The Alexander Doll Company (ADC) was founded 80 years ago by Madame Beatrice Alexander Behrman, the daughter of Russian immigrants. She was raised over her father's doll hospital—the first in America—and often played with the dolls waiting to be mended. Her love of dolls led this dynamic woman to creating her own line of dolls.The company manufactures a variety of dolls, including collectibles and play dolls, in addition to its signature line of Madame Alexander Dolls. The firm sells its products through several thousand specialty retailers, as well as online through its company Web site. Alexander Doll Company also provides its customers with repair services through its Doll Hospital. Founded by Madame Beatrice Alexander the company was acquired by the private capital fund, Kaizen Breakthrough Partnership in 1995.

Watkins Incorporated manufactures more than 350 natural products, including body lotions and bath salts, organic dish soaps and bathroom cleaners, and organic black pepper and vanilla extracts. Watkins, which distributes its products in the US, Canada, the UK, and the Philippines, sells through retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Whole Foods, as well as through its e-commerce Web site. Owned by chairman Irwin L. Jacobs since 1978, Watkins' roots go back to the 1860s.

Biotage AB is a leading supplier of tools and technology for Medicinal and Analytical Chemistry and process Development. The company’s organizational structure has historically been comprised of two divisions: Discovery Chemistry and Biosystems. The Biosystems division was divested to QIAGEN effective as of 2 October 2008. Biotage was acting as a distributor of the Biosystems products during Q4 2008. Biosystems products contains Pyrosequencing systems for genetic analysis, PyroMark products for methylation, SNP and mutation analysis and Pyro Gold reagents.Following the divestment of Biosystem, Biotage is focused on forther developing and enhancing its Discovery Chemistry business. Discovery Chemistry supplies products and services for three prominent market segments, Medicinal Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry and Process Development. Primary products include microwave synthesis, resins and solid phase extraction (SPE), flash purification cartridges and systems, evaporation and reaction screening instruments, which target chemists in research organizations worldwide.

GenCorp is a major technology-based manufacturing company headquartered in Sacramento, California. GenCorp’s two businesses, Aerojet and Real Estate, concentrate on two principal market areas: aerospace and defense, and real estate.GenCorp has been in business for the better part of a century. Established in 1915, GenCorp was formerly the General Tire & Rubber Company. The name change was implemented in 1984 when GenCorp was formed as a parent holding company. In a subsequent restructuring, the company exited the tire business by divesting General Tire. In 1999, GenCorp spun off its Decorative & Building Products and Performance Chemicals businesses into a separate, publicly-traded company called OMNOVA Solutions, Inc.

Schurman Fine Papers, which operates American Greetings, Carlton Cards, and Papyrus retail stores, offers specialty gift products such as greeting cards, stationary, gift wrap, and other paper products. Its retail network consists of more than 500 stores located throughout the US and Canada. More than 170 of its stores operate under the Papyrus name, a brand on which the company was originally built (the brand was sold to American Greetings in 2009). Schurman Fine Papers was founded in 1950 by Marcel and Margrit Schurman; their daughter Dominique Schurman now heads the company.

Spanx, Inc. makes footless and footed hosiery, tights, and body shapers to give its customers a slim and smooth look with any style shoe. Spanx also sells bras (Bra-llelujah!), slips (Hide & Sleek), panties (Power Panties), and lined apparel (Bod-a-Bing!). The firm's products are sold at such retailers as Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, and Bloomingdale's. Discounter Target developed ASSETS (bodyshaping hosiery) with Spanx in 2006; they're also sold at www.loveassets.com. Company founder Sara Blakely is credited with inventing footless pantyhose. In 1998, she founded Spanx with $5,000 of her own savings and patented her footless body-shaping pantyhose.

PPG Industries is a leader in its markets; is a streamlined, efficient manufacturer; and operates on the leading edge of new technologies and solutions. It is their vision to continue being the world’s leading coatings and specialty products and services company, serving customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. PPG has manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates in more than 60 countries around the globe.Coatings -- such as paints (sold under the Pittsburgh Paints, Lucite, and Monarch brands), stains (Olympic), and sealants that help protect surfaces -- account for most of its sales; the remainder comes from glass and chemicals. PPG's glass offerings include flat glass for buildings, fabricated glass, and continuous-strand fiberglass used in aircraft and buildings. PPG's chemicals segment makes chlor-alkali chemicals. The company operates more than 130 manufacturing facilities worldwide; it also operates 450 retail centers in the US. PPG greatly enhanced its European operations in 2008 by buying SigmaKalon from Bain Capital for $3 billion.

Crane Co. is a diversified manufacturer of highly engineered industrial products with a substantial presence in a number of focused niche markets. With approximately 12,000 employees working together in five business segments across 25 countries, Crane generated 2008 net sales of $2.6 billion.Crane is committed to the highest standards of business conduct. Within that framework, their objective is to grow Economic Value Added (EVA) by continuing to transition to a more integrated operating company. They strive to create value for all their stakeholders with a highly disciplined approach to materially strengthening our businesses through successful implementation of the Crane Business System, through strategic linkages among their businesses, and through utilization of strong free cash flow for strategic acquisitions.

California Accessories has a long history of providing great products and excellent service to its many customers in the United States and beyond. We began over 70 years ago as California Optical Leather. The focus of the company was on designing and manufacturing eyeglass cases, primarily those that retailers or practitioners give away when they dispense a pair of eyewear.In the 1990’s the company was renamed California Optical. During this period, the company diversified its product lines--still focused on the optical industry--with a wider, more comprehensive line of optical accessories. By the early 2000’s, they had segued our products into categories that were not only optically related. Small mini-bags, clutches, jewelry cases and cosmetic cases meant that they needed a new name. California Accessories was born, and the fashion and design focus of the company was intensified. In 2008, the company opened a subsidiary in Hong Kong, SAR, called California Accessories Asia LTD. This new division is responsible for expediting product development lead-time and for maintaining their strict quality standards for all of their products produced in Asia.

Based in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Asta Funding, Inc., is a leading consumer receivable asset management company that specializes in the purchase, management and liquidation of performing and non-performing consumer receivables. Asta generates revenues and earnings primarily through the purchase and collection of performing and non-performing consumer receivables that have typically been either charged-off by the credit grantors or not considered to be prime receivables. These receivables include MasterCard, Visa and other credit card accounts issued by banks and other consumer loans issued by credit grantors. Asta may also purchase bulk receivable portfolios that include both distressed and non-conforming loans.

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.