College Dropouts Who Made It Big (MCD, RL, ORCL)

October 08, 2008 | By Gregory S. Davis The Big Mac and Ralph Lauren's Purple Label were both created by dreamers who could not wait for college graduation. The following will give investors a look at three companies headed by college dropouts that have managed to outperform the S&P 500 since the beginning of the year. College? I'm Hatin' It Ray Kroc, often thought of as the founder of the $16 billion McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) empire, actually bought the rights for the franchise and the name from the McDonald brothers. Ray was a milkshake salesman at the time that had previously worked in real estate and as a jazz musician. Today with over 31,000 restaurants in 118 countries McDonald's is committed to the same basic core values of quick and clean service. During the first six months of 2008, McDonald's completed a $2.8 billion... [read full story]