Hicks Sports Group Holdings is the holding company formed by Texas billionaire Thomas Hicks to oversee his interests in the Texas Rangers professional baseball team (which it is selling) and the Dallas Stars hockey team. The company also owns a 50% stake in Center Operating Company, a joint venture with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban that runs the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Other interests include a chain of ice-skating rinks operating under the Dr. Pepper StarCenter name, real estate developments, and Hicks Sports Marketing.

The Mirage Casino-Hotel imagines itself an oasis in the desert of Las Vegas. Part of the MGM Resorts International (formerly MGM MIRAGE) family of about a half dozen Vegas resorts, The Mirage offers guests more than 3,000 rooms and 100,000 square feet of gambling space along with a spa, over a dozen restaurants, shops, and a handful of attractions including the famed Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and the Kim V Salon. The $630 million Mirage Casino-Hotel had its grand opening in 1989. Parent MGM Resorts is controlled by founder Kirk Kerkorian.

Rogers Blue Jays Baseball Partnership owns and operates the Toronto Blue Jays professional baseball franchise, which joined Major League Baseball as an expansion team in 1977. The Blue Jays rose to the championship ranks in the early 1990s, winning back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. The club plays host at Toronto's Rogers Centre. Rogers Communications, Canada's largest telecommunications and cable television company, has controlled the Toronto baseball team since 2000.

Restaurants-America Consulting Group is a multi-concept restaurant operator with about 20 locations encompassing half a dozen dining brands. Its primary concepts include Red Star Tavern, a contemporary grill featuring upscale burgers, sandwiches, and cocktails, and The Grillroom Chophouse & Winebar, a modern take on the steakhouse. Other bar and restaurants brands include Bluepoint, One North, Primebar, and Townhouse. Restaurants-America Consulting Group, Inc. has restaurants more than half a dozen states, mostly in Illinois and Florida. Partners Roger Greenfield and Ted Kasemir started developing restaurants together in 1990. In 2010 Restaurants-America Consulting Group sold its flagship Bar Louie chain to Sun Capital.

Formed in 2002, Tragus is one of the UK's largest independently owned restaurant chain operators with over 280 sites across the country serving over 20 million meals every year. Our exciting portfolio of leading brands are operated as four divisions - Café Rouge, Strada, Bella Italia, and the Brasseries - with offerings ranging from inspired pizza and pasta to delicious French classics. Tragus is backed by The Blackstone Group, a global private investment and advisory firm, founded in 1985. The firm has raised a total of more then $67 billion for alternative asset investing since its formation of which approximately $30 billion has been for private equity investing. The Private Equity Group is currently investing its fifth general private equity fund with commitments of $15.6 billion, and has over 60 experienced professionals with broad sector expertise. Blackstone’s other core businesses include Private Real Estate Investing, Corporate Debt Investing, Hedge Funds, Mutual Fund Management, Private Placement, Marketable Alternative Asset Management, and Investment Banking Advisory Services.

You might say this restaurant company has doubled down on the beef. Wendy's/Arby's Group is one of the largest fast-food companies in the world with more than 10,200 locations encompassing its two brands, Wendy's and Arby's. The #3 hamburger chain behind McDonald's and Burger King, Wendy's oversees more than 6,500 restaurants in the US and about 20 other countries. Arby's, with more than 3,700 eateries specializing in roast beef sandwiches, trails only Subway and Quiznos as one of the largest sandwich outlets. About three-fourths of Wendy's/Arby's restaurants are franchised. Chairman Nelson Peltz and vice chairman Peter May together own more than 20% of the company through investment firm Trian Partners.

Chairman and CEO David Siegel founded Central Florida Investments, Inc. in 1970. CFI subsidiary Westgate Resorts operates about 30 timeshare resorts in more than 10 states. In addition to Westgate Resorts, CFI owns or has interests in magazines (I Love Orlando, I Love Vacations), real estate (Westgate Plaza Center retail space in Las Vegas), health spas (Papillon Spas), and restaurants (Westgate Smokehouse Grill).

The not-for-profit zoo occupies 55-acres in Hermann Park at the heart of Houston's cultural district. It is home to more than 4,500 animals from about 800 species and hosts about 1.5 million visitors per year. Facilities include the McGovern Children's Zoo, Kipp Aquarium, the tropical bird house, Texas Wetlands, and the Wildlife Carousel. The zoo participates in programs that oversee the breeding of more than 40 endangered animal species. Several of its facilities may be reserved for private functions and private tours are offered "behind the scenes." The Houston Zoo was founded in 1922 to house a bison donated by the US government.

Bruster’s was founded in 1989 by a man whose passion for extraordinary ice cream and stellar customer service runs deep. Born into the restaurant business, Bruce Reed opened his first Bruster’s in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania, after perfecting his recipe for rich, creamy homemade ice cream. People came from miles around to enjoy the skillfully prepared desserts that Bruce created right in that first store. It got to where he had to expand to keep up with the growing demand for his ice creams. Before long, Bruster’s became one of the fastest expanding ice cream stores in the country and Bruce regretfully all but stopped wearing his apron to work.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was founded in 1969. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a hotel and leisure company worldwide. The company primarily operates luxury and upscale full service hotels, retreats, and residences. It also engages in the development, ownership, and operation of vacation ownership resorts; marketing and selling vacation ownership interests in the resorts; and provision of financing to customers who purchase such interests. In addition, the company develops, markets, and sells residential units at mixed use hotel projects. As of December 31, 2009, its hotel portfolio included 979 owned, leased, managed, and franchised hotels with approximately 292,000 rooms. The company also had 22 vacation ownership resorts and residential properties in the United States, Mexico, and the Bahamas. It operates hotels and resorts under various brand names comprising St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Meridien, Sheraton, Four Points, aloft, and Element.

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