chicago's largest privately held companies -...

FOCUS: PRIVATE COMPANIES

CompanyHeadquarters

PhoneWeb site Top executive

2008 revenue (millions);

% change from 2007

Full-time local/worldwide

employees Type of business

1 U.S. FOODSERVICE INC.Rosemont

(847) 720-8000 www.usfoodservice.com

Robert AikenPresident, CEO

$19,800.0-1.8%

86526,070

Distributor of food and restaurant supplies

2 REYES HOLDINGS LLCRosemont

(847) 227-6500www.reyesholdings.com

J. Christopher ReyesM. Jude Reyes, co-chairmen

$10,719.213.4%

40010,200

Food and beverage distributor

3 TOPCO ASSOCIATES LLCSkokie

(847) 676-3030www.topco.com

Steven K. LauerPresident, CEO

$9,900.011.8%

325400

Cooperative for supermarket retailers,wholesalers and food-service companies

4 GLOBAL HYATT CORP.Chicago

(312) 750-1234www.hyatt.com

Mark S. HoplamazianPresident, CEO

$8,377.03.2%

3,98679,516

Hospitality

5 CDW CORP.Vernon Hills

(847) 465-6000www.cdw.com

John A. EdwardsonChairman, CEO

$8,100.0-0.6%

4,1986,773

Computer hardware, software and accessories

6 RYERSON INC.Chicago

(773) 762-2121www.ryerson.com

Stephen MakarewiczCEO

$5,300.0-11.7%

5005,000

Metal processor and distributor

7 OSI GROUP LLCAurora

(630) 851-6600www.osigroup.com

Sheldon LavinChairman, president, CEO

$5,000.03.1%

1,70020,000

Develops and processes food for food-service companies

9 EBY-BROWN CO. LLC 1

Naperville(630) 778-2800www.eby-brown.com

Richard W. WakeThomas G. Wake, co-presidents

$4,100.0-8.9%

5502,100

Wholesale distributor of convenienceproducts

10 ACE HARDWARE CORP.Oak Brook

(630) 990-6600www.acehardware.com

Ray A. GriffithPresident, CEO

$3,900.0-1.8%

9504,400

Retail hardware cooperative

11 WALSH GROUP LTD.Chicago

(312) 563-5400www.walshgroup.com

Matthew M. WalshChairman, CEO

$3,582.2-1.5%

1,5006,000

General contractor, design-builder,construction manager

12 MEDLINE INDUSTRIES INC.Mundelein

(847) 949-5500www.medline.com

Charlie N. MillsCEO

$3,190.013.7%

2,1855,950

Manufacturer and distributor of medicalsupplies

13 AMSTED INDUSTRIES INC. 1

Chicago(312) 645-1700www.amsted.com

W. Robert ReumChairman, president, CEO

$2,914.02.4%

4509,600

Manufacturer of railroad, constructionand building materials

14 HEICO COS. LLCChicago

(312) 419-8220 Emily Heisley StoeckelChairman

$2,600.04.0%

60010,500

Buyout/turnaround firm specializing inmanufacturing companies

15 FOLLETT CORP. 2

River Grove(708) 583-2000www.follett.com

Christopher D. TrautPresident, CEO

$2,517.05.9%

2,5686,550

Retail and wholesale distribution of education materials

16 INLAND REAL ESTATE GROUP OF COS., Oak Brook

(630) 218-8000www.inlandgroup.com

Daniel L. GoodwinChairman, CEO

$2,435.06.0%

8971,225

Commerical real estate, investment, prop-erty management, leasing, financial services

17 TRUE VALUE CO.Chicago

(773) 695-5000www.truevaluecompany.com

Lyle G. HeidemannPresident, CEO

$2,013.0-1.4%

8682,543

Retail hardware cooperative

18 SOLO CUP CO.Highland Park

(847) 831-4800www.solocup.com

Robert M. Korzenski, president,CEO, chief operating officer

$1,847.0-12.3%

1,9267,541

Manufacturer and distributor of single-use consumer products

19 ELECTRO-MOTIVE DIESEL INC.2

La Grange(708) 387-6000www.emdiesels.com

John HamiltonPresident, CEO

$1,800.05.9%

1,8753,094

Manufacturer of railroad locomotivesand diesel components

19 KOCH FOODS INC.Park Ridge

(847) 384-5940www.kochfoods.com

Joseph C. GrendysCEO

$1,800.09.8%

1,00010,000

Supplier of fresh and frozen poultry forfood-service and retail operations

21 FRANK CONSOLIDATED ENTERPRISES INC.3

Des Plaines

(847) 699-7000www.wheels.com

James S. FrankPresident

$1,659.03.7%

614626

Automotive fleet management

22 MCMASTER-CARR SUPPLY CO.Elmhurst

(630) 600-3600www.mcmaster.com

Jay DelaneyCEO

$1,600.0-5.9%

NA4,000

Wholesale supplier of industrial products

23 WIRTZ CORP.Chicago

(312) 943-7000 W. Rockwell “Rocky” Wirtz, chairman

$1,550.010.7%

NA3,100

Distribution, real estate, insurance,banking; owns Chicago Blackhawks

24 CENTRAL GROCERS INC. 4

Joliet(815) 553-8800www.central-grocers.com

James DengesPresident, CEO

$1,426.019.1%

1,7001,700

Grocery wholesaler with retail locations

25 PEPPER CONSTRUCTION GROUP 1, Chicago

(312) 266-4700www.pepperconstruction.com

J. David PepperChairman, CEO

$1,352.49.4%

7641,233

General construction, constructionmanagement

26 CRATE & BARREL 5

Northbrook(847) 272-2888www.crateandbarrel.com

Barbara A. TurfPresident, CEO

$1,270.0-3.4%

1,4604,536

Home furnishings retailer

27 SERTA INC.Hoffman Estates

(847) 645-0200www.serta.com

Robert L. ShermanPresident

$1,250.511.2%

1152,200

Manufacturer and marketer of mattresses and bed foundations

28 GRANT THORNTON LLP 4,6

Chicago(312) 856-0200www.grantthornton.com

Edward NusbaumCEO

$1,200.011.6%

7716,492

Accounting

28 PLIANT CORP.Schaumburg

(847) 969-3300www.pliantcorp.com

Harold C. BevisPresident, CEO

$1,200.09.1%

1552,950

Manufacturer of flexible packagingproducts for food, beverage, personalcare, medical and industrial uses

30 FREEDOMROADS LLCLincolnshire

(847) 808-3000www.freedomroads.com

Marcus A. LemonisChairman, president, CEO

$1,155.0-30.0%

1152,900

Operates RV dealerships and CampingWorld stores

31 DUCHOSSOIS INDUSTRIES INC.Elmhurst

(630) 279-3600www.duch.com

Craig J. DuchossoisCEO

$1,150.0-2.5%

3006,200

Military products, garage door openers,venture capital and private-equity investments

32 GOSS INTERNATIONALINC., Bolingbrook

(630) 755-9300www.gossinternational.com

Jochen MeissnerCEO

$1,100.0NC

1503,600

Web offset printing press and postpressequipment manufacturer

CRAIN’S LIST CHICAGO’S LARGEST PRIVATELY HELD COMPANIESCrain’s estimates shown in gray. *Company estimate.Ranked by 2008 revenue

18 APRIL 20, 2009 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS

32 TTX CO.Chicago

(312) 853-3223www.ttx.com

Thomas F. WellsPresident, CEO

$1,100.0-1.6%

2381,290

Provides rail cars and rail car-relatedservices

NEW!NEW!

For food supplier,clients’ healthis key ingredient

For U.S. Foodservice Inc., surviv-ing the recession doesn’t mean scal-ing back. The distributor, whichmoved its headquarters to Rose-mont last year, just added a millionsquare feet of warehouse space andincreased its salesforce by 5%.

Its challenge is making sure cus-tomers stay in business.

Half of its $19.8 billion in rev-enue comes from independentrestaurants, eateries with no morethan three locations. Those busi-nesses are struggling with highfood costs and fewer diners: TheNational Restaurant Assn.’s indexof restaurant activity hit a recordlow in December.

In response, U.S. Foodservice isemphasizing cheaper private-labelproducts and providing resourcesto help its customers stay prof-itable. For example, the companyproduced a cookbook of entreesthat restaurants could sell for lessthan $10 each.

“We need to help customers sur-vive this period, and then as theeconomy returns, we’ll all be ingood shape,” CEO Robert Aikensays.

Meanwhile, the idea behindadding 200 sales reps and ware-house space in New York, SaltLake City and Minneapolis is togain marketshare. U.S. Foodservicecurrently accounts for about 10%of the food-service distributionmarket, trailing only Houston-based Sysco Corp.

“U.S. Foodservice has madesome terrific progress in the lastthree years, and they are well-posi-tioned to increase their market-share in this very tough environ-ment,” says Gary Karp, executivevice-president of Technomic Inc., afood industry research firm inChicago. “If you’re going to be ag-gressive, that gives you the best op-portunity to succeed.”

U.S. Foodservice moved its head-quarters to Rosemont from Colum-bia, Md., in 2008, a year after NewYork private-equity funds ClaytonDubilier & Rice Inc. and KohlbergKravis Roberts & Co. purchasedthe company from Royal AholdN.V., the Dutch supermarket giant.Under Ahold, U.S. Foodservicegrew rapidly through acquisitionsof companies like Alliant Foodser-vice but also suffered an accountingfraud scandal that resulted in Aholdoverstating U.S. Foodservice’s rev-enue by $880 million.

By summer, all 400 corporateemployees will be based in Rose-mont.

Steve Hendershot

Most worldwide employees

8 TRIBUNE CO.Chicago

(312) 222-9100www.tribune.com

Samuel ZellChairman, CEO

$4,300.0-15.1%

3,10014,000

Media

Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December

Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January

U.S. Foodservice’s Monarch FoodGroup offers Rituals Estate coffee.

JUPITERIMAGES

NEW!NEW!

FOCUS: PRIVATE COMPANIES CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • APRIL 20, 2009 19

34 TRANSUNION LLCChicago

(312) 258-1717www.transunion.com

Siddharth N. “Bobby” MehtaPresident, CEO

$1,050.0-12.5%

1,0503,600

Credit data and financial services

35 CC INDUSTRIES INC.Chicago

(312) 855-4000 William H. CrownPresident, CEO

$1,010.0-26.3%

2254,600

Holding company for diversified manu-facturing and real estate operations

35 NETWORK SERVICES CO.Schaumburg

(847) 803-4888www.nsconline.com

Robert D. MitchumPresident, CEO

$1,010.06.0%

140150

Member-owned organization of janitorialproducts, food-service disposables and pack-aging and printing materials distributors

