Michigan Business Quiz Buster

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This is an automotive company with its headquarters in Detroit. This company produces vehicles around the world with brands including (but not limited to) Opal, Vauxhall, Jie Fang, and Cadillac.

Answer: General Motors

General Motors was first formed in 1908 and has continued to be one of the top automotive companies in the world. Stemming from the 2007-2008 financial crisis, General Motors Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 and emerged later that year as General Motors Company LLC.

General Motors Company is publicly-traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "GM".

2. Headquartered in Benton Harbor, this home appliance manufacturer and marketer is a Fortune 500 company with an annual revenue of over $20 billion. It markets brands such as Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana, Inglis and more.

Answer: Whirlpool

Whirlpool was first founded in 1911 as Upton Machine Company. Of the three other companies mentioned, Sears and Sanyo have some connection to Whirlpool. Whirlpool still manufactures certain products under the label "Kenmore" for Sears and Whirlpool sold its TV division to Sanyo in 1976.

The Whirlpool Corporation is publicly-traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "WHR".

3. Hailing from Southfield, this Fortune 500 company manufactures automotive and electrical-related systems with over 200 manufacturing facilities around the world. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2009, it re-emerged in November of that year.

Answer: Lear

Lear Corporation formed in 1917 in Detroit as American Metal Products.

Since emerging from bankruptcy in 2009, Lear has made several acquisitions in automotive accessories. First with the purchase of Guilford Mills, an automotive fabrics company in 2012 and secondly with automotive leather company, Eagle Ottawa, in 2014.

Lear Corporation is publicly-traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "LEA".

4. This Dearborn-based automobile manufacturer was incorporated in 1903. This company sells under many different brands (other than its own namesake) such as Lincoln and Troller.

Answer: Ford

Ford is known for pioneering new methods of large-scale factory manufacturing and for producing highly popular vehicles. Henry Ford, the founder of Ford, started the Ford Motor Company in 1903 with $28,000 from 12 investors.

The Ford Motor Company is publicly-traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "F".

5. The correct answer for this question is the name of the Grand Rapids company founded in 1912 that manufactures a wide variety of office products sold worldwide. Can you name it?

Answer: Steelcase

Steelcase is a global manufacturer of office furniture as well as architectural and technological products for office environments.

Steelcase is publicly-traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "SCS".

6. This Rockford-based footwear manufacturer markets several brands of footwear, including (but not limited to) Saucony, Merrell, Sebago, Keds, and Hush Puppies.

Answer: Wolverine World Wide

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. was founded in 1883 with starting capital of $2,900. Among its many brands, including a namesake brand of Wolverine, it also sells licensed footwear for Caterpillar and Harley-Davidson.

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. is a publicly-traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "WWW".

7. This Detroit-based bank holding company is one of the top auto lenders in the United States by volume. Its banking unit has over $55 billion in customer deposits and was rated the best online bank in 2012 by Money Magazine. What's the name?

Answer: Ally Financial

Ally Financial Inc. was founded as General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) in 1919 to provide financing for General Motors' customers.

Following the financial crisis (2007-2008), GMAC changed its banking unit's name to Ally Bank (2009) and the holding company took on the name Ally Financial (2010).

Ally Financial Inc. is a publicly-traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "ALLY".

8. One of the most widely-recognized manufacturers of cereals and other food products, this Battle Creek-based company is known for many brands, including Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Eggos, Kashi, Pop-Tarts, and Rice Crispies.

Answer: Kellogg

Founded in 1906 by Will Keith Kellogg, the Kellogg Company (also known as Kellogg or Kellogg's) continues to produce some of the most popular food brands in the world. Today, Kellogg markets its products in over 180 countries and holds Royal Warrants from Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales.

The Kellogg Company is a publicly-traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "K".

9. In 2010, Facebook, Inc. considered moving their corporate division to Troy, Michigan for tax purposes and a much needed break from the litigious West Coast.

Answer: False

Facebook has been headquartered in California since 2004 and has made no public statements mentioning moving to Michigan.

As for the litigious bit, there's no reason to believe Facebook, Inc. would receive any less lawsuits by moving.

10. Can you guess this Midland-based chemical corporation, ranked third in the world by production terms?

Answer: Dow

The Dow Chemical Company was founded in 1897 by Herbert Henry Dow. Dow was one of the largest, and at one time or another, the sole producer of napalm and 'Agent Orange' during the Vietnam War.

The Dow Chemical Company is a publicly-traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "DOW".

Source: Author CollinBlatt

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

I'll describe a Michigan-based company or subsidiary and you guess the name.

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