Resources help keep companies in touch

Published On: March 1, 2009Categories: News

Question: The phone number for a company that we used to buy fabric from is no longer in service. Is there a way to find out if it’s still in business?

Answer: Area codes for telephone numbers sometimes change, so that’s the first thing to check. Your telephone service provider should be able to help you with that. If it’s not a case of an old phone number, then checking with an industry association is always a good idea, since suppliers frequently belong to associations, both to get their name out to their industry and as a way to support it. If you know the location of the company, you can contact the state in which you last knew it to be located. Companies are supposed to notify their state when they go in and out of business, and many states in the United States have this information available online. How the information is available varies by state, although it’s often with the Secretary of State or a corporations office. There may be a fee involved in accessing the information. When in doubt, check with the reference desk at your local public library.

Juli Case is IFAI’s information and technical services manager.