Legacies are not easily built. They take dedicated individuals who are willing to risk everything, work hard, and be examples of excellence. The eclectic group of pioneers who laid the foundation for Stihl's success in America could not have been more different from each other. But they shared the common drive and character that has proven the test of time. Stihl American features the amazing stories of these pioneers, including: A descendant of Daniel Boone’s sister who first sold Stihl saws in America during the 1930s. A Jersey boy who, after fighting his way across France and Germany, found himself near the spot where the chainsaw was invented. Twenty years later he secured a one-page contract to sell Stihl in North America. A young Native American boy, orphaned during the Osage Reign of Terror, who grew to be an Osage Indian Chief and introduced Stihl to loggers in the Rockies.A rambunctious Missourian, who, after a stint with the OSS flying B17 bombers during WWII, assisted her husband to establish Stihl in the high plains.An Arkansas lawyer, who, after losing an eye during the apprehension of a mass murderer, partnered with a timber buyer and introduced Stihl to America's Southwest. A lefty from Ohio, scouted by baseball’s legendary Eddy Stanky, who chose to introduce Stihl to New England rather than play professional baseball.The husband of a former Miss New Hampshire who had the entire United States as his sales territory and became the first Man of Stihl in America.A piano player from a tiny town in Missouri who became Stihl's largest independent distributor.A Canadian born Scotsman who started as a low-level Stihl employee and eventually rose to the position of president, leading the company to decades of record-setting sales. This is the exemplary heritage of STIHL in America!

ZUrabiaa word that makes the CIA and MI5 shudder, conjuring images of bloodlust in extremists. It is the secret code name for a deadly coalition of rogue Wall Street and Swiss bankers, as well as Arab sovereign fund managers. Together with the Islamic terrorist group called Al Quomini and European neo-Nazis, they seek to enslave the free world. One soldier in the fight for freedom is an unlikely oneat least on the surface. Professor Adrian Sands, a Harvard University associate, has a shadowy past that few know. The scholar is also a trained mercenary and assassin secretly in the employ of the independent, spy agency called Z5. In an attempt to unravel the plans of ZUrabia, he partners with an ancient female Masonic order led by Isolde, an Austrian countess, and other allies from the Middle East. Shared peril soon draws Adrian and Isolde together in ways neither deems safe or prudent. Nothing less than the fate of Western civilization is in the hands of Sands and his Masonic companions, and the clock is ticking down to the physical and financial doomsday of ZUrabias making. The Masonic order is charged with stopping the corrupt bankers and terrorists from destroying Western democracies and much of the global economy along with it. Can Sands and the order unravel the conspiracy in time?

Members of an Egyptian expedition fall victim to an ancient mummy’s curse in this thrilling Veronica Speedwell novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries. London, 1888. As colorful and unfettered as the butterflies she collects, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell can’t resist the allure of an exotic mystery—particularly one involving her enigmatic colleague, Stoker. His former expedition partner has vanished from an archaeological dig with a priceless diadem unearthed from the newly discovered tomb of an Egyptian princess. This disappearance is just the latest in a string of unfortunate events that have plagued the controversial expedition, and rumors abound that the curse of the vengeful princess has been unleashed as the shadowy figure of Anubis himself stalks the streets of London. But the perils of an ancient curse are not the only challenges Veronica must face as sordid details and malevolent enemies emerge from Stoker’s past. Caught in a tangle of conspiracies and threats—and thrust into the public eye by an enterprising new foe—Veronica must separate facts from fantasy to unravel a web of duplicity that threatens to cost Stoker everything...

“THAT’S NO MOON.” –Obi-Wan Kenobi The Death Star’s name says it all, with bone-chilling accuracy. It is a virtual world unto itself–equipped with uncanny power for a singularly brutal purpose: to obliterate entire planets in the blink of an eye. Its annihilation of the planet Alderaan, at the merciless command of Grand Moff Tarkin, lives in infamy. And its own ultimate destruction, at the hands of Luke Skywalker, is the stuff of legend. But what is the whole story, and who are the players, behind the creation of this world-killing satellite of doom? The near extermination of the Jedi order cleared the way for Palpatine–power-hungry Senator and Sith Lord–to seize control of the Republic, declare himself Emperor, and usher in a fearsome, totalitarian regime. But even with the dreaded Darth Vader enforcing Palpatine’s sinister will, the threat of rebellion still looms. And the Emperor knows that only abject fear–and the ability to punish dissent with devastating consequences–can ensure his unchallenged control of the galaxy. Enter ambitious and ruthless government official Wilhuff Tarkin, architect of the Emperor’s terrifying dream come true. From inception to completion, construction of the unprecedented Death Star is awash in the intrigues, hidden agendas, unexpected revelations, and daring gambits of those involved on every level. The brightest minds and boldest egos, the most ambitious and corrupt, the desperate and the devious, all have a stake in the Death Star–and its potential to control the fate of the galaxy. Soldiers and slaves, loyalists and Rebels, spies and avengers, the innocent and the evil–all their paths and fates will cross and intertwine as the Death Star moves from its maiden voyage to its final showdown. And a shadowy chapter of Star Wars history is stunningly illuminated in a thrilling, unforgettable adventure. Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!

