145 Q UA RT E R _ 0 2 _ 2 0 2 6 1924–2025 Lam Leung-tim E N T R E P R E N E U R ’ S Y E L L OW D U C K L AU N C H E D A C H I N E S E T OY E M P I R E Lam subsisted by eating tree bark in China during World War II. After the war, he sold newspapers on the streets of Hong Kong and happened to read about the growing use of plastics in toys. That sparked a business idea. His first products were yellow ducks, perfect for floating in bath water. His Hong Kong company expanded by making toys for Hallmark and Hasbro. In the late 1970s, Lam began mov ing much of his toy production onto the Chinese mainland and helped transform China into Santa’s global workshop. He donated generously to educational causes and was awarded Hong Kong’s Bronze Bauhinia Star for contributions to industry. “I started out lacking three things in life: money, business experience, and technical know-how,” he said. “I built up the kingdom from nothing.” - 1970–2025 Doug Lebda E N T R E P R E N E U R C R E AT E D L E N D I N GT R E E L OA N - S H O P P I N G W E B S I T E As a young man in the 1990s, Lebda was annoyed by the experience of shopping for a home mortgage and was sure there must be a better way. It was the dot-com era, so he cre ated a loan-shopping website, now known as LendingTree. Unlike most dot-com start-ups, LendingTree sur vived. Acquired by IAC/InterActiveCorp in 2003, it was spun off five years later, with Lebda at the helm. As a boy in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, he was an early entrepreneur who sold discarded golf balls for $1 apiece. Lebda later bought a stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers football team. 1944–2025 Michael R. Quinlan M C D O N A L D ’ S C E O E X PA N D E D G L O B A L R E AC H Quinlan was the first member of his family to attend college. He arrived at McDonald’s at age 19 only because the mother of his roommate at Loyola University worked for Ray Kroc, the company’s founder. She arranged for him to work in the mail room while he continued his studies. Before age 30, he was on a fast track. His bosses made sure he learned all the basic restaurant skills, includ ing how to clean toilets. As CEO from 1987 until 1998, Quinlan led a rapid and highly profitable expansion overseas. He also added more healthful options, including salads, but a lower-calorie burger—the McLean Deluxe— flopped in the 1990s. Quinlan donated $10 million to Loyola’s life sciences program and $40 million to its business school—and said he had received far more from his alma mater than he gave. He was a life trustee of the Ronald McDonald House Charities. - - - Capstone