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.
4. ExxonMobil ($394 billion) â the Texas-based oil major is one of the most iconic oil companies, and it is the largest private company by production with 5.3 mb/d. When Exxon acquired Mobil in 1999 â both companies are descendants of John D. Rockefellerâs Standard Oil â it created the largest company on the planet.