Dietrich Mateschitz

Last year, Dietrich Mateschitz's Austria-based company sold 4 billion cans (more than its next three energy-drink competitors combined), reportedly spent more than $300 million on marketing, and pushed the category beyond $30 billion. All that has less to do with the drink than Mateschitz's magic in creating a corporate identity for Red Bull as what he calls a "cultural" company. From introducing the world's top skateboarders to Havana's underground skate scene to arranging a private jet to fly world-champion downhill skier Lindsey Vonn to a hand specialist after she cut a thumb tendon on a Champagne bottle, Mateschitz is blurring the lines between retailing, sports marketing, and entertainment. -- by Mark Borden