Founded as Great Lakes Wholesale Drug in 1967, a steady regimen of acquisitions helped it transform into The Harvard Drug Group in 1997. The company is controlled by investment firm Court Square Capital Partners. Drugs, not scholars, are what come out of this Harvard. The Harvard Drug Group distributes branded and generic prescription and OTC drugs, vitamins, and consumer products to independent pharmacies, retail pharmacy chains, and buying groups through more than 100 sales representatives and through partnerships with about 35 different vendors. The firm also offers manufacturing services through its partnership with Canadian drugmaker Apotex.

Celesio likes being a middleman when it comes to pharmaceuticals. The company is one of Europe's largest drug wholesalers, holding market-leading positions in several of the countries it serves. Its largest wholesale markets are France, Germany, and the UK. In addition to more than 140 wholesale distribution branches, Celesio owns retail chains consisting of 2,300 pharmacies in Europe, including Norway, Italy, and the UK. The company also offers marketing, logistics, and transportation solutions to pharmaceutical manufacturers through its manufacturer solutions division (and its Movianto and pharmexx units). German conglomerate Franz Haniel & Cie. owns a majority stake in Celesio, which was founded in 1835.

Kinray, one of the US's top private wholesale drug distributors, won't be independent much longer. The company provides generic, branded, and repackaged drugs, health and beauty products, medical equipment, vitamins, and diabetes-care products to 2,000 independent pharmacies, long-term care facilities, and specialty pharmacies along the Eastern Seaboard. Kinray also offers about 800 private label products under the Preferred Plus Pharmacy brand. The firm was founded in 1944 by sole owner and CEO Stewart Rahr's father, Joseph Rahr. The younger Rahr took over in 1975 and has since turned the company into a multi-billion dollar enterprise. However, in 2010 Kinray agreed to be acquired by Cardinal Health.

The Skor Food Group Inc., warehouses and distributes more than 7,000 private-label and branded food and grocery products to retailers and foodservice customers in Ontario, Canada. The company's Pizza Professionals unit supplies independent and chain pizza restaurants with ingredients and supplies. Its Aroma Foods and AMT Fine Foods businesses import and distribute specialty foods to Italian and Greek restaurants. Its Nicklen Central unit distributes ingredients and supplies to commercial bakeries and donut shops.

Constellation Energy Commodities Group sells a diverse portfolio of electricity, natural gas, and other energy products under both short- and long-term contracts to energy users, including utilities and other energy marketers. Constellation Energy Commodities Group, Inc. also provides risk management services. A marketing and trading star in the North American energy firmament, Constellation Energy Commodities Group is a leading source of wholesale power in deregulated US markets. Constellation Energy Commodities Group, Inc. holds the energy marketing and trading operations of parent Constellation Energy Group.

Sysco Corporation, through its subsidiaries, markets and distributes a range of food and related products primarily to the foodservice industry in the United States. It distributes a line of frozen foods, such as meats, fully prepared entrees, fruits, vegetables, and desserts; a line of canned and dry foods; fresh meats; dairy products; beverage products; imported specialties; and fresh produce. The company also supplies various non-food items, including paper products, such as disposable napkins, plates, and cups; tableware comprising china and silverware; cookware consisting of pots, pans, and utensils; restaurant and kitchen equipment and supplies; and cleaning supplies. Sysco Corporation offers its products to restaurants, hospitals and nursing homes, schools and colleges, hotels and motels, lodging establishments, and industrial caterers. As of June 27, 2009, it operated 186 distribution facilities serving approximately 400,000 customers. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. distributes various industrial products in North America. The company distributes bearings, power transmission components, industrial rubber products, linear components, tools, safety products, general maintenance products, and various mill supply products, as well as fluid power products, such as hydraulic, pneumatic, lubrication, and filtration components and systems. It also operates regional fabricated rubber shops, which modify and repair conveyor belts and make hose assemblies in accordance with customer requirements; and rubber service field crews to install and repair belts and rubber linings at customer locations. In addition, the company assembles fluid power systems, performs equipment repairs, and offers technical advices to firms, which purchase for maintenance, repair, and operations needs, as well as for original equipment manufacturing applications. Applied Industrial Technologies sells its products to various industries, including agriculture and food processing, automotive, chemical processing, forest products, industrial machinery and equipment, mining, primary metals, transportation, and utilities, as well as to government agencies. It offers industrial products through a network of service centers; and sells fluid power products directly to customers. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

PHOENIX Pharmahandel Aktiengesellschaft & Co KG is owned by Germany-based Merckle Group, a conglomerate controlled by the Merckle family. PHOENIX Pharmahandel plans to rise in Europe. The company is one of the largest pharmaceutical wholesalers in Germany and in Europe, with a presence in about two dozen countries. It delivers some 100,000 products to pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes, and other retail and health care outlets through some 160 offices across the continent. PHOENIX also provides pharmacy management services and runs an online ordering system, and it operates the Rowlands and Newmark pharmacy chain in the UK.

AMCON Distributing Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of a range of consumer products in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions, as well as in the operation of retail health food stores in Florida and the Midwest. The company operates through two segments: Wholesale Distribution and Retail Health Food. The Wholesale Distribution segment has 5 distribution centers that sell approximately 14,000 consumer products, including cigarettes and tobacco products, candy and other confectionery, non-alcoholic beverages, groceries, paper products, health and beauty care products, frozen and chilled products, and institutional food service products. It primarily distributes these products to approximately 4,000 retailers, such as convenience stores, discount and general merchandise stores, grocery stores and supermarkets, drug stores, and gas stations, as well as serves institutional customers, including restaurants and bars, schools, sports complexes and vendors, and other wholesalers. The Retail Health Food segment operates retail health food stores, which carry natural supplements, groceries, health and beauty care products, and other food items. As of September 30, 2008, the company had six retail health food stores in Florida under the name, Chamberlin's Market & Cafe, and seven in the Midwest under the name, Akin's Natural Foods Market. AMCON Distributing Company was founded in 1981 and is based in Omaha, Nebraska.

AAH is more than just the utterance of a sigh of relief to pharmacies in the UK. AAH Pharmaceuticals is a top provider of distribution and marketing services to independent pharmacies and public and private hospitals throughout the country. Its AAH Hospital Service distributes pharmaceuticals to hospital pharmacies around the UK. Wilkinson Healthcare is its surgical services division that supports independent pharmacies with off-time emergency supplies. Meanwhile, the Enterprise division offers OTC drugs and beauty supplies, while Trident delivers on generics. AAH is a subsidiary of German pharmacy wholesaler Celesio AG.

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