Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is the Scottish Government’s economic and community development agency for a diverse region which covers more than half of Scotland. HIE aims to build sustainable economic growth in all parts of the Highlands and Islands. HIE provides advice and grants to new and existing businesses, helping promote all sorts of commercial ventures. Along with Scottish Enterprise, its counterpart for the more populous southern region of Scotland, HIE supports Careers Scotland, a public organization for apprenticeships, job training, and professional development. While most Scots speak English, HIE attempts to accommodate speakers of Gaelic through its Web site, publications, and community outreach efforts.

Riordan, Lewis & Haden was founded in 1982. Riordan, Lewis & Haden is a private equity firm specializing in investments in middle market companies. The firm typically invests in growth capital, management buyouts, shareholder’s liquidity, and recapitalizations. It makes growth investments for working capital needs, additional production capacity, strategic acquisitions, and geographic expansion. The firm makes investments in business services, high value added manufacturing, specialty distribution, healthcare, and financial services. I t prefers to invest in home improvement, lawn and garden, storage and organization, sporting goods, outdoor recreation, luggage and travel accessories, and pet products. Within business services, the firm focuses on IT services, systems engineering, consulting, information security, and specialized data services. It looks for branded food, consumer products, precision components, and complex materials in high value added manufacturing sector. For specialty distribution, the firm focuses on healthcare products, plastics, and food. Within healthcare sector, it particularly invests in rehabilitation services, assisted living, devices, and home care. The firm focuses on specialty insurance and specialty finance for financial services sector. It typically, makes investments in companies headquartered Western U.S. with a focus in California.

Fimalac has stepped away from its manufacturing businesses in favor of financial services after selling Facom, a manufacturer of hand tools and garage equipment, to what is now Stanley Black & Decker for more than $485 million in 2006. Fimalac now provides risk management and international credit ratings through its majority-held subsidiaries Algorithmics and Fitch Ratings. Fimalac focus on financial services has shifted its revenue base from Europe to North America. A shareholders' group led by Fimalac president Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere owns about 80% of the company and controls about 80% of its voting rights.

Vision Capital's focus is clear: finance high-tech firms looking to go global. The venture capital firm specializes in funding European technology companies wanting to expand into the US and vise-versa. It focuses on the communications, semiconductor, software, and Internet sectors. Active investors who prefer to take seats on the boards of portfolio companies, Vision Capital's multinational, multilingual team looks for high-growth ventures, which it defines as greater than 35% compound annual growth, before it sinks its typical $3 million to $8 million in any given firm.

Gresham offers a helping hand to mid-market businesses around the UK. The private equity investment firm, which is known for its partnership approach, specializes in management buyouts up to £100 million ($160 million). The company particularly focuses on business services, consumer and financial services, industrial products, healthcare, and energy. Past investments include 2e2, stair lift manufacturer Minivator, and building services supplier Warings Contractors. In 2009 Gresham led a £20.8 million ($35.3 million) management buyout of the entertainment and sports management businesses of financial advisory firm Formation Group. Gresham has offices in Birmingham, London, and Manchester.

Primary Capital Limited is a private equity investment firm specializing in management buyouts and buyins. Primary Capital company invests primarily in proven businesses based in the UK and Germany with a focus on companies operating in the consumer goods, business services, leisure, health care, and IT services sectors. Primary Capital company invests in businesses valued between � 10 million and �100 million with a target to realise its investment over three to five years. Primary Capital investments include gourmet coffee stations provider Coffee Nation; fast-food Japanese restaurant chain YO! Sushi; bar, restaurant, and entertainment company Harlequin Entertainment, and IT infrastructure provider Esteem Systems.

Siebert Financial, through subsidiary Muriel Siebert & Co., provides discount securities brokerage and institutional financial services. Siebert Financial Corp. retail division offers equity trading, mutual fund access, and retirement accounts to self-directed individual investors. Customers can access their accounts and trade by phone, Internet, wireless device, or in person at seven retail branches in California, Florida, New Jersey, and New York. Siebert Financial provides securities trading and underwriting and other services to corporations and government entities. Founder and president Muriel "Mickie" Siebert, the first woman member of the New York Stock Exchange, owns some 90% of the company. Siebert Financial Corp. was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

President Joseph Shocken founded Broadmark Capital in 1987; since then the company has advised or invested in more than 150 deals worth some $1 billion. Broadmark Capital makes a big deal out of the little guy. The merchant bank provides financing and advisory services, including private placements of stock and mergers & acquisitions guidance, to emerging companies in the US and Europe. It also makes direct investments in firms. The company's typical deal ranges from $500,000 to more than $60 million. Targeted industries include life sciences and health care, technology, financial services, and communications.

Trellis Partners is a team of Texas-based, venture capital professionals whose focus is on helping build leading technology companies through early-stage investment. Working in true partnership with Trellis portfolio companies to provide strategic vision and support, rather than just financial resources, is fundamental to Trellis philosophy.Trellis Partners' strategy is investing with a smaller, more exclusive list of companies, while applying similar parameters to the amount of capital Trellis manage. This enables members of the Trellis team to work more closely and collaboratively with each portfolio company, to provide a new level of assistance, support, and sponsorship. In addition, it allows us to hand-craft investor groups with specific co-investment firms who offer optimal fit and balance. This commitment to a smaller, more exclusive list of partners ensures that each of Trellis' portfolio companies gets the highest level of service, from team members with the highest level of experience.

Turner Investment Partners, Inc. was founded in 1990 and is based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania with an additional office in Hartford, Connecticut. Turner Investment Partners, Inc. is an employee owned investment firm. The firm primarily provides its services to investment companies, pension and profit sharing plans, and state and municipal government entities. It also caters to pension funds, foundations, public companies, other asset managers and pooled investment vehicles, financial advisors, banking and thrift institutions, individuals, charitable and non-charitable organizations, educational and non-profit enterprises, public-employee retirement systems, and Taft-Hartley plans. The firm manages separate client focused equity portfolios. It also manages a family of mutual funds for its clients.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.