Star Gas Partners, L.P. operates as a home heating oil distributor and services provider in the United States. It provides its services to residential and commercial customers to heat their homes and buildings. As of September 30, 2009, the company sold home heating oil to approximately 374,000 full service residential and commercial home heating oil customers and propane to approximately 7,000 propane customers. It also sells home heating oil, gasoline and diesel fuel to approximately 34,000 customers. In addition, Star Gas Partners installs, maintains, and repairs heating and air conditioning equipment, as well as provides ancillary home services, including home security and plumbing to approximately 11,000 customers. Kestrel Heat, LLC operates as the general partner of the company. Star Gas Partners was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

U.S. Toy Co. turns play into work and vice versa. The toy company and its divisions, including Constructive Playthings and U.S. Toy Magic, sell party and novelty items, magic books and supplies, early childhood toys, and multimedia learning materials. U.S. Toy Co., Inc., founded in 1953, operates through stores located in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Texas. U.S. Toy Co. also peddles its wares through its Web site. U.S. Toy Co., Inc. publishes catalogs for each of its divisions, including two for Constructive Playthings (one for school and one for family).

AFFLINK Inc. was founded in 1977. AFFLINK knows that packing products, cleaning items, and office supplies aren't sexy, but just about everyone uses them. The company distributes products for industrial and food packaging (tape, stand-up pouches), janitorial services (tissue paper, cleaners), and offices (business cards, lighting). It also supplies the food service (bowls, cutlery), safety (protective apparel, head gear), and medical (exam supplies, disinfectants) industries. Customers include building maintenance providers, hospitals, and restaurants. AFFLINK is a subsidiary of Performance Food Group.

Follett is the #1 operator of college bookstores, with more than 850 campus bookshops (vs. about 635 for Barnes & Noble) across the US, as well as Canada. The company's business groups, which reach about 60 countries, also provide books and audiovisual materials to grade school and public libraries, library automation and management software, textbook reconditioning, and other services. Follett acquired its smaller online rival Varsity Group in 2008, complementing its own efollett.com website that sells college textbooks. The Follett family has owned and managed the company for four generations.

KMC Music helps to keep amateur and professional musicians plugged in to the latest and greatest. Formerly Kaman Music Corporation, it's the largest independent distributor of musical instruments and accessories in the US. KMC's products portfolio includes Ovation and Hamer guitars, Gibraltar hardware, Latin Percussion, and Toca drums. It also sells Takamine guitars, Gretsch drums, Sabian cymbals, and Genz Benz amps. KMC peddles its products in the US, Asia/Pacific, Australia, Europe, and South America and through wholesale catalogs with more than 36,000 products. KMC was founded in 1966 as Ovation Instruments and in 2007 it was acquired by industry behemoth Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.

Recreation is serious business for Affinity Group. The direct marketing firm sells goods and services through its membership and discount buyers clubs, such as Good Sam, Coast to Coast Resorts, Camp Club USA, and President's Club. It offers RV products (including air conditioners, sanitation systems, furnishings) not usually found in general merchandise stores at about 80 Camping World specialty shops across the US, as well as via catalog and online. Affinity also publishes magazines and travel guides, from which it derives subscription fees and ad sales revenue. Chairman Steve Adams is the majority owner of both Affinity and, through another entity, RV retailer FreedomRoads.

Brandywine International Hardwood LLC (BIH) is the corporate entity that is responsible for utilizing the Wood Flooring International, Tesoro Woods and Wood Floor Resource Group brands (among others) to bring unique and exciting wood flooring products and programs to the U.S. market. With decades of experience in supplying the North American market with wood flooring, our focus is on wood flooring and wood flooring only - with species exotic to North America a specialty. Working globally, we start at the mill level in developing innovative products that make sense for and perform correctly in the North American market. We then assist our suppliers in implementing the correct in-line process quality control systems which ultimately provide the ongoing quality our flooring is well known for. Only then do we package these offerings up with exciting marketing collateral and provide the logistic and field support required to support these products successfully in the North American market.

Lush's products are so luscious that you literally could eat them if you wanted to. The natural cosmetics firm is a UK-based manufacturer and retailer of environmentally friendly natural cosmetics and fragrances (including many vegan-friendly products). Lush company operates about 670 shops in some 44 countries worldwide, as well as a retail website and catalog. Most of Lush's products are handmade from natural (and edible) ingredients and carry an expiration date. The company's co-founder, Mark Constantine, formerly developed and supplied products for natural cosmetics behemoth The Body Shop, back in that company's development days. Co-founders Mark and Mo Constantine own Lush company with Helen Ambrosen.

The Birthdays concept was later launched in 1986. Clinton Cards purchased its rival Birthdays in 2004 and runs the unit as a separate business. Amid economic turmoil and slowed consumer spending, however, Birthdays collapsed into administration (the equivalent of bankruptcy in the US) in 2009. You say it's your birthday? Well, your friends better run to a Birthdays store for those cards! The company operates about 200 (down from more than 400) Birthdays stores in the UK and Ireland offering discount greeting cards and party supplies for every occasion. Founded in 1966 as Ron Wood Greeting Cards, the company was originally a distributor of cards and gift wrap until the mid-1970s when it opened three card shops.

Adventure 16, Inc. operates a chain of retail outdoor outfitters in Southern California. It has about half a dozen locations, plus a wholesale division that distributes accessories for backpacking, camping, climbing, and adventure travel. The company offers lifetime guarantees on all its private-label products. Its Web site offers resources, guides, and classes for outdoor journeys, a backpacker's checklist, an interactive map and reviews of recommended hikes, a gallery of adventure photos, and an outdoor blog written by staff. Adventure 16 was incorporated by Mic Mead in 1970.

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