Bata is originally a Czech company (Baťa), their owners were forced to emigrate and lost everything they owned in the Czechoslovakia after the communists came to power. The family of the owners was famous even during communism here, because while they were industrialists, certainly not the heartless kind. They built universities and whole towns so their employees could live in comfort. Now I read there are towns named after them in other areas in the world, so they took the practice to the global stage. Interesting.