Blish-Mize Co. has distribution centers in Colorado and Kansas. Aside from its wholesaling business, Blish-Mize operates toolmaker Hardware House with House-Hasson. Brothers-in-law David Blish, Edward Mize, and Jack Silliman founded the firm in 1871 to outfit wagon trains. President and CEO John Mize, Jr., represents the fourth generation of the family-owned company. Hardware supplier Blish-Mize distributes more than 52,000 products to hardware stores, home centers, lumberyards, and paint stores in a dozen states in the heartland of the US. Its catalog includes hand and power tools, lawn equipment, hardware, paint, heating and cooling products, housewares, plumbing and electrical supplies, and sporting goods.

Among the optimistic Americans who migrated westward in the late 1800's was A.C. Houston, who founded A.C. Houston Lumber in 1884. The pioneers of the time had set out to build new lives, and Houston established the company that would provide building materials to do so. The first A.C. Houston Lumber yards opened in the small Kansas towns of Eureka and Hamilton. More than one hundred twenty-five years later, A.C. Houston Lumber yards can be found in three western states of California, Idaho, and Nevada with the corporate headquarters being located in North Las Vegas. The corporate headquarters was located in Kansas until 1998, when it relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada.Much has changed since 1884, but the business philosophy of A.C. Houston has been passed down unchanged to third-generation family member, Robert A. Houston, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our goal is to sell products of quality and strength, give the customer their money's worth, and to treat each customer the way we, ourselves, would want to be treated," Houston says. A.C. Houston Primarily a volume supplier of lumber and building materials to the professional contractor, A.C. Houston Lumber operates retail centers offering products that supplement the construction trade. We fabricate roof and floor trusses at our manufacturing plants using computerized, state-of-the-art equipment in addition to providing engineering assistance and truss design. We encourage you to stop by one of our locations and chat with our staff. They are eager to assist you with all of your building material needs.

Pricing (generally under $30) on the latest fashion looks, presented in attractive stores, makes our stores an easy and fun place to shop. The average store size is 2,800 to 3,000 square feet. Stores are equipped with the latest point of sale technology for faster merchandise replenishment. Since 1987, Simply Fashion Stores, Ltd. has been a closely held company that appreciates quality relationships with its vendors, associates and guests.Through the assistance of suppliers and the enthusiasm of the associates, Simply Fashion Stores, Ltd. is quickly becoming a leader in the low-price ready-to-wear industry. Awards include recognition by Inc. magazine as one of the 500 fastest growing privately held companies, as well as by Birmingham Alabama’s Venture Club’s prestigious John S. Jemison Award.

The Robert Allen Group is a leading designer and marketer of fabrics and home furnishings under numerous brand names, including Robert Allen, Robert Allen @ Home, Ametex, and Beacon Hill. Each line serves a particular price point and market niche. Also, the Robert Allen Contract division works to customize fabrics and designs for corporate, hospitality, and healthcare customers. In 2002 The Robert Allen Group was acquired by family-owned Decor Holdings.

PCC (stands for Puget Consumers Co-op) today is the largest consumer-owned natural food cooperative in the US, with about 40,000 members. Lifetime membership in the regional cooperative costs $60.PCC Natural Markets operates about 10 organic and natural food stores in Washington. More than 90% of the produce sold by the coop is certified organic, according to USDA rules. It also offers cooking classes featuring guest chefs, natural foods, exotic dishes, and lessons for children. PCC Natural Markets watches out for its customers' health, removing all products from its shelves that contain trans-fats and the like.

Founded in 2000, the fast-growing online retailer attracts more than 5.3 unique visitors each month. Co-founder and CEO Nick Robertson owns about 14% of the company's shares. ASOS aims to become the leader in the UK online fashion world ASAP. The UK-based company is a leading online apparel retailer specializing in discount celebrity-style fashions. ASOS (which stands for "as seen on screen") serves mostly Web-savvy, fashionable 16- to 34-year-old men and women (the company claims to sell clothes in the style of superstars Sienna Miller and Victoria Beckham). It sells T-shirts, denim, dresses, footwear, lingerie, swimwear, sunglasses, purses, personal care products, and jewelry through its retail Web site.

Cumberland General Store markets items that would be appropriate for a rural home or farm in the 19th century. The company sells appliances, hardware, toys, kitchen supplies, and other products (that typically require little or no electricity) from a single store in Alpharetta, Georgia, as well as through its well-known catalog and online. Customers include back-to-nature enthusiasts, residents of areas without electricity, and producers of period movies and television shows. In 2005 the store and company moved from Crossville, Tennessee, to its current location in Georgia.

Sid Harvey Industries was founded in 1931 as an oil industry parts supplier by the grandfather of president and CEO Sid Harvey. Whether you're too chilly in Colorado or roasting in Rhode Island, Sid Harvey Industries might have the answer. Sid Harvey Industries, Inc. makes and wholesales heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration parts and equipment through some 75 locations in about a dozen states. Sid Harvey's also exports worldwide. Sid Harvey Industries, Inc. reconditions more than 1,700 used parts and manufactures more than 750 new products at its plants in South Carolina. Its Web site offers a database connecting HVAC professionals and companies looking for qualified job candidates.

Gate Petroleum company runs a chain of about 225 Gate Food Post stores in six Southeastern states, including Florida and the Carolinas, that sell gas and groceries and offer fleet management services. The firm is also a wholesale fuel distributor to customers throughout the Southeast. The company is also active in the real estate and construction materials businesses. In Florida Gate owns several private clubs, office buildings, and business parks. Subsidiary Gate Concrete has plants in about half a dozen states that make and sell concrete and building materials. CEO Herbert Peyton, who founded the company in 1960, owns the majority of Gate Petroleum.

United Dairy Farmers (UDF) changed the way Cincinnati bought its milk. UDF -- which buys milk from area dairy farmers, then processes and packages it for sale in its stores -- has grown into a chain of about 200 convenience stores, mostly in Ohio, but also in Kentucky and Indiana. The company, still owned and run by the Lindner family, sells its own milk products, its Homemade brand ice cream and sherbet, coffee, and a variety of other food products at its stores. UDF locations also offer in-store ice cream parlors and sell Mobil brand gasoline.

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.