You can use several Penrose library subscription databases to identify the top companies in a state. These include Hoovers Online, Corporate Affiliations, and ReferenceUSA. Here’s an example of how to do this using Hoovers Online. To access this and the other databases referred to take the following steps:

1. Go to the library homepage at library.du.edu.

2. Click on the “Databases” tab and then click on “Databases by Subject.”

3. Click on “Business / Finance” and then the “Business/Finance – Companies” link.

4. You will get a list of databases you could use for this. Scroll down and click on Hoovers Online.

Once in the database take the following steps:

Step 1.  Use the “Build a List” form and click on “View More Criteria.”

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Step 2.  Enter the state in the “Company Location” section. (Notice that you can develop top company lists by different types of locations as well.)

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Step 3.  Enter your criteria in the “Company Size” section.   The example used here is based on annual sales greater than $800 Million, a number that you can change as you wish.  There are also other criteria you will see and be able to select when you actually access the database.  Once you have completed Steps 2 and 3, click on the “View Results” button located at the bottom of the page.

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Step 4.  This strategy retrieved several companies that meet your criteria. sorted by sales. You can sort by other types, including number of employees or SIC (which would bring up the results based on industry code). Our subscription does not allow downloading the files to Excel, etc., so you will have to print the result pages.

Click here to find out how to identify the top companies in the Denver metro area using the Denver Business Journal’s Book of Lists.