The Dallas Stars professional hockey team represents the Big D in the National Hockey League, boasting one Stanley Cup championship in 1999. Dallas joined the ranks of the NHL in 1993 when then-owner Norm Green moved the team formerly known as the North Stars from Minnesota. Texas billionaire Tom Hicks has owned the Stars since 1995 and operates the team through his Hicks Sports Group (which also owns the Texas Rangers baseball team). Hicks is also a partner with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in Center Operating Company, which owns and operates Dallas' American Airlines Center.

Millie's Restaurant & Bakery operates more than a dozen casual-dining restaurants in Southern California. The chain specializes in comfort foods such as omelets, steaks, and burgers. Millie's locations also feature on-site bakeries that dish out pies and cakes. Founded in 1982 by R&M Foods and acquired by John Bifone in 2000, the chain is being sold to Custom Restaurant & Hospitality Group, a Southern California-based business targeting acquisitions in the foodservices sector. Bifone also owns Calabee's, an operator of Applebee's franchises; he previously served as president of family dining chain Country Kitchen.

If you really had two left feet, wouldn't you just keep dancing to the left? Arthur Murray International would prefer not to find out. Originally famous for its "footprints" method of dance instruction (foot outlines placed on the floor, a method it no longer uses), the company franchises about 225 studios in approximately 15 countries. Dance lessons range in skill from beginning to competition-level dancing, and students can learn a variety of steps, including swing, samba, merengue, rumba, cha-cha, mambo, tango, and waltz. Founder Arthur Murray began teaching dance in 1912; he formed the company in 1946. The company consists of approximately 275 franchised studios in eight countries including the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan, Italy, and South Africa. Former staff members who have worked their way up in the company own and operate the franchised studios. These owners typically began their careers with Arthur Murray as dance instructors, realized the opportunity of operating a studio, and reached executive level. Arthur Murray staff members were eligible to become franchisees within just a few years of beginning as teachers. Sales for Arthur Murray International during the late 1990s amounted to an estimated $50 million.

At Cornerstone Restaurant Group, it’s not just what goes on the table, but what goes on around it that really matters. Our unique restaurant concepts each deliver a resounding appetite for life. We understand that our guests want more than the average dining experience – more flavor, more connection, more value, more genuine hospitality, more discovery with every visit. These are the ingredients we bring to the table, every time. Each of our restaurants tells a tale of its own and you’ll discover that the real story always begins inside. Cornerstone Management & Consulting, Inc. restaurants bring the total dining experience into play. From our chefs to our servers we bring together passionate people who simply love what they do. While our commitment to the highest standards certainly yields the highest quality, our ability to turn simple meals into celebrations that reflect life and levity will leave you coming back for more.

Bally Total Fitness Holding is trying to work it out. The fitness center operator has about 270 facilities in the US that are used by more than 3 million active members. Its members have access to pools, aerobics classes, running tracks, and racquet courts, as well as personal trainers and sports medicine services. Bally Total Fitness also offers many online services to its members, including electronic payment and account management, as well as online fitness newsletter The Skinny. Bally Total Fitness has had its share of time in bankruptcy court, having filed Chapter 11 twice in nearly as many years. It most recently emerged from bankruptcy in 2009.

Nath Companies owns and operates a chain of about a dozen casual-dining restaurants in the Twin Cities area under the names Axel's and Axel's Bonfire. Its Axel's locations feature mostly steaks, seafood, and pasta, while Axel's Bonfire serves Southwestern-styled cuisine. The company also owns a small portfolio of family-dining restaurants franchised from Denny's, as well as three hotels in Minnesota and Tennessee. Other operations include property management, accounting and financial services, and payroll outsourcing. CEO Mahendra Nath and his wife, Asha, started the company in 1980 as a real estate firm.

These restaurants have some industrial strength menus for foodies. The Cheesecake Factory owns and operates about 150 casual-dining restaurants in 35 states that offer some 200 menu items ranging from sandwiches and salads to steaks and seafood. The highlight of the menu, of course, is cheesecake, which comes in about 40 varieties, including Chocolate Tuxedo Cream and Kahlua Cocoa Coffee. Each restaurant has a unique design, but all of them feature over-the-top opulence and Las Vegas-style glitz. In addition to its flagship concept, the company has more than a dozen upscale Grand Lux Cafes that offer a similar menu. The Cheesecake Factory also sells desserts to grocery stores and foodservice operators.

San Francisco Forty Niners owns and operates the San Francisco 49ers professional football team, which boasts five Super Bowl championships (a mark it shares with the Dallas Cowboys). The franchise was started in 1946 as part of the All-American Football Conference (AAFC) and joined the National Football League in 1950. Its burst of championship glory came in the 1980s and 1990s with the help of such stars as Joe Montana and Steve Young. The team was started by brothers Anthony and Victor Morabito; it is owned by Denise DeBartolo York through her family's DeBartolo Corporation.

Marriott Vacation Club International operates about 50 time-share resort properties with one-, two-, and three bedroom villas in prime vacation destinations in the US and about five other countries. The villas are jointly owned by more than 390,000 people who have exclusive use of the properties for limited periods of time. Owners can also trade their intervals for time at other Marriott Vacation Club resorts, or for other rewards programs. A division of hotel giant Marriott International, many of the resorts are located near Marriott hotels.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH) is one of the largest and most successful lodging companies in the world. Choice currently franchises more than 6,000 hotels, representing more than 485,000 rooms, in the United States and more than 35 countries and territories. Ranging from limited service to full service hotels in the economy, mid-scale and upscale segments, Choice-branded properties provide business and leisure travelers with a range of high-quality, high-value lodging options throughout the United States and internationally.

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