37 INDALEX HOLDING CORP.Lincolnshire

(847) 810-3000www.indalex.com

Timothy R. J. StubbsPresident, CEO

$960.0-13.5%

152,700

Aluminum fabrication

38 NEWLY WEDS FOODS INC.Chicago

(773) 489-7000www.newlywedsfoods.com

Charles T. AngellPresident

$939.317.3%

4932,193

Manufacturer of food coatings and seasonings

39 DONLEN CORP. 3

Northbrook(847) 714-1400www.donlen.com

Gary RappeportCEO

$924.713.4%

260270

Fleet leasing and management

40 A. T. KEARNEY INC.Chicago

(312) 648-0111www.atkearney.com

Paul A. LaudicinaChairman, managing officer

$910.015.9%

3302,700

Management consulting

41 PHOENIX INTERNATIONALFREIGHT SERVICES LTD. 7

Wood Dale

(630) 766-4445www.phoenixintl.com

Stephane RambaudPresident, CEO

$865.416.5%

2591,800

Logistics, transportation, customs brokerage

42 BOLER CO.Itasca

(630) 773-9111www.hendrickson-intl.com

Matthew J. BolerPresident, CEO

$860.0-7.3%

1503,600

Manufacturer of truck and trailer suspension systems

43 TRUSTMARK COS.Lake Forest

(847) 615-1500www.trustmarkcompanies.com

David M. McDonoughPresident, CEO

$830.0-6.7%

7532,317

Health and life insurer, benefits administrator

44 CULLIGAN INTERNATIONAL CO.Rosemont

(847) 430-2800www.culligan.com

Mark SealsPresident, CEO

$780.54.8%

2874,575

Residential and commercial water filtration systems

45 HUB INTERNATIONAL LTD.Chicago

(877) 402-6601www.hubinternational.com

Martin P. HughesChairman, CEO

$763.014.9%

2804,684

Insurance brokerage

47 MACLEAN-FOGG CO.Mundelein

(847) 566-0010www.maclean-fogg.com

Barry L. MacLeanCEO

$730.04.3%

6503,100

Manufacturer of engineered componentsfor automotive and utility industries

48 INFORMATION RESOURCESINC., Chicago

(312) 726-1221www.infores.com

John G. FreelandPresident, CEO

$724.43.1%

6343,600

Consumer, shopper and retail marketinformation, analytics and technology

49 MIDLAND PAPER CO.Wheeling

(847) 777-2700www.midlandpaper.com

E. S. Hooker IIIPresident, CEO

$710.03.6%

160370

Wholesale distributor of printing paper,packaging materials and supplies

50 OLD WORLD INDUSTRIES INC.Northbrook

(847) 559-2000www.oldworldind.com

John Thomas HurvisChairman, CEO

$705.0-17.1%

180312

Chemical manufacturer and consumerproducts marketer

51 FORSYTHE TECHNOLOGY INC.Skokie

(847) 213-7000www.forsythe.com

William P. BrennanPresident, CEO

$700.311.4%

420890

Information-technology and businessconsulting

51 PANDUIT CORP.Tinley Park

(708) 532-1800www.panduit.com

Jack E. CaveneyChairman, CEO

$700.0NC

1,2004,000

Manufacturer of cable and electricalproducts for wiring and communica-tions applications

53 AMERICAN HOTEL REGISTERCO., Vernon Hills

(847) 743-2000www.americanhotel.com

Jim LeahyCEO

$690.013.1%

8001,100

Distributor of hotel supplies and services

54 FELLOWES INC. 2

Itasca(630) 893-1600www.fellowes.com

James E. FellowesChairman, CEO

$671.06.5%

6512,875

Distributor of paper shredders, bindingand laminating equipment, desktop accessories

55 BDO SEIDMAN LLP 7,6

Chicago(312) 240-1236www.bdo.com

2023,020

Accounting

56 GRAYCOR INC. 5

Homewood(708) 206-0500www.graycor.com

Melvin GrayChairman, CEO

$649.0-3.4%

4001,400

Construction services

57 ELKAY MANUFACTURING CO.Oak Brook

(630) 574-8484www.elkay.com

Timothy J. JahnkePresident, CEO

$640.0-13.5%

3253,500

Manufacturer of stainless-steel sinks,water coolers, wooden kitchen cabinetsand faucets

58 CHAS. LEVY CO. LLC 1

Oak Brook(708) 356-3600www.levybooks.com

Barbara Levy KipperChairman

$638.02.1%

431751

Book distributor

59 EDWARD DON & CO.North Riverside

(708) 442-9400www.don.com

Steven R. DonPresident, CEO

$613.0-1.1%

4701,068

Distributor of food-service equipmentand supplies

60 WILTON PRODUCTS INC.Woodridge

(630) 963-7100www.wilton.com

Richard T. ContiCEO

$600.042.5%

7701,200

Manufacturer of consumer products,housewares and home accessories

61 O’NEIL INDUSTRIES INC.Chicago

(773) 755-1611www.weoneil.com

Rich EricksonPresident, CEO

$592.07.4%

356655

General contractor, construction manager

62 POWER CONSTRUCTION CO.LLC, Schaumburg

(847) 925-1300www.powerconstruction.net

Jeff KarpPresident, CEO

$584.04.3%

225225

General contractor

63 F. H. PASCHEN, S. N. NIELSEN, Chicago

(773) 444-3474www.fhpaschen.com

James V. BlairPresident

$574.231.4%

240266

General contractor, constructionmanager

64 WILLIAM BLAIR & CO. LLCChicago

(312) 236-1600www.williamblair.com

John R. EttelsonPresident, CEO

$573.0-17.8%

837918

Investment banking, asset management,equity research, institutional and privatebrokerage, private capital

CompanyHeadquarters



% change from 2007


employees

46 NUVEEN INVESTMENTS INC.Chicago

(800) 257-8787www.nuveen.com

John P. AmboianChairman, CEO

$740.8-10.2%

388927

Investment services

As paper bizshrinks, Midlandtries other lines

In 2003, Wheeling-basedMidland Paper Co. reinventeditself as Midland Paper Packag-ing & Supplies. The namechange signaled a strategic shiftthat began to pay off last year.

Amid losses elsewhere in theindustry, Midland posted 2008revenue growth of 3.6% to$710 million.

For many suppliers, rising pa-per and transportation costs anda shift to electronic communica-tion have taken a bite out of rev-enue. As a result, the Institutefor Trend Research, an econom-ic consulting firm based in Con-cord, N.H., forecasts anotherbleak year for much of the in-dustry.

Stephen Atkinson, an indus-try analyst at Toronto-basedBMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., agrees.“The demand is down in NorthAmerica for paper,” he says.“There’s a shrinking market,and companies are just waitingfor it to come around.”

Though packaging and otherindustry segments also are suf-fering, diversification has helpedMidland bridge the gap left bylosses in the paper business, saysCEO E. S. Hooker III. Over thepast five years, Midland hasbranched out to packaging sup-plies and equipment, publica-tion printing, facilities suppliesand consulting. While paper re-mains the big revenue driver, in-dustrial services and productsnow account for 10% of salesand 20% of profit.

Midland works with supplierslike Neenah Paper Inc., 3M Co.,Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.,Kimberly-Clark Corp. andNewell Rubbermaid Inc. toserve thousands of customersnationwide from its sales anddistribution locations in sevenstates.

Founded in 1907, Midlandhas grown since Mr. Hookerand Executive Vice-presidentFrank Morley purchased it in1983, when the company gener-ated annual revenue of $14 mil-lion. In the past 25 years, it hasacquired four paper companies.

Midland did not make anyacquisitions in 2008, “but that’sa good thing,” Mr. Hookersays. Instead, he credits large in-ventories, an established distri-bution footprint and dedicatedemployees for the company’srevenue surge.

Mr. Hooker says there are noplans for big changes in 2009.

“We plan to stay the course inwhat we anticipate will be avery difficult year,” he says.

Anna-Louise Jackson

$659.011.9%

Jack WeisbaumCEO

Type of business

65 KENNY CONSTRUCTIONCO., Northbrook

(847) 541- 8200www.kennyconstruction.com

John E. Kenny Jr.President, CEO

$550.015.8%

400560

Contractor and construction manage-ment company

66 S&C ELECTRIC CO.Chicago

(773) 338-1000www.sandc.com

John W. EsteyPresident, CEO

$547.72.3%

1,8412,334

Manufacturer of switching and protec-tive products for electrical power trans-mission and distribution

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JUPITERIMAGES

Outside the box:Container makeris growing, hiring

Berlin Packaging LLC isdoing something unusualthese days: It’s hiring.

As part of an initiativecalled “Operation Wolf-pack,” the Chicago packag-ing supplier increased itssalesforce by 25% in just30 days and is planning an-other round of hiring laterthis year.

The expansion is possiblein part because its revenuegrew 11.7% last year to$383 million. The companysupplies more than 24,000types of bottles, jars,pumps and tubes to 8,000customers, including Ab-bott Laboratories Inc., Al-berto-Culver Co., J. M.Smucker Co. and Neutro-gena Corp.

Also fueling its gains arehot categories like energydrinks, salsa, vitamins andhousehold cleansers—andinsulation from the trou-bled automotive and con-struction industries.

For the past decade,Berlin has offered cus-tomers financing, design,consulting and global serv-ices, often free. These serv-ices demonstrate a commit-ment to innovation and de-velopment of services thatadd value to suppliers andcustomers, says Adam Fein,president of PembrokeConsulting Inc., a Philadel-phia-based managementconsulting and advisoryfirm.

That, in turn, has helpedBerlin weather the reces-sion, CEO Andrew Berlinsays. Prospective clients aretaking advantage of freeservices, boosting the com-pany’s packaging business.For its part, Berlin boasts50-plus months of morethan 99% on-time delivery.

“People talk about cus-tomer satisfaction, but Ithink that sets the bar toolow,” Mr. Berlin says.“You have to set out tothrill a customer.”

Anna-Louise Jackson

20 APRIL 20, 2009 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS FOCUS: PRIVATE COMPANIES

73 SRAM LLCChicago

(312) 664-8800www.sram.com

Stanley R. Day Jr.President, CEO

$479.026.1%

100 2,500

Bicycle parts manufacturer

67 TEMPEL STEEL CO.Chicago

(773) 250-8000www.tempel.com

Vincent BuonannoChairman, CEO

$533.09.4%

8011,686

Manufacturer of magnetic steel laminations

68 ALTER GROUP LTD.Skokie

(800) 637-4842www.altergroup.com

Michael J. AlterPresident

$522.8-15.0%

144168

Commercial real estate development

69 CENTRUM PROPERTIES INC.Chicago

(312) 832-2500www.centrumproperties.com

Arthur Slaven, John McLinden, co-principals

$510.0-20.7%

6080

Real estate development

70 CROWE HORWATH LLP 2,6,8

Oakbrook Terrace(630) 574-7878www.crowehorwath.com

Charles AllenCEO

$492.77.7%

6652,517

Accounting and consulting

71 MESIROW FINANCIAL HOLDINGSINC. 2, Chicago

(312) 595-6000www.mesirowfinancial.com

James C. TyreeChairman, CEO

$492.09.3%

9731,132

Investment management and services,insurance, investment banking, con-sulting, real estate

72 MAT HOLDINGS INC.Long Grove

(847) 821-9630www.midwest-air.com

Steve W. WangCEO

$486.06.8%

155988

Manufacturer of automotive parts,power equipment, fencing and lawnand garden products

