Ho-Chunk, Inc. (HCI) the economic development corporation run by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, manages about 18 subsidiaries in the fields of communications, construction, distribution, gasoline and convenience store retail (under the Heritage Express banner in Iowa and Nebraska), government contracting, lodging (The WinnaVegas Inn), marketing, used-vehicle sales, and more. The profits from these businesses are in turn managed by the Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that directs commercial growth and community infrastructure development for the tribe. "Ho-Chunk" is a modernized form of Hochungra, the Winnebago tribe's traditional name.

Aaron & Company was founded in the early 1900s by plumber Isadore Aaron. His grandson Jeffrey retired from in 2002, leaving the firm without an Aaron for the first time. Aaron & Company knows a thing or two about staying cool. Catering primarily to contractors in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, the wholesaler offers plumbing and HVAC supplies through half a dozen locations in the Garden State. Three of these locations house Aaron Kitchen & Bath Design Galleries, which feature complete kitchen and bathroom set-ups to help customers with building and remodeling plans. Aaron & Company is served by a single 120,000-sq.-ft. distribution center.

Wolff Bros. Supply keeps the heat and the cold from the door. Through 10 locations in Ohio, Wolff Bros. Supply distributes wholesale cabinets, lighting, tools, and equipment and supplies for telecommunications, electrical power, HVAC, and plumbing. The business gets its tools and equipment from more than 500 vendors and has more than 25,000 products in stock. The family-owned company traces its roots back to the 1950s, when Norman and Harold Wolff began operating an electrical, plumbing, and heating contracting business out of the back of a truck.

Popular culture goes on sale every day at Bloomingdale's. It runs about 40 upscale stores in a dozen states, including California, Florida, Illinois, and New York. The company's flagship store at 59th and Lexington is a Manhattan institution and tourist attraction in its own right. A smaller Manhattan store opened in downtown's SoHo neighborhood in 2004. In 2010 Bloomies opened its first store outside the US: a 200,000-square-foot outlet in Dubai. Founded in 1872 by brothers Lyman and Joseph Bloomingdale, the store rode the popularity of the hoop skirt to sales success and practically invented the department store concept at the start of the 20th Century. Bloomingdale's is a division of Macy's, Inc.

Butera acquired three stores in Illinois from bankrupt Eagle Food Centers. Family-owned and -operated from its inception, Butera became an employee-owned company in the early 1990s. Butera Finer Foods, Inc. If you're in the Windy City and you're in the market for foodstuffs, find your way to Butera's. Butera Finer Foods runs about 10 full-service supermarkets under the Butera Market banner in northern Illinois. The stores specialize in produce, deli items, and international foods at low prices. Since its founding in 1968 by Paul Butera Sr. and his brother Joe, some 25 Butera Finer Foods supermarkets have been opened. Butera's twin sons Joseph and Paul Jr. currently run 10 of them.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of home products. It offers culinary and serving equipment, including cookware, cookbooks, cutlery, informal dinnerware, glassware, table linens, specialty foods, and cooking ingredients; and bridal and gift items under the Williams-Sonoma brand name. The company also provides home furnishing categories, including furniture, textiles, decorative accessories, lighting, and tabletop items under West Elm brand; bed and bath products under Pottery Barn brand; and children’s furnishings and accessories under Pottery Barn Kids brand name. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. sells its home products through five retail store concepts, which include Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm, and Williams-Sonoma Home; seven direct-mail catalogs that comprise Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Bed and Bath, PBteen, West Elm, and Williams-Sonoma Home; and six e-commerce Websites, which consist of williams-sonoma.com, potterybarn.com, potterybarnkids.com, pbteen.com, westelm.com, and wshome.com. As of January 31, 2010, it operated 610 retail stores, including 259 Williams-Sonoma, 199 Pottery Barn, 87 Pottery Barn Kids, 36 West Elm, 11 Williams-Sonoma Home, and 18 Outlet stores located in 44 states of the United States; Washington, D.C.; Canada; and Puerto Rico. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Oddbins has been struggling financially and has been closing unprofitable stores. Founded in 1963, the company was acquired by its smaller rival Ex Cellar in August 2008. (Ex Cellar bought the chain from a subsidiary of French group Castel Frères)Whether you're looking for a whole bin or just an odd bottle, Oddbins likely sells your libation of choice. The specialty retailer sells a wide assortment of wines and spirits through some 130 Oddbins stores across the UK and Ireland, a single shop in Calais, France, and online. The managers of local stores are encouraged to promote particular labels based on their own tastes in wine; the company is known for the wine expertise of the staff in its stores.

The doors may be closed at Price Rite Pharmacy, but priceritepharmacy is open for business. Operating what's known as a closed-door pharmacy, Price Rite Pharmacy provides prescription and over-the-counter medications, nutritional products, skin and wound care supplies, incontinence supplies, and more to customers in the San Diego area. The company also offers "Medicine-On-Time" service, which packages a customer's multiple daily medicines in sealed dosage bubble packets. While priceritepharmacy serves the general public, it does not operate any retail locations; instead it fills orders via mail order and delivery service.

The Peacock Group has only just begun to display its full colorful strut, even though it's been fluttering around for more than a century. Founded in 1884 as Peacock's Penny Bazaar, the value-priced fashion retailer operates two chains: Peacock's, with 460 UK stores and about 45 franchised locations in Turkey, the Middle East, Ukraine, and Russia, sells women's and men's apparel and accessories; and about 380 Bonmarche shops that offer women's apparel in sizes 12 to 24. Peacock Group supplies its own stores, as well as several other chains, with branded women's, men's, and children's apparel and footwear. The company was taken private in 2006 in a deal backed by Goldman Sachs, Perry Capital, and Och Ziff.

IAC/InterActiveCorp (IAC) satisfies inquisitive minds who want to use the Web to explore local hot spots, meet the right partner, find a contractor, and maybe even host a party or two. The Internet conglomerate owns more than 50 brands, including search engine Ask.com, local guide Citysearch (part of advertising network CityGrid Media), dating site Match.com, and home service provider network ServiceMagic. Other IAC holdings include shoe site Shoebuy.com and a majority stake in Connected Ventures, the parent company of racy college entertainment site CollegeHumor.com. Its current affairs Web magazine Daily Beast is merging with Newsweek.

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