REEL Hospitality operates three casual-dining restaurants in Vermont and Connecticut. Its dining operations include the bistro-flavored Sweetwaters and the Italian-themed Tuscan Kitchen, both in Burlington, Vermont. REEL Hospitality also operates the Dakota Steakhouse in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. The company was founded by Tony Perry as Perry Restaurant Group in 1963. Perry sold the business to a management group led by president David Melincoff in 1999.

Carlson Hotels Worldwide has a little R&R on its mind. One of the world's leading hotel franchisors, Carlson operates five lodging chains with more than 1,000 properties in more than 70 countries, including the upscale Radisson Hotel brand. The Radisson chain offers upscale amenities at more than 400 locations in about 70 countries. Carlson also owns the mid-market Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts chain, as well as the Park Inn economy brand. In addition, its Country Inn & Suites chain provides extended-stay service at more than 480 locations. And with a 42% stake, Carlson is the largest shareholder in The Rezidor Hotel Group. Carlson Hotels is a division of leisure conglomerate Carlson Companies.

Nathan’s Famous was founded by a Polish immigrant, Nathan Handwerker, and his is truly an authentic “only in America story.” He started his business in 1916 with a small hot dog stand in Coney Island, New York. He sold hot dogs that were manufactured based on a recipe developed by his wife, Ida. You might say patrons of this restaurateur are in the dog house. Nathan's Famous is a leading franchisor of quick-service restaurants with a chain of about 250 Nathan's outlets known for their all-beef frankfurters served with a variety of toppings. The eateries also serve hamburgers, French fries, and breakfast sandwiches. More than 50 Nathan's units also feature fish and chips under the Arthur Treacher's brand. In addition to restaurants, the company sells Nathan's branded products through 13,000 points of sale, including vending machines, Subway units at Wal-Mart stores, and Auntie Anne's pretzel shops. Specialty Foods Group makes Nathan's hot dogs for retail sale under a licensing deal.

This business hardly takes a carefree attitude towards roundball. Cavaliers Operating Company owns and operates the Cleveland Cavaliers professional basketball team and its home court, Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs joined the National Basketball Association in 1970 as part of an expansion that included the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers). While Cleveland has not yet earned an NBA championship, the franchise did reach the final round of the playoffs in 2007 (losing to the San Antonio Spurs). Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert has controlled the team since 2005; the family of original owner Gordon Gund continues to have a minority stake in the Cavs.

The Minnesota Vikings Football Club joined the National Football League in 1961 and won its only league championship in 1969; however, the team has been unsuccessful in four attempts to win the Super Bowl. Minnesota's roster has included such Hall of Fame players as Warren Moon, Alan Page, and Fran Tarkenton, as well as former head coach Bud Grant. Vikings fans cheer the trumpeting Gjallarhorn at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. The team has been owned since 2005 by a group headed by New Jersey real estate developer Zygmunt (Zygi) Wilf.

USA Track & Field (USATF) has its membership on the run -- and the discus, shot-put, decathlon, and javelin. The group is the governing body for track and field sports, long distance running, and race walking in the US. It has about 100,000 members and sanctions more than 4,000 events a year; member groups include the NCAA, Road Runners Club of America, and the National Federation of State High School Associations. The organization sets rules, promotes the sport, and selects the US track and field Olympic teams. Its nearly 60 associations direct 2,500 local clubs. USATF traces its heritage to the Amateur Athletic Union, founded in New York City in 1878.

Mrs. Sarah L. Winchester’s response to the deaths of her child and husband left a bizarre and impressive architectural reflection of her psyche. The fascinating story of the Winchester Mystery House™ has its roots in the personal tragedies suffered by Mrs. Winchester and in the legacy of the Winchester rifle, “The Gun That Won The West.” Winchester Mystery House™ is an extravagant maze of Victorian craftsmanship – marvelous, baffling, and eerily eccentric, to say the least. Tour guides must warn people not to stray from the group or they could be lost for hours! Countless questions come to mind as you wander through the mansion – such as, what was Mrs. Winchester thinking when she had a staircase built that descends seven steps and then rises eleven.

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.

The Illinois Department of the Lottery runs numbers games, including Pick 3 and Pick 4, and participates in the dozen-state Mega Millions game in which players can win jackpots starting at $12 million (odds of winning: 1 in 175 million). It also offers instant-win scratch-off games. Of the money collected from ticket sales, about 60% is paid in prizes and some 30% goes to the state's Common School Fund, which helps finance K-12 public education. The rest covers retailer commissions and expenses. The Illinois Lottery operates through more than 7,500 retail businesses. For every ticket sold, retailers receive a 5% commission.

You can rock hard, eat hard, buy merchandise hard, even sleep hard with Hard Rock Cafe International. The company operates the Hard Rock Cafe chain of theme restaurants, which serve up typical American fare, as well as rock-music memorabilia and plenty of Hard Rock-branded merchandise. The chain has more than 125 company-owned and franchised locations in more than 45 countries. The company also has about 10 branded hotels and hotel casinos operated by third-parties, as well as four concert venues in the US and Mexico. Its collection of rock n' roll memorabilia boasts more than 70,000 items. The Hard Rock chain is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

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