The San Francisco
History Center files on local businesses - On
the sixth floor of the Main Library, the San Francisco History Center has many special files with local business information as well
as a number of monographs listing historical businesses and local business
people.
Local newspapers are
another good source of company information. The Magazine
and Newspapers Center maintains a large collection
of local newspapers and newspaper indexes and San Francisco Newspapers on Microfilm.
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Business, Science & Technology Center Local Company Research Resources |
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People search for information on local companies for a variety of reasons:
Researching small local companies can be a bit problematic, simply because there tends to be less published about them than about larger companies. Nevertheless, there are a number of resources you can check for information about local businesses of any size. Annual ReportsIf the local company that you are researching is publicly traded, it must issue annual reports. Annual Reports explain where you can find such reports in paper, microfilm, or online. Local and State Business DirectoriesMost business directories include brief, essential information about companies, such as date established, number of employees, estimated sales, officers, and SIC codes. The Business, Science & Technology Center carries a number of local and regional business directories:
Regional Trade & Industry DirectoriesIf a company is not listed in a general regional directory, it may be in a trade directory that focuses on a particular industry or service. The following regional trade and industry directories are at the Business Science & Technology information desk: California Agricultural Directory Consultants and Consulting Organizations Directory Directory of California Technology Companies Dun’s Consultant’s Directory O’Dwyers Directory of Public Relations Firms You will also find relevant sources in the U.S. Industry and Trade Collection. Books of ListsThis annual issue lists top ranking local companies by industry or service. The library offers the Book of Lists for San Francisco, East Bay, San Jose & Silicon Valley, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Sonoma/Marin. Ask for these lists at the Business, Science & Technology Center. Local NewspapersLocal or regional newspapers are an excellent source of company information. You can often search current issues of these newspapers on their Web sites: Sacramento Business Journal San Francisco Bay Guardian San Francisco Business Times San Francisco Chronicle San Jose Mercury News Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal Many of these newspapers are also indexed with full text of the articles in the library’s online databases. Company & Industry Directory DatabasesThe Library provides databases in the Business, Science & Technolgy Center and through SFPL Online. These databases can be searched by company name, location, industry, service or product line.
Government DatabasesCalifornia business name searches can be conducted on the California Business Portal, maintained by the California Secretary of State. Search for names using the California Business Search, which also includes the Agent for Service of Process for all California Corporations and LLPs. San Francisco business name searches can be conducted using the City and County of San Francisco’s Online Services page. Search fictitious business names in the Business Name Search database. Company Web SitesMany companies, even small businesses, have web sites. A company’s home page is an excellent source of information about its history, current projects, products, services and officers. To find a company’s web site, enter the company name in a search engine. Researching Older Local Companies
Business directories for public
companies – You may be able to
find basic information about older companies. See the “Researching
old stocks” section of our Stock Research page.
Business directories for private companies [Note: None of the local sources listed below pre-date 1950]
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