74 DANIEL J. EDELMAN INC. 7

Chicago(312) 240-3000www.edelman.com

Richard W. EdelmanPresident, CEO

$471.210.8%

5303,285

Public relations

75 SCHWARZ PAPER CO.Morton Grove

(847) 966-2550www.schwarz.com

Andrew J. McKenna Sr.Chairman

$465.03.3%

200350

Printer, producer and distributor ofpackaging and promotional materials

76 SHURE INC.Niles

(847) 600-2000www.shure.com

Santo A. LaMantiaPresident, CEO

$455.04.6%

8002,000

Maker of microphones and audio electronics

KIMBALL HILL HOMES ILLINOIS LLC 1, Rolling Meadows

(847) 364-7300www.kimballhillhomes.com

C. Kenneth LovePresident, CEO

$450.0-49.7%

75400

Homebuilder

78 TUTHILL CORP.Burr Ridge

(630) 382-4900www.tuthill.com

James G. Tuthill Jr.Chairman, CEO

$433.59.9%

1882,247

Manufacturer of industrial equipment

79 PASQUINELLIBurr Ridge

(630) 455-5400www.pasquinelli.com

Bruno A. PasquinelliChairman

$430.0-29.9%

110550

Homebuilding, real estate development,construction and property management

80 MCGRATH LEXUS/ACURA/-HONDA/HYUNDAIChicago

(773) 342-6300www.mcgrathlexus.com

Michael J. McGrathPresident, CEO

$422.0-15.0%

500500

Auto dealerships

81 SHELL VACATIONS LLCNorthbrook

(847) 564-4600www.shellvacationsclub.com

Sheldon H. GinsburgChairman, CEO

$417.7-4.4%

1862,210

Time shares, real estate

82 NES RENTALS HOLDINGS INC., Deerfield

(773) 695-3999www.nesrentals.com

Andrew P. StuddertChairman, CEO

$406.3-4.5%

1001,300

Aerial equipment rental for construc-tion and industrial users

83 MAGELLAN DEVELOPMENTGROUP LLCChicago

(312) 642-8869www.magellandevelopment.com

Joel M. CarlinsJames R. LoewenbergCo-chairmen, co-CEOs

$399.0-23.2%

7272

Real estate development, managementand related services

84 FIFIELD COS.Chicago

(312) 855-1600www.fifieldco.com

Steven D. FifieldChairman, CEO

$391.8-15.3%

1623


85 BERLIN PACKAGING LLCChicago

(312) 876-9292www.berlinpackaging.com

Andrew T. BerlinChairman, CEO

$383.011.7%

103261

Supplier of plastic, glass and metalpackaging components

85 MAZZETTA CO. LLCHighland Park

(847) 433-1150www.mazzetta.com

Thomas J. MazzettaCEO

$383.02.1%

2327

Importer of frozen seafood

87INTERMATIC INC.Spring Grove

(815) 675-2321www.intermatic.com

David W. SchroederPresident, CEO

$373.0-6.8%

3752,078

Electrical manufacturing and electricaland lighting controls88

TY INC.Westmont

(630) 920-1515www.ty.com

H. Ty WarnerChairman, CEO

$371.03.1%

250600

Manufacturer of toys and collectibles89

CLUNE CONSTRUCTION CO.Chicago

(312) 726-6103www.clunegc.com

Michael T. ClunePresident

$360.57.7%

132160

General contractor91

CONTINENTAL MOTORS GROUPCountryside

(708) 352-6000www.continentalmotors.com

John F. WeinbergerCEO

$365.6-5.9%

506506

Auto dealerships90

FORT DEARBORN CO.Elk Grove Village

(847) 357-9500www.fortdearborn.com

Michael AndersonPresident, CEO

$360.05.9%

4251,400

Labels for food, beverage, spirits, personal-care and household products92

PEACOCK ENGINEERING CO.Geneva

(630) 845-9400www.peacockeng.com

Michael A. BilderPresident, CEO

$355.017.8%

1,6001,600

Packaging for consumer food products93

NORTH AMERICAN CORP.Glenview

(847) 832-4000www.nacorporation.com

John A. MillerPresident, CEO

$382.04.9%

365385

Supplier of janitorial products andpackaging

94 LETTUCE ENTERTAIN YOU ENTERPRISES INC., Chicago

(773) 878-7340www.leye.com

Kevin J. BrownPresident, CEO

$350.05.5%

3,3005,800

Restaurant owner

94 MOTOR WERKS PARTNERS L.P.Barrington

(847) 381-8900www.motorwerks.com

Paul TamrazPresident, CEO

$350.0-18.6%

380380

Auto dealerships

96 HARPO INC.Chicago

(312) 633-1000www.oprah.com

Oprah G. WinfreyChairman

$340.0-1.4%

453477

Television and film production, publishing and new media

Company Headquarters



% change from 2007



CRAIN’S LIST CHICAGO’S LARGEST PRIVATELY HELD COMPANIES

97 MERIDIAN GROUP INTERNATIONAL INC., Deerfield

(847) 964-2700www.onlinemeridian.com

Ian J. PyeChairman, CEO

$339.01.5%

175510

International information-technologysolution provider and lessor

98 RELATIONAL LLCRolling Meadows

(847) 818-1700www.rts.com

Jeffrey EhlersCEO

$333.02.5%

119360

Information-technology solutionprovider and lessor

99 EMKAY INC. 5

Itasca(630) 250-7400www.emkay.com

Greg L. TepasPresident, CEO

$331.05.4%

145167

Vehicle leasing and fleet management

77 Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2008

NEW!NEW!

NEW!NEW!

JUPITERIMAGES


FEWEST LOCAL EMPLOYEES

BIGGEST LOCAL EMPLOYERS

◗ 2003

◗ 2008

Indalex Holding Corp.

Jordan Industries Inc.

TMB Industries LLC

PRG Parking Management LLC

U.S. Foodservice Inc.

Reyes Holdings LLC

FreedomRoads LLC

Sram LLC

Baldwin Richardson Foods Co.

Goss International Inc.

0.6%

0.9%

1.0%

2.6%

3.3%

3.9%

4.0%

4.0%

4.1%

4.2%

(15)*

(10)

(10)*

(23)

(865)

(400)

(115)

(100)

(9)

(150)

Employco Group Ltd. 4,890

Alden Management Services Inc. 3,039

Lettuce Entertain You Ent. Inc. 3,000

Hyatt Hotels Corp. 2,976

Addus Healthcare Inc. 2,853

Portillo's Restaurant Group Inc. 2,845

Marmon Group 2,500

Follett Corp. 2,400

MOST EMPLOYEES WORLDWIDE

Global Hyatt Corp.

U.S. Foodservice Inc.

OSI Group LLC

Tribune Co.

Addus Healthcare Inc.

Heico Cos. LLC

Reyes Holdings LLC

Koch Foods Inc.

Amsted Industries Inc.

Employco Group Inc.

Employco Group Inc. 5,007

CDW Corp. 4,198

Global Hyatt Corp. 3,986

Alden Management Services Inc. 3,473

Portillo's Restaurant Group Inc. 3,469

Lettuce Entertain You Ent. Inc. 3,300

Tribune Co. 3,100*

Addus Healthcare Inc. 3,000

79,516

26,070

20,000

14,000*

12,000

10,500

10,200

10,000

9,600

8,111

A raft of recent litigation doesn’tappear to be deterring price-con-scious audit clients from seeking theservices of BDO Seidman LLP.

In fact, the Chicago-based ac-counting firm launched its first mass-media ad campaign in February,hoping to capitalize on its recent suc-cess in luring business away from thelarger and more expensive Big Fouraccounting firms.

The ad campaign began just daysafter a former BDO partner pleadedguilty to tax evasion and conspiracyrelated to the marketing of tax-shel-ter products. That followed a De-cember lawsuit that accuses BDO of

negligence in the BernardMadoff scandal. Thenthere’s the 2007 Floridaverdict in which BDOwas ordered to pay $521million in damages in an-other negligence case; anappeal is pending. BDO

CEO Jack Weisbaum declined inter-view requests.

Despite the legal snarls, BDO’sbusiness is growing. From 2005 to2008, the firm’s revenue grew 81%to $659 million, fueled by an ex-panding consulting practice and trac-tion with companies leaving the BigFour. Now the recession is causing

even more audit clients to shoparound for firms like BDO andChicago-based competitor GrantThornton LLP.

“There are CFOs out there look-ing to cut costs who are saying aBDO audit is just as good as a BigFour audit, but without the stickershock,” says Allan Koltin, CEO andpresident of PDI Global Inc., aChicago-based accounting industryconsultancy. “This didn’t used tohappen until the last five or six years,and now in the last few months it’saccelerating.”

Steve Hendershot

As audit clients turn away from Big Four, BDO risesBDO Seidman is private company

#55See Page 19for more}}

}}

◗ WHERE THE WORKERS ARE

BDO Seidman’s “People who know, know BDO” ad, which was launchedin February. It’s the accounting firm’s first mass-media ad campaign.





% change from 2007




101 JOHNSON PUBLISHING CO.Chicago

(312) 322-9200www.johnsonpublishing.com

Linda Johnson RiceChairman, CEO

$328.0-27.6%

156340

Publishing, television production, enter-tainment, cosmetics, consumer products

102 ASPEN MARKETING SERVICESINC., West Chicago

(630) 293-9600www.aspenms.com

Patrick J. O’RahillyPresident, CEO

$325.58.1%

414634

Marketing services agency handling direct,digital and event marketing capabilities

103 ACME REFINING SCRAPMETAL CO. 9, Chicago

(773) 523-4500www.acmescrap.com

Larry BaronCEO

$325.012.1%

334334

Scrap metal processor and recycler

104 PARKSITE INC.Batavia

(630) 761-9490www.parksite.com

George PatteeCEO

$323.5-28.3%

82380

Sales, marketing and distribution of building products

105 FLYING FOOD GROUP LLCChicago

(312) 243-2122www.flyingfood.com

Sue Ling GinChairman, CEO

$321.07.7%

4543,311

Airline catering, prepared meals andsnacks for grocery stores

105 IHC CONSTRUCTION COS. LLC, Elgin

(847) 742-1516www.ihcconstruction.com

David J. RockPresident

$321.048.1%

300300

General contractor, construction manager,design-builder, underground utility contractor

107 AIT WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS INC. 7

Itasca(800) 669-4248www.aitworldwide.com

Steven Leturno, DanielLisowski, co-founders

$315.0-3.7%

338537

Transportation and logistics servicesprovider

107 CLASSIC RESIDENCE BY HYATTChicago

(312) 803-8800www.hyattclassic.com

Penny S. PritzkerChairman

$315.0-2.8%

2892,493

Developer, owner and manager of seniorliving communities

107 DOALL CO.Wheeling

(800) 923-6255www.doall.com

Michael L. WilkieChairman, president, CEO

$315.0NC

315945

Industrial supplies distributor, machinetool manufacturer

110 BULLEY & ANDREWS LLCChicago

(773) 235-2433www.bulley.com

Allan E. Bulley Jr.Chairman, CEO

$305.024.9%

450450

General contractor

111 ABT ELECTRONICS INC.Glenview

(847) 967-8830www.abt.com

Robert J. AbtCEO

$300.0NC

1,1001,100

Retailer of consumer electronics and major appliances

111 ACCRETIVE HEALTHChicago

(312) 324-7820www.accretivehealth.com

Mary TolanCEO

$300.023.5%

150500

Health care consultant

111 CARL BUDDIG & CO. 10

Homewood(708) 798-0900www.buddig.com

Robert J. BuddigCEO

$300.0NC

600750

Maker of processed lunch and snackmeats

111 VELUCHAMY ENTERPRISES INC.Downers Grove

(708) 449-2800www.veluchamy.com

Pethinaidu VeluchamyChairman, CEO

$300.0-7.7%

1,5003,000

Direct marketing, banking, real estate

115 FERRARA PAN CANDY CO.Forest Park

(708) 366-0500www.ferrarapan.com

Salvatore Ferrara II President, CEO

$298.03.8%

6501,125

Candy maker

116 BRADNER CENTRAL CO. 10

Elk Grove Village(847) 290-8485www.bradner.com

Richard S. Bull IIIChairman, CEO

$296.0-3.6%

81148

Paper distribution

117 SAFEWAY INSURANCE CO.Westmont

(630) 887-8300www.safewayinsurance.com

William J. ParrilloChairman

$293.84.6%

90443

Property and casualty insurance

118 SEATON CORP.Chicago

(312) 915-0700www.seatoncorp.com

Michael MilesCEO

$293.51.0%

194279

Provides on-site staffing and contractedworkforces

119 ALDEN MANAGEMENT SERVICESINC., Chicago

(773) 286-3883www.thealdennetwork.com

Floyd A. SchlossbergPresident, CEO

$289.412.7%

3,4733,473

Senior health care provider

120 CHICAGO BEARS FOOTBALLCLUB INC., Lake Forest

(847) 295-6600www.chicagobears.com

Theodore P. PhillipsPresident, CEO

$285.07.5%

130130

Professional football team

121 GUARANTEE TRUST LIFE INSURANCE CO., Glenview

(847) 699-0600www.gtlic.com

Richard S. Holson Jr.Chairman, CEO

$281.6NC

280280

Life, accident and health, credit and specialrisk insurance

122 HILL MECHANICAL GROUPFranklin Park

(847) 451-5000www.hillmech.com

Robert L. KrierPresident

$280.37.8%

934947

Heating, ventilating, air conditioning,plumbing and piping; building operations

123 HOSTMARK HOSPITALITYGROUP, Schaumburg

(847) 517-9100www.hostmark.com

Constantine A. “Bud”Cataldo, chairman, CEO

$276.0-0.7%

1,2653,750

Hotel and restaurant management

124 ADCO GLOBAL INC.Lincolnshire

(847) 282-3485adcoglobal.com

John R. KnoxPresident, CEO

$275.01.9%

180700

Manufacturer of sealants, tapes and coatings

125 ADVANCED EQUITIES FINANCIALCORP., Chicago

(312) 377-5300www.advancedequities.com

Dwight O. BadgerCEO

$272.0-9.5%

66471

Securities brokerage and private-equityfirm specializing in technology companies

126 SEKO WORLDWIDE INC.Itasca

(630) 919-4800www.sekoworldwide.com

William J. WascherPresident, CEO

$270.05.4%

190215

Air and ground transportation and logistics

127 MERISANT WORLDWIDE INC.Chicago

(312) 840-6000www.merisant.com

Paul R. BlockChairman, president, CEO

$265.0-8.7%

64524

Maker of artificial sweeteners

128 LITTLE LADY FOODS INC.Elk Grove Village

(847) 806-1440www.littleladyfoods.com

Daniel R. ScalesCEO

$260.89.9%

400405

Frozen-food processor

100 LEOPARDO COS. 1

Hoffman Estates(847) 783-3000www.leopardo.com

James A. LeopardoCEO

$330.019.1%

367375

Commercial construction, general contractor, construction manager, design-builder and development services

129 COMPSYCH COS.Chicago

(312) 595-4000www.compsych.com

Richard A. ChaifetzChairman, CEO

$260.09.2%

398428

Employee assistance, behavioral health,wellness and work-life programs

129 JOE RIZZA ENTERPRISES INC.Orland Park

(708) 364-2200www.rizzacars.com

Joe RizzaCEO

$260.0-10.3%

390390

Holding company for auto dealerships; real estate, finance and insurance

131 CLARK NATIONAL INC.Elk Grove Village

(847) 956-1730www.clarknational.com

Donald D. HindmanPresident, CEO

$250.0-29.0%

51435

Wholesale distributor of food-service, janitorial and industrial supplies

131 JEL SERT CO. 10

West Chicago(630) 231-7590www.jelsert.com

Charles WegnerKenneth WegnerCo-chairmen, co-CEOs

$250.011.1%

750750

Manufacturer of powdered soft drinkmixes, juice drinks, ice pops and milk-flavoring straws

131 TERLATO WINE GROUP LTD. 2

Lake Bluff(847) 604-8900 www.terlatowines.com

Anthony J. TerlatoChairman

$250.04.2%

119292

Wine marketing and sales and wine production

NEW!NEW!

