|
 Archer Daniels Midland Co., which
helps feed the world by turning crops into food ingredients, came
out No. 1 in the online voting. It was followed by Deere & Co.,
whose green-and-yellow farm equipment can be found in fields around
the world.
In third place was Caterpillar Inc., which began as a tractor
company but is best known today for construction equipment used from
Chicago to Shanghai.
The Illinois Top 200 project lets Illinoisans vote every two weeks
on the most inspiring leaders, greatest books, top businesses and
much more. By the state’s 200th birthday on Dec. 3, voters will have
chosen 10 favorites in 20 different categories – the Illinois Top
200.
Voting in the next category, top inventions and innovations, is
underway at www.IllinoisTop200.com. Nominees include radio
astronomy, the birth control pill, barbed wire, skyscrapers and the
TV remote control.
The top 10 businesses are:
Archer Daniels Midland – Based in Chicago but with extensive
operations in Decatur, ADM is one of the world’s largest
agricultural processors, with approximately 31,000 employees.
Deere & Co. – In 1837, a blacksmith named John Deere invented
a plow that could cut through tough prairie soil. Today, the
Moline-based company employs more than 55,000 people and ranks 105th
in the Fortune 500.
Caterpillar Inc. – Cat, which recently shifted its
headquarters from Peoria to Deerfield, is the world’s largest maker
of construction equipment. It employs 95,000 people and ranks 74th
on the Fortune 500.
McDonald’s – With headquarters in the Chicago area,
McDonald’s serves about 69 million people each day and is the
world’s second-largest private employer.
Walgreens – This drugstore chain began in Chicago. Its parent
company ranks 17th on the Fortune 500, higher than any other
Illinois business.
Rand McNally – This Skokie company, now synonymous with maps
and atlases, traces its roots back to a Chicago printing business
that began in 1856.
DeKalb AgResearch – Founded in 1917 by DeKalb County farmers,
the company was a pioneer in developing corn hybrids to resist
disease and yield more grain.
Sears – Sears grew from jewelry business to mail-order giant
to the largest retailer in America. Based in Hoffman Estates, it has
596 department stores.
State Farm – This Bloomington company was founded in 1922.
Today it has 70,000 employees and ranks 33rd on the Fortune 500.
[to top of second column] |
Dairy Queen – The first DQ opened in
Joliet in 1940. Now based in Minnesota, the company popularized soft-serve ice
cream and today runs more than 6,000 restaurants.
“These results really drive home the diversity and strength of Illinois
business. Voters have recognized manufacturers, restaurant chains, retailers,
agri-business and more,” said Alan Lowe, executive director of the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
Several nominees that did not make the final cut are businesses that had a huge
impact in the 19th century but are no longer around, at least not in the same
form.
They include the Illinois Central Railroad, which helped make Chicago a
transportation hub; Pullman Palace Car Co., which played an important role –
sometimes good and sometimes bad – in transportation, the labor movement, civil
rights and even urban planning; and Montgomery Ward, a company that popularized
mail-order shopping.
Future categories include authors, musicians, actors, leaders, buildings and
unforgettable moments. Everyone is invited to suggest possible nominees in each
category by using the hashtag #ILtop200 on social media.
ABOUT ABRAHAM LINCOLN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
The presidential library and museum uses a combination of rigorous scholarship
and high-tech showmanship to immerse visitors in Lincoln’s life and times.
Visitors can see ghosts come to life on stage, watch TV coverage of the 1860
Presidential election, roam through the Lincoln White House, experience booming
cannons in a Civil War battle and come face to face with priceless original
Lincoln artifacts.
The library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books, documents,
photographs, artifacts and art, as well as some 12 million items pertaining to
all aspects of Illinois history.
For more information, visit
www. PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov.
ABOUT ILLINOIS BICENTENNIAL
On Dec. 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state in the union. The Illinois
Bicentennial is a yearlong celebration of what has been BORN, BUILT & GROWN in
the state and a reminder of why we are #IllinoisProud. Citizens are encouraged
to participate in the celebration by visiting
www.illinois 200.com and using
the hashtag #IllinoisProud. Partners and event and project managers planning
activities between Dec. 3, 2017, and Dec. 3, 2018, can apply for endorsement to
become an official part of Illinois Bicentennial by visiting the PARTICIPATE
page at www.illinois200.com.
[Christopher Wills] |
