Manchester City Football Club is one of the oldest soccer teams in the UK Premier League. The club was founded in 1880 as St. Marks and changed its name to Ardwick before settling on Manchester City in 1894. Known to supporters as The Citizens, the team boasts two league championships and four FA Cups. Abu Dhabi United Group, an investment concern owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates, acquired the club in 2008 from Thaksin Shinawatra, formerly the prime minister of Thailand. Shinawatra had acquired control of Manchester City the previous year after being ousted from Thailand in a coup d'etat.

Tharaldson Motels, Inc. was founded in 1982 by Gary Tharaldson. The business is 100%-owned by its employees through an employee stock ownership program. Tharaldson Motels company operates more than 220 limited-service hotels in 30 states, under such brands as Fairfield Inn by Marriott, Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, EconoLodge by Choice Hotels, and Homewood Suites by Hilton. Tharaldson's properties feature 24-hour coffee service, cable television, free local phone calls, and other basic amenities. It also provides free rooms to customers visiting family members or friends hospitalized over the holidays.

This hospitality company is thankful for Friday's. The Briad Group is the #1 operator of T.G.I. Friday's restaurants, with about 70 locations in six states, primarily in Arizona, California, and New Jersey. Franchised from Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, the casual dining restaurants are popular for their appetizers and bar-like atmosphere. Briad is also a leading franchisee of Wendy's International (part of Wendy's/Arby's Group), with more than 40 fast food restaurants in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The company also has a small number of Hilton and Marriott hotels. Founder and CEO Bradford Honigfeld leads an investment group that owns Briad.

Consolidated Restaurant Operations, Inc. (CRO) operates more than 84 full-service and 33 franchise restaurants located in 12 states. CRO employs approximately 6,000 full and part-time employees. CRO has been named the 70th largest private company in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (home to more than 16 "Fortune 500" companies and 4.8 million residents). Our brands include El Chico, Good Eats, Cantina Laredo, Luckys Café, Silver Fox Steakhouse, III Forks Steakhouse, and Cool River Café. We serve more than 14 million meals annually! Looking to the future, CRO's goal is to continue growing at the fastest pace possible without ever compromising our guests' satisfaction.

Typhoon! operates a chain of more than half a dozen upscale Thai and pan-Asian restaurants in the Portland, Oregon, and Seattle areas. The dining spots specialize in classic Thai cuisine presented in a contemporary setting, as well as more cutting-edge dishes. The chain is also popular for its extensive tea menu. President and executive chef Bo Lohasawat Kline, a native of Bangkok, and her husband, Stephen Kline, started the company in 1995.

Aruze Gaming America, Inc., a global gaming corporation since 1983, designs, develops and manufactures slot machines and gaming devices for the global casino market. The corporate office is located in Las Vegas with subsidiaries and branches in Australia, South Africa, Macau, Japan and the Philippine. Aruze Gaming America is a leading manufacturer of casino gaming machines for markets in the US and overseas. It makes mechanical reel slots and video slot machines, as well as multi-player games based on such casino favorites as blackjack and roulette. The company has international subsidiaries in Australia, China, Japan, and South Africa. Tokyo-based Pachinko manufacturer Universal Entertainment (formerly Aruze Corp.) sold Aruze Gaming America to CEO Kazuo Okada in 2009. Okada also serves as chairman of Universal Entertainment and is vice chairman of Wynn Resorts.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club plays football (soccer) in the English Football League Championship (formerly known as Division 1). The club, known as QPR, was originally formed in 1882 by boys from the Droop Street Board School. The students attended St. Jude's Institute and were known in those very early days as St. Judes. In 1886 the team took the name of Queens Park Rangers after merging with a team called Christchurch Rangers. The team plays at the 19,148 capacity Loftus Road Stadium in London. In 2007 QPR was purchased by Formula One tycoons Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, who sold a 20% stake to the family of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal in December of the same year.

Carlson Restaurants Worldwide (CRW) has a lot of Friday's for which to be thankful. A leader in full-service restaurants, the company operates and franchises more than 900 T.G.I. Friday's casual dining locations across the US and in about 60 other countries. The restaurant chain offers a menu featuring beef, chicken, and seafood entrees along with a selection of popular appetizers. About 300 T.G.I. Friday's units are company-owned while the rest are franchised. The company also operates Pick Up Stix, an Asian-themed fast-casual chain with more than 90 locations in California, Nevada, and Arizona. CRW is a subsidiary of travel and leisure conglomerate Carlson Companies.

Chicago White Sox franchise is one of the oldest clubs in Major League Baseball, having joined the American League in 1900. The team boasts just three World Series championships, two from the early 1900s and it latest in 2005. (A World Series appearance in 1919 was marred by the "Black Sox" scandal that saw eight teammates banned from baseball for throwing the championship.) Playing host at US Cellular Field, the White Sox franchise is owned by real estate developer and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who also owns the Chicago Bulls basketball team.

Founded by outdoorsmen for outdoorsmen, Outdoor Channel features quality programming designed to educate and entertain sportsmen of all skill levels. The channel promotes the traditional outdoor activities that are a vital part of our national heritage including fishing, hunting and shooting sports. The programs are designed to appeal to "traditional sportsmen" of all ages with a focus on activities that the entire family can enjoy in the great outdoors. At Outdoor Channel, our viewers are passionate about their sports and outdoor activities, and they are excited to be part of the Outdoor Channel Community. With a free membership at MyOutdoorChannel.com, you can connect with other outdoor enthusiasts, post photos and videos of your trophies, share your experiences and tell stories about your favorite hunting, fishing or ATV trips.

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