NEW!NEW!

Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January

FILED APRIL 2008#77 Kimball Hill Homes Illinois LLC’08 revenue: $450 million*

FILED DECEMBER 2008#8 Tribune Co. ’08 revenue: $4.30 billion*

FILED JANUARY 2009#28 Pliant Corp. ’08 revenue: $1.20 billion#127 Merisant Worldwide Inc.‘08 revenue: $265 million**Crain’s estimates

◗ IN BANKRUPTCY

Terlato uncorks marketing pushdespite recession

Terlato Wine Group hadan up year in 2008, but thisyear is presenting challenges.

The Lake Bluff-basedcompany’s niche is high-endwines. It produces theRutherford Hill and TangleyOaks labels, among others,and imports brands such asMazzoni and Chapoutier.

Sales for high-end winesare difficult to track, saysAnn Gilpin, an industry ana-lyst at Morningstar Inc. inChicago, but there’s littledoubt that the industry as awhole has been hit hard inthis recession as consumerstrade down to less expensivevintages.

“Lately, it’s become real-ly price-competitive,” Ms.Gilpin says.

While bigger names in theliquor business have scaledback, Terlato has expandedits marketing and salesforce,adding two new nationalsales positions in February.

“We think that providesus with a unique opportuni-ty,” says CEO William Ter-lato, 48. “Where they’re cre-ating a void, we want to stepin and fill that void.”

The company started inthe 1950s when AnthonyTerlato, now 73, opened aliquor store in Chicago.

Today, Terlato has a 12%share of the relatively smallU.S. market for bottlespriced at $14 and up. Thecompany had revenue of$250 million in 2008, up4.2% from 2007.

Elizabeth Carvlin


Talk about toxic assets: Cleanupbiz sees gold in hazardous waste

The Tameling family hasfound plenty of green intoxic waste.

In the 1950s, Ben Tamel-ing began hauling manureand later garbage. After theEnvironmental ProtectionAgency was established, hefounded SET Environmen-tal Inc., in 1978, to disposeof toxic waste. The environ-mental services company isnow in its third generation.

Last year, SET respondedto 1,252 emergencies and3,387 scheduled calls forhazardous waste disposal,industrial cleaning andmercury decontamination,generating revenue of $54million, up 13.7% from theyear before. The Wheeling-based company’s local cus-tomers include ExelonCorp., Nicor Inc., PeoplesGas, Abbott LaboratoriesInc. and Northwestern Uni-versity.

If Chicago gets the 2016Olympics, SET hopes to bepart of the action. As thehazardous waste contractorfor the city’s Department ofEnvironment, the companywill vie for a contract to de-contaminate the shutteredMichael Reese Hospital, theplanned site for theOlympic Village.

Emergency response isthe “sexy” side of business,according to Chad Tamel-ing, vice-president of salesand Ben Tameling’s grand-son. SET responds to threeemergencies a day, on aver-age, even fielding calls fromthe FBI. Past emergencieshave included cleanup afterfloods, hurricanes andchemical spills, examiningpackages containing suspi-cious powders and using“CSI”-style forensics to de-termine which chemical aboy in Iraq had swallowed,ultimately saving his life.

SET also has carved out aniche in a growing marketsegment: compressed gascylinders. The company op-erates a milk run of sorts tocollect the cylinders, oftenfrom competitors, and recy-cle them for reuse. Largercompanies tend to shy awayfrom the business becauseof the risk of explosions andthe attending liability, notesDavid Case, executive direc-tor of the EnvironmentalTechnology Council, aWashington, D.C.-basedtrade association for thehazardous waste industry.

Though SET deals withsome dangerous substances,it takes more-calculatedrisks when it comes to ex-pansion. Last year, it ac-quired a small environmen-tal services company nearOklahoma City, and it’s ey-ing another acquisition thisyear, possibly in Milwaukee

or St. Louis. SET’s goals re-flect a broader industrytrend, Mr. Case notes.

“The middle name of thisindustry is consolidation,”he says.

Anna-Louise Jackson

Last year, SET responded to 3,387scheduled calls for hazardous

waste disposal, industrial cleaningand mercury decontamination.

ONLINESET Environ-mental Inc.appears inthe online-only list.

Get an extended listwith 50 morecompanies at

ChicagoBusi-ness.com/lists}}

}}

REVENUE IN BILLIONS

◗ TOP COMPANIES OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS

1989 Montgomery Ward & Co. $5.03


1991 Montgomery Ward & Co. $5.40*






1997 Marmon Group $6.00

1998 Alliant Foodservice Inc. $6.10



2001 Marmon Group $6.40**




2005 Reyes Holdings LLC $7.27



2008 U.S. Foodservice Inc. $19.80

*Crain’s estimate **Company estimate

Year Company Revenue Year Company Revenue

JUPITERIMAGES


CompanyHeadquarters



% change from 2007




131 ZS ASSOCIATES INC.Evanston

(847) 492-3600www.zsassociates.com

Jaideep BajajManaging director, CEO

$250.011.1%

3251,100

Consultant specializing in sales andmarketing

135 CONTINENTAL ELECTRICALCONSTRUCTION CO., Skokie

(847) 677-1600www.cecco.com

David A. WitzPresident

$240.038.7%

610610

Electrical and network technology contracting

135 STEINER ELECTRIC CO.Elk Grove Village

(847) 228-0400www.steinerelectric.com

Harold KermanCEO

$240.0-6.6%

455516

Electrical and industrial supplies, automation products, motor repair,generator sales

135 VOLVO SALES & SERVICE CENTER INC., Lisle

(630) 241-3000www.auto-plaza.com

Horst KorallusPresident

$240.0-14.6%

410410

Auto dealership

138 ED MINIAT GROUP INC.Homewood

(708) 957-3800www.miniat.com

David J. MiniatPresident, CEO

$238.03.5%

475500

Manufacturer of processed meats and cooking oil

139 ORVAL KENT FOODCO., Wheeling

(847) 325-7500www.orvalkent.com

Steven SilkPresident, CEO

$235.0*10.3%

210779

Fresh prepared food manufacturer

140 PATRICK DEALER GROUPSchaumburg

(847) 605-4000www.patrickcars.com

Hanley Dawson IIIHanley Dawson IVCo-presidents, co-CEOs

$232.0-3.8%

398398

Auto dealership

141 ADDUS HEALTHCARE INC.Palatine

(847) 303-5300www.addus.com

Mark HeaneyPresident, CEO

$230.017.9%

3,00012,000

Home health care services

142 BELGRAVIA GROUP LTD.Chicago

(312) 751-2777www.belgraviagroup.com

Alan D. LevPresident, CEO

$228.7188.5%

2929

Homebuilder, mortgages, sales

143 INTERNATIONAL PROFIT ASSOCIATES INC., Buffalo Grove

(847) 808-5590www.ipa-c.com

John R. BurgessManaging director

$225.04.2%

1,6271,695


144 PORTILLO’S RESTAURANTGROUP INC. 4

Oak Brook

(630) 954-3773www.portillos.com

Richard J. PortilloPresident, CEO

$220.38.8%

3,4693,703

Operator of Portillo’s Hot Dogs, Barnelli's Pasta Bowl, Key Wester Fish & Pasta House, Luigi's House

145 KREHER STEEL CO. LLCMelrose Park

(708) 345-8180www.kreher.com

Joseph DruzakPresident, CEO

$220.034.1%

50160

Warehousing, distributing, and value-added processing of carbon and alloysteel products

146 UGN INC.Tinley Park

(773) 437-2400www.ugnusa.com

Peter C. AnthonyCEO

$217.3-9.1%

4201,200

Designs and manufactures acoustic in-terior trim and thermal-managementproducts for the auto industry

147 COLUMBIA PIPE & SUPPLY CO.Chicago

(773) 927-6600www.columbiapipe.com

William D. ArenbergChairman, CEO

$216.02.9%

178372

Distributor of industrial pipe, valves, fittingsand plumbing equipment and supplies

148 UNITED SCRAP METAL INC.Cicero

(708) 780-6800www.unitedscrap.com

Marsha SerlinCEO

$215.424.8%

199199

Metal buyer and recycler

149 ATLAS LIFT TRUCK RENTALS & SALES INC. 2

Schiller Park

(847) 678-3450www.atlaslift.com

Howard BernsteinChairman, CEO

$213.04.4%

378390

Distributor of material handling equipment

150 WEBER-STEPHEN PRODUCTSCO., Palatine

(847) 934-5700www.weber.com

James StephenPresident, CEO

$212.011.6%

NA1,155

Manufacturer of barbecue grills, operator of restaurants

151 MARKETING INNOVATORS INTERNATIONAL INC. 11

Rosemont

(847) 696-1111www.marketinginnovators.com

Lois M. LeMenagerChairman, CEO

$210.323.5%

6064

Incentive, recognition, loyalty and travel programs

152 DSC LOGISTICS INC.Des Plaines

(847) 390-6800www.dsclogistics.com

Ann M. DrakeCEO

$210.0NC

4202,000

Third-party logistics and supply chainmanagement

152 POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKSLLC, Chicago

(312) 951-0600www.potbelly.com

Aylwin B. LewisPresident, CEO

$210.018.7%

1,0503,000

Chain of sandwich shops

154 PLS FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.Chicago

(312) 491-7300www.plsfinancial.com

Dan Wolfberg, RobertWolfberg, co-presidents

$209.738.1%

8973,003

Check-cashing, micro-loan and taxpreparation centers

155 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 10

Chicago(312) 674-1000www.whitesox.com

Jerry M. ReinsdorfChairman

$205.05.1%

140400

Professional baseball team

155 GREAT KITCHENS INC.Romeoville

(815) 306-7159www.gkitchens.com

Dennis M. MalchowCEO

$205.064.0%

450450

Manufacturer of pizza and appetizersfor retail and food service

157 BERGLUND CONSTRUCTION CO.Chicago

(773) 374-1000www.berglundco.com

Fred BerglundPresident, CEO

$200.0NC

400400

Construction manager, general con-tractor and façade restoration specialist

157 BLUESTAR ENERGY SERVICESINC., Chicago

(312) 327-0090www.bluestarenergy.com

Guy H. Morgan IIICEO

$200.016.9%

3080

Retail electric supplier

157 FCL BUILDERS LLCItasca

(630) 773-0050www.fclbuilders.com

Michael J. BoroPresident

$200.024.2%

8686

General contractor

157 GENOVIQUE SPECIALTIESCORP. 12, Rosemont

(847) 635-3430www.genovique.com

Ross McMillanPresident, CEO

$200.0-4.8%

60400

Specialty chemical maker

Contractor mayget boost fromstimulus bucks

The Obama administra-tion’s stimulus plan, whichis pumping federal dollarsinto construction projectsaround the country, could

give a lift to gen-eral contractorssuch as Chicago’sF. H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen Inc.

