Research Tools

Basic Information

Google:  Look up basic company information such as a website and any recent news through Google News.

The Blue Book of Building and Construction:  Search for employers in selected jurisdictions down to the county level.  Additionally provides basic information on employers through profiles featured on the site for individual employers.

 

Financial Information

Approved Surety Bond Program:  The US Department of Treasury approves all surety bonding companies certified to operate within the United States.  Approved firms are listed in Department Circular 570, the Treasury Department's list of all approved sureties.

US Federal Reserve National Information Center:  Provides information on banks and other institutions for which the Federal Reserve has a supervisory, regulatory, or research interest including both domestic and foreign banking organizations operating in the United States.  Searches are launched through the information bar and can be done for individual institutions, foreign banks and also for a listing of the Top 50 Bank Holding Companies in the United States.

 

Consumer Information

U.S. Federal Recall Clearinghouse:  Six federal agencies with vastly different jurisdictions joined together to create this site which serves as a clearinghouse for U.S. Government recalls.

Consumer Product Safety Commission:  Has jurisdiction over more than 15,000 kinds of consumer products used in and around the home, in sports, recreation, personal transport, at work and in schools.  Searches can be made via products or through a company search

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:  Provides resources devoted to vehicle safetyautomotive defects and recalls for all foreign and domestic cars sold in the United States, all defects and recalls for automotive equipment, and school bus recalls.

Food and Drug Administration: The Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture share responsibility for food safety, drugs, and cosmetics.  Searches can be made for FDA Safety and Recall Alerts covering food, drugs and cosmetics, voluntary market withdrawals, and food safety inspection reports for items such as meat and poultry from the US Department of Agriculture.

Environmental Protection Agency:  The Environmental Protection Agency provides a list of pesticide product recalls.

U.S. Coast Guard:  The Coast Guard retains jurisdiction over boat safety and provides a list of recalls and defective products to the public.

Homeowners for Better Building: Provides links to homeowner websites concerning problems they have had with their homes along with a forum where homeowners discuss construction defects they have encountered.  The site provides a searchable database of problems listed by homebuilder.

 Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings:  A website created by families who united into a grassroots coalition to fight the honebuilders that had ruined their lives with construction defects that ruined their homes.  Contains investigative reports on individual homebuilders and educationalk material for prospective homeowners.

Rip-Off Report:  Is a worldwide consumer reporting Web site and publication, by consumers, for consumers, to file and document complaints about companies or individuals.

 

 

Public and Occupational Health and Safety

All Food Business: While not all restaurant inspection reports are available on the Internet, you may contact your state or county health department. These reports must be made available to the public due to State open access laws. Most restaurants are required to display their reports or make them available upon request.

HealthSpace.ca:  Contains links to Canadian health inspection reports.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration: OSHA website contains inspection database that is searchable by establishment.

Mine Safety and Health Administration:  Regulates the safety of US based mines.  Contains database of violation/citation information.

 

Licensing Information

Contractors' Licensing:  Contains links to contractors' licensing boards for all 50 U.S. states. Also includes information on licensing requirements by state and where to find additional information. 

National Association of Secretaries of State:  Contains links to all 50 Secretary of State offices and websites where detailed business information and filings can be found.

 

Project Tracking

www.fbo.gov: The Federal Business Opportunities Web site, FedBizOpps, is a clearinghouse for all federally financed contracts. Bids using stimulus money can be isolated in a search using the site. From the home page, select “Advanced Search” under “Find Opportunities.” Here, you can search by keyword (typing “Kansas City” in this field could be helpful), opportunity type, contract award date and classification code. The site also allows you to search specifically for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects.

www.recovery.org: Distinct from the recovery.gov site, this site is run through Onvia. It lists federally financed projects by county and can be filtered according to city and project type and sorted by cost. Clicking a link to a project will give status and contact information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

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