(WWJ) - Michigan business woman Marian Ilitch is one of the richest self-made women in America, beating out the likes of Taylor Swift, Madonna, Oprah Winfrey and Kim Kardashian on Forbes' recently revealed list.
Ilitch, an American-born daughter to Macedonian immigrants and graduate of Fordson High School in Dearborn, is the only Michigan resident to make the ranking that features entrepreneurs, executives and entertainers.
The 90-year-old founder and chairwoman of Ilitch Holdings Inc. took the eighth spot on the list with her real time net worth estimated at $4 billion. Forbes said the 100 women on the ranking are cumulatively worth a record $124 billion, up nearly 12% from a year ago.
Building supply distributor Diane Hendricks ranked the top spot for the sixth year in a row, with a $15 billion net worth, Forbes added.
Other names on the list include Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx; Peggy Cherng, the cofounder and co-CEO of Panda Express; fashion designer Tory Burch, musician and designer Rihanna and songwriter and country music start Dolly Parton.
Ilitch has consistently made appearances on Forbes' America's Richest Self-over the last few years and topped even claimed the top spot back in 2017.
"To be eligible for the list, women have to have substantially made their own fortunes in the U.S. and/or be U.S. citizens or permanent residents," Forbes said of their ranking process. "To compile net worths, we valued individual assets including stakes in public companies using stock prices from May 12, 2023. We valued private companies by consulting with outside experts and conservatively comparing them with public companies."
According to Ilitch's biography on her company website, she got her start in the food business by filling napkin containers and salt and pepper shakers in her father's restaurant as a young girl.
In 1959 after she gave birth to her third child, she and her husband Mike, who died in 2017, opened the doors to a pizza shop in Garden City, Mich. called Little Caesars.
Since then, Little Caesars has grown to become the third-largest pizza chain in the world, with restaurants in all 50 U.S. states and shops in over 27 countries.
Along with Little Caesars, Ilitch Holdings provide professional services to certain businesses that were founded or purchased by Mike and Marian including Blue Line Foodservice Distribution, the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Tigers, MotorCity Casino Hotel, Olympia Development and the live entertainment company 313 Presents.
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