Rip Griffin Truck Service Center tries to make sure you never go hungry again (in Scarlett O'Hara's words), at least when you're driving on the highways of North Texas. Rip Griffin's network of about 10 travel centers offers truckers, tour buses, and other travelers a smorgasbord of features, such as convenience stores, fuel, game rooms, laundry facilities, restaurants, and showers. Locations also offer truck maintenance and repair services. In addition to its travel center business, Rip Griffin sells Freightliner trucks through two Texas dealerships and provides fuel transportation services. In 2004 CEO Rip Griffin sold the company to Ohio-based TravelCenters of America.

Kum & Go brings convenience to America's heartland. The company's 460-plus stores in about a dozen states throughout the Midwest offer beer, cigarettes, fountain drinks, coffee, snacks, and other items craved by late night shoppers and daytime commuters alike. Kum & Go also sells gasoline at most of its convenience stores and even offers an ethanol blend (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) at several locations in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and South Dakota. Corporate customers can take advantage of Kum & Go's fleet fueling service. Kum & Go, founded in 1959 by W.A. Krause & Tony Gentle, is the nation's third-largest private owner and operator of convenience stores. The company gives 10% of annual profits to charity.

Meijer (pronounced "Meyer") is a giant of retailing in the Midwest. The company's huge grocery and general merchandise stores average 200,000 to 250,000 sq. ft. each (or about the size of four regular grocery stores) and stock about 120,000 items, including Meijer private-label products. Meijer operates about 195 locations; about half are in Michigan, while the rest are in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. Customers can choose from 40-plus departments, including apparel, electronics, hardware, and toys. Most stores also sell gasoline, offer banking services, and have multiple in-store restaurants. Founder Hendrik Meijer opened his first store in 1934; the business is still family owned and run.

TBC Corporation is the nation's largest vertically integrated marketer of tires for the automotive replacement market. The Company's retail operations include Company-operated tire and automotive service centers under the " Tire Kingdom", "Merchant's Tire & Auto Centers", and "National Tire & Battery" brands, and franchised stores under the "Big O Tires" brand. TBC markets on a wholesale basis to regional tire chains and distributors serving independent tire dealers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Through its Carroll Tire wholesale distribution centers, the Company also markets directly to independent tire dealers across the United States. Carroll Tire Company sells a wide variety of proprietary and national brands from 38 distribution centers.TBC markets and sells nine proprietary brands of tires through North America. The Multi-Mile, Cordovan, Sigma, Vanderbilt, Sumitomo, Eldorado, Laramie, Telstar, and Jetzon brands are produced by nationally recognized manufacturers and have a reputation for quality, safety, and value. These brands are distributed through TBC Private Brands and Treadways to independent retailers and wholesalers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In 2005, TBC Corporation was purchased by Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA). SCOA is the largest subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation (SC), one of Japan's major integrated trading and investment business enterprises. TBC Corporation still functions as an independent company of SCOA providing the same services and products it has for many years, but has ended its 22-year stint as a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ.

Savers depends on thrifty people to make its business a financial success. The resale giant is the largest for-profit thrift store chain in North America. It operates about 225 Savers, Value Village, and Village des Valeurs (in Quebec) stores in more than 20 US states, 10 Canadian provinces, and Australia. The company's retail outlets sell everything from designer and vintage clothing to unique home decor, electronics, hardcover and paperback books, and toys. Savers also partners with 120 charity offices. Founded in 1954 as Salvage Management Corp., Savers is owned by the private equity firm Freeman Spogli & Co.

American Sale is a family-run casual furniture retailer. The company sells outdoor furniture, pool and spa products, hot tubs, home tanning systems, barbecue grills, tableware, gaming tables, and seasonal items. American Sale Corporation has about a half dozen stores throughout the Chicago suburbs and in Indiana, including an outlet store at the company's headquarters and distribution center. If customers cannot make it into a store, they can buy products on from the company's Web site. Owner and CEO Robert Jones selects many of the items the store adds to its inventory.

Luckily, Ace has John Madden up its sleeve. Despite the growth of warehouse-style competitors, Ace Hardware has remained a household name, thanks to ads featuring Madden, a former Oakland Raiders football coach and retired TV commentator. By sales the company is the #1 hardware cooperative in the US, ahead of Do It Best. Ace dealer-owners operate about 4,500 Ace Hardware stores, home centers, and lumber and building materials locations in all 50 US states and more than 60 other countries. From about 15 warehouses Ace distributes such products as electrical and plumbing supplies, garden equipment, hand tools, housewares, and power tools. Its paint division is also a major paint manufacturer in the US.

Adams Fairacre Farms was founded in 1919 by Ralph Adams Sr. as a roadside produce stand where the Adams family sold the excess from its 50-acre farm. The company added other items as customers requested them. Descendants of Adams, including some third generation members, own and run the family business. From seeds to seafood and fertilizer to fencing, Adams Fairacre Farms has a few things covered. The company's three locations in New York's Hudson River Valley offer groceries, including fresh produce, power equipment (John Deere tractors and mowers, chippers, chain saws), fencing supplies, landscaping materials, and gifts and gardening supplies (plants, seeds, soil, pest control).

Established in 1999, the privately-owned company is headed by Dan Williams. Internet retailer Toolbarn.com has the power to supply tools and tool accessories anywhere they're needed. Toolbarn.com, (which is the main operating company of Tighton Tools & Fasteners, Inc.) sells a variety of power and hand tools and accessories to home owners, contractors, and construction companies. The company provides everything from nails to jackhammers made by major tool and specialty tool manufactures the likes of DeWalt and Makita. Toolbarn.com also offers repair services and operates Toolpartsdirect.com, a separate Web site dedicated to selling parts for tools.

As a family owned and operated local business, Douglas Lumber is able to compete with national chain stores on the strength of quality products, top notch service and through our membership in a multi-billion dollar buying group which allows us to buy products as well or better than our competitors. Our 100,000 square foot facility located on a 15 acre lot in Smithfield, Rhode Island makes us one of the largest independent lumber yards in the Northeast. Douglas Lumber, Kitchens and Home Center features a large fleet of delivery trucks which deliver material throughout New England. Our state of the art kitchen design center features 18 fully assembled kitchen displays as well as a free estimating and design service which utilizes a CAD program that will allow you to see a computerized layout of the kitchen of your dreams. Our newly renovated flooring department offers hardwood, carpet, tile, VCT and laminate flooring from major national brands and best of all, we install every flooring product we sell! All of our departments are staffed with experienced and knowledgeable salespeople who are always ready to assist you. Our outside sales staff will even assist you on site.

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