"The ability to be secretive is one of the finest benefits of having a private company. Privacy at times today seems a relic of the nonmedia past, but it is a legal right - morally and desirable - and a key to healthy, normal living. It allows us to do the very best we can, the very best we know how, and to do so without being concerned with self- aggrandizment."       Forrest Mars Jr.

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Intellectual capital is the difference between a piano and a concert, the ingredient that transforms cloth into clothes and paint into paintings. In business, it is the difference between an investment of capital an the return on that investment. While it does not appear on the balance sheet, intellectual capital is a core driver of competitive positioning and profitability. 

Montan Operations is a holding company. We closely monitor our subsidiaries but do not involve ourselves in their daily operations. An experienced management team, headed by a chief executive officer, is in place at each company. These executives make fundamental decisions about their businesses, including those concerning operating issues, marketing programs, products and properties, and longrange plans. We work with our subsidiaries to offer them counsel on significant strategic, financial and capital allocation issues.