First Supply has been owned and operated by the Poehling family since it was founded in 1897. Why bother with the second or third, when you can buy through First Supply? With about 25 locations in the upper Midwest, First Supply distributes a large inventory of building, fluid-handling, heating and cooling, plumbing, refrigeration, and waterworks supplies to industrial customers and contractors. Several of the locations feature Gerhards Showrooms, which display kitchen and bath wares from manufacturers such as Delta, Kohler, Moen, and Jacuzzi. First Supply LLC also provides such services as pipe and hydraulic-hose fabrication and valve actuation.

Dunnes Stores has been losing market share to foreign competitors in recent years and is under increasing pressure to cut prices as the Irish economy swoons. Frank Dunne, son of the late founder Ben Dunne, runs the company.The Irish aren't done shopping until they've shopped Dunnes Stores. The largest Irish-owned supermarket and the Second supermarket operator there (behind Tesco), Dunnes Stores offers brand-name and its own St. Bernard-brand grocery items; housewares for every room; and clothing for men, women, and children in about 150 stores in Ireland, the UK, and Spain. Ireland's largest family-owned business.

Locke Supply Co. was founded in 1955 by Don and Wanda Locke. After Don's death in 2000, the company's employees purchased Locke Supply from the family. Locke Supply has a lock on the HVAC business in Oklahoma City. Through about 160 locations in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, the company distributes air-conditioning, heating, plumbing, electrical supplies, and tools. It also sells whirlpool baths and refrigeration equipment. Locke Supply's 300,000-square-foot distribution center holds brands like DeWalt, Bradford White, Eljer, and Armstrong Air.

William Sinclair Holdings took hold in UK gardens more than 120 years ago when it was founded by William Sinclair. The company makes gardening products for commercial and home use, exfoliated vermiculite, and expanded perlite (products that are used in different forms of insulation). Brands include J Arthur Bower's, Silvaperl, and New Horizon. The firm exports horticultural products to more than 50 countries. Over the last few years, the company has pared down its operations and is focusing on innovating recycled green products for both industrial and horticultural clients. Its products are sold through wholesalers, catalogs, and the company's Web site.

Hoopers is running circles around its competition. Founded in 1982, the company is a retail store operator with five UK-based department stores nationwide (Harrogate, Torquay, Tunbridge Wells, Wilmslow, Carlisle), as well as three menswear stores. The company specializes in designer and branded fashion. Its departments include womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, cosmetics, gifts, cookware and glassware, and furniture and linens. Hoopers is a partial owner of department store chain Beale through its Lawdene investing subsidiary. The company is owned by father and son team David and Richard Thompson.

The late Fred Habegger, Sr., founded the company in 1952 after buying a Bryant distribution office in Cincinnati. His family, including Fred Jr. (chairman) and daughter Sue Frey (CFO), still owns Habegger. The founder's other sons, Jim and Tom Habegger, are also involved in the business. Habegger keeps the heat down for Buckeye, Hoosier, and Wildcat fans. Operating some 20 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Ohio, the company distributes residential and commercial heating and air conditioning equipment, parts, and supplies. Habegger counts Bryant, Carlyle, Carrier, Payne, Reznor, and Totaline among the brands it carries.

rawshaw Group was formed in April 2008 by the reverse takeover of Felix Group, a former UK business that specialized in sales programs and promotions. In May 2009 company finance director Andrew Richardson resigned and Lynda Sherratt, from Felix Group, replaced him.Crawshaw Group (formerly Felix Group) operates almost 15 retail outlets in the UK that mainly focus on selling meat. Doing business as Crawshaw Butchers, the company also owns two processing and distribution centers in Grimsby and Rotherham. Its retail outlets are spread throughout Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Humberside

Orchard Brands is a regular garden grove of catalogs and e-commerce sites. The direct-to-consumer retailer owns a growing portfolio of more than 15 brands that target the 55+ senior demographic. Its titles offer apparel, accessories, and shoes, as well as home and garden and health products. With its acquisition of Linen Source and Crosstown Traders, Orchard Brands now reports more than $1.1 billion in revenue through its catalogs, e-commerce sites, and Appleseed's retail stores in New England and Draper's & Damon's in half a dozen states. Orchard Brands is a unit of the private equity firm Golden Gate Capital (GGC) the parent company of Eddie Bauer and Herbalife. GGC put Orchard Brands up for sale in 2010.

The HomeForm Group (formerly Limelight Group) is a designer and installer of fully-fitted home kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Brands include Möben, Kitchens Direct, Sharps Bedrooms, and Dolphin Bathrooms; each division sells home improvement products and furnishings specifically for particular rooms of the home. The company is gradually converting its stores to a multi-branded format; it currently operates about 160 showrooms around the UK. In 2000 the company was taken private following a management buyout. US private equity firm Sun Capital Partners acquired the business in 2007.

Mingledorff's, Inc., is a wholesale distributor specializing in equipment and parts for heating, ventilating and air conditioning. It is a total support organization dedicated to meeting the overall needs of the HVAC industry. The company has been a distributor of Carrier equipment for over 60 years. It began as a contracting firm that designed and installed air conditioning systems. It became a strictly wholesale distributorship in 1958, when Carrier realized the need for an extended network of dealers and contractors to handle Georgia's rapidly expanding economy and population. Mingledorff's, Inc., was asked by Carrier to help develop this customer base. At that time the company relocated from Savannah to Atlanta so it could better serve its distribution area. Mingledorff's, Inc. is now a major distributor for Carrier, Bryant, Payne, and over 150 other manufacturers of heating and air conditioning equipment and accessories with a sales territory covering most of GeorgiaThroughout our 17 locations in Georgia, we carry in inventory around 120,000 items. The company has roughly 4,000 retail customers. Of those, 1,000 are very active accounts, and the rest are occasional customers who maintain a charge account with us. Our services to customers include: equipment sales, sales assistance, advertising and sales promotion programs, engineering aid, product and service training, business management assistance, technical assistance and parts supply. Because the HVAC industry is constantly evolving with more technologically advanced equipment, it's crucial for Mingledorff's to assist our staff and customers in keeping pace by offering excellent, on-going training. Credit for the success and growth of the company can be given to the support and training received from Carrier and other vendors, a well-trained staff with knowledge of new technology, new equipment and new parts, and a solid base of good, knowledgeable customers. In order to provide fast and efficient order processing and management information, in 1998, the company made the substantial investments required for the latest in modern computer systems specifically designed for distributorships. All locations are networked on a computer system that can be accessed from all sales and parts locations. Customers can place orders with our staff, or be quickly provided information on order status, product availability, pricing, etc. Engineering support plays a vital role in the application of much of the highly specialized equipment the company distributes. A completely staffed engineering department assists customers in every phase of equipment application, and in the design of controls and energy saving programs.

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