# How many of your former employers are still in business? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 20, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767 "2004-11-20T00:49:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767/1 "2004-11-20T00:49:33Z")
Most of the folks that I’ve worked for aren’t around anymore. Am I the employee of death and doom? Landscape contractor-bankrupt Photography lab-closed Newspaper-thriving Auto body shop-bankrupt Auto repair garage-closed School photo business-thriving Hospital-operating (bought/sold 4x) Paramedical ambulance-bankrupt Electronics retailer-bankrupt Electronics wholesaler-closed Trucking outfit-closed Banking equipment manufacturer-bankrupt Self employed-go me! 😃 That’s only 4 out of 13. Woof! :eek: Please say you’ve killed off more employers than I have. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767/2 "2004-11-20T00:58:19Z")
I’ve worked at the same place since I was 18. That makes it about 22 years. Unfortunately, they are still in business. Sorry, didn’t mean to bring your thread down. ---
**Author:** ![Jammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@Jammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767/3 "2004-11-20T01:05:00Z")
Construction Company I worked as teenager: Still very successful Wendy’s: Check University where I worked part time: still good Large textile company (first “real” job after college): Still in business, barely Consulting firm: Still in business That’s about 25 years of working with no casualties so far. Jammer ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767/4 "2004-11-20T01:11:07Z")
Rustler Steakhouse - Exploded (no kidding) Consulting Firm - Still going Medical Billing Firm - Still going Pizza Hut - Still going USAID Contractor - Still going Publishing House - Still going Publishing House - Still going Publishing House - Gone Publishing House - Still going Publishing House - Gone Publishing House - Still going Publishing House - Still going Hmm. Better than I thought. Though the explosion was an attention getter, I admit. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767/5 "2004-11-20T01:11:17Z")
Grocery store I: got bought out by a chain and then that location closed Grocery store II: original store shut down, but has second store still going strong Convenience store: changed names but still there Drug store: bought by larger chain and that location shut down Steel company: still there Pawn shop: still there Paper company: still there (unfortunately) ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767/6 "2004-11-20T01:15:58Z")
The closest thing I’ve had to employment thus far is two internships, one at a highly successful IP (intellectual property) law firm (and if you saw their list of clients–whew!) and one at a relatively successful Bluetooth hardware company. The law firm is still doing ridiculously well. The Bluetooth company, apparently, was bought out a few months ago by a fairly big semiconductor company in Irvine (just found that out for the purposes of this thread by trying to go to the Bluetooth company’s web site). Hrm. What do you know. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767/7 "2004-11-20T02:50:51Z")
Dairy Queen franchise-- no idea if it’s still there, but 25 odd years ago it was going strong. Domino’s ftanchise - ditto NFCB - still there CPB – still there Federal government – still there NGA – still there MATC – still there Covance – Still there Current employer – still there as of 5 hours ago. AFAIK all present and axxounted for. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767/8 "2004-11-20T03:28:29Z")
What I can remember: - Of two florists I drove deliveries for, one is still in business. - The Hickory Farms franchise I once worked for has long since disappeared. - The chemical company for whom I was a reactor operator was bought out by Belgians, and moved to Belgium, about 25 years ago. - The taxicab company with whom I worked (I owned my own cab) is still going strong (Roy’s Taxi) in Austin, Texas. - Hamburgers by Gourmet was once my home as a relief manager, and they’ve vaporized. - The hotel (Alamo) I worked for in college no longer exists. - The independent oil company that hired me right out of college went vapor soon after I quit nine years later. - I started my own company and kept that going for ten years - it no longer exists. Heh. Yeah, check my references. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767/9 "2004-11-20T04:14:59Z")
All but one that I can think of. That one was a start up in the middle of the big start-up crash of 2000. It just ran out of money. Oh, and also, it didn’t really have a product. But the rest of them, all are still in business. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767/10 "2004-11-20T08:15:20Z")
I’m self-employed now too (Huzzah!). My employers (in reverse order): • Advertising/design agency – still going, still lousy payers (I’ll be doing some work for them on Monday) • Output bureau/printer – company still going, founder sold up to new owners. • Advertising agency – still operating, still same management. • County Education Department – still there, of course. I think the department I was in may now be kaput, though. • Small printer – still going. • Computer leasing franchise – bust. MD disappeared in a camper van with his wife and £1 million that didn’t, strictly speaking, belong to him. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-former-employers-are-still-in-business/275767/11 "2004-11-20T20:39:53Z")
1. Restaurant - still there. 2. Grocery Store - out of business. 3. University Library - still there (better be!). 4. Gas station - changed hands, so I guess it’s out of business. So I’ve got about a 50% rate going here.