After facing violent elimination by the sloppy/stupid, CIA operative Nick Blue’s considering employment modification. Later experiencing former navy pilot and TBI-survivor S. Mikayla “Magic Rat” Stihl, including her beautiful eyes and enticing jasmine fragrance, disturbing modification tingles. Emotionally-detached him is falling fast for this reputable, sassy, and sexy survivor who dislikes him (in spite of scorching mutual heat) but, true-to-her-call sign, is cozying in the dark nasty place somewhat describing his existence. To capture her, he must convince overcoming misperception and accepting victory by estimate is impossible without him - sooner the better. Lieutenant Stihl was a talented combat aviator protecting her country and challenging peers onboard the USS Yankee Excalibur, until a car wreck en route to her beloved father, Arlen’s, funeral steals her dream and forces recovering and redefining. Successfully rebuilding her ambitious life, she avoids the complicated, like romance with a way-too-smart, handsome spook with someone’s blood on his clothing and always doing as he pleases. But pride and goals demand his respect and perhaps sex with this disturbing T.H.R.I.L.L-Man, if she can withstand his challenge, manipulation, and heat without falling for bad-outcome-likely-him!

American business is dysfunctional. Companies of all sizes follow the mistaken belief that their products and services are best sold through mega-customers with pervasive market reach, such as Amazon and Walmart. Far too many business leaders fail to realize—until it is too late—that the relentless pursuit of volume at all cost is not the key to long-term profits and success. The Customer Trap: How to Avoid the Biggest Mistake in Business is Thomas and Wilkinson’s sequel to The Distribution Trap: Keeping Your Innovations from Becoming Commodities, which won the Berry-American Marketing Association Prize for the best marketing book of 2010. The Distribution Trap contended that cracking the big-box channel is not necessarily the Holy Grail that many marketers assume it is. The Customer Trap takes this thesis to the next level by arguing that all companies, regardless of the industry there are in, should maintain control over their sales and distribution channels. Volume forgone by avoiding the mass market is more than offset by higher margins and stronger brand equity. The Customer Trap shows that giving power to a customer who violates "the ten percent rule" sets a company up for ruin. Yet, when presented with the opportunity to push more sales through large customers, most decision-makers jump at the chance. As a result, marketing has come to resemble a relentless quest for efficiency and scale. Demands from mega-customers in the form of discounts, deals, and incentives erode the integrity of the brand and what it originally stood for. Lower margins become the norm and cost-saving compromises on quality take over. In time, the brand suffers and, in some cases, fails outright. Stark examples from Oreck Vacuum Cleaners, Rubbermaid, Goodyear, Levi’s, and others illustrate the perils of falling into the "customer trap." This book demonstrates in vivid detail how to thrive by controlling your sales and distribution. The authors show how many firms, such as STIHL Inc., etailz, Apple, Red Ant Pants, and Columbia Paints & Coatings, have prospered by avoiding the "customer trap"—and how your company can have similar success.

FIELD & STREAM, America’s largest outdoor sports magazine, celebrates the outdoor experience with great stories, compelling photography, and sound advice while honoring the traditions hunters and fishermen have passed down for generations.

It’s 1984 and two young lives are just beginning as high school disappears into the rearview, but the strangers’ worlds are already spiraling out of control. Lori Ann Morgan is a sheltered, eighteen-year-old “Navy brat” in Jacksonville, Florida. She has her first job, first car, first boyfriend, and a longing for life anywhere but on a military base. A random discovery in Miami sends her running for her life. Reno MacNab just turned eighteen and has enough cash to dive even deeper into the dangerous lifestyle his family tries to prevent him from reentering. The peaceful shores of Lake Minnetonka are supposed to offer a fresh start from his New Jersey troubles, but the dazzling allure of the 80’s drug culture has a lethal impact on his hedonistic life. Lives unfold at breakneck speeds crisscrossing North America in this raw, explosive, and feverishly passionate story of sex, drugs, love, and loss. As a deeply captivating mystery is uncovered, we learn that freedom can be a double-edged sword, and although everyone has a plan, Destinations Change.