Herb Kelleher
A middle-aged attorney from San Antonio scribbled a new business idea on a cocktail napkin in the 1970s (who says entrepreneurs need to be hotshot college drop-outs?). Southwest Airlines went against every sacred rule about what was needed to run a successful airline, whether it be hub-and-spoke routing, assigned seating, pricing optimization, or courting business travelers willing to pay high fares. Southwest went on to become not only the the most profitable company in the airline industry but outperformed every public company in terms of stock performance over the 30 year period starting in 1972.
