DOTS has plans for continued national expansion, including California eventually. Ultimately, DOTS hopes to reach 1,000 stores nationwide. DOTS operates more than 400 value-priced women's clothing and accessory stores in some 25 states, mostly along the East Coast and in the Midwest. The stores, which target female shoppers between the ages of 18 and 45, sell low-priced fashion apparel and accessories for the junior, misses, and plus-size markets. The fast-growing company has been opening new stores in some big markets, including Texas and Georgia.

Pamida Stores Operating Co. offers more small-town values than a bandwagon of Republicans on the campaign trail. The rural retailer operates 200-plus Pamida general merchandise discount stores in about 15 states, mostly in the Midwest. The stores are located in small towns (5,500 people, on average), most of which are not served by mass merchandisers, such as Wal-Mart. Pamida's stores sell brand-name and private-label apparel, jewelry, health and beauty aids, housewares, electronics, and lawn and garden supplies. Most stores also sell groceries and two-thirds have in-store pharmacies. Formerly a division of ShopKo Stores, Pamida and ShopKo are portfolio companies of private equity firm Sun Capital Partners.

Groupe Samse (formerly Society Samse SA) is helping build France. Samse is one of the country's top wholesale distributors of building and do-it-yourself materials, with about 250 outlets, serving some 260,000 customers across two dozen French provinces. It operates two commercial business segments: multi-specialists (supplying technical solutions to building professionals) and specialists (targeting building and public works professionals). Its third segment, do-it-yourself, caters to individual rather than commercial clients. Through La Boite a Outils and and Entrepot du Bricolage retail stores, Samse sells a variety of home building and improvement products similar to The Home Depot and Lowe's in the US.

Dierbergs Florist and Gifts, affiliated with FTD, offers gift baskets and floral services at its stores and over the Internet for local and international delivery. Founded as a trading outpost in 1854, the Dierberg family has owned and operated Dierbergs since 1914.Dierbergs Markets has a taste of what folks in St. Louis like to eat. Dierbergs operates about two dozen upscale supermarkets in the St. Louis area, where rival Schnuck Markets is the market leader. Dierbergs' stores offer food, drugs, photo processing, and video centers, as well as cooking schools, banks, self-service checkout, Krispy Kreme donuts, and made-to-order Chinese food at some locations. The company also offers online grocery shopping.

Mingledorff's, Inc., is a wholesale distributor specializing in equipment and parts for heating, ventilating and air conditioning. It is a total support organization dedicated to meeting the overall needs of the HVAC industry. The company has been a distributor of Carrier equipment for over 60 years. It began as a contracting firm that designed and installed air conditioning systems. It became a strictly wholesale distributorship in 1958, when Carrier realized the need for an extended network of dealers and contractors to handle Georgia's rapidly expanding economy and population. Mingledorff's, Inc., was asked by Carrier to help develop this customer base. At that time the company relocated from Savannah to Atlanta so it could better serve its distribution area. Mingledorff's, Inc. is now a major distributor for Carrier, Bryant, Payne, and over 150 other manufacturers of heating and air conditioning equipment and accessories with a sales territory covering most of GeorgiaThroughout our 17 locations in Georgia, we carry in inventory around 120,000 items. The company has roughly 4,000 retail customers. Of those, 1,000 are very active accounts, and the rest are occasional customers who maintain a charge account with us. Our services to customers include: equipment sales, sales assistance, advertising and sales promotion programs, engineering aid, product and service training, business management assistance, technical assistance and parts supply. Because the HVAC industry is constantly evolving with more technologically advanced equipment, it's crucial for Mingledorff's to assist our staff and customers in keeping pace by offering excellent, on-going training. Credit for the success and growth of the company can be given to the support and training received from Carrier and other vendors, a well-trained staff with knowledge of new technology, new equipment and new parts, and a solid base of good, knowledgeable customers. In order to provide fast and efficient order processing and management information, in 1998, the company made the substantial investments required for the latest in modern computer systems specifically designed for distributorships. All locations are networked on a computer system that can be accessed from all sales and parts locations. Customers can place orders with our staff, or be quickly provided information on order status, product availability, pricing, etc. Engineering support plays a vital role in the application of much of the highly specialized equipment the company distributes. A completely staffed engineering department assists customers in every phase of equipment application, and in the design of controls and energy saving programs.

Lowe's Food Stores operates a chain of about 110 supermarkets in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The stores offer traditional supermarket fare, including fresh meat, seafood, deli, and bakery departments, in addition to natural foods and supplements. The company's Lowes Foods to Go program lets customers shop online and either pick up their groceries at their local Lowe's Food store or have them delivered. It also operates more than half a dozen fuel stations in the Carolinas. The regional chain is upgrading selected stores and customer service as Wal-Mart Supercenters expands in its market. Founded in 1954, Lowe's Food Stores is owned by food distributor Alex Lee.

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.

Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg founded the employee-owned firm in 1930. It takes its name from a combination of its founders' names.Give Hy-Vee a high five for being one of the largest privately owned US supermarket chains, despite serving some modestly sized towns in the Midwest. The company runs more than 200 Hy-Vee supermarkets in eight Midwestern states: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. About half of its stores are in Iowa, as are most of its two dozen Hy-Vee drugstores. It distributes products to its stores through several subsidiaries, including Lomar Distributing (specialty foods) and Perishable Distributors of Iowa (fresh foods).

Co-op is Britain's largest funeral service provider. Established in 1863, Co-operative Group boasts 5.5 million members.Co-operative Group cares for its customers from the cradle to the grave. The hodgepodge of businesses run by the world's largest cooperative society includes farming, food and drug stores, travel agencies, banking, insurance, financial and legal services, and funerals. It's the UK's largest commercial farming operation and its fifth-largest grocery retailer with some 3,000 food stores. Overall, it operates about 4,800 outlets on high streets throughout the UK. Financial services include insurance, investment and retirement planning, as well as traditional and online banking.

Art Van Furniture Michigan's #1 furniture seller offers medium-priced home furniture and bedding in some 35 Michigan stores. The chain has undergone a renovation, adding more upscale furniture (it sells Sealy, Simmons, and Broyhill brands) and perks such as children's play areas. The company is known for its aggressive sales and service. (Employees have been known to greet patrons carside with umbrellas on rainy days.) Chairman Art Van Elslander, who has 10 children (some active in the business), founded the firm with an East Detroit store in 1959. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009.

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