Missouri is known as the “show me” state, and it contains a mix of the very rich, blue-collar, and those living below the poverty line. You can find lists of the 5 to 7 richest people from Forbes and other publications, but there are far more wealthy people living in the state, not mentioned.
St. Louis is home to five of the wealthiest, with one billionaire in Springfield, but we’ve extended the list to include the 10 richest people in Missouri in 2022, some barely receiving their due attention.
10. August Busch IV
Net worth: $250 million (Family net worth: $17.6 billion)
August Busch IV is the last member of the Busch family to sit at the helm of the multi-billion-dollar Anheuser-Busch brewing company. He left his post after the family sold a quarter of their stake in the company between the late 1980s and early 2000s. As a group, the family’s fortune was worth an estimated $17.6 billion, according to Forbes. August has a higher net worth than Trudy Busch Valentine by a slim margin of $30 million.
Each Busch heir is doing well enough on their own and continues to hold fortunes in the hundreds of millions. The Busches admit that singly, they’re no longer billionaires, but together, the family is still estimated to be worth billions. Like many other ultra-wealthy heirs to big business in Missouri, the empire has left a legacy and a slew of multi-millionaires, but there are just 9 billionaires left in the state.
9. Jim McKelvey
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Jim Mckelvey is the ninth richest person in Missouri as of 2022. Wallmine reports that his current net worth is estimated between $1.4 to $1.5 billion. He’s a self-made billionaire who made it big in the mobile payments industry. Jim is the Independent Director of Block, Inc. He is also a co-founder of a multi-billion dollar corporation. Mr. McKelvey is a native of Missouri, born in St. Louis in 1965.
He is currently 57 years old. He is also an independent director of the St. Louis Federal Reserve bank at the start of 2017. In addition to Block, Jim also founded a company called LaunchCode. He is a serial entrepreneur and investor with numerous holdings in various companies. Mckelvey attended school at Ladue Horton Watkins High School and attended Washington University in St. Louis after graduation. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.
He earned a bachelor’s in Economics and holds numerous member positions on various company boards of directors as an advisor. Jim worked at different jobs before earning his fortune, including a post as Managing Director for SixThirtyFinTech Accelerator. Mckelvey then moved up to General Partner of Cultivation Capital, worked for Mira Smart Conferencing in several positions, and continued to add to his knowledge base before he became a billionaire.
8. Robert Clark
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Robert Clark is the owner of Clayco, a Chicago-based construction company that has made him a billionaire. He’s earned a stellar reputation in the construction industry with notable projects to his credit, including multiple e-commerce centers for Amazon and the Washington University School of Medicine. Mr. Clark founded Clayco and built the company up to become one of the largest of its kind in the United States. He served as the executive chairman of the company until stepping down in the Fall of 2021.
He served in Dubai as the commissioner general for the 2020 Expo’s United States pavilion. Clark was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where he worked to build his construction business after dropping out of college in 1984. At the age of 63, he is one of the richest people in the state of Missouri, where he currently makes his home. As of 2022, the self-made billionaire is the 1726th richest person in the world today.
7. Rodger Riney/family
Net worth: $3.3 billion
Rodger Riney is a longtime resident of St. Louis, Missouri. It’s where he’s spent most of his life. He calls it home at the age of 76. Life in the shows me state has been good for Rodger. He graduated from his local high school and entered the University of Missouri. There, he earned his bachelor of arts in science, then went on to receive his MBA. He moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he co-founded the Scottrade firm, a discount brokerage company, in 1980. The company grew and expanded.
By 1985 they served over three million client accounts, managing assets valued at $170 billion. He continued to work for his company until health issues forced him to slow down. He sold Scottrade to TD Ameritrade, netting $4 billion in the deal in 2017. Riney is a generous philanthropist who made a large donation of $40 million to the research department at Washington University.
After spending years in Arizona, he moved back to his home state. Mr. Riney is married with three children and resides in St. Louis currently. He’s listed on the Forbes Billionaires of 2022 as the 822nd richest and as number 332 on the Forbes 400 list. He’s ranked as the 858th richest man in the world today.
6. Clifford Illig
Net worth: $3.4 billion
Idol Net Worth confirms that Clifford Illig is another of the very richest people in Missouri. He and his partner Neal Patterson co-founded the Cerner company. It specializes in IT services for the healthcare industry. The company brought in a hefty $3.4 billion in sales. The two joined forces with Arthur Anderson in 1979 to form the business. Anderson and Illig studied for their CPA exam together and developed the concept for the business.
The team excelled at attracting wealthy investors, launched the company with $3 million in venture capital, and built Cerner up, going public in 1986 with a valuation of $17 million. Cerner continued to thrive and expand into the digital world, helping to modernize the healthcare system. Cerner helps healthcare companies perform hundreds of millions of digital records processes daily.
