Citi Trends, Inc.: A Clothing Retail Store

Another retailer appeals to the needs of all family members; its name is Citi Trends, Inc. The company is registered as a value-priced retailer of urban fashion apparel and accessories as well as home décor for the entire household.

The company started the business in 1958 under the brand name Allied Department Store. Its first business opened in Savannah, Georgia and has started changing its company branding in the year 2000 to reflect its current logo. Though not quite as large as Wall Mart or Target, the company operates more than 513 stores in 29 states. Its offerings are mainly enjoyed by urban, lower-income customers it carries the brand names Cavi, Coogi, Rocawear, Apple Bottoms, Akademiks, Mecca, Baby Phat, Ed Hardy and Dickies. They offer these products at the average of 60% off of mall prices.

Citi Trends is a publicly traded business. It has made its initial public offering on the NASDAQ under the symbol CTRN in May 2005. Headquarters of the business is located in Pooler, Georgia.

CorVel Corporation: A Claims Management and Managed Care Provider

Businesses nowadays are getting conscious with the cost of continuing their operations, especially in managing health, work-related injury and disability. Through the invested systems of CorVel Corporation amounting to $200 million, they are able to ensure the success of their clients with the use of their business solutions.

It was in 1987 that the company was founded. Originally named as FORTIS by founders Gordon Clemons, Jeff Michael and Jim Michael, the business was created by consolidating three vocational rehabilitation firms. These three investors were able to bring these three businesses that are valued at $2 million and with over 200 associates. In just 2 years of handling the business, they were able to expand their operations to 51 US locations and entered the business of medical case management and medical bill review.

The business is listed as a provider of solutions for group health, disability insurance markets, auto and liability, worker’s compensation and as well as healthcare management services. They also offer disability management programs, medical bill review, claims management and case management services. The brand name is derived from Latin which means “of one heart” which also serves as a good representation of the 750,000 national network of preferred healthcare providers.

The company uses three elements in conducting their business which helps their clients do early intervention in managing risks. These elements are technology, intelligence and the human touch. They take pride on their invested technology, which would greatly help their customers meet their desired goals. These technological advancements are being handled by company associates who are knowledgeable in the various business needs and are capable of applying solutions while ensuring customer satisfaction. The existence of the business in the market is backed by their solid 30 years of experience in worker’s compensation, solid growth and financial stability.

With an annualized revenue of more than $413 million, CorVel continues to be traded publicly on the NASDAQ. The company is also known as a component of the Russell 2000 Index.

CECO Environmental: The Leader in Air Pollution Solutions

With factories and plants sprouting everywhere it cannot be helped, but worry about the quality of air we breathe. Clean air is a needed commodity these days and as technology threatens the very core of our life supply, companies like CECO Environmental come to the rescue.


The company, which got created in 1966 is a world leader in providing clean air solutions for virtually every industry there is. For more than three decades now, they have innovated engineered solutions to improve the quality of air in various applications and processes in a wide range of industries. Their products and services are mostly utilized by businesses thriving in the industry of cement, steel, brick, printing, foundries, woodworking, chemical processing, automotive, glass, ethanol, refining, pharmaceuticals and in aerospace.


As an air pollution business, CECO Environmental has a total of 12 subsidiaries to cater to various needs, namely CECO Filters, CECO Abatement, Adwest Technologies, Busch Co., AVC Specialists, FLEXTOR, EFFOX, Fisher-Klosterman and Kirk & Blum.

CDI Corporation: A Global Leader in Process Outsourcing, Talent Acquisition, and Program Staffing

Information technology, staffing and engineering services are the resources that CDI Corporation provides to various industries including financial services, defense, transportation, energy, aerospace and chemical. This multinational company has an annualized revenue of more than $1.1 billion and holds its headquarters in Philadelphia.


In 1950, the business started its operations as Comprehensive Designers, Inc. Back then, it was focused on providing technical services to the growing automotive, manufacturing and defense industries in Pennsylvania. It was Walter R. Garrison, who restructured the business after joining the company in 1956. He was once an engineer at Boeing and purchased the company in 1961 when he was functioning as its Chief Engineer. Together with two colleagues, they have worked on company and diversified its offerings.


Prior to the change of name from Comprehensive Designers, Inc. to CDI Corporation, the company has purchased Management Recruiters International. The latter is a venture that focused on providing permanent management talent to its clients. With the purchased business, CDI Corporation has further expanded its scope in staffing services. By 1982, they have ventured into temporary staffing services of unskilled and clerical workers. This diversification added several nationwide offices to the business that bears the name Today’s Staffing.


Today, CDI runs their business through three major business segments: Staffing Services, Technology Solutions and Engineering Services. Their Staffing arm provides workforce management solutions, their Technology unit provides solutions to support client’s IT operations while their Engineering division services the aerospace, industrial, government services, infrastructure, oil, gas and chemical industries. In addition, CDI also has AndersElite and MRINetwork as two of its subsidiary companies.


For more than 60 years now, the company has helped other businesses be more productive and profitable while maximizing growth potential at the same time. They have been very proactive in tailoring their services to the unique needs of their clients and by so doing has become a global leader in talent acquisition, recruitment process outsourcing and managed program staffing.

