This post is part of our Big Company, Small Town series, featuring large companies and the small towns in which they are headquartered.

In a remote section of Louisiana, nearly 140 miles west of New Orleans, lies the land of Tabasco. Avery Island is home to McIlhenny Co., the family owned and operated makers of Tabasco since 1868. The island is home to only 160 residents, mainly McIlhenny workers, as well as the McIlhenny family. Paul McIlhenny, the current president, is the sixth McIlhenny to continue the Tabasco legacy of its founder, Edmund McIlhenny.

McIlhenny Co. is a leader in hot sauce products, labeled in 22 languages and dialects, and is sold in more than 160 nations. According to Jeffrey Rothfeder, author of McIlhenny's Gold: How a Louisiana Family Built the Tabasco Empire, the private company earns nearly $250 million in annual revenues. In addition to Tabasco, McIlhenny also co-brands and produces various forms of products, from salsas and Tabasco lollipops to cookbooks and clothing. They even make a 1-gallon glass jug of Tabasco for all of those who can't get enough of the hot sauce. This spicy condiment can be found in millions of restaurants around the globe, in soldiers' rations overseas, and is proudly used in my kitchen.

Two of the three main ingredients of Tabasco -- Avery Island salt and Capsicum frutescens peppers -- are found on the island. The pepper sauce is still made practically the same way it was 140 years ago, except the aging process has been extended to three years, not 60 days.

This post is part of our Big Company, Small Town series, featuring large companies and the small towns in which they are headquartered.

Cabela's Inc. (NYSE: CAB) has come a long way since the husband and wife team of Dick and Mary Cabela sold outdoor gear from their kitchen in 1961. Today, Cabela's has become the largest mail-order, retail, and internet outdoor outfitter in the world, with record revenues of $2.3 billion in 2007. The company sponsors dozens of outdoor events, from the Cornhusker State Games to the Iditarod, and was named one of the Top 100 Companies to Work For in the Forbes January 2000 issue.

The company's world headquarters is located just off Route 80 in a small town called Sidney, Nebraska. Sidney has also come a long way since being called the "wickedest town in the west" back in 1868. The frontier town now holds more than 6,000 residents and was named one of the Top 100 Rural Communities in America in Boom Town, USA by Jack Schultz. Cabela's is by far the largest employer in Sidney, with more than 2,000 employees. The town's Memorial Health Center is a distant second, employing 300 people.

According to Cabela's, the Sidney store sees millions of visitors each year. In addition to all the fishing, hunting, climbing, and camping gear your heart can desire, the store is outfitted with museum-quality animal displays, huge aquariums, and the largest of trophy animals scattered around the store. They have a delicatessen-style restaurant with selections that would make your mouth water, including elk, wild boar, ostrich, and bison sandwiches. Cabela's even has a large campground and RV park outside its store where visitors can put their newly purchased equipment to good use.

Last week, Kroger (NYSE: KR), the nation's largest traditional grocery chain, launched its new milk brand to highlight its cholesterol-reducing ability. The milk, sold under the Kroger Active Lifestyle brand is considered the first national launch of cholesterol-cutting milk.

"There's a major trend toward health and wellness in the country," Linda Severin, Kroger's vice president for corporate brands told the USA Today. "Managing cholesterol is just a key need for many of our customers. This is a way we can help our customers be proactive with their heart health." The trend has shown lower-fat and fat-free milk sales to increase, while whole-milk sales have been on a decline, according to U.S. agriculture statistics.

The milk uses an ingredient with plant sterols, found naturally in some vegetables, fruits, nuts and other foods, and is recognized by the FDA as potentially helping reduce the risk of heart disease.

In spite of the trend in the advertising industry to multi-platform ad buys, mixed between TV, the Internet and mobile, the majority of the ad sales for the fall have been slated for TV, with minimal digital ads on the Internet sold separately. With 80% of ad time already spent for the upcoming television season during the "upfront" time period, the Internet looks forgotten. Why?

"We didn't push them," Mike Shaw, president of sales and marketing at The Walt Disney Company's (NYSE: DIS) ABC TV told USA Today, because supply is flexible, "digital offerings aren't as demand-based."

Broadcasters took in a total $9.3 billion, up nearly 5% from last year, after most analysts expected a flat season.

Despite the expectations for Internet ad spending to hit double digits by 2011, according to a forecast released last month, current results aren't indicative of that. It could be due to Nielsen improving the TV advertising market by creating new TV ad ratings, called "Live-Plus-Three," which is now accepted as the standard.

The real question though, is when will the TV advertising bubble pop? It could be sooner than you think. Publishing 2.0 believes that once online video providers create industry standards similar to what Nielson has done for the TV industry, ad dollars will vanish from traditional markets like television as quick as you can click your mouse. Is this likely to happen? Stay tuned, so to speak.

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and check out other Battle of the Brands posts.

A few months ago, I moved into a larger apartment and found that I would need to make numerous trips to the hardware store each week -- and sometimes twice on Saturdays. The list of projects I had in mind for my new pad was as long as a city block and I knew some choices needed to be made. The most important one: Should I go to Home Depot (NYSE: HD) or Lowe's (NYSE: LOW)?

