La Quinta...Spanish for "Next to Denny's?" LQ Management is owner of the La Quinta (which is Spanish for the villa) hotel brand. The company has hotels throughout the US (about 45 states), Canada, and Mexico under the La Quinta Inns and La Quinta Inn & Suites brands. LQ Management franchises the majority of its properties. The growing company has more than 750 hotels, which encompass some 65,000 guest rooms; in addition, it has some 250 properties in the development pipeline. La Quinta hotels operate in the limited service, midscale segment. It targets a mix of corporate and leisure travelers. LQ Management is owned by investment firm The Blackstone Group.

Associated Hotels, LLC is an organization with its roots based in hotel ownership. Chicago based Associated was formed in 2006 as the successor company to Seymour N. Logan Associates, a long standing private hotel and real estate company. Managing assets on behalf of individual investors provided the principals of Associated Hotels with entrepreneurial attitude that inspires vision, innovation and creativity and at the same time demands fiscal discipline and measures results. It is this operational philosophy that Associated believes is the formula for a successful hotel investment and Associated Hotels, LLC has the track record and relationships that prove it. Associated possesses all the capabilities expected from a first-class hospitality company – an experienced staff, comprehensive operations, up-to-date information systems, effective marketing, food and beverage services and aggressive renovation and construction skills. The difference, however, is Associated Hotels’ outstanding ability to recognize where, when, and how these “tools” can be used to yield the greatest short and long-term benefits.

The Phillies, otherwise known as the Philadelphia Phillies, is one of the least successful of the original Major League Baseball franchises, posting just seven National League pennants (including back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009) and two World Series titles since its founding in 1883. The team earned its first championship in 1980 with the help of Hall of Fame players Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton, its second came in 2008. Despite the team's history, the Phillies boast a loyal following among Philadelphia baseball fans at Citizens Bank Park. One of six partners, chairman Bill Giles owns a controlling interest in the baseball franchise.

Tropical Smoothie Franchise Development operates a chain of more than 280 franchised fruit snack outlets in Florida and more than 30 other states. The chain specializes in real fruit smoothies, including low-fat, dessert, and power varieties; its menu includes such items as Blimey Limey, Mocha Madness, Blue Lagoon, and Get Up and Goji. Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations also offer salads, soups, wraps, and sandwiches, as well as breakfast items. In addition, many locations provide catering services. Eric Jenrich and his wife Delora opened the first Tropical Smoothie Cafe in 1993.

Pacers Basketball, which does business as Pacers Sports & Entertainment, owns and operates the Indiana Pacers professional basketball franchise of the National Basketball Association along with Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse, the team's home arena. The franchise was formed in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association by a group of investors that included Richard Tinkman (who also helped found the ABA) and joined the NBA in 1976. Indiana has made just one appearance in the NBA Finals. The sports franchise is owned by shopping-center magnate Herbert Simon, who purchased the Pacers with his brother Melvin in 1983. Melvin Simon died in 2009.

Some of these restaurants specialize in international flavors while others feed international travelers. The Restaurant Group (TRG) is a leading operator of casual and quick-service dining spots in the UK with more than 350 locations around the country. Its flagship brands include Frankie & Benny's, offering American and Italian cuisines, and Chiquito, featuring Mexican food and Tex-Mex favorites. It also has a cache of pubs such as Blubeckers and Brunning & Price. TRG's concessions unit, with such brands as Est Bar Est and Metro Cafe-Bar, has about 50 locations serving airports and retail areas, including London's Heathrow Airport and the Trafford Centre retail and entertainment complex in Manchester.

This company caters to many tastes with a varied menu of dining and drinking options. Ala Carte Entertainment (ACE) operates more than 20 nightspots in the Chicago area, including such popular night clubs as The Apartment and Excalibur. It also has several pub establishments, including The Celtic Crown and The Full Shilling in Wrigleyville, the area neighboring Wrigley Park. ACE's portfolio of restaurants includes Chandler's Chophouse and Moretti's Ristorante and Pizzeria. In addition to drinks and eats, ACE also provides catering services through several of its restaurants. Owner and company president Fred Hoffman started his dining empire in the early 1970s when he opened the Snuggery singles bar.

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.

The San Jose Sharks professional hockey franchise represents the San Francisco Bay Area in the National Hockey League, having joined as an expansion team in 1991. Despite some success in reaching the playoffs the past several years, fans are still waiting for an appearance in the Stanley Cup finals. The team plays host at HP Pavilion, affectionately known as "The Shark Tank." George and Gordon Gund, former owners of the Cleveland Cavaliers, were originally awarded the NHL franchise; Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, an investment group led by veteran sports executive Greg Jamison, has owned the team since 2002.

Marston's PLC is the UK's leading independent brewing and pub retailing business. It operates five breweries - Banks's brewery in Wolverhampton, Marston's brewery at Burton on Trent, Jennings brewery at Cockermouth in the Lake District, Ringwood Brewery in Hampshire and Wychwood brewery at Witney in Oxfordshire. Our pub estate totals 2,167 pubs - 1,676 tenancies within Marston's Pub Company and 491 directly managed by Marston's Inns & Taverns. We brew some of the UK's leading ale brands including Marston's, Banks's, Brakspear, Jennings, Hobgoblin, Mansfield and Ringwood.Our award-winning ales collected five international brewing medals at the Millennium International Brewing Awards.

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