Backcountry.com is an online retailer of outdoor and backcountry gear. The company sells products for activities such as skiing, backpacking, camping, snowboarding, rock climbing, kayaking, and mountaineering. Its offerings include more than 400 brands, such as Burton, K2, The North Face, Oakley, and Rossignol. Backcountry.com was founded in 1996 by CEO Jim Holland and president John Bresee. Backcountry.com is a subsidiary of Liberty Media, which owns more than 80% of the online retailer's equity.

Founded in 1956 by Harry Ritchie, today the regional jewelry chain is run by the third generation of the Ritchie family, including CEO Donald Ritchie. Despite the sound of its name, you don't have to be Mr. or Ms. "Money Bags" to shop at Harry Ritchie's. Harry Ritchie Jewelers offers discounted diamond and gemstone jewelry and specializes in men's and women's wedding sets at about 30 stores in shopping malls throughout the northwestern US (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and northern California). Harry Ritchie also features its jewelry collections in a monthly catalog distributed to its customers and sells its rings and things online.

STAEDTLER-Mars is the Canadian distribution arm of Germany-based STAEDTLER Group. The company's inventory includes pencils, pens, markers, sharpeners, and other writing and drawing implements, as well as inkjet cartridges, drawing boards, and rulers. It also distributes Eberhard Faber products. STAEDTLER-Mars, which was incorporated in 1960, has additional sales offices in Quebec and British Columbia. STAEDTLER-Mars Ltd. plans to merge its Canadian and US offices into one unit in 2010. The new team will be headquartered in Canada.

Color Me Mine Enterprises brings out the Picasso in you. The company has some 150 franchise locations open or under development in about two dozen US states, as well as in Australia, France, Kuwait, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan. Customers can choose from more than 400 pieces of pottery and paint it on site, either solo or as part of a party package for birthdays, bridal showers, and other events. Color Me Mine To Go brings the pottery and paint to the party when you can't make it to the store. Some locations also offer workshops catering to students in kindergarten through sixth grades and home-school art certification.

Star Struck was founded in 1981. Jewelers can set their watches by Star Struck. Star Struck LLC distributes batteries, repair tools, testing machines, cleaning agents, and other supplies for jewelry and watchmaking. Besides its batteries for timepieces, Star Struck carries batteries for calculators, cameras, and hearing aids from major brands (Energizer, Rayovac) as well as its own private label. Star Struck LLC serves more than 17,000 customers, including jewelers, watch repairmen, electronics professionals, and hobbyists. Its products are sold via phone or online.

Sensational Beginnings (SB) helps kids start having fun early. The catalog and online merchant sells educational toys, furniture, and safety and child care items for infants and toddlers. (SB also operates a single store in Michigan.) Toy categories include science and nature, ride-ons, musical instruments, indoor active play, travel kits, and seasonal items. SB also offers gift-giving and parenting advice, a gift registry, and an online photo gallery of children using company products. Customers can shop by brand, category, or age group or get advice on age-appropriate toys and games. President Debra Shah, a former nurse specializing in mother and child medical care, founded Sensational Beginnings, Inc. in the early 1990s.

Current USA is a leading direct marketer of greeting cards and gift wrap, scrapbooking supplies, stationery, and home decorating items. It sells under the brands Times to Cherish (scrapbooking supplies), Colorful Images (personalized address labels and other paper products), Lillian Vernon (gifts and home decor), and, of course, Current. The company also operates an outlet store in Colorado and a fundraising business that lets not-for-profit groups sell its products and share the proceeds. Founded in the 1950s, Current USA was initially run out of the basement of founders Orin and Miriam Loo. The company, which was family owned and operated until 1986, is a subsidiary of printing giant Taylor.

For Douglas Holding, there is no scent sweeter than perfume. The retail conglomerate operates about 2,000 stores in some two dozen European countries and the US. It is a leading perfume retailer in Europe with more than 1,100 perfumeries (445 in its home market Germany). In addition to perfume, Douglas Holding sells skin care and cosmetic products. The company's other retail divisions include jewelry and watches (Christ, Rene Kern), fashion (AppelrathCupper and Pohland), books (Thalia and Internet book seller buch.de), and confectionery (Hussel). While about two-thirds of the group's sales originate in Germany, its non-German operations are driving growth.

Lyreco was founded in 1926. To a stationer's ears, Lyreco sounds poetic-- and lucrative. Catering to the business-to-business market, stationery and office supply giant Lyreco operates from some 180 locations in about 30 countries. In the UK it operates under the name Lyreco UK. Through alliances with Staples and other distributors, Lyreco's distribution network has an even greater reach. Customers may order their supplies via the Internet, the company's stores, or catalog. Products include computer supplies, envelopes, filing products, furniture, labels, paper, and writing instruments. Stores carry the company's own brand of office supplies as well as major names such as 3M, BIC, HP, Lexmark, PILOT, and Quill.

With more than 40 years in the automotive industry, JM Family Enterprises is a leading provider of quality products and services. We are a privately-held company, offering a dynamic work environment, world-class benefits and a culture of giving. An unwavering commitment to our associates and customers has earned us national recognition in each of our businesses, and we are dedicated to providing the best service possible to our clients and partners.Exceeding your expectations is an ambitious mission. And we accomplish it every day. How? By having the best people and most innovative processes in the industry.

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