Founded in 1970, in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Grupo Famsa has consolidated its position as a leading public company in the retail sector. Its activities focus on satisfying the different consumption, financing and saving needs of its customers and their families.Famsa business plan is based on developing a unique portfolio of complementary businesses based on consumer credit and savings. Famsa México, Banco Ahorro Famsa and Famsa USA, our three business units, provide a comprehensive value offer aimed at enhancing the quality of life of a large market segment that demands personalized services and credit options that are not offered by the traditional banking sector.

H&M opened its first women's clothing store in 1947 as Hennes (Swedish for "hers"); it later bought the hunting and men's clothing store Mauritz Widforss. H&M is controlled by the family of chairman Stefan Persson (the billionaire son of founder Erling Persson). H&M Hennes & Mauritz targets the Hip & Modish. The firm designs cheap yet chic clothing, mainly for men and women ages 18 to 45, children's apparel, and its own brands of cosmetics. Fast-growing H&M operates about 2,000 stores in some 35 countries and has direct sales operations in selected areas. Germany is H&M's #1 market, accounting for about 25% of sales. About 60% of its clothing is made in Asia, the rest is manufactured primarily in Europe.

Bidz.com combines the markdowns of a dollar store, the format of an auction house, and the convenience of the Internet to bring sparkling deals to shoppers. The company buys closeout merchandise and sells it using a live-auction format, with $1 opening bids. It mostly sells jewelry, including gold, platinum, and silver items set with diamonds, as well as precious and semi-precious stones. Visitors can also find deals on electronics, apparel, and a range of collectibles (such as fine art, antiques, coins, and sports cards). In addition, the company operates Buyz.com, a fixed-price e-commerce site that offers similar items being listed for auction.

With two locations, Gallery Furniture has evolved into a leading regional furniture retailer, accounting for about 20% of Houston's market share. Gallery Furniture also ranks as one of the nation's top sellers in terms of sales per square foot. In addition to mattresses (Simmons Beautyrest and Tempur-Pedic brands), it sells bedroom, dining room, home office, and living room furniture. The firm was founded in 1981. A fire in May 2009 destroyed its 100,000-sq.-ft. warehouse and damaged its North Freeway showroom.

Founded in 1908 by William Aubuchon, a French-Canadian immigrant, the company is still owned by the Aubuchon family, including CEO William Aubuchon III and president M. Marcus Moran, Jr. Old houses in New England get refurbished with assistance from W.E. Aubuchon. W.E. Aubuchon operates about 130 hardware stores throughout New England and New York, as well as a Web site. More than just nuts and bolts, the store stocks about 50,000 products, including appliances, camping gear, hardware, housewares, paint, and tools. It carries such name brands as Delta Faucet, Honeywell, Stanley, and Weber. The store also offers rug cleaner rentals, propane tank filling, and key cutting, among other services.

Protecting Ronald Reagan's papers and propping up the San Francisco art world would seem like a tall order, but Pacific Coast Building Products does both. The building materials manufacturer and distributor made roof tiles for Reagan's presidential library and concrete blocks for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Through its subsidiaries, Pacific Coast sells building products for residential, commercial, and industrial construction to builders and contractors in the western US, Hawaii, and Canada. It also provides installation and transportation services. The late Fred Anderson (father-in-law of president and CEO David Lucchetti) founded Pacific Coast Building Products, Inc. company as Anderson Lumber in 1953; his family owns the firm.

Robert Weed Plywood was founded in 1966 by Robert Weed. David Weed is the company's president and CEO. Robert Weed Plywood does business across the board. The company makes and distributes wood products, moldings, and laminated products for a variety of uses. Among the items distributed from the company's facilities in Indiana and Idaho are fir and pine plywood, fiberboard, hardboard, melamine and laminate panels, oriented strand board, particle board, and veneer and edge bandings. Customers include manufacturers of boats, furniture, kitchen and bath cabinets, recreational vehicles, and store fixtures.

GN Hello Direct, Inc. was acquired in 2000 by GN Netcom, a Denmark-based maker of hands-free telecom equipment. Ah, the poetic justice GN Hello Direct delivers. The company sells telephones and accessories (including headsets and amplifiers) to small and midsized businesses and the very telemarketers who ring you just when dinner is served. It also sells the phones that screen those annoying telemarketer calls, as well as recording, distance-conferencing, mobile navigation, and VoIP products. More than 50 major brands are represented in the firm's inventory, including AT&T, Panasonic, and Motorola, plus its own Hello Direct and GN Netcom labels. Products are sold through GN Hello Direct's catalog and website.

Old Time Pottery a chain of about 30 stores in about 10 states in the South and Midwest selling discounted closeout and overstock housewares, silk flowers, framed art, linens, rugs, craft supplies, seasonal merchandise, and more. The company gets its inventory, which it displays in a warehouse-type setting, from the canceled orders and excess stock of manufacturers. And it needs lots of inventory, as stores average about 2 acres in size. Founded in 1986, Old Time Pottery is controlled by the Peterson family. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2009 and exited it in August 2010.

Sid Harvey Industries was founded in 1931 as an oil industry parts supplier by the grandfather of president and CEO Sid Harvey. Whether you're too chilly in Colorado or roasting in Rhode Island, Sid Harvey Industries might have the answer. Sid Harvey Industries, Inc. makes and wholesales heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration parts and equipment through some 75 locations in about a dozen states. Sid Harvey's also exports worldwide. Sid Harvey Industries, Inc. reconditions more than 1,700 used parts and manufactures more than 750 new products at its plants in South Carolina. Its Web site offers a database connecting HVAC professionals and companies looking for qualified job candidates.

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