Women may be underrepresented in the corporate world, but that doesn’t stop these inspiring entrepreneurs from smashing glass ceilings to become the Richest Self-made Women in the US. As a way to honor the trailblazers, we have highlighted the 10 Richest Self-Made Women in the US.
In this list, you’ll see ten of the richest self-made women in the US.
1. Diane Hendricks
Chairman and co-founder of ABC Supply
Net Worth – $8B
Ranks No. 1 among the Top Ten Richest Self-Made Women in the US. Among America’s leading bulk roofing, siding, and curtain manufacturers are Diane Hendricks. Founded in 1982 in Beloit, Wisconsin, by her late husband, Ken Hendricks. Since his death in 2007, she had been running it.
Additionally, she led ABC to make the two largest acquisitions in its history by purchasing competitor Bradco in 2010 and construction materials supplier L&W Supply in 2016. There are 780 corporate offices and over $11 billion in revenue for the corporation. Hendricks sold custom homes for a designer before meeting Ken, the roofer. In addition to investing millions in local economic growth, she has restored whole neighborhoods in Beloit and introduced many new industries to Wisconsin.
2. Judy Faulkner
Epic Systems’ CEO and Founder
Net Worth – $5.5B
In the basement of her Wisconsin home, Judy Faulkner founded Epic, America’s leading supplier of medical record software. Founder and CEO of $3.2 billion in sales (2019), Faulkner is a computer scientist. Medical services like Johns Hopkins and Mayo Clinic use Epic to track the medical histories of more than 250 million patients. No venture capital has ever been raised or acquired by the company, and all of its apps are developed in-house. In addition, Faulkner signed the Giving Pledge in 2015 and promised to donate 99 percent of its stake in Epic to a private charity.
3. Meg Whitman
Quibi’s CEO
Net Worth – $5.9B
When she was CEO of eBay from 1998 to 2008, Meg Whitman brought the company from $5.7 million to $8 billion in revenue. She also served as CEO of Hewlett-Packard between 2011 and 2015, overseeing its division into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. She resigned as HPE’s CEO in February 2018. In addition to Procter & Gamble, she sits on the Dropbox committee as well. Since April 2020, she has been the CEO of Jeffrey Katzenberg’s new short-form content website, Quibi. Whitman also invested in the LA-based e-sports company Immortals LLC in 2018 and joined its board of directors.
4. Judy Love
Love’s Travel Stops co-founder
Net Worth – $5.40 Billion
In 1964, Judy Love and her husband Tom opened their first gas station in Watonga, Oklahoma, using a $5,000 loan from Tom’s parents. Until she left for college in 1975, Judy handled Tom’s accounts and ran his business. They now have more than 520 stores spread across 41 countries. She is also one of the richest self-made women in the US and chairman of the Love Family Fund, a nonprofit foundation. Three of her four children work for Love; her husband is the president of the company.
5. Marian Ilitch
Little Ceaser’s Pizza co-founder
Net Worth – $3.7B
Marian Ilitch co-founded Little Caesars Pizza with her partner, Mike, who died in 2017. Currently, Mrs. I runs a pizza franchise that sells more than $4 billion in revenue annually. Moreover, she owns the Motor City Casino Hotel and the Detroit Red Wings; Mike’s Tigers is now part of the family trust. A modern headquarters with pizza-shaped glass is part of a $1.4 billion sports and entertainment district in Detroit constructed by Ilitch. She had to stop her husband from giving away free pizzas in the beginning.
6. Lynda Resnick
Entrepreneur
Net Worth – $3.6B
Founder of Wonderful Co., a snack and drink conglomerate worth $4.6 billion (sales), Resnick is an expert in public relations. Among the company’s brands are Pom Wonderful, Mandarin Halos, Wonderful Pistachio, and Fiji Water. Also, they own 135,000 acres of orchards in Texas, Mexico, and California where they grow pistachios, almonds, pomegranates, and orange mandarins. She assisted his flourishing alarm company with marketing in the 1960s after they divorced.
7. Johnelle Hunt
Cofounder of the transport company JB Hunt
Net Worth – $4B
She married J.B. Hunt in 1961. A rice hull packaging business was launched by the (d. 2006), who sold their home and borrowed money. Eventually, J.B. sold seven trailers and five trucks to start their own business. Transport services provided by Hunt. Lowell, Arkansas-based company became public in 1983, and is now one of the nation’s largest shipping firms, with a net worth of $9.2 billion. With a 17 percent stake in the company, Hunt is still the company’s biggest shareholder. According to Hunt, the Arkansas University baseball complex will receive $5 million in 2019.
8. Thai Lee
Entrepreneur
Net Worth – $3.2B
Thai Lee is the CEO of SHI International’s ($10.7 billion worth) IT company, which has over 20,000 clients, including Boeing and AT&T. After growing up in Thailand, Lee then moved to the United States to attend high school. After completing her MBA at Harvard, she worked for Procter & Gamble and American Express until joining SHI. Less than $1 million was paid to Lee and her ex-husband in 1989 to purchase SHI’s ancestor, a tech reseller. In 2018, Lee joined the board of Sonde Health, a biopharmaceutical company developing voice-based diagnostic technology, PureTech Health.
9. Oprah Winfrey
Entrepreneur, philanthropist, personality
Net Worth – $2.7B
With her hit talk show, Oprah Winfrey has transformed it into a television and industry conglomerate. Her talk show earned $2 billion from reinvested earnings, according to Forbes figures. In 2011, Winfrey founded the OWN cable channel. More than $65 million is worth its 25.5% share of the network. Weight Watchers has also benefited from Oprah’s influence: it acquired a 10% stake in 2015 (down to 7%) and served as a brand ambassador. As part of her multi-year contract with the streamer, she will return to the small screen on Apple TV+ in March 2020 for an interview show about Covid-19.
10. Doris Fisher
Co-founder of Gap
Net Worth – $2.9B
Doris Fisher co-founded the clothing store Gap with her husband, Don (d. 2009) after they failed to find jeans that fit. San Francisco’s first denim and music store sold for $63,000. Fisher worked as the company’s merchandiser from the day her company started up until 2003 and then became its board chair in 2009. In early 2020, Gap announced that it would no longer spin-off Old Navy as an independent public corporation. With a donation of $15 million, he co-founded the KIPP Foundation, which supported public charter schools.
Also Read: 10 Most Beautiful Women in the world
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