Trump Organization is now America's 48th largest private company

by Heather Long
December 15, 2016: 4:19 PM ET

Donald Trump is having quite the year.

In addition to winning the presidential election, his company -- Trump Organization -- is now one of America's top 50 private businesses.

Trump Organization is ranked 48th on a list of the largest private companies in the U.S., according to PrivCo, a research firm that estimates the size of privately held firms. That is a big boost from last year, when Trump Organization was listed as #62.

The president-elect's company employs 22,450 people and made $9.5 billion in revenues last year, PrivCo. says.

It means Trump Organization is bigger than well-known private companies such as Major League Baseball, McKinsey & Co. and Bloomberg LP, the company founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to PrivCo data.

There's growing concern that Trump's business empire is a huge conflict of interest as he enters the White House. Some decisions he makes as president are likely to have a direct impact on whether Trump Organization profits or not.

As a private company that is not listed on the stock exchange, Trump Organization does not have to disclose its financial information to the public.

Instead, PrivCo compiles makes estimates on companies' worth based on all available information as well as interviews and industry trends. It also looks at the financials of similarly sized companies that are public.

Trump owns or has a position in more than 500 companies, according to a CNN analysis. That includes about 150 that have done business in at least 25 foreign countries, including Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Trump tweeted this week that he will leave be "leaving my businesses" before January 20 when he takes office. He plans to hand over Trump Organization to his adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump.

It may be a good time for Trump to step away as CEO.

"Based on our own sources, we actually see [Trump Organization] dropping below $9 billion for 2016," Evan Danckwerth, senior analyst at PrivCo. That's mainly because the luxury real estate market in New York overall is struggling.

The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to CNN Money's request for comment.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/12/15/inve...ivate-company/