GameAccount has a booming business on account of the games people play. GameAccount Global Limited operates a network of Web sites, the GameAccount Network, which plays host to people who pay to play against each other in such skill-based games as backgammon, gin rummy, and poker. Players from more than 130 countries (with the exception of the US) participate in games on the network, which operates in 14 languages and 25 currencies. GameAccount takes a commission from the money players ante up; it also licenses its gaming software to other sites, such as Sportingbet and Gala Coral Group. GameAccount was founded in 2001 by David McDowell and Kevin O'Neal with backing from the Smurfit family of Smurfit Kappa Group fame.

HoJo no longer runs ice cream parlors, but it does offer sweet relief to tired travelers. Howard Johnson International is a leading franchisor of hotels with more than 490 Howard Johnson locations in the US, China, Mexico, and other international locations. In North America, the chain offers affordable lodging to families and budget-conscious business travelers along with such amenities as continental breakfast, in-room coffee makers, complimentary newspaper service, and free long distance access. While the domestic brand operates in the midscale and economy segments, the company's international locations include midscale and upscale hotels. Howard Johnson is a subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide.

Pinehurst,LLC owns and operates the famous Pinehurst Resort & Country Club located in North Carolina. Its eight golf courses include the famed No. 2 course designed by Donald Ross, which has hosted a number of tournaments including US Open. The property also offers tennis courts, a variety of spa services, and three resort hotels. Boston philanthropist James Walker Tufts founded Pinehurst Resort in 1895 as a health retreat. The Dedman family led by Robert Dedman, Jr., has owned the resort since 1984.

Evergreen Alliance Golf is driven to keep the greens green and the birdies flying. Doing business as Eagle Golf, the company manages more than 70 private and public US golf courses and country clubs. The course properties are located in more than a dozen states, including Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Colorado, and California. More than half of the properties that Eagle Golf manages are owned by CNL Income Properties, a subsidiary of CNL Financial Group. In addition to its golf-related management, Eagle Golf also manages an upscale 25,000 sq. ft. events center (LaCentre) located in Westlake, Ohio. Evergreen Alliance Golf Limited was founded in 1984.

Looking for red meat in the Carolinas? Claremont Restaurant Group (CSG) has just the place. The company operates about 25 casual dining restaurants under the Sagebrush Steakhouse banner in four states, mostly in North Carolina. The restaurants serve steak, seafood, and chicken entrees along with the usual assortment of starters and side dishes. Other CSG brands include Prime Sirloin Family Steakhouse, a buffet concept with locations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; and Western Steer Family Steakhouse. Industry veteran and CEO Jim Peterson owns the company. CSG entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2010.

Smith & Wollensky is America’s premier traditional steakhouse, committed to providing outstanding hospitality and delivering the best steaks that are U.S.D.A. Prime and dry-aged for tenderness and flavor. The Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group, Inc. take great pride in the quality of our food, and hand cut our steaks on premises, and make our own pastries, french fries, salad dressings and soups fresh daily. We offer an acclaimed wine list and our rich ambiance and personal waiter service provides our guests with truly memorable experiences. Our goal is to be the favorite steakhouse in each of our markets, and we recognize that our local managers and staff are the key to achieving this goal. The Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group, Inc. restaurants have received numerous local and national awards including The Wine Spectator’s “Grand Award of Excellence” and the Distinguished Restaurants of North America “Award of Excellence.”

Smart Industries thinks its wise to feed money into a machine in hopes of winning a stuffed bear or candy. Smart Industries Corporation makes a variety of coin-operated amusement games, photo booths, and vending machines including those frustratingly fun crane machines (the user maneuvers a claw in attempts to grab a stuffed animal or other prize). From what started as a traveling arcade business, Smart now sells to amusement parks, arcades, carnivals, supermarkets, and shopping malls. Smart Industries Corporation was founded in 1963 by CEO Gordon Smart and his son, president Jeff Smart.

You might say this company knows to stay out of the rough. American Golf Corporation (AGC) is one of the largest golf course management firms in the world with more than 110 public, private, and resort properties in more than 25 states. Its portfolio of courses includes such country clubs as The Golf Club at Mansion Ridge (Monroe, New York), Oakhurst Country Club (Clayton, California), and Palm Valley Country Club (Palm Desert, California). The company also runs the American Golf Foundation, which helps promote the game through charity and education. AGC is owned by investment firms Goldman Sachs and Starwood Capital.American Golf Corporation is the world's largest golf course management company. The company runs over 300 golf courses across the United States and in Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Its courses include municipal and public courses as well as private courses and country clubs. About half of American Golf's courses are owned by a sister company, National Golf Properties, Inc. National Golf Properties is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT). Both companies are chaired by David G. Price. Price also owns a substantial stake in both companies. American Golf has a charitable arm as well, the American Golf Foundation. This nonprofit group endeavors to promote the game of golf particularly among women, young people, and poor or disadvantaged families. Increasing the popularity and accessibility of the sport is one of the goals of American Golf Corporation.

Maybe for this company, down-home eating means home on the range. Formerly Metromedia Steakhouses, Homestyle Dining operates and franchises about 250 steak buffet restaurants under the names Ponderosa and Bonanza. The family-dining spots offer a variety of beef, chicken, seafood entrees along with an all-you-can-eat buffet of appetizers, sides, and dessert items. The restaurants operate in about two dozen states, mostly in the eastern half of the US; the company also has about 50 international locations. Homestyle Dining, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2009, is a subsidiary of Metromedia Company, a holding company controlled by billionaire John Kluge.

Corus hopes travelers will sing the praises of its mid-priced hotels. Corus Hotels (formerly Corus and Regal Hotels) owns about a dozen mid-market hotels in the UK. Corus also owns two hotels in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Port Dickson). Corus' UK hotels have an average of 102 bedrooms per hotel, while its Malaysian counterparts boast an average of 290 rooms per hotel. Virtually all hotel locations provide meeting facilities. The company was formed in 1993 and is owned by Malayan United Industries Berhad, a Malaysian diversified holding company with business interests in Asia, the UK, and the US.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.