General Hardware and Builder's Supply tells you right up front what they do. The company sells architectural and residential hardware and aluminum, steel, and wood doors and frames. Products include hollow metal doors and frames, seven-ply and five-ply architectural wood doors (manufactured by Algoma Hardwoods, Buell Door, Haley Lynden, Pacific Architetural, V.T. Industries, Western Oregon Door), Schlage locks, and Hager hinges.

Dan's Super Market got its start in 1949 when Roy Rockstad (father of present day CEO Terry Rockstad) and Eugene Leary pooled their resources and bought out a Piggly Wiggly store in Bismarck, North Dakota. As for Dan himself, he's a fictional character used in the company's ads.Dan's Super Market operates a regional chain of about a half-dozen grocery stores in North Dakota. (The firm sold its two grocery stores in Wyoming in 2004 and its South Dakota location soon after.) Each Dan's store stocks about 30,000 items and is supplied by grocery wholesaler and retailer SUPERVALU. The regional supermarket chain also sells groceries online. Four of the six stores have pharmacy departments.

SNAX 24 operates about 75 combination fuel stations/convenience stores (distributing major oil brands, such as BP and Shell) throughout the UK. SNAX 24 is owned by its chairman, Gerald Rosnon, founder of the Heron International property group and SNAX 24's predecessor, Heron Service Stations, which was started when Rosnon was only 17 years old. Its first service station was opened at St. Albans, England in 1966, and the SNAX 24 concept was introduced in 1992.

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.

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.

Since 1963 Fast Retailing has been working to fill the gap in Japan's casual wear market. The company operates about 815 Uniqlo (a combination of the words unique and clothing) stores in Japan and another 145 Uniqlo shops in foreign markets, including China, France, South Korea, the UK and the US. The first Uniqlo store opened New York City in 2005. Fast Retailing -- often described as the "Gap of Japan" -- sells "cheap chic" basics (similar to US-based Old Navy or Spain's Zara, but undercutting its competitors more drastically) for men, women, and children. It buys most of its clothes from 60 factories in China. Founder and chairman Tadashi Yanai and his family own nearly half of Fast Retailing.

Carter-Jones knows when to yell "timber!" Carter-Jones Lumber company is the flagship store of building supplies retailer Carter Lumber. Its store has served the Akron, Ohio, area for more than 70 years, offering contractors and do-it-yourselfers a range of countertops, doors and windows, flooring, plumbing products, hand and power tools, and lumber, among other items. It sells Douglas fir, spruce, cedar, and redwood lumber; computerized kitchen designs; and fireplace mantels made to order. Brands include Moen, Delta, Jacuzzi, and Stanley Black & Decker. The Carter family, via parent Carter Lumber, owns Carter-Jones.

RaceTrac Petroleum hopes it's a popular pit stop for gasoline and snacks in the Southeast. The company owns some 545 gas stations and convenience stores in about a dozen states under the RaceTrac and RaceWay names. (RaceWay stores are operated by independent contractors.) The chain plans to grow by expanding its store count by about 10% a year. Carl Bolch founded RaceTrac in Missouri in 1934. His son, chairman and CEO Carl Bolch Jr., moved the company into high-volume gas stations with long, self-service islands that can serve as many as two dozen vehicles at one time. RaceTrac's convenience stores sell fresh deli food and offer some fast-food fare. The Bolch family owns the company.

Restoration Hardware sells upscale home furnishings, hardware, bathware, garden products, and decorative items through more than 100 retail and outlet stores in 30 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. It also markets products through its catalogs and e-commerce sites. Restoration Hardware's assortment of home and office furniture is supplemented in part by its subsidiary The Michaels Furniture Company. Founded in 1980 by former chairman Stephen Gordon, Restoration Hardware was acquired for $175 million by private equity firms Catterton Partners and Tower Three Partners in 2008.

From 1946 to 1974, the Skogen family acquired a number of small IGA stores and eventually, in 1979, a Red Owl store in Holmen, Wisconsin. Paul Skogen passed away in 1976 at which point his son Dave, along Dave’s wife Barb, oversaw company operations.In 1990, the Skogen family realized a shifting trend in consumer buying habits and decided a change of store format was best for future growth of the company. On June 28, 1990, they opened their first Festival Foods store in Onalaska. In 1992 Dave’s son Mark joined the company full-time. Together, Dave and Mark lead Festival Foods to experience unprecedented growth by opening additional stores across Wisconsin in Marshfield, Green Bay, Bellevue, De Pere, Suamico, Oshkosh, Eau Claire, and Holmen.Dave transitioned to Chairman of the Board in 2006 and continues to be active in the company. With that change, Mark became CEO and President and has carried on the tradition of success built by his father and grandfather. Since 2006, Festival has opened stores in La Crosse, Appleton Darboy, Appleton Northland, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc and Suamico.

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