Maurice Sporting Goods, Inc. company is a wholesale supplier of athletics, boating, camping, fishing, and hunting gear to both domestic and international retailers and mass merchandisers. It operates about five warehouses in the US and Canada that supply The Sports Authority, Kmart, Modell's, and Wal-Mart, among others. Maurice Sporting Goods also provides inventory management and promotional planning services. The company was founded as a sporting goods store by Maurice and Mae Olshansky in 1923. It is still family owned.

Snow & Rock are two key words constantly rolling in the back of the minds of adrenaline junkies, as well as the name of one of the suppliers of the equipment to satisfy the urge to plunge, climb, or swoop. The company, founded in 1982 by former managing director Mike Browne, operates more than 15 retail stores in the Central and Southern areas of the UK. Snow & Rock's stores specialize in apparel and equipment for skiing, snowboarding, climbing, and alpine hiking. The company peddles several top brands, including Salomon and The North Face. Snow & Rock also sells its products through a pair of catalogs and the Internet. Andrew Browsword, an entrepreneur, bought the company from Mike Browne in 2004.

Monsoon Commerce Solutions (MCS) helps online retailers and booksellers through its Marketplace Services and Selling Solutions divisions, providing retail management software, distribution assistance, and hosted store services. Its roster of more than 15,000 customers includes libraries, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers in about 50 countries. The Alibris Retail unit operates Alibris.com, an online marketplace for independent sellers of books, music, and movies. Founded in 1998, the firm acquired Monsoon in early 2010 and then reorganized and changed its name. MCS is owned by Oak Hill Capital Partners.

John Hine Mazda is a founding member of the California Sales Training Academy, a private training program that has become an associates degree program at a local community college. The company was established in 1957. Prior to the discontinuation of the Pontiac brand, the dealership sold Dodge and Pontiac vehicles in addition to Mazdas.John Hine Mazda (formerly John Hine Pontiac) sells new and used Mazda brand vehicles to customers in the San Diego area. The dealership also offers parts, service, and collision repair through its John Hine Auto Body Center. Visitors to its Web site can check new and used inventory, get a quote on a vehicle, schedule service, order parts, and apply for financing.

Proftech was founded in 1980, but it was first conceived the company in a college paper Montiel wrote about recession-proof industries. No matter what the economic outlook, people will always need office supplies. That was president Jose Montiel's theory when he started Proftech, a major distributor of office products and supplies to customers throughout the US. The company offers next-day delivery with no minimum order. Aside from the customary pens and notepads, Proftech supplies innovative products such as SMART Technologies' "smart board" and its own oil clean-up material, HTP. The company's products are distributed through about 50 facilities nationwide and can be ordered over the phone or online.

Kelly Paper was founded in 1936 by Art Kelly. Kelly Paper has a range of products for writers of the purple sage. The company sells a variety of papers (including fine printing, inkjet, laser, and carbonless), plus labels, envelopes and packaging supplies, through about 50 locations mostly in California, but also in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Its products are also sold online. Brands include 3M, A.B. Dick, Avery Dennison, Boise Cascade, Domtar, Georgia-Pacific, and Xerox. Kelly Paper also sells preprinted and specialty items, such as brochures, business cards, and postcards. It is a subsidiary of Australia's largest paper maker and merchant, PaperlinX.

Amscan Holdings caters to the party animal in all of us. The company makes party goods (such as balloons, invitations, pinatas, stationery, and tableware) and supplies party superstores and other retailers worldwide. It operates production and distribution facilities in North America, Europe, and the Asia/Pacific region. Amscan also markets its products through about 850 company-owned and franchised stores in the US, Puerto Rico, and the United Arab Emirates. Shops operate under the banners of Party City, Party America, Factory Card & Party Outlet, Halloween USA, and Party Factory. Amscan is a subsidiary of AAH Holdings, which is controlled by Berkshire Partners, Advent International, and Weston Presidio.

Travel by foot doesn't have to be the only option available for people familiar with Caffyns. The family-run company sells automobiles at more than 30 locations scattered around the UK. Models sold at Caffyns' individually specialized dealerships include those made by Audi, Daewoo, Daimler AG, Ford, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Peugeot, SEAT, Skoda, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, and Volvo. Caffyns sells both new and used autos; it also offers its own in-house maintenance and service and automotive parts distribution service. Caffyns was founded in 1865.

Founded in 1978, Aloette is part of Astral Health & Beauty, which also makes and markets the Pur Minerals and CosMedix skin care brands. Since hiring a new CEO in 2009, Astral and its investors are looking to expand Aloette and its sister brands. Aloette Cosmetics loves a good party. Best known for selling aloe vera-based skin care products, Aloette also markets cosmetics, fragrances, and other personal care items. The company's products are sold mainly through home parties held by Aloette's direct-sales network of more than 10,000 consultants in some 40 franchises across the US and Canada. Aloette also markets its goods through a website, catalog, and on television shopping channels.

Spicers is nothing to sneeze at -- the company is a leading office products and equipment wholesaler in the UK and France, where most of its 20-plus distribution centers are located; it also holds strong market positions in Ireland, France, and the Benelux countries, and is developing its business in Germany, Italy, and Spain. The company's 18,000 products, which are sold to office products dealers via its numerous catalogs and Web site, include office equipment, furniture, and janitorial supplies sold under major manufacturers' brands as well as its own brand, 5 Star. Spicers accounts for about one-third of the revenues of its packaging and paper parent company, DS Smith.

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