Wayne Enterprises
Wayne Enterprises was officially erected in the 19th century and thus is one of the oldest companies in the world. Although, it was founded by Bruce Wayne's ancestors as a merchant house in the 17th century, the company changed when the heir of Judge Solomon Wayne, Alan, utilized his father's wealth and erected the Wayne Shipping company and also the Wayne Chemical company into Gotham City. Wayne Manufacturing soon followed as the fourth branch of the company. All these companies were energized and powered by the world's Industrial Revolution and they kept changing; more branches were opened and built while others dwindled and were discarded. Along the years, it has evolved from a merchant house to a large multinational conglomerate company that can go up against its bigger competitor LexCorp.
Wayne Enterprises became a green company under the control of Patrick and Laura Wayne and has been environmentally conscious from that time forward. Even when environmentalism wasn't a fad or a necessity, Wayne Enterprises followed those ideals. At the turn of the 20th century, Wayne Enterprises was the city in many ways and even now they employ the largest part of the city's considerable work-force.
Through two World Wars and the great recessions the company has come through and with the help of Lucius Fox it now stands as the forerunner in many fields of technology. WayneCorp changed its name to Wayne Enterprises in the 1980's. It has been able to rejuvenate itself many times and has been able to survive and stand tall even after the Cataclysm and the Billion Dollar Build-Up where its efforts were far greater than LexCorp's.
Currently, Wayne Technologies, Wayne Chemicals with Wayne Pharmaceuticals, and Wayne Aerospace stand tall in the forefront of pharmaceutical and technological research and development. They have many joint ventures with Drake Medical and S.T.A.R. Labs and even some with LexCorp.
The company spans the globe and is a large power in the global marketplace. As a multi-billion dollar company on a bad day, it is definitely not going down the drain in a hurry. In fact, it just recently purchased a company that was the forerunner in the field of nano-technology and anti-gravity. Wayne Enterprises was also in the running to build the next space plane and the company's subsidiaries all have multiple government contracts and deals.
Wayne Enterprises has many branches. The company owns mining companies, shipping, oil drilling and refineries, food and agricultural productions and agricultural technology being produced. Some of the most significant things to the normal consumer are consumer electronics like Hi-Fi systems and computers. Wayne Entertainment owns the Sommerset Stadium, its own record label, and the premiere news paper in the world, the Daily Planet. It also has many deals with different entertainers. Wayne Aerospace is a very successful aerospace company that produces, researches and develops aeronautical systems from avionics to airplanes to helicopters to weapons systems. Wayne Technologies researches cybernetics and nanotechnologies along with other bio-engineering systems and pharmaceuticals, along with WayneChem. WayneTech is the healthcare system in Gotham as it owns most of the healthcare facilities in Gotham City and Gotham County. Wayne Steel specializes in manufacturing, steel and metallurgical application, and ship building. Wayne Steel owns three shipyards in the city and many more across the world. Wayne Steel's largest customer is the United States government as the recent crises have left the Navy's ships and weapons depleted. Wayne Enterprises has recently boosted its botanical research with S.T.A.R. Labs and is hopeful of the future of this partnership.
Even though the Billion-Dollar Build-Up was a large strain on Wayne Enterprises, it has quickly bounced back to be a true force to be reckoned with in the global community. Its main headquarters are in the Wayne Tower in Gotham. There are branch offices and headquarters all over the world, with the second largest office tower in New York City.
Of course, Wayne Enterprises is much more than just a place for Bruce Wayne to make money. It is the best way for Batman to get information, news, and rumors from the corporate world. The companies of today are nations unto themselves and they are great forces to be reckoned with. There is also the fact that even though Bruce Wayne was a jetsetting playboy, he worked too and Wayne Enterprises gave a great cover story for zipping to wherever and whenever. With Bruce Wayne gone, now, the company belongs to Anthony Mitchell.
At some point, Wayne Enterprises acquired Kord Industries.
