Richardson Sports owns and operates the Carolina Panthers professional football franchise, which joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1993 (along with the Jacksonville Jaguars). While still quite new to the league, the team reached its first NFC Championship berth just three years later and earned a trip to the Super Bowl at the end of the 2004 season. (Carolina's championship run ended with a loss to the New England Patriots.) Jerry Richardson, a former wide receiver for the Baltimore Colts (now the Indianapolis Colts), has controlled the Panthers since spearheading the franchise's formation.

The Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group is a multi-concept restaurant operator with foodservice locations mostly in the Houston area. Its portfolio of dining concepts is anchored by Cafe Express, a chain of fast casual restaurants that serve gourmet hamburgers and pasta dishes along with soups, salads, and sandwiches. The chain has more than 15 locations in and around Dallas and Houston. Other restaurant concepts include the upscale nightspot RDG + Bar Annie, Rio Ranch Steakhouse, and Taco Milagro Restaurant & Beach Bar. Schiller Del Grande also operates a contemporary, casual dining room called The Grove. Chef Robert Del Grande and partner Lonnie Schiller started the restaurant business in 1994.

One of the Original Six professional hockey franchises of the National Hockey League, the Chicago Blackhawks boast a long history that includes four Stanley Cup championships and a roster that has featured such Hall of Fame players as Phil and Tony Esposito, Bobby Hull, and Stan Mikita. The club won its most recent NHL championship title in 2010, breaking a drought that lasted 49 years, the longest in league history. Loyal fans support the team at Chicago's United Center. The Wirtz family has owned the Blackhawks franchise through their Wirtz Corporation since 1954.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates in cruise vacation industry in North America and internationally. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. owns five cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, and CDF Croisieres de France. The Royal Caribbean International brand serves the contemporary segments providing a range of onboard services, amenities, and activities. Its offerings principally include swimming pools, sun and lawn decks, spa facilities, beauty salons, bungee jumping trampolines, boxing rings, gaming facilities, lounges, bars, dining venues, hot glass shows, retail shopping, libraries, recreational areas for youth of various ages, cinemas, conference centers, Internet cafes, shore excursions at each port of call, ice skating rinks, and water park.

When Nord Brue and Mike Dressell started Bruegger's in 1983, they actually founded the retail bagel concept. Up until that point, bagels were considered mostly an ethnic food and were not known much outside of New York. At that time, less than one-third of Americans had ever tasted a bagel! From their home base in Burlington, Vermont, Brue and Dressell pioneered a new concept that expanded the traditional bagel bakery into a quick service bakery with premium specialty cream cheeses, custom-made sandwiches, signature soups and exceptional coffee. They worked with a professional bagel baker from New York City for 2 1/2 years to perfect their recipe and baking process.

Mrs. Fields helps fill the gaps between your three square meals. Mrs. Fields' Original Cookies is one of the largest premium snack-food stand franchisors in the US with about 400 of its flagship Mrs. Fields outlets. The franchised stores, mostly located in shopping malls, airports, and other high-traffic areas, specialize in brownies, cookies, and other baked goods. The company also runs a chain of 800 franchised TCBY frozen yogurt stands. In addition to its chains, Mrs. Fields sells gift items online and through catalogs, and it sells branded goods through other retail stores. Founder Debbi Fields opened her first cookie stand in 1977. Private equity firm Capricorn Management controls the company.

More than a few Chili's heat up this restaurant business. One of the world's largest casual dining companies, Brinker International operates and franchises about 1,500 Chili's Grill & Bar locations in about 30 countries. Trailing only Applebee's as the largest full-service restaurant chain, Chili's specializes in southwestern-style dishes with a menu featuring fajitas, margarita grilled chicken, and its popular baby back ribs. About 670 of the eateries are operated by franchisees, including more than 200 international locations. In addition to its flagship chain, Brinker operates Maggiano's Little Italy, a casual Italian chain with more than 40 units, and it owns a stake in Romano's Macaroni Grill.

The Toyota Center isn't the place to buy a new Prius, Camry, or 4Runner. It is Houston's $212 million arena that serves as the home to the NBA's Houston Rockets and the American Hockey League Houston Aeros. It also hosts concerts and other entertainment events. In addition all the usual seating options, The Toyota Center also offers amenities like an upscale bistro, luxury suites, concierge services, VIP parking, and other perks. Ledge Dining gives Rockets fans a seat along the rail on the lower suite level where they can dine on chef-prepared meals without missing any of the action on the court. The Houston Sports Authority of Harris County owns the facility, which opened in 2003.

Tatts Group is a leading lottery operator that runs games across the country through contracts with state governments. Under its Tatts Pokies brand, the company operates nearly 14,000 gaming machines at about 250 venues in Victoria. It also runs lotteries under the names Golden Casket, Maxgaming, and Tattersall's. Internationally, Tatts operates lotteries in Europe and South Africa. In addition to lotteries, the company offers wagering and fixed odds betting under the UNiTAB and CentreRacing banners and its Bytecraft Systems provides repairs, service, and management of gaming, lottery, retail, and banking equipment.

Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) operates the Central Hockey League (CHL), a development league with 16 teams located in Texas, Oklahoma, and a half dozen other states. Affiliated with the National Hockey League, the CHL serves as a proving ground for young players before they are called up through the ranks. Teams including the Arizona Sundogs (Prescott Valley), the Corpus Christi Rayz (Texas), and the Texas Brahmas (Fort Worth) compete each season for the Ray Miron President's Cup. Started in 1992, the CHL regulates franchise ownership and helps promote its teams. WPHL is a subsidiary of Global Entertainment Corporation.

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