Belo Corp: A Media Company

Previously named A. H. Belo Corporation after its early owner Alfred Horatio Belo, Belo Corporation is a media company based in Downtown Dallas. The company is known for operating 2 regional 24-hour cable news television channels and 20 other commercial broadcasting television stations.

Though the business was officially formed as A. H. Belo in 1926, their history goes back to 1842 with the launch of The Daily News in Galveston, Texas. The company used to operate print media and had the business spun off to its shareholders. The Dallas Morning has been the flagship of the business and was first published in 1885. In June 2013, Gannett Company purchased the entire venture of Belo for $1.5 billion and included the assumption of all the debts incurred by the business.

The business was then integrated into Gannett Company, an international media and marketing solutions company. There are more than 110 million people that enjoy the services offered by the business in a diverse digital, mobile, and print platforms.

Samuel Adams: One of the Largest Beer Companies in the US

Samuel Adams is a hard to miss name in the industry of alcoholic beverage. The brand name is one of the products and subsidiaries of the Boston Beer Company. Lorenzo Lamadrid, Harry M. Rubin and Jim Koch founded the company in 1984.

The name Samuel Adams was chosen by the business partners to honor the American patriot who was famous for his role in the Boston Tea Party and in the American Revolution. Jim Koch prior to the creation of the business used to work for the Boston Consulting Group. He was just fresh from getting his BA, MBA and JD degrees from Harvard University. The first product he produced was the Samuel Adams Boston Lager, which was first developed in 1860 by Louis Koch, his great grandfather who stopped manufacturing the product during the age of prohibition and until the 1950s.

When Jim got hold of this recipe, he started brewing his first batch in his kitchen using the family recipe. His eagerness to get back to the brewing industry sprouted from the need to provide Americans a good crafted beer that was virtually non-existent that time. Only imported brands were present during that time like Heineken and Beck’s.

Samuel Adams is also known for their seasonal beers: Cold Snap (January-March), Summer Ale (April-August), Octoberfest (August-October) and Winter Lager (November-January). The business is into a lot of experimenting and has produced a variety of beers that are available all year round. These varieties include Irish Red, Latitude 48 IPA, Blackberry Witbier, Boston Ale, Pale Ale, Scotch Ale, Cream Stout, Coastal Wheat, Cherry Wheat, Black Lager, Sam Adams Light and Samuel Adams Boston Lager.

There are about 840 employees manning their breweries in Pennsylvania and in Ohio. In 2008 the company became the largest American-owned beer company in the United States. As of, they are tied with Yuengling for the largest.

athenahealth Corp: A Healthcare Technology Company

It was in 1997 that athenahealth Corp was founded in San Diego, California. The company offers electronic medical record services and online practice management to various physician practices. In addition, they also offer healthcare business services and medical billing.

The company initially started as a women’s health and birthing place called Athena Healthcare. The business was created after their unsuccessful search for an existing EMR and practice management solution for their needs. It was Todd Park and Jonathan Bush who started the company and they tapped the help of Todd’s brother, Ed Park to create an EMR and financial revenue cycle system. Their services are categorized into four major divisions: athenaCollector, their billing and practice management service;  athenaClinicals, their electronic medical records service; athenaCoordinator, their automated calling and emailing platform and athenaCommunicator, their cloud-based care coordination system.

It was in 2007 that the company first opened its doors to the public at an initial offering of $18 per share. Common stocks of the business are now traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol ATHN.

Benchmark Electronics: A Contract Manufacturing Services Business

Benchmark Electronics, Inc. started as a subsidiary of Intermedics, a medical implant manufacturer. It was in 1986 that the business was sold to the Electronic Investors Corporation. The business now provides contract manufacturing services and holds its headquarters in Angleton, Texas.

As an OEM, ODM and EMS company, Benchmark stands as a leader in making successful products for Original Equipment Manufacturers since 1986. The company’s history can be traced back to the year 1979. It is an international provider of design, engineering services and integrated electronics manufacturing. They offer virtually everything between product development and regional PCB build. It now stands as one of the top 10 leading EMS companies in the world with an annualized revenue of $2.253 billion.

The company, just like any other businesses didn’t just rely on organic growth for its expansion. It has acquired other smaller businesses. In 2007 Benchmark has acquired Pemstar, Inc., a contract manufacturer. Part of the company’s business strategy is to move away from traditional. Computing-related EMS products rather it focused on more profitable ventures like in medical devices. It was in 2008 that the company started marketing some medical devices and telecommunications equipment.

Among its customers are big names like Silicon Graphics, iRobot, Sun Microsystems, EMC Corporation and Medtronic. As of, they have operations in roughly ten countries with production sites in Ireland, Brazil, Thailand, the Netherlands, Romania, China, Singapore, Malaysia and in the United States.

Benchmark has underscored its commitment to creating products that are designed and built correctly. The forefront of their thinking has been always the experience of the customers and their expectations that all their products will always work out during its first time and every time it is tested. Their full range of services covers the concept of the product to its creation, from prototyping to automate and then to the delivery of its finished work to its customers.