 Steve Hightower's rise from working as a janitor in his parents' cleaning business in Ohio to one of the wealthiest oil tycoons in the nation is inspiring. The Wright State University grad began fulfilling his business dreams with his construction business in 1978. There's one thing that stops everyone, and that's the fear of failure. Steve Hightower found barriers in the business frustrating, and after hearing of a program to sell gas in Ohio, he opened an oil and gas transport business in 1981.