Paschen hasmore than 30years of experi-ence in the kindsof public-worksprojects that are

targeted by the stimulusplan. Its name has been onsome of the largest Chica-go-area construction proj-ects in recent years, includ-ing the Chicago Transit Au-thority’s Brown Line reno-vation and the reconstruc-tion of Terminals 1 and 2 atO’Hare International Air-port.

According to some ana-lysts’ forecasts, the frozencredit markets will thawenough by 2010 to boostprivate investment in con-struction projects the fol-lowing year. Until then,contractors such asPaschen, which have experi-ence in the private sectorbut earn their bread andbutter on public-worksprojects, are banking on astimulus-backed boom.

“The stimulus pieces arethe buoyant pieces of theconstruction market,” saysKim Kennedy, manager offorecasting for McGraw-Hill Construction, a unit ofpublisher McGraw-HillCos., which tracks nation-wide construction trends.

Paschen, which also hasoffices in Fort Lauderdale,Fla., and suburban Los An-geles, saw 2008 revenue rise31.4% to $574 million.CEO Frank Paschen de-clined requests for an inter-view.

Elizabeth Carvlin

157 SIPI METALS CORP.Chicago

(773) 276-0070www.sipimetals.com

Marion CameronPresident

$200.0NC

145150

Refiner of precious-metal scraps

157 TMB INDUSTRIES LLCChicago

(312) 280-2565www.tmbindustries.com

Thomas M. BegelChairman

$200.0-20.0%

101,000

Private-equity firm focused on industrialmanufacturers

157 WHITNEY AUTOMOTIVEGROUP 13, Chicago

(312) 431-6000www.jcwhitney.com

Thomas M. WestPresident, CEO

$200.0NC

400500

Catalog and Internet direct marketerof automotive parts and accessories

164 HARLEM FURNITURE LLC 1

Lombard(630) 261-1600www.theroomplace.com

Bruce BermanCEO

$198.02.6%

900950

Furniture retailer

165 STARCON INTERNATIONALINC. 7

Manhattan

(815) 478-4615www.starcon.org

Michael J. UremovichChairman, CEO

$190.2-10.4%

1871,231

Industrial maintenance, mechanicaland turnaround contractor for petro-chemical and petroleum refineries

166 RAJA FOODS LLCSkokie

(847) 675-4455www.rajafoods.com

Rakesh PatelPresident

$188.04.4%

100450

Chain of 41 Indian groceries, importer of Indian foods

F. H.Paschen, S. N. NielsenInc. is private company


}}

Greatest % increase in revenue

NEW!NEW!

BRIAN FRITZ


Recession puts Portillo’s onmenu for more diners

The slowing economy isdriving diners to more in-expensive places, benefitingfamily restaurants like Por-tillo’s.

Portillo Restaurant Groupsaw its revenue increase8.8% in 2008 to $220 mil-lion.

“Similar to McDonald’s,Portillo’s is a limited-serv-ice concept with a highquality and a lower pricepoint compared to full-service (restaurants), whichputs them in a great posi-tion to provide value,” saysDarren Tristano, an execu-tive vice-president atChicago-based restaurantconsultancy TechnomicInc.

Richard Portillo, 69,started the company in1963 as a hot dog stand inVilla Park. Without fran-chising or investors, thecompany now has about3,700 employees in 46units, with four separatebrands and a catering divi-sion. Some of those restau-rants gross more than $8million annually, Mr. Por-tillo says.

The company is notheavily leveraged, Mr. Por-tillo says, and that’s helpedit keep prices from risingmuch. Since 2005, Por-tillo’s—known for itsChicago-style hot dogs andItalian beef sandwiches—has opened two restau-rants in California and onein Merrillville, Ind. ButMr. Portillo says he iswatching the economy andwill make conservativechoices about whether toexpand further.

“I’m not a publicly heldcompany. I’m in no racewith anybody,” he says. “Iwill go at the speed inwhich I feel very comfort-able.”

John Biemer


CompanyHeadquarters



% change from 2007




168 OPTIMA INC.Glencoe

(847) 835-8400www.optimaweb.com

David C. HoveyPresident

$180.0-28.2%

40100


169 TRAVELCLICK INC.Schaumburg

(847) 969-0820www.travelclick.net

Robert PostPresident, CEO

$178.615.7%

150475

Reservations and marketing software forhotels

170 FIRST HOSPITALITY GROUPRosemont

(847) 299-9040www.fhginc.com

Stephen L. SchwartzChairman

$174.05.5%

1,4312,886

Hotel management and development

171 NUTRASWEET CO.Chicago

(312) 873-5000www.nutrasweet.com

Craig PetrayCEO

$171.01.8%

15350

Food ingredient manufacturer

172 CAPITAL FITNESS INC.Big Rock

(630) 556-3731www.xsportfitness.com

Steven RaymanChairman, CEO

$170.021.4%

3,0003,500

Operator of 21 X Sport health clubs inChicago, New York and Washington, D.C.

172 KLEIN TOOLS INC.Lincolnshire

(847) 821-5500www.kleintools.com

Thomas R. KleinPresident

$170.0-4.5%

NA1,000

Manufacturer of professional hand toolsand protective equipment

174 MCZ DEVELOPMENT CORP.Chicago

(312) 573-1122www.mczdevelopment.com

Michael J. LernerPresident

$168.5-85.3%

Real estate developer

176 CAMPAGNA-TURANO BAKERYINC., Berwyn

(708) 788-9220www.turanobakery.com

Umberto A. TuranoPresident

$166.425.1%

618724

Baked goods

177 GAS DEPOT INC. 7

Morton Grove(847) 581-0303www.gasdepot.com

George NediyakalayilPresident

$165.917.0%

1617

175 ROYAL BUYINGGROUP INC., Lisle

(630) 353-7950www.royalbuying.com

Michael E. ZielinskiPresident, CEO

$167.477.9%

4242

Negotiates vendor programs for membergas stations

178 ROSE PACKING CO. 1

Barrington(847) 381-5700www.rosepacking.com

Dwight StiehlPresident

$165.0-2.4%

570620

Pork processing

179 EDWARD HINES LUMBER CO.Buffalo Grove

(847) 353-7700www.hineslumber.com

Gerald WillePresident, CEO

$163.0-14.2%

360600

Distributor and manufacturer of lumber and building products

180 NOVAK CONSTRUCTION CO.Chicago

(773) 278-1100www.novakconstruction.com

John NovakPresident

$160.0-7.0%

8080

General contractor

181 STEVE FOLEY AUTO GROUPNorthbrook

(847) 564-4090www.stevefoley.com

Stephen X. Foley Sr.Chairman, president, CEO

$157.0-10.8%

145190

Auto dealerships

182 HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER & CO.Niles

(847) 581-8600www.hammacher.com

Richard W. TinbergCEO

$153.0-7.3%

75300

Specialty retail catalog

182 GEORGE SOLLITT CONSTRUC-TION CO., Wood Dale

(630) 860-7333www.sollitt.com

Howard StrongPresident, CEO

$153.04.8%


184 H2O PLUS L.P.Chicago

(312) 850-9283www.h2oplus.com

Robert SeidlPresident, CEO

$152.010.1%

115300

Skin-care, spa, bath and body products

184 QST INDUSTRIES INC.Chicago

(312) 930-9400www.qst.com

Thomas Allen DanchPresident, CEO

$152.0-7.9%

35745

Manufacturer and distributor of pocketingand trim components for the apparel industry

186 CONVERGINT TECHNOLOGIESLLC, Schaumburg

(847) 620-5000www.convergint.com

Daniel J. MoceriChairman, CEO

$151.539.7%

70710

Integrator of security, fire alarm, life-safetyand building automation systems

187 GONNELLA BAKING CO.Chicago

(312) 733-2020www.gonnella.com

Nick MarcucciPresident, CEO

$151.030.2%

375440

Manufacturer and distributor of freshand frozen bakery products

188 WOZNIAK INDUSTRIES INC.Oakbrook Terrace

(630) 954-3400www.wozniakindustries.com

Michael WozniakPresident

$150.011.1%

175300

Manufacturer of forged, stamped, fabricatedand machined metal components

189 WEBER MARKING SYSTEMS INC.Arlington Heights

(847) 364-8500www.webermarking.com

Glenn C. GillyPresident, CEO

$149.0-1.3%

300590

Labeling and coding solutions

190 BIGGERS CHEVROLET/ISUZUINC., Elgin

(847) 742-9000www.biggerschevy.com

Jim LeichterPresident, CEO

$147.0-10.9%

109109

Auto dealership

Downturn pokes hole in pocketmaker’s pocket

When you reach into yourpocket for loose change, youprobably don’t think about whomade that pocket. But odds arepretty good it was one of Chica-go’s largest privately held compa-nies: QST Industries Inc.

QST, which makes pocketing,waistbands and interlinings forsuch familiar clothing brands asGap, Liz Claiborne and Levi’s,was founded in 1880 to sell trim-mings to Chicago’s tailors and at-home sewers. It remains family-owned and -operated five genera-tions later.

For about a century, QST madeits products in Chicago, beforeshifting production to North Car-olina and then spreading it tomore than 30 countries world-wide. The company has about 750employees and an estimated mar-ketshare of three-quarters of thepre-manufactured pocketing soldin the world, says Jeff Carlevato,the company’s chief operating of-ficer and chief financial officer.

But the recent economic tur-moil has caused instability in theretail apparel business: QST’srevenue dipped 7.9% in 2008 to$152 million. Mr. Carlevato ex-pects that number to drop in2009 to about $140 million.

Overall, retail sales at clothingand accessories stores were down10.3% in the year to January, ac-cording to U.S. Department ofCommerce figures.

QST appears to be “perform-ing pretty well in a very discre-tionary marketplace,” saysSteven Platt, director and re-search fellow at the Hinsdale-based Platt Retail Institute, whichprovides research and consultingto retailers. But he warns that thenear-term outlook for apparel is“very weak.”

The company has been lookingto streamline operations and cre-ate partnerships to keep over-head down, Mr. Carlevato says.

In early 2008, it laid off 26people at its Mocksville, N.C.,plant as health insurance costsforced the company to shift moreproduction to Mexico and theDominican Republic. Also thatyear, the company opened awaistband factory in Morocco; itplans to open a new facility thisyear in Vietnam.

“I’ve got to say that QST’s bal-ance sheet is probably as strongas it’s ever been, despite the eco-nomic downturn,” Mr. Carleva-to says.

John Biemer

167 GOLD STANDARD ENTERPRISESINC.4, Skokie

(847) 933-7600www.binnys.com

Michael BinsteinCEO

$183.010.9%

500500

Operates 21 Binny’s Beverage Depots

191 TEMPERATURE EQUIPMENTCORP. 9, Lansing

(708) 418-0900www.tecmungo.com

R. F. “Skip” MungoPresident, CEO

$146.0-5.4%

190190

Wholesale distributor of heating, ventila-tion and air-conditioning products

192 CRAMER-KRASSELTChicago

(312) 616-9600www.c-k.com

Peter G. KrivkovichPresident, CEO

$144.85.6%

249511

Advertising, interactive and public relationsservices

193 MINER ENTERPRISES INC. 2

Geneva(630) 232-3000www.minerent.com

David W. WithallChairman, president, CEO

$142.011.8%

150330

Manufacturer of rail car, truck, industrialand materials-handling products

194 ASSOCIATED MATERIAL HANDLING INDUSTRIES INC.Carol Stream

(630) 588-8800www.associated-allied.net

Michael B. RomanoPresident, CEO

$140.820.2%

175360

Raymond Forklift distributor, forkliftparts, service, rentals, storage, warehousedesign

195 BALDWIN RICHARDSONFOODS CO., Frankfort

(815) 464-9994www.brfoods.com

Eric G. JohnsonPresident, CEO

$140.013.8%

9218

Manufacturer of liquid products, includingsignature sauces and condiments

195 EXECUTIVE CONSTRUCTIONINC., Hillside

(708) 236-3300www.ecibuild.com

John F. BlacketorPresident

$140.07.7%

128128


195 RAULAND-BORG CORP. 1

Skokie(847) 679-0900www.rauland.com

Norman K. KidderPresident, CEO

$140.01.4%

308548

Manufacturer and designer of integratedcommunication technology and services

195 TONY RIZZA ENTERPRISESBridgeview

(708) 594-6400www.rizzacars.com

Anthony V. RizzaPresident

$140.0-10.1%

175175

Auto sales, banking, real estate, insurance

199 DUNKIN’ DONUTS MIDWESTDISTRIBUTION CENTER INC.Mokena

(708) 478-1530www.ddmwdc.com

Thomas L. JensenVice-president, general manager

$137.521.4%

121121

Food distributor to Dunkin’ Donuts andBaskin Robbins in 13 Midwest states

200 BUTERA FINER FOODS INC.Elgin

(847) 741-1010www.buteramarket.com

Paul ButeraCEO

$136.00.7%

800800

Retail grocery chain

NEW!NEW!

