Amazon

Amazon Beginnings

Amazon.com was founded by Jeff Bezos in Seattle, Washington. The original idea of the company was a place for book lovers to purchase books. Bezos knew using the internet, he could offer readers convenience and selection. Bezos started small, selling books over the internet and filling orders from his garage. The company became incorporated in July of 1994. Amazon headquarters has remained in Seattle, Washington where it originated, though it now services many states and countries with an array of products and services.

According to Forbes.com, Jeff Bezos' net worth is $18.4 Billion as of March 2012. Bezos is listed on Forbes as #26 of Forbes Billionaires, which is #15 in the US, #40 on their list of powerful people, and #13 of the Forbes 400. Bezos is obviously following in the footsteps of the most accomplished individuals in the US who have made their companies successful by reaching outside the walls of America to find what the rest of the world has to offer.

Amazon has offices, fulfillment centers, and customer service centers in 18 states within the US. Their primary international locations are China, Costa Rica, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, and the UK. Amazon’s software development centers are located in Dublin, Ireland, Edinburgh, Scotland, Bangalore, India, Chennai, India, and Cape Town, South Africa. Amazon employs over 65,000 employees worldwide.

Amazon’s mission statement is “To be Earth’s most customer-centric company where people can find and discover anything they want to buy online” (Amazon.com Investor Relations Faq). Amazon’s financials show a steady increase in net sales from 2007 through 2011 with increases of 29% from 2007 to 2008, 27% to 2009, 39% to 2010, and 40% to 2011. The financial report shows a mix of net sales for 2009-2011 between North America and Internationally with only a 4-12% difference between the two in these three years. These rising increases in sales show the company’s ability...