These Ohio Billionaires Are Among Richest In U.S.: Forbes

OHIO — The coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy, yet billionaires in Ohio and across the globe are significantly wealthier than they were a year ago, according to this year’s recently released Forbes World's Billionaires List.

The number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual list jumped to an unprecedented 2,755 people, 660 more than a year ago. Altogether, they are worth $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion in 2020.

Among those on the list, 86 percent are richer today than they were a year ago.

The numbers will likely spark outrage, writes Forbes Chief Content Officer Randall Lane. “There’s no getting around a collective $5 trillion wealth surge during a pandemic, when most of the world felt scared, sick, besieged,” he wrote in a comprehensive essay titled “Operation Wealth Speed."

However, “the underlying trends offer a road map to greater prosperity for all,” he continued. “Like anything else salvaged from a once-a-century plague, we just need to be brave enough to harness it.”

A total of eight billionaires on this year’s list hail from Ohio. Les Wexner, the founder of L Brands, is at the top, with a reported net worth of $6.1 billion. His company operates iconic brands like Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works.

FirstEnergy Stadium, where the Cleveland Browns play, was built for $247 million in the late 1990s, according to Case Western Reserve University. Wexner could build 24 FirstEnergy stadiums and still have millions to live on.

Other Ohio billionaires on the list include:

• Denise York and family, owners of the San Francisco 49ers, $3.5 billion
• Clayton Mathile, owner of Iams, $2.3 billion
• August Troendle, president and CEO of MedPace, $1.5 billion (new to this year's list)
• Norma Lerner, widow of Al Lerner, founder of MBNA, $1.1 billion
• Nancy Lerner, daughter of Al Lerner, $1.1 billion
• Randolph Lerner, son of Al Lerner, $1.1 billion
• John McConnell and family, executive chairman of Worthington Industries, $1.1 billion (new to this year's list)

To compile this year’s list, Forbes used a snapshot of its real-time billionaires rankings by analyzing stock prices and exchange rates for March 5.