Company Research Shannon Kemen, J.D., M.S.L.S

Researching Companies 1. Determine company type 2. Determine company’s status within their organization 3. Researching the company

I. Determining Company Type

Types of Companies 1. Public 2. Private 3. Special Types of Public/Private

Public Companies

 Must file with the S.E.C.  Must file with the Secretary of State

Securities Exchange Commission (S.E.C.)  Provides information on public company’s financial information and operations  10-K: Annual Report  10-Q: Quarterly Report  8-K: Press Releases/Recent Events

2010 $574 $ $899 $ $2,341 $284 New Stores Remodels & Expansions

Private Companies

 May file with the S.E.C.  Must file with the Secretary of State

Things to consider: Many private companies were at one time public (or vice versa) Large private companies may need to file some information with the S.E.C. Information about private companies may be found in S.E.C. filings for the public companies with which they do business

Special Types of Public/Private Companies  Franchises  Consulting Firms  Investment Companies  Insurance Companies  International Companies

II. Determining a Company’s Status within the Organization

Company Organization Parent Company DivisionAffiliate Subsidiary

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola North American Enterprises Energy Brands Inc. (DBA Glaceau)

III. Researching a Company

General Resources 1.ReferenceUSA 2.Company Website 3.Secretary of State 4.Hoovers 5.Dun & Bradstreet 6.Skyminder 7.Westlaw -ALLNEWS -ADVERSE-ALL -ASSET-ALL -CO-Profile -EXPERIAN-REPORTS 8.Lexis -All News -Judgments & Liens -Deed Transfers, Tax Assessor & Mortgage Records 9.Courtlink OR Pacer

ReferenceUSA  Information on nearly 20 million U.S. companies  Search by company name, sales volume, SIC, number of employees, product lines and more

Company Website  News articles on the company  Ownership information  Executive biographies  Company history

Education Positions at Coca-Cola Other Positions Job Duties

Secretary of State  Articles of Incorporation/ Organization  Annual Report  Registered Agent  Status/Standing  Domestic v. Foreign  Officers  Principal Office  Name variations

Hoovers  Targeted Company List Search  Custom Reports  Family Tree

Dun & Bradstreet  Similar to Hoovers  Evaluates company's financial stability  Identifies companies that have slow payment  Business Ratios show if a company has enough assets to pay you  Compare to others in the same industry locally or across the U.S.

Skyminder  Sells pieces of reports from other vendors (ex. Dun & Bradstreet)  Contains information on international companies  Allows for on site investigation

Westlaw  ALLNEWS  ADVERSE-ALL  ASSET-ALL  CO-PROFILE  EXPERIAN-REPORTS

Lexis  All News  Judgments & Liens  Deed Transfers, Tax Assessor & Mortgage Records

Tax Assessor/Auditor  County specific  Generally includes: Ownership information Sales information Current property valuation Property picture or map

Pacer  Case and docket information for Federal District, Appellate and Bankruptcy Courts

Parties Attorneys Case Information Court

Courtlink  Case and docket information for Federal District, Appellate and Bankruptcy Courts  Case and docket information for some state courts

QUESTIONS?