Greatest % decrease in revenue

Fewest worldwide employees

Oldest company on the list: Founded in 1838

1860

Wholesale distributor of petroleum productsto retail, commercial and municipal entities

9898

JUPITERIMAGES


Can maker’s newbag: recyclableplastic containers

For more than 80 years,Central Can Co. has pro-duced steel pails, cans, cov-ers, plugs, lids and handlesin its Chicago plant. Butwith the price of steel go-ing up, the manufacturerhas had to learn some newtricks.

This summer, it will be-gin producing a new line of100% recyclable, all-plas-tic containers—Cen-Tite—that feature an easy-openand easy-pour design. Thecompany began makingplastic containers in 2005,and less than five years lat-er, plastics account for36% of total sales. It alsoplans to add a hybrid met-al-plastic product to itslineup.

Central Can producesmore than 600 types ofcontainers for customersincluding Valspar Corp.,Safety-Kleen Systems Inc.

and Ace Hard-ware Corp.

Plastic con-tainers repre-sent a “unique”but necessaryshift for themanufacturer,CEO Terry

Kline says. When steelmak-ers imposed surcharges onraw materials last year,Central Can had no choicebut to pass along higherprices. The product line,launched in December, hasgenerated tremendous in-terest, Mr. Kline says.

“It’s really a reflection ofwhat consumers want,” hesays.

Last year, Central Canposted revenue of $86 mil-lion, up 16.2% from theyear before. In 2007, rev-enue shrunk by 1%, Mr.Kline says. Key to the turn-around: steel cans for veg-etable oil.

As a contractor on a U.S.Department of Agricultureworld food aid program,Central Can producedmore than 22 million 4-liter vegetable oil cans lastyear for export to countriesaround the world.

Diversification is pru-dent given the slowdown inthe construction industryand the company’s sensi-tivity to shifts in steelprices, says Robert Bud-way, president of theWashington, D.C.-basedtrade group Can Manufac-turers Institute. But thatdoesn’t mean steel contain-ers are a thing of the past.

“This economy is favor-ing the metal can, especial-ly on the food side of thebusiness,” Mr. Budwaysays.

Anna-Louise Jackson

Central Can Co. is private company


}}◗ 2003

Company Revenue (billions)

1 Marmon Group Inc. $5.70*2 Topco Associates Inc. $4.60


4 Eby-Brown Co. LLC $3.705 Hyatt Hotels Corp. $3.606 Ace Hardware Corp. $3.167 Truserv Corp. $2.008 Follett Corp. $1.859 Walsh Group $1.7310 Hyatt International Corp. $1.60

◗ 1998Company Revenue (billions)

1 Alliant Foodservice Inc. $6.102 Marmon Group $6.03

3 Truserv Corp. $4.33

4 Topco Associates Inc. $4.00


6 Kemper Insurance Cos. $3.52

7 Hyatt Hotels Corp. $3.258 Ace Hardware Corp. $3.129 Eby-Brown Co. LLC $1.7010 Hyatt International Corp. $1.50**

◗ 1993Company Revenue (billions)

1 Montgomery Ward & Co. $5.942 Marmon Group Inc. $4.303 Topco Associates Inc. $2.934 Hyatt Hotels Corp. $2.50**

5 Cotter & Co. $2.42

6 Ace Hardware Corp. $2.02

7 Dominick’s Finer Foods Inc. $2.00

8 Eby Brown Co. $1.309 Hyatt International Corp. $1.1910 Budget Rent A Car Corp. $1.12

A look back at the top privately held companies from five, 10 and 15 years ago.

Source: Crain’s lists *Company estimate **Crain’s estimate

◗ WHERE THEY WERE THEN


CompanyHeadquarters

PhoneWeb site Top executive Type of business


201 JAM PRODUCTIONS LTD.Chicago

(312) 266-6262www.jamusa.com

Arny GranatPresident

$135.8-5.3%

7581

Concert promoter, live theatrical produc-tions, corporate special events, exhibitions

202 CHICAGO BULLS 7

Chicago(312) 455-4000www.bulls.com

Jerry M. ReinsdorfChairman

$135.06.3%

8585

Professional basketball team

202 HALLSTAR CO. 1

Chicago(312) 554-7400www.hallstar.com

John J. ParoPresident, CEO

$135.07.1%

79121

Supplier of polymer additives and personal-care ingredients

204 NELSEN STEEL CO. L.P.Franklin Park

(847) 671-9700www.nelsensteel.com

C. Davis Nelsen IIChairman, president, CEO

$133.023.7%

90101

Manufacturer of cold-finished bar steels

204 WILLIAM A. RANDOLPH INC. 2

Gurnee(847) 856-0123www.warandolph.com

Anthony Riccardi Sr.President

$133.0-37.0%

8080

Construction, general contractor

204 TURTLE WAX INC.Willowbrook

(630) 455-3700www.turtlewax.com

Denis John Healy Jr.CEO

$133.06.4%

8721,185

Manufacturer of automotive appearance andperformance products; car wash operator

207 TANDEM PROFESSIONAL EM-PLOYER SERVICES INC., Oak Brook

(630) 928-0510www.tandemhr.com

Bruce LeonPresident, CEO

$131.911.7%

1,9802,307

Human resources

208 LIBERTYVILLE CLASSIC GROUPLibertyville

(847) 367-1700www.lincolnmercurys.com

Daniel H. MarksPresident, CEO

$131.0-10.9%

160160

Auto dealership

209 SUPERIOR GRAPHITE CO.Chicago

(312) 559-2999www.superiorgraphite.com

Edward O. CarneyPresident, CEO

$130.225.0%

98319

Graphite and carbon manufacturer

210 CUMMINS-ALLISON CORP.Mount Prospect

(847) 299-9550www.cumminsallison.com

William JonesChairman, CEO

$130.0-1.5%

4001,100

Manufacturer of coin and currencysorters, counters, scanners and dispensers

211 JORDAN INDUSTRIES INC.Chicago

(847) 945-5591jordanind.com

John W. “Jay” JordanChairman, CEO

$127.2-5.2%

101,114

Diversified manufacturer

212 HENRICKSEN & CO. 9

Itasca(630) 250-9090www.henricksen.com

Stephen E. McPartlinPresident

$127.0-9.9%

102191

Contract office furniture dealer

213 INTERIOR INVESTMENTS LLCLincolnshire

(847) 325-1000www.interiorinvestments.com

Michael GreenbergDonald Shannon, co-principals

$126.30.7%

112152

Contract office furniture dealer

214 ARTHUR J. ROGERS & CO.Des Plaines

(847) 297-2200www.arthurjrogers.com

William G. SchmitzPresident, CEO

$125.50.4%

5050

Commercial real estate

215 PROMOWORKS LLCSchaumburg

(847) 310-2600www.promoworks.com

Michael C. KentCEO

$123.0-19.3%

138441

Marketing services

216 EMPLOYCO GROUP INC.Westmont

(630) 920-0000www.employco.com

Robert A. WilsonCEO

$122.6-2.7%

5,0078,111

Business process outsourcing

217 ILLINOIS AUTO ELECTRIC CO.Aurora

(630) 862-3300www.illinoisautoelectric.com

H. Bruce SirotekChairman, CEO

$120.3-1.4%

176263

Sales and distribution of transportation,industrial and outdoor care products

218 GERBER PLUMBING FIXTURESLLC, Woodridge

(630) 754-0278www.gerberonline..com

Michael WernerPresident, CEO

$120.0-0.3%

75150

Manufacturer of vitreous china andcast-iron plumbing fixtures, special-finish faucets and fittings

218 MACHINERY SYSTEMS INC.Schaumburg

(847) 882-8085www.machsys.com

Ronald J. MagerChairman, president, CEO

$120.02.6%

4075

Distributor of machine tools, cuttingtools and factory floor software

218 WORLD'S FINEST CHOCOLATEINC., Chicago

(773) 847-4600www.worldsfinestchocolate.com

Edmond F. OplerChairman, CEO

$120.09.1%

400400

Candy manufacturer

221 CLARK & WAMBERG LLCNorth Barrington

(847) 304-5800www.clarkwamberg.com

Tom WambergPresident, CEO

$118.010.5%

50400


222 SCHUMACHER ELECTRIC CORP.Mount Prospect

(847) 385-1600www.batterychargers.com

Donald A. SchumacherCEO

$117.45.7%

611,000

Manufacturer of battery chargers,transformers and welders

Assn. manager,clients ride outstorm together

There aren’t many industriesthriving in the current eco-nomic climate, but SmithBuck-lin isn’t a typical business.

An association managementcompany, SmithBucklin over-sees every aspect of its non-profit clients’ operations,from personnel to technologyinfrastructure.

Those clients are diverse,ranging from the AmericanAcademy of Cosmetic Surgeryto the Popcorn Board—itsfirst account, in 1949. Ac-cording to CEO HenryGivray, associations tend tostay afloat even when theeconomy tanks, and that’sone reason the Chicago-basedcompany’s revenue has re-mained strong.

The largest association man-agement company in theworld, SmithBucklin saw2008 revenue rise 14.9% froma year earlier to $102 million.The company is projectinggrowth of 3% to 5% in 2009.

Even so, Mr. Givray seessome potential speed bumpsahead.

“Our client organizationsare facing challenges, and thattranslates to challenges forus,” he says. “We’re tellingthem they have to tightentheir client budgets, since wemanage them, which also im-pacts us.”

For SmithBucklin, a poten-tial upside of the recession isthat tough times may promptmore non-profits to consideroutsourcing functions—newbusiness the company is push-ing hard to capture, Mr.Givray says.

SmithBucklin isn’t the onlyassociation manager lookingto diversify in this way, saysAndrea Bower, executive di-rector of the AMC Institute, atrade group based in Philadel-phia. Industry executives areasking “what other means arethere to assist associations inraising dollars to offset a de-cline in dues—i.e., journals,educational seminars or webi-nars.”

