A refugee from Nazi Germany and an orphan, Daniel Aaron helped Comcast become the largest cable company in the United States

Akradi’s personal philosophy of fitness and well-being has made Life Time Fitness unique and successful.

Busch was one of 22 children in his family.

In 1944, TIME named Nathan Cummings “Duke of Groceries.”

DuPont was an early “transnational” business relying on knowledge, equipment and capital raised in France.

Tariq Farid started his first successful business at age 17.

Two generations of Feldbergs created the business that became TJX and BJ’s Wholesale Club.

Procter and Gamble were brothers-in-law married to a pair of sisters. They might never have met if fate had not intervened.

Helen Greiner’s love of robots started with R2D2 in Star Wars.

Menelaos Kaloyanides started his career at the Automat in New York City.

Kraft Foods started as a one-man business selling cheese with a horse and wagon.

Levchin sought asylum in the United States from the Soviet-controlled Ukraine.

Emerson sold the first electric fans in America, invented by two orphans from Scotland.

Forbes listed Elon Musk as 21st of The World’s Most Powerful People,  TIME named him one of the of the 100 most influential people in the world, and Fortune named him the top business person of 2013.

Procter and Gamble were brothers-in-law married to a pair of sisters. They might never have met if fate had not intervened.

Levi’s 501 jeans were born in San Francisco at the hands of two immigrants.

Goya Foods is the largest family-owned Hispanic food company in the United States.

Mei Xu created Chesapeake Bay Candle, one of the most popular brands in the country, and even worked with First Lady Michelle Obama to design a candle for the White House in 2009.