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.

Uline is a bubble-wrap popper's dream come true. Its sales catalog features more than 20,000 packaging and shipping supplies (such as bubble wrap, corrugated boxes, envelopes, tape), janitorial products (brooms, cleaning supplies, trash cans), and other items (bags, merchandise tags, pricing devices). The company also markets products through its website. Uline operates distribution centers in California, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Texas. International locations include facilities in Canada and Mexico. Started in 1980 in the founder's basement, the company is owned and operated by the Uihlein family. Uline relocated its headquarters to Wisconsin in 2010.

For Douglas Holding, there is no scent sweeter than perfume. The retail conglomerate operates about 2,000 stores in some two dozen European countries and the US. It is a leading perfume retailer in Europe with more than 1,100 perfumeries (445 in its home market Germany). In addition to perfume, Douglas Holding sells skin care and cosmetic products. The company's other retail divisions include jewelry and watches (Christ, Rene Kern), fashion (AppelrathCupper and Pohland), books (Thalia and Internet book seller buch.de), and confectionery (Hussel). While about two-thirds of the group's sales originate in Germany, its non-German operations are driving growth.

Sensational Beginnings (SB) helps kids start having fun early. The catalog and online merchant sells educational toys, furniture, and safety and child care items for infants and toddlers. (SB also operates a single store in Michigan.) Toy categories include science and nature, ride-ons, musical instruments, indoor active play, travel kits, and seasonal items. SB also offers gift-giving and parenting advice, a gift registry, and an online photo gallery of children using company products. Customers can shop by brand, category, or age group or get advice on age-appropriate toys and games. President Debra Shah, a former nurse specializing in mother and child medical care, founded Sensational Beginnings, Inc. in the early 1990s.

Target Commercial Interiors (TCI) is a leading provider of contemporary furnishings for large, small, and medium-sized businesses, with more than a dozen retail showrooms in Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota, Washington, and Wisconsin. Its product selection includes chairs, desks, and tables, as well as floor coverings, lighting, and window treatments. The company is a leading Steelcase dealer. TCI also provides such services as interior planning and design, installation, and project management. In addition to its showrooms, the company sells office products online. TCI is a subsidiary of the nation's #2 discount retailer Target. This business has office decor in its cross hairs.

Current USA is a leading direct marketer of greeting cards and gift wrap, scrapbooking supplies, stationery, and home decorating items. It sells under the brands Times to Cherish (scrapbooking supplies), Colorful Images (personalized address labels and other paper products), Lillian Vernon (gifts and home decor), and, of course, Current. The company also operates an outlet store in Colorado and a fundraising business that lets not-for-profit groups sell its products and share the proceeds. Founded in the 1950s, Current USA was initially run out of the basement of founders Orin and Miriam Loo. The company, which was family owned and operated until 1986, is a subsidiary of printing giant Taylor.

Dijon Limited was started in 1973 in a bedroom and garage by company director Diane Kirkness; she runs it with her two daughters. Dijon Limited, also known as The Original Dolls House Company, offers everything, including kitchen sinks, for the hobbyist to outfit dollhouses and miniature shops - even pubs - to the teeth. Its 1/12th-, 1/24th-, and 1/48th scaled items include handmade books that can be read with a magnifying glass, melted snowmen, kits for constructing dollhouses and miniature conservatories, electric wiring kits, and garden tools, along with play families and pets. Dijon Limited distributes to retailers throughout the UK, as well as by mail order and through the company's Web site.

Bare Escentuals sells its products in the US through about 120 company-owned shops, 870 beauty product retailers, and 1,470 spas and salons. It also boasts distributors in Canada, Japan, and the UK and other European countries. Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido acquired Bare Escentuals for $1.7 billion in 2010. When it comes to keeping its customers looking naturally pretty, Bare Escentuals has a mineral interest. The company, which rolled out its bareMinerals makeup brand in 1976 along with its first retail shop, develops, markets, and sells natural cosmetics, skin care, and body care items. Brand names include bareMinerals, Buxom, md formulations, RareMinerals, and its namesake line.

Adventure 16, Inc. operates a chain of retail outdoor outfitters in Southern California. It has about half a dozen locations, plus a wholesale division that distributes accessories for backpacking, camping, climbing, and adventure travel. The company offers lifetime guarantees on all its private-label products. Its Web site offers resources, guides, and classes for outdoor journeys, a backpacker's checklist, an interactive map and reviews of recommended hikes, a gallery of adventure photos, and an outdoor blog written by staff. Adventure 16 was incorporated by Mic Mead in 1970.

Follett is the #1 operator of college bookstores, with more than 850 campus bookshops (vs. about 635 for Barnes & Noble) across the US, as well as Canada. The company's business groups, which reach about 60 countries, also provide books and audiovisual materials to grade school and public libraries, library automation and management software, textbook reconditioning, and other services. Follett acquired its smaller online rival Varsity Group in 2008, complementing its own efollett.com website that sells college textbooks. The Follett family has owned and managed the company for four generations.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.