Stolt-Nielsen is in its element in seawater. Through Stolt Tankers & Terminals and Stolt Tank Containers (STC) units, the company provides integrated parcel tanker, tank container, and marine terminal services, as well as logistics, for the worldwide transport of bulk liquids, such as chemicals, edible oils, and acids. It operates a fleet of about 160 vessels with an overall capacity of more than 2 million deadweight tons (DWT). Transportation-related operations account for more than 95% of the company's sales. Its Stolt Sea Farm business unit produces and sells turbot, sturgeon, sole, and caviar. Chairman Jacob Stolt-Nielsen and his family own a controlling stake in the company.

Staying cool is a must for Stevens Transport. An irregular-route, refrigerated truckload carrier (or reefer), Stevens hauls temperature-controlled cargo throughout the US, covering the 48 contiguous states. Through alliances Stevens also covers every province in Canada and every state in Mexico. The company operates a fleet of about 1,850 tractors and 3,100 refrigerated trailers from a network of more than a dozen service centers. Partnerships with railroads allow Stevens to arrange intermodal transport of temperature-controlled cargo. The company also provides third-party logistics services. Chairman and CEO Steven Aaron owns Stevens Transport, which he founded in 1980.

PlanGraphics can do more than read a map. The company provides IT services for geographic information systems (GIS), computer-based mapping applications used with database management software to analyze customer demographics, mineral exploration, military surveillance, crop forecasting, and other data. PlanGraphics' customers include government entities, utilities, and corporations, such as Entergy and the US Army Corps of Engineers. In 2009 Integrated Freight Corp., a Florida-based transportation company, acquired a majority stake in PlanGraphics, which then acquired Integrated Freight. The merged company then sold PlanGraphics' operating subsidiary to CEO John Antenucci.

Group Stef-TFE specializes in keeping supply chains cool. The company's Stef unit provides logistics services for temperature-controlled freight; the company's TFE, SDF, and Cavalieri units offer temperature-controlled transportation services; and Tradimar transports frozen seafood. Through its Agrostar unit, Stef-TFE provides information technology services related to its logistics and transportation offerings. Its road transport operating segment (freight services) is the company's most lucrative, representing more than 60% of the company's annual sales; logistics services follows, bringing in 30%. Group Stef-TFE caters chiefly to the French market.

Aspo supports the energy and process industries in the Baltic Sea area. The group operates through four divisions: ESL Shipping, Leipurin, Telko, and Aspo Ventures. ESL Shipping transports raw materials for energy producers and heavy-industry sectors, while Leipurin specializes in supplying the bakery industry with ingredients, equipment, and other supplies. Its Telko chemicals unit imports and distributes industrial chemicals and plastic raw materials, and Aspo Ventures mainly offers maintenance services and automation systems for service stations under the Autotank and Kaukomarkkinat brands. Aspo expanded its operations in mid-2008 when it acquired Kauko-Telko Oy from fellow Finnish company Kesko Corporation.

ASTAR Air Cargo helps DHL take on delivery giants FedEx and UPS on their own turf. Hiring the carrier's fleet of about 40 aircraft enables DHL and other customers, including the US Department of Defense and the United States Postal Service, to achieve overnight delivery of virtually any kind of cargo. ASTAR's service includes scheduled as well as chartered flights. In January 2009, ASTAR suffered a blow when -- in order to cut down on costs -- DHL was forced to shut down its express operations within the US. (Through ASTAR and other carriers, DHL still offers international shipping services to and from the US). An investment group led by CEO John Dasburg controls ASTAR.

Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Covington, Louisiana. Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates offshore supply vessels (OSVs), multi-purpose support vessels, and a shore-base to provide logistics support and specialty services to the offshore oil and gas exploration and production industry primarily in the United States and Gulf of Mexico. It operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment owns and operates fleets of the U.S.-flagged OSVs that support deepwater and ultra- deepwater exploration, development, production, construction, installation, maintenance, repair, and enhanced oil recovery requirements of the oil and gas industry. This segment also owns conventional OSVs, work class ROVs, and a shore-base facility located in Port Fourchon, Louisiana. In addition, it provides vessel management services for other vessels owners, which include crewing, daily operational management, and maintenance activities. The Downstream segment owns and operates a fleet of ocean-going tugs and tank barges that transport petroleum products, primarily in the northeastern United States, the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, and Puerto Rico. These tugs and tank barges provide coastwise transportation of refined and bunker grade petroleum products, as well as offer other services, including the support of deepwater well testing and other applications for refining, marketing, and trading companies. As of December 31, 2009, Hornbeck Offshore Services owned and operated a fleet of 47 new generation OSVs, and 9 double-hulled barges and 10 ocean-going tugs.

Express-1 Expedited Solutions specializes in arranging expedited ground transportation. Customers' freight is transported throughout the US by independent contractors, who give the company's Express-1 unit access to a fleet of vehicles that includes cargo vans, trucks, and tractor-trailers. Express-1 Expedited offers domestic and international freight forwarding through Concert Group Logistics, as well as truckload freight brokerage services through Bounce Logistics. With operations centers in the Midwest and in Florida, Express-1 Expedited provides services to more than 2,000 customers across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Seaspan's containerships span the globe for major headliners. Seaspan Corporation charters its lineup of vessels on long-term contracts to liner operators that need to expand their fleets. Customers have included China Shipping Container Lines, COSCON (a unit of China COSCO Holdings), and Hapag-Lloyd USA, a subsidiary of Hapag-Lloyd. Seaspan maintains a fleet of nearly 70 vessels with an overall capacity of more than 187,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). Seaspan Corporation is part of the Washington Marine Group, which in turn is an affiliate of The Washington Companies, a group of transportation- and natural resources-related businesses controlled by Dennis Washington.

Carmichael International Service provides freight forwarding and customs brokerage services. As a freight forwarder, the company buys transportation capacity from carriers and resells it to customers. In addition, Carmichael International Service offers related logistics, supply chain management, and warehousing and distribution services. The company operates from about a dozen offices in major US trade gateways, mainly on the east and west coasts. It does business elsewhere in the Americas and in Europe and the Asia/Pacific region through a network of agents and partners. Chairman Enrico Salvo founded Carmichael International Service in 1961.

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.