The Largest Private Companies

#1 Koch Industries
chemicals, energy, technology

05 Rank: #2
Headquarters: Wichita, KS
Revenue 2005 ($mil): $90,000e
Change: 50.0%
Employees: 85,000

Koch Industries, now the largest private company in the United States, owns a diverse group of companies engaged in refining and chemicals; fibers and polymers; commodity and financial trading; and forest and consumer products. The company has a presence in nearly sixty countries. In December 2005, Koch Industries finalized its $21 billion acquisition of forest products company Georgia-Pacific Corp

#2 Cargill
agricultural commodities, food

05 Rank: #1
Headquarters: Minneapolis, MN
Revenue 2005 ($mil): $69,902e
Change: 4.8%
Employees: 141,400

Founded in 1865 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Cargill employees 141,400 people in 63 countries. Cargill produces and distributes food; and sells agricultural, crop nutrients and feed ingredients to livestock producers and animal feeders. The company processes grain, oilseeds and other agricultural commodities and provides risk-management products and services. Members of the Cargill and MacMillan families jointly own common equity for the company. Warren R. Staley, Cargill's chairman and chief executive officer, is the third non-family chief executive in the company's 140-year history.

#3 PricewaterhouseCoop ers
accounting

05 Rank: #4
Headquarters: New York, NY
Revenue 2005 ($mil): $21,300e
Change: 12.1%
Employees: 140,000

In 1998 Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand, merged and formed PricewaterhouseCoop ers, the largest such company in the world. As one of the Big 4 accounting firms, PricewaterhouseCoop ers provides assurance, tax and advisory services to clients in 148 countries

#4 Publix Super Markets
supermarkets

05 Rank: #5
Headquarters: Lakeland, FL
Revenue 2005 ($mil): $20,745
Change: 11.0%
Employees: 135,000

Publix Super Markets, founded in 1930 by George W Jenkins, operates 875 retail food supermarkets throughout Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. It is the largest employee-owned supermarket chain in the U.S. Publix processes its own dairy, bakery and deli products and acts as a distributor for all of its stores. Howard M Jenkins is the chairman and Charles H Jenkins, Jr. is the chief executive officer. Corporate headquarters are in Lakeland, Florida

#5 SemGroup
oil, gas marketer

05 Rank: #9
Headquarters: Tulsa, OK
Revenue 2005 ($mil): $20,174
Change: 60.4%
Employees: 1,622

Founded in February 2000, SemGroup's operations include crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas and liquids, asphalt and storage of natural gas and refined fuels. The company's assets exceed $3.5 billion and are located in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Headquarters are in Tulsa, Oklahoma

#6 Mars
candy, pet food, electronics

05 Rank: #3
Headquarters: McLean, VA
Revenue 2005 ($mil): $20,000e1
Change: 4.7%
Employees: 40,500

Started in 1911, Mars is one of the largest manufacturers in each of its main businesses: branded snack foods, pet foods, rice and drink vending equipment. Among better-known Mars brand names are, M&M's, Snickers, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, Pedigree, Skittles, Starburst, Whiskas, Sheba and Uncle Ben's foods. With products sold in more than 100 countries, the company has offices and manufacturing facilities in over 65 countries. Members of the Mars family own the company; Paul Michaels is company president.

Brands: 3 Musketeers, Combos, Dove, Kal Kan, Kudos, M&Ms, Milky Way, Pedigree, Sheba, Skittles, Snickers, Starburst, Twix, Uncle Ben's, Whiskas

#7 C&S Wholesale Grocers
food distributor

05 Rank: #8
Headquarters: Keene, NH
Revenue 2005 ($mil): $19,936
Change: 31.1%
Employees: 18,700

C&S Wholesale Grocers of Keene, New Hampshire is a distributor of food to supermarkets, retail stores and military bases. C&S is the second-largest food wholesaler in the U.S., serving independent supermarkets, regional and national chains via warehouses in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, California, Hawaii, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee. Customers include Ahold (Stop & Shop, Giant Carlisle, Tops and Giant Landover), Albertson's (Shaw's), Big Y, Bi-Lo/Bruno' s, BJ's, Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., Pathmark and Safeway.

#8 Ernst & Young
accounting

05 Rank: #7
Headquarters: New York, NY
Revenue 2005 ($mil): $18,400
Change: 8.8%
Employees: 114,000

Ernst & Young, one of the Big Four accounting firms, is a result of the merger of firms A.C. Young and Ernst & Whinney in 1989. The company is a global provider of audit, tax, business risk services, technology and security risk services, transaction advisory, and human capital services. In 2005, E&Y announced its re-entry into the business advisory services market, five years after selling its former practice to CapGemini. Employing 114,000 people worldwide, the firm operates in more than 140 countries

#9 Bechtel
engineering, construction

05 Rank: #6
Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
Revenue 2005 ($mil): $18,100
Change: 4.1%
Employees: 40,000

Four generations of family members have run the company that Warren Bechtel founded in 1898. Bechtel, headquartered in San Francisco, is engaged in a range of projects in civil infrastructure, power, petrochemicals, telecommunications and government services. Notable projects completed by Bechtel include Hoover Dam; Bay Area Rapid Transit; the Channel Tunnel connecting England and France; Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong International Airport. Current projects in Bechtel's portfolio include the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel (Big Dig); the waste treatment plant at the Department of Energy's site in Hanford, Washington; renovation of the London Underground; rebuilding infrastructure in Iraq and providing relief assistance for victims of Hurricane Katrina

#10 Meijer
merchandise, grocery stores in Midwest

05 Rank: #10
Headquarters: Grand Rapids, MI
Revenue 2005 ($mil): $13,200e
Change: 5.6%
Employees: 65,000

Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., Meijer is a large grocery and merchandise chain operating in five Midwest states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio). The Meijer family still owns the company, which it founded in 1934. Aside from its grocery operations, Meijer stores include such specialty departments as fueling centers, auto supplies, electronics, nutrition centers and floral departments. Each store also has in-store banking and ATM machines.