Founded in 1898 as a rubber stamp company, W.B. Mason is one of the largest private office products dealers in the US. It operates about 20 showrooms, including five Whatta Bargain locations that carry furniture and business equipment, in some 10 northeastern states. The company also sells via its online catalog to its base of small and midsized businesses. A well-known entity on the East Coast, the firm stokes its "company next-door" image with old-fashioned ads on TV and in prominent places, such as Fenway Park's manual scoreboard. W.B. Mason is owned by members of senior management, including chairman Steve Greene and CEO Leo Meehan.

Lazy Days' R.V. Center, Inc. was founded in 1976 by Don Wallace and his late father, H. K. Wallace, and brother, Ron Wallace. It's controlled by Minnesota-based Wayzata Investment Partners. After a stint in Chapter 11, Lazy Days' completed its reorganization in late 2009. Plenty of hard work has turned Lazy Days' R.V. Center into one of the largest dealers of recreational vehicles in the US. At its 126-acre site, Lazy Days' sells more than a dozen brands of new and used RVs. The dealership also has some 230 service bays for repair and maintenance. Besides the RV dealership, the Lazy Days' site includes RallyPark, a 300-lot RV campground that includes a Cracker Barrel restaurant, Camping World retail store, and RV gas station.

D'Ieteren s.a was founded two centuries ago as a coachbuilder; these days, it's the largest car distributor in Belgium, the 60% owner of car rental firm Avis Europe, and -- through subsidiary Belron -- one of the world's largest players in vehicle glass replacement. D'Ieteren's domestic vehicle distribution business deals Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, and Volkswagen cars, as well as Yamaha motorcycles. Belron operates in Australia, Europe, North and South America, and New Zealand under the CARGLASS and AUTOGLASS brands, among others. The firm has been managed by six generations of the founding D'Ieteren family.

The Inchcape lighthouse lies 11 miles out to sea off the East coast of Arbroath, Scotland. It stands on one of the most treacherous submerged reefs in the northern hemisphere and is one of the seven wonders of the Industrial Age.Thanks to the pioneering spirit of a young engineer, Robert Stevenson, who dreamed of building the impossible, a lighthouse was planned on the ‘Rock’ that had claimed over 100 lives.Despite many obstacles, Stevenson never lost faith in his plan, and by February 1811, the lighthouse on Inchcape Rock was finished. It is the oldest, sea-standing lighthouse in the world and today, still saves lives.100 years later, inspired by this pioneering spirit, Inchcape’s founder James Lyle MacKay, when awarded a title for his services to industry became the first ‘Baron Inchcape of Strathnaver’ and so named the company that he led.

The Birthdays concept was later launched in 1986. Clinton Cards purchased its rival Birthdays in 2004 and runs the unit as a separate business. Amid economic turmoil and slowed consumer spending, however, Birthdays collapsed into administration (the equivalent of bankruptcy in the US) in 2009. You say it's your birthday? Well, your friends better run to a Birthdays store for those cards! The company operates about 200 (down from more than 400) Birthdays stores in the UK and Ireland offering discount greeting cards and party supplies for every occasion. Founded in 1966 as Ron Wood Greeting Cards, the company was originally a distributor of cards and gift wrap until the mid-1970s when it opened three card shops.

AFFLINK Inc. was founded in 1977. AFFLINK knows that packing products, cleaning items, and office supplies aren't sexy, but just about everyone uses them. The company distributes products for industrial and food packaging (tape, stand-up pouches), janitorial services (tissue paper, cleaners), and offices (business cards, lighting). It also supplies the food service (bowls, cutlery), safety (protective apparel, head gear), and medical (exam supplies, disinfectants) industries. Customers include building maintenance providers, hospitals, and restaurants. AFFLINK is a subsidiary of Performance Food Group.

Stark Carpet Corp. company is owned and operated by brothers John and Steven Stark. Their parents, the late Arthur and Nadia Stark, founded Stark Carpet company. Stark Carpet offers carpets, rugs, furniture, and textiles to design professionals for both commercial and residential use. The company sells its products under the Stark Carpet, Stark Fabric, Stark Fine Furniture, Stark Wallcovering, and Darius Antique & Decorative Rugs brand names from its own showrooms in the US and the UK as well as in design centers operated by others. Through its partnership with manufacturer GG Bailey, it also produces a line of Oriental and animal print car mats.

Established in 1973, PartyLite has been owned by Blyth since 1990. It's tough to make money by selling ambience, but PartyLite Worldwide pulls it off. The company sells candles, incense, diffusers, sachets, bath products, and decorative accessories for the home through more than 65,000 independent consultants in about a dozen markets worldwide, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Mexico, the US, and the UK. It also markets breads, cheeses, desserts, sauces, and other snack foods under the Two Sisters Gourmet brand. Consultants sell PartyLite's products through home parties held by hostesses and via personalized e-commerce sites.

JJB Sports can't help you with natural ability, but it sells just about everything else you need for sports. JJB, one of the UK's largest sporting goods chains, operates about 250 stores in England and Ireland, including superstores that feature such amenities as basketball courts. The shops offer apparel, footwear, bicycles, and golf gear, among other athletic equipment and accessories. The firm also runs a LifeStyle division, which operates the money-losing fashion footwear and apparel retailers Qube Footwear and the Original Shoe Company (OSC). The struggling Qube and OSC chains were placed into administration (the equivalent of bankruptcy in the US) in 2009.

In 1959, William Jacobs started Columbus Fair Auto Auction based on excellent customer service and fairness. He recognized that auctions offered a solution to automobile dealers' needs for a source and marketplace for used motor vehicles.Obviously, the financial risk of leasing space at the Ohio State Fairgrounds to run a one-lane auction in 1959 was small, but significant for this startup entrepreneurial endeavor. It, however, pales in comparison to the present multi-million dollar investment in today's 85-acre facility in Obetz. However, the original strategy of offering a marketplace for used vehicles where buyers and sellers would congregate for the benefit of both continues today.

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