Brian Hill

Americans are taking to the great outdoors in increasing numbers, and innovative outdoor recreation-products companies as diverse as Johnson Outdoors, Winnebago, and Sturm, Ruger are achieving increased revenue and profits.

As the economy begins to generate forward momentum, clothing retailers such as ANN, Gap, and Nordstrom are seeing year-over-year sales increases.

Large food manufacturers such as Hershey, Hormel Foods and Tyson Foods are leveraging their tremendous brand strength to capture additional market share, pursuing strategies of international expansion and product innovation to attract new customers and build customer loyalty.

Theater operators including Cinemark Holdings, Regal Entertainment Group and Carmike Cinemas are singing an enthusiastic chorus of "Hooray for Hollywood" as box-office receipts soared in the third quarter of 2013.

The pizza restaurant business model continues to be highly profitable while offering exciting growth potential for the most popular brands, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Although the general economy still has much room for improvement, certain restaurant chains have been able to recently expand at a brisk pace if they have fresh, innovative concepts.

Despite headwinds from relatively low global economic growth, airlines are revving up for higher profitability in 2013 and beyond.

Theme park companies have been able to increase attendance and guests' per capita spending even during times of unimpressive national economic growth -- a formula for achieving record revenues and higher profits.

After several down years, beer makers reported rising sales in 2012 and the first half of 2013. But are profits in a ferment?

The retail sector struggled mightily during the recession, but the pet products industry continued to grow and is gaining momentum.

Faced with declining demand for print publications, large publishers like Scholastic, John Wiley, and Pearson are increasingly looking to technology-driven distribution of information to spark future revenue growth.

Conditions are improving for many of the participants in the hospitality industry, but some companies are sprinting ahead of the pack.

The housing market recovery and improvement in the general economy have been a boon for home improvement retailers' sales. Expectations are that industry conditions will continue to be favorable.

Per capita consumption of beef has been declining for more than a decade, but when Americans dine out, beef is still an extremely popular choice, enabling restaurant chains that excel at preparing delicious steaks and tasty burgers to increase revenues and profits.

Sporting goods retailers are successfully fighting through today's difficult economic conditions and planning for the better days to come.

Companies in the footwear industry that successfully face the challenges of satisfying consumers' needs for function and their ever-changing style preferences are striding toward higher profits.

Although retailers aren't voicing tremendous optimism about the state of the economy, those with unique value propositions are well received by their target customers.

Although restaurant chains are not operating under ideal economic circumstances, the combination of fresh dining concepts in the right markets is still a recipe for profitability.

The hospitality and travel industries continue to make a solid recovery from the recession but hotel operators are still concerned about the enduring strength of consumer spending moving forward.

Recreation vehicle manufacturers are reporting spectacular results in 2013, leaving investors to wonder whether these companies can keep the good times rolling.