5. Terry Peabody

Founder and Chairman of Transpacific

Incident: A small realization revolutionized the cement industry

Terry invoked a brilliant idea when he was pumping high fluidity cement to stabilize the grounds for dams and tunnels. He realized that fly-ash, which is a key ingredient in strengthening cement, was being imported from Japan at high cost and could be obtained cheaply otherwise as a waste product from coal-fired power plants. He then approached the coal power plants and proposed a deal to buy the fly-ash that they had been throwing away, which allowed him to build a great industrial empire.