United Mine Workers of America. Braidwood is the home of the Mine Workersâ Union Local #1 which was the first Minersâ Union in Illinois. It led to the unionization of all states that mined for coal. William D. Ryan, born in Braidwood in 1861, was a founder of the UMWA.
1. BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany) BASF is the biggest chemical producing company in the world with annual sales reaching $78.7 billion in 2014. The German company, headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany is focused on industry grade chemicals used in the automotive, construction, and pharmaceutical industries.
The Carnegie Steel Company was valued at $25 million and was now the largest steel company in the world. The Carnegie Steel Company continued to expand and between 1889 and 1899. Carnegie now had a personal fortune of $225,000,000.