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[centre][i]Sigmund Stryka, Founder and CEO of Stryka Corporation[/i][/centre]

	Mr. Sigmund Stryka was simple and frank, entirely dissimilar from what one might naturally expect of the world's richest man. His demeanour was altogether pleasant, and he had an ability to explain things in terms that made sense to everyone and patronized no one. He was a figure famous for his approachability, in spite of his status; it was not uncommon for Sigmund to tour the many factories he owned in Kienne, shaking hands with workers and never appearing anything but cheery and optimistic. The only factor of Sigmund's persona more famous to Aontas than his wealth and his demeanour were his political views: Mr. Sigmund Stryka was a staunch republican, advocating the abolition of the monarchy and the installation of a capable president. Of course, he additionally mused that he'd make a fine candidate for president himself, should the monarchy indeed disappear. This underlying desire for political power tinted Sigmund's otherwise innocent appearance, putting him at odds with King Matthias' allies—and of course the King himself. For any other figure in Aontas this would be a debilitating disadvantage, but Sigmund was perhaps the only man able to withstand it. Such was his economic clout that he possessed power in Aontas' affairs second only to the King he intended to replace.

	The Stryka Corporation, Aontas' largest private entity and arguably the largest company in the world, was Sigmund's creation. Sigmund's grandfather had established a small manufacturing company in the first few years of Kienne's industrial boom, which grew to become one of Kienne's largest towards the end of the life of Sigmund's father. Sigmund, however, after assuming control of the company following his father's demise, promptly sold it. He then used the capital acquired from its sale to place sizeable investments in many of his former competitors, but also in upstream enterprises. After a decade in finance had turned Sigmund into one of the wealthiest men in Aontas, his first outright purchase, and the beginning of the Stryka Corporation, was not in a factory, but an iron mine. From its onset, Stryka was a vertically integrated company, allowing it sizeable competitive advantage over Aontas' larger, more established enterprises, many of which were still partially owned by Mr. Stryka. The company's first years remained largely contained to the mining industry, maintaining only a minimalist presence in manufacturing, allowing its vertical integration to offer especially cheap products, which then forced the larger players to lower their costs (and their profitably). This artificial depression in Kienne's industrial sector would become Sigmund's opportunity to ascend to the level of wealth and prestige which he possesses today. In 1891, after eight straight financial quarters all bearing bad news for the city's two largest manufacturing companies, Mr. Sigmund Stryka, using his own personal fortune and partnering with dissenting businessmen from the companies themselves, purchased the companies outright. Their buildings were re-branded 'Stryka' to maximize the brand's breadth, their supply lines were diverted to draw from Stryka mines at severely discounted rates, and by the end of 1892, the Stryka Corporation had become larger than all of its biggest competitors combined, and Aontas' largest company by far.

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[centre][i]Styrka Corporation - A Site, built in 1895 to serve as the company's main production headquarters[/i][/centre]

	The owner of the largest company in Aontas did not end his ascent there, however. Sigmund knew that power was something that came and went, and if he wishes to prevail, he needed to ensure that the inevitable changes coming to Aontan society worked in his favour. The call for labour rights, and the empowerment of the worker, was a force that risked severely damaging Kienne's manufacturing industry in the late 1890's. Many predicted that the juggernaut Stryka Corporation would be the first to fall, becoming a victim of progress only a few years into its prime. However, it would not be so. Rather than fight against change, Sigmund embraced it. He became an ally of the unions, giving his workers generous raises and becoming one of the first businesses in the world to offer insurance to its employments in the event of on-site accidents. These increased costs severely hampered Stryka Corp., of course, but Sigmund also became an orator for the labour movement, turning the worker's frenzy against his anti-union opponents. Picket lines formed around the entrances of most factories [i]not[/i] owned by Sigmund Stryka, and at the same time as his face became one widely praised, many of his enemies went out of business or faded into obscurity. Sigmund jumped at the chance to annex them, purchasing the most productive sites for his own company whilst at the same time selling off his own least productive sites to establish workers' co-operatives, again assuring his good reputation. Everyone's favourite billionaire surfed the same wave that put his competitors out of business, and within a decade of throwing his full force into Kienne's manufacturing industry, became the world's richest man off the proceeds.