New York is a home to innovation, with everything from air conditioning to potato chips born of ideas that originated in the Empire State. Household brand names like Kodak, Corning and JetBlue share New York DNA, and the state’s enduring business appeal is reflected in the fact that it’s currently home to 55 Fortune 500 headquarters — more than any other state in the nation.
Here’s a sampling of the nationally known products and companies that are native (or longtime) New Yorkers:
- Seamless: Founded and headquartered in New York City, Seamless.com — the nation’s largest online food delivery and takeout service — currently offers more than 80 types of cuisine from an estimated 12,000 restaurants in 900+ cities. Initially launched in 1999 as a late-night service for hungry office workers, Seamless has steadily expanded since, opening up test markets in the U.K., introducing new ordering features and simplifying partnerships with new member restaurants.
- PepsiCo: Despite the North Carolina origins of its signature soft drink, PepsiCo has called Purchase, N.Y., home for almost 50 years, overseeing a 22-product portfolio that includes Tropicana, Quaker Oats and Gatorade. Pepsico’s the largest North American food and beverage business by net revenue, an award-winning leader in responsible business practices, and currently serves up refreshment to more than 200 countries.
- IBM: Headquartered in Armonk, N.Y., IBM has been synonymous with technological innovation since the 19th century, when the company introduced primitive systems that — through decades of development — led to game-changing advancements in mainframe computers and nanotechnology. Today, the tech giant carries on that tradition, building tools and systems integral to industries including commerce, IT infrastructure and cyber security.
- Steinway & Sons: World-renowned for their high-end grand and upright pianos, Steinway & Sons was founded in New York in 1853. Since then, the company — which crafts pianos for the U.S. market in Queens, N.Y. — has been granted 126 patents, a trademark of Steinway’s ongoing commitment to quality.
- Marvel Comics: New York is known as a global publishing and media capital, but one New York publisher enjoys superhero status: Marvel Comics, home to Spider-Man, Captain America and countless other heroes (and villains). Originally established in Manhattan as Timely Productions in 1939, Marvel has since become an American institution, providing inspiration for some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters and TV shows like The Avengers and Netflix’s Luke Cage, lucrative licensing deals and mobile access for fans.
- Fisher-Price: A children’s toys and games icon for 86 years, Fisher-Price had early roots in upstate New York locales (including Churchville and Binghamton) before settling down in East Aurora. Fisher-Price’s original mission — to create toys that appeal to young imaginations — still guides the company’s on-site toymakers, drawing inspiration from past favorites to help develop interactive toys that promote fun and educational play.
- Take-Two Interactive: As New York State continues to support the growth of its digital gaming hubs, Take-Two Interactive continues as an industry leader. Founded in Manhattan in 1993, Take-Two (along with in-house partner developers Rockstar and 2K Games) is one of the most prolific digital game studios in today’s market, producing more than 180 titles — including the “Grand Theft Auto” franchise — while bringing in $2.4 billion in estimated annual revenue.
- Chobani and Fage: It may say “Greek” on their labels, but Chobani and Fage are now well-established New York institutions. Founded in 1929 in Athens, Greece, growing U.S. demand for Greek yogurt led Fage to open its first (and only) U.S. facility in Johnstown, N.Y., in 2008. Three years earlier, Hamdi Ulukaya had founded and launched Chobani in nearby New Berlin. Since then, Greek yogurt has accounted for roughly a quarter of the total U.S. yogurt market, with Chobani and Fage helping to drive production of more Greek yogurt in New York than in Greece.
Big ideas and creative solutions are always welcome in New York, where a spirit of entrepreneurship is fostering the next wave of businesses with New York pedigrees, including Etsy in Brooklyn, TCGplayer in Syracuse and Love Beets in Rochester. New York continues to be recognized as a state of success, welcoming new generations of big thinkers, bright ideas — and tomorrow’s household names.