ONEOK, Inc.: A Natural Gas Provider

It is in Tulsa, Oklahoma that ONEOK holds its headquarters. The company is one of the Fortune 200 corporations and is a member of the S&P 500 and the Russell 3000 Indices. The business is one of the diversified energy companies and generates more than $11.1 billion.

Prior to becoming ONEOK, Inc., the company was known as the Oklahoma Natural Gas Company. It was established in 1906 and made its name change in 1980. It is a major stockholder of ONEOK Partners, LP and is engaged in the gathering, processing, storage and transportation of natural gas. As an energy company, the business is focused on the marketing of natural gas and natural gas liquids.

Through the business segments that operate within the enterprise, the company is able to distribute safe and reliable energy to its customers across the country. ONEOK continues to be listed as one of the most admired companies in the energy industry, as listed by Fortune Magazine.

Paccar: A Medium and Heavy Duty Truck Manufacturer

Between 2011 and 2012, Paccar, Inc. was ranked as the world’s third largest manufacturer of medium and heavy duty trucks. The business is a Fortune 500 company that is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. The company is publicly traded on the NASDAQ and is a component of the Russell 3000 and the S&P 500 Indices.

Paccar thrives in the industries of truck components, engines, automotive, powertrain, heavy equipment, information technology and financial services. Founded in 1905, it started out as the Seattle Car Manufacturing Company. With his $10,000 capital, William Pigott, Sr. created the business with the concept of a production of Logging and Railway equipment. The company’s manufacturing plant in Renton, Washington remains to be an iconic structure and is considered as the oldest continually operating business in the area. Being one of the oldest companies in the region, the business has undergone several financial crisis and even withstood the trials brought about by the Great Depression in the 1930s.

The business has several subsidiaries that help generate the company’s annual revenue of more than $17.05 billion. These businesses were created either through organic growth or through acquisition of promising ventures. In total, there are 14 companies that make up Paccar, Inc. Of all the businesses the company owns, Kenworth is probably the most famous having to deploy its manufactured trucks around the world. There are about 130,000 medium duty and heavy duty trucks that have been produced since the company’s creation in 1993.

The product portfolio of the company is marketed under the brand names DAF, KEnworth and Peterbilt. These products and services are delivered to customers around the world through their strong network of more than 2,000 dealership locations. The customer base of Paccar, Inc. covers more than 100 countries around the world. More than half of the generated revenue of the business is coming from their sales outside the United States.

Nathan’s Famous: The World’s Most Famous Hotdog

Hotdogs remain to be the specialty of Nathan’s Famous, an American company that operates a chain of fast food restaurants. This publicly traded company has its stocks traded on the NASDAQ, under the ticker symbol NATH.

For almost 100 years now, the company has served millions of Americans with their famous hotdogs that come with different sizes, tastes and toppings. From a very small nickel hot dog stand on Coney Island, the company has evolved into a multi-million venture. With a global presence, Nathan’s is now considered as the world’s most famous hot dog. From their restaurants, the hot dogs of Nathan’s have entered the international markets through the retail and food service businesses that market their products.

Starting out in 1916 with a $300 loan and their famous secret ingredient, Nathan has grown into a network of fast food chain whose products are also sold through their network of more than 50,000 locations in the United States alone.

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.: A Fabless Semiconductor Company

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (MPS) is one of the fabless semiconductor companies that are headquartered in San Jose, California. Founded in 1997, the company is now publicly traded on the NASDAQ, under the ticker symbol MPWR.

The success of the company in the semiconductor industry is strongly attributed to the team of experts employed by the business. These associates are considered as veterans in the industry that have strong expertise in sophisticated system, IC level designing, customer application experience and highly-technical knowledge in the industry. These experts are working closely with their business partners to come up with solutions for their unique needs. The base customers of Monolithic Power Systems include companies in the industries of communication, consumer electronics, industrial, storage and computing and automotive.