Clifford continued with the company as the chief operating officer until he stepped down in 1998. He is currently the chairman of the board of directors. Illig also invested in the Sporting Kansas City MLS team and remained the part owner. Clifford Illig is the sixth richest person in Missouri, with a net worth of an estimated $3.4 billion as of 2022.
5. Jim Kavanaugh
Net worth: $3.7 billion
The 759th richest person in the world today is Jim Kavanaugh. Jim is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, born in the city in 1963. At the age of 59, his estimated net worth is $3.7 billion, making him the fifth richest person in Missouri for 2022. Kavanaugh attended Saint Louis University and later founded the World Wide Technology and Telcobuy companies. He earned a tidy sum from his successful business ventures, also serving as the chief executive officer of World Wide Technology.
The self-made billionaire has three children and currently serves on multiple boards as an advisor, including Saint Louis University and the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club. We love to hear stories like Jim’s. He started his career in the early 1990s as a salesman for AT&T and other telecom businesses marketing printers and computers. He rented a truck to personally drive an order of 500 PCs to a customer.
The company he owns sells hardware and software to the federal government and some of the largest companies in the United States. Before Jim Kavanaugh became a billionaire, he played professional soccer. He was a member of the US Olympic team in the sport in 1984. Perhaps his competitive spirit helped him to achieve the mindset to become successful in the business world.
4. David Steward
Net worth: $6 billion
David Steward partnered with Jim Kavanaugh to co-found the World Wide Technology and Telcobuy businesses. David and Jim are serial entrepreneurs with adventurous spirits. Mr. Steward attended the University of Central Missouri, where he completed his education.
He is a native of Chicago, Illinois, born in July of 951. The 71-year-old IT mogul is 71 years old as of 2022 and lives in st. Louis, Missouri. He is the 407th richest person in the world today. Steward is a self-made billionaire who started his life in the South when segregation was still legal. He grew up with seven brothers and sisters with his parents. David’s dad supported the family by working as a trash collector, janitor, and mechanic.
His dedication to making World Wide Technology was so strong that in the company’s early days, he sacrificed his comfort. Mr. Steward suffered a car repossession in went without a paycheck to help the new business get on its feet. His belief in World Wide Technology paid off. David holds the majority interest in the business and has an estimated net worth of $6 billion as of 2022. He is still the chairman of the board of the business. David Steward lives in Springfield, Missouri, after making his fortune as a self-made billionaire in the IT industry.
3. Jack Dorsey
Net worth: $7 billion
The third richest person in Missouri is entrepreneur Jack Patrick Dorsey, according to Hit C. Jack is a founder of the iconic social media site Twitter, Inc. He is also the chief executive officer of the organization. While being the creator of Twitter alone is impressive, Jack founded Block, Inc. in the financial payments niche of the IT industry. He is the principal executive officer of the firm.
Dorsey is an internet genius and programmer who also became a philanthropist. He stepped down from the CEO position at Twitter. Jack was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 19, 1976. At the age of 45, he has a net worth that jumped from $4.2 billion to 7 billion recently, as the deal to sell Twitter to Elon Musk loomed. Jack also holds 43 million Block shares, the former Square.
2. John Morris
Net worth: $7.1 billion
Glusea confirms that John Morris will be the second richest person in Missouri in 2022. He’s a self-made billionaire who earned his fortune in the sporting goods retail industry. Johnny was born in 1948 in Springfield, Missouri. He graduated from a local high school and continued his education at Drury University. Morris is a serial entrepreneur who has experienced massive success in many business ventures.
He started selling fishing equipment from a liquor store owned by his father. He grew the business and became the founder of Bass Shops, officially launching the company in 1972. The company acquired Cabela’s later. In 2017, Mr. Morris launched the Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium. He is also the founder of the Branson, Missouri Top of the Rock, featuring art and Native American artifacts. The Audubon Society awarded him with a medal for his dedication to the conservation and preservation of wildlife.
1. Pauline MacMillan Keinath
Net worth: $7.3 billion
Pauline MacMillan Keinath will be the richest person in Missouri in 2022. She inherited her fortune through the Cargill family business. WW Cargill founded the company in 1865 with just a “single grain warehouse” and built it into a thriving business. Mr. Cargill was the great-grandfather of Pauline.
The family retains about 90% stake in the business, which is worth an estimated $165 billion. Thanks to her family’s business, Pauline is the 312th richest person today. She is married and has four children. Pauline was named to the Forbes 400 list in 2022 as number 110 and 235 on the Forbes Billionaires list for the same year. Keinath is 88 years old, and she currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
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