First Cash Financial Services, Inc. primarily operates pawn stores that lend money on the collateral of pledged personal property in the United States and Mexico. First Cash Financial Services, Inc. also engages in the retail of previously owned merchandise acquired through pawn forfeitures and purchased from the general public. First Cash Financial Services, Inc. pawn stores provide collateral consumer loans on pledged personal properties, such as jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments; consumer financial services, including credit services, check cashing, money orders, money transfers, and prepaid card products. First Cash Financial Services, Inc. also owns and operates kiosks inside convenience stores that offer credit services and check cashing. As of December 31, 2009, First Cash Financial Services owned and operated 383 pawn stores and 163 short-term loan stores, as well as 39 financial services kiosks. First Cash Financial Services, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in Arlington, Texas.

Muscatine Foods (formerly Varied Investments, Inc.) heard what you were sayin'. Muscatine Foods' name now better reflects what it does -- the Muscatine, Iowa-based company invests in various midwestern ag businesses. Among the units owned by the holding company are the Grain Processing Corporation (GPC), Kent Feeds (which also owns animal food maker Evergreen Mills), and Blue Seal Feeds. Muscatine's Precision Foods has acquired Connecticut-based hot beverage manufacturer Alternative Channels. Muscatine Foods is owned by the families of GPRC founders Gage Kent and S.G. Stein.

New Horizons Venture Capital, one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s premier venture capital firms, invests in early stage firms with unique models that deliver high value-added, differentiated services while generating longer-term, sustainable earnings. New Horizons aims to serve as a long-term, value-added partner to its portfolio companies. This long-term relationship is reinforced by extensive on-going strategic, financial, and operational support. New Horizons, with its sister leveraged buy-out firm Capitol Partners, manages $200 million in assets.

SWS Group, Inc. was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Southwest Securities hopes stock prices go northeast. The primary subsidiary of SWS Group provides securities clearing and brokerage services to retail and institutional clients in more than 30 states, Canada, and Europe. Accounting for nearly three-quarters of SWS Group's revenues, the unit offers private client brokerage services, as well as retail managed accounts and insurance, through more than 20 offices in Texas, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. It also performs securities underwriting, securities lending, and public finance activities for institutional customers. In addition, SWS Group owns a bank, which is called Southwest Securities, FSB.

Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited was founded in 1996. Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the infrastructure facilities, medicine, consumer products, and real estate businesses. Segments The company conducts its operations through four segments, including Real Estate, Infrastructure Facilities, Medicine, and Consumer Products. Real estate This segment engages in the property development and investment and hotel operation. Infrastructure facilities This segment invests in toll road projects and water-related business. As of December 31, 2008, General Water of China had total assets of RMB5.2 billion, comprising 14 water projects and 19 water supply facilities, 17 sewage treatment facilities, 2 reservoirs and a pipe network of 1,841.27 kilometers. Medicine This segment engages in the manufacture and sale of medicine and health food; and medical equipment. The company produces human urine protein products. The company’s principal products include Kai Li Kang, a State Category I new drug, Ulinastatin, an exclusive brand in the domestic market, as well as certain raw pharmaceuticals for overseas markets.

Code Hennessy & Simmons, L.L.C. was founded in 1988 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. Code Hennessy & Simmons, L.L.C. is a private equity firm specializing in acquisitions of middle market companies. The firm also invests in add-on acquisitions of any size for its existing portfolio companies. It does not invest in turnarounds and venture capital. The firm prefers to invest in industrial distribution; infrastructure and industrial products with a focus on companies that manufacture products or provide services with applications in infrastructure-related industries; consumer products with a focus on consumer manufacturing, services, and food companies; and business and consumer services with a focus on specialty rental, healthcare services, information and document management, commercial and industrial services, facilities-based retail and entertainment, and personal care companies in the United States. It also seeks to invest in marketing services, business process outsourcing, education services, and financial services. For its consumer products investments, the firm does not invest in companies where end-market demand is subject to rapid changes in fashion.

Nicholas Financial, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialized consumer finance company. Nicholas Financial, Inc. engages in acquiring and servicing contracts for purchases of new and used automobiles and light trucks. Nicholas Financial, Inc. also makes direct loans and sells consumer-finance related products. In addition, Nicholas Financial, Inc. engages in developing, marketing, supporting, and updating industry-specific computer application software for small businesses located primarily in the Southeast United States. Nicholas Financial, Inc. operates 54 branch locations in the Southeast and the Mid-Western states. Nicholas Financial, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Clearwater, Florida.

Encore Capital Group, Inc. purchases and manages charged-off consumer receivable portfolios. Encore Capital Group, Inc receivable portfolios include unsecured, charged-off domestic consumer credit cards, auto loan deficiency, and telecom receivables purchased from national financial institutions, major retail credit corporations, telecom companies, and resellers. Encore Capital Group, Inc, through its subsidiary, Ascension Capital Group, Inc., also provides bankruptcy services to the finance industry, including negotiating bankruptcy plans, monitoring and managing the consumer's compliance with bankruptcy plans, and recommending courses of action to clients. Encore Capital Group, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Mavinwood plc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the document handling business in the United Kingdom. It provides document management solutions, including document and asset management consultancy, project management, scanning and data integration, system delivery, contract personnel assignments, archive compression, and facilities management services for oil and gas, railways, civil engineering, power, and shipping/ship building sectors. The company also offers near and deep storage, off-site tape storage, document scanning, file and asset tracking and management, and secure destruction services, as well as specialized storage products primarily for accountancy, corporate, financial, insurance, law, and media firms, as well as local authorities and hospital trusts. In addition, it provides rising damp and damp proofing, timber preservation, structural waterproofing, basement conversion, dry rot and wet rot control, resin repairs, condensation control, wall anchors and stabilization, bird control, and remedial wall ties services for home owner and commercial markets, including surveyors/architects, property owners and managers, local authorities and contractors, and commercial and public buildings.

Acorn Capital Partners provides corporate finance services to growing companies. Acorn Capital also advises on mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, regulatory compliance, and flotations on the PLUS and AIM stock markets. The firm has worked with companies in the business services, technology, communications, and real estate industries. Affiliate Acorn Fund Management offers three funds that invest in real estate (mainly in the European Union) to pension schemes and high-net-worth individuals. Acorn Capital Partners was co-founded by chief executive Ian Templeton and director Graham Norfolk.

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