s, which included Pyrex and Revere Ware, to Borden, a diverse family of household products. Under the agreement, the housewares business, known as Corning Consumer Products Company, functions as an independent operating company of Borden. However, it remains headquartered in Corning, N.Y. Always learning Since its earliest days in the mid-19th century, Corning has always maintained that a commitment to research and development is the only way to keep growing its business. The company's scientists churn out an average of a patent a day, and the firm has led the way in optic and photonic research. Visit Vault at www.vault.com for insider company profiles, expert advice, VAULT CAREER career message boards, expert resume reviews, the Vault Job Board and more. LIBRARY Vault Guide to the Top Telecom Employers Corning Incorporated Dow Corning Way back in 1943, Corning got together with The Dow Chemical Company to form Dow Corning to explore the potential of silicones. The joint venture is a leader in providing silicon-based technology around the world, serving a variety of industries. The company began to run into some problems in 1995, however, when it was forced into bankruptcy after thousands of women filed lawsuits claiming Corning- manufactured breast implants had made them sick. In April 2004, a federal judge set a target date for the company to emerge from bankruptcy protection, which paved the way for the 360,000 people who sued the company to begin receiving settlement checks. The company emerged from bankruptcy in June 2004. The company said that it had set aside about $3.2 billion to reach a settlement in 1999. At the time of the announcement, the company said that it plans to eliminate about 250 jobs, or 3 percent of its work force, around the world. Taking the hit In the late 1990s, Corning invested a whopping $2 billion to meet demand for fiber- optic cable and grew its work force from 15,000 to about 43,000 employees. At the time, it looked like Corning made a wise business decision by tying its fortunes 