14 Top American Companies in Canada To Work For (2024)

Top hiring American companies in Canada have to make several adjustments in order to succeed in their new environment. Most of them have to incorporate new businesses with the same name, which become subsidiaries owned by the parent companies back in the United States. These new businesses enable them to do business in their new countries.

Nevertheless, they are proud of their association with the successful companies in America and strive to add value to the brand. However, strictly speaking, let us remind ourselves that these companies are Canadian companies by law. We highlight them below.

American Companies in Canada

1. IBM Canada

IBM which stands for International Business Machines is an American computer maker. The company is now also software and AI developer. IBM is one of America’s most iconic companies. IBM has a great and storied history in Canada; the company has been operating here for about 105 years. The current building IBM occupies is located at 3600 Steeles Avenue East. That is a century of innovation to provide solutions to clients, the country, and the world.

IBM Canada is now heavily involved in the research and development of Artificial Intelligence to provide real-time solutions to problems in many key areas of commerce and industry.

2. Lowes 

Lowe’s, which is registered as Lowe’s Companies, Incorporated is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Lowe’s is the second-largest hardware chain in the United States, they sell improved versions of home appliances; anything that can make the home more beautiful, comfortable, and admirable. The company is Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina. The company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States and Canada. Lowes currently has about 2,197 home improvement and hardware stores in the continent of North America.

3. Wendy’s

Wendy’s is an American fast-food restaurant chain with an international presence in Canada and several other countries. The company was founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. The company moved its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006.  Wendy’s is now the world’s third-largest hamburger fast-food chain with 6,711 locations. The company advertises that all the meat it uses in its products are 100 percent fresh, and have not been refrigerated at all. The company also supplies fresh meat.

4. McDonald’s

The McDonald’s Corporation is an iconic American company. This fast-food company was founded in 1940 as a restaurant run by two brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald. The business was in San Bernardino, California, United States. However, it was businessman Ray Kroc, who joined the company as a franchise agent in 1955 that turned it into the huge chain that it is today. He purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and grew it into an iconic company.

In 1967, the first McDonald’s Canada opened in Richmond, B.C., and the company has been growing ever since. McDonald’s Canada has strengthened the McDonald’s brand and has become one of the world’s leading foodservice retailers.

5. Google Canada

Google LLC is an American multinational technology company. The company has become synonymous with finding answers on the internet. However, that is not all that Google does. The company also specializes in Internet-related services and products; including online advertising, cloud computing, software, and hardware. Google is currently developing the next generation of AI which will have real-life applications like self-driving cars, home management computers, and so much more.

Google was founded in September 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They were both Ph.D. students at Stanford University in California. Google’s Growth in Canada has been steady; the company is undergoing an expansion of its presence in Canada. Google plans to build three new offices in Waterloo, Toronto, and Montreal. Google Canada currently employs more than 1,500 people including engineers, game developers, sales leaders, and AI researchers. When the expansion is complete the staff strength in Canada should rise to 5000.

6. Amazon

Amazon.com, Incorporated is an American tech giant. This company is not just a multinational technology company based in Seattle, Washington; it is one of the most valuable brands in America and the world. The company focuses on e-commerce but has now also added cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It is one of the Big Five companies in the U.S. information technology industry, along with Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook. 

Amazon Canada headquarters in 40 King St W 47th floor, Toronto, ON M5H 4A9, Canada. Amazon Canada is also in the process of setting up more offices; expanding its businesses, and hiring more people; over 3000 jobs are expected to be added in Canada.

7. Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company. This too is an iconic American company, a world leader in technology development. Microsoft has its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, USA.  The company develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells computer software, and has now entered into consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services. 

Microsoft is best known for its operating systems Microsoft Windows, and also for its software, the Microsoft Office suite. Microsoft also produces the Xbox video game consoles.

Microsoft came into Canada in 1985. It is the Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. the Canadian presence has become a world leader in software, services, and solutions tailored for people and business.

8. Cisco

Next, we have Cisco Systems, Inc. which we will describe as the Microsoft of Networking. This too is an American company with a huge presence in Canada. Cisco Systems is headquartered in San Jose, California, in the center of Silicon Valley. The company develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, software, as well as telecommunications equipment. The higher-end products of Cisco Systems are highly secured and encrypted; they are in fact military-grade communication systems.

Cisco Systems Canada Co. is located at 88 Queens Quay West, Suite 2700, Toronto, Ontario M5J 0B8, Canada. The company has 1700 employees and has been named Canada’s Best Employer for 2021 by Forbes.

9. Fed Ex

FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation, is an American multinational delivery services company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. The company too has a strong presence in Canada; it has 7500 workers and is also listed as the 37th best employer in Canada by Forbes. The company is in the transport and delivery industry; it was one of the first major shipping companies to offer overnight delivery as a flagship service. In Canada, the company is based in Mississauga, Ontario.

10. Costco

Costco Wholesale Corporation which most of us simply know as Costco is an American multinational corporation that operates a chain of membership-only retail stores. The company is the fifth-largest retailer in the world and the number one choice of many people when it comes to beef, organic foods, chicken, and wine as of 2016. Costco also sells electronics.

In Canada, the company is based in Ottawa, Ontario, and has 39,000 workers. It is listed as the number 13 best employer in Canada.

Other American Companies in Canada are:

  • Nike
  • Intel
  • AMD
  • Newmont Corporation

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Conclusion:

In the interest of fairness and responsible reporting, we must state that the business climates of America and Canada are quite different. Many companies that come into Canada to do business do not succeed, and the case is even worse for Canadian companies that attempt to expand into America. Nevertheless, American companies make up some of the best and most secure employers in Canada; very solid companies with great performance.