Talk:D&B Hoovers

Request for comment: Expanding Hoover's entry
Declaration of interest: I am a long-time Hoover's employee. The purpose of this proposed change to this entry is to offer more information on the subject and to improve the balance of the current article. (E.g. in the context of such a short article, the reference to Hoover's UK would make it seem like a particularly important development, when in fact Hoover's UK was and is a tiny part of Hoover's business.)

I invite comment from Wikipedia editors on whether the proposed complete text (below) meets standards for references, neutral point of view, and anything else you think is germane. Regards, Timwalkerjr 23:11, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Hoover's, Inc. is a business research company that has provided information on U.S. and foreign companies and industries since 1990. Since 1993, the company has made its information available on its website www.hoovers.com.

Hoover's was started in 1990 by Austin, Texas-based entrepreneur Gary Hoover, who earlier had founded the Bookstop book store chain and then sold it to Barnes & Noble. Hoover's initially was called The Reference Press; it published reference books about companies. (It still produces books for libraries and related markets, but book publishing is now a small part of the company's sales.) Hoover's made an initial public offering on the NASDAQ exchange in 1999. The company is now a subsidiary of Dun & Bradstreet, which bought Hoover's for $119 million in 2003.

Hoover's maintains a database of 21 million companies and other organizations using an in-house editorial staff of industry experts. The company derives most of its revenues from subscriptions, which are sold primarily to sales, marketing, and business development professionals.

Besides using its books and website, the company distributes information via data feeds and third-party licensing agreements. Hoover's is headquartered in Austin, Texas and also has employees elsewhere in North America, Europe, and Asia.