Six Minnesotans made Forbes' latest list of the world's billionaires, with the success of Twin Cities-based Cargill responsible for three people on the list.
At the top of Minnesota's list is Whitney MacMillan with a net worth of $6 billion, the financial magazine estimates, making the former Cargill CEO and great-grandson of the company's founder the world's 289th richest person and 88th richest in the United States.
No. 2 among Minnesotans and 924th in the world at $2.6 billion is Glen Taylor, the Mankato-area printing company executive who also owns the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Minnesota Lynx and the Star Tribune.
Third in the state and 1,103rd globally with $2.2 billion is Stanley Hubbard, whose Hubbard Broadcasting owns KSTP in the Twin Cities, 12 other television stations, 41 radio stations and the Reelz cable movie channel.
Bill Austin, owner of Starkey Hearing Technologies, places fourth in the state and 1,477th in the world, having amassed $1.6 billion.
At fifth is a tie. With $1.3 billion each, Cargill heirs John MacMillan and Martha MacMillan rank 1,756th in the world.
Taking the gold medal on the world's billionaire platform is Amazon's Jeff Bezos, whose $112 billion makes him the first to crack $100 billion in net worth. He also owns the Washington Post.
Grabbing silver is Bill Gates of Microsoft at $90 billion, with the bronze going to industrialist Warren Buffett at $84 billion, whose holdings include Edina-based Dairy Queen.
What about Donald Trump, the United States' first billionaire president? The upper-end real estate holder has a net worth of $3.1 billion. That ties him for 766th in the world.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
