Trendway was founded in 1968 by chairman Don Heeringa. It has received media attention for supplying the chairs used by judges on the FOX Broadcasting series American Idol. Trendway Corporation designs and makes furniture and fixtures for offices, including those tight on space. Products include movable walls, seating, storage and filing cabinets, tables, desks, and other furnishings. The company's Power Arch series is a system of flexible columns and beams that helps to distribute power and data lines throughout an office. Among its customers are small businesses, large corporations, and government agencies.

Artsana S.p.A. company (whose name combines the Italian words for "art" and "heals") makes products for health, beauty, and baby that are distributed worldwide. Artsana's health-related offerings include such consumer items as Control brand condoms, Lycia sanitary pads, and Serenity incontinence products. Under the Chicco and neoBaby labels, the company markets clothing, toys, and feeding and hygiene essentials. Its beauty lines are geared to women and infants, including such items as Mamma Donna maternity cosmetics and Bubble Kids pH-balanced bath soap. Additionally, Artsana makes clinical health-care supplies through its Pic Indolor subsidiary.

CEO Shelli Gardner and her sister (who later left the company) founded Stampin' Up! Inc in 1988. Through a network of about 40,000 independent sales representatives in North America and internationally, Stampin' Up! markets exclusive wood-mounted rubber stamps and accessories for use in arts and crafts, scrapbooking, greeting card design, and home decoration. California, Michigan, Minnesota, Washington, and Wisconsin are among the states with a large number of distributors. It also has representatives based in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, and the UK.

Wally's was founded in 1991. Wally's Natural Products wants you to stick it in your ear -- the company's handmade ear candles that is. The personal care products firm is one of the largest suppliers of ear candles in the US for removing ear wax naturally. Wally's has modernized the more than 2,000-year-old practice of ear coning by offering disposable hollow candles constructed of unbleached cotton or linen dipped in paraffin or beeswax. Its products, which include ear candles, oil, and its Practical Guide to Ear Candling, are sold at certain pharmacies, natural health food stores, and GNC, as well as through the company's Web site and other e-tailers.

Gio! Giorgio Armani Corporation is the American arm of Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani S.p.A. The US operation, which generates about a quarter of its parent's revenue, makes and retails upscale apparel for men, women, juniors, and babies. It boasts a retail network of about 50 Armani Exchange stores, a dozen Giorgio Armani boutiques, and a pair each of Armani/Casa and Armani/Cafe outlets. The firm also has a dozen Emporio Armani shops and is expanding the banner in Hawaii. Giorgio Armani licenses its name to manufacturers of perfume, cosmetics, watches, eyewear, jewelry, and accessories. Its Giorgio Armani Cosmetics unit operates within its own stores, as well as through Nordstrom and Saks.

Rosy Blue, Inc., its US arm, was officially established in 1974. Rosy Blue company designs, manufactures, and distributes fine diamonds and bridal and fashion jewelry across a wide range of price points to mass and independent jewelry retailers, as well as department stores nationwide. With offices in more than 15 countries, the company makes its own jewelry under the Orra and ROSIBLU names as well as jewelry for partners, such as Canadia and Vera Wang. In the 1970s, when many Indian diamond houses were moving their operations to New York City, Rosy Blue's parent company (India-based Rosy Blue Group) followed suit.

Founded in 1919, family-owned CalCedar is a leading supplier of wooden slats used in making wood-cased pencils, including art and cosmetic varieties. The company also makes its own brand pencils (California Republic Stationers and ForestChoice) and pencils for other customers. CalCedar's products are sold worldwide. The company has moved its slat production plant from California to China and also operates a factory in Thailand. CalCedar sold its Duraflame log business, which it invented in 1969, to Clorox in 1978 and has exited the supply siding and decking business.

The Female Health Company (FHC), maker of condoms for women. The polyurethane female condom is the only female contraceptive that is FDA-approved for preventing both pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. The firm's condoms are sold in more than 115 countries worldwide (under the FC and FC2 names), including South Africa, Brazil, the US, the UK, and Zimbabwe. Outside the US, many of its products bear the Femidom name, among others. FHC also provides low-cost female condoms in Africa through an agreement with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). It sponsors the Female Health Foundation, which provides women with health education.

Celebrating more than 40 years in business, Mary Kay is in the pink as one of the top direct sellers of beauty products in the US. It offers more than 200 products in six categories: body care, color cosmetics, facial skin care, fragrance, nail care, and sun protection. More than 1.8 million independent sales consultants demonstrate Mary Kay products in the US and some 35 other countries. Consultants vie for awards each year, ranging from jewelry to the company's trademark pink Cadillac (first awarded in 1969). The company also founded the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation in 1996 to fund cancer research and domestic violence programs. The family of founder Mary Kay Ash owns most of the company.

Tevco Enterprises has nailed down its corner of the US fingernail polish manufacturing industry. Tevco makes nail polishes and polish ingredients for such iconic companies as Chanel, Revlon, and Shiseido. The company, which operates in the Americas, was the North American unit of Durlin (which, in turn, was part of French chemicals powerhouse SNPE, a maker of nitrocellulose, an ingredient in propellants, inks, and varnishes). In mid-2006 SNPE sold Tevco Enterprises to an independent investment group.

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.