Bill Gates Tops Forbes 400 For 21st Year, While Meijer Brothers Doug and Hank, Richard DeVos Make Top 100
Forbes magazine today released its listing of the 400 richest Americans, with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates remaining in the top spot for the 21st straight year.
In addition, Meijer co-chairmen, brothers Hank Meijer and Doug Meijer, and Amway co-founder Richard DeVos both making the top 100.
Gates' estimated worth was $81 billion, up $9 billion from 2013. Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett was No. 2 is at $67 billion, up $8.5 billion from last year. Oracle's Larry Ellison was No. 3, with a personal worth of $50 billion -- up $9 billion from last year.
The biggest gainer was Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who came in at No. 11 with his net worth growing $15 billion since last year to $34 billion.
Meanwhile, the personal worth of Hank Meijer and Doug Meijer, who head the Meijer family-owned, Walker-based Meijer grocery and retail chain, is estimated at $7.9 billion to $8 billion, 55th on the list according to Forbes. Hank is the company's CEO.
DeVos came in at No. 83 with an estimated worth of $6 billion, having founded Ada-based Amway with Jay Van Andel.
Other Michiganders in the list included:
- No. 117, Dan Gilbert, Quicken Loans founder and owner of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, $5 billion.
- No. 122, Michael Ilitch and Marian Ilitch and family, Ilitch Holdings (Little Caesar Enterprises, Olympia Entertainment, Uptown Entertainment, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and Olympia Development), $4 billion.
- No. 161, Ronda Stryker, Stryker Corp., $3.4 billion.
- No. 214, A. Alfred Taubman, The Taubman Company, $2.9 billion.
- No. 353 (tie), John Brown, Stryker Corp., $1.8 billion.
- No. 353 (tie), Jon Stryker, Stryker Corp., $1.8 billion.
- No. 368, Manuel "Matty" Moroun and family, CenTra, Inc., (Ambassador Bridge), $1.7 billion.
Forty-seven women are on the list, down from 48 last year. This year includes newcomer and self-made billionaire Elizabeth Holmes (No. 110), a 30-year-old who founded Theranos, a Palo Alto, Calif., company disrupting the blood-testing business.
The combined wealth of Forbes’ 2014 ranking of the richest people in America, titled The Forbes 400, is $2.29 trillion, up from $2.02 trillion in 2013.
It took a minimum net worth of $1.55 billion to make The Forbes 400, $250 million more than in 2013.The average net worth of a Forbes 400 member is $5.7 billion, with 113 billionaires not making the list, according to Forbes.