Catalyst

Lyondell Chemical is inviting employees to participate in the selection of a name for the company that will emerge following Basell’s pending acquisition of Lyondell.
“What do FedEx, Pepsi and American Express have in common? All three are organizations with well-respected, international brands that are instantly recognized,” a Lyondell memo to employees stated earlier this week. “And all three are similar in size or smaller, in terms of annual revenues, than our company is expected to be following the close of the merger of Lyondell and Basell.” Basell and Lyondell combined will have revenues of nearly $35 billion, and the deal is expected to close sometime in the next several months.
“As we join the highest ranks of our industry, just behind BASF and Dow, we are presented with a choice: keep our existing company names (or some version thereof) or select a new name – one that helps to unify our organizations and focuses more on our future aspirations than the legacies of our pasts.”
Lyondell lays out some ground rules for employees to follow:
1) The name should not include the word “chemical.”
2) The name should work from a global perspective, i.e., it must be acceptable in multiple languages and cultures.
3) The name should be “scalable.” In other words, it should be able to encompass not only the current Lyondell and Basell businesses, but also the future organization as it continues to grow and possibly acquires additional products and businesses.
4) The name should be sufficiently unique to pass the requisite trademark and domain name checks.
Lyondell is looking for names to be submitted 5 p.m. CT on Friday, Sept. 21. Any suggestions out there?