Corporate America a presence in college town

Chipotle is one of many corporate-owned businesses with a presence in Oxford, Ohio. In this project, Miami University journalism students profiled 14 corporations with Oxford connections.

Like many college towns, Oxford, Ohio, may be better known for one-of-a-kind, locally owned businesses than national franchises. But corporate America is as represented in Oxford as anywhere.

Sometimes it can be seen in the storefronts of national or regional chains, and sometimes it's represented by products that are available in Oxford as well as other cities and towns across the country.

Following are brief descriptions of publicly traded national and international companies with a presence in town, with links to brief profiles of each corporation.

For those who have jumped on the environmentally friendly bandwagon, Oxford’s BP gas station is sure to please with gasoline which now includes invigorate.

Unique to BP, invigorate burns clean in the engine of one’s car and works to prevent deposits, sludge and corrosion from building up.

BP is not just a national company; it has distributorships throughout the world. Read more >>

Chase Bank

For the past 200 years, Chas Bank (or, more properly, J.P. Morgan Chase) has been regarded as one of the Four Big Banks of the United States, along with Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo.

Despite the economic crisis of last year, J.P. Morgan Chase remained afloat and today is often still regarded as the leader of the financial giants. Having repaid its $25 billion taxpayer investment earlier this year, J.P. Morgan Chase is emerging from the economic crisis with transformed confidence as its $1.9 billion profit in investment banking showed.

After its release of third quarter earnings, which were higher than what financial analysts predicted, J.P. Morgan is seeing a more stabilized future. Read more >>

Chipotle Mexican Grill

It’s been more burritos for Miami University students as the second fast food Mexican restaurant opened in one block of High Street this fall.

Chipotle may be new to Oxford but nationally, it’s an established chain restaurant. Read more >>

CVS/pharmacy

Oxford’s CVS, located at Stewart Square on Spring Street, is the most convenient pharmacy in town for late-night visits when you run out of shampoo, want an extra sugar or caffeine kick or need cough medicine for an incontrollable midnight cough.

With late hours and a wide selection of health care, pharmacy, food, and other household products, it provides almost everything you need in a hurry.

At just a little more than three years old, CVS is Oxford’s newest drug store, providing service to Miami students, faculty, staff and the Oxford community. Read more >>

Domino's Pizza Inc.

Domino’s Pizza in Oxford, like most local restaurants, suffered a financially disappointing 2008 fiscal year.

With a significant increase in company-wide profits this year, though, it looks like the toppings will still be piling high.

Since 2000, the Oxford Domino’s has provided Oxford residents and Miami University students with “the most-delivered pizza in the U.S.”

With the company’s recent debt management and international expansion, profits are growing again and the local branch has been able to pass savings onto customers by participating in company-wide deals. Read more >>

Fifth Third Bank

Near Uptown, this bank branch has proven to be the perfect place to withdraw a few extra bucks on the weekend. Once midnight strikes, the line for the ATM can even reach High Street. Despite its robust Oxford activity, however, Fifth Third is a suffering business that may not see a profit until the economy stabilizes.

Fifth Third Bancorp joins the long list of regional banks hurt by the nationwide declining housing market and mortgage failures. Although you might think that your over-draft charges and ATM fees alone may be funding this bank, Fifth Third continues to face serious problems in this declining economy. Read more >>

Kroger

The Kroger store in Oxford may be getting a new look and nearly twice as much space, but this powerful grocery store chain has an old business strategy that’s sustained the company for the last 125 years.

Kroger Co. is a multi-billion dollar company that doesn’t strictly deal with groceries, but also runs convenience stores and jewelry store franchises.

In addition to stocking a variety of regional brand products, Kroger also employs one of the largest networks of private label manufacturing in the country.

Forty-two plants, either wholly owned or used with operating agreements, in 17 states create about half of Kroger’s nearly 8,000 private label products. Read more >>

LCNB Corp.

Less than a block from a street filled with bars and late-night food lines is a branch of one of Ohio’s oldest banks. LCNB Corp., a financial holding company with 32 ATM machines, operates LCNB National Bank and Dakin Insurance Agency Inc.

LCNB bought its Oxford branch from KeyBank in 1997 to provide banking services to locals and students, along with real-world job experience to Miami University students.

With more than 20 locations in Southwest Ohio, this corporation started as an insurance agency providing fire insurance to farmers. Read more >>

McDonald’s

Although the McDonald’s Corp. is extremely large and has a worldwide presence, its Oxford location maintains a small-town charm.

The corporation’s more than 32,000 restaurants each seek this unique feel, but still allow customers to recognize the McDonald’s culture and familiarity across the globe.

But with this familiarity has come controversy in some cases. McDonald’s has faced a number of highly-publicized lawsuits throughout its history and has recently faced criticism and blame for America’s obesity problems. Read more >>

Starbucks Coffee Co.

Oxford may be a small town, but it still has some big-name businesses within city limits, including a retail store of the largest coffeehouse company in the world, Starbucks Coffee Co.

With its upbeat baristas and calming ambiance, the coffee chain has risen to the top in its market, and become a stop in millions of consumers’ daily routine.

In Oxford, where many Miami University students are in need of a quick caffeine fix after long days of studying and sleepless nights, Starbucks has a constant flow of traffic and a comfortable niche. With more than 16,000 stores in the world, the company has built its brand name, and is quickly becoming the face of coffee and other caffeinated beverages. Read more >>

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

The American economy was hit hard by the 2008 recession but at least one retail company didn't seem to suffer. The mega Wal-Mart supercenters kept their elderly greeters smiling and cash registers beeping despite the economic downturn.

With the friendly atmosphere and "price grabber" deals, consumers kept coming to America’s largest retail chain.

That allowed Wal-Mart to create 63,000 new jobs at its stores for the year.

President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Duke announced three priorities at the company’s 16th Annual Meeting for the Investment Community in October: Growth, leverage and returns to drive greater shareholder value.

"There is no retail competitor here in the United States or anywhere in the world that can deliver the kind of growth that Wal-Mart can over the next several years," Duke said in the company’s annual report.

The Oxford Wal-Mart supercenter is a prime example of this growth. Read more >>

The following companies don't have stores or distribution centers in Oxford, but their products are widely available.

Hansen's Natural

With heavy class schedules, hours of homework and extended weekends spent partying, Miami University students seem to have endless energy.

“Unleashing the Beast” at Miami, as on other college campuses, a particular line of Hansen's products — Monster Energy Drinks — are becoming a drink of choice when looking for an extra jolt of caffeine.

With these drinks more readily available to students on and around campus, traditional coffee is being pushed aside for caffeine in a can. Read more >>

Johnson and Johnson Services Inc.

Neutrogena, baby powder, Splenda and Tylenol are all products used on a daily basis. Johnson and Johnson Services Inc. manufactures these products along with an array of others found in local grocery and convenient stores.

In addition, J&J also operates consumer health companies, the world’s largest medical devices and diagnostics company, the fourth largest medicinal products company and seventh largest pharmaceuticals company. Read more >>

Kraft Foods Inc.

Almost everyone recognizes the iconic blue-and-yellow macaroni and cheese box with the Kraft logo.

The largest food and beverage company in the United States, Kraft sells its mac ‘n’ cheese around the whole world and right here in Oxford. Read more >>

Information in this story was gathered by students in a fall 2009 journalism class at Miami University, called Reporting on Business.

Bookmark/Search this post with: