1 Cargill
Ranked #1 in sales for eight out of the past ten years, the Minneapolis, Minn. agricultural commodities conglomerate has its hand in everything from chicken feed to pharmaceuticals.
2 Koch Industries
Last year Koch was the only company to bump Cargill off its sales throne in the past decade, but is back at #2. There’s no business too unlovable for Koch. Its portfolio includes refining, chemicals, plastics and textiles. The cleaner side designs, manufactures and sells pollution-control equipment.
3 Chrysler
It’s been a rough year for Chrysler, which had a brief stay in bankruptcy protection in 2009. Italian automaker Fiat holds a minority stake that could increase. The Auburn Hills, Mich. automaker still generates more than $47 billion in sales.
4 GMAC Financial Services
Subprime supergoat GMAC became a bank holding company to receive a chunk of the $700 billion federal bailout package in December. The Geithner stress test also compelled it to raise $11.5 billion of capital. The former General Motors financing arm is busy in remodeling mode. It has been heavily marketing its online bank called Ally.
5 Bechtel
The largest privately held heavy-construction firm has been run by the Bechtel family since it was founded a century ago. Current projects include a 13-mile rail tunnel under London and a 1,180-megawatt nuclear plant in Tennessee.
6 Mars
The snack food giant behind M&M’s, Snickers and other sweets also makes Uncle Ben’s rice and Pedigree pet products. Mars bought Wrigley’s chewing gum business for $23 billion in 2008 with $4.4 billion in debt from Berkshire Hathaway.
7 HCA
The Hospital Corporation of America runs 163 hospitals and 112 outpatient facilities. Medicare and Medicaid programs account for half of its $28 billion in revenue. Obamacare will expand the customer base but will likely curtail its prices.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
The international number crunchers at PricewaterhouseCoopers had the largest slide in our top ten, falling three places to #8. PwC cites foreign-exchange fluctuations for the 7% sales decline.
Publix Super Markets
The largest employee-owned supermarket chain in the U.S. operates 1,000 stores in the Southeast. The $24 billion (sales) company opened one outlet a week in 2008.
Ernst & Young
The 13% year-over-year sales loss was not enough to boot the New York accountancy out of the top ten, but it did drop in position–the second of two companies to do so.
Bollywood has not begun to promote upcoming film London Dreams yet, but they should. The film, scheduled to be released in October, stars Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan back in an all together different musical drama also starring Asin, perhaps Bollywood’s most beautiful actress. It is obvious from the official trailer just released, and the award winning players cast, that director Vipul Shah is desirous of another box office smash with London Dreams.
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