Successful: Exxon and Mobil: Big oil got even bigger in 1999, when Exxon and Mobil signed an $81 billion agreement to merge and form ExxonMobil. Not only did Exxon Mobil become the largest company in the world, it reunited its 19th Century former selves — John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (Exxon) and Standard Oil Company of New York (Mobil). The merger was so big, in fact, that the FTC required a massive restructuring of many of Exxon and Mobil’s gas stations, in order to avoid outright monopolization (despite the FTC’s 4-0 approval of the merger). ExxonMobil remains the strongest leader in the oil market, with a huge hold on the international market and dramatic earnings. In 2008, ExxonMobil occupied all ten spots in the “Top 10 Corporate Quarterly Earnings” (earning more than $11 billion in one quarter) and it remains one of the world’s largest publicly held companies (second only to Walmart). These examples of great mergers show the possibilities and success of well-executed strategies. While these examples are all very large companies, Mergers and acquisitions are possible for any size of company and, as previously mentioned, offer a wide array of benefits. AchieveNext offers M&A services for middle market organizations of all sizes, private or public. From due diligence, to capital planning, AchieveNext has skilled consultants located in key markets across North America.