Ford Motor

Ford Motor began a manufacturing revolution with its mass production assembly lines in the early 1900s. The company is now firmly entrenched in the status quo as one of the world's largest makers of cars and trucks. Its vehicles brands include Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury. Among its biggest successes are the redesigned Ford Mustang and F-Series pickup. Ford owns a 33% stake in Mazda and also controls the Volvo nameplate. Finance subsidiary Ford Motor Credit is the one of the US's leading auto finance companies. After clearing all of the antitrust and labor hurdles, Ford has sold Land Rover and Jaguar to India-based Tata Motors for a reported $2.3 billion.

National Hockey League

Hockey is more than a cool sport for serious fans. The National Hockey League is one of the four major professional sports associations in North America, boasting 30 professional ice hockey franchises in the US and Canada organized into two conferences with three divisions each. The NHL governs the game, sets and enforces rules, regulates team ownership, and collects licensing fees for merchandise. It also negotiates fees for national broadcasting rights. (Each team controls the rights to regional broadcasts.) In addition, five minor and semi-pro hockey leagues also fly under the NHL banner. The league was organized in Canada in 1917.