Gunnar Stavrum

"The trio on board the "Aleutian Harvester" had one of the world's most dangerous jobs. Statistics show that it is seven times more dangerous to be a fisherman in Alaska than a fisherman elsewhere in the USA, and a whole 70 times more dangerous than being an industrial worker. Zimny knew from personal experience that the statistics hid tragedies. He personally knew several of the over 100 fishermen who in the last ten years had lost their lives fishing off Alaska. In his family, it was not an adage that "the sea takes and the sea gives.""

"Kjell Inge gained business sense early. He sold pictures of himself to sports fans, and he was great at saving money. The first money he saved, he earned as an assistant telegram boy in Tomrefjord. Gjelsten's grandmother, Beret, was a commanding lady, and as the station manager for the Telegraph Service, she was a hub in the industrial village. Bjørn Rune got to bike with messages for 25 øre per kilometer. After tough negotiations, he managed to get three kroner for a round trip to the innermost part of the fjord (6 kilometers), and with the activity in the village, there were many bike rides for Bjørn Rune. So many that he needed a subcontractor, and he hired Kjell Inge. Of course, at a lower payment than what he himself received from his grandmother."

"Bjørn Rune, on the other hand, endured. He too was a late bloomer, but his father explained to him in detail what was happening and advised him to take it easy. The son followed the advice and maintained the discipline to train bravely even though it went just as badly on the tracks. He himself believes that the targeted patience from youth sports has been important: "I enjoyed the sport, even though I didn't win." Bjørn Rune distinguished himself as a methodical and targeted, meticulous young man. When he wasn't training, he was bent over his schoolbooks, or working and saving money."

""What I remember best about Kjell Inge at school was that he was often sent into the hallway. Usually with the comment: 'Unfair. It wasn't in the hall this time,' to the teacher," one of the friends recounts. "He constantly got into trouble because he couldn't stand injustice, neither towards others nor himself. And he didn't care about authorities. Kjell Inge was often to blame, but just as often, he became a scapegoat for the teachers. He probably should have gotten more support from the rest of us.""

"The report gives him little honor, and the story of "Karina" appears as a castle in the air that ended in financial ruin."

"But what impressed Gjelsten the most was the sports star's ability to turn his own sporting triumphs into economic success. Shorter had indeed built up an entire conglomerate that made jogging attire under the brand name Frank Shorter Sportswear. He had managed to market himself as something of a jogging wave pioneer, and Gjelsten was given something to think about. He was in a similar situation himself – his sports career was waning. He had indeed received a free education through his skiing skills, but now it was the economist Gjelsten that mattered. What was he going to do?"

"Røkke had entirely different experiences: Take the chance, think big. You usually land on your feet, was his motto. Now, for the first time, he had some capital to speak of, and he knew what he wanted."

""I don’t know how many times I went to see Bob because he owed me money, and returned just as happy – without getting the money," says another. "That man could really talk his way out.""

"What characterizes successful businessmen is that they dare to try new and unknown things."

"The risk-takers are harder to understand. Here we find people like Christen Sveaas, who has succeeded in diverse industries such as shipping, real estate, and IT, and who never says no to gambling if his instinct and calculator tell him that there is new money to be made. For many of them, money is more a measure of success than a means to high consumption and prosperity. This makes them less afraid of losing everything. They enjoy the moment and have very high consumption, but at the same time are not very flashy. They know the road back to the streets is shorter than many can dream of."

"It may not have been surprising that the banks were skeptical. For Røkke had no more than 10-15 million kroner in equity to flaunt, while the new building would easily cost 230 million. The project simply didn't have enough equity to get off the drawing board."

"The legal documents show that Kari Monsen Røkke was willing to go far to get her share of the fortune. If she couldn't have time with her spouse, she would at least get her share of the money. She knew they were wealthy, but just how wealthy she had no idea, only that it was probably a matter of several tens of millions of kroner. "The standard of living and lifestyle that we have all shared as a family has been extremely high, and to sort out, establish, and identify revenue, tax implications, and the nature and value of the various assets will be a huge job," Kari explained to the court. "I do not have access to enough financial information to determine with certainty all of our sources of income..." But she had to document every single cent she wanted to have, the lawyers said. And they advised her to "vacuum" the house for papers and talk to the couple's financial advisors to possibly learn even more. Kjell Inge had long since stopped involving his wife in economic matters. He had indeed told her that they owned about 32 companies, but what they were called, and what they dealt with, she had no idea. But she bravely began to scrutinize the villa for traces of the fortune, and she worked methodically and was eventually able to provide her lawyers with information."

"The end result was that Gresvig AS changed hands. First, Gjelsten and Røkke bought 60 percent of the shares, and after a short time, they tempted Aksel Gresvig enough to sell the rest as well. Thus, the two partners became owners of the country's largest sports wholesaler for 60 million kroner and started an acquisition that deserves to go into the textbook for future stock sharks. This is the story of a raid with a human face – a battle with no losers, only winners. Not many thought that Gjelsten and Røkke had made a good purchase. The price tag was so high that the previous owner, Aksel Gresvig, patted himself satisfied on his vest pocket and thought he had made a good deal. For the buyer, a tough race began to get the headstrong G-Sport stores back on track."

"The Gresvig coup also had other typical Røkke traits. It was here he first discovered how useful it is to sit on all sides of the table. The first thing Røkke and Gjelsten did was to pump goods from their own companies through Gresvig. The G-Sport stores were filled with clothing items from Frank Shorter and Tomra – "on business terms," as it was stated. At the same time, they bought Gresvig's buildings and leased them back to Gresvig. Through many cunning maneuvers, the rest of the Røkke system extracted 40–50 million kroner a year. On top of that, Røkke and Gjelsten's company, Sport Invest Inc., demanded "consultancy fees" to assist the Gresvig management. No less than 13 million kroner were taken out in one year. To top it all off, the new owners were not modest enough to refrain from draining Gresvig of 36 million kroner in group contributions."

"The method is as simple as it is brilliant: Remove all the excess and squeeze the lemon to the maximum. Show how much the lemon was squeezed last year, and sell the lemon at a high price. Then the buyer can sit with their squeezed lemon and see how much more juice they can extract."

"Ayn Rand: "Throughout the centuries there have always been people who have taken the first steps down new roads armed only with their own visions.""

"Then he moved on to a management position at Morgan Stanley, one of the toughest and best American investment banks. There, Halvorsen performed so well that he was headhunted by none other than Julian H. Robertson, the extremely wealthy and media-shy billionaire behind the feared Tiger funds. The young Norwegian moved into Tiger's fashionable premises and began investing huge amounts in cheap Norwegian stocks. Just on Storebrand, he earned more than a billion for his funds in a short time. And it was probably not just luck, as Andreas Halvorsen, as he refers to himself, is widely known for his detailed studies of the companies he invests in. And he is a feared visitor where he meticulously scrutinizes the management with inquisitive questions before deciding to invest a penny. This man met Kjell Inge Røkke in 1993, and Røkke wanted one thing; namely, to get Tiger as a supporter."

"Ole Andreas Halvorsen"