Forbes: America's Largest Private Companies 2010

Special Report – America’s Largest Private Companies, Andrea D. Murphy and John J. Ray

  • Our 25th annual survey of America’s largest private companies reflects the same turbulence that is rocking the publicly traded firms that make all the headlines…Most of the companies on our list have no plans to change their private statuses. Many businesses like the freedom from quarterly earning expectations and reduced obligations to Sarbanes-Oxley reporting requirements. (Private companies with publicly traded debt must file financial statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission.) In addition to our $2 billion revenue requirement, the companies on our list have either too few shareholders to be required to file financial statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or have shares with ownership restricted to some group, such as employees or family members. We exclude foreign companies, companies that don’t pay income tax (like Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority), mutually owned companies (like State Farm Insurance), cooperatives (like Central Grocers), companies with fewer than 100 employees, and companies that are more than 50% owned by another public, private or foreign company. We also leave out companies with their primary business in auto dealerships or real estate investment and/or management.”
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    Posted in: Knowledge Management
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