The primary product of the company is their direct current (DC) to DC converter integrated circuits that are mainly used in the conversion of control voltages of electronic systems. Their lighting control ICs are also used in systems that provides lighting to LCD panels in car navigational systems, notebook computers, LCD monitors, televisions and even on smart phones. Other offerings include their AC/DC power conversion solutions and their (AC)/DC offlines solutions for lighting illumination applications. By providing these high performance analog semiconductors to their business partners, they are helping their clients market their products much faster, support various applications and even come up with ideas for possible new products.

By integrating the use of BiCMOS signal transistors with DMOS power transistors, MPS is able to create smaller single-chip power management ICs that are capable of delivering highly accurate results and efficiency in power usage. The technological platform used by the company to create their products starts the simplification process of designing ICs which are useful in a wide range of analog applications.

With global operations, MPS employs more than 1,000 associates around the world. Their facilities are located across the United States, in Europe, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea and in Japan.

Medifast: Making Dieting Easier and Fast

Doctor William Vitale is the man behind the creation of Medifast, Inc., an American venture that is focused on nutrition and weight loss. With a market capitalization of more than $250 million, the company publicly trades on the New York Stock Exchange (MED).

Starting out by selling his products directly to doctors, Medifast, Inc. now has five subsidiaries that market its Medifast diet products. In addition, the company has their own disease management products on top of their weight management programs. The five businesses include Jason Properties, LLC, Seven Crondall, LLC, Take Shape for Life, Inc., Jason Enterprises, Inc. and Jason Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Named by Forbes Magazine as America’s #1 Small Company, the business now markets its products directly to its customers.

Medifast is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland. The company has over 360 employees and generates an annual revenue of more than $165.62 million. It continues to operate under the slogan “easy, fast…”.

Maximus, Inc.: Enhancing Communities, Transforming Lives

The high quality services and solutions that are provided by Maximus, Inc. are most helpful to the government sectors. For more than 40 years, the state, federal and local governments have benefited from the services by the company. The business is a global venture that employs more than 13,000 associates that are dedicated in making communities around the world better, safer and more progressive.

Maximus is a for-profit public service company that is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. The business has operations in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, in Saudi Arabia and across the United States. It primarily provides business process, health and human services to government agencies. Since its inception in 1975, the company aims to champion the administration of government-sponsored programs. It has strong knowledge and administration skills of all the works related to the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare, Medicaid, health care reform, child support enforcement and welfare-to-work programs of the government.

Its services are categorized into two major segments: human services and health services. Their human services operations have been cited as the top performing provider of welfare-to-work services in the United Kingdom. Under the Flexible New Deal program in the country, the company has assisted job seekers land on long-term sustained employment. Its human services include helping out people with disabilities look for employment and an environment that will help them grow as better individuals. This business segment is also a champion in child care services and has helped thousands of children and parents get the much needed child support payments. The health services unit of the business is considered as the largest provider of administrative services for the CHIP and Medicaid in the United States. In fact, the business has 50% market share in this segment.

Through the services provided by Maximus, Inc., the company is able to transform lives and help the government reach their program goals. It aims to strengthen communities through their partnerships with the government.

Lifeway Foods: Manufacturer of Kefir

Kefir is a fermented milk that is made from the kefir grains that originated in the Caucasus Mountains. Although not the originator of the product, Michael Smolyansky was able to make a fortune out of this item.

Smolyansky first stumbled on this product at a food show. Falling in love with this milk product, he started his company that would market this item. He named his business Lifeway Foods. What started out as a small venture from his basement has turned into a multi-million venture that generates more than $58 million annually. To further diversify his product, he created a variety of kefir. Today, his offerings include low-fat, Greek, organic, non-fat and low-carb. These varieties are also offered in different flavors.

When Smolyansky passed away, his daughter Julie took over the business and continued to grow his legacy. Today, Lifeway Foods is a publicly traded business on the NASDAQ. It continues to provide the world a healthier and tastier alternative to yoghurt and milk.