When General Motors Company (GM) Was Still in Ford Motor Company (F)’s Rearview Mirror

ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE:CAG) not only manufactures Jiffy Pop, but also produces Orville Redenbacher’s, Act II, and the caramel-coated Crunch ‘n Munch, as well as other bulk popcorn brands. All told, the industrial agriculture company is responsible for roughly half the popcorn produced in the U.S.

All-American Sunshine State
The Florida Purchase Treaty (officially the Adams-Onis Treaty) delivered Florida into the hands of the U.S. when it was signed on Feb. 22, 1819. Spanish claims to the territory had grown increasingly tenuous following America’s successful war for independence, and a number of American settlers had already moved into the state, lured by the same things that have since drawn millions of retirees: a warm climate and all the alligators you can eat. Spain had no resources to maintain this territory after its fierce battles with Napoleonic France, so Florida was essentially ceded in exchange for the U.S. assuming $5 million in outstanding claims against the Spanish crown.

Today, Florida is the fourth-largest state, by GDP and by population, in the U.S. Although it lacks the heavy concentration of industry found in California, Texas, and New York, Florida does have a few notables. Its largest company by revenue is currently World Fuel Services, which claimed the 85th spot on 2012’s Fortune 500 with nearly $35 billion in revenue.

The article When GM Was Still in Ford’s Rearview Mirror originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Alex Planes.

Fool contributor Alex Planes holds no financial position in any company mentioned here. Add him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter @TMFBiggles for more insight into markets, history, and technology. The Motley Fool recommends Ford and General Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of Ford.

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