Databases
The James J. Hill Center is here to help you succeed. Our extensive list of databases enables you to acquire information that will assist you in connecting with new clients, understanding your competition and finding your target audience.
Please note that to access many of these databases you must be on-site at the James J. Hill Center, located at 80 West 4th Street, Saint Paul (corner of Market and West 4th, up the grand staircase).
If you are on-site please login here. If you’ve already logged in and are on-site, select the database you’d like to use by clicking on its title.
AtoZ Databases
Available on-site only at the James J. Hill Center. Build targeted lists of businesses (limit by industry, location, number of employees, annual revenue, year opened, public/private, etc.) or households (limit by average income, hobbies, length of residence, etc.). Also used to search for jobs in a variety of industries. Maximum of 1,000 companies per list. MORE INFO
Categories: Company Lists, Company Research, Career Exploration
Bplans
A website devoted to business plans. Create a free account and gain access to all features including: business plan templates, sample business plans in a variety of industries, how-to guides for researching and writing business plans, and calculator tools for startup costs and break-even analyses. MORE INFO
Category: Business Plans
EBSCO Business Source Premier
An article aggregator database, gathering and providing access to articles from industry journals and trade publications. MORE INFO
Categories: Company Research, Industry Research, Market Research, Online Periodicals
EBSCO Regional Business News
An article aggregator database, gathering and providing access to articles from news sources related to business. MORE INFO
Categories: Company Research, Industry Research, Market Research, Online Periodicals
Foundation Directory
Available for single users only, please contact the front desk for login information, based on availability. A database of grants and grant-makers, searchable by grant-maker location, grant-maker’s geographic focus, grant-maker’s fields of interest, types of support provided, and more. Results can be limited to exclude grant-makers not accepting applications. Profiles include grant-maker history and description, contact information, past giving details, and application instructions. MORE INFO
Categories: Nonprofit Research, Grants
GuideStar
Available for single users only, please contact the front desk for login information, based on availability. A database used to find in-depth information about nonprofits, or to build lists of nonprofits that meet certain criteria. Lists can be narrowed by industry, geographic location, income, assets, and expenses. Information provided includes in-depth financial information including sources of revenue, expenses broken down by category, copies of 990 tax forms, information on governance, programs, and the name and email address of the principal officer. MORE INFO
Categories: Nonprofit Research, Industry Research
Harvard Business Review
This is a direct link to the online version of the business journal Harvard Business Review, available in EBSCO. MORE INFO
Categories: Company Research, Industry Research, Market Research, Online Periodicals
IBISWorld
Available on-site only at the James J. Hill Center. Used to find in-depth reports on industries, providing over 40 pages of information. A source for industry performance, industry outlook, a breakdown of products/services and markets, barriers to entry, competitive landscape, and key statistics. MORE INFO
Categories: Industry Research, Market Research, Business Plans
IndustriusCFO – Industry Metrics
Available on-site only at the James J. Hill Center. A database of industry benchmarks. Types of data include cost of sales, expenditure on salaries, cash assets, accounts payable, net worth, and various liquidity and profitability ratios. MORE INFO
Categories: Business Plans, Budgeting and Valuation
Learning Express Hub Career Calculation
Powerful tools and expert guidance for career exploration. MORE INFO
Categories: Career Exploration, Skill Development
Learning Express Hub Computer Skills Center
Video courses to learn popular software and computer basics. MORE INFO
Categories: Skill Development
Manufacturers Agents National Association (MANA)
Available on-site only at the James J. Hill Center. The MANA website has a tool used to search for manufacturers’ agents in any subset of the manufacturing industry and in any state in the country. Its industry subsets are significantly more specific than NAICS or SIC codes. Alternately, MANA can build lists of its manufacturer members, also based on industry subset and geographic location. MORE INFO
Categories: Specialized Company Research
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and Book of Lists
Available on-site only at the James J. Hill Center. Please contact the front desk for login information. The online version of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, where you’ll find the latest breaking business news updated throughout the day, top stories from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and other popular features from the print edition, as well as the Book of Lists. MORE INFO
Categories: Company Research, Industry Research, Market Research, Online Periodicals, Company Lists
PrivCo
Available on-site only at the James J. Hill Center. Page views are limited to 25 per session. A database used for researching large private companies (companies with at least $10 million in annual revenue, or with substantial venture capital funding) and providing in-depth financial, statistical, and leadership data. Also provides information about venture capital funding deals and merger & acquisition deals involving private companies. Additionally used to create targeted lists of private market investors based on industry, company age and size, and location. MORE INFO
Categories: Company Research, Company Lists, Private Funding
ProQuest Newsstand
An article aggregator database, gathering and providing access to articles from news sources. Includes access to the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press. MORE INFO
Categories: Company Research, Industry Research, Market Research, Online Periodicals
SimplyAnalytics
Available on-site only at the James J. Hill Center. A database of demographic data. Provides information on who lives in an area by age, sex, income, race, family size, etc. Includes information on what they spend their money on in a variety of categories, from food products to household goods to entertainment. Provides some information about hobbies. Information can be downloaded as spreadsheets or in map format. MORE INFO
Categories: Market Research, Demographic Research
Thomas Register of Manufacturers
A supplier discovery resource for adding quality certified suppliers to the supply chain, meeting diversity goals, identifying local job shops, finding specific products, accelerating the design process, and more. MORE INFO
Categories: Specialized Company Research
Uniworld
Available on-site only at the James J. Hill Center. A database used to find companies with international connections, either American firms with branches in other countries or foreign firms with branches in America. It covers over 200 countries and 20,000 industries. Searches can be limited by state or zip code, industry, revenue, number of employees, and whether or not companies are hiring. Company profiles include addresses and contact information (including email addresses) for all branches, revenue, number of employees, and industry codes. Lists can be downloaded in Excel or as a PDF. MORE INFO
Categories: Company Research, Company Lists, Career Exploration
