Proving that good guys do finish first, Hal Rosenbluth, owner of the Philadelphia-based corporate travel agency, Rosenbluth International, took his business to Linton, North Dakota after reading in 1988 about how the small farming community was the hardest hit in the country during the drought years.

New local hero Hal Rosenbluth and host Will Durst give a Lawrence Welk "champagne bubble" salute.

Rosenbluth opened a temporary data processing center in Linton using the old John Deere tractor showroom as an office. With the idea of employing some 20 contract workers, he could not have foreseen what lay ahead. His own workers fell in love the community, and the company went on to open permanent reservation offices in Linton, as well as Fargo and Dickinson. Duke Rosendahl, who heads up Linton's economic development office, says thousands of people now have jobs as a direct result of Hal Rosenbluth.

Not only has his office helped diversify the economy, but it saved many farms by employing farmers who were on the brink of losing their land. Young people who have for years been leaving North Dakota are returning. Linton has provided the backdrop for another dream of Rosenbluth's. He has bought a ranch there that also serves as a retreat where city slicker business executives can assemble to discuss innovative business strategies.

Rosenbluth Travel ranks in the top ten of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America. Rosenbluth's corporate philosophy is explained in detail in his book, The Customer Comes Second & Other Secrets of Exceptional Service (Hal F. Rosenbluth & Diane McFerrin Peters, Quill Publishing, 1994). In the book, Rosenbluth explains how putting employees' needs ahead of the customer has turned his travel business into a $1.5 billion/year enterprise.

More Resources on Corporate Responsibility:

• Publications & Newsletters on Corporate Responsibility
• Organizations Promoting Social & Corporate Responsibility
• Principles of Corporate Citizenship