Hall of Famers

William S. “Bill” Marvin , known for single-minded devotion to Marvin Windows and Doors, his family’s 103-year-old company, where he was president and chairman from 1960 to 2001, CEO from 1986 to 2000. When he joined the company in 1939, he was “employee number eight.” He grew it to 5,500 employees and an estimated $600 million in annual revenues.

Richard “Pinky” McNamara , who made a 36-year career of buying and resurrecting bankrupt or foreclosed-upon businesses, and became the CEO of Activar, a 600-employee, $100 million holding company. At one point, he owned and directed 25 companies at once.

Ken Melrose , who became CEO of the Toro Company in 1983 amid doubts that it could survive, refashioned its product portfolio, and helped achieve a 25-fold increase in its stock price in the next 22 years.

M. A. Mortenson, Jr. , a builder of skyscrapers, airports, sports arenas, schools, and manufacturing plants. When he became president of the M. A. Mortenson Company in 1969, it had 15 employees. By 2007—when he said he planned to be part of his company “forever”—it had 2,500 employees and annual revenues of $1.4 billion.

John Mooty , partner for more than 50 years at the law firm now known as Gray Plant Mooty, and 24-year chairman of International Dairy Queen, which he and partners rescued and refocused in 1970, after performing a similar turnaround at National Car Rental. Mooty later became a developer of real estate in Arizona.

Mahendra Nath , who arrived in the United States with $800 and a mechanical engineering degree, and became an employer at Nath Companies of 3,500 people at 130 fast-food restaurants, two hotels, and nine commercial and residential properties.

Marilyn Carlson Nelson , longtime businesswoman and community activist who became CEO of the $7 billion Carlson Companies in 1998 and promptly implemented plans to expand. As vice chair in 1994, she arranged a merger of Carlson Travel and Wagonlit Travel, expanding the company’s reach to 140 countries.

Ron Offutt , one of the world premier farm operators. At the time of his induction, he had more than 200,000 acres of potatoes and other vegetables, a 21,000-cow dairy, three potato processing plants, and RDO Equipment dealerships in nine states selling $535 million in John Deere equipment, Volvo and Mack trucks, and new and used construction equipment.

Earl Olson , the founder of Jennie-O/The Turkey Store, Inc., the world’s largest grower and processor of turkeys. By the time he sold his $135 million (in revenue) company to Hormel in 1986, it had developed hundreds of new products—turkey loaves, hot dogs, pastrami—and entered dozens of non-U.S. markets. He joined the Hormel board, stayed on as Jennie-O’s chairman, and took pride in the company’s growth to more than $1 billion in revenue.

Jeno Paulucci , founder of Chun King, Inc., Jeno’s, Inc., and LuiGeno’s, the maker of Michelina’s and Yu Sing foods. He later became the second-largest landowner (after the Walt Disney Company) in Florida.

John Pellegrene , marketing paragon and retailing innovator who transformed Target’s bull’s-eye into an icon of branding, invented the Dayton’s Santabear, created the first computerized bridal registry, and promoted the Target-funded restoration of the Washington Monument.