I can name that company in only two locations!

September 4, 2009 10:13 AM

How can I identify a large company, based in Chicago, which also has an office in Ft. Lauderdale (and doesn't seem to have offices elsewhere)? This is just about all the information I have - I don't know the industry.

I've tried all the normal search engines and phrases I can think of, but I haven't identified any good candidates. There is a lot of chaff to wade through. I've also been looking through lists of large companies based in Chicago or lage companies with offices in Ft. Lauderdale, but haven't been successful that way either. Can anyone recommend searching techniques, or maybe someone familiar with Ft. Lauderdale can name some candidates?

posted by iknowizbirfmark to work & money (13 comments total)

Not trying to be cheeky, but I think your question is nearly impossible to answer.

Are you trying to remember the name of a company you forgot?
Are you trying to find any company that has offices in both places and nowhere else?
posted by CRM114 at 10:24 AM on September 4

I'm trying to find out what company has posted an anonymous job search before I take any steps to contact them or work with the recruiter they have retained.

I think that, given those two specific locations and the fact that it's a "large company," this is a very answerable question. I think that the information is out there on the internet, but I'm striking out after several hours of wading through search results. I think that a better search might help, but I think that it's more likely that someone who knows Fort Lauderdale would have some ideas.
posted by iknowizbirfmark at 10:28 AM on September 4

List of major companies in the Chicago metropolitan area

Fort Lauderdale Florida Business Directory

I'll leave it up to you to search those.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 10:29 AM on September 4

You can't narrow down the industry based on the job description?

The law firm I used to work for has offices in both cities, as well as ~16 others.
posted by desjardins at 10:40 AM on September 4

Nevermind, I'm wrong - they have offices in 4 other Florida cities, but not that one.
posted by desjardins at 10:42 AM on September 4

Thanks kuujjuarapik. I've already reviewed that Wikipedia list of major Chicago companies, and have eliminated most of them from the information I have - only a few possibles.
posted by iknowizbirfmark at 10:43 AM on September 4

Hoover's list of companies in Chicago.
LinkedIn's list of companies with 201-5000 employees, headquartered in Chicago.
LinkedIn's list of companies with 201-5000 employees, office in Ft. Lauderdale.

Maybe we can help you better if you tell us more of what you do know.
posted by Houstonian at 10:49 AM on September 4

You can search on these criteria in Lexis-Nexis Corporate Affiliations.
posted by Wordwoman at 11:05 AM on September 4

A different way to search for the same information is to search for key phrases in the job description. Oftentimes, several recruiting agencies are used to fill a single position. They receive the job description from their client, and usually do not change the wording. However, each may provide a little more information about their client (not the job) that may help narrow it down.

For example, here's a job for a materials and welding job. It's posted by a recruiter. But, the recruiter needed to say something about the client, and chose "providing its customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services and petrochemicals products for everyday items." If you search that phrase, you find out it is BP. The recruiter lifted that phrase off BP's website.

A different example: Here's a job posted by a recruiter. The first bullet point is, "Develop content for Upstream Professional Development Center courses." When you search for that center, you find that it is Saudi Aramco.
posted by Houstonian at 11:10 AM on September 4

You can't narrow down the industry based on the job description?

Not really, the listed requirements are for a job that almost all large companies, regardless of industry, would have.

Maybe we can help you better if you tell us more of what you do know.

I'd prefer not to list the information about the actual job posting. The job details are the only information I have that I have not posted and, like I mentioned above, I don't think that it will help narrow the search.

Houstonian, those LinkedIn lists are great - thanks! That's exactly the kind of resource I'm looking for. Unfortunately, looks like LinkedIn lumps Fort Lauderdale in with Miami, but that has been a common problem.
posted by iknowizbirfmark at 11:13 AM on September 4

I searched on "offices in Chicago"+Lauderdale. You could try variations on that. There are a lot of hits. Here are a few:

Parkson Corporation - a wastewater treatment company

Litchfield Cavo LLP - law office

Incapital Holdings LLC - a venture capital firm?

MARC - an advertising/marketing firm
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:11 PM on September 4

If you wish, you can MeFi me the information, I can talk to my recruiter at Manpower and see if it's on his radar.
posted by tilde at 8:52 PM on September 4

Or MeMail or whatever it's called. I'm localish to Fort Lauderdale.
posted by tilde at 8:52 PM on September 4