Big Three Kalistani Conglomerates

The Big Three was a term used to refer to the three conglomerates with dominate the economy of Kalistan in all industries. They are Ananto Worldwide, Kalistani Saccharine, and Grand Enterprises. Together they accounted for slightly over 50% of all Kalistani business, as well as a large share of international business. They were dissolved in 2374, when all industry was nationalized, and have not since reformed.

The existance of the Big Three was a major controversy in Kalistani economics. Many see having three companies controling a majority of Kalistani business as a threat to consumers and workers. The fact that all three companies own a massive share of Kalistani capital but are themselves owned by a precious few was also blamed for contributing to Kalistan's already great gap between rich and poor. The centralization of the economy is often cited as being a constant threat for collapse, price fixing, corruption, and trust forming. Others say that the centralization is one of the reasons why Kalistan, one of the smaller countries in Seleya, is also one of its wealthiest. Regardless, it was partly backlash against the corporate elite that led Kalistan to nationalize all industry for a short time, starting in 2374. When the economy was returned to a lassez-faire design in the National Divestment Auction of 2381, the Big Three did not reform.

Ananto Worldwide

Ananto Worldwide Corporation (Kaliburg Stock Exchange: A) was founded by Picklesito Ananto, son of Pickles Ananto, the first president of the Federal Republic of Kalistan, and later himself president, as Ananto Treacle in 1941. It was crucial in the initial exploitation of treacle fields in Suldanor in the mid-1900s, and gradually gained a monopoly on Kalistani treacle, leading to its being broken up into a number of smaller companies in 1983. The Anantos maintained control of one of those companies, Imperial Treacle, and used it to fund an expansion into auto manufacturing, software design, opium, cargo transport, and newsmedia. In 2300, George Ananto expanded the company into the Dolgarian market, buying out Dolgarian news companies and renaming the corporation Ananto Worldwide. Today the Anantos are still the majority shareholders, and it is headquartered in Port Davon, Ananto. Ananto Worldwide owns Imperial Treacle (accounting for 12% of Kalistan's treacle production), Ananto Black Shipping, Kalistani News Network, Dolgaria News Network, Kalistan National Broadcasting, RJ Morris Opium, Reynolds Motors, Lloyd-Voogoo Aerospace, and Hardmicrosofttech. It is the largest company in Kalistan. The company held the first patent for a computer, issued to Pickles Ananto in 1932 for her Steam Powered Table Tennis Simulator.

Kalistani Saccharine

Kalistani Saccharine (Kaliburg Stock Exchange: KS) began as Beefsteak Treacle, a division of Ananto Treacle that controled only the Beefsteak Treacle Mine. The Beefsteak Mine was more than enough to support a large company, however, and the mine, renamed Kalistani Saccharine, began to purchase other companies in the early 2000s. Since its seperation from Ananto Treacle in 1983, the corporation bought treacle pipelines, treacle shipping, media and entertainment companies, rail lines, power plants, electronics factories, cocaine, petrochemicals, and two shipbuilding concern. For many years it was controlled largely by the Reynolds family, and in 2212 a merger was proposed between it and Ananto, which was stopped. It is nonetheless the second largest company in Kalistan, and is the largest in Suldanor, being headquartered in Temmon. Its subsidiaries include Beefsteak Treacle (accountin for 44% of Kalistani treacle production), Suldanor Cargo, Republican Broadcasting Company, Goldburg Motion Pictures, General Chemists, Neveras Valley Energy, Kalicocaco, Yoshimi Union Shipyards, Port Davon Shipwrights, the Credone Coastal Railroad, and Reynolds Electric.

Grand Enterprises

Grand Enterprises (Kaliburg Stock Exchange: GRE) is a relative newcomer to the big three. Started by Endralonian immigrant John Grand in 2090 as a steel mill, it quickly expanded to become the largest steel producer in Kalistan. Grand then expanded into mining niobium, and Kalistan's most abundant mineral, dolomite. Using these profits Grand started his own television network, GTV, and later bought out the treacle mines not already owned by Ananto or Kalistani Saccharine. Since then it has expanded into other industries, such as automobile, drug, computer, and aircraft manufacturing. Today Grand is the third largest company in Kalistan, and is the only member of the Big Three to be essentially private (Guy Grand held an IPO in 2301, but used it to actually increase his share in the company), being owned by Kalistani Revolutionary Union notable Guy Grand. Grand Enterprises owns a 44% share of Kalistani treacle production.

Epilogue

In 2374 the Communism Wow! Party succeeded in nationalizing all Kalistani industry, eliminating the Big Three. This period was shortlived, ending in 2381 with the Rights and Freedom Party's Dual System Act. In 2381 most of the government's business assets were divested in a massive auction, divided into parcels according to industry and geography. Since that time new conglomerates have come and gone, but no three corporations have reached the size and scope of the Big Three. All three companies were revived, as Youngman Grand Enterprises (YGRE), which focuses on shipbuilding, Ananto Renaissance Corp. (AR), which owns a few media companies, and Kalistani Amalgamated Sacchrine (KAS), which owns a small consortium of tracle mines. Ananto Worldwide survived the brief period of Kalistani communism by maintaining its holdings in Dolgaria, but these were then nationalized during the period of the KCCP. Since then the Anantos have not bought back into Dolgaria.