Founded by Edgar and Theresa Hyman on their wedding day in 1923, The ECHO Design Group is a prominent fashion designer and retailer. Its fashion accessories include women's handbags, scarves, wraps, and other cold weather accessories, while its home décor lineup consists of bedding, bath products, and stationery. ECHO Design's products are sold in a range of department stores from the upscale (Bloomingdale's) to the everyday (Dillard's). ECHO Design also licenses a line of wallcoverings, throws, decorative pillows, bed and bath products, and paper goods. Historically, the family-run firm (CEO Dorothy Roberts is the Hymans' daughter) has designed custom products for retailers, museums, and historical societies.

Earth Sun Moon Trading Company, Inc. makes and sells screen-printed T-shirts and hats decorated with one-liners and nature-inspired themes (such as dogs and cats, gardening, sports, camping, and more). Its products are sold through more than 7,000 specialty retailers (including museums, aquariums, zoos, national parks, campgrounds, tourist attractions, and general gift shops) in the US and abroad. It also sells T-shirts online. Earth Sun Moon Trading began operations in 1996.

Founded in 1980, Set-N-Me-Free Aloe Vera Co. is a top maker of aloe vera skin care products in the Pacific Northwest. It peddles its products through spas and salons nationwide, as well as through its own Web site. Aloe can't get you out of jail, but according to this company, it can set you free. Set-N-Me-Free Aloe Vera Co. is a personal care and pet care products manufacturer. The company specializes in making and selling items that contain 100% US-grown aloe vera. Set-N-Me-Free Aloe Vera Co. offers body and skin care (body wash, bath milk), hair care, sun care, body wraps, and herbal supplements. Its pet care items include dog shampoos and lotions.

Founded when a young woman by the name of Merle Norman first opened up shop in Santa Monica, California, in 1931, the beauty company makes and markets skin care products and color cosmetics. Its products (all of which are manufactured in the US) are sold through about 2,000 independently owned and operated retail outlets -- Merle Norman Cosmetic Studios -- in the US and Canada. Many are located in malls. Brand names include Automatic Definitive, Inspirations, Luxiva, Only Natural, and more. The company is owned by chairman Jack Nethercutt, Norman's great-nephew.

Sellstrom Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1923 by G.E. Sellstrom and his wife, Ellen, as Excell Sales Company. Sellstrom Manufacturing company provides protective wear and related products to do-it-yourselfers, as well as corporations, schools, and hospitals. Sellstrom's product line includes eye, face, knee, and head protection (goggles, face shields, knee pads, and hard hats), welding protection (filters and helmets), fall protection (harnesses, lanyards, and lifeline systems) and emergency eye washers and showers.

G & J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Inc. company is one of the larger Pepsi bottlers in the US, shipping the leading PepsiCo brands, including Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Slice, SoBe, and Aquafina to beverage retailers. The bottler was formerly named the Grandpop Bottling Co., and was under the management of Walter Gross and Isaac Jarson. The company's current chairman, Stanley Kaplan, was married to Jarson's daughter, Mickey, who died in 2003.

Buckeye Technologies Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Buckeye Technologies Inc. manufactures and distributes cellulose-based specialty products made from wood and cotton worldwide. Buckeye Technologies products include chemical cellulose, customized fibers, fluff pulp, and nonwoven materials. Its chemical cellulose is used in the manufacture of various products, including food casings, cigarette filters, rayon filaments, acetate fibers, and thickeners for consumer products, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Buckeye Technologies ustomized fibers are used to provide porosity, color permanence, and tear resistance in filters, letterheads, currency papers, and personal stationery, as well as absorbency and softness in cotton balls and cotton swabs. Its fluff pulp and nonwoven materials are used to increase absorbency and fluid transport in products, such as disposable diapers, feminine hygiene products, and adult incontinence products, as well as used to enhance fluid management and strength in wipes, tabletop items, food pads, household wipes, and mops.

Wella brushes off much of its competition. One of the world's leading haircare companies, it sells professional and retail haircare products, cosmetics, and fragrances. Its Wella brand is its top seller; hair coloring products (Koleston, Wella Viva) are also leaders. Its Tondeo unit supplies professional products and appliances to salons. Wella's fragrances include Alfred Dunhill, Anna Sui, and Gucci, among others. Reluctantly for Wella at the time, Procter & Gamble acquired a majority stake in the firm in 2003 from four families (Ebert, Pohl, Sander, and Stroeher) that owned some 80% of Wella. Through a Domination Agreement transaction, P&G in November 2007 acquired the rest of its outstanding shares.

Brother International Corporation is one of the premier providers of products for the home, home office and office. Our U.S.A. corporate office, located in Bridgewater, New Jersey, was established in the US on April 21, 1954 and markets many industrial products, home appliances, and business products manufactured by its parent company, Brother Industries, Ltd., of Nagoya, Japan. These products include an award-winning line of Multi-Function Center® and printers. Brother also provides the number one line of facsimile machines in the U.S. and is the leader in electronic labeling, with its full line of P-touch® Electronic Labeling Systems. With revenues of approximately $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2006, Brother and its subsidiaries employ over 1,100 people in the Americas.

SoftSheen/Carson Products is keeping the shine on its ethnic beauty. The company is one of the world's leading makers of ethnic hair care and beauty products, including shampoos, conditioners, gels, hair straighteners, relaxers, and shaving products. Its brands include Let's Jam, Baby Love, Optimum Care, Dark and Lovely, Magic Shave, and Weave Care. Founded in 1964 by Edward and Bettiann Gardner, SoftSheen was the largest African-American-owned beauty products company in the country until its acquisition in 1998 by L'Oréal USA, a division of French cosmetics giant L'Oréal. Carson was a subsidiary of L'Oréal USA before being merged with SoftSheen in 2000.

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