The biggest mega of all. Coca-Cola still named after there primary product. Still focused on one industry.
My nomination is Beer Nuts.
http://www.beernuts.com/CGI-BIN/LANSAWEB?PROCFUN+WORDPR01+WEBFUNC+M37
Now, there’s a company that satisfies a basic need and hasn’t compromised itself in any way to meglacorporocracy.
Please send a few packages my way.
Google?
For many years, American Optical was, despite being one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) optical company i the world. It wasn’t enormous under Beecher (the nominal founder) and the next owner, but the Wells family really built it up and acquired competitors and firms making other optical instruments, and statrted the R&D branch, and it grew to enormous size. It remained in the hands of that family for over a century, and was eventually sold to a Megacorp – Warner Lambert.
Interestingly, they solf it back to a consortion, the leading member of whom bought out the others, which put it all back under a single ownder. But he sold the divisions off piece by piece, so now the company is gone, except in name But AO Eyewear is now manufactured by a former competitor, and AO Sound out in Holywood has no connection besides the name.
White Castle
PAAS does not fit the thread. It is owned by Signature Brands LLC (a spinoff of General Mills), who bought PAAS in 1999 from drugmaker Schering-Plough.
Nor does Mercedes, which is owned by Daimler AG.
Kleenex & Huggies - Kimberly Clark
My main two (Carmex and Tootsie Roll) were taken, but what about Yuengling. Very popular beer on the east coast, outselling Anheuser Busch in some major markets. Oldest brewery in the US and still run by someone named Yuengling.
If “megacorp” means publicly traded the huge Mars Inc. conglomerate is entirely privately held.
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I’m picturing a panda sitting behind a desk.
Cargill is a pretty big company selling agricultural and other bulk products. They are privately held and have been from the beginning, I think.
I think Little Nemo needs to clarify what he is looking for here. From the description, it sounds like he wants companies that are not conglomerates, which are companies “that consists of multiple distinct and often unrelated businesses.” Mars, Inc and Cargill are large privately owned companies, but from the descriptions of their various business lines in the Wikipedia articles sound like conglomerates.
I think the opposite of a conglomerate would be a “pure play” company, one that has a single business focus. The Wikipedia article suggests Coca-Cola is a pure play in the beverages market, while Pepsi, with its Frito-Lay subsidiary, is not.
Sabian cymbals are well-known to most music fans.
More wondering about the subject rather than looking for something specific. A good example of the kind of thing I was thinking of would be McIlhenny’s Tabasco Sauce. It’s a well-known common product available nation-wide. It’s made by a company in Louisiana. And that’s what they do - they make Tabasco sauce.
Weber Grills
Technically, the label says Weber-Stephen now, but no buyout was involved there.
I was going to suggest Crayola, but it turns out they’ve been owned by Hallmark for 25 years.
Nike and Columbia Sportsware, perhaps. Not sure if the latter is enough of a household name, though. Nike branched out into sports clothing and equipment from their original athletic shoes. Not sure if that counts against them or not.
Amazon.com is another good one. Perhaps eBay too, although they did buy PayPal which may disqualify them.
who makes bacon salt?
Awesome geniuses? 