Special Report

America's Largest Private Companies

Edited by Andrea D. Murphy and John J. Ray, 10.28.09, 06:00 PM EDT

Our 25th annual survey of America’s largest private companies reflects the same turbulence that is rocking the publicly traded firms that make all the headlines. Seven companies on this year’s list are operating in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, including aluminum maker Aleris (taken private by Texas Pacific Group) and Reader’s Digest (by Ripplewood Holdings).

Private equity firms, which own one-third of the companies on our list, are scrambling to repair such souring investments. The State Street private equity index, which tracks investments made by 1,600 investment firms, was down 28% in the year ending March 2009. As punishment, private equity funds have seen the average amounts they raise from investors cut in half. More ...

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