The L&D Group LLC was founded in 1901. The Lyon and Dittrich Holding Company (dba The L & D Group) is an organization of nine autonomous manufacturing and service companies. The L & D Group staff provides services such as treasury, human resource and risk management and general strategic decision making support to all of its subsidiaries. Lyon Metal Products, L & D Group's largest subsidiary, is a leading manufacturer of high quality fabricated steel storage equipment and workspace products. Headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, The L & D Group serves as the holding company for nine independent manufacturing and service companies.

Founded in 1947, the pet food maker offers a variety of cat and dog food products that not only meet the nutritional requirements of pets but are also specially formulated to help treat specific health needs. The company's AvoDerm brand dog food promotes better skin and coats, while its Active Care line promotes joint health in older dogs. Its Pinnacle line offers a holistic approach for canines and felines. Breeder's Choice other product lines include cat food, skin and hair care products, and dog treats. In 2006 Central Garden & Pet Company spent about $25 million in cash to acquire Breeder's Choice.

Celebrating more than 40 years in business, Mary Kay is in the pink as one of the top direct sellers of beauty products in the US. It offers more than 200 products in six categories: body care, color cosmetics, facial skin care, fragrance, nail care, and sun protection. More than 1.8 million independent sales consultants demonstrate Mary Kay products in the US and some 35 other countries. Consultants vie for awards each year, ranging from jewelry to the company's trademark pink Cadillac (first awarded in 1969). The company also founded the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation in 1996 to fund cancer research and domestic violence programs. The family of founder Mary Kay Ash owns most of the company.

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.

La Senza's panties are much more significant than the "little nothings" their name suggests. The company targets women age 18 to 35 with its underwear, loungewear, and sleepwear, which are sold through La Senza and Silk & Satin stores. The manufacturer and retailer caters to the 'tween market with its La Senza Girl stores and Web site. Overall, La Senza owns and operates more than 300 stores in Canada, and licensees run another 500 stores in 45 other countries. The company was sold to Limited Brands in early 2007. Founded in 1966 as Suzie Shier, the company became one of Canada's best-known lingerie retail chains after it went public under the La Senza name.

Farouk Systems can iron things out with its own version of CHI energy. The company makes and markets personal care products, including BioSilk hair care and spa items, in addition to CHI styling products and implements (hair dryers, straightening and curling irons, clippers, and hairstyling irons). It also makes CHI men's and women's fragrances, as well as CHI nail polish. The company caters to both consumers and professionals, and in January 2009 opened its Farouk Systems CHI Academy in Houston for training hair professionals. The firm, founded by Palestinian immigrant Farouk Shami (chairman) in 1986, is owned and operated by professional hairdressers.

Established in 1926, Paoli manufactured chairs for the home before transitioning to office furniture, a market that grew in popularity in the 1970s. HNI purchased Paoli in 2004 from Klaussner Furniture. Paoli does business in offices and boardrooms around the country. Its business is filling those rooms with furniture. Paoli makes wooden tables, desks, cabinets, and upholstered chairs. The company's goods are marketed through about 15 showrooms across the US and via its e-commerce site. Customers come from the corporate, education, and health care industries, as well as government agencies.

Skinvisible, Inc., together with its subsidiary, Skinvisible Pharmaceuticals, Inc., engages in the development and manufacture of topical polymer-based delivery system technologies and formulations for combining hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymer emulsions. Its Invisicare, a polymer delivery vehicle that allows normal skin respiration and perspiration, is used in antimicrobial hand sanitizer lotions, suncare products, skincare moisturizers, and sunless tanning products, as well as in various dermatology products for various skin disorders. The company also provides antibacterial/antimicrobial hand sanitizer formulations that offer skincare solutions for the healthcare, food service, industrial, cosmetic, and salon industries, as well as for personal use in the retail marketplace. The company was formerly known as Microbial Solutions, Inc. and changed its name to Skinvisible, Inc. in February 1999. Skinvisible, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Owner Charlie Clifford founded Tumi, Inc. in 1975 after a Peace Corps stint in Peru. Tumi company is named after an Incan god of medicine, and has been a unit of Doughty Hanson & Co. since 2004. The high-end designer and manufacturer of such travel accessories as prestige suitcases, backpacks, garment bags, totes, and travel kits, specializes in corporate travelers whose cargo is arguably precious (the company has its own tracking system for retrieving lost bags). Tumi distributes its luggage in the US and abroad through some 50 of its own retail stores, its Web site, other specialty stores, and partnerships with hotel chain Starwood and luxury cruise line Seabourn.

Owned by private investment firm Westar, Petmate company was founded by Ben Doskocil in 1961. Petmate was later formed by the recapitalization of Doskocil and Dogloo Inc. Petmate (formerly Doskocil) has got dogs and cats covered. The company is one of the nation's leading providers of non-food products for pets. It makes and sells pet carriers, kennels, bedding, exercise pens, feeders, litter pans, and other products for dogs and cats under the brand Petmate. Petmate has grown through acquisitions in recent years, such as its 2006 purchase of Aspen Pet Products, which specializes in the pet accessories niche and manufactures and markets chew toys, treats, leashes, and collars.

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