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.

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.

Founded in 1974, Gianfranco Ferré SpA in 2002 became a subsidiary of IT Holding, which went into administration in February 2009 alongside its Ittierre unit. Gianfranco Ferré is into what's in -- the fashion house designs men's and women's clothing and accessories, some of which used to be produced and distributed by Italian apparel and textile maker Marzotto, but the agreements have expired. Gianfranco Ferré also operates about 40 boutiques for men and women in Italy and 15 other countries. In an effort to extend its reach to new customers, the company has been renaming and reshuffling some of its labels, and uses the name Ferré (dropping the Gianfranco) on storefronts.

The Odom Corporation is a distributor of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, such as Coca-Cola, Reed's, Coors, and Miller, in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. The five divisions within Odom Corporation include Aurora Vending, which sells snacks, pastries, coffee, ice cream, and beverages to schools and businesses in Alaska; wine and spirits broker Beverages Northwest, which serves Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska; Coca-Cola of Alaska; and Northwest Select, a high-end wine distributor in eastern Washington and Idaho. Milt Odom founded the company in the 1930s.

Founded in 1993, McGregor is a European fashion house that designs, markets, distributes, and sells high-end men's, women's, and children's apparel through thousands of independent multibrand shops in many countries in Europe and the Middle East. Its most well-known brand, McGregor, is also sold through its owned and franchised McGregor Shops and more than 100 branches located inside leading European department stores. Its Gaastra division designs, distributes, and sells sailing clothing in high-end men's fashion and sporting goods stores.

Morris Matalon founded the company in 1965, and it continues to be a family-owned and -managed business. Celebrity International keeps kids from running around in their birthday suits. The children's apparel manufacturer operates through three main divisions: Celebrity, Lovespun (private label), and Vitamins Playwear. The company makes and markets bath, play, sleep, and swimwear, as well as bodysuits and sweaters, under licensed and proprietary brands, such as Vitamins Baby, Vitamins Kids, Sahara Club, Beatrix Potter, and Barney for Baby. Celebrity International's apparel offerings are sold through upscale retailers, including Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdale's, and Gottschalks, as well as online.

OraLabs wants to help. Known for its Ice Drops line of breath-freshening products, the company's diverse roster of goods includes candy, lip balms, breath fresheners, hand sanitizers, and sunscreen. It also makes private-label products and operates a contract packaging lip-balm business. The firm's merchandise is sold throughout the US and in international markets. Products are sold to wholesale distributors, as well as directly to mass retailers, grocery stores, and drug stores. President Gary Schlatter took the company private in late 2006.

The Bull family controls Bradner Central, which was founded in 1852. Bradner Central Company is the parent company of several light-converting and paper-distributing subsidiaries, including Bradner Smith & Co. and Bradner National. It serves publishers of catalogs, magazines, books, and other commercial printers with some 2,200 products, including fine and specialty papers for printing, business forms, and envelopes, and, to a lesser degree, pressure-sensitive films, foils, and vinyls. The subsidiaries supply businesses in such industries as advertising, direct mail, insurance, label printing, and quick printing.

Beiersdorf is a master of soft sell. Its NIVEA line of skin care products (#1 in Europe) helped the company expand into color cosmetics and shaving products. Other body care brands include such items as Labello, 8x4, Florena, JUVENA, and la prairie. Beiersdorf also makes and markets bandages, surgical gloves, disinfectants, and dermatological skin care products (such as Hansaplast and Eucerin). Under the tesa name, it offers tapes and adhesives for home, office, and industrial settings. German insurer Allianz sold its 44% of Beiersdorf to coffee and cigarette firm Tchibo Holding, to add to Tchibo's 30%. Chairman Rolf Kunisch retired in May 2008; Thomas-Bernd Quaas replaced him.

Ivory International, Inc. company, formerly named Trends International, was founded in 1989. It merged operations with Ivory International in 2005. Ivory International designs, makes, and distributes men's and women's clothing, as well as children's and junior's apparel, for leading US retailers. Its lines have carried such labels as B.U.M. Equipment, Jimmy Z, Lee, l.e.i., and Trendy Kidz. The company has also produced junior apparel under license for the Ocean Pacific and Ecko Unlimited brands. Collections are sold through major department stores (such as J. C. Penney), mass merchants, and specialty retailers.

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