Founded in 1988, Yue Yuen is majority owned by Taiwanese athletic material maker Pou Chen. The firm spun off its retail unit, Pou Sheng International (Holdings), in an initial public offering in 2008. Chinese cobbler Yue Yuen Industrial has some mighty big shoe orders to fill. The world's largest manufacturer of branded footwear turns out shoes for the biggest names in sports: adidas, ASICS, New Balance, Nike, Puma, Reebok, and Timberland. Its manufacturing centers are located in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In addition to these, the company operates about 2,100 athletic footwear and apparel stores directly or through subsidiaries, as well as about 2,600 stores under joint ventures.

Dana Classic Fragrances Company makes, markets, and distributes some 50 classic fragrance brands, taking older products that may have fallen on hard times and updating them for current generations of consumers. Among its products are the classic 1970s women's scent Love's Baby Soft, as well as Navy, Toujours Moi, Tabu, and Chantilly. For men, the company sells British Sterling, Canoe, and English Leather, among other brands. Dana Classic Fragrances sells its products through major drug stores, mid-range department stores such as Sears, and other mass-market retailers. The company is owned by the private equity firm Patriarch Partners.

Converse has rebounded under NIKE as fashionable footwear and all-around cruiser for those off the court, too. Converse has sold some 750 million pairs of its classic Chuck Taylor All Star canvas basketball shoes, appealing to everyone from school kids to clothing designers. It licenses its name to sports apparel makers. Converse makes products under the names One Star and Jack Purcell that it sells through retailers such as Target and licensees in some 160 countries and its more than 40 stores. Converse operates as a separate unit from its parent's competing sports brands, reining in the kitsch value of Converse's vintage Chuck Taylor brand.

Empire Merchants company distributes a wide array of wines, spirits, and champagnes to licensed liquor stores throughout the region. In 2007 it combined its metro New York operations with those of Peerless Importers to form Empire Merchants. Founded in 1933, the company is a subsidiary of Maryland-based Charmer-Sunbelt Group, one of the largest wine and spirits wholesalers in the US. The Merinoff family controls Charmer-Sunbelt.

Gitanjali Gems doesn't do things the old fashioned way. In an industry known for tradition and family-owned firms like DeBeers, the Indian newcomer has set tradition at naught. It sources, machine cuts and sets, and retails diamond and gem jewelry offering a dozen brands (Gili, Asmi, D'Damas, Rivaaz) across several retail channels, instead of trying to build the prestige of one name. Gitanjali has production plants in India, Thailand, Vietnam, and China with marketing outposts in Europe, Japan, and the US. Retail outlets include Gitanjali Lifestyle stores (1,200+), Samuels and Rogers in the US, mass merchants, and catalogs. The company has also launched a designer apparel label under the Gitanjali name.

Founded in 1857, the company offers thousands of writing instruments and art products. Sanford, part of the Office Products business segment of consumer products giant Newell Rubbermaid, makes pens, markers, highlighters, paints and brushes, pastels, and art pencils. Its portfolio includes a variety of popular brands, such as DYMO, EXPO, Paper Mate, Parker, Liquid Paper, mimio, Prismacolor, Pelouze, Rolodex, rotring, Sharpie, uni-ball, CardScan, and Waterman. Sanford peddles its products through mass merchants, office superstores, office supply stores, contract stationers, and other retail formats.

StonePoint Global Brands had previously been to deliver drinks; now it is to build beverage brands. The company, which changed its name in mid-2005 from StonePoint Group Limited, has traditionally bottled and distributed private- and custom-label water and carbonated beverages to food and beverage retailers, primarily in North America, but also in Asia. StonePoint shifted its focus to value-added services such as packaging, logistics, and brand management. It plans to distribute and market Northridge wines from Australia across Canada.

Chairman Hans-Joerg Seeberger and his family own about 40% of the company; he founded the company in 1972 in Japan. The company's German subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy in September 2008, citing heavy debt and liquidity difficulties. EganaGoldpfeil (formerly Egana International) wants you to take time for luxury. Through its subsidiaries worldwide, including Egana Jewellery & Pearls, the company designs and makes timepieces and jewelry under brands such as Junghans, Pierre Cardin, and Carrera, as well as licensed names such as Bulova, Esprit, and Paolo by Paolo Gucci. Other products include leather goods, eyewear, and apparel. Egana's products are sold in more than 100 countries.

Pookie Products was founded in 2001 by two New York University sorority sisters. Combine cosmetics and terms of endearment, and you get Pookie Products. The firm makes and markets lip balms using beeswax, shea butter, and natural oils such as avocado, apricot kernel, sweet almond, and coconut. Balms include its champagne-flavored I Do lip balm, It's a Boy! and It's a Girl! mini-tins, mint and vanilla Apookalips, as well as private labeling balms for wedding parties, bridal showers, and other special occasions. The company's products, which have expanded to include bath and body products and apparel, are available in specialty retailers (like Anthropologie) and through its online store.

From its earliest beginnings, Crayola has been a color company. Crayola came into being when cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith took over Edwin’s father’s pigment business in 1885. More than 120 years later, color – along with creativity, learning and most of all, fun – is the hallmark of Crayola company. Crayola has called Easton, Pennsylvania its home since the early 1900s. Today, the company’s world headquarters and major manufacturing facilities are located there. And downtown Easton is the home of The Crayola FACTORY® , a one-of-a-kind celebration of creative fun for everyone! In 1984, Crayola became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hallmark Cards and has since played the lead role in Hallmark’s personal development strategies.

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