Most public libraries have an online reference called "ReferenceUSA" that is free to use if you have a library "card" with them.

You can search on any combination of over 50+ criteria. I select companies by SIC code (industry), company size, and geographic area...then download the results directly into a spreadsheet.

Here's just a sample of info you can get about any company...

"Company Name","Executive First Name","Executive Last Name","Professional Title","Executive Title","Executive Gender","Address","City","State","ZIP Code","ZIP Four","Carrier Route","Delivery Point Barcode","County","Metro Area","Neighborhood","Phone Number Combined","Fax Number Combined","Toll Free Number Combined","Website","Company Description","Primary SIC Code","Primary SIC Description","Primary SIC Ad Size","Primary SIC Year Appeared","SIC Code 1","SIC Code 1 Description","SIC Code 1 Ad Size","Franchise Description 1"

"Location Employee Size Range","Location Employee Size Actual","Location Sales Volume Range","Location Sales Volume Actual","Corporate Employee Size Range","Corporate Employee Size Actual","Corporate Sales Volume Range","Corporate Sales Volume Actual","Type of Business","Location Type","IUSA Number","Parent IUSA Number","Subsidiary IUSA Number","Foreign Parent Flag","EIN 1","EIN 2","EIN 3","Fortune 1000 Ranking","Credit Cards Accepted","Last Updated On","Years In Database","Year Established","Square Footage","Home Business","Credit Score Alpha","Government Office","Import Export Flag","Own or Lease","Firm or Individual",

"Ticker Symbol","Stock Exchange","Accounting Expenses","Advertising Expenses","Computer Expenses","Contract Labor Expenses","Insurance Expenses","Legal Expenses","Office Supplies Expense","Management/Administration Expenses","Package Container Expense","Payroll and Benefits Expenses","Purchase Print Expenses","Rent Expenses","Telcom Expenses","Utilities Expenses","Mailing Address","Mailing City","Mailing State","Mailing Zip Code","Mailing Zip Four","Mailing Carrier Route","Mailing Delivery Point Bar Code","Twitter","Linked-In","Facebook","Google Plus","Affiliated Records","Affiliated Locations","Census Block Group","Record Type"

Yes, this is a quite common way many work within professional markets (b2b) when first approaching or starting out or when doing research for creating their own lists.

Here is an opinion about using malls as lead generators for non-American performers.

I just came back from Colombia and the socio-cultural perspective of malls is quite different than in the states. While the perspectives stated in this thread are true for the American performance based reader, the concept of mall marketing may still hold value to other countries reading the thread. If you are a non-America based performer, consider the location of the mall, its traffic base, and finally the societal mindset regarding malls. Are they a gathering point, an event, etc. additionally, consider whether the mall is the environment where you live. Is the city sprawl based with concentrated shopping or is it decentralized. Furthermore are newer community developments continuing the existing approach or are they shifting. Depending on these points it might well be considered to take advantage, or disengage if currently practicing, mall marketing.

That is true, we all have to start some place with a cliental list.

Many U.S. cities, the city I live in, has had a huge closing of business and companies, and just now starting to recover from the 2000 market crash and companies leaving the U.S. With this recovery, many companies are choosing to build in the small towns surrounding the city. Some so buried and out of the normal travel path, no one would think a farming town has a huge automobile plant at that location.

Directories are needed to find them, as never a word is mentioned that such businesses are operating, 20, 30, and a hundred miles away.

When I was commuting to a job once. I decided to turn off the highway onto this dirt road, a line of trees was blocking being able to see the land on the other side. To my surprise, there was sort of an industrial area, with 10 to 15 businesses, I never heard of, fully operating with parking lots full of employee's cars parked in the lot. I wrote down their names, and looked them up. Surprisingly, the location was not listed in the corporate websites or directories.