This is the latest post in our series, Twitter Powerhouses, which focuses on the contributions of people who’ve helped to expand, influence, and redefine how we view social networking. I co-wrote this post with my friend and fellow Huffingtonpost blogger Jim Thomas. This is cross-posted in the Huffingtonpost Business Section.

Ideas can be powerful, and when they are combined with a strong will and a sense of optimism, they can become extraordinary. Business titans of the early 20th century – like Henry Ford, Hetty Green, and Madame C.J. Walker, to name just a few – understood this truth, and helped to build a powerful foundation upon which future generations have succeeded.

In fact, those who have succeeded in each of the three waves of the world economy, knew how to adapt to change, create opportunities for themselves and others, and how to turn an amazing dream into an economically constructive reality. This is some of what Huffington Post blogger Patricia Handschiegel has documented in her popular “The New Power Girls” series.

As we move deeper into this century, many want to know who some of the great business leaders of this millennium will be: whose work will empower the world, whose thoughts, freely shared in our new media, will be guides for other businesses, and whose legacies will inspire greatness. Each of the 16 people below more than qualify in this regard. They see business as a fascinating area where history and tradition meet new ideas and innovation. Indeed, they are dynamic examples of what is possible on the grand stage of the New Global Economy.