Business legend has it that there are three types of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who have no idea what is happening. American RMITs, not surprisingly, are those who make things happen. They make big things happen. They thrill in ideation and even more in execution. Quite simply, they are builders—they love to create and build more than anything else. They build businesses, they build homes, and they build great wealth.
The vast majority of them say they are ultra-happy as well, and they all agree on one thing—retirement sucks! With a conservative net worth of $6 billion, Sam Zell is the richest man in Chicago. He’s a real estate titan and recent buyer of the Tribune Company, the media colossus that encompasses the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, and the Baltimore Sun. When I asked him, “What’s next?” he replied, “Who knows? I just know there will be something and it will be fascinating—I’m a professional opportunist.” What follows is the collective wisdom of one hundred “professional opportunists” who uniquely define the American Dream.
Akron, OH: James Oelschlager
Albany, NY: Guha and Karthik Bala
Amherst, MA: Michael Kittredge
Anchorage, AK: Robert Gillam
Anderson, CA: Archie “Red” Emmerson
Atlanta, GA: Bernard Marcus
Austin, TX: Michael Dell
Baltimore, MD: Stephen Bisciotti
Bangor, ME: Stephen King
Belspring, VA: Randal J. “RJ” Kirk
Birmingham, AL: Miller Gorrie
Boston, MA: Peter M. Nicholas
Boulder, CO: Judi Paul
Buffalo, NY: Robert Wilmers
Burlington, VT: Robert Stiller
Carrollton, GA: Robert J. Stone
Charlotte, NC: O. Bruton Smith
Chicago, IL: Sam Zell
Cleveland, OH: A. Malachi Mixon
Cleveland, TN: W. Allan Jones
Colorado Springs, CO: Leroy Landhuis
Columbia, SC: Joe E. Taylor
Columbus, OH: Leslie H. Wexner
Dallas, TX: Harold C. Simmons
Danbury, CT: Fred DeLuca
Dayton, OH: Clayton H. Mathile
Daytona Beach, FL: Ron Rice
Denver, CO: Charles W. Ergen
Des Moines, IA (Ankeny): Dennis Albaugh
Detroit, MI: William Davidson
El Paso, TX: William D. Sanders
Fargo, ND: Gary Tharaldson
Fisher Island, FL: Bharat Desai
Fort Lauderdale, FL: Wayne Huizenga
Fort Worth, TX: David Bonderman
Fresno, CA: David McDonald
Grand Rapids, MI: Richard DeVos
Greenville, SC: Leighton Cubbage
Greenwich, CT: Thomas Peterffy
Harrisburg, PA: Alex Hartzler
Hartford, CT: Ronald Williams
Hollis, NH: Patrick McGovern
Honolulu, HI: Jay H. Shidler
Houston, TX: Dan Duncan
Indianapolis, IN: Christel DeHaan
Kansas City, KS: Min Kao
Kansas City, MO: James E. Stowers
Knoxville, TN: James A. Haslam II
Lake Charles, LA: William J. Doré
Las Vegas, NV: Sheldon Adelson
Little Rock, AR: Frank Hickingbotham
Livonia, MI: Danny Gilbert
Los Angeles, CA: Kirk Kerkorian
Louisville, KY: David A. Jones Sr.
Madison, WI: Pleasant Rowland
Memphis, TN: Frederick W. Smith
Meridian, MS: Hartley Peavey
Miami, FL: Jorge Pérez
Milwaukee, WI: William Kellogg
Minneapolis, MN: Richard Schulze
Missoula, MT: Dennis Washington
Morgantown, WV: Milan “Mike” Puskar
Nashville, TN: Thomas F. Frist Jr.
Newport Beach, CA: Donald Bren
New York, NY: Carl Icahn
Oklahoma City, OK: David Green
Omaha, NE: J. Joseph Ricketts
Orlando, FL: Harris Rosen
Palo Alto, CA: Sergey Brin
Pensacola, FL: Fredric Levin
Philadelphia, PA: Josh Kopelman
Portland, ME: Roxanne Quimby
Portland, OR: Phillip Knight
Providence, RI: Jonathan Nelson
Raleigh, NC: O. Temple Sloan Jr.
Rochester, NY: Thomas Golisano
Rodeo, NM: John McAfee
Sacramento, CA: Marvin “Buzz” Oates
Salt Lake City, UT: Jon Meade Huntsman Sr.
San Antonio, TX: Billy Joe “Red” McCombs
San Diego, CA: Charles Brandes
Sandpoint, ID: Dennis Pence
San Francisco, CA: Larry Page
Savannah, GA: Robert Jepson Jr.
Scottsdale, AZ: Bruce Halle
Seattle, WA: William Gates III
Sioux City, SD: Denny Sanford
Spartanburg, SC: George Johnson
Spokane, WA: Harlan D. Douglass
St. Louis, MO: Jack Taylor
Syracuse, NY: Robert J. Congel
Toledo, OH: Paul Ormond
Trenton, NJ: Jon Corzine
Tucson, AZ: Jim Click
Tuscaloosa, AL: James I. Harrison Jr.
Washington, DC: David Rubenstein
Wichita, KS: Phillip Ruffin
Wilmington, DE: Charles Cawley
Woodside, CA: Larry Ellison