Review of Directory of Foreign Firms Operating in the United States, 13th ed. published by Uniworld Business Publications, Inc.

Review of the Directory of Foreign Firms Operating in the United States By Peter Z. McKay, Business Librarian. University of Florida March 28, 2006

It isn't necessary to go abroad to work for a foreign company. Simple in concept, clear in execution, the Directory of Foreign Firms Operating in the United States presents concise information about foreign-owned companies in the U.S. The first edition was published in 1969. It is now updated every other year. The 13th edition includes more than 3,500 foreign firms with headquarters in 86 countries with almost 10,000 related U.S. businesses. Widely held in both public and academic libraries, the directory is an affordable source of information that is often hard to find. The directory includes a broad range of businesses: auctioneers, consultants, executive recruiters, hotels, law firms, manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, airlines, media companies, software producers, retailers, clothing designers, investment firms, banks and a host of others. The publication's editor and team of researchers closely follow the activities of international firms doing business in the U.S. with special emphasis on mergers, acquisitions and expansions. They selectively list businesses with revenues greater than $10 million. Approximately 20% of the listings are new to this edition with more than 400 firms deleted.

Entries follow a standard format. For example, Hunter Douglas N.V. is a $2 billion Dutch company that sells window coverings and architectural products in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, and Australia. Well-known for the high quality of its Venetian blinds, the brand is familiar to many American homeowners. The entry for Hunter Douglas lists the headquarters address in Rotterdam, telephone and fax numbers, and website. Its lines of business are identified along with the relevant North American Industry Classification (NAICS) codes. The CEO's name is provided with total revenue and the number of employees (15,000). Seven Hunter Douglas-owned U.S. companies are listed with their U.S. addresses, contact information, CEO, percentage of foreign ownership, and number of employees. However, no sales figures are provided.

The directory groups foreign firms by country from Argentina to Zimbabwe. The front matter provides a brief introduction explaining how the directory is compiled, a key to the abbreviations used, a list of company designations (INC for incorporated in the U.S., Canada and England; SA for Sociedad Anónima in Spain and Latin America, etc.), and notes on the alphabetical order of the listings (numerals before letters). The back matter has two alphabetical indexes listing all foreign firms by name and all American affiliates by name with corresponding page numbers for the entries. A numerical listing of NAICS codes gives descriptions. An online version of the directory is also available by subscription with data updated on a daily basis. Customized reports may be ordered. A short list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) answers questions about how the directory is compiled, how the company contact name is selected, how often the directory is updated, and what criteria are used to decide which firms to include.

Uniworld Business Publications, Inc. (www.uniworldbp.com) also publishes the three-volume Directory of American Firms Operating in Foreign Countries, first issued in 1955. Both directories are used by employers, job hunters, career centers, libraries, government agencies, analysts, companies, and international organizations that need to accurately identify firms and contacts for these elusive businesses.