I always go to Home Depot to get lumber or some screws for the toolbox, or to glance at the power tools that I always dream of finding a use for. I go to Lowe's to pick up a closet organizer or to look at the latest washer and dryers on sale. They're both big box home improvement stores, but each one has its own special place in the world.

When I first drive into the lot of the big orange beast, I always see construction crews hauling lumber and Sheetrock into their vans. I know these people didn't search online for what they needed here, mainly because the HD site only has 20% of their actual inventory online. If you want to know what's in Home Depot, you actually have to go to Home Depot. As I walk inside, I find this magical place where men can walk happily around sawdust filled floors, sans spouse, testing out power tools and talking shop with other men. Workers in bright orange aprons walk side-by-side with beeping forklifts that weave in and out of crowded isles, creating an atmosphere that would intimidate any novice do-it-yourselfer. This is the department store for DIY weekend warriors. This is home.

I certainly don't get the same feeling driving to Lowe's. Lowe's is more focused on the aesthetics of home improvement and the final product, compared to Home Depot, which I feel is more about tools and parts. I can search through the Lowe's website much easier than Home Depot's, and even place an order to pick-up whatever I need, which is always good for the novice fixer-upper. Walking into Lowe's, I see couples walking on perfectly swept floors down extra-bright, super-wide aisles. I walk past tons of appliances and machinery that call out to me: top-of-the-line refrigerators, washing machines, and lawn tractors; I walk past them in amazement. This is a place for the general public and the occasional fix-it-yourself team; and this place takes pride in targeting women in their stores -- officials directly aim for the female customer by placing shelves at the perfect height for the 5-foot-4-inch customer.

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and watch out for more Battle of the Brands posts.

When you have to send a package and it needs to be there yesterday, who do you call? It usually depends on a few key items: speed, price, and peace of mind.

The two delivery services that dominate the United States are United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS) and FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX). But which do you think of first?

Let's take a look at each company's marketing practices:

UPS: "What can brown do for you?" The UPS shield is one of the most recognizable icons in shipping, as is the trademarked brown uniform that office secretaries go ga-ga over. Brown is the official sponsor of NASCAR, the NHRA, NTRA, and the Olympics. When looking at the gold shield, a person could think of security and strength. UPS prides itself on those ideas and has become the largest package delivery company in the world.

FedEx: "Relax, it's FedEx" was the well-recognized slogan of the second-largest package delivery company in the U.S. The company's logo has a right-pointing arrow located in the negative space between the E and X. While the arrow becomes quite obvious when pointed out, most people do not notice it. The arrow has been occasionally pointed to as a mild form of subliminal advertising, the arrow suggesting forward movement and thinking (check it out). FedEx is the official sponsor of the NFL, the NBA, the FedEx Cup, FDX Racing, the FedEx Orange Bowl, FedEx Field -- the home field of the Washington Redskins -- and the FedEx Forum in Memphis. With the subliminal arrow and company's name targeted all over the sports world, a person could think of FedEx as a fast company that gets around.

A few months ago my father and I met for our weekly lunch, and as usual he tried to pay the bill. As soon as the waiter placed the check on the table with a great "please tip me well" smile, we both pounced on the check. I can't let my father pay for my lunch anymore. After nearly thirty years I feel I owe him at least that much. This week -- to my surprise -- he grabbed the check before I could. Frustrated, I left a tip, got up and was ready walk out the door. My father, however, was not.

He didn't have his wallet.

Now if you knew my dad, you would know the man is one with his wallet. It's a part of his being. He's had a George Costanza-sized wallet for as long as I can remember and it's never left his side. It always sat in his back pocket and was clearly visible to the naked eye a hundred paces away.

Without that wallet, my father was lost. Needless to say, I got to pay for lunch that week.

It took him over two months to recover everything. I tried to help him by providing some easy tips:

My insurance agent called me today and said my policy was up for renewal. She wanted to update my contact information and see if there were any discounts available on my policy. The call was from my agent, who happens to be in the family, and she actually cares to see me save money. However, some insurance agents might not be so kind, as your insurance premium usually impacts their commission rate. The tips she provided me might not work with every insurance company, and each discount rate varies, but knowing your options always helps.

• Before you actually get a car, check the insurance rate. Many people believe that insurance for giant gas guzzling SUVs are expensive and that an old Yugo would be cheaper. Some companies increase the liability based on the damage they could inflict on a car, how often they are stolen, and how much damage the car can withstand in an accident. The Kia Spectra, starting at $13,475, is considered one of the most expensive cars for collision claims, while the GMC Yukon (NYSE:GM), starting at $35,065, was one of the least expensive for collision claims.

• Take defensive driving courses. By spending seven hours and around $50 once every three years you could save 10% a year, equating to hundreds of dollars, off your base insurance rate.

• Check your credit. Having a good credit score (paying bills on time, a good debt-to-credit ratio, etc.) can actually lower your insurance premiums.

• Know that your age and sex will affect your insurance rates. Everyone is surcharged until the age of 29, men more than women, because of their "high risk" status. By the time you turn 50, insurance companies give you a discount. This discount lasts until your 70's, when many companies tack that "high risk" surcharge back on again.