John Willard Marriott

"When you take good care of your people, they'll take pride in their work and take good care of the customers. If you take good care of the customers, they'll come back, and the business will take care of itself."

John Willard "Bill" Marriott was born in Utah in 1900. While completing his studies at the University of Utah, he hatched plans for his first major business after visiting Washington, D.C., and recognizing a tailor-made market for A&W Root Beer. He secured the A&W franchise for the Washington, D.C., region and spent the next 58 years adding locations, perfecting procedures and expanding into new enterprises. Marriott breathed, ate, lived and dreamed about business. In 1927, he expanded his business into a chain of restaurants and hotels. In Marriott's eyes, his employees were the secret to his company's success.