Knoxville is thirsty. Bottoms up, says The Pepsi Bottling Co. of Knoxville. It bottles the PepsiCo brands of soda and water and distributes the beverages to food stores and other retail outlets throughout eastern Tennessee, as well as in parts of Georgia and South Carolina. The company is a subsidiary of The Pepsi Bottling Group, the world's largest bottler and distributor of Pepsi products.

Inverness Corporation Company's piercing system is used in some 5,000 US retail outlets and is sold in about 45 countries. The system accompanies a pierced earring selection of about 200 styles. Customers have included Wal-Mart, Claire's, and Merle Norman, among others. Inverness also offers onsite training for staff. For those who like to go solo, there's a personal piercer and personal care products, such as antiseptics for ear care and body piercing care. The company boasts offices in Canada, Hong Kong, France, Japan, the UK, and the US.

Embotelladoras Arca (Arca) wants you to have some Joya in life. The second largest distributor of Coca-Cola products in Mexico (Coca-Cola FEMSA is #1), Arca sold its Joya trademarks and formulas to Coca-Cola in 2004 but continues to produce and distribute the brand itself. It also sells Ciel bottled water and Tipp soda, as well as the usual Coke brands. Arca does business in eight northern states of Mexico. The company was formed through the 2001 merger of three of the oldest bottling groups in Mexico: Proyeccin Corporativa, Embotelladoras Argos, and Empresas El Carmen.

Vision-Ease Lens Corporation company specializes in designing, making, and distributing the increasingly popular polycarbonate prescription lenses used in eyewear today. Although the company has focused its business on polycarbonate lenses for their impact resistance, light weight, and ultraviolet filtering properties, Vision-Ease makes other styles. It manufactures plastic and glass lenses, as well as photochromic (allowing lenses to darken automatically according to light levels), polarized, anti-reflective, and scratch-resistant lens treatments. The company's two largest clients are LensCrafters and Wal-Mart, accounting for more than 45% of sales.

GoldToeMoretz boasts licensing agreements with the likes of Kathy Ireland, New Balance, and Under Armour and ships some 360 million pairs of socks each year. Moretz, founded in 1946, was acquired by buyout firm The Blackstone Group in late 2006 and merged with 90-year-old Gold Toe to form GoldToeMoretz. The deal, valued at $400 million, created a pair of the US's largest maker of socks. GoldToeMoretz wants to sock it to the competition. It's a sockwear maker for sporting goods stores and retailers, such as Gap, Target, and Old Navy, and private labeler for companies including Cherokee, Faded Glory, and Pro Spirit. It peddles the PowerSox brand -- a heavy hitter in performance socks -- as well as Gold Toe.

Sothys Paris is a cosmetics and skin care wholesaler and retailer. Products include face care (cleansers, moisturizers, and items to oxygenate), body care, and sun care, as well as men's grooming products (detoxifying, age-defying, and hydrating). The firm has a research and development laboratory, an institute in Paris, factories in the US and France, and worldwide distribution channels. Sothys Paris is hoping to expand its product base across the sea; the skin care retailer opened its first facility in the US (New York) in mid 2005 called L'Institut Sothys Paris.

UB Global is the exporting arm for the UB Group of companies, which includes India's largest brewery, United Breweries, and the country's largest liquor distributor, United Spirits. UB Global ships beer, whisky, rum, vodka, gin, and brandy to more than 75 countries around the world. Under the Kissan and Blue Mountain brands, UB Global exports jars of pickled gherkins as well as jars of guava, mango, and papaya purees to more than 20 countries. The company also makes leather shoes for such brands as Bostonian, Espirit, Florsheim, Geox, and Hush Puppies, as well as clothing for Lafuma, Vivarte, and Umbro. Aventis pharmaceuticals and medical supplies manufactured under the name UB Care are sold in Africa.

Hanesbrands Inc. is a consumer goods company with a portfolio of apparel brands, including Hanes, Champion, C9 by Champion, Playtex, Bali, L’eggs, Just My Size, barely there, Wonderbra, Stedman, Outer Banks, Zorba, Rinbros and Duofold. The Company designs, manufactures, sources and sells a range of apparel essentials, such as t-shirts, bras, panties, men’s underwear, kids’ underwear, casualwear, activewear, socks and hosiery. Its products are sold through multiple distribution channels. The Company’s operations are managed and reported in five operating segments: Innerwear, Outerwear, International, Hosiery and Other.

BOD Design Group hopes you'll remember to grab one of its products first. Formerly Berwick Offray until 2007, the company is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of decorative ribbons, bows, and gift packaging. Its products are sold through mass merchandisers, specialty and variety retailers, and wholesale outlets for the packaging, floral, and craft trades in the US and abroad. It also operates several outlet stores in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Berwick added the Offray name in 2002 when it purchased ribbon maker C.M. Offray and Son. When its parent, CSS Industries, purchased C.R. Gibson, it combined its Berwick Offray and Cleo subsidiaries.

"Since the company began in 1994," says Marianne Bertrand, President and founder of Muttluks Inc. Muttluks makes and distributes booties, and now coats, exclusively for dogs. The boots, which are sold in the US, Canada, and Europe, come in a variety of styles, fabrics, and sizes. Products may be purchased in pet specialty stores and on the company's Web site. Although some observers roll their eyes at the sight, owners who really want to pamper their canine pals can be found at the other end of the leash from a puppy proudly prancing on protected paws.

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