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To be honest, I don't see why having "hidden champions" is a desirable thing. The criteria: 1. is among the top three in its global market or is number 1 on it

To be honest, I don't see why having "hidden champions" is a desirable thing. The criteria: 1. is among the top three in its global market or is number 1 on its continent 2. has less than $5bn in revenue 3. and is little known to the general public. I'm certain the US has a plethora of companies which meet the first criterion, but we (rightfully) fail on the second and third. What is advantageous about a business culture where successful companies languish in relative unprofitability and/or obscurity?

lispm 12y ago
You get family owned companies in tiny rural German towns who stay there for hundreds of years and make hundreds of millions in revenue. They provide stable employment, excellent jobs, excellent education, ... A newer example is Herrenknecht. In the town of Schwanau - population 6807. Herrenknecht made a little over one billion Euro in revenue in 2012. Their business: huge tunnel boring machines. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/09/15/080915fa_fact_bilger http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/09/15/080915fa_fact_... A list of their projects: http://www.soic.de/tunnelbohrmaschinen_herrenknecht.php http://www.soic.de/tunnelbohrmaschinen_herrenknecht.php Herrenknecht at work in New York: http://www.tunneltalk.com/East-Side-Access-Mar11-Queens-TBM-Launch.php http://www.tunneltalk.com/East-Side-Access-Mar11-Queens-TBM-... I find this pretty exciting.