1 Company in Midland, Michigan

Dow was founded in 1897 by Herbert Dow, a Canadian-born chemist who invented a cheaper way to extract bromine from Michigan's brine wells — then spent years fighting a German cartel that controlled the global bromine market. That early battle for self-reliance set the tone: Dow became one of the world's great chemical companies by inventing its own processes and refusing to depend on anyone. The modern Dow is the world's largest producer of several essential materials: polyethylene (the world's most common plastic, used in everything from grocery bags to medical tubing), silicone (in sealants, electronics, and personal care), and polyurethanes (in insulation, foam, and coatings). Its products are the invisible backbone of modern life — the chemistry inside car tires, phone screens, food packaging, and building insulation. With about 36,000 employees and annual revenue near US$45 billion, Dow split its agricultural chemicals business (Corteva) in 2019 to focus on materials science. Headquartered in Midland, Michigan — the same town Herbert Dow chose in 1897 — Dow is betting its future on circularity: chemical recycling of plastics, bio-based feedstocks, and lower-carbon production, trying to solve the plastic waste problem its own products helped create.