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Fortune 500 rankings: Ten things to know about U.S., Florida companies

 
Published June 5, 2015

The annual Fortune 500 list of largest companies ranked by revenues was unveiled Thursday with some of the usual highlights. Wal-Mart is No. 1 (yawn). Facebook, barely on anyone's radar not so long ago, is rising like a banshee at No. 242. And World Fuel Services of Miami remains the largest Florida company by revenues at No. 68.

But here are 10 things you probably don't know about the nation's (and Florida's) largest companies.

1. Just 15 Florida companies made the Fortune 500 based on revenues. Three are based in the Tampa Bay market: Tech Data (No. 107), Jabil (No. 191) and WellCare Health Plans (No. 234).

2. Gathering steam in the Fortune 1000 are area companies Raymond James Financial (No. 521), Bloomin' Brands (No. 580), HSN (No. 669) and TECO Energy (No. 753).

3. Wal-Mart may have the biggest Fortune 500 revenues, but Apple boasts the greatest profits. Who's tops in profits among Florida companies? Next Era Energy, parent of Florida Power & Light. Tops in Tampa Bay: Raymond James — a company that has yet to even break into the Fortune 500. (Jabil had the most profits of the area's three Fortune 500 companies — half those of Raymond James.)

4. It's popular to say small business drives America, but is it true? Fortune 500 companies had revenues last year that equaled 71.9 percent of U.S. GDP. That's up from 58.4 percent two decades ago, and 35 percent in 1955.

5. Which companies do the stock markets most value? Apple is tops, followed by Google and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. The most valuable company in Florida is Next Era Energy. In Tampa Bay, it's Raymond James — again, a company that did not quite make the Fortune 500 ranks.

6. By revenues, Publix Super Markets in Lakeland ranked No. 101, up from No. 104 in 2014.

7. Wal-Mart is way ahead of everybody based on number of employees with 2.2 million. McDonald's is No. 2 with just 420,000. In Florida, Orlando's Darden Restaurants, which owns Olive Garden and other popular chains, employs more than 206,000, while Publix employs 175,000 and St. Petersburg's Jabil has 142,000 employees, most of them at overseas locations.

8. Ever changing, the Fortune 500 saw 26 new companies with familiar names like Netflix, Expedia and Hanesbrands join its ranks this year. No new Florida company made the list.

9. More than half — 57 percent — of the companies on the 1995 Fortune 500 list are not there today thanks to mergers, shrinkage or bankruptcy.

10. Which Tampa Bay company has shown the most growth momentum on the Fortune 500? Ten years ago, Florida had 14 companies in the top 500, adding only one business in a decade. Back in 2005, Tech Data and Jabil were established on the Fortune 500. But WellCare — a provider of insurance and managed-care services — ranked a mere No. 968. It has since climbed an impressive 734 spots.

Contact Robert Trigaux at rtrigaux@tampabay.com. Follow @venturetampabay.