Kirk Perron: Healthy Lifestyle Advocate and Entrepreneur

Kirk Perron is a healthy lifestyle advocate and avid cyclist who turned his passion into a successful business. On 31 March 1965, he established Jamba Juice with his first store located in San Luis Obispo, California with his three friends, Joe Vergara, Kevin Peters, and Linda Ozawa Olds, in the business. Jamba Juice was later incorporated as Juice Club, Inc. in 1990 in San Luis Obispo, too.

Jamba Juice Company has its headquarters in Emeryville, California with more than 800 locations across the United States (26 states, so far) as well as in Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Philippines, and South Korea. The restaurant retailer has around 287 company-owned locations, 517 franchise-operated stores, all in the United States, as well as 45 international outlets.

The company has expanded its menu from fruit and vegetable smoothies to several healthy food options including sandwiches, salads, wraps, and flatbreads. Perron has certainly influenced thousands of people to adopt a healthy lifestyle even on the go.

Bill Gates: Best-known of the World’s Digital Entrepreneurs

William Henry Gates III, more popularly known as Bill Gates, is one of the world’s best-known entrepreneurs of the digital revolution particularly in personal computers. His renown extends beyond his prestige as a business tycoon, investor, and inventor but also into his notable works as a philanthropist. His company, Microsoft, dominates the world the computing while his philanthropic organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has influenced several industries worldwide.

In 1975, Gates dropped out of Harvard University to become co-founder of Microsoft with Paul Allen. Microsoft eventually became the world’s largest personal computer software company, an achievement that Gates played a crucial role in.

While at Microsoft, he held various positions, namely, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Software Architect, a position that he created for himself. He was also the largest individual stockholder until May 2014 although he was still an influential force within the corporation.

In January 2000, he resigned as CEO but remained as Chairman before creating the Chief Software Architect. In June 2006, he announced his plans of transitioning from full-time to part-time work so that he can focus more on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; his duties were gradually transferred to Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie. In February 2014, he became the company’s technology advisor, a role he took on to support CEO Satya Nadella.

Gates is considered as among the world’s richest men, a distinction that he has held since 1987. From 1995 to 2014, he was the richest overall except during the 2007-2008 global financial crisis. His net worth doubled from US$40 billion to over US$82 billion between 2009 and 2014.

His Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been cited by several organizations for its notable impact on education, health and technology, among others. His recognitions include the Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged and the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award from The Tech Awards for his philanthropy.

Greg Maples: Delivering a Better Burrito Experience Is His Forte

Greg Maples founded High Tech Burrito in 1986 with the vision of redefining the fast-food experience in general and the burrito experience in particular. He started with just a 400-square feet hole-in-the-wall joint with a counter and four stools but he was determined to both tantalize his target customers’ taste buds and enrich their lives with made-to-order burritos made from the freshest ingredients. He was just 21 years old when he started, which took plenty of guts, gumption, and gamble.

And his gamble paid off! High Tech Burrito has not only won several awards from food critics but it has also satisfied the hunger of diners for better burritos. Its restaurants are known among food aficionados for its fresh, full-flavored range of burritos prepared by hand according to the customers’ preferences.

High Tech Burrito is not just about the delicious food either. Maples and his team has several programs designed to benefit the community, such as fundraising wherein 15% of net proceeds made by a large group can be donated to any organization of their choice.

David Filo: The World Owes Him for Yahoo!

In February 1994, David Filo co-founded Yahoo! With Jerry Yang – and for it, the world owes him, in a manner of speaking, because the web portal is a major force in the Internet. He wrote the Filo Server Program, the server-side software used on the Filo Server Pages for Yahoo’s early versions.

Filo earned his bachelor of science in computer engineering degree at Tulane University and his master’s degree at Stanford University. He is one of the world’s richest men with an estimated net worth of $3.8 billion. He is also a well-known philanthropist with his most notable contribution being a $30 million donation to Tulane University’s School of Engineering as well as his non-profit endeavors including the Yellow Chair Foundation, the Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship, and the K12 Start Fund.

Yahoo Inc. first started as Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web, which consisted of a directory of other websites. The duo later renamed it as Yahoo! before they realized its huge potential and co-founded Yahoo Inc.

Today, Yahoo! is going from strength to strength. The web portal is widely considered as a leader among Internet brands as well as one of the most trafficked (i.e., visited and used) online networks. The American multinational technology company, which maintains its headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, offers a wide range of digital products and services aside from its web portal and search engine status. These include Yahoo! Directory; Yahoo! News; Yahoo! Mail; Yahoo! Groups; Yahoo! Finance; and Yahoo! Answers, as well as online mapping, advertising, social media, and fantasy sports.

Yahoo! is also a leader in many aspects, such as the top-ranking sites in the United States. It is the world’s highest-read media and news website with more than 7 billion readers monthly as well as the fourth most visited site worldwide (June 2015). Such is its global presence that it attracts over 500 million consumers worldwide in over 30 languages.

Joyce C. Hall: Made His Mark with Hallmark Cards

Joyce Clyde Hall (29 August 1891 – 29 October 1982) has certainly left a legacy that not even the advent of electronic cards has overshadowed. He is, after all, the founder of Hallmark Cards, the Kansas City-headquartered, privately-owned company considered as the United States’ largest manufacturer of greeting cards as well as range of gift products.

Starting at age 8 soon after his father abandoned the family, Hall worked odd jobs mostly in sales – a good start for his entrepreneurial success later in life. In 1905, he and his brothers invested in picture postcards, which were then sold to store owners and in his older brothers’ bookstore. In 1908, he founded the Norfolk Post Card Company in Norfolk, Nebraska.

