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impactlab_2010 01453.txt

#Richest Americans Youve Never Heard Of These folks are in the money! Microsofts (MSFT) Bill gates, Berkshire hathaways (BRK. A) Warren Buffett and Apples (AAPL) Steve jobs are all household names in addition to being among the wealthiest people in the country. There are, however, other billionaires, whose companies or products are also among the best-known in the country, yet they live in relative obscurity, unknown to most including their best customers. Take Subway, which serves 2, 800 sandwiches and salads every 60 seconds in the U s. How many of its customers have heard ever of its founder, Fred Deluca, who was 17 when he opened the first store? Or Peter Buck, the family friend who loaned Deluca the $1, 000 that got the company off the ground back in 1965? And just who else have heard you never of? Likewise, Enterprise Rent-a-car is the largest rental-car company in the U s, . but how many of its customers are familiar with Jack Crawford Taylor, the man who started the business back in 1957 and owns it to this day? Every day, countless shoppers buy products made by Dole food Company, the worlds largest producer and marketer of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh-cut flowers as well as packaged and frozen foods. Most people probably assume that Dole is owned by a large conglomerate, but in reality, a relatively unknown entrepreneur named David Murdock is Doles sole owner. All net worth estimates mentioned below are credited to Forbes Worlds Billionaire List for 2010. Jack Crawford Taylor Enterprise Rent-a-car Net Worth: $7 billion Jack Taylor founded Enterprise Rent-a-car, the largest rental-car company in the U s. He started the St louis, Mo. -based company, originally named Executive Leasing Company, in 1957 with seven cars oeand a hunch that customers will embrace the novel concept of leasing automobiles. In 2007 the Taylor family acquired National Car rental and Alamo Rent a car businesses. Through its subsidiaries, the company operates more than 1 million cars and trucks, the largest fleet of passenger vehicles in the world. Today, Taylors son, Andrew C. oeandy Taylor, is the companys chairman and chief executive officer. Enterprises annual revenue was $12. 1 billion in 2009. Clayton L. Mathileiams Net Worth: $1. 7 billion Clayton Mathile joined Iams in the 1970s and eventually become chief executive and chairman of the board. In 1974, Mathile bought half of the pet food company from its founder, Paul Iams, and then purchased the rest in the early 1980s. Under Mathiles direction, Iams became a world leader in premium dog and cat nutrition. In 1999, the Mathile family sold Iams to Procter & gamble for $2. 3 billion. Today, Mathile is a major investor in oovoo, a Web-based company that allows up to six users to video chat in real time via smartphones, TVS, netbooks, PCS and MACS. Mathile uses his wealth to help change the world. He founded The Mathile Institute for the Advancement of Human Nutrition, a nonprofit committed to improving the nutritional health of children around the world. He also created Aileron, a campus for entrepreneurs that promotes professional management practices as the keys to business success. S. Truett Cathychick-fil-A Net Worth: $1. 5 billion S. Truett Cathy is founder and chairman of Chick-fil-A. Cathy entered the restaurant business in 1946, when he and his brother, Ben, opened an Atlanta diner known as The Dwarf Grill (later renamed The Dwarf House). Through the years, that restaurant prospered and led Cathy to further expand his business. In 1967, Cathy opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant. Today, Chick-fil-A is the second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the U s. with more than $3. 2 billion in sales in 2009. As of February 2010, there are more than 1, 480 Chick-fil-A restaurants in 38 states and Washington, D c. Cathy has led Chick-fil-A on an amazing record of 42 consecutive years of annual sales increases. Today, Cathy devotes much of his time to philanthropy. William Kelloggkohls Net Worth: $1 billion William Kellogg got his start in the retail business as a buyer for Federated Department stores. In 1967, he was hired by Kohls (KSS) founder, Max Kohl, as a store manager. Working his way up the corporate ladder, he was named chief executive of the family-focused, value-oriented retailer in the late 1970s. In 1986, he led a management buyout of the company and retired as chairman in 2000. Kohls is now one of the nations largest retailers with 1, 067 stores in 49 states. In 2009, annual sales were $17. 1 billion. And heres the full list: LINK Share Thissubscribedel. icio. usfacebookredditstumbleupontechnorati e

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