How Do Michigan's 14 Billionaires Rank Among World's Richest?

The number of billionaires increased worldwide, to 1,826 in 2015, up from 1,645 in 2014, according to an analysis by the business magazine Forbes. Their net worth also increased over the period, to $7.05 trillion up from $6.4 trillion. (Photo via Creative Commons)

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Supermarket heirs Hank and Doug Meijer are Michigan’s richest billionaires, according to an analysis of the financial worth of the world’s billionaires released by the business magazine Forbes Monday.

The brothers, co-chairs of the privately held grocery and retail chain founded by their grandfather, are worth $10.7 billion, making them the 118th richest billionaires in the world, a rise from 153rd on Forbes’ august list in 2014.

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There are at least 14 billionaire individuals and families in Michigan, including:

• Amway co-founder and Orlando Magic owner Richard DeVos of Holland, No. 259, worth $5.7 billion.
• Mike and Marian Ilitch, the Bingham Farms couple who founded the Little Caesars pizza chain and who jointly or singularly own the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Tigers and MotorCity Casino Hotel, and their family, No. 330, worth $4.8 billion.
• Franklin businessman Dan Gilbert, who controls about 40 companies led by Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. and owns the Cleveland Cavaliers, No. 341, worth $4.7 billion.
• Real estate magnate Alfred Taubman of Bloomfield Hills, No. 577, worth $3.1 billion.
• Three members of the Stryker family, whose company makes replacement joints and other medical devices, are on the list: Ronda Stryker of Portage, No. 462, worth $3.7 billion; Pat Stryker, No. 847, worth $2.2 billion; and Jon Stryker of Kalamazoo, No. 949, worth $2 billion.
• Former Stryker CEO John Brown, No. 894, worth $2.1 billion
• Manuel “Matty” Moroun of Detroit, whose family controlsl the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit and several trucking firms, No. 1,006, worth $1.9 million.
• Martha Ford, the widow of the last surviving grandchild of Henry Ford and an owner of the Detroit Lions, No. 1,250, worth $1.5 billion.
• Roger Penske of Birmingham, owner of the Penske Auto Group, No. 1,415, worth $1.3 billion.

The richest person in the world is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, with an estimated net worth $79.2 billion. Americans dominated the Top 10, who also included:

• Berkshire Hathaway founder Warren Buffett, the third-richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $72.9 billion;
• Oracle founder Larry Ellison, the fifth-richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $54.3 billion.
• Diversified businessmen and conservative political activists David and Charles Koch, No. 6 with a net worth of $42.9 billion.
• Wal-Mart’s Christy Walton and Jim Walton, No. 8 and No. 9 with net worths of $41.7 billion and $40.6 billion, respectively.

Most Michigan billionaires became wealthier in 2015. There were 1,826 billionaires on the list this year, an increase from 1,645 in 2014. Collectively, the world’s billionaires are worth $7.05 trillion, an increase over $6.4 trillion combined net worth in 2014.

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