Carson Foundation
History
Prodded in the late 1980s by the supervillain Borealis to "do more about the world's problems than just punch them". Flux Mining and Petroleum was founded by members of Vancouver's SUNDER team. It was chiefly designed as a vehicle to fund the Carson Foundation's charitable works. Flux's mining expertise combined with the earth elemental Elemmus's ability to find hidden deposits of precious metals and petroleum, which were then harvested at a relatively low cost, which made for a very profitable company.
When oil profits soared in the early 2000s, the fortunes of Flux Mining and Petroleum rose with them. By 2009, Flux tired of running the corporation, and sold it entirely to Thundrax, who expanded the company's operations and mandate, using additional revenues to fund Flux's burgeoning space development program. Flux-Carson Enterprises, as the amalgamated company is called, is a privately held firm.
Thundrax's high profile has not always been to the company's benefit. The launch of his first solar energy satellite in 2010 was interrupted by Viperia and the Serpent's Court, resulting in the death of over a dozen NASA technicians. When Thundrax was replaced by a VIPER clone in 2011, numerous Flux-Carson secrets were leaked to the secretly VIPER-backed Duchess Industries, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars of potential revenue: only quick action by Thundrax's secretary and business partners prevented the outright sale of the company. In 2012, a terrorist operative destroyed Flux-Carson's Toronto HQ, resulting in the deaths of dozens of employees. As a result of this incident, many people left the company, and Thundrax has spent a great deal of money beefing up security on all Flux-Carson installations.
Projects
Flux-Carson specializes in deep petroleum wells and mines, using state of the art technology that's friendly on the environment (at least compared to established methods).
They've been a pioneer in mining rare earths, which looks to be the staple of the company's fortunes in coming years.
The space development program has produced one orbital solar power station, with several more planned in the coming years. Flux-Carson is also working on robominers designed to prospect and mine the asteroid belt, and have a joint skunkwerks with Clock Industries and Exington Industries on developing low-cost ways to lift cargo into space.
Charitable Works
The Carson Foundation's charitable works concentrate on urban development in the United States and Canada, school lunches, criminal rehabilitation programs, programs to aid the victims of superhuman violence, literacy, and disaster relief. They also co-fund a manimal placement program with Dr. Silverback and Harmon Enterprises, and a superhuman amnesty program in Canada.
Metahuman Employees
Craig is beginning to attract a small group of superhumans as part of his Carson Foundation Group. One of the first superhumans to join his banner is Dr. Callum Laird, who's secretly the superhero Gravitas-UK. Other superhumans in his employ are Mary Conrad (Arthur the Barbarian's cousin) aka Dr. Miracle, and recycleable. The Streak, and Ursus are former employees. Some have accused him of setting up the amnesty program for metarhuman "registration dodgers" as a means to recruit his own private superhuman army.
Craig's secretary is Rimi Kumiko, aka Miss Rimi, who has a dark past. In the 1920s and early 1930s. she was a spy and assassiin for the Japanese, until she killed her lecherous commanding officer in self-defense. She joined the Vancouver-based Specialists team of pulp adventurers, fighting numerous bizarre foes until 1938, when the eccentric scientist Dr. Queller froze her in a block of ice. Miss Rimi was found and thawed out by Thundrax in 2009. The big hero took Miss Rimi under her wing and made her his secretary. The relationship hasn't always been an easy one, as she find many of Craig's most cherished values "stupid".
Company Data
Revenues and Expenditures
Revenues: 23.1 billion (2010); 24.6 billion (2012)
Operational expenses and taxes: 15.6 billion (2010); 17.1 billion (2012)*
- includes rebuilding costs for its Toronto office after a terrorist attack, which was also indirectly responsible for workforce reductions.
Space research: 2.1 billion (2010); 2.4 billion (2012)
Green technologies development: 0.8 billion (2010); 1.3 billion (2012)
Carson Foundation bequests: 4.6 billion (2010); 3.7 billion (2012)
Employees: 8,200 (2010); 7,800 (2012)
Assets: 47.3 billion (2010); 49.3 billion (2012)
CEO: Craig Carson
Secretary: Rimi Kumiko
Assistant: Malcolm King
COO: Jennifer Tory
CFO: Charleton Weiss
Head of Public Relations: Stewart Wayne
