20 to Watch in 2007

Entrepreneurs and other business leaders who we think will set the tone for 2007.

January 2007

It will be impossible not to watch Stephen Hemsley, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, this year. What happens to him and to the company—which is under investigation by the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service for questionable accounting practices in connection with stock-option backdating—will likely cast the longest shadow on the local business scene in the coming year. It’s a story that’s being followed internationally. But while Hemsley holds a spot on our “20 to Watch” list this year, we’ve filled it out with local business newsmakers who mostly have lower profiles.

We’ve left out some companies that will always be worth watching and will undoubtedly get plenty of coverage in the dailies—Best Buy, Target, Northwest Airlines, 3M. Instead, we’ve focused on entrepreneurs and other business leaders who have interesting years ahead of them, and who we think will set the tone for 2007, thanks to their innovations and ideas.