Bradford, which has operations in the US and Mexico, was founded in 1876 to make soaps for the textile industry. The company grows its operations chiefly through acquisitions of smaller soap makers. Bradford Soap Works is far from being a dud with suds. As a top manufacturer of private-label bath soaps, the company makes soap and personal care formulations specifically for consumer products firms. Products, which include bar soaps, gels, powders, and mousses, are manufactured under names AngelSkin, Eco-Ex, OrganicChoices, Chakra, Body Buffing Grain, and Watercolors, among others. Bradford Soap also makes certified organic ingredients, as well as detergent, lubricants, and foam stabilizers for industrial use.

Founded in 1966, DSI has grown from a business forms distributor to a powerhouse information solutions provider with 21 sales offices, nine distribution centers and four manufacturing facilities across the United States. Data Supplies prints a range of business materials, including forms, direct-mail pieces, point-of-purchase materials, and envelopes. It also sells stock forms (taxes, billing), office supplies (pencils, calculators, file folders), equipment (computers, fax machines, printers), furniture (chairs, desks, panel systems), and break room and janitorial supplies. The company's automotive group offers an array of office supplies, promotional products, and other marketing tools geared specifically to car retailers.

Founded in 1882 by William Hayes and James Finch, the company is still owned by the Finch family. Hayes & Finch company manufactures and sells items belonging inside a church (besides the willing souls and the people attached to them): altars, altar linens, altar breads, baptismal fonts, candles, candlesticks, cassocks, clerical garments, crucifixes, cottas, funeral palls, hymn boards, incenses, kneelers, lecterns, pews, pulpits, stoles, surplices, vestments, wines, even collection plates. Merchandise is sold through the company's catalog, web site, and through six retail outlets.

Pepsi MidAmerica Co. is a leading distributor of beverages from PepsiCo, including bottled water, soft drinks, and other thirst quenchers. The company also distributes brands from other beverage makers, including Dr Pepper Snapple Group (7UP, Dr Pepper) and Unilever (Lipton Tea). Pepsi MidAmerica serves customers in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee; it also supplies and services soft-drink vending machines. The company has been owned and operated by three generations of the Crisp family.

Stevens Industries, Inc. was founded in 1956 by Chuck Stevens. Stevens Industries company manufactures cabinets, countertops, workstations, and other furniture for schools, hospitals, and medical clinics. It also produces hardware (pulls, hooks) and laminated paneling for use by office furniture and shelving manufacturers. Stevens' products offer an array of decorative inlays and color finishes.

Safilo was established by the Tabacchi family in 1934 after it bought Italy's first lens and frame production plant, itself founded in 1878. The world's #2 eyewear maker behind Luxottica, Safilo makes and markets eyeglass frames, sports goggles, sunglasses, and accessories. It sells its high-end products through sporting goods stores and opticians in some 130 countries under its own Smith, Carrera, Oxydo, Blue Bay, and Safilo brands and under license for Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, and Marc Jacobs, among others. Safilo also sells eyewear through about 155 swank Solstice stores in the US and another 50 shops in Mexico.

Prestige Cosmetics makes cosmetics under the Prestige and Prestige Studio Make-Up brand names, as well as under private labels for retailers. Its products include lipstick, cosmetic pencils, lip gloss, powder, eye shadow, blush, concealers, mascara, foundation, and nail polish. Prestige markets its products to mass merchandisers (including Sears and Wal-Mart), drugstores, and supermarkets in the US and about 45 other countries. It operates a plant in Florida and sells its products to distributors in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, and South America. Co-founders and brothers Jacques and Gabriel Cohen own the company.

Founded in 1854, Timex is owned by the family of chairman Annette Olsen, whose grandfather bought the company in 1942. Timex is strapping on fresh faces so it can tap new markets worldwide. The nation's largest watch manufacturer has expanded its lines from simple, low-cost watches to include high-tech tickers capable of paging or downloading computer data. Its sports watches have gone upscale and gadgety with its Expedition and Ironman lines. Timex Corporation company also makes and markets thermostats, pedometers, and weather instruments. Through a licensing agreement, Timex makes watches for Guess? and Versace, among others.

B.J. Vines, aka Betsey Johnson, is a perennial favorite among women who are funky and consider themselves eclectic, and after some 30 years in the business, the eccentric designer and her company namesake are still going strong. Betsey Johnson clothes, shoes, fragrance, makeup, lingerie, legwear, and accessories are distributed through about 50 specialty stores of the same name and department stores worldwide. B.J. Vines has expanded its product offerings and operations through about a dozen licensing agreements. Having owned a majority of the firm, Johnson sold a controlling stake to Boston-based private equity firm Castanea Partners in August 2007.

Geox S.p.A. company designs, manufactures, and sells casual footwear and apparel in more than 65 countries reaching consumers through traditional retail outlets and a chain of 800-plus Geox branded stores (mostly franchised). Geox has fashioned its business around products that "breathe," consisting primarily of footwear. The company's proprietary shoe technology combines vented soles with breathable membranes that allow humidity and heat to escape while still providing protection from the elements. Product lines include casual and dress shoes for men and women, as well as children's shoes. Geox has also adapted its technology for use in jackets and coats.

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