Below you will be introduced—more likely, reintroduced—to five of Minnesota’s most-watched, most-admired, and most-accomplished businesspeople of all time: Ralph Burnet, Dorothy Dolphin, Ron Offutt, Gerald Rauenhorst, and Win Wallin.

Each is an individual of enterprise. Each has led in the creation of at least oen substantial and competitively superior business organization—and in doing so, has altered our commercial landscape. Each is responsible for significant technological innovation or innovation in service. Each has also made substantial contributions to his or her community outside of business.

Selected by the editorial staff of Twin Cities Business, the individuals inducted this year into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame join a group of outstanding executives honored in past years:

• Elmer L. Andersen, newspaper owner, one-time governor and long-time chairman of H.B. Fuller, known for setting-and achieving—ambitious growth goals.

• Earl Bakken, inventor of the modern battery-powered heart pacemaker and co-founder of the world’s leading medical technology company: Medtronic, Inc.

• Edgar Heteen, the “grandfather of snowmobiling” and founder of the companies that became Polaris and Arctic Car, and the founder of all-season-vehicle maker ASV, Inc.

• Whitney McMillan, who led Cargill, the world’s largest privately held company, to a three-fold increase in employees and five-fold increase in earnings.

• Earl Olson, the founder of Jennie-O Foods, biggest processor of turkeys and turkey-meat products in the world.

• Jeno Paulucci, the founder of Chun King, Inc., Jeno’s, Inc., and Luigino’s, the maker of Michelina’s and Yu Sing foods.

• Carl Pohlad, buyer and builder of soft-drink bottlers, banks, and the Minnesota Twins, which he prevented from leaving Minnesota.

• Allan “Buddy” Ruvelson, who opened the nation’s first Small Business Investment Company and helped build Minnesota’s venture capital industry.

• Wheelock Whitney, former star investment banker, CEO of Dain and Company, a candidate for governor, and a teacher of management at the University of Minnesota.

The editors of this magazine have limited formal induction to living Minnesotans, but have honored to prominent executives post-humously: “Ultra-entrepreneur” Curt Carlson; and Ebba Hoffman, who expanded Smead Manufacturing from $4 million in revenue to a $300-million office-products powerhouse.