Net Worth: $90 Billion
Industry: Food
Notable Member(s): Frank C. Mars
Claim to Fame: Snickers
In 1923, Frank C. Mars would do something that would alter the course of history forever. There, in his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Frank created the Milky Way bar. But that little piece of heavenly goodness was only the beginning for Frank and the Mars empire. Following the Milky Way came all of everyone’s Halloween (and Tuesday) favorites – M&M’s, Twix, and of course, Skittles.
Originally, there was also a “Mars bar,” on the market. But as popular as they were in England, everyone in the United States seemed to prefer the Milky Way, so they pulled them from U.S shelves and rebranded them as chocolate bars with almonds. Frank, who originally learned how to make candy from his mother, created one of the greatest candy businesses in history. When Mr. Mars first started selling his delicious goodness, he opted for the wholesale route. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t get everything up and running at first, so he started small, pitching his candy to stores around his hometown, and other areas of Minnesota. Today, the business makes over $30 billion each year.
The Bechtels
Net Worth: $4 Billion
Industry: Construction and Defense
Notable Member(s): Brendan Bechtel
Claim to Fame: The Bechtel Corporation
The Bechtel name is attached to quite a few industries, including construction, finance, transportation, and defense. The Bechtel Corporation, which is based in Virginia, got its start all the way back in 1906 when Warren Bechtel helped build the Western Pacific Railroad. In 1919, they started to expand into other areas, such as hydroelectricity.
In the early 1930s, Bechtel did something legendary when he helped to create the Hoover Dam – a project which cost about $50 million, which would equal out to over $850 million in 2019. Then, during WWII, the company tried its hand at building warships and ended up making nearly 600 of them over a span of just 4 years. In the late ’40s, however, the corporation got its hands on a piece of the oil industry and helped build one of the world’s largest oil pipelines in the Middle East. In the 1950s, they began building nuclear power plants all over the world. The multinational mogul was ranked as the 8th largest private company in the United States by Forbes in 2017.
The Jordans
Net Worth: $2 Billion
Notable Member(s): Michael Jordan
Industry: Sports and Entertainment
Claim to Fame: Space Jam
Michael Jordan is one of the biggest names in basketball in the history of…well, ever. He’s so good that all sorts of stuff have been named in his honor, like a lot of Nike’s shoes. Jordan has also been featured in a variety of television shows and movies, such as Space Jam in 1996. Jordan originally launched his career when playing in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls.
These days, many consider Jordan to be the single greatest player in the history of the sport. He honors his roots in the game by remaining active as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets. He currently holds the title of the 3rd wealthiest African American in the United States and the richest basketball player in the world. Jordan’s family, including his wife, model Yvette Prieto, and their twin daughters, live quite comfortably, knowing they’re backed by a nearly $2 billion net worth. The Jordan family owns several car dealerships throughout the U.S, and Michael has written a few bestselling books, including a cookbook and a few autobiographies.
The Dorrances
Net Worth: $17.5 Billion
Industry: Manufacturing
Notable Member(s): John Dorrance
Claim to Fame: Campbell’s Soup Company
When you think of pre-made soup, one that you just pop open and heat up to eat on a rainy day, or a day that you’re not feeling well, or maybe just a lazy day, what brand is it that you immediately think of? Campbells, right? We thought so. Well, it works to associate Campbells with soup, considering that the former president of the company pretty much invented it.
That’s right – think way back to 1897. That’s when John Dorrance Jr. took a job working at Campbell's, and when he invented condensed soup. He went on to takeover, and eventually buy, the company from the Campbell’s. He passed away in 1930, but his family still owns a number of big names in the food business (aside from the obvious)– like V8 and Pepperidge Farms, which are subsidiaries of Campbells. 11 members of the Dorrance family still own shares in the Campbells company – which makes over $8 billion every year. Most of John’s grandchildren are billionaires, with granddaughter Mary Alice still actively involved on the board of representatives. Ippy, one of his grandsons, sold his shares and renounced his American citizenship in the ’90s, moving to Ireland to (reportedly) avoid paying his taxes.
The Bundrants
Net Worth: $2.7 Billion
Industry: Fishing
Notable Member(s): Chuck Bundrant
Claim to Fame: Trident Seafoods
There’s nothing fishy about the way fish-mogul Chuck Bundrant has built his international empire. Bundrant owns one of the biggest seafood corporations in the entire world: Trident. Trident is a huge name on its own, but it also acts as a parent company to several other huge brands in the industry, including Louis Kemp and Pure Alaska Omega.
Bundrant is right at the heart of the seafood world. His team operates hundreds of fishing boats in areas like Alaska, China, and Japan, bringing the fish in and distributing them worldwide to mega-chains like Safeway and Costco, along with restaurants such as Long John Silvers, along with multiple foreign chains. One of the fishes that they’re known for selling is pollock, which used to be considered “trash,” before Bundrant reinvented it. Bundrant managed to stay on top of the international seafood game by continuously looking to have cutting-edge equipment, like the crab-cookers they had added to their boats in the 1970s and more recently, equipment to freeze the fish on board.