- Depending on the depth of information that is needed, business research is best spent in the library. Besides the large selection of books and sources renewed annually, databases and news sources are also going to prove helpful in your research. The business sources, whether text based or database are extremely expensive, but very useful if your trying to locate information on a privately held firm, or a foreign company.
- Competitive Intelligence
- Designed to help the investigator locate competitive intelligence information on companies.
- Australia Business Research
- Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Excellent fee and free database.
- Better Business Bureau
- Business Reports include time in business, complaint history, and information obtained through special Bureau investigations. Charity Reports include information on the group's background, current programs, governing body, fund-raising practices, tax-exempt status, and finances.
See also The Metropolitan New York Better Business Bureau. - The BigBook
- Search for 11 million companies by name, location, type of business, or combinations. Name, address, telephone number and business type given. Includes a detailed map, with a zoom-in feature to the city block level.
- Big Yellow
- Find over 16.5 million businesses across the USA via online yellow pages.
- ComFind Internet Business Directory
- The Largest Global Business Directory on the Internet
- Companies Online
- Allows users to search for companies by name, location, or industry. Provides phone number, ownership structure, ticker symbol, and link to company home page.
- CorpTech Directory of Technology Companies
- Provides descriptive information on over 40,000 U.S. high technology companies, including many small, privately-owned computer software and hardware firms, and many biotechnology firms. Also provides Company's Internet address and links to stock prices and charts, SEC files and news headlines.
- Crain's New York
- A plethora of information and statistics on New York business and economy.
- Dun & Bradstreet
- Includes News & Views and Business Trends section containing recent articles, press releases and survey results. One can also search millions of U.S. companies and receive Business Background Reports for a fee.
- EDGAR
- From the EDGAR Database you can retrieve SEC filings (including 10K's, 10Q's, Annual Reports and Prospectuses) for approximately 3,500 U.S. public corporations. Made available through the EDGAR development project at the NYU Stern School of Business.
- Fortune Magazine
- Contains many Links to Fortune lists organized by country, industry and company.
- Fortune 500 list
- Fortune Global 500 list
- Fortune 500 list
- Hoover's Online
- Contains the Corporate Directory which can be searched by Ticker Symbol, Company Name, Location, Industry and/or Sales. This database profiles publicly listed U.S. company's traded on the three major stock exchanges and more than 1,200 of America's largest private companies. This site also has many links to other useful resources.
- 101 Industrial Register
- U.S. & International manufacturers, distributors & service providers
- Quicken
- Provides stock quotes as well as book reviews, articles, and information on investing. In the News section at the site, users can read the latest news about favorite companies by entering the ticker symbol.
- StreetLink
- Latest quarterly reports from many public companies, also includes press releases.
- Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
- Directory of American manufacturers.
- Wall Street Research Net
- Type in the company name or stock symbol and WSRN will retrieve links to their home page, current stock quote, stock graph, SEC filings, press releases, company news, Yahoo company profile, and more.
- NAIS: Business Intelligence Links
- An annotated list of business links that is created by and for investigators.
- Switchboard: The Internet Directory
- If your just trying to locate the business itself, try the phonebook. This, or the phone directory should help.
- Database America Home Page
- Small fee for business reports, but a powerful and easy database to search through.
- Many associations will sell, or list their membership affiliations, publish extensively, and will also lead you to the experts.
- Professional Associations
- Yahoo's list of over 100 Professional Associations.
- SourceBank
- With increased news coverage of business and economics, FACSNET provides information on the private sector. Through special Mini Homepages, which include company and association profiles, sources online, position papers, and links to press releases. Organizations in SourceBank appear through a membership fee.
- American Society of Association Executives
- ASAE hosts the Gateway to Associations Online - a decent start when trying to locate associations of a particular specialty. ASAE also hosts 6 other searchable databases ranging from convention centers to Worldwide executives.
- Reporter's Cardfile by FACSNET
- An address book of think tanks, advocacy groups, and special-interest organizations.
- Great for locating businesses within an individual state.
- States - National Association of Secretaries of State
- AZ - Corporation Commission
- AZ - UCC
- FL - Division of Corporations
- GA - Secretary of State Corporations Division
- ID - Secretary of State's Office UCC Division
- IN - Corporations & U.C.C. Databases
- IA - Corporation Search
- KS - Corporation Search
- KY - Secretary of State UCC Search
- KY - On-Line Business Database
- LA - Corporations Database
- LA - Uniform Commercial Code Section
- MD - Companies Directory
- MD - State Department of Assessments and Taxation
- MN - Uniform Commercial Code Division
- MO - Secretary of State Internet Information Services
- NB - Secretary of State
- NJ - Secretary of State Registration Database
- NC - Corporation Names Directory
- NC - Uniform Commercial Code Research
- NV - Secretary of State Corporation Database
- OH - Uniform Commercial Code Filings
- OR - Secretary of State Corporation Division
- RI - Secretary of State
- TX - Secretary of State-Uniform Commercial Code Section
- UT - Division of Corporations and Commercial Code
- VT - Business Registry
- VT - Business Registry Database
- VT - Uniform Commercial Code Registry Database
- VA - State Corporation Commission
- WA - Business Records Database
- WV - UCC Filings
- WY - Corporate Database
- WY - Registered Entities
See Also:
- Credit Agencies
- States - National Association of Secretaries of State
- Get their credit report.
- News
- Corporate executives, employment ads, new product information, complaints, any noteworthy change.
- Databases
- The ultimate source for business information will be Lexis-Nexis and Dialog. Check with some of your local and academic libraries to see who has this search capability.
- Updated: 7/11/99
Secretary of State and U.C.C. listings