Thinking of opening a business in Stamford, Connecticut and wondering what's been done already? Being transferred to Stamford by your Canadian Trade Mark Firm and curious about who your competition will be? Have white collar training and need to look for a job in Stamford to afford the mortgage payments on your new home? Just wondering who all those big glass buildings downtown belong to? Whatever your reason for seeking information about Stamford's business community, we've got your overview right here.

Corporate Headquarters

In the 1980s, two major things happened in the business community. First, many manufacturers moved their factories overseas. Second, many companies relocated their headquarters offices from inner city locations to the suburbs. Both decisions were made for the same reason: money. The lower property and business taxes in suburb cities helped many companies avoid looking for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorney. California's businesses migrated from L.A. to Orange County, and New York businesses moved from NYC into Stamford.

As a result, Stamford now has one of the highest concentrations of corporations in the United States. That's a lot of commercial mortgage loans and it has benefited the city greatly. Among some of the big names you might recognize who make their homes in downtown Stamford: Conair (blow dryers, personal grooming products), the General Electric Capitol Corporation, Pitney Bowes (postage machines), the Outdoor Life Network, Time Warner Cable, the World Wrestling Entertainment Company, and Xerox.

Financial District

Not all of the companies who relocated their headquarters in the 1980s were product manufacturers. Many were securities companies, law firms, insurance providers, and banks. They took up residence in Stamford office towers and created a financial district that's like a junior version of New York City's own. Some of the corporations mulling over the future of gold mutual funds in downtown Stamford include: the Royal Bank of Scotland, Aladdin Capital Management, Odyssey Holdings, SAC Capital Advisors, and UBS, which has the largest securities trading floor in the world. You may not recognize any of these names unless you're "in the know" but they manage millions of dollars in investments that affect the prices you pay in stores.

Retail

And then, there's the business that people interact with during their everyday lives, such as the grocery store, the mall, and the discount postcard printing shop. These all fall under the category of retail and Stamford has a large presence in that as well, acting as a shopping destination for all of Fairfield County. The Stamford Town Center is an enormous mall with a multitude of upscale shops which brings in a high sales volume. There are also several other smaller shopping centers and a huge Target location right downtown.