Forbes: Meijer brothers richest in Michigan
Michigan is home to at least 14 billionaire individuals and families, with the family that owns privately held grocery and retail chain Meijer worth $10.7 billion. That makes them the wealthiest family in the state, Forbes magazine said.
Most Michigan billionaires saw their fortunes rise in 2015.
The magazine said in its annual rankings of the world's richest people that brothers Hank and Doug Meijer are worth $10.7 billion, ranking 118th worldwide. That's a rise from 153rd last year when the magazine estimated they were worth $8 billion. Both are co-chairman of Meijer, and Hank is CEO of the company founded by their grandfather. The company operates 213 stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. It will expand to Wisconsin later this year.
Amway co-founder Richard DeVos of Holland is the 259th wealthiest, worth $5.7 billion, down from 196th last year. DeVos, 88, owns the Orlando Magic in addition to co-founding the Ada-based consumer products firm.
Franklin businessman Dan Gilbert was a big gainer last year, adding $500 million to his net worth since last year. Gilbert — who controls about 40 companies led by Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. and is a major mover and real estate holder in downtown Detroit — is worth $4.7 billion, ranking 341st. Gilbert also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Three members of the Stryker family, whose company makes replacement joints and other medical devices — and its former CEO — are on the list. Ronda Stryker, the Portage granddaughter of the founder, is worth $3.7 billion and ranked No. 462 in the world. Her brother, Jon Stryker of Kalamazoo, is worth $2 billion — and is ranked 949th. Pat Stryker is worth $2.2 billion, another granddaughter of the founder. The company's former CEO, John Brown, is worth $2.1 billion and ranked 894th.
Other Michigan billionaires include:
■Mike and Marian Ilitch, the Bingham Farms couple who founded pizza chain Little Caesars, and their family. Their family's net worth rose to $4.8 billion for 330th on the list. Their net worth was up from a $2.7 billion estimate in 2013 by the magazine. The couple jointly owns the Detroit Red Wings; he owns the Detroit Tigers and she owns MotorCity Casino Hotel.
■Real estate magnate Alfred Taubman, 89, of Bloomfield Hills. He is the 577th richest person in the world with a $3.1 billion net worth.
■Manuel "Matty" Moroun, 85, and his family, who control the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit and several trucking firms. Their net worth is $1.9 billion for 1,006th on the list.
■Martha Ford, 89, the widow of the last surviving grandchild of Henry Ford and an owner of the Detroit Lions. She is worth $1.5 billion for 1,250th place.
■Roger Penske, 76, of Birmingham, who is worth $1.3 billion and ranked 1,415th. He owns the Penske Auto Group, a group of more than 300 auto dealerships worldwide. Forbes said during the recession, Penske's net worth briefly fell below $1 billion — and it's still below the $2.7 billion that Forbes said he was worth in 2008.
The world's richest person was Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who was worth $79.2 billion in 2015 — up from $76 billion last year. That put him at the top of the magazine's list of the world's billionaires for the second consecutive year. The co-founder of Microsoft Corp. has topped the list for 16 of the last 21 years.
In second place is Mexican telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim Helu, with a net worth of $77.1 billion. He had topped the list in 2013.
Next is investor Warren Buffett, who moved up one slot this year with a net worth of $72.7 billion. In fourth place was Amancio Ortega, the Spanish co-founder of clothing retail chain Zara, with a net worth of $64.5 billion. Rounding out the top five was Larry Ellison, founder of technology company Oracle Corp., with $54.3 billion.
Also on the list is Tesla Motors and Space X CEO Elon Musk, who is worth $12 billion; he is tied for 100th among the world's richest people.
Forbes said there were 1,826 billionaires on its list this year, up from 1,645 in 2014. Added together, they were worth a combined $7.05 trillion, up from $6.4 trillion last year.
Most of the those on the list were men. But there were 197 women, up from 172 a year ago. The highest-ranking woman was Christy Walton, the widow of John Walton, a son of the founder of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. She has a net worth of $41.7 billion, according to Forbes.
Associated Press contributed.