NEW YORK CITY – Warren Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, won in a landslide vote, taking the top prize of “Top Business Newsmaker” with an overwhelming 84% of the votes tallied. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke came in at a very respectable 68% for second place, followed by former Fed chief Alan Greenspan at 35%.

Survey respondents showed their near reverence for the investor extraordinaire in their explanations for their selections of Buffett as their top pick. One noted, “His business opinion is respected by everyone. Even those who don’t like him want to know what he thinks.” However, the most complimentary by far went to one real estate executive, who wrote of Buffett: “When he breathes people listen.”

Fed Chairman Bernanke’s critical role in the economy was a major factor in his second place finish. One respondent related that Bernanke’s “every move impacts the economy,” while another stated, “He’s the captain of the ship U.S.(S.) Enterprise. “

Microsoft’s Bill Gates came in fourth place in the survey conducted as part of Globest.com's 10th anniversary, followed by: investor Sam Zell (No. 5); Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin (No. 6); Donald Trump (No. 7); former eBay CEO and failed California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman of eBay (No. 8); Morton Zuckerman (No. 9); and Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Inc. (No. 10).

Tomorrow: Look for the results of the Globest.com survey “Top 10 Quotes” of the past decade.

Instant Insights /

Warren Buffett: &#145;When He Breathes People Listen&#146;

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Warren Buffett: When He Breathes People Listen