COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – When Forbes magazine released its annual list of 400 richest Americans in 2023, two Ohioans landed on the list.
Coming in at #176 is Les Wexner, founder of L Brands, which at one time included Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works, with an estimated $6 billion net worth.
After serving as the company’s CEO for more than five decades, Wexner, 86, stepped down in 2020 and sold a majority stake in Victoria’s Secret for $525 million. Wexner and his wife live in New Albany.
The second Ohioan on the list is Denise York, whose family owns 90% of the San Francisco 49ers, currently one of the 10 most valuable teams in the NFL. Forbes pegs York’s net worth at $5.8 billion, putting her and her family at #182 on the list.
York, 72, serves as the co-chairman of the franchise, which is valued at approximately $5.2 billion. Her father Edward Debartolo Sr. purchased the team in 1977 for $13 million. Her husband, John, founded DeYor Laboratories in Youngstown before selling it to Corning. The couple lives in Youngstown.
The combined net worth of both Ohioans — $13.8 billion – is a far cry from the worth of the man at the top of the Forbes list – Tesla and Space X founder Elon Musk, who Forbes said is worth an estimated $251 billion. Coming in second is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, worth an estimated $161 billion.
California can lay claim as the home to the most people on the Forbes 400, with 87 members of the list — almost 22% of the list — calling the state home.