Thorco was founded in 1899 as F.M. Thorpe Manufacturing by Col. Frank M. Thorpe. The company was acquired in 1990 by Marmon. Thorco Industries company designs and manufactures custom store fixtures and merchandise displays. It ships to anywhere in North America from four plants in Missouri. Thorco sells its racks and shelving to a variety of retailer segments, including apparel, auto parts, greeting cards, grocery, music and video, and sporting goods. Customers have included Associated Wholesale Grocers and Wal-Mart.

Inverness Corporation Company's piercing system is used in some 5,000 US retail outlets and is sold in about 45 countries. The system accompanies a pierced earring selection of about 200 styles. Customers have included Wal-Mart, Claire's, and Merle Norman, among others. Inverness also offers onsite training for staff. For those who like to go solo, there's a personal piercer and personal care products, such as antiseptics for ear care and body piercing care. The company boasts offices in Canada, Hong Kong, France, Japan, the UK, and the US.

Founded in 1914, Brooks is owned by athletic apparel firm Russell Corporation. Brooks Sports takes a more soleful approach to building its name. The company makes running, cross-training, and walking footwear, apparel, and accessories for men and women. Its products are sold by sporting goods retailers and athletic footwear stores in more than 40 countries. Brooks markets its products primarily through runners' magazines and by sponsoring low-profile but respected members of the running community, eschewing mass TV advertising used by such rivals as NIKE.

MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. company has investments in an array of public and private firms, most notably cosmetics giant Revlon and M&F Worldwide, which deals in licorice flavors and financial products. It also has an influential role in entertainment, with significant stakes in Panavision, the top provider of cameras for movies and TV shows, and Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, the largest processor of motion picture film. MacAndrews & Forbes' other holdings include biotech firm SIGA Technologies, lottery system and gaming developer Scientific Games, and AM General, maker of Humvee and HUMMER vehicles.

Meaning "Danish shoe," Dansko helped to rejuvenate the popularity of the wide-toed, arch-supporting shoe, which has fueled the company's growth since its founding in 1991. Brand names include Golden Gate, Beacon Hill, Left Bank, Next Gen, Chelsea, and SoHo, among others. Dansko distributes its shoes to more than 3,500 retail locations. Shoes are sold through specialty retailers and online through such etailers as backcountry.com, uniform retailer Uniforms 4 You, and equestrian site The Horse and Pony Collection.

Avlon Industries, Inc. company was founded in 1984 by chemist Dr. Ali Syed, who serves as Avlon's president. Avlon Industries company, a hair-care product maker, specializes in treatments for ethnic hair. Products include relaxer and conditioning systems, permanent wave and professional coloring lines, and maintenance and styling items sold under names such as Affirm, Ferm, FiberGuard, KeraCare, and MoisturColor. Avlon's products are available for purchase through professional salons in the US and Canada. The company also has offices in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK to facilitate distribution to Latin America, Africa, and Europe.

Liquid Investments supplies beer, malt beverages, soda, energy drinks, and water to customers in parts of California and Colorado. The company owns the Mesa Beverage Co. in Santa Rosa, California, from which it handles some 1,500 accounts in Sonoma and Marin counties. It also serves 475 accounts in the western slope area of Colorado through Colorado Beverage Distribution, which has locations in Grand Junction and Montrose. Liquid distributes imported and domestic beers, including Heineken, Labatt, and Miller. It also ships regional beers from brewers like Samuel Adams, Mendocino Brewing, and Anchor Brewing. Its soda labels include Thomas Kemper and Henry Weinhard; waters include Crystal Geyser and Water Plus.

Gravis Footwear, Inc. company makes sporty (for sports and for the sportif) footwear, bags (handbags and luggage pieces), and apparel (T-shirts, hats, hoodies and jackets) printed with the company's logo. Gravis' trendy collections, which appeal to men and women 25-35 years of age, are available through more than 2,500 specialty retailers worldwide. These include 200-plus stores in the US, including surf and skate shops, as well as chains such as Urban Outfitters and Whole Earth Provision. Snowboard manufacturer Burton Snowboards owns Gravis.

LaCrosse Footwear, Inc. was founded in 1897 and is based in Portland, Oregon. LaCrosse Footwear, Inc. (LaCrosse) is a developer and marketer of footwear for work and outdoor users. The Company’s Danner and LaCrosse brands are distributed through a network of specialty retailers and distributors, as well as its owned retail channels, and internationally through its subsidiary, LaCrosse Europe ApS, and through distributors and retailers in Asia, Europe and Canada. LaCrosse’s work customers include people in law enforcement, transportation, mining, oil and gas, military services and other occupations. Outdoor customers include people in hunting, hiking and other outdoor recreational activities. On July 21, 2008, the Company announced the formation of LaCrosse Europe ApS, a new subsidiary based in Denmark. In June 2009, the Company completed the acquisition of certain assets of Environmentally Neutral Design Outdoor, Inc., a performance footwear company.

New Era Cap, founded in 1920, makes more than 35 million licensed and non-licensed caps a year and sells them through retailers the likes of Dick's in the US and Aeon in Japan. It operates offices in Canada, Germany, Europe, Hong Kong, and Japan. Its US manufacturing takes place in New York and Alabama. The Koch family (now in its fourth generation of management), including CEO Chris Koch, owns New Era Cap. New Era Cap has all Major League bases covered -- or at least the heads above them. The company makes the uniform caps of every Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball team, as well as uniforms worn by youth and high-school baseball players. The company boasts a portfolio of more than 200 licenses.

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