Meet the Four Locals Even Richer Than Brian Roberts
From left: Mary Alice Dorrance Malone (Campbell Soup photo); Michael Rubin (Undercover Boss screenshot); John Middleton (AP Photo/Matt Rourke); Richard Yuengling, Jr. (Yuengling publicity photo)
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is really, really rich. But he’s not rich enough to make the just-released Forbes 400 list, a ranking of America’s richest people.
The annual list has received more attention than usual, because one story to come out of it is “Inside The Epic Fantasy That’s Driven Donald Trump For 33 Years,” which analyzes Trump’s actual wealth compared to what he says he’s worth.
But we here at BizPhilly are more interested in the Philadelphia-area folks on the list. And with an estimated worth of $1.4 billion, the 56-year-old Roberts doesn’t make the cut. The least rich people on Forbes 400 this year are worth $1.7 billion.
The richest local, according to Forbes, is Mary Alice Dorrance Malone, a woman who knows how to stay out of the public eye. Coatesville’s Malone, whose money comes from Campbell Soup, is worth $3.4 billion. She’s the largest shareholder of the company, so every time you buy a can of Chicken Noodle Soup — or a loaf of Pepperidge Farm bread, a jar of Prego sauce, or a can of V8, all Campbell brands — she gets a little richer. When she’s not selling soup, the 65-year-old divorcee is selling really expensive horses via her Iron Spring Farm. Overall, Malone ranks 182nd, and she’s the country’s 21st richest woman.
Tied for 256th place with $2.6 billion each are tobacco mogul John Middleton and Villanova dropout Michael Rubin, who sold his company GSI Commerce to eBay for $2.4 billion. They both have more in common than wealth. Middleton is co-owner of the Phillies, while Rubin has a small stake in the Sixers. And they both live in the Bryn Mawr area.
And do you remember when Yuengling used to be thought of as Philly’s beer? Well, now the Pottsville company has grown it into a giant brand, making president Richard “Dick” Yuengling, Jr. worth $1.7 billion.
One person who slid off Forbes 400 in recent years: Urban Outfitters‘ Richard “Dick” Hayne. He made the list in 2014, but these days, Hayne is only worth $1.29 billion.
