Allied Building Products Corp. was founded in 1950 as a family-operated roofing and custom sheet metal fabrication business. Allied Building Products counts home builders and contractors as part of its circle of friends. Serving the commercial and residential construction markets, the company distributes exterior and interior building materials, including roofing, siding, drywall, and acoustical tile, from major manufacturers. Allied also markets products under its own Cutting Edge and Tri-Bilt brands. The firm operates about 180 branches in 30 states, and it maintains a fleet of more than 2,700 vehicles, including cranes and delivery trucks. Allied is a subsidiary of Oldcastle (itself a subsidiary of CRH).

They are in a Southern state of mind at Sutherland Lumber. Sutherland Lumber Company, L.P. operates about 60 Sutherlands lumber and home improvement stores in a dozen states, primarily in the southern and southwestern US. Stores sell an array of building products, including lumber, concrete, roofing and siding, paint, plumbing supplies, tools, hardware, and design packages for houses, sheds, garages, and decks. They also offer appliances, cabinets and doors, furniture, lighting, lawn and garden equipment, and materials for hobbies and crafts. Sutherland Lumber Company, L.P., which is owned and operated by the Sutherland family, was founded in 1917 to supply Oklahoma farmers with building materials.

Spinx Company has turned itself into a small convenience retailing powerhouse. It operates more than 75 convenience stores under the SPINX banner in North and South Carolina. SPINX locations offer gasoline and alternative fuels (including biodiesel and E85), packaged snacks, foodservice outlets, car washes, and DVD rental kiosks. The company also supplies gasoline to more than 60 area convenience stores. CEO Stewart Spinks founded The Spinx Company, which is still family owned and operated.

Carter-Jones knows when to yell "timber!" Carter-Jones Lumber company is the flagship store of building supplies retailer Carter Lumber. Its store has served the Akron, Ohio, area for more than 70 years, offering contractors and do-it-yourselfers a range of countertops, doors and windows, flooring, plumbing products, hand and power tools, and lumber, among other items. It sells Douglas fir, spruce, cedar, and redwood lumber; computerized kitchen designs; and fireplace mantels made to order. Brands include Moen, Delta, Jacuzzi, and Stanley Black & Decker. The Carter family, via parent Carter Lumber, owns Carter-Jones.

Foot Locker, Inc. operates as a retailer of athletic footwear and apparel. Foot Locker, Inc. operates in two segments, Athletic Stores and Direct-to-Customers. The Athletic Stores segment offers athletic footwear and apparel under various formats, including Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Footaction, and CCS. This segment offers footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories, as well as casual wear for various activities, including basketball, running, training, walking, toning, and fitness for young males, women, and children. The Direct-to-Customers segment, through its affiliates, sells athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, team licensed, and private-label merchandise through catalogs and Internet Websites. As of March 9, 2010, Foot Locker, Inc. operated 3,500 stores in North America, Europe, and Australia. It also franchises its Foot Locker stores in the Middle East and the Republic of Korea. As of January 30, 2010, the company had a total of 22 franchised stores. Foot Locker, Inc. was founded in 1879 and is based in New York, New York.

PriceSmart is wise in the ways of members-only club retailing. The retailer runs more than 25 membership stores under the PriceSmart name in about a dozen countries and one US territory in Central America and the Caribbean. It sells low-cost food, pharmacy, and basic consumer items. In each store, nearly half of the merchandise comes from the US, and the other half is sourced locally. In-store services include auto/tire centers, banking, and photo developing. PriceSmart stores are typically smaller than wholesale clubs in the US, averaging about 50,000-75,000 sq. ft., and the membership fees average about $25. PriceSmart was founded in 1976 by father-and-son team Sol and Robert Price.

T J Morris offers its customers top brands-- of nearly everything-- at bottom-basement prices to value-seeking shoppers in England and Wales. The company operates more than 140 Home Bargains and "halfpriceorless.com" outlets that sell discounted personal care and household products, such as health and beauty items, toys, and designer products. The chain has announced aggressive expansion plans to grow to and manage some 500 stores within the next five years. Managing Director Tom Morris founded the company more than three decades ago.

Park Group takes the last minute out of Christmas. The holiday gifts supplier lets customers place orders through its print and online catalogs and make payments throughout the year, avoiding large credit card bills. Customers can earn discounts, commissions, and bonuses by passing around catalogs and taking orders from friends and family. Park also offers corporate and consumer gift vouchers, which can be redeemed at about 20,000 stores in the UK. In addition to its retail businesses, the company operates Park Travel, a full-service travel agency, and Low Cost Cover, an insurance brokerage. Park was founded in 1967.

R.C. Willey Home Furnishings drives traffic by giving away some 600,000 hot dogs a year at about a dozen stores in California, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. Despite Sunday store closures and operations in only four states, R.C. Willey is one of the nation's largest furniture retailers. Its offerings include furniture (La-Z-Boy, Flexsteel), appliances (GE, Maytag), electronics (Sony, Panasonic), and flooring. The firm also sells mattresses (Serta, Spring Air, Simmons). In 1932 Rufus Call (R.C.) Willey sold appliances door-to-door; today the company he founded is run by his son-in-law, chairman Bill Child, and grandsons. Berkshire Hathaway purchased the company in 1995.

Great Harvest Franchising acquired Montana Mills from doughnut-maker Krispy Kreme in 2005. The six-store bakery chain in upstate New York was converted to Great Harvest locations in early 2006. Founded by Pete and Laura Wakeman in 1978, Great Harvest was sold in 2001 to a group of North Carolina investors, including Mike Ferretti, who became CEO.Great Harvest Franchising (dba Great Harvest Bread Company) helps entrepreneurs not only bake bread but earn it. The company franchises its name and baking techniques to more than 210 bakeries in some 40 US states. In exchange for sending 7% of their sales to Great Harvest, owners receive bread recipes, baking techniques, and advice about accounting and store design.

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