William Young

William Young founded Plastipak with his father in 1967, the same year that he graduated with a degree in engineering from the University of Detroit. After six years of running the business, they sold the majority to Beatrice Foods Co. for an undisclosed amount. The family kept a stake while Bill continued to run it as a division of Beatrice. In 1982, the family bought back Plastipak. Three decades later, a division of Goldman Sachs picked up a minority stake. Today Young is still CEO of the firm, which manufactures plastic containers for such companies as Procter & Gamble, Pepsi and Kraft Foods. It also holds over 600 U.S. patents for package design and manufacturing processes. Young's father died of a heart attack in 2005 at age 90.