Fortune 500 List

[AllThingsKC]

H&R Block has dropped off the Fortune 500 list, which means that NO Missouri-side companies are on the list, and 3 Kansas-side companies (Sprint, Embarq, and YRC Worldwide) stay on the list.


http://www.kansascity.com/382/story/584983.html

[ignatius]

Ten years ago or so, a $2B company would be in the F500.  Now a $4B company doesn't qualify.  Partly, it's a result of mergers of many fairly large companies into larger ones.  But when one in KC merges, it usually loses the HQ to somewhere else.

[Highlander]

Ten years ago or so, a $2B company would be in the F500.  Now a $4B company doesn't qualify.  Partly, it's a result of mergers of many fairly large companies into larger ones.  But when one in KC merges, it usually loses the HQ to somewhere else.

The price of oil has driven up the asset base of a lot of smaller regional oil companies pushing them into the Fortune 500 at the expense of others.  Houston, OKC and picked up several additional Fortunate 500 companies in the last year, sometimes without adding an employee. 

[zonk]

H&R Block has dropped off the Fortune 500 list, which means that NO Missouri-side companies are on the list, and 3 Kansas-side companies (Sprint, Embarq, and YRC Worldwide) stay on the list.
http://www.kansascity.com/382/story/584983.html

Just another reason why Kansas Kicks ASS!!!!!!    /

[dangerboy]

The three Joco companies won't be on their much longer.  Sprint seems destined to be acquired.  Embarq had a declining landline business.  Yellow Freight take it real hard when rising oil kills the trucking sector.

Maybe KC Southern can ride rail resurgence into the 500.

[NDTeve]

While Garmin slides in as well. 

[Maitre D]

Yellow Freight take it real hard when rising oil kills the trucking sector.

Yes.  Goods will no longer be shipped across the country.   They will magically appear on your doorstep, a la the Stork delivering your newborns.

[LenexatoKCMO]

Yes.  Goods will no longer be shipped across the country.   They will magically appear on your doorstep, a la the Stork delivering your newborns.

Yeah - I keep wondering about that everytime they run one of these news stories about heartbreaking conditions for the truckers.  Everything else remotely related to fuel cost is going through rapid inflation, so why aren't the truckers just passing the fuel costs along to their customers?  They make it out like these folks are loosing money getting behind the wheel - well how about raising the price.  I am sure there are some folks bound to contract prices but surely that can't be everything. 

[Maitre D]

Yeah - I keep wondering about that everytime they run one of these news stories about heartbreaking conditions for the truckers.  Everything else remotely related to fuel cost is going through rapid inflation, so why aren't the truckers just passing the fuel costs along to their customers?  They make it out like these folks are loosing money getting behind the wheel - well how about raising the price.  I am sure there are some folks bound to contract prices but surely that can't be everything. 

They lost 3% of their revenue year-over-year, as of Dec 31, 2007.   Their stock price is in the tank now as well: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=YRCW&t=5y


Nevertheless, as you pointed out:  Truckers, as economic intermediaries, merely pass along costs.   They're required by the all consumers (just like your local gas company or electric company is), and required products have very elastic demand.   


At a 9B/yr firm, they're not leaving the F500 anytime soon despite Danger's mad ranting.

[Highlander]

While Garmin slides in as well. 

Garmin may be in too much of a niche industry to ever grow into a fortune 500 company. 

[LenexatoKCMO]

Garmin may be in too much of a niche industry to ever grow into a fortune 500 company. 

Getting effectively locked out of the broader geo-data market with the sale of NavTeq and TeleAtlas to rivals will prove to be a long term problem for Garmin's potential. 

[aknowledgeableperson]

Garmin may be in too much of a niche industry to ever grow into a fortune 500 company. 

True, but from what I have heard it is a company that is debt free and cash rich.  And it is still a very young company.  Given the price of stock for many companies they could go into the expansion mode and start diversifing and grow that way (much like most big companies).

When I was young we always felt it was farfetched that Dick Tracy had a wristwatch that had video and audio capabilities.  Who knows, in 5 or 10 years that might actually happen with even more capabilities.  And Garmin could be in the forefront of that development or any other development that exists only in people's minds at this time.

[ignatius]

I'd predict that Garmin will continue to grow but not as rapidly as the past.  They'll have a challenge maintaining the market share for the consumer products.  The GPS market as a whole will grow but their market share probably won't as anyone could now license the maps and create a GPS app.  With cellphones now offering navigation with near realtime map/POS updates, Garmin will have a challenge.  The air/boating GPS market isn't big enough to grow them to an F500 company.  They could end up merging with Magellen and/or someone like Dash down the road though.  Merging will probably be the only way for them to hit F500, or they buy one of the major mapping sources.  But I could be wrong as they have become a $3B company very rapidly.

[NDTeve]

But I could be wrong as they have become a $3B company very rapidly.

This is why I have confidence in them. I think they have the brains to diversify their product enough to be ahead of the curve.

[ignatius]

Check this out. In 1992 you only needed to be a $500m company (revenues) to be in the F500..
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/ ... 2/401.html

Today you have to be at $4.6B to make the list.

[Joemoney]

Omaha has 4, including the 11th largest company, yet we have 2/5ths the population.  http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/ ... es/NE.html

We also have the richest man in the world.
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/bil ... _C0R3.html

In your face, KC.

[schugg]

Omaha has 4, including the 11th largest company, yet we have 2/5ths the population.  http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/ ... es/NE.html

We also have the richest man in the world.
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/bil ... _C0R3.html

In your face, KC.

I wonder how many concerts  KC has stolen from omaha since the sprint center has opened. HA!

[dangerboy]

Omaha has 4, including the 11th largest company, yet we have 2/5ths the population.  http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/ ... es/NE.html

We also have the richest man in the world.
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/bil ... _C0R3.html

In your face, KC.

Now you just need your own InterWeb forum to talk about your own city.

[Cyclops]

In your face, KC.

Wow! That really hurt... I'm moving!

[Gretz]

I'd predict that Garmin will continue to grow but not as rapidly as the past.  They'll have a challenge maintaining the market share for the consumer products.  The GPS market as a whole will grow but their market share probably won't as anyone could now license the maps and create a GPS app.  With cellphones now offering navigation with near realtime map/POS updates, Garmin will have a challenge.  The air/boating GPS market isn't big enough to grow them to an F500 company.  They could end up merging with Magellen and/or someone like Dash down the road though.  Merging will probably be the only way for them to hit F500, or they buy one of the major mapping sources.  But I could be wrong as they have become a $3B company very rapidly.

Didn't I read something recently about Garmin teaming up with a handset maker (believe it was Nokia or maybe Motorola)?  They and TomTom both are very aware of their soon to decline non-integrated device sales and are casting about frantically to develop new products and markets.  Garmin is also teaming up with someone to integrate their technology into car navigation/radio/wireless broadband super-systems, I know.  Garmin's figures, inventories and even explicit statements indicate that they expect stand alone navigation device sales to begin to decline fairly dramatically soon, but hopefully their other product lines can keep their cash-flows growing.  I certainly don't anticipate a 50% jump in revenues that would put them into the fortune 500 anytime soon though.