In this photographic essay by Robert Maxwell, you'll take a visit to Nashville where a young woman is relying on breakthrough therapies to fight HIV. In southeastern Pennsylvania, meet coal miners who labor 600 feet underground digging the largest deposit east of the Mississippi. And see the high-rollers' suite at Las Vegas Sands' Venetian Hotel and Casino. The middle of the FORTUNE 1,000 is where you'll find the fast-growing companies we've highlighted on the following pages. All are extraordinary -- and all are made so by the people who work for them. Captions by Abrahm Lustgarten, FORTUNE Magazine.