BusinessTN

BusinessTN's popular annual business ranking, the TN250, is a one-of-a-kind, one-stop source for surveying the state's public and private company landscape. In their diversity of industry and location, these companies present a reliable barometer of Tennessee's economic strength. Their performance over the past year testifies to the state's sound business foundation.

How best to define the TN250? They drive trucks, make carpet and feed your family on a Saturday night. They represent the old economy, from coal mining to farm equipment, and the new, from drug discovery to wind farm construction. The bottom line? The companies listed in the following pages are at the core of BusinessTN's coverage. Their success, both as businesses and as story makers, is what makes Tennessee a vibrant business marketplace and BusinessTN the value that it is to executive readers across Tennessee.

200 private companies

This year's list of 200 private businesses includes those companies headquartered in the state with the greatest amount of revenue, based on disclosure from the companies or other sources believed to be reliable. Subsidiaries of companies headquartered outside of Tennessee are excluded from the list.

50 publicly traded companies

While there are other public companies, the 50 presented here are among Tennessee's most substantial in terms of revenue and trading liquidity and, importantly, they are also the targets of research done by Brentwood-based New Constructs, which once again this year scrubs Tennessee stocks, looking for values and pitfalls.