This company has a growing track record of success and plenty of potential ahead.The S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.85%) is widely recognized as the best overall gauge of the U.S. stock market and is made up of the 500 leading publicly traded companies in the country. Given the breadth of businesses that compose the index, it is generally considered the most reliable benchmark of overall stock market performance. To be considered for admittance into the S&P 500, a company must meet the following broad-based criteria:It m ...