Private Company Research

Your most reliable information may come from a government source because government regulators represent the only place where private companies must systematically file “accurate” information.

Government information may involve processing fees and/or time delays due to forms and processing. Government information is available at the Federal, State & Local levels but keep in mind that companies may be exempt from filing at the Federal level because similar information is already filed at the State or City/Town levels. Your company’s geographic location and type of business determines which agencies you will want to consult.
Be creative in thinking about where to research.

Examples at the Federal Level are:

• Federal Procurement Data Center
• National Labor Relations Board
• Occupational Safety & Health Administration OSHA
• Consumer Product Safety Commission
• EDGAR -- Useful for searching for form S-1 (Registration Statement) or form D(Notice of sales of unregistered securities) for private companies about to go public.
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Patent & Trademark Office 
• PACER Public Access to Court Electronic Records  Allows you to obtain a case & docket from Federal Appellate, District & Bankruptcy Court. It takes 2 weeks to register for a password.
• USASpending.Gov  Source of news & articles about government procurement.

Examples at the State Level could include:

• A state's website such as the one for Massachusetts would be a good place to start with access to all state agencies and departmental web & contact information.
  • Secretary of the Commonwealth
  • Attorney General
  • Department of Economic Development
  • State Courts
  • Uniform Commercial Code Division 

Examples at the Local Level could include:

• A City & Town's website such as the one for Waltham would be a good place to start and get access to the following types of agencies and their contact information. In some states, the county level would be the starting point.
  • Town Clerk
  • Town Assessor
  • Chamber of Commerce sometimes referred to as Board of Trade.