TidbitsMOV Issue #1310 Big Business by Tidbits MOV

The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read

TIDBITS® LOOKS INTO BIG BUSINESS

by Kathy Wolfe

There are an estimated 359 million companies worldwide. This week, Tidbits brings you some details of big business.

• Walmart is the world’s largest private employer, with about 2.1 million employees, 76.2% of those in the United States. They are also the largest in terms of revenue with sales, with $681 billion in revenue last year. The company operates upwards of 10,700 stores worldwide, with about 5,200 of those in the U.S. More than 255 million shoppers visit Walmart in an average week around the world. Ninety percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Walmart.

• Amazon with its 1,556,000 employees is the world’s second-largest employer. The company started out as an online bookstore in Jeff Bezos’ parents’ garage in Bellevue, Washington, garage. Bezos’ parents had withdrawn $300,000 from their retirement accounts to help their son get started. On April 3, 1995, Bezos sold the first book sold on the new site, a science book called Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies, by Doug Hofstadte. No profits were reported until the final quarter of 2001, and it wasn’t until 2004 that Amazon recorded its first annual net profit. Amazon’s annual revenue for 2025 was nearly $638 billion. turn the page for more!

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BIG BUSINESS (continued):

• Apple is the world’s most valuable brand, followed by Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Walmart, Samsung, TikTok, and Facebook. Brand value is not the same as sales. Although Walmart is #1 in terms of revenue, the chain is #5 on the list of brand value. Brand value is based on profits generated, the brand’s strength, equity, and investment.

• In 1937, Vernon Rudolph opened a doughnut shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, using a recipe his uncle had purchased from a New Orleans chef in 1933. The shop was called Krispy-Kreme, and Rudolph began selling franchises in the 1940s. Today, the company operates about 1,400 stores in more than 30 countries around the world, including Australia, Egypt, Iceland, Thailand, Brazil, and Nigeria. The Paris, France store makes about 45,000 doughnuts a day.

• Two Stanford University engineering graduates, Jerry Yang and David Filo, launched Yahoo! in January, 1994 under the name “Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web” as a directory of other websites. Three months later, they changed the name to Yahoo!, an acronym for “Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.” Yahoo! was one of the original internet giants, the first to offer news, sports, and financial info. In 1998, they added e-mail, shopping, classifieds, personals, games, travel, weather, people search, and maps. At their peak, it Yahoo! was the world’s largest internet company, worth $125 billion. The company turned down purchase offers from Microsoft, although their popularity was waning. Massive data breaches in 2013 and 2014 affected more than a billion accounts, as the company’s value continued to decline. In June, 2017, Yahoo! was sold to Verizon for $4.83 billion.

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BIG BUSINESS (continued):

• The premium television network Home Box Office was launched in November of 1972, the first service to directly transmit signals via communications satellites. The first telecast was an NHL game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks from Madison Square Garden. There was a $6 fee to receive HBO’s programming launch. In January, 1974, HBO expanded its programming to eight hours per weekday and 12 hours on weekends. In April, 1976, there were 386,000 subscribers. The service added concert specials in June of that year. It was five years before HBO made a profit. The oldest and longest continuouslyoperation subscription service in the U.S., HBO and its other platforms now have about 117 million subscribers.

• In 1853, two German immigrants named John Bausch and Henry Lomb established a business producing monocles in Rochester, New York. Within a few years, the pair had expanded to eyeglasses and frames, and in 1875, to microscopes. By 1900, their product line had added binoculars, projectors, and camera lenses. Bausch and Lomb were chosen to manufacture the U.S. Navy’s first telescopic gun sights. Today the company is one of the world’s largest producers of contact lenses, along with their Ray-Ban sunglasses line, the best-selling sunglasses in the world, and employs 13,500 people.

• The world of commerce isn’t all about big business. Small businesses comprise 90% of all companies around the world, providing 50% of jobs globally. About 50% of these start at the owner’s home, with 44% of small business owners between the ages of 39 and 54. Unfortunately, it’s harder for a small business to get a bank loan, and only about 50% of small businesses survive five years or longer. Just 30% make it to 10 years. During the COVID pandemic, about 60% of small companies shut down.

BIG BUSINESS (continued):

• A family disagreement led to the founding of two of the world’s largest sportswear companies. Two brothers, Adolf and Rudolf Dassler established a shoe manufacturing company called Geda in Germany in 1919. The company was very successful during the 1930s and 1940s, even supplying the shoes that Olympic legend Jesse Owens wore when he won Olympic gold. But their wives didn’t get along, with the conflict furthered by being made to live in the same villa. Rudolf also believed that his brother was involved in Rudolf’s conscription into the army, which included an Allied imprisonment. After 30 years of a partnership, they closed Geda in 1948, and each went his own way. Rudolf founded another shoe manufacturing company he named Ruda (short for Rudolf Dassler), which he later renamed Puma. Adolf started his own company he called Adidas, named for himself, Adi Dassler. Since the two companies were the town’s largest employers, nearly every family had a member working for one of these companies, leading to a division of the community, with families not speaking to each other and avoiding places the other family patronized. Both brothers died in the 1970s, having never reconciled.

