How Starbucks' Howard Schultz turned rags into riches and maintained the moral compass of the largest coffee chain on earth

Thirty years ago, Howard Schultz (No. 2 on the BI 100: The Creators) got into the coffee business with one goal in mind: to enhance the personal relationship between people and their coffee.

He's now responsible for Starbucks, one of the world's most beloved brands and the largest coffee chain on the planet. Last year, Starbucks' profits reached $2.8 billion on revenues of $19 billion, both record highs.

But Schultz isn't singularly focused on the traditional bottom line. He's a dynamic model of a progressive CEO who's as animated by social issues and employee welfare as he is profit margins. Schultz has suggested that Starbucks' creed - "to use our scale for good" - should be a model for other global corporations.

How did Schultz, who came from a "working poor" family in the Brooklyn projects, overcome adversity and grow a quaint Seattle coffeehouse into the largest coffee chain on Earth?

Scroll through to learn the story behind Starbucks and its leading man.

Additional reporting by Shana Lebowitz.