Yahoo Sports These billionaire brothers are the richest people in Mississippi. See what they’re worth
Show me the money.
Forbes recently found the richest person in each state and it’s time to see who racks up the most cash among the biggest billionaires in the country.
In all, the people on this year’s list are worth a combined $1.5 trillion. And more than half of them made their money in just four industries: finance and investments; fashion and retail; food and beverage; and technology.
From billionaires like Elon Musk ($230B) Ken Griffin ($32.7B) and Warren Buffet ($117B), the list is sure to surprise you; especially since Bill Gates ($116B) didn’t make the cut.
Jeff Bezos ($149B), who lives in the same town as Gates, beat him out as the wealthiest person in the state of Washington.
So, who is the richest person in Mississippi?
Well, it’s actually two people: brothers.
Thomas and James Duff are worth around $2.3 billion, making them the richest Mississippi residents.
They are both from Hattiesburg and their source of wealth comes from their holding company, Duff Capital Investors, with total revenue of more than $3.5 billion.
Nearly two dozen successful businesses sit under the umbrella of Duff Capital Investors, some of which include the Frozen Food Express, DeepWell Equipment Rentals, Southern Insurance Group, KLLM Trucking, TLWallace Construction and five car dealerships.
Duff Capital Investors has earned $4.2 billion in revenues and employs more than 12,000 employees, mostly in Mississippi.
The ticket to the Duff fortune was the retail tire store started by their father, Ernest. Southern Tire Mart started in 1973. The billionaires started their careers as teenagers, learning to retread tires at their father’s business. The business now brings in a healthy $3 billion in sales annually.
Who are the richest people in surrounding states?
In Florida, Ken Griffin takes the number one spot. Griffin lives in Miami and brings in around $32.7 billion dollars from hedge funds.
In Alabama, Jimmy Rane is the richest billionaire making $1.2 billion. Rane lives in Abbeville and his source of wealth is from lumber.
In Tennessee, Thomas Frist Jr. and his family rack up the most cash. They bring in $22.3 billion from hospitals and live in Nashville.
Robert Faith who lives in Charleston is the wealthiest person in South Carolina. Faith brings in $5.2 billion from real estate management.
Gayle Benson who lives in New Orleans is the richest person in Louisiana. She is the widow of Tom Benson, former owner of the NFL New Orleans Saints and NBA New Orleans Pelicans. Gayle Benson is worth around $4.7 billion.
In Georgia, the richest people are the owners of Chick-fil-A: Don Cathy, Bubba Cathy and Trudy Cathy White. They bring in around $11 billion a year and live in Atlanta.
Where do the most billionaires live?
There are currently 775 billionaires in the United States and 60% of them live in California, New York, Texas and Florida.
California has 179 billionaires
New York has 130 billionaires
Texas has 73
Florida has 92
What are your reactions to the list? Let us know in the comments.
