B&T primarily serves two types of markets. Its core business distributes books, videos, and music, and provides value-added services to thousands of school, public, and specialty libraries worldwide. The firm's retail unit supplies storefront and Internet book and music retailers, as well as independent booksellers, with a million book titles and about 385,000 DVD and CD titles. On the Internet (where it formerly operated as Informata.com), B&T offers B2B e-commerce fulfillment services. B&T is owned by investment firm Castle Harlan.

Blackwell UK (known as Blackwell's) operates about 50 bookshops throughout the UK under the Blackwell's and Heffers names, as well as Blackwell's Online Bookshop. Blackwell's Book Services (headquartered in the US, with offices in the UK) supplies books and bibliographic products to some 3,500 research, academic, and specialty libraries around the world. The original B.H. Blackwell's store was opened in Oxford on New Year's Day 1879, and today it is one of the company's flagship locations. The Blackwell family still owns and runs Blackwell's. The family also owns academic publisher Blackwell Publishing.

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.

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.

Office Environments was founded in 1986 by furniture salesmen Walter Costello, Edward Marchetti, and William Nyhan. It acquired rival Business Interiors in 2010. Office Environments of New England outfits wicked awesome workspaces. With offices in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont the company sells office furniture (including movable walls, chairs, desks, and filing cabinets) and installs audiovisual equipment. It also provides design, rental, and storage services. The firm primarily serves health care providers, universities, and corporations. Its client roster has included the bigs of Beantown, such as Boston College, Boston Properties, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard University.

Archibald's knows hot wheels when it sees 'em. The auto dealer specializes in the sale of used luxury vehicles from a single location in Kennewick, Washington. Archibald's swanky rides include BMW, Acura, Cadillac, Jaguar, and Mercedes Benz. Visitors to the company's Web site can check inventory, view photos of each vehicle, check trade-in values, and apply for financing. Archibald's claims its success is due to applying the golden rule, treat other people the way you would like to be treated, to its business model. The company is owned by president John Archibald and vice president Daniel Archibald.

IKON was acquired by Japan's Ricoh, a key supplier, in 2008 for $1.6 billion. IKON Office Solutions works to ensure that when it comes to buying business equipment, customers say, "I can and I will." A subsidiary of office equipment giant Ricoh, IKON sells and services its parent's brand of office equipment, including copiers, printers, scanners, fax machines, and more, throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. IKON Office Solutions, Inc. also offers such services as document management outsourcing, electronic file conversions, facilities management, and training. Customers are primarily large and small businesses and government agencies.

Book Wholesalers, Inc., known as BWI, keeps the libraries stocked with both books and children. The company is a full service provider of children's and young adult books, e-books, and audiovisual items to more than 2,200 public library systems. BWI is a subsidiary of retail and wholesale textbook distributor Follet Corporation. Some of the company's services utilized by libraries include electronic materials ordering, cataloging and processing, collection development support (of books, not money), book binding, and opening day activities organization. Founded in 1987, BWI was acquired by Follet in 1997.

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.

Empire Music distributes musical instruments, books, and related accessories to music educators in Canada and the US. Products include various books and instruments related to the Suzuki method of music education and theory, bells, drums, guitars, recorders, ukuleles, and xylophones (they even carry stepping stone-style xylophones and giant floor piano keyboards). It carries brands Suzuki Orff, Aulos Recorders, Challenger, and Emus. The company has been trading for more than a half-century.

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