Director Gordon Merchant founded Billabong in 1973. Billabong International makes Billabong brand surf and extreme sports (skateboarding and snowboarding) apparel and accessories. Products sporting its wave logo include board shorts, swimwear, T-shirts, jackets, backpacks, watches, and footwear. Board riders and wannabes can buy the firm's gear at specialty sport stores and a few Billabong stores in more than 100 countries. The company sponsors surfers, skaters, and pro surfing tournaments in Australia, South Africa, and Spain.

Wine.com, Inc. operates as an online wine retailer. The company also provides an assortment of gourmet food and sweets gift baskets. It distributes wines through its network of retail outlets in the United States. The company, formerly known as eVineyard, Inc., was founded in 1998 and is based in San Francisco, California. It has retail stores in Berkeley, California; and East Hampton, Connecticut.

Founded in 1944 by three businessmen (C. Maxwell Stanley, Clement T. Hanson, and H. Wood Miller), the firm originally made index card file boxes for kitchen use. Its original name was Home-O-Nize, later shortened to HON. he HON Company wants its customers to take a seat, and a desk, and a filing cabinet. It's a division of HNI Corporation and makes and markets office furniture for small and mid-sized businesses. The company's furniture line includes desks, tables, seating, files, and storage cabinets. HON sells through retailers nationwide. Brands include Park Avenue, Valido, Perpetual, and Simplicity.

Professional Veterinary Products, Ltd. (PVPL) wholesales and distributes pharmaceuticals and supplies to licensed veterinarians. The company carries more than 20,000 products from about 350 manufacturers, ranging from diagnostic equipment to animal identification tags. It boasts two subsidiaries: Exact Logistics (distributes to other animal-health firms) and ProConn (supplies products directly to the consumer). The company was founded by a group of veterinarians in 1982. PVPL says that even its telesales staff has field experience -- phones are manned by veterinary techs and others with animal science degrees.

The furniture company was founded in 1948 by brothers Russ and Edward Petrick, who named Bretford by combining their wives' maiden names (Brett and Crawford). Bretford makes and markets furniture for offices, schools and universities, the audio-visual market, healthcare, hospitality, government, and other contract markets. The modern look of its furniture conforms to the liquid workspace ideal that the company promotes, and its line of mobile chairs, tables, and partitions keep office spaces flexible. Bretford boasts more than 240 furniture models that are GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Certified by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute.

The NeoStrata Company, founded in 1988 by two doctors who specialize in skin research, is a skin care firm dedicated to researching, developing, and marketing Alpha Hydroxyacid (AHA) skin products, as well as natural compounds using polyhydroxy acids (PHAs) and lactobionic acids. Some items are sold exclusively to dermatologists and plastic surgeons, while others sell in spas, salons, beauty stores, and department stores. Its brands include NeoStrata (anti-aging), Exuviance, CoverBlend (cosmetics), and NeoCeuticals (for specific skin conditions) that are sold in the US and more than 60 foreign countries.

Lachman Imports Inc. company imports and wholesales products from Guinot Paris, which makes skin care and body care products, including cleansers, moisturizers, and men's grooming products. Lachman sells directly to more than 1,100 spas and salons throughout the US and internationally. It also operates training centers that offer classes on its Hydradermie technique and other spa treatments. Sister company Thibiant International sells Guinot Paris products from the West Coast.

Marc Ecko is an edgy fashion firm that appeals to urban, street-savvy youths, extreme sports fans, and hip-hop stars. Its rhinoceros logo graces everything from men's and women's sportswear to such items as (licensed) bags, eyewear, footwear, leather goods, and outerwear. Ecko, with such brands as *ecko unltd. and Zoo York, also boasts boys' and girls' clothing. Ecko's wares are sold in department and specialty stores and in about 30 company outlet stores in 20 states and Puerto Rico. Distributors peddle the rhino gear worldwide. Chairman and designer Marc Ecko started the company in 1993 with a line of six T-shirts.

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.

The world's #1 luggage maker, Samsonite makes softside and hardside suitcases, garment bags, and business cases under brand names such as Samsonite and American Tourister. The company also licenses its name for non-luggage products and dabbles in designer clothing. Samsonite makes travel gear (backpacks, duffel bags, wheeled luggage) for Timberland through a licensing agreement. It sells its products in more than 100 countries and through about 200 stores. Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners owns a majority stake in the ailing luggage maker.

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