After developing their first plush product line and setting up a diverse distribution channel, they set up their headquarters office in the Chicago suburb of Lombard. From the beginning, Brad and Nancy were confident that they had a winning combination: Brad's business acumen coupled with Nancy's design and marketing background were destined to make First & Main plush line a success.

The company started out with just a few product styles - mostly plush teddy bears, but with each year the business grew beyond their own expectations. They soon earned an industry reputation of producing attractive plush products at extremely competitive wholesale prices - a niche they embraced and honed over the years.

Determined to stay close to the creative side of the business, the entrepreneurs made room at the company's headquarters for an on-site studio that continues to operate today. This operation allows Nancy and her design team to create prototypes of all their product styles, giving them more control in developing patterns, calculating material consumption and specifying materials. Their strong commitment to staying on top of emerging design trends enables them to experiment with new materials and techniques, while coming up with exciting looks for their plush teddy bear and plush animal product line.

First & Main's innovative in-house studio and business office employees work closely with the company's joint-venture factory in China and several other factories overseas to manufacture several hundred product SKU's, which can be found in the company's quarterly 100-page catalog.

The company recently opened a new 60,000 square-foot warehouse facility in nearby Aurora, Illinois. The facility utilizes cutting-edge software and equipment so that customer orders are processed and shipped even more efficiently and accurately than ever before. The new facility is also expected to help First & Main begin integrating new product venues to enhance their core plush bear product line and give retailers and consumers a better variety - and start a new page in the First & Main success story.