2018 REVISED, RE-EDITED EDITION: As the man behind the unprecedented 1987 leveraged buyout of Beatrice Foods, Reginald F. Lewis established himself as a respected titan of Wall Street. His standing as the CEO of a billion dollar conglomerate while in his mid-forties surprised many, especially in light of his middle-class, African-American roots in Baltimore, Maryland. Yet the reality that Lewis, without the advantages of inherited wealth or family connections, would amass a fortune placing him on the Forbes 400 list of America's wealthiest individuals is undeniable and serves to amplify the truly remarkable achievement of this pioneering businessman. What prepared the young man who would become one of the world's most respected executives for this unimaginable rise to the top. What can be learned from the formative years that shaped and molded Reginald F. Lewis into an American success story. Lin Hart's informative and inspirational book, Reginald F. Lewis Before TLC Beatrice: The Young Man Before the Billion-Dollar Empire, sets out to explore and shed first-hand insight on these precise topics. Focusing on the ten years between 1956 and 1966, when Baltimore teenagers Lin Hart and Reginald F. Lewis were particularly close, the book draws on shared experiences and memories from their years as high school students and then as college roommates at Virginia State. With each entertaining, personal story, Lin Hart underscores the qualities that emerged during this period of Lewis's life, many of which would play a role in his future successes. Throughout what is clear is Lewis's will to succeed, his supreme confidence, and his unrelenting pursuit to move beyond the ordinary to become extraordinary. Richly layered with motivational insight and lovingly told with honest integrity, Reginald F. Lewis Before TLC Beatrice combines the best attributes of a rousing memoir with the direct imperative of a self-help book, holding up the exceptional life of Reginald F. Lewis as an indisputable model for success.