Liane Jackson

223 WRIGHTWOOD CAPITAL LLCChicago

(312) 324-5900www.wrightwoodcapital.com

Bruce R. CohenChairman, CEO

$117.00.9%

6475

Real estate finance and investment

225 SCHULZE & BURCH BISCUITCO., Chicago

(773) 927-6622www.schulzeburch.com

Kevin M. BoylePresident, CEO

$112.06.7%

400400

Manufacturer and marketer of snacksand related products

226 TENG AFFILIATED COS. 14

Chicago(312) 616-0000www.teng.com

Ivan J. DvorakPresident, CEO

$108.3-28.9%

337416

Integrated design, construction anddevelopment services

227 SKENDER CONSTRUCTION CO.Palos Hills

(708) 430-8488www.skender.com

Joseph SkenderPresident

$106.78.7%

6060

General contractor

228 UPTOWN MOTORS INC.15

Chicago(773) 794-7100www.marinocjd.com

Gregory A. MarinoPresident

$106.0-10.9%

225225

Auto dealership

229 RYAN BUILDING GROUP INC.Schaumburg

(847) 995-8700www.ryanbldgrp.com

William J. Ryan, chair-man, president, CEO

$105.0-50.9%

1550

Homebuilder

229 VIENNA BEEF LTD.9

Chicago(773) 278-7800www.viennabeef.com

James W. BodmanChairman, CEO

$105.02.6%

330400

Food processor

231 A. EPSTEIN & SONS INT’L INC.Chicago

(312) 454-9100www.epsteinglobal.com

John R. Patelski, James Jirsa, MichaelDamore, executive managing directors

$104.216.9%

164307

Architecture, engineering, construction,interior design, graphic design

232 LOEBER MOTORS INC.Lincolnwood

(847) 675-1000www.loebermotors.com

Michael LoeberPresident

$104.0-9.6%

145145

Auto dealership

233 BLISTEX INC.Oak Brook

(630) 571-2870www.blistex.com

David C. ArchChairman, CEO

$103.03.0%

NA185

Maker and marketer of lip balm

234 SMITHBUCKLIN CORP.Chicago

(800) 539-9740www.smithbucklin.com

Henry S. GivrayChairman, CEO

$102.314.9%

464710

Association management company

235 SENTINEL TECHNOLO-GIES INC., Downers Grove

(630) 769-4300www.sentinel.com

Dennis HoelzerPresident, CEO

$101.66.3%

295413

Technology design, deployment, support and integration

236 L&D GROUP INC.Montgomery

(630) 892-8941www.lyonworkspace.com

R. Peter WashingtonChairman, CEO

$101.0-1.9%

143576

Manufacturer and distributor of workplace equipment

223 HOLLY HUNT ENTERPRISESINC., Chicago

(312) 661-1900www.hollyhunt.com

Holly A. HuntCEO

$117.0-2.5%

165245

Designer, manufacturer and distribu-tor of interior furnishings

Most local employees

◗ LARGEST COMPANY PER COUNTY

COOK 2009 revenue

U.S. Foodservice Inc., Rosemont $19.80 billion

LAKECDW Corp., Vernon Hillls $8.10 billion

KANE OSI Group LLC, Aurora $5.00 billion

DUPAGE Eby-Brown Co. LLC, Naperville $4.10 billion

WILLCentral Grocers Inc., Joliet $1.43 billion

MCHENRY Intermatic Inc., Spring Grove $373.0 million

NEW!NEW!

NEW!NEW!


% change from 2007


employees

251 PRG PARKING MANAGEMENTLLC, Chicago

(312) 753-1700www.theparkingspot.com

Martin H. NesbittPresident, CEO

$91.37.8%

23891

Parking lot owner and manager


CompanyHeadquarters



% change from 2007



249 ADDISON PROFESSIONAL FINANCE SEARCH LLC, Chicago

(312) 424-0300www.addisonsearch.com

Joel M. KatzCEO

$92.164.0%

3671,029

Temporary and permanent staffing

237 ADVANTAGE AUTO GROUP, Hodgkins

(877) 286-2809www.advantagechev.com

Desmond RobertsPresident

$$110000..00-33.9%

150150

Auto dealerships

237 BAIRD & WARNER INC.Chicago

(312) 368-1855www.bairdwarner.com

Stephen W. BairdPresident, CEO

$100.0-22.5%

207207

Real estate brokerage; mortgage, titleand home services

237 CHICAGO HEIGHTS STEEL 9

Chicago Heights(708) 756-5619www.chs.com

Frank L. CorralPresident

$100.0NC

300300

Steel manufacturer

237 FLORSTAR SALES INC. 1

Romeoville(815) 836-2800www.florstar.com

F. Wade CassidyCEO

$100.0-18.7%

141200

Wholesale distributor of floor coverings;provider of logistical services

237 PEER FOODS INC.Chicago

(773) 927-1440www.peerfoods.com

Larry O’ConnellPresident

$100.0NC

20200

Processor of meats for the food-serviceindustry

242 TREASURE ISLAND FOODS INC.Chicago

(773) 327-4265www.tifoods.com

Christ KamberosPresident, CEO

$98.08.9%

570570

Retail grocery chain

243 WALTER E. SMITHE FURNITUREINC., Itasca

(630) 285-8000www.smithe.com

Walter E. Smithe IIIPresident

$96.9-5.0%

450450

Furniture retailer

244 RADIO FLYER INC.Chicago

(773) 797-9133www.radioflyer.com

Robert PasinPresident, CEO

$96.026.3%

70100

Manufacturer of wagons, tricycles,scooters and other toys

245 OTTO ENGINEERING INC.Carpentersville

(847) 428-7171www.ottoexcellence.com

Thomas J. RoeserPresident

$95.47.1%

534534

Manufacturer of audio accessories fortwo-way radios and controls for electricalswitching

246 NELSON WESTERBERG INC.Elk Grove Village

(847) 437-2080www.nelsonwesterberg.com

John R. WesterbergChairman, CEO

$95.37.3%

204404

Corporate, office and industrial movingand storage services; records management

247 UNIVERSAL SCRAP METALS INC.Chicago

(312) 666-0011www.universalscrap.com

Philip L. ZeidPresident

$95.0-17.7%

6868

Scrap metal recycler

248 GEORGE S. MAY INTERNATIONALCO., Park Ridge

(847) 825-8806www.georgesmay.com

Israel KushnirPresident

$94.0NC

425900


250 SAYERS 40 INC.Mount Prospect

(847) 391-4040www.sayers.com

Gale E. SayersPresident, CEO

$92.0-11.5%

3551

Information technology products andservices

252 BLOCK & CO. 7

Wheeling(847) 537-7200www.blockandcompany.com

Kenneth BlockChairman

$90.0NC

300370

Manufacturer and distributor of bankingand cashiering supplies

◗ UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP

Eleven private companieshired new top executivesthis year, half as many aslast year.

6. RYERSON INC.Stephen Makarewicz, CEO

26. CRATE & BARRELBarbara A. Turf,CEO

32. TTX CO.Thomas F. Wells,president, CEO

35. NETWORKSERVICES CO.Robert D.Mitchum, president, CEO

42. BOLER CO.Matthew J. Boler,president, CEO

60. WILTONPRODUCTS INC.Richard T. Conti,CEO

128. LITTLE LADY FOODS INC.Daniel R. Scales, CEO

142. BELGRAVIA GROUP LTD.Alan D. Lev, president, CEO

152. POTBELLY SANDWICHWORKS LLCAylwin B. Lewis, president, CEO

157. WHITNEY AUTOMOTIVEGROUPThomas M. West, president, CEO

265. GOLD EAGLE CO.Marc Blackman, president, CEO

Turf

Lewis

Conti

NEW!NEW!

NEW!NEW!

See Page30 formore

}} }}


CompanyHeadquarters



% change from 2007




252 CHICAGO MEAT AUTHORITYINC., Chicago

(800) 383-3811www.chicagomeat.com

Jordan M. DorfmanPresident

$90.020.0%

300300

Meat processor

252 COMPACT INDUSTRIES INC.St. Charles

(630) 513-9600www.compactind.com

Dale Veronica BrownChairman, CEO

$90.0-10.0%

9494

Manufacturer of dry-food packaging

255 WISS JANNEY ELSTNER ASSOCIATES INC.Northbrook

(847) 272-7400www.wje.com

William J. NugentChairman, president,CEO

$87.89.1%

195450

Architecture, engineering, materials science

256 O’HARE AUTO GROUPDes Plaines

(847) 297-5700www.ohareautogroup.com

Kevin MizePresident, CEO

$87.3-2.4%

125125

Sales and service of Honda and Hyundaivehicles

Drop in fliersgives parkingbiz air sickness

Off-site airport parkingoperator PRG ParkingManagement LLC has seenits business nearly ground-ed in the past sevenmonths.

The Chicago-based com-pany’s remote lots offer analternative to pricey air-port parking, but PRG has-n’t been immune to thestruggling economy. Theairport parking businesslives and dies by the num-ber of travelers heading inand out of the nation’s air-ports.

“It’s been a tough year,”concedes CEO MartinNesbitt, whose companydoes business as The Park-ing Spot LLC. “But it’s agood opportunity to focus

257 NATIONAL VAN LINES INC. 9

Broadview(708) 450-2900www.nationalvanlines.com

Maureen BealChairman, president, CEO

$86.3-2.4%

115116

Mover of household goods

258 CENTRAL CAN CO.Chicago

(773) 254-8700www.centralcancompany.com

Terry KlinePresident, CEO

$86.016.2%

216216

Manufacturer of steel and plastic containers

259 LANE INDUSTRIES INC.Northbrook

(847) 498-6789www.lanehospitality.com

Forrest M. SchneiderPresident, CEO

$85.22.4%

1601,600

Holding company with interests in office products, hotel ownership and management,real estate development, agriculture

259 ARROWSTREAMINC., Chicago

(312) 267-4400www.arrowstream.com

Steven LaVoieChairman, CEO

$85.2*21.7%

8085

Supply chain software and logistics

261 RICHCO INC.Morton Grove

(773) 539-4060www.richco-inc.com

Samantha RichardsonChairman, CEO

$85.0NC

150500

Manufacturer of plastic fasteners andcomponents

262 ADVANCE MECHANICAL SYS-TEMS INC. 6, Arlington Heights

(847) 593-2510www.advmech.com

David M. WeinerPresident, CEO

$84.0-4.8%

340340

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning,plumbing and service contractor

263 HINDA INC. 1

Chicago(773) 890-5900www.hinda.com

Michael ArkesPresident, CEO

$83.119.4%

97106

Developer and manager of incentiveprograms

264 EVANS FOOD GROUP LTD.Chicago

(773) 254-7400www.evansfood.com

Alejandro SilvaCEO

$81.62.0%

100400

Snack-food manufacturer

265 GOLD EAGLE CO. 2

Chicago(773) 376-4400www.goldeagle.com

Marc BlackmanPresident, CEO

$81.01.3%

165165

Manufacturer and marketer of auto-motive chemicals and additives

265 LEAPFROG ONLINE LLCEvanston

(847) 492-1968www.leapfrogonline.com

Dave HusainCEO

$81.0-4.8%

98101

Digital direct marketing

265 PADDOCK PUBLICATIONSINC., Arlington Heights

(847) 427-4300www.dailyherald.com

Douglas K. RayPresident, CEO

$81.0-13.1%

700700

Publisher of the Daily Herald and ReflejosBilingual Journal; host of three Web sites

See Page27 formore

}} }}

268 KELSO-BURNETT CO.Rolling Meadows

(847) 259-0720www.kelso-burnett.com

James R. KostekChairman, CEO

$80.30.1%

384384

Electrical and communications contractor

NEW!NEW!

