Suggestions for searching in narrow geographic parameters

searcher profile

June 16, 2020

by a searcher from New York Chiropractic College in Baltimore, MD, USA

Any suggestions for databases, programs, tools, companies etc... to acquire a list of businesses in a narrow region? I'm trying to create a list of existing businesses that I can approach on my own. Is it possible to sort that information by state, county, zip code, industry, size, or whatever metric? I've approached local government departments for companies registered in their county but looking for something more robust in sorting.

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commentor profile
Reply by a searcher
from The University of Michigan in Detroit, MI, USA
Quick advice on any of the databases - be wary of the financial metrics when running the screens! These services do not utilize any proprietary method of obtaining the financials of privately held businesses (especially at the lower middle market level). They just base them off the same Google searches anyone else can do. Any indication of EBITDA is completely worthless and revenue/employee count is only slightly more reliable than that.

As a frequent user of CapIQ/Pitchbook (the leaders in the space), I can attest to this first hand. Best practice is to keep the searches as broad as possible for financial metrics, if it turns out some of the companies are too big or too small, then you'll be able to sort them out manually. That being said, these resources are great for producing lists of companies within your target geographical regions and industry groups.
commentor profile
Reply by a searcher
from The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, USA
I recently just created a list of companies based on geographic location and industry codes/names using Orbis. It seems like a good starting point despite the fact that there is not adequate financial information for most of the smaller size companies.
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