This company puts fast-food yummies in a whole lot of tummies. YUM! Brands is the largest fast-food operator in the world in terms of number of locations, with more than 37,000 outlets in about 110 countries. (It trails only hamburger giant McDonald's in sales.) The company's flagship chains include #1 chicken fryer KFC (with more than 16,200 units), top pizza joint Pizza Hut (more than 13,200), and quick-service Mexican leader Taco Bell (more than 5,800). YUM! also operates the Long John Silver's seafood chain, along with several hundred A&W root beer and burger stands. Franchisees, affiliates, and licensed operators run about 80% of the company's restaurants.

Scan Products International exports reconditioned coin-operated casino equipment and spare parts made by Aristocrat Leisure Limited, I.G.T, Bally, Atronic Americas, Mikohn, SEGA, Sigma Game, Universal, and Williams. Scan Products, which has been in business since 1982, also offers other gaming supplies like roulette wheels and tables.

East Coast Hockey League oversees an association of semi-professional hockey teams affiliated with National Hockey League and American Hockey League. Better known as ECHL, it has franchises in about 20 markets across the US and serves as a development league for the pro ranks. ECHL teams compete during a seven-month regular season for a chance to win the Kelly Cup championship. The league oversees team ownership, marketing, and promotional efforts for its confederation of local sports clubs. The ECHL was established in 1988.

Penn National Gaming owns or operates about 20 horseracing and casino gaming facilities throughout the US and in Canada. The company's race tracks include Raceway Park in Toledo, Ohio; Charles Town Races at the Charles Town Entertainment Complex in West Virginia; and its namesake Penn National Race Course outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Penn National's casinos include about a dozen locations operating mostly under the Argosy and Hollywood names in Illinois, Mississippi, and a handful of other states. In addition, the company has casino operations at some of its racetracks and it operates four off-track betting centers in Pennsylvania.

John Ritter of Chicago, Illinois, had an after-school job working at a local ice cream shop. One of the best perks of the job was getting to eat ice cream just out of the machine—before it had been packed and frozen solid. The experience of tasting smooth, creamy, fresh-made ice cream made an indelible impression on young John. John joined the Navy and became an aerial photographer, and then started a career in film animation after leaving the service. John met and married Bonny, and together they built a life in Chicago where they raised six children. After 35 years in animation production, John decided to retire.

Winter Sports company operates the Whitefish Mountain Resort (formerly Big Mountain) near Glacier National Park in Montana, offering outdoor enthusiasts miles of ski slopes and trails. It includes about a dozen ski lifts serving more than 3,000 acres of land, more than 2,500 acres of which are leased from the U.S. Forest Service under a special permit. Whitefish Mountain also features ski rental and retail shops, lodging, and a skiing school. The ski area, open from November to April, offers visitors shopping, snowmobile riding, sleigh rides, and other activities. Summer guests can hike, sightsee, mountain bike, and go horseback riding.

Esporta is trying to buff up the British Empire. Formerly First Leisure, the company operates about 15 racquet clubs and more than 50 luxury health and fitness clubs across the UK and Ireland. Its clubs generally feature gymnasiums, swimming pools, saunas, food and beverage services, and beauty salons, while some of its locations also sport tennis courts and golf courses. The company was founded 1994 with the purchase of the Royal County of Berkshire Health & Racquets Club. It is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of French bank Société Générale.

Sunshine in the village may be lovely, but snow on the ski run is even better. Sunshine Village ski resort in the Canadian Rockies' Banff National Park boasts more than 3,300 acres of skiing terrain, a high-speed gondola, and the 84-room Sunshine Mountain Lodge. The resort also features several restaurants and bars, including the The Alpine Grill and the Mad Trapper's Saloon. The resort has been controlled by the Scurfield family, including CEO Ralph Scurfield Jr. and his brothers John and Sergei, since 1981. Sunshine Village traces its roots back to the 1920s.

Victor Chandler International is a leading bookmaker that offers sports betting in more than 160 countries. It takes bets online and by phone on a wide variety of sports, including international soccer, cricket, and horse racing, as well as North American sports league matches. Victor Chandler International Ltd. also operates 40 betting shops in the UK. In addition to sports betting, Victor Chandler offers other online gaming through Web sites for casino games and poker. Victor Chandler Sr. started the family-owned business in 1946.

The Continental Basketball Association is the grand daddy of pro hoops worldwide. The CBA, founded in 1946, is the oldest professional basketball league in the world, predating the NBA by just a few months. Considered minor league play, the CBA fields ten teams, located primarily in the Midwestern US with names like the Albany (New York) Patroons, Atlanta Krunk, and the Minot (North Dakota) Skyrockets. Most CBA players try to use the league as a launching pad into the NBA, about 600 have succeeded. It also serves as the training ground for officials and coaches who want to make the jump to the big leagues.The CBA is the "World's Oldest League," dating its origins back to April 23, 1946, when it was called the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League (1946-47). The league began with six franchises - five in Pennsylvania (Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Allentown, Lancaster and Reading) and a sixth team in New York (Binghamton, who later moved in mid-season to Pottsville, Pa.). In 1948, it was renamed the Eastern Professional Basketball League. Over the years, it would later add franchises in several other Pennsylvania cities, including Williamsport, Scranton and Sunbury, as well as place teams in New Jersey (Trenton, Camden, Asbury Park), Connecticut (New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport), Delaware (Wilmington) and Massachusetts (Springfield).

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.