• Sears was founded in 1892 as a mail-order catalog company founded by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck. The company’s first department store opened in 1925 in Chicago. Sears got into the pre-fab home business in 1908, and by 1940, had sold 75,000 kits by mail order, with consumers able to purchase a small bungalow kit for $450. Throughout the 1980s, Sears was the largest retailer in the U.S. Declining sales led to a $3.9 billion loss in 1992. Increasing competition from box stores further contributed to Sears’ downfall. From 2010 to 2017, the company went from 3,500 stores to 695, and by 2018, Sears was the 31st largest retailer. Sears filed for bankruptcy in October of that year. As of December, 2024, just 8 Sears stores remain.

Summer, Simplified: The Protein -Packed Salad You'll Love All Week

It's summer, the days are long, and the last thing you want to do is to heat up the kitchen with a heavy dinner. The solution? A delicious, make-ahead tuna and white bean salad that's as refreshing as it is satisfying.

This white bean tuna salad is loaded with fresh herbs, sweet red peppers and pickled shallot. It's dressed in a tangy lemon and olive oil dressing, making it the perfect option for when you want a light yet filling meal without the stress of last-minute cooking.

If you're looking to save even more time during the week, consider doubling or tripling this recipe. The recipe generously serves four, but it's easy to scale up for meal prep that lasts all week. Make a larger batch and store it in the fridge for grab-and-go lunches or quick dinners. The best part? This salad only gets better as it rests, so the flavors will deepen, giving you a satisfying meal throughout the week with minimal effort.

This tuna and white bean salad is packed with health benefits. Tuna is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for heart health, and it's an excellent source of lean protein. Plus, the white beans provide fiber and a creamy texture that balances the tuna perfectly. We use a simple, olive oil-based vinaigrette, which not only adds a burst of flavor, but also comes with its own set of health perks, like promoting healthy cholesterol levels.

This salad isn't just healthy, it's also in-

credibly versatile. It works beautifully over a bed of fresh greens, wrapped in tortillas or piled on soft, chewy bread. For those who love a crunch, it's great on crispy toast or paired with crackers. It can be served cold or at room temperature, making it ideal for those days when it's just too hot.

If you find yourself getting tired of the salad cold, simply heat it in a skillet for a warm twist. You can serve it over lemony rice or even on open-faced toasted bread for a comforting, yet light, meal.

TUNA AND WHITE BEAN SALAD

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 20 minutes

Pickled Shallot:

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 cup (1 medium) shallot, sliced very thin

Lemon Vinaigrette:

1 lemon, zest and juice (about 1/4 cup juice)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced or grated

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

The Salad:

1 (12-ounce) can tuna packed in water, drained and rinsed

2 (15-ounce) cans (3 cups) canned white beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 green onions, sliced (about 1/4 cup)

In a small bowl, place red wine vinegar with sugar and stir, add shallot and combine. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Zest and juice the lemon, setting zest

aside for later. Mix the vinaigrette ingredients; whisk to emulsify. Refrigerate while you make the salad. Put the tuna, beans, red pepper, celery, parsley and green onion in a large bowl. Toss gently to combine. Add pickled onions with vinegar and vinaigrette. Toss again and top with lemon zest. Serve with gusto!

Not only will this salad make your life easier by keeping you out of the kitchen, it also brings the perfect balance of flavor, nutrition and convenience to your summer dining. And the best part? The more it rests, the better it tastes. You'll be enjoying these flavorful bites all week long, with less time spent cooking! ***

Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is the pennypinching, party-planning, recipe developer and content creator of the website Divas On A Dime Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com (c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.

White Bean Salad.

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SPORTS STORIES: ARM WRESTLING

• Originally called “wrist wrestling,” the sport of arm wrestling has its beginnings in the 1950s in Petaluma, California. Although folks had participated in the sport for years, it was a photo journalist named Bill Soberanes who devised the idea of organized tournaments. Bill was a regular patron of Petaluma’s Gilardi’s Corner Bar, where he gathered inspiration for his weekly newspaper column. Here he encountered Jack Homel, a trainer for the Detroit Tigers baseball team, who bragged he had never lost a wristwrestling match to a single one of his hundreds of opponents. A local rancher, Oliver Kullberg, purported to be the area’s strongest man, made the same claim.

