ecohaus wants to improve on the home improvement store. The company offers some 1,500 eco-friendly building materials and products. It operates an online store for its green building supplies, as well as a pair of showrooms in Washington and Oregon for retail customers and trade professionals. Both showrooms were remodeled in 2008. ecohaus's products include reclaimed wood flooring, low-toxic paints, low-flow toilets, formaldehyde-free cabinets, and recycled-glass tiles. Matthew Freeman-Gleason, the company's chief knowledge officer, started the firm as a small storefront in 1992 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Freeman-Gleason and chairman Tim Taylor are major shareholders of the company.

Ritz Camera & Image (RCI) is updating its image to adapt to changing times. The company, whose chain of about 300 stores has roots reaching back to 1918 as a one-man portrait studio, has expanded beyond cameras to appeal to the digital generation. Operating under the Ritz, Wolf, Kits, Inkley's, and Camera Shop banners, it offers TVs, laptops, MP3 players, cell phones, and other electronic gadgets, as well as cameras and optical supplies and services. RCI acquired the assets of Ritz Camera Centers, which had collapsed into bankruptcy in February 2009 amid the shift to digital cameras. The business emerged later that year, under the leadership of CEO David Ritz, with a smaller footprint and new retail strategy.

Founded in 1973, A & E Stores also owns Rugby Realty, a real estate investment firm. Working women who have never heard of A & E Stores are more likely to be familiar with its Strawberry and Bolton's retail apparel chains. The company operates about 30 Bolton's and 25 Strawberry stores that sell junior and women's career and casual apparel, shoes, and accessories. The stores are concentrated in prime office districts in Manhattan and elsewhere in New York City. A & E's third chain, Pay/Half, operates some 45 discount family clothing stores in about a half dozen northeastern states and the Chicago area.

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.

Wolseley plc engages in the distribution of heating and plumbing products, and building materials to the professional contractors primarily in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Nordic region, and Central and Eastern Europe. Wolseley plc supplies plumbing, heating, and air conditioning products comprising baths, showers and accessories, sanitaryware, brassware, bathroom furniture, boilers and burners, radiators and valves, hot water cylinders and flues, control equipment, ventilation/air conditioning equipment, heat pumps and solar equipment, plastic pipes and fittings, and copper tubing and fittings. It also distributes building materials, such as insulation, plaster and plasterboard, roofing materials, bricks, blocks and aggregates, tiles and flooring, timber products, doors and frames, glass, beams, trusses and frames, hardware and tools, and cement. In addition, Wolseley plc supplies electrical products, including cables and cabling accessories, controls and switchgears, wiring accessories, lighting, data networking supplies, and cable management products; and civils/waterworks, industrial, and commercial products, such as drainage pipes, associated supplies and covers, underground pressure pipes, small bore pressure pipes and fittings, carbon and stainless steel pipes, and valves and fittings. Further, the company involves in the management of customer inventory and the installation of cabinets and fireplaces, as well as offers pipe fabrication and valve actuation, bathroom layout and design, and maintenance contract services. Wolseley plc operates approximately 4,118 branches in 25 countries. Wolseley was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Reading, the United Kingdom.

Northern Tool rings up revenues through its catalogs (biggest sales channel), websites, and more than 60 retail stores in a dozen states. CEO Donald Kotula founded Northern Tool as a mail-order shop in 1981. Serious do-it-yourselfers put their kids to sleep with bedtime stories from the catalogs of Northern Tool & Equipment. Stocked with more than 27,000 products, the company offers an assortment of heavy-duty tools as well as construction and industrial equipment (such as air compressors, power generators, and pressure washers). Its primary customers include building contractors, automotive shops, and the do-it-yourself crowd. The firm also markets gadgets and gifts through its Kotula's division.

Founded in 1907 by Fred Palmer and George Donavin, the company got its start making sheet metal and tinware. Skylights and windows from PALMER -DONAVIN MANUFACTURING help residents of the Hoosier and Buckeye states see a little better. The company operates four divisions -- building materials; heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC); kitchen and bathroom cabinets; and wood and laminate flooring -- through about 10 locations in Ohio and Indiana. Building materials include doors and windows, roofing, siding, insulation, gutters, fences, and decks. PALMER -DONAVIN carries such HVAC brands as Rheem and Armstrong Air, as well as cabinets from Wilsonart, Cardell, and Hartson-Kennedy.

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim is one of the most progressive regional business houses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Al-Futtaim operates through more than 65 companies across sectors as diverse as commerce, industry and services, and employs in excess of 20,000 people across the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Singapore and Europe.Entrepreneurship and rigorous customer focus has enabled Al-Futtaim to grow its business by responding to the changing needs of the customers and societies in which it operates. Al-Futtaim is committed to offering customers an unrivalled choice of the world's best brands with exceptional standards of customer service and after sales support.Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim is one of the most progressive regional business houses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Al-Futtaim operates through more than 65 companies across sectors as diverse as commerce, industry and services, and employs in excess of 20,000 people across the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Singapore and Europe. Entrepreneurship and rigorous customer focus has enabled Al-Futtaim to grow its business by responding to the changing needs of the customers and societies in which it operates. Al-Futtaim is committed to offering customers an unrivalled choice of the world's best brands with exceptional standards of customer service and after sales support.

One man's corvette summer in 1974 turned into a lifelong business. Mid America Motorworks (MMA) is a large supplier of parts and accessories for Corvette, Volkswagen, and Porsche automobiles. Offering parts for every year the Corvette has been in production, Mid America Motorworks sells its products through catalogs, the Web, and, for those in the neighborhood, at its headquarters. It also installs custom interior and performance parts. MMA's annual Corvette Funfest lays claim to being one of the largest Corvette gatherings in the world. Mid America Motorworks also hosts biannual swap meets for Corvette and VW enthusiasts. MMA is owned and operated by Mike Yager, who started the business by selling Corvette parts and accessories.

Dreams Plc sells mattresses, divan sets, children's beds, bed frames, and bedding through more than 200 stores across the UK as well as online. Mattresses are manufactured at Dreams' own production facilities. The company also offers recycling service for used bedding. In 1985 Mike Clare began building on his own dreams with his first specialty bed and bedding store in Uxbridge. He sold Dreams to London-based Exponent Private Equity in 2008.

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