The firm was founded in 1991 by Graham and Ursula Hodson and is jointly owned by the Hodsons and managing director Colin Hills, who has run the business since 1997. Fresh Bouquets knows how to grow its business. The floral firm grows, sources, and distributes 100,000 bunches of flowers a week to service stations and convenience stores across the UK under the Flowerfete label. Fresh Bouquets grows its own flowers in company-owned nurseries and supplements those with selected imported flowers from Israel, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey. Through its FDL e-commerce division, Fresh Bouquets has diversified beyond flowers to offer higher-margin items such as sunglasses, umbrellas, corkscrews, and other gadgets.

IBC is a leading wholesale distributor of books, e-books, and audiobooks to more than 70,000 customers worldwide. It is a business unit of recently-formed Ingram Content Group, which encompasses about a dozen companies involved in the wholesale distribution of books, periodicals, music, DVDs, foreign-language products, medical reference titles,children's books, religious titles, and hard-to-find books. Both IBC and parent Ingram Content Group are owned by Ingram Industries.

Blackwell UK (known as Blackwell's) operates about 50 bookshops throughout the UK under the Blackwell's and Heffers names, as well as Blackwell's Online Bookshop. Blackwell's Book Services (headquartered in the US, with offices in the UK) supplies books and bibliographic products to some 3,500 research, academic, and specialty libraries around the world. The original B.H. Blackwell's store was opened in Oxford on New Year's Day 1879, and today it is one of the company's flagship locations. The Blackwell family still owns and runs Blackwell's. The family also owns academic publisher Blackwell Publishing.

Union Diamond Corporation continues to add twinkle to its sparkling reputation. Union Diamond Corporation sells wholesale and retail loose diamonds, pre-made and custom-made jewelry, and watches through its Web site and through a flagship showroom in Atlanta, Georgia. All products are distributed from one location. Prices range from $300 to $500,000, with some items topping $1 million. Customer service includes education by live diamond experts offering telephone consultations-- including advice from diamond industry veterans president and CEO Scott Anderson and COO Tony Rixom. The same pair owns Union Diamond Corporation company.

Empire Music distributes musical instruments, books, and related accessories to music educators in Canada and the US. Products include various books and instruments related to the Suzuki method of music education and theory, bells, drums, guitars, recorders, ukuleles, and xylophones (they even carry stepping stone-style xylophones and giant floor piano keyboards). It carries brands Suzuki Orff, Aulos Recorders, Challenger, and Emus. The company has been trading for more than a half-century.

Mac Papers is the largest distributor of printing papers in the Southeast. We’re proud of the tradition of excellence we’ve built, serving customers through local facilities with local inventories and local sales representatives. Since our founding in 1965, we have continued to institute programs that allow us to offer the industry’s finest products and most responsive services — first, fast and accurate. The customers we serve include commercial printers, graphic arts professionals, corporate marketing departments, in–house printing-and-reproduction departments, tax–supported businesses, end user publishing and the laser and inkjet markets. Our 20 branch office/warehouse locations and 19 Mini Macs are strategically located in an eight-state region. This positions our vast inventory where it’s needed — close to our customers. Mac Papers has always been a company of people helping people, one to one, with an uncompromising focus on meeting the needs of our customers. This is the Mac Papers tradition.

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 the company in the early 1990s.

Sam Ash Music has been instrumental in many a musician's livelihood. The #2 musical instrument retailer in the US (behind Guitar Center), Sam Ash Music (SAM) operates about 45 stores in more than 15 states including California, New York, and Texas. Besides instruments, SAM sells sheet music, recording equipment, lighting, computers, and music software. It also sells online. SAM also sells vintage guitars, offers custom-built instruments and music clinics, and buys used musical instruments. It also runs a pro services and parts division, Sam Ash Professional, and an Educational Division serving schools. The company was founded in 1924 by Sam and Rose Ashkynase, whose descendants still own and run the company.

Dana B. Goods distributes musical instruments and accessories from its warehouse in Ventura, California. The company's products include Warwick basses, amps, and accessories; Framus guitars, amps, and strings; RockBass bass guitars; T-Rex pedals; and Humfrees rackmount accessories (for mounting electronic amps and other gear into racks). It also carries roadie gear (carts, dollies, rolling shelves) by RocknRoller. Dana B. Goods is the exclusive US dealer for all these products. The company was founded in 1992 by owner and president Dana B. Teague.

Duval Motor company's Jacksonville, Florida, locations sell new Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, and minivans, along with used vehicles. Duval Ford also sells fleet units. Its Web site allows visitors to search new and used inventory, apply for financing, schedule service appointments, and purchase parts. The Internet hot shot has come a long way since it was founded in 1916. At that time Duval Ford sold black Model T Fords (and nothing else) for $360.Duval Ford likes online car buyers. The company is the region's #1 Internet Ford dealer and it ranks among the top 10 in the nation. Duval Ford is the flagship dealership of the Scott-McRae Group

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