Kowalski's Markets is struggling to expand while it straps on its leather boxing mitts. The company, which operates about 10 supermarkets in the St. Paul and Minneapolis area of Minnesota, wants to be a heavyweight contender among high-end grocery stores there. However, stiff competition from other grocery chains and discounters have limited Kowalski's share of the Twin Cities market to just under 2%: an eighth-place ranking in the market. Indeed competition led the grocer to close a one-year-old store several years ago. Founded by husband and wife team James and Mary Anne Kowalski as a single supermarket in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1983, the regional grocery chain is still owned and run by the Kowalski family.

Founded in 1984, The Strategies Group serves some 1,700 construction and real estate management firms in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Arkansas. The company's primary strategy is to sell and service the Southwest. The Strategies Group resells construction and real estate software from Timberline, as well as several other software firms including Deltek. The reseller carries such software title as Sage Timberline Office, Sage Master Builder, Sage CRM, Sage AccPac ERP, and Deltek Vision. The firm also provides technical consulting and installation services, as well as classroom and Web-based training to support its software sales.

Kenny Pipe & Supply was formed in 1992 when owner Bill Kenny bought five Westburne Supply locations in Alabama. Hey, y'all, plumbing problems in the Southeast might call for Kenny. Through about 10 locations in Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee, Kenny Pipe & Supply distributes faucets, fittings, pipes, valves, water heaters, and other plumbing equipment and supplies from such manufacturers as A.O. Smith, Bemis, Elkay, and NIBCO. Customers include residential, commercial, and industrial plumbing contractors, as well as institutions and municipalities.

Homeland still has struggled as a result of stiff competition from Wal-Mart and other rival chains.Shoppers who call Oklahoma home shop at Homeland Stores' supermarkets. The regional grocery chain, a division of grocery distributorAssociated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), operates more than 45 stores throughout Oklahoma and a single store in Kansas. AWG operates Homeland stores through its Associated Retail Grocers subsidiary and supplies the majority of the products sold in Homeland stores. The stores sell groceries and general merchandise; most have delicatessens, pharmacies, and some have specialty departments (ethnic foods, floral services, seafood).

Brookstone is a nationwide specialty retailer offering an assortment of consumer products that are functional in purpose, distinctive in quality and design and not widely available from other retailers. Brookstone first introduced itself to the world in a small classified ad selling "hard-to-find tools" in Popular Mechanics Magazine. The year was 1965. From the beginning, quality of product, quality of service, and quality of people have been a hallmark of Brookstone. The first catalog consisted of 24 black-and-white pages, with detailed, no-nonsense information on features, capabilities, measurements, materials and anything that would help the customer with his or her buying decision. As Brookstone's catalog success grew, its operations expanded. In 1973, Brookstone opened its first retail store in Peterborough, New Hampshire, where an unsolicited walk-in trade quickly developed. Today, Brookstone manages operations through its headquarters in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and in its Distribution Center and Customer Service Department (web, mail and telephone orders) in Mexico, Missouri. Meanwhile, the Company currently operates more than 300 retail stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, primarily in premium shopping malls, lifestyle centers and the nation's busiest airports, and opens 10 to 15 new stores each year. Originally a catalog company, Brookstone today operates a multifaceted Direct-Marketing business that includes catalogs, e-mail and affiliate marketing, and an online site offering hundreds more products than are available in our retail and airport stores. From the start Brookstone created a fun, interactive shopping experience. At our stores customers are encouraged to try products out for true, hands-on shopping. Every visit to Brookstone is an opportunity to discover new and ingenious items of superior quality—all in a friendly environment of customer service and integrity that simply can't be found anywhere else.

Charlotte Russe Holding is sweet on women's clothing. The mall-based retailer operates about 500 Charlotte Russe clothing stores in some 45 US states and Puerto Rico. The stores (averaging 7,100 sq. ft.) offer value-priced established and trendy fashions for women in their twenties and teens. Most merchandise carries the company's proprietary labels (Charlotte Russe, Refuge, and blu Chic). Charlotte Russe Holding company shut down its struggling 64-store Rampage chain in 2006, converting several locations to Charlotte Russe stores. Charlotte Russe Holding went public in 1999. Charlotte Russe Holding was taken private in 2009, when investment firm Advent International acquired Charlotte Russe.

Pilot offers a salve to those suffering from white-line fever. Its Pilot Travel Centers LLC, a joint venture between Pilot and CVC Capital Partners, runs more than 300 truck stops in some 40 states. Each features restaurant chains such as Subway, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. Pilot has fuel islands large enough to service several 18-wheelers at a time and private showers. Pilot Truck Care Centers provide TLC for big rigs. The firm also owns and operates about 45 convenience stores under the Pilot Food Mart banner in Tennessee. James Haslam II got Pilot off the ground in 1958 as a gas station that sold cigarettes and soft drinks; now his son, CEO James Haslam III, pilots the firm. The Haslam family owns the company.

River Island has nearly 300 stores across the UK, Ireland and internationally throughout Asia, the Middle East and Europe. River Island is known for its stylish and affordable fashion and the unique touches we bring to our collections, which give us standout from the rest of the High Street. Our customers love us for our great going-out looks, amazing denim and fabulous shoes and bags, as well as being the perfect place to pick up everything you could need to get a complete head-to-toe look. At River Island we try really hard to bring new and original fashion to you, with design at the heart of absolutely everything we do. Almost everything is designed in-house and with one of the largest design teams on the High Street this means we can have fabulous new fashion arriving in-store and online every single week.

Family-owned-and-operated Davila Pharmacy operates a single drugstore in San Antonio, Texas. Prescription medications account for about 40% of sales. Davila Pharmacy also offers durable medical equipment, ostomy, diabetic, nutritional and incontinent supplies. In addition to standard pharmacy services, Davila Pharmacy boasts that all of its pharmacists are bilingual and certified to administer immunizations. It also offers home delivery in the San Antonio area and online prescription refills. Founded by Rudy Davila Sr., today the company is run by his son Rudy Jr. Davila Pharmacy made the Hispanic Business 500 list, most recently in 2008.

Lucy Activewear, founded in 1999, also sells merchandise through its website. V.F. Corporation acquired the fast-growing company for $110 million in 2007 and has since made Lucy part of its outdoor and action sports division (or what V.F. calls a "coalition"), which also includes The North Face and JanSport. If you're an avid outdoorswoman or a yoga devotee, you're likely to end up loving this Lucy. Lucy Activewear sells women's activewear (including tops, bottoms, jackets, and bras) through about 65 company-owned stores in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

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