Noble Investment Group was founded in 1979 by former chairman Dr. Bharat Shah. (Shah retired in 2005.) Noble Investment Group holds its head high when walking through a hotel lobby. Noble Investment Group company owns or manages more than 30 upscale hotels under the Starwood, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott brands. Another sector of the Noble operation is its development arm, Noble Development Group, which develops hotels, convention centers, conference centers, and resorts; it also acquires existing hotel properties. In addition, the firm manages several golf courses and restaurants.

The Matt Prentice Restaurant Group began in 1980 with a dream and a deli. Twenty-year-old Matthew Prentice took over a shuttered sandwich shop in Oak Park, MI, tossed his last $200 into the till and opened the very first Deli Unique serving entrees like Beef Wellington and Flaming Duck at Deli prices. Expanding and exploring, MPRG has continued to introduce fresh concepts from its newest eclectic steakhouse, Coach Insignia to the whimsy and value of Tavern on 13. By the summer of 2004, MPRG operated 26 venues including 12 restaurants, an 11,000 square-foot artisan bakery, and a host of banquet sites. Today, MPRG continues to operate 10 restaurants, 1 artisan bakery and several banquet facilities.

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.

What's more all American than a buff body? All American Fitness Centers operates a chain of more than a dozen fitness and health facilities in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma areas. The centers offer the standard weight, walking, and cycling machines, as well as fitness classes. It also offers personal trainers who wrap everything into the company's Six Dimensional Training system, which includes nutritional guidance, cardio training, flexibility, core strength, resistance training, and professional guidance. Some locations have pools, spas, tanning booths, saunas, and child care.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, also known as The Kennedy Center, traces its roots to 1958 when president Dwight Eisenhower signed the National Cultural Center Act calling for a privately funded venture featuring a variety of classic and contemporary programming with an educational focus. The center was a pet project and fund raiser beneficiary of president Kennedy; it was named as a living memorial to him after his death. Located on 17 acres overlooking the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., the center opened in 1971 and presents some 2,000 events a year including musicals, dance performances, and jazz and orchestral concerts. It also produces TV programming, workshops, and lectures.

Novus Leisure operates about 40 upscale nightspots in London and nine other cities in the UK. The company's flagship chain of bars, Tiger Tiger, has about 10 locations offering drinks, dancing, and food. Its other concepts, such as Strawberry Moons, Sugar Reef, and Zoo Bar, each offer a unique atmosphere for young adults out on the town. Spun off from intellectual property firm Chorion in 2002, the company was acquired by private equity firm Electra Partners in 2005.

Heart of America Management, which does business as Heart of America Restaurants & Inns, operates more than 15 casual-dining restaurants in five Midwestern states. Its flagship concepts include The Machine Shed, Johnny's Italian Steakhouse, and Thunder Bay Grille. The company also operates The Checkered Flag Bar and Grille and Gramma's Kitchen. In addition to its eateries, the company operates about a dozen hotels in Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City; Milwaukee; and St. Paul, Minnesota. Its lodging portfolio includes Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn, and Radisson branded locations. CEO Mike Whalen opened the first Machine Shed restaurant in 1978.

Amy's outlandish ice-cream scoopers (staff members sport unusual piercings or funky hats and are encouraged to put on a show) dish out ice cream from a rotating list of some 300 flavors, including Guinness and Shiner Bock (that's right, beer). Smoothies, malts, shakes, and other treats are all made from the rich butterfat ice cream. Amy's Ice Creams, Inc. operates more than a dozen stores in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. Amy's also caters and has wholesale operations. Its ice cream is available at dozens of Austin and Houston eateries. Owner and CEO Amy Simmons founded Amy's Ice Creams in 1984.

Breakfast is served all day in this kitchen. Kitchen Investment Group, which does business as Country Kitchen International, operates and franchises about 90 Country Kitchen family dining restaurants in more than 20 states. The chain, found mostly in the Midwest, is popular for its breakfast menu, which is served all day. Country Kitchen locations also offer lunch and dinner options such as sandwiches, soups, pork chops, and steak. The company co-brands many of its locations with French bread pizza maker Breadeaux Pizza. Kentucky native Bill Johnson opened the first Country Kitchen in Cincinnati in 1939. CEO (and former top franchisee) Charles Meyers acquired the chain from Carlson Companies in 1997.

Exclusive Resorts owns nearly 400 luxury vacation homes in about 50 locations worldwide divided into Beach (Hawaii, Costa Rica, France), Mountain (France, Canada, US), Metropolitan (San Francisco, London, Paris), and Leisure categories. Leisure locations include golf resorts in the US, an English castle, and a Tuscan villa. Exclusive Resorts company also has a "Once in a Lifetime" category that offers members-only vacations to locations such as Peru's Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. Exclusive Resorts has more than 3,200 dues-paying members who pay from $160,000 to $500,000 enrollment and between $9,995 and $59,700 per year to stay from 10 to 60 days in one of the spots.

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