Hello,

I’m Alder Zhang, the founder of STATE.REPORT.

I started this site with a simple idea: bring the separate company search systems of the U.S. states together, so looking up a company doesn’t have to begin with looking for the right website.

Company registration in the United States is handled at the state level. Looking up businesses in different states often means moving between websites and learning a different way to search each time. Sometimes all you have is a name, and you’re not even sure which state to start with. If the system is unfamiliar—and especially if you’re working in another language—a straightforward question can become a surprisingly long task.

My work involves companies, filings and regulatory frameworks. Spend enough time with them and you begin to notice the same obstacles coming up again and again. I didn’t think everyone should have to work through those obstacles from scratch. Where information could be brought together, I wanted to bring it together. Where something could be explained clearly, I wanted to do that too.

That became STATE.REPORT.

This is a commercial website, operated by ONE LLC. I want to build a service that can last. If you use it and come back, it should be because it has saved you time or helped you get something done. That is what I want this business to be built on.

My aim is for you to have one place to turn to for company registration information across different states. Less time finding websites and working out how they function; more time understanding the company you came to look up. That was the starting point, and it remains the work I care most about getting right.

The site also offers U.S. trademark searches. Companies and trademarks often belong to the same business story, but their records answer different questions. One concerns the registered entity; the other concerns a name or mark. Bringing both searches into one place makes them easier to use. It doesn’t make them interchangeable.

Less time finding your way.
More clarity when you get there.

To me, a good search service gets the practical details right. Can you find a record from a name? Can you tell similarly named companies apart? Do the status, dates and registration numbers make sense when you read them? These details aren’t glamorous. They are worth the effort.

You shouldn’t have to read a long introduction before you can look something up. The search should be easy to find and straightforward to use. When an unfamiliar term comes up, a clear explanation should be there if you need it. You came here with something to do. My first job is to help you do it.

A commercial service should also be clear about what it offers: which records are available, what the limitations are and, where charges apply, how they work. You should be able to make an informed choice before using a service, rather than discover an important condition halfway through.

Bringing records together doesn’t make every state’s rules the same. Sources differ in the information they provide and how often they update it. I want the experience to feel consistent while keeping those differences clear. Convenience shouldn’t come at the expense of information that matters.

Public records have limits. A registration record cannot tell you everything about a company, and a trademark search cannot settle every question about a name. I want to present what the records show clearly, and be equally clear about what remains uncertain. What matters is that you know where you stand.

Clarity matters. Consistency matters. The words, the pages and each step of a search should hold up to repeated use. As the site develops, that is where I intend to put the work.

You’ll also find guides and state features here. They offer a little more context when you want it: an explanation of a process, or a closer look at the history, landscape and everyday life of a place where a company is based. They are there to explore in your own time.

Away from work, I read, watch films, listen to music and occasionally write. Some of those preferences will find their way into the site. You don’t need to share my taste for the service to be useful to you. Making the pages pleasing is something I enjoy; making the searches useful and the explanations clear is something I owe you.

This letter isn’t a résumé. I simply want you to know that there is a person behind this service, responsible for its direction and willing to hear what could be better.

If a search is awkward, an explanation is unclear or you spot a mistake, you’re welcome to write. There’s no need for ceremony. Tell me plainly what happened. That is how I prefer to begin.

If something needs fixing, fix it. If it’s worth doing, keep at it.

Thank you for being here.
I hope your next search takes a little less effort.