• Soberanes organized a fundraising match for the March of Dimes, pitting Homel and Kullberg against each other, with the event scheduled for January 27, 1955. The match’s result was a draw, but it started a popular craze in Petaluma, leading Soberanes, Homel, and Kullberg to create an annual tournament. This grew into the world’s first professional Wrist Wrestling Championship in 1962. It was a sad day in 1967 when Gilardi’s was torn down to make room for a bank’s parking lot.

• The sport dates back to ancient Egypt, where hieroglyphs depicting matches from 2038 B.C. were discovered. It was common for Native American tribes to use arm wrestling to settle arguments and demonstrate strength. During the mid-20th century, arm wrestling was a common activity in Boy Scouts troops. From 1969 to 1984 arm wrestling tournaments were broadcast on “ABC’s Wide World of Sports,” viewed by an estimated 300 million followers during that period.

(Continued page #7)

ARM WRESTLING

(continued):

• Popularity of the sport soared in 1968 when cartoonist Charles Schulz featured it in his “Peanuts” comic strip. Snoopy traveled to Petaluma to compete in the arm wrestling championship, but was disqualified due to his lack of thumbs.

• Standardized rules and official competitions came along with the establishment of the World Arm Wrestling Federation in 1977, which now has 80 participating countries. Today’s competitive matches are held on a specialized table with elbow pads and hand grips. Competitors lock hands and attempt to force the opponent’s arm down to the horizontal surface. Elbows must be kept on the pads. If the elbow is lifted or the opposite hand is removed from the hand grip, a foul is called.

• A variety of techniques are involved in the sport. The “top roll” aims to roll the opponent’s wrist back using a downward rotation of the palm, wrist, and forearm. The “hook” uses the bicep and shoulder muscles to pull the opponent’s arm toward the body, reducing the opponent’s leverage. The “press” technique involves pushing the opponent’s arm down by gettingbodyweight behind the push.

• Training for arm wrestling includes bicep curls, hammer curls, wrist curls, and pullups. Wrestlers incorporate bench pressing, dumbbells and barbells, and resistance bands into their workout. Cable systems with specialized handles imitate the angles and tensions of actual arm wrestling.

• While arm wrestling builds strength in the upper body – muscles, shoulders, and chest –along with grip strength, there are several injuries associated with the sport. No other sporting activity puts more stress on the arm’s humerus bone, resulting in frequent fractures. Shoulder dislocation, soft tissue damage, muscle strains, ligament tears, nerve injuries, and tendonitis are all risks that the arm wrestler takes.

Choosing a pet daycare

DEAR PAW'S CORNER: My boss is making remote workers come to the office three days a week. That means my dog "Dally" will be left alone for most of the day. I'm leery of doggy daycares, but I don't see another option. How do I find the best daycare for my dog? Jennifer K., via email

DEAR JENNIFER: Fortunately, most pet daycares with problems are the exception. But you're absolutely right to want the best daycare option for Dally. Here are key things to do as you choose the perfect daycare.

Make a list: Look online for all of the pet daycare facilities within reasonable reach. You shouldn't go too far out of your way to drop off your dog. Ideally, it is on your route to work.

Take a tour: Make an appointment to visit each daycare (without Dally).

Bring a notepad: Write down your observations. Is the facility clean? Does it seem well-organized and reasonably calm? Is each area fenced securely? Is the facility free of hazards like broken toys or electrical cords?

Ask safety questions: How many staff are in place to monitor the dogs? Are they trained to spot aggression or illness? Do they have first aid training? What is their procedure for emergencies or incidents?

Learn what Dally's day is like: What activities are offered? How often and for how long? Are the dogs ever crated, or do they have quiet rest areas?

After your tour, a good facility will schedule a time to meet Dally, check his vaccination record and test his temperament and socialization skills. That's important to ensure all the dogs in their care stay safe and have fun.

Get more details on picking the best daycare option at the AKC's website: https:// tinyurl.com/4ntpfj3m.

Send your tips, comments or questions to ask@pawscorner.com.

* Potato salad will have more flavor if you whisk together all the dressing ingredients and add it to the potatoes when they are warm. The potatoes absorb the ingredients better and the flavor will develop even more during refrigeration

* Dill planted near tomatoes will draw caterpillars away from the fruits. And it's delicious.

* "I love to grill, and when it's nice out, we grill every weekend. I always put on extra and use the leftovers through the week. Chicken in salad, a nice flank steak for fajitas, etc. And it means less cooking for me!" Y.L. in Maryland

* Here's a great recipe for an icy treat. Freeze orange juice or apple juice in ice trays. Throw a handful in the blender for a fruit slush that can't be beat on a hot day.

* "Our patio doors were wide open and a lot of smoke was coming off our grill. Short story: It swamped the living room

with smoke smell. It was a little overwhelming. After we closed the door, my neighbor doused a kitchen towel with white vinegar, wrung it out and waved it around the room. It cleared out the smoke smell right away, and the vinegar smell went away just as quickly. What a miracle." F.F. in South Carolina