These resources can help you locate profiles on your client and its competitors, or potential suppliers, potential buyers, potential funders, etc. as well as build lists of similar organizations.

One approach to generating a list of companies would be to locate your client or a known competitor, buyer, supplier, etc. in the database, see what descriptors have been applied (keywords, tags, SIC or NAICS codes, for example) and then run a new search to generate a list of more companies described in the same way. 

NOTE: there will not be a lot of information for newly formed companies or more generally for private companies regardless of age.  There will also not be much information on the operations of individual store locations which are part of a larger chain.

Depending on what you're looking for, there may be other resources that can help, too--ask me!

GuideStar (profiles of US nonprofit organizations)

• Type keywords into the "Enter organization name or keyword" box. Start with your client's name (if they are a nonprofit).
• If your client has a profile in the results list, click to view it. Scroll down and note Subject Areas and Populations Served. Return to the first page (search page), and use the Geography, Organization, and Financials tabs on the left to enter information that will let you generate a list of organizations.

Nexis Uni (profiles of public and private companies, both US and non-US)

• Click the Companies tab at the top of the homepage.
• In the lower right corner, click Find a Company.  On the next page, complete as much of the search form as you wish, and hit enter.
• Alternatively, in the lower right corner of the Companies page, click Create a Company List. On the next page, complete as much of the search form as you wish, using descriptors from your client's profile (or other company you looked up).  When you're done making selections, click the blue "Create" button at the bottom.

Pitchbook (profiles of public and private companies, both US and non-US, especially good for emerging companies, products and services)

• At the start page, click "Log in" in the upper right. On the page after that, click "Log in with SSO" to use your Illinois credentials, unless you really want to create a personal account.
• Type keywords in the "Search Pitchbook" box at the top, and hit enter. The results will be a mix of Profiles, Screeners (a list of companies based on your keywords), Analyst Content, and Research (from Morningstar).  If you click on the Screener option, you can view the companies (the Companies tab). At the top, use Modify All Criteria to limit the type of company, the geography, etc.
• Another useful feature is inside a company's profile (like your client or a competitor): scroll down to Industries, Verticals & Keywords and click on any of the links there to get another list of companies, this time ones that are all tagged with that industry/vertical/keyword.

Reference Solutions / Data Axle (profiles of public and private US companies)

• On the homepage, click on U.S. Businesses on the left.
• On the next page, you're in the Quick Search tab. Search for your client to see their profile. Make note of the SIC/NAICS codes that have been assigned. (If your client doesn't have a profile, move on to the Advanced Search tab.)
• In the Advanced Search tab, check the box for Keyword/SIC/NAICS on the left, and then type in an SIC/NAICS code for your client's business (or just a keyword if the SIC/NAICS codes seem incorrect or your client didn't have a profile). In the Results field, click on the industries you want; those will appear in the "Selected" box below. You can add other criteria--for example, under Geography>Metro Area, Champaign is listed. Click the blue "Update Count" button on the right to see how many companies meet the criteria. Add more criteria if you want to make this list smaller, and when you're ready, click the green "View Results" button.
• If you want to download the list, you can check the boxes (25 at a time) and when you're ready, hit the blue Download button. On the Download page, Step One=Excel, Step Two=Detailed, click the "Download Records" button to get the full record for each company in Excel.

Statista (profiles of major companies in well-established industries, largely focusing on Germany and the US)

• On the homepage, type a company name into the "Find statistics, forecasts and reports" box. On the right under "Content Types" you may find some useful "Statistics" (charts) mentioning the company, or a Company Insights report.
• Alternatively, in the menu at the top of the homepage, click on Reports, and then select Companies & Products Reports.  Type keywords in the Search box, and Filter results with the options on the left, as needed.

ThomasNet (profiles of US and Canadian suppliers of B2B products and services)

• Type keywords in the "By Category, Company or Brand" box at the top, and hit Search.
• In your results list, use the options on the left to filter by Company Type, Quality Certifications, Ownership Diversity, and Located In (state or province).
• Profiles with "View Catalog" buttons will have pricing information.