Meet the 9 Georgians wealthy enough for the Forbes 400
Arthur Blank
ATLANTA - How much money does it take to rank among America’s 400 richest people? This year, a mere $4.4 billion.
What we know:
Nine Georgia residents cleared that very high bar, according to the newly released Forbes 400 list. Together, they are worth an estimated $66.9 billion.
That is enough money to buy a lot of chicken sandwiches, pest control and Atlanta Falcons tickets — fitting, since Georgia’s list is led by fortunes connected to Chick-fil-A, Rollins and Home Depot.
Arthur Blank leads Georgia’s billionaires
Home Depot co-founder and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is Georgia’s richest person on the list. Forbes ranks Blank No. 99 nationally with an estimated net worth of $13.2 billion.
Blank co-founded Home Depot with Bernie Marcus in 1978 after the two were fired from jobs at a regional hardware store. That career setback clearly worked out.
Arthur Blank’s Atlanta impact
Arthur Blank’s influence in Atlanta goes far beyond the Forbes list.
At Mercedes-Benz Stadium, his "Fan First" pricing keeps hot dogs, pretzels, popcorn and refillable drinks at $2 — prices that have not changed since the stadium opened in 2017.
His family foundation also gave $200 million to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, helping make the Arthur M. Blank Hospital possible. The foundation has donated more than $1.5 billion to health care, education and other causes, including $50 million for scholarships at four Atlanta HBCUs.
Blank may be worth $13.2 billion, but around Atlanta, he is also known for investing much of that fortune back into the community.
Chick-fil-A family claims 3 spots
Three members of the Cathy family are tied at No. 116, each with an estimated fortune of $12 billion.
Bubba Cathy, Dan Cathy and Trudy Cathy White inherited their wealth from Chick-fil-A, the Atlanta-based restaurant chain founded by their father, S. Truett Cathy.
PREVIOUS STORY: Chick-fil-A heirs top Forbes' list of Georgia's billionaires again
Combined, the three siblings are worth an estimated $36 billion — more than half of the total wealth held by Georgia residents on the list.
Last year, the siblings were ranked No. 83.
Media, medical equipment and Mailchimp
Jim Kennedy ranks No. 224 with an estimated net worth of $7.6 billion. His fortune comes from media and automotive businesses connected to Cox Enterprises. He was ranked No. 130 last year.
John Brown, the former longtime leader of medical technology company Stryker, ranks No. 251 with $6.9 billion.
Gary Rollins and his family are No. 293 with $5.8 billion from the pest control business.
Mailchimp co-founders Dan Kurzius and Ben Chestnut also made the list. Kurzius ranks No. 306 with $5.6 billion, while Chestnut is No. 343 with $5 billion. Kurzius was ranked No. 246 last year and Chestnut was ranked No. 291.
Georgia residents on the Forbes 400
- No. 99: Arthur Blank — $13.2 billion
- No. 116: Bubba Cathy — $12 billion
- No. 116: Dan Cathy — $12 billion
- No. 116: Trudy Cathy White — $12 billion
- No. 224: Jim Kennedy — $7.6 billion
- No. 251: John Brown — $6.9 billion
- No. 293: Gary Rollins and family — $5.8 billion
- No. 306: Dan Kurzius — $5.6 billion
- No. 343: Ben Chestnut — $5 billion
Forbes estimated each person’s wealth as of Sept. 4. Nationwide, the 400 people on the list are worth a combined $8 trillion.
And for anyone feeling left out, take comfort: Forbes said 590 other American billionaires were not wealthy enough to make the cut.