The changes made by L'Oréal USA since its 1953 founding have been anything but cosmetic. The US arm of L'Oréal (the world's #1 cosmetics firm), L'Oréal USA boasts a host of big-name brands, including Maybelline and Redken. It also owns salon product makers Matrix and Kérastase, as well as consumer-focused SoftSheen/Carson and perfume brands Ralph Lauren and Gloria Vanderbilt. The unit's upscale Lancôme (makeup, skin care) and Biotherm (skin care) lines are sold nationwide in department stores. Its parent bought Dallas-based SkinCeuticals. Laurent Attal took over as president and CEO in April 2006, when former president and CEO Jean-Paul Agon became CEO of L'Oréal SA.

James Avery Craftsman, Inc. company got its start in 1954 when James Avery, himself, set up shop in a two-car garage with about $250 in capital. James Avery Craftsman is a leading jewelry designer, manufacturer, and retailer in the US, mostly throughout the southern states. Its jewelry collection, numbering some 1,100 designs and 14,000 items made in sterling silver, 14-, and 18-karat yellow and white gold, and gemstones, is sold through about 200 independent retailers and about 50 of its own stores in Colorado, Georgia, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas. James Avery also sells its products through a catalog and via the Internet.

Oxford Industries, Inc. company is a top US manufacturer of brand name and private-label clothing and footwear, as well as a retailer in the US and the UK. Its Tommy Bahama business makes branded men's and women's casual attire and operates more than 80 stores in the US. Its Ben Sherman unit boasts some 30 UK stores. Oxford also produces designer men's clothing, including golfwear, under license from Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Oscar de la Renta, and others. Oxford's customers include national and regional specialty stores, direct retailers, and department stores. Macy's, Nordstrom, and Debenhams were Oxford's biggest customers in 2008.

Founded in 1921, Renfro makes hundreds of styles of socks and markets them in North America through department stores, specialty stores, and e-commerce sites. Renfro company's brands and trademarks include Fruit of the Loom, Starter, Fit First, Vassarette, and Ducks Unlimited (licensed in Canada). Renfro makes and markets socks in the southern US, as well as in India, Turkey, Pakistan, and Mexico. The firm distributes its products to customers from facilities based in the US (specifically the Carolinas), Europe, Canada, and Mexico. Renfro also owns classic knee-sock company Bonnie Doon.

Founded in 1973 by Chuck West as Pet Circus, the family-owned company changed its name to Pet Supermarket in 1986. Pet Supermarket has it all for your furry friend. The company sells more than 8,000 pet care products, including food, toys, medicine, and clothing, through its Web site and about 110 stores in a dozen states, primarily Florida. Stores also offer vaccinations for dogs, cats, and ferrets, and sell a variety of small animals, such as hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and tropical fish. In addition, Pet Supermarket works with area organizations to host adoptions and related events for cats and dogs. Like its pet superstore competitors, customers can take their pets shopping with them.

Founded in 1941, Garan is a subsidiary of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. Garan, Incorporated company designs, manufactures, and distributes coordinated apparel for infants, toddlers, and children. Products are sold under its customers' private labels, as well as its own brand, Garanimals. Characters like Charley Chimp help young children dress themselves with coordinated hang-tags. Most of Garan's products are sold through distribution centers in the US to major national chains, such as Wal-Mart, department stores, and specialty stores.

Tufco Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Tufco Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated manufacturing services in the United States. Its services include wet and dry-wipe converting, wide Web flexographic printing, hot melt adhesive laminating, folding, integrated downstream packaging, and on-site quality and microbiological process management. The company also custom manufactures products from an array of materials, including polyethylene films, a variety of nonwovens, paper, and tissue. Its products include disposable wet and dry wipes for home, personal/baby/medical care use, flexible packaging, and disposable table covers. In addition, the company manufactures and distributes business imaging paper products. It converts fine paper materials, including specialty and fine printing papers, thermal papers, inkjet papers, and coated products. Tufco Technologies produces various papers for use in bank proof or automated teller machines, such as fan-fold forms, and printed rolls of various sizes and types. Further, it produces a selection of standard and customized guest checks for use in the restaurant industry, as well as various multi-part business forms. . Tufco Technologies markets its products and services through its sales and customer service employees, manufacturer's representatives, and distributors.

Birmingham Budweiser was founded in 1966. Birmingham Budweiser company distributes alcoholic beverages from Anheuser-Bush InBev in the fine southern cities of Birmingham and Jasper, in the Yellowhammer State. Birmingham Budweiser, located in West Oxmoor Industrial Park, is run by members of the Kampakis family. The editors of Business Alabama magazine have named Birmingham Budweiser Distributing as one of the top 100 private companies in Alabama.

Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO.) strives to provide the world's casual workday wardrobe, inside and out. LS&CO., a top manufacturer of brand-name clothing globally, sells jeans and sportswear under the Levi's, Dockers, and Levi Strauss Signature names in more than 110 countries. It also markets men's and women's underwear and loungewear. Levi's jeans -- department store staples -- were once the uniform of American youth, but LS&CO. has been working to reconnect with the niche and expand outside the US. It has transformed its products portfolio to include wrinkle-free and stain-resistant fabrics used in making some of its Levi's and Dockers slacks. The Haas family (relatives of founder Levi Strauss) owns LS&CO.

Founded in 1854, Timex is owned by the family of chairman Annette Olsen, whose grandfather bought the company in 1942. Timex is strapping on fresh faces so it can tap new markets worldwide. The nation's largest watch manufacturer has expanded its lines from simple, low-cost watches to include high-tech tickers capable of paging or downloading computer data. Its sports watches have gone upscale and gadgety with its Expedition and Ironman lines. Timex Corporation company also makes and markets thermostats, pedometers, and weather instruments. Through a licensing agreement, Timex makes watches for Guess? and Versace, among others.

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