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Sunday, May 27, 2012
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2001 BW 50 Home
The Best Performers
Masters of Innovation
Investing for Growth


Current BW 50 Home
The BusinessWeek 50
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Dynegy Inc.
Chuck Watson , 51
CEO since 1989

Industry: Service Industries
Sales: $29.44 billion
Net Income: $501 million
Corporate Snapshot: DYN

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 Dynegy does well in times of volatile commodity prices, so you know it has been a good year for the company. Profits jumped 230%, to $500.5 million. Dynegy buys and sells gas, electricity, coal, and other commodities, plus a variety of financial derivatives, to serve utilities, municipalities, and other wholesale customers. A growing number of them sought Dynegy's help in managing supply and delivery. Watson makes no apologies for profiting from the electricity shortage, which he says he saw coming five years ago. Now he's buying and building power generation and other such assets, hoping to capitalize on rising energy prices in years ahead.

Applied Materials Inc.
James C. Morgan, 62
CEO since 1977

Industry: Manufacturing
Sales: $10.57 billion
Net Income: $2.29 billion
Corporate Snapshot: AMAT

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Applied Materials doesn't get as much attention as some of its tech brethren—not surprising, since it makes the equipment that makes the chips for computers. But sales at the 34-year-old company, based in Santa Clara, Calif., grew 76% in 2000, to $10.57 billion, its best year ever. And thanks to top-notch operations, it lifted net operating margins to 21.7%—remarkable for a manufacturer. This year, Morgan expects chipmakers to cut capital spending by 20%. He has seen it before. By investing in R&D and sales during previous slumps, Morgan has positioned the company for improved growth and profits in the upturns.

Providian Financial Corp.
Shailesh J. Mehta, 51
CEO since 1988

Industry: Banks
Sales: $5.95 billion
Net Income: $652 million
Corporate Snapshot: PVN

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Providian is giving bad credit a good name. By targeting high-risk customers, the nation's fifth-largest issuer of credit cards boosted its customer growth an impressive 31% in 2000. Net income for the year jumped 18%. Under the direction of the highly analytical Mehta, the company uses sophisticated models to effectively manage its customer base. Mehta has other initiatives under way, too. He's forged ahead with a strong online marketing program, a successful debt-collection business, and new businesses in Britain and Argentina.
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