Twelve companies just joined the Fortune 500, a list that ranks America’s biggest businesses by revenue. To qualify, each had to bring in at least $7. 5 billion in 2026. Their paths to the list show how tech, healthcare, and energy are reshaping what it means to be a corporate giant. Some of these
Maine businesses look for three things when they grow: skilled workers, good roads and steady power. The electricity that lights factories and offices is the first on their list. Energy prices have jumped in recent years. A higher cost for a factory means more money spent on each product. A small
Reno is testing a new rule that could let new bars in downtown and Midtown play live music late without jumping through old hoops. Instead of paying five grand and waiting months for a special permit, these businesses might get a faster track to keep the music going past 11 p. m. inside their doors.
In hard times, bosses often slash teams first. Amazon, UPS and Nestlé did exactly that in recent years, cutting thousands of jobs. Yet most executives forget one truth: shrinking payroll rarely fixes money problems, it usually makes them worse. The real leak is often in the sales funnel, not the sta
A coffee chain famous for its high-energy crews and custom drinks is opening its first Illinois location outside the college towns it usually targets. Dutch Bros picked Melrose Park, a mostly residential suburb west of the city, to launch its Chicago-area push. More shops are planned for Oak Park an
Finance teams often seem busy, but busyness doesn’t always mean they’re getting important work done. Surprisingly, most finance leaders admit their teams waste hours on repetitive tasks like typing numbers into spreadsheets or matching transactions by hand instead of focusing on big-picture planning
A local Vietnamese eatery recently learned the hard way that food safety isn’t optional. House of Saigon faced 14 violations during a routine health check, including an employee handling trash before touching clean dishes without washing up. Moldy leftover lemon slices were found in a staff fridge,
Flex, a Singapore supply‑chain firm, opened its first Lake County office in 2017 with fewer than 100 staff. Today it employs about 1, 000 people across Buffalo Grove and Libertyville sites, and plans to reach roughly 1, 700 workers as new projects roll out. The company attributes this growth to its
Back in the early 2010s, a Wall Street trader named Greg Bartoli bought three mini-golf courses in Florida with a simple goal: create a place where parents could watch sports while their kids played safely nearby. The first spot, Lighthouse Cove, paired two 18-hole courses with a sports bar and ice
Money News Network (MNN) has teamed up with Entrepreneur to spread its popular business shows further. The alliance will help both companies grow their podcast audiences and boost revenue. MNN already pulls in more than 86 million downloads a year, with its listener base growing by over 100% compar
