Markwins International Corporation company develops, manufactures, and markets cosmetics, personal care products, and accessories. Its ethnic-themed cosmetic lines include Black Radiance (aimed at black women) and Tropez (aimed at Hispanic and Asian women). Markwins also makes the popular and inexpensive Wet 'n' Wild cosmetics line and packages beauty kits under the Color Workshop and Spa Institute brands. Its Soho unit designs makeup bags and jewelry cases. Through partnership agreements, Markwins produces cosmetics under licensed name brands. The company, which has manufacturing facilities in the US and China, distributes its products to retailers worldwide.

Kracie Holdings (formerly Kanebo Trinity Holdings) is a veteran firm that knows diversification and doesn't mind changing its moniker. The company makes toiletries, pharmaceuticals, and food. Kracie's products vary from Prostyle hair styling product to Frisk chewing gum to Coccoapo A, an over-the-counter drug for the treatment of constipation and obesity. Kracie, formed in 1887, operates in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Kracie sold its cosmetics unit to household products maker Kao Corp. in 2006. Kanebo changed its name to Kracie Holdings in July 2007.

Pepsi Bottling Ventures (PBV) for one thing. The third-largest bottler of Pepsiproducts, PBV serves some 8 million consumers in North Carolina (home of its corporate headquarters) and also on Long Island, New York, as well as other East Coast states. PBV operates 28 bottling, distribution, and sales facilities located in Delaware, Idaho, Maryland, New York, North and South Carolina, and Vermont. The company's portfolio of more than 800 beverages includes Pepsi soft-drink brands, Aquafina bottled water, Starbucks coffee drinks, Tropicana juices, Gatorade isotonics, and Lipton teas. PBV is a joint venture of PepsiCo and Suntory Holdings.

Simon Marketing makes copier and laser printer products, including pressure-sensitive labels, transparency films, blank CDs, and index tabs. The company also offers office products such as micro-shredders that make fine confetti out of confidential throw-aways. Simon Marketing makes cardboard storage boxes, as well. The company primarily serves the baking, food, and beverage industries and sells its products internationally through retailers such as Staples, OfficeMax, United Stationers, and Corporate Express.

Telmark Packaging Corporation was founded in 1994. Telmark Packaging Corporation manufactures product packaging for a variety of companies, including Avon, Estee Lauder, Hartz Mountain, NeoStrata, and Revlon. In addition to product packaging, it also performs bulk manufacturing of nutritional supplements, over-the-counter medications, and private label cosmetics and fragrances.

Founded in 1906 American of Martinsville was a subsidiary of furniture maker La-Z-Boy until it was sold to private equity firm Hancock Park Associates in mid-2006 for an undisclosed amount. American of Martinsville strongly believes in Southern hospitality. Based in Martinsville, Virginia, the company produces guest room furniture (chairs, tables, sofas, bureaus) for hospitality customers, such as Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton. It also sells to institutional customers, including hospitals, assisted living centers, and the US government. The company makes all its furniture at its 1 million-sq.-ft. manufacturing plant.

Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing makes Dickies-brand khaki pants, bib overalls, jeans, women's and children's apparel, and Workrite safety uniforms. It also makes apparel and footwear for work and outdoor use under the Kodiak and Terra names. Its work clothes, originally tailored for the blue-collar set, have come back into fashion with teens, which account for a growing portion of sales. Its products are sold worldwide through retailers (Academy, Wal-Mart), directly to businesses, and through its Work Authority stores. It was founded in 1922 by the Williamson family, which still owns the company. Dickies acquired Kodiak Group Holdings in April 2008.

The Stephan Company manages a vast portfolio of products as a maker of branded and private-label personal care items. Its brands include Cashmere Bouquet, Quinsana Medicated, Balm Barr, Stretch Mark Crme, Protein 29, Stiff Stuff, Wildroot, and Frances Denney. It sells them worldwide by mail order and in retail stores and salons through its subsidiaries, including Morris Flamingo-Stephan, Old 97, American Manicure, Lee Stafford Beauty Group, and Williamsport Barber and Beauty Corp., and Scientific Research Products, among others. Chairman, president, and CEO Frank Ferola owns about 20% of the firm, which bought Bowman Beauty and Barber Supply Company in August 2008.

Since 1991, VIRA Manufacturing, Inc. has taken a worldwide leadership position in the conceptualization and installation of highly effective fixtures, custom displays, and themed environments. From brand shops to boutiques, VIRA breathes life into your vision - creating innovative vehicles for fulfilling your retail sales and marketing objectives, while reinforcing brand value.Under one roof, VIRA delivers the finest in custom design, engineering, and manufacturing, with an attention to detail you won't find anywhere else. Vira talented artisans, materials expertise, and extensive resources make for a powerful combination that delivers nearly limitless possibilities. When you're seeking just the merchandising space for your retail environment, let VIRA put Vira award-winning design and fabrication capabilities at your disposal.

Founded by Elbert Allen in 1922, Allen-Edmonds Shoe Corporation was sold to Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison in 2006 for $123 million. Allen-Edmonds' shoes stand their ground in the US. Maker of high-end men's dress and casual shoes, boots, belts, leather care goods, and hosiery, Allen-Edmonds makes most of its shoes in Maine and Wisconsin, resisting the trend of moving production abroad. Its shoes are handmade by skilled craftsmen, and Allen-Edmonds is known for its full range of shoe sizes for men. The company also offers a namesake cologne. Its products are sold in more than 25 company-owned stores in the US, Belgium, and Italy, as well as in department stores (Nordstrom), other specialty retailers, online and by catalog.

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