The roster includes no fewer than 12 new names. Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, for instance, has transformed his company from an online bookseller to one of the world's top retailers, with a true hot product in its Kindle wireless e-book reader.

Under Jim Skinner, McDonald's started growing again as the company capitalized on healthier foods like salads, while not ignoring its core customers who crave Big Macs.

In financial services, few leaders stand taller than JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, who has avoided major mishaps and become the go-to guy for regulators looking to unload crippled companies like Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual.

Of course, adding a dozen names meant kicking a dozen off. They included Kenneth Chenault of American Express (now mired in credit-quality problems), Lew Frankfort of Coach (groping to find his way in the collapsed luxury market) and Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric (sitting on pile of potentially troubled real-estate investments).

Of course, adding a dozen names meant kicking a dozen off. They included Kenneth Chenault of American Express (now mired in credit-quality problems), Lew Frankfort of Coach (groping to find his way in the collapsed luxury market) and Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric (sitting on pile of potentially troubled real-estate investments).

Of course, adding a dozen names meant kicking a dozen off. They included Kenneth Chenault of American Express (now mired in credit-quality problems), Lew Frankfort of Coach (groping to find his way in the collapsed luxury market) and Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric (sitting on pile of potentially troubled real-estate investments).

But for all its surprises, the list also includes some old standbys, corporate luminaries who were just were just bound to be there. Like Warren Buffett. Despite a 50% drop in the stock market from its 2007 peak, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway remains a financial Fort Knox, with a cash hoard of $24 billion.

Costco Wholesale CEO Jim Sinegal is a prime illustration. Sinegal is proud that his stock has consistently maintained one of the highest price/earnings ratios in the retailing industry. Yet Costco is no slave to Wall Street. Sinegal's view is that if a company treats employees fairly and provides good value to customers, shareholders will benefit in the long run. When commodity prices started to decline in the fall, Costco moved to cut prices, even before its suppliers did. A popular item like rotisserie chickens, for instance, dropped by $1, to $4.99 -- and Costco sells a million of them each week in its 400 domestic stores. "It's easy to raise prices," Sinegal said last week. "It benefits you today, but will hurt you tomorrow" by alienating customers. Costco refuses to mark up the price of any product by more than 15%.