Wilsonart International was founded as a producer of high pressure decorative laminate in 1956 in Temple, Texas, by Ralph Wilson, Sr., a retired laminate industry executive. Wilson’s intent was never to build a major competitor — the field in those days included 12 domestic competitors — but rather to fill his free time.Throughout the 1960s, Wilson’s “hobby” grew dramatically through a formula comprising a dedicated local work force, high-quality products and an old-fashioned commitment to customer service.

BE&K Building Group is a top US contractor. The company, which is part of Houston-based construction giant KBR, provides design-build services, construction management, general contracting, and other construction services. It specializes in mixed-use projects, educational facilities, entertainment venues, food and beverage plants, hospitals, hotels, laboratories, and manufacturing facilities. BE&K Building Group operates mostly in the Southeast, but also works on projects in other parts of the country. KBR bought BE&K for some $550 million in 2008.

Black & Veatch (BV) provides the ABCs of construction, engineering, and consulting. The international group is one of the largest private companies in the US. It specializes in infrastructure development for the energy, water, environmental, federal, and telecommunications markets. BV engages in all phases of building projects, from design and engineering to financing and construction. The company offers environmental consulting, operations and maintenance, security design and consulting, management consulting, and IT services. The employee-owned firm has worked on coal, nuclear, and combustion turbine plants; drinking water and coastal water operations; and wireless and broadband installation.

Epwin Group, through its wholly owned subsidiary SBP Limited, operates over 30 businesses achieving a turnover of £188M in 2008, creating employment for a workforce in excess of 2200 and continuing to expand its market share. With over 1.2 million square feet of production and warehousing facilities at different locations across the UK, Epwin Group is the UK’s second largest extruder of PVC-U and PVC-UE products.

Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) puts its stamp on buildings around the world. One of the top 10 architectural and planning firms in the US, the company offers services such as master planning, urban design, space planning, programming, building analysis, graphic and product, and interior design. It specializes in such projects as corporate headquarters, government offices, health care facilities, hotels, and educational facilities. KPF's structures range from small pavilions to entire cities. The firm operates from offices in New York, London, and Shanghai. Architects A. Eugene Kohn, William Pedersen, and Sheldon Fox founded the firm in 1976.

Roseburg Forest Products has branched out as a diverse producer of wood products. Formed in 1936, the company produces specialty panels (melamine, particleboard, and vinyl laminates), engineered wood products (joists, beams, and rimboards), and plywood products such as siding and concrete forming. Its products are available through dealers, home centers, and wholesale distributors. Roseburg manages more than 700,000 acres of timberland in California and southern Oregon. The company has more than a dozen manufacturing facilities in the Northwest and Southeast. Heirs of philanthropist Kenneth Ford, who established the Ford Family Foundation, own and lead the company.

Timber! Tolko Industries manufactures and markets specialty forest products, primarily in North America. The company, founded in 1956, produces lumber, plywood, oriented strand board (OSB), specialty kraft paper, and other wood products. It operates nearly 20 manufacturing facilities in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Tolko also markets its products overseas. Tolko was forced to shut mills during a devastating mountain pine beetle infestation. The company, along with the rest of the industry, also was struck by the global economic crisis and faced additional closures in 2008 and 2009. Tolko is owned by the founding Thorlakson family.

Coakley & Williams Construction, Inc. (CWCI) offers building, restoration and renovation, construction management, general contracting, and interior construction services. The firm has built and refurbished schools, churches, courthouses, parking garages, medical facilities, and government and corporate office buildings. Past clients include federal agencies, the State of Maryland, Unisys, Wal-Mart, FedEx, and Georgetown University. CWCI has served the East Coast since 1961 and has also completed projects in Alaska, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. Chairman and CEO Terrance Coakley and president Patrick Caulfield own the company.

LCS Constructors helps create the space for corporations' high-tech and scientific discovery. With thousands of lab projects under its belt, LCS Constructors specializes in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of laboratories and technical facilities throughout the West, Southeast, and Gulf Coast regions of the US. The firm's clients have included ARCO Aluminum, Exxon Mobile, and McDonald's. LCS Constructors was established in 1980.

Taiwan Cement is a hard act to follow. Taiwan Cement Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells a variety of cement and ready-mixed concrete products for distribution throughout Asia, the Middle East, and the US. As the largest cement supplier in Taiwan, Taiwan Cement Co., Ltd. produces some 25 million metric tons of cement annually from its plants in Taiwan. It plans to double capacity and expand by building new plants, especially in the growing Chinese market. In 2010 it bought Prosperity Minerals Holdings' cement unit for about $500 million, enhancing its holdings on the mainland. In addition to its cement operations, Taiwan Cement Co., Ltd. produces paper, paper bags, and sludge treatment agents.

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