Don't look for pancakes at this house, because it doesn't serve 'em. Waffle House is the #2 family-style restaurant chain (behind Denny's) with more than 1,500 diners in about two dozen states, mostly in the South. The eateries are popular for eggs, grits, and waffles, as well as their famous "scattered, smothered, and covered" hash browns. In addition to day starters, the menu features T-bone steaks, cheeseburgers, and sandwiches for lunch and dinner. Invoking the 1950s-style diner, Waffle House units are typically free standing and open 24 hours a day. About half the locations are franchised. Joe Rogers Sr., father of CEO Joe Rogers Jr., started the family-owned business with partner Tom Forkner in 1955.

The Kansas City Royals Baseball Corporation owns and operates the Kansas City Royals professional baseball franchise. An expansion team originally bankrolled by Ewing Kauffman, the Royals joined Major League Baseball in 1969 and finished first in its division six times in 15 years with the help of Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett. The franchise boasts two American League pennants and one World Series championship in 1985. The team plays host at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium. David Glass, who formerly served as CEO of Wal-Mart, has owned the Royals since 2000.

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.

Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) makes more than a few silver dollars. Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation owns and operates (or co-owns), more than 20 amusement parks in about 10 states. Properties include Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri; Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta (in conjunction with the state of Georgia); and Tennessee's Dollywood, in partnership with country singer Dolly Parton. It also owns the Ride the Ducks amphibious tours in a handful of cities, including Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Seattle. The firm touts that it offers family entertainment "with Christian values and ethics". HFE was founded in 1950 by Hugo and Mary Herschend to manage the Marvel Cave in the Ozarks, a tourist attraction that opened in 1894.

The Continental Basketball Association is the grand daddy of pro hoops worldwide. The CBA, founded in 1946, is the oldest professional basketball league in the world, predating the NBA by just a few months. Considered minor league play, the CBA fields ten teams, located primarily in the Midwestern US with names like the Albany (New York) Patroons, Atlanta Krunk, and the Minot (North Dakota) Skyrockets. Most CBA players try to use the league as a launching pad into the NBA, about 600 have succeeded. It also serves as the training ground for officials and coaches who want to make the jump to the big leagues.

Sun International Limited company operates about a dozen casinos and some 10 resort-style hotels in South Africa. Flagship resort complex Sun City boasts four hotels, two golf courses, and a water park. (Sun City is also the location of the 2002 signing of the Sun City Agreement, a treaty ending the Second Congo War.) The company has additional properties in Egypt, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Sun International is South Africa's largest casino operator, with nearly half of the market share, and its hotels have a total of 3,500 rooms. Sun International Limited was founded by Sol Kerzner, the head of Kerzner International.

Cirque du Soleil ("Circus of the Sun") is probably the only organization where you can get away with calling the founder a clown. The group has turned the circus on its ear, blending street entertainment, eccentric costumes, and cabaret. Among its nearly 20 current productions presented across the globe are "O" (an aquatic show in Las Vegas at MGM Resorts International's Bellagio); Love, a Las Vegas show featuring music of the Beatles (with support from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and from the widows of George Harrison and John Lennon); and touring shows Quidam and Alegría. Accordionist, stiltwalker, and fire-eater Guy Laliberté co-founded Cirque du Soleil in 1984; he is the company's majority owner.

Westmont Hospitality Group was founded in 1975. What started with a single hotel in North America, has grown to become one of the largest privately-held hospitality organizations in the world. Throughout the years, Westmont has had an ownership interest in and operated over 1,100 hotels. Currently this stands at over 500 hotels across three continents. Westmont has formed strategic alliances with many of the world's largest hotel brands. These include Fairmont, InterContinental Hotels Group, Hilton, Accor, Starwood, Wyndham, Choice Hotels, Renaissance, Radisson and Best Western. The company is one of the largest franchisees and co-owners of IHG hotels and Hilton hotels worldwide. Westmont has a very diversified portfolio ranging from budget and aparthotels to mid-market business and large conference hotels to boutique hotels and luxury resorts.

Winter Sports company operates the Whitefish Mountain Resort (formerly Big Mountain) near Glacier National Park in Montana, offering outdoor enthusiasts miles of ski slopes and trails. It includes about a dozen ski lifts serving more than 3,000 acres of land, more than 2,500 acres of which are leased from the U.S. Forest Service under a special permit. Whitefish Mountain also features ski rental and retail shops, lodging, and a skiing school. The ski area, open from November to April, offers visitors shopping, snowmobile riding, sleigh rides, and other activities. Summer guests can hike, sightsee, mountain bike, and go horseback riding.

Sporting Index Ltd. specializes in sports spread betting, where bettors wager on the margin of victory or the final score in a sporting contest, and dominates that betting market in the UK. Bets can be placed on the Internet, on mobile phones, and over satellite TV services. Sporting Index was founded in 1992 and plans on expanding its markets to include Australia, South Africa, and US in the future. Private investor HgCapital bought Sporting Index in late 2005.

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