America’s Richest Self-Made Women

Marian Ilitch

$5.1 B

Marian Ilitch and her husband, Mike, who died in February, cofounded Little Caesars Pizza in 1959.
Mrs. I, as she’s known, now owns the pizza chain which has $4 billion in sales.
She also owns the Detroit Red Wings and MotorCity Casino Hotel; Mike’s Detroit Tigers are now in a family trust.
Ilitch is helping build a $1.2 billion sports and entertainment district in Detroit.

$5.1 B

Diane Hendricks chairs ABC Supply, one of the largest wholesale distributors of roofing, siding and windows in America.
The $7.2 billion (sales) company made its biggest acquisition to date in 2016, buying building materials distributor L&W Supply for $674 million.
The move added interior products like drywall, ceiling tiles and steel framing to ABC’s portfolio for the first time.
Hendricks cofounded the business with her late husband, Ken, in Beloit, Wisconsin, 35 years ago. She has run it since his death in 2007.

$2.9 B

Tom and Judy Love opened their first gas station in Watonga, Oklahoma, in 1964 using a $5,000 gift from her parents.

Judy kept the books and ran the company with Tom until 1975, when she returned to college.
Today Judy is the executive secretary at Love’s and chairman of the Love Family Fund.
Revenues rose 13% to $16 billion in 2016, thanks in part to 47 new locations.

$3.1 B

The entertainment mogul is having a resurgence of her on-screen career, including April’s HBO film ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.’
The onetime Nashville news anchor will return to her TV reporting roots as a special contributor on 60 Minutes this fall.
Her OWN network had its most-watched year in 2016, but the bulk of Winfrey’s wealth is still derived from her talk show years.
Weight Watchers is counting on the ‘Oprah effect’: she bought a 10% stake in 2015 and acts as a brand ambassador.

$2.7 B

Doris Fisher founded Gap in San Francisco with her late husband Don in 1969 after Don couldn’t find jeans that fit.

Fisher served as the company’s merchandiser from the day it opened until 2003. She served on the Gap board until 2009.
Fisher now owns 7% of the retailer, less than her sons Robert, John and William.