How a Gulf Coast cellular start-up became the biggest privately held wireless carrier in America - by making towns compete to get fiber first, then wiring the rest of the state anyway.
While rival electronics chains shrank or died, this Ohio-based retailer kept opening 35,000-square-foot stores - and turned DIY PC builders into one of retail's most loyal fan bases.
Two friends from Michigan turned a biodegradable cleaner and a handshake into the world's biggest direct-selling company. Seven decades later, Amway still refuses to sell a single share.
New Balance is a privately held, family-owned athletic footwear and apparel company founded in Boston in 1906. Originally a maker of arch supports and orthopedic shoes, it grew into one of the world's largest sportswear brands, known for its running shoes, the iconic 990 and 574 sneakers, its unusual commitment to domestic manufacturing in the US and UK, and a strategy of being 'the best, not the biggest.' The company reported roughly $9.2 billion in 2025 sales and competes globally with Nike, Adidas and others across running, lifestyle, basketball, tennis, baseball and soccer.