JUPITERIMAGES





% change from 2007



269 NEW WORLD VAN LINES INC.Chicago

(773) 685-3399www.newworldvanlines.com

Shirley MarxChairman

$79.54.5%

137491

Mover of household goods and storage

270 CHARLES INDUSTRIES LTD.Rolling Meadows

(847) 806-6300www.charlesindustries.com

Joseph T. Charles Sr.President

$78.50.6%

90500

Manufacturer of telecommunications, ma-rine and industrial electrical products

271 BELT RAILWAY CO. OF CHICAGO, Bedford Park

(708) 496-4000www.beltrailway.com

Patrick J. O’BrienPresident

$76.7-2.0%

485485

Operator of an intermediate switching railroad

272 MICRODYNAMICSGROUP, Naperville

(630) 527-8400www.microdg.com

Thomas F. Harter Sr.Chairman, CEO

$76.3141.0%

150180

Billing and statement processing, mailing andelectronic presentation

273 W. S. DARLEY & CO.Itasca

(708) 345-8050www.darley.com

Paul C. DarleyPresident

$76.212.8%

70217

Manufacturer and distributor of firefightingequipment

274 INTEC GROUP INC.Palatine

(847) 358-0088www.intecgrp.com

Steven M. PerlmanPresident, co-CEO

$76.0-7.3%

150850

Designer and manufacturer of electro-mechanical components and assemblies

274 WINDY CITY WIRE CABLE &TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS LLCBolingbrook

(630) 633-4500www.smartwire.com

Richard GalganoCEO

$76.08.6%

86118

Distributor and manufacturer of wire and ca-ble; distributor of electrical devices

276 MORGAN SERVICES INC.Chicago

(312) 346-3181www.morganservices.com

Richard J. L. SeniorChairman, CEO

$75.60.8%

129890

Linen and uniform rental, laundry services

277 INITIATE SYSTEMS INC.Chicago

(312) 759-5030www.initiatesystems.com

Bill ConroyPresident, CEO

$75.451.1%

100300

Provider of data management software

278 FSH COMMUNICATIONS LLCChicago

(312) 269-9937www.fshcommunications.com

Donald V. GoensPresident, CEO

$75.05.5%

8180

Telecommunications

Edited by Michelle EvansResearched by Allison Riggio,

Michelle Evans, MatthewCarmichael, H. Lee Murphyand Crain’s reporting staff

Crain's list of largest privately held companies, while the most comprehensive, does not claim to be a complete list of private companies in the Chicago area because of the right of suchcompanies to withhold information. Information for this list is provided by the companies, and Crain's takes their word for sales and employee figures, except where noted. The defini-tion of privately held companies for this list includes cooperatives and those that are not majority owned by another public or private company and that have their headquarters in thesix-county region: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will. Revenue figures are for calendar year, and employee totals are as of 12/31/08, unless otherwise noted. Crain's esti-mates shown in gray. *Company estimate. NNAA:: Not available. NNCC:: No change. 11.. Fiscal year ends in September. 22.. Fiscal year ends in March. 33.. Fiscal year ends in August. 44.. Fiscal year endsin July. 55.. Fiscal year ends in February. 66.. Figures include only U.S. operations and not international membership firms. 77.. Fiscal year ends in June. 88.. Previously listed as Crowe Group LLP;name changed 9/08. 99.. Fiscal year ends in April. 1100.. Fiscal year ends in October. 1111.. Fiscal year ends in January. 1122.. Previously listed as Velsicol Chemical Corp.; name changed 11/08. 1133.. Previously listed as Automotive Speciality Accessories & Parts Inc. 1144.. Fiscal year ends in November. 1155.. Previously listed as Lynch Auto Group.

All Crain’s lists available at ChicagoBusiness.com/lists.

on how to run your busi-ness better. We’ll emerge, Ithink, with a higher-mar-gin business when we comeout of this downturn.”

Mr. Nesbitt foundedPRG in 1998, in partner-ship with Global HyattCorp.’s Penny Pritzker.PRG owns or manages 19airport parking lots acrossthe country. Revenue rose7.8% in 2008 to $91.3million. For 2009, PRGpredicts revenue will de-cline by 10.3%.

Even so, operators suchas PRG, with many lots inmany cities, are at an ad-vantage, says Shawn Con-rad, executive director ofthe International ParkingInstitute, a trade groupbased in Fredericksburg,Va.

“These companies likePRG are highly sophisticat-ed, really well-run,” Mr.Conrad says. “They’re ableto weather storms betterthan some of these opera-tors trying to do it on theirown, with higher man-hour costs.”

Liane Jackson

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • APRIL 20, 2009 31

NEW!NEW!

NEW!NEW!


INDEX OF COMPANIESA

A. T. Kearney Inc. 40Abt Electronics Inc. 111Accretive Health 111Ace Hardware Corp. 10Acme Refining Scrap Metal Company 103Adco Global Inc. 124Addison Professional Finance Search LLC 249Addus Healthcare Inc. 141Advance Mechanical Systems Inc. 262Advanced Equities Financial Corp. 125Advantage Auto Group 237AIT Worldwide Logistics Inc. 107Alden Management Services Inc. 119Alter Group Ltd. 68American Hotel Register Co. 53Amsted Industries Inc. 13ArrowStream Inc. 259Aspen Marketing Services Inc. 102Associated Material Handling Industries Inc. 194Atlas Lift Truck Rentals & Sales Inc. 149

BBaird & Warner Inc. 237Baldwin Richardson Foods Co. 195BDO Seidman LLP 55Belgravia Group Ltd. 142Belt Railway Co. of Chicago 271Berglund Construction Co. 157Berlin Packaging LLC 85Biggers Chevrolet/Isuzu Inc. 190William Blair & Co. LLC 64Blistex Inc. 233Block & Co. 252BlueStar Energy Services Inc. 157Boler Co. 42Bradner Central Co. 116Carl Buddig & Co. 111Bulley & Andrews LLC 110Butera Finer Foods Inc. 200

CCampagna-Turano Bakery Inc. 176Capital Fitness Inc. 172

CC Industries Inc. 35CDW Corp. 5Central Can Co. 258Central Grocers Inc. 24Centrum Properties Inc. 69Charles Industries Ltd. 270Chicago Bears Football Club Inc. 120Chicago Bulls 202Chicago Heights Steel 237Chicago Meat Authority Inc. 252Chicago White Sox 155Clark & Wamberg LLC 221Clark National Inc. 131Classic Residence by Hyatt 107Clune Construction Co. 91Columbia Pipe & Supply Co. 147Compact Industries Inc. 252ComPsych Cos. 129Continental Electrical Construction Co. 135Continental Motors Group 90Convergint Technologies LLC 186Cramer-Krasselt 192Crate & Barrel 26Crowe Horwath LLP 70Culligan International Co. 44Cummins-Allison Corp. 210

DW. S. Darley & Co. 273DoALL Co. 107Edward Don & Co. 59Donlen Corp. 39DSC Logistics Inc. 152Duchossois Industries Inc. 31Dunkin’ Donuts Midwest DistributionCenter Inc. 199

EEby-Brown Co. LLC 9Daniel J. Edelman Inc. 74Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. 19Elkay Manufacturing Co. 57Emkay Inc. 99Employco Group Inc. 216A. Epstein & Sons International Inc. 231Evans Food Group Ltd. 264

Executive Construction Inc. 195

FF. H. Paschen, S. N. Nielsen 63FCL Builders 157Fellowes Inc. 54Ferrara Pan Candy Co. 115Fifield Cos. 84First Hospitality Group 170Florstar Sales Inc. 237Flying Food Group LLC 105Steve Foley Auto Group 181Follett Corp. 15Forsythe Technology Inc. 51Fort Dearborn Co. 92Frank Consolidated Enterprises Inc. 21FreedomRoads LLC 30FSH Communications LLC 278

GGas Depot Inc. 177Genovique Specialties Corp. 157Gerber Plumbing Fixtures LLC 218Global Hyatt Corp. 4Gold Eagle Co. 265Gold Standard Enterprises Inc. 167Gonnella Baking Co. 187Goss International Inc. 32Grant Thornton LLP 28Graycor Inc. 56Great Kitchens Inc. 155Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Co. 121

HH2O Plus L.P. 184HallStar Co. 202Hammacher Schlemmer & Co. 182Harlem Furniture LLC 164Harpo Inc. 96Heico Cos. LLC 14Henricksen & Co. 212Hill Mechanical Group 122Hinda Inc. 263Edward Hines Lumber Co. 179Hostmark Hospitality Group 123Hub International Ltd. 45Holly Hunt Enterprises Inc. 223

IIHC Construction Cos. LLC 105Illinois Auto Electric Co. 217Indalex Holding Corp. 37Information Resources Inc. 48Initiate Systems Inc. 277Inland Real Estate Group of Cos. 16Intec Group Inc. 274Interior Investments LLC 213Intermatic Inc. 88International Profit Associates Inc. 143

JJam Productions Ltd. 201Jel Sert Co. 131Johnson Publishing Co. 101Jordan Industries Inc. 211

KKelso-Burnett Co. 268Kenny Construction Co. 65Kimball Hill Homes Illinois LLC 77Klein Tools Inc. 172Koch Foods Inc. 19Kreher Steel Co. LLC 145

LL&D Group Inc. 236Lane Industries Inc. 259Leapfrog Online LLC 265Leopardo Cos. 100Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc. 94Chas Levy Co. LLC 58Libertyville Classic Group 208Little Lady Foods Inc. 128Loeber Motors Inc. 232

MMachinery Systems Inc. 218MacLean-Fogg Co. 47Magellan Development Group LLC 83Marketing Innovators International Inc. 151MAT Holdings Inc. 72George S. May International Co. 248Mazzetta Co. LLC 85McGrath Lexus/Acura/Honda/Hyundai 80McMaster-Carr Supply Co. 22MCZ Development Corp. 174

Medline Industries Inc. 12Meridian Group International Inc. 97Merisant Worldwide Inc. 127Mesirow Financial Holdings Inc. 71Microdynamics Group 272Midland Paper Co. 49Miner Enterprises Inc. 193Ed Miniat Group Inc. 138Morgan Services Inc. 276Motor Werks Partners L.P. 94

NNational Van Lines Inc. 257Nelsen Steel Co. L.P. 204Nelson Westerberg Inc. 246NES Rentals Holdings Inc. 82Network Services Co. 35New World Van Lines Inc. 269Newly Weds Foods Inc. 38North American Corp. 87Novak Construction Co. 180NutraSweet Co. 171Nuveen Investments Inc. 46

OO’Neil Industries Inc. 61O’Hare Auto Group 256Old World Industries Inc. 50Optima Inc. 168Orval Kent Food Co. 139OSI Group LLC 7Otto Engineering Inc. 245

PPaddock Publications Inc. 265Panduit Corp. 52Parksite Inc. 104Pasquinelli 79Patrick Dealer Group 140Peacock Engineering Co. 93Peer Foods Inc. 237Pepper Construction Group 25Phoenix Int’l Freight Services Ltd. 41Pliant Corp. 28PLS Financial Services Inc. 154Portillo’s Restaurant Group Inc. 144Potbelly Sandwich Works LLC 152

Power Construction Co. LLC 62PRG Parking Management LLC 251PromoWorks LLC 215

Q/RQST Industries Inc. 184Radio Flyer Inc. 244Raja Foods LLC 166William A. Randolph Inc. 204Rauland-Borg Corp. 195Relational LLC 98Reyes Holdings LLC 2Richco Inc. 261Joe Rizza Enterprises Inc. 129Tony Rizza Enterprises 195Arthur J. Rogers & Co. 214Rose Packing Co. 178Royal Buying Group Inc. 175Ryan Building Group Inc. 229Ryerson Inc. 6

SS&C Electric Co. 66Safeway Insurance Co. 117Sayers 40 Inc. 250Schulze & Burch Biscuit Co. 225Schumacher Electric Corp. 222Schwarz Paper Co. 75Seaton Corp. 118Seko Worldwide Inc. 126Sentinel Technologies Inc. 235Serta Inc. 27Shell Vacations LLC 81Shure Inc. 76Sipi Metals Corp. 157Skender Construction Co. 227SmithBucklin Corp. 234Solo Cup Co. 18George Sollitt Construction Co. 182Walter E. Smithe Furniture Inc. 243Sram LLC 73StarCon International Inc. 165Steiner Electric Co. 135Superior Graphite Co. 209

TTandem Professional Employer

Services Inc. 207Tempel Steel Co. 67Temperature Equipment Corp. 191Teng Affiliated Cos. 226Terlato Wine Group Ltd. 131TMB Industries LLC 157Topco Associates LLC 3TransUnion LLC 34TravelClick Inc. 169Treasure Island Foods Inc. 242Tribune Co. 8True Value Co. 17Trustmark Cos. 43TTX Co. 32Turtle Wax Inc. 204Tuthill Corp. 78Ty Inc. 89

U/VU.S. Foodservice Inc. 1UGN Inc. 146United Scrap Metal Inc. 148Universal Scrap Metals Inc. 247Uptown Motors Inc. 228Veluchamy Enterprises Inc. 111Vienna Beef Ltd. 229Volvo Sales & Service Center Inc. 135

W/X/Y/ZWalsh Group Ltd. 11Weber Marking Systems Inc. 189Weber-Stephen Products Co. 150Whitney Automotive Group 157Wilton Products Inc. 60Windy City Wire Cable & TechnologyProducts LLC 274Wirtz Corp. 23Wiss Janney Elstner Associates Inc. 255World’s Finest Chocolate Inc. 218Wozniak Industries Inc. 188Wrightwood Capital LLC 223ZS Associates Inc. 131

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32 APRIL 20, 2009 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS

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