It was just a small step toward Hallmark Cards, which he founded in 1910in Kansas City, Missouri with just two shoeboxes of postcards as his beginning inventory. While he encountered setbacks, such as when his first store burned down in 1915, he persevered and made his mark with Hallmark Cards.

Mark Ecko: Pharmacy’s Loss, Fashion’s Gain

Marc Ecko (born 29 August 1972) was a student at Rutgers University’s School of Pharmacy when he took a year off from his studies and pursued his dreams as a fashion designer upon the encouragement of his school’s dean. He never looked back and, today, he is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of his own billion-dollar international fashion and lifestyle company, Marc Ecko Enterprises, as well as the founder of Complex magazine. He is as well-known for his status as a formidable fashion designer as for his passion in entrepreneurship, investments, and arts as well as for his philanthropy.

Born Marc Louis Milecofsky, Ecko adopted his alternate name while in college, a time when he dabbled in the arts including graffiti and drawing. But his career started when he was still a teenager when he established a design studio and showroom in his parents’ garage. He created and sold merchandise including shirts with his own designs, customized hip-hop apparel, and airbrushed fingernails for girls.

His entrepreneurial streak served him well when he established ecko UNLTD in 1993. Ecko UNLTD started as a T-shirt company with early clients including Chuck D. and Spike Lee, both of whom helped in bringing wider exposure to his products. Ecko expanded his company into hip-hop and skater styles with the rhinoceros logo.

In the 21st century, ecko UNLTD has grown into a billion-dollar clothing and lifestyle company with stores in several countries. Its full product lines include urban clothes and accessories for children, young men and women, and adults. It also has divisions for video and social games, a magazine for young men, and venture capital funds.

Ecko is considered as the youngest designer to have been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). He has been a member of the CFDA’s Emeritus Board.

Ecko’s philanthropy is also notable for his social activism stance. He has supported protection for the rhinoceros population, provided funding for a Ukrainian orphanage, and established a non-profit organization (Sweat Equity Education), among others.

Billy Joe (Red) McCombs: Proof Everything In Texas Is Bigger

Billy Joe "Red" McCombs is among the State of Texas’ pride. He founded Red McCombs Automotive Group, which had its start as the Hemphill-McCombs Ford established in 1958 with Austin Hemphill, in San Antonio. He is also the founder of McCombs Energy, an energy company based in Houston, Texas.

McCombs has also been involved in the real estate industry via the Koontz-McCombs development company. His partnership with the Lowry Mays resulted in the purchase of the San Antonio-based WOAI radio station, which became the foundation for Clear Channel Communications. He is also the Chairman of Constellis Groups as well as a former owner of various sports teams including the San Antonio Spurs, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Denver Nuggets.

With his generous donation, the University of Texas’ business school was renamed the Red McCombs School of Business in his honor. He was also a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Southwestern University as well as the Chairman of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center of the University of Texas.

And because he is a Texan who can be bigger than life, McCombs has been awarded with several Hall of Fame honors, including Texas Business Hall of Fame, the San Antonio Business Hall of Fame, San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame.

Amadeo Peter Giannini: Pioneer in America’s Banking Industry

Amadeo Peter Giannini (May 6, 1870 – June 3, 1949) is among the foremost pioneers of the banking industry in the United States. He is best known for founding the Bank of America, one of the world’s largest banks.

When he was 13 years old, he dropped out of school and took a full-time job with his stepfather’s company, L. Scatena & Co., as a produce broker. He subsequently worked in various capacities as produce dealer and commission merchant in the Santa Clara Valley, a business where he was known for his savvy business skills.

But he eventually sold his business interests in L. Scatena & Co. to manage his father-in-law’s estate including an interest in Columbus Savings & Loan. He eventually came out of his early retirement to become a director in the company.

At the time, all the banks catered to the interests of the wealthy and well-connected set while the middle class was left to its own devices, banking-wise. Giannini wanted to provide banking services to the middle class and the immigrant population but he met opposition from the other directors.

He quit Columbus Savings & Loan and started his own bank, the Bank of Italy, on 17 October 1904 in San Francisco in a converted saloon. The Bank of Italy offered banking products and services including savings accounts and loans to hardworking immigrants, among other underserved individuals, usually on the basis of their character instead of their wealth – and the rest is history.

By 1916, Bank of America had over 500 branches across California. In 1928, Bank of Italy merged with the Bank of America with the new bank now known as Bank of America. Giannini became the chairman of the board until his retirement in 1945.

He is credited for being the inventor of several modern banking practices including the holding company and transnational structures. He is also among the first bankers to provide banking products and services to middle-class Americans. He has nurtured several industries with his banking support including the film (Walt Disney), automobile (Fiat), and technology (Hewlett-Packard) industries.

Kurt Taylor: Next Glass Founder and App Whiz

Kurt Taylor, founder of Next Glass, wants everybody to know what wines and beers will suit their palate even before actually tasting it. Next Glass is a service used in the analysis of the chemical compounds in beers and wines the user likes, which will then utilize the beverages’ underlying chemical structure to make drink recommendations. Keep in mind that the recommendations are based on science, thus, many people assert that the app can be hit-and-miss in many types of drinks.

During its first 3 weeks in the Apple app store, the app was downloaded 250,000 times. It is being downloaded at a rate of 100,000 downloads per week – a testament to the love of alcohol among Americans.

Next Glass can be downloaded on iOS and Android smartphones. The app has a huge database of drinks that can be compared with your tastes; just scan the label of the drink you are about to consume with your smartphone’s camera and the app will tell you whether you will love or hate it.