11. ROBERT KOPSTEIN
Roanoke. 50. Owns more than 96 percent of Optical
Cable Corp., maker of fiber-optic cables. Trained in engineering at University of
Wisconsin. Worked at Phalo Corp. in fiber optics and in ITT’s electro-optical
products division on military project to make combat-ready cable. Saw technology’s
commercial potential and co-founded Optical Cable. Stock price is soaring, even after
business press criticism for its valuations. Optical Cable is now moving into online
sales. Net sales in fiscal 1999: $50.7 million.
Net Worth: $918 million
Confidence: A
12. THEODORE J. LEONSIS
Great Falls. 44. President of AOL’s Interactive Properties Group. Came to AOL in 1994
when it bought Redgate Communications Corp., company Leonsis founded in 1987. Biggest
deals of late have been in the sports world — he and partners paid $200 million for
the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals and other sports properties. Last
year he lured Michael Jordan in as part-owner of the Washington Wizards, the city’s
hapless basketball team. Sees sports franchises as the next wave of virtual communities
— calls them "truly new media brands waiting to be leveraged in the new Internet
economy."
Net Worth: $900 million
Confidence: A-
13. SMITH/KOGOD FAMILY
Crystal City and Washington. Immigrant Charles E. Smith incurred major losses during
Depression, left New York in 1942, founded The Charles E. Smith Cos. in 1946. Died in 1995
at age 95. Son, Robert H. Smith, 71, joined company in 1950, and son-in-law Robert Kogod,
68, in 1959. Built company into the state’s largest real estate development and
management company. Took residential portfolio public in 1994 as Charles E. Smith
Residential Realty Inc. Market value approximately $2.5 billion. Consolidated office
buildings during 1997 and 1998 into Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty L.P., a private
master limited partnership.
Net Worth: $900 million
Confidence: B
14. RICHARD ADAMS
Falls Church. 43. Founder of Herndon-based UUNet Technologies Inc. in 1984. Sold the
company to MFS Communica-tions Inc. in 1996 for $2 billion; company is now part of MCI
WorldCom. Grew up in Cleveland, graduated with several computer science degrees from
Purdue University. Client-turned-chairman at Cello Technolo-gies, a Falls Church-based
entertainment and electronic systems technology firm.
Net Worth: $750 million
Confidence: B
15. BARRY SCHULER
Great Falls. 45. President of AOL’s Interactive Services
Group, which handles AOL’s online service, its CompuServe and Netscape Netcenter
services and the Netscape Communicator browser. Led release of AOL 5.0 software and
"You’ve Got Pictures" software. Oversees AOL Instant Messenger service. In
1989 started Medior, a computer game and CD-ROM designer. A former CEO of Cricket
Software, he helped develop graphics software for Apple’s Macintosh computers.
Net Worth: $750 million
Confidence: C
16. FRANK BATTEN JR.
Virginia Beach. 41. Succeeded father as chairman of Norfolk-based media company (see entry
for Batten Sr.). Made news in 1999 with a winning $3 million venture investment in Red
Hat, a value-added reseller of Linux freeware. Company went public in August at $7 a
share; cost to Frank Jr. was 20 cents per share. In early May shares were trading around
$25. Resigned from Red Hat board to spend more time with his two young children and, it
appears, focus on new Landmark ventures. In May announced he’d go head-to-head with
Oracle, IBM and Microsoft with a start-up software company. Landmark has invested $25
million into a new subsidiary, Great Bridge LLC, to market and support a freeware database
management system.
Net Worth: $735 million*
Confidence: C
17. ROBERT PITTMAN
Great Falls. 45. President and COO for America Online, and a
director since 1995. Career stops include a year running Century 21 Real Estate Corp. in
1995-96 and five-year stint as president and CEO of Time Warner Enterprises, a division of
Time Warner. Also worked as CEO for Six Flags Entertainment Corp. Created MTV network and
was CEO and president of MTV Networks. A director of Cendant Corp. and barnsandnoble.com.
Net Worth: $700 million
Confidence: B-
18. JAMES V. KIMSEY
Arlington. 60. Dulles-based America Online founding CEO and
chairman emeritus. Director for Capital One Financial Corp., a financing company, Capital
One Bank and EduCap Inc. Was part of failed joint bid to buy Washington Redskins and
former Jack Kent Cooke Stadium. Has been overseas a lot lately — visited Vietnam and
Colombia. Kimsey graduated from West Point in 1962, studied at Georgetown University.
Served in Army as an airborne ranger, two tours in Vietnam, where he began an orphanage he
still supports.
Net Worth: $700 million
Confidence: C
19. JAMES W. MCGLOTHLIN
Bristol. 60. Jim McGlothlin, former coal baron, continued the
restructuring of his conglomerate, the United Co., last year. Unloaded a Nevada
cogeneration facility and a coal mining supply company and sold the Dominion Bankshares
building, Roanoke’s marquee office tower. United now a money management firm, oil and
gas subsidiaries, a specialty building supply company and a golfing business,
McGlothlin’s favorite. Newest golf operation is the Old Farm outside Bristol. Limited
to 200 members, the club boasts Fortune 500 CEOs and sports celebrities.
Net Worth: $680 million
Confidence: B
20. SANJU BANSAL
Vienna. 34. Co-founder and COO of MicroStrategy. MIT graduate
with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. Has a master’s of science in
computer science from Johns Hopkins University. Co-founder of the Indian CEO Council.
Before Microstrat-egy, specialized in strategy planning for telecommunications and
semiconductors at Booz-Allen & Hamilton, an international management and technology
consulting firm in McLean.
Net Worth: $670 million
Confidence: A
