Big Y Foods began as a 900-sq.-ft. grocery at a Y intersection in Chicopee,Massachusetts.It now operates some 60 supermarkets throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. Most of its stores are Big Y World Class Markets,offering specialty areas such as bakeries and floral shops, as well as banking.The rest consist of Big Y Supermarkets and a single gourmet food and liquor store called Table & Vine in Springfield,Massachusetts.Some Big Y stores provide child care, dry cleaning, photo processing, and even propane sales,and their delis and food courts offer to-go foods.Big Y is owned and run by the D'Amour family and is one of New England's largest independent supermarket chains.

Borrowing its moniker from the Latin for "you," Vobis lays claim to one of Europe's largest chains of computer retail stores. The company makes computers under its own brand and distributes technology products from such companies as Apple, Intel, and Sony. Under pressure from other retailers, the company's former parent, European retailing giant METRO AG, tried unsuccessfully to sell Vobis several times before CEO Jurgen Rakow and board member Jurgen Bochmann agreed to take a 25% stake in the company. METRO transferred the remaining 75% of its interest in Vobis to Divaco, an investment firm controlled by METRO.

Butera acquired three stores in Illinois from bankrupt Eagle Food Centers. Family-owned and -operated from its inception, Butera became an employee-owned company in the early 1990s. Butera Finer Foods, Inc. If you're in the Windy City and you're in the market for foodstuffs, find your way to Butera's. Butera Finer Foods runs about 10 full-service supermarkets under the Butera Market banner in northern Illinois. The stores specialize in produce, deli items, and international foods at low prices. Since its founding in 1968 by Paul Butera Sr. and his brother Joe, some 25 Butera Finer Foods supermarkets have been opened. Butera's twin sons Joseph and Paul Jr. currently run 10 of them.

Grace's offers catering and gift baskets. Due to popular demand the company has opened a second location, on Long Island, and a takeout shop in La Guardia Airport. The market was opened in 1985 by Joseph and Grace Balducci Doria (whose parents founded Balducci's) and is now run by their children.Grace quite easily makes the final cut in the "Mother of the Year" contest. Grace's Marketplace offers gourmet foods through its storefront in the Upper East End of New York City and also operates Italian eatery, Grace's Trattoria, on the same city block. In addition to its deli items, fresh-baked goods and meats.

Founded in 1971 with a modest 800-sq.-ft. home furnishings showroom, City Furniture sells furniture, mattresses, rugs, and accessories through about 15 showrooms across the state of Florida (in Broward, Martin, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties). Half of the company's products are made in the US. Alongside countless others in its industry, City Furniture obtains 75% of its imported furniture from China; the balance comes from Vietnam and Indonesia. Its marketing in South Florida has the company exporting its products to the Caribbean and Latin America, as well.

GasAmerica Services operates a chain of combination gas station/convenience stores under the GasAmerica banner, all found in Indiana and Ohio. Its 90-odd locations offer the usual assortment of food, drinks, and supplies, and, of course, gasoline. The company issues a convenience card for frequent customers that allows users to earn points for rebates, take advantage of special discounts, receive coupons by mail, and enter the monthly sweepstakes for computers and free gas. GasAmerica Services offers biofuels, including E85 (85% ethanol), B10 (10% biodiesel from soybeans). Founded in 1916, the firm has been blending ethanol into gasoline for more than 20 years.

Founded in 1943, BMD employee owned. California's many immigrants might feel a bit more at home thanks to BMD Building Materials Distributors. The company imports building materials from around the world and distributes them to lumberyards, building material dealers, home improvement chains, and window and door specialty retailers, primarily in California, Colorado, and other western states. It also exports building materials throughout the world. Products include cabinets, construction tools, countertops, housewrap and insulation, millwork, roofing, siding, and stairs. BMD offers inventory management, logistics, and warehousing services and operates a dozen distribution centers in the US and western Canada.

Ports International was founded in 1961 by Luke Tanabe and sold to the family of current chief executive Alfred Chan in 1989. Ports Design has carved out a place in China's collective fashion consciousness. Ports Design Limited company designs, manufactures, and sells upscale clothing and accessories under the Ports International and BMW Lifestyle brands. Primarily serving China and Hong Kong, the company's Ports International retail chain sell menswear and womenswear through 300 stores in 55 Chinese cities. Ports Design Limited company also sells sporty casual wear through almost 30 BMW Lifestyle stores (BMW licensed Ports Design Limited company to make and sell branded products in China).

Lansing Building Products was founded in 1955 by Ted Lansing, J.C. Griffith, and J.C. McLane. Film icon Woody Allen can keep Interiors; just leave the exteriors to Lansing. Lansing Building Products provides contractors located mostly in the Southeastern US with exterior building products, including decking, doors, gutters, roofing, siding, skylights, tools and equipment, vinyl railing, windows, and other building materials. It serves its contractor clients through some 65 locations in about 25 states plus Washington DC. Besides products, the company offers marketing services, Web site development and hosting, and complimentary safety consultations.

Tory Burch is an attainable, luxury, lifestyle brand defined by classic American sportswear with an eclectic sensibility, which embodies the personal style and spirit of its co-founder and creative director, Tory Burch. Perceiving a void in the market for a sophisticated American aesthetic at an accessible price point, Tory wanted to create stylish yet wearable clothing and accessories for women of all ages. Tory Burch was launched in February 2004 as a lifestyle concept with multiple product categories, including ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes and jewelry. Going against the minimalist trend that was popular at the time, Tory designed her flagship boutique, in downtown New York, to feel more like a room in her own home than a traditional retail store. Key design elements featured in all boutiques include orange lacquer doors, mirrored walls, and Lucite fixtures.Tory’s childhood on a farm outside of Philadelphia, as well as her mother and father’s unique sense of personal style, influence the aesthetic of the collection. Her sensibility is also inspired by art, photography, films travel, and the work of interior designer David Hicks. Graphic prints, bold colors and ethnic detailing are all signatures of the brand. Celebrity fans include Cameron Diaz, Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, Uma Thurman and Hilary Swank. Tory Burch is available at free-standing Tory Burch boutiques across the US, www.toryburch.com and over 450 select department and specialty stores worldwide.

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