Min Kao

Min Kao is executive chairman of $3.1 billion (sales) navigation firm Garmin, which makes everything from GPS for cars to weather radar for airplanes.Min Kao cofounded GPS maker Garmin with Gary Burrell in 1989, after the duo led development of the first GPS navigator at Allied Signal.Garmin has brought GPS navigation and wearable technology to the automotive, outdoor, fitness, aviation, and marine markets.Kao stepped down as CEO in 2012 but remains executive chairman and a member of the board. The company has delivered over 173 million products so far.Kao came to the U.S. from Taiwan in the 1970s and got a master's and a Ph.D. in engineering at the University of Tennessee.