Quick, can you name the Valley’s richest resident? (Hint: he had a very Goodyear.)
So, the annual Forbes 400 list of the richest people in America recently hit the (digital) newsstand. And as usual, a sprinkling of Valley residents made the cut, including a billboard baron, a soup scion and couple of Phoenix’s. But one rubber-burning royal left them all in in the dust.
Can you identify the kindly-looking gentleman at right? If not, you better start brushing up on your local billionaires because this is Bruce Halle, the founder of Discount Tire and AZ’s richest individual. A self-made man who turned a single store into the world’s largest independent tire shop with 774 stores in 22 states, he’s worth a cool $3B. Even cooler, Discount’s famed “Thank You” commercial (below left) is the Guinness World Record holder as the longest running TV spot; it was launched in 1975.
So who else made the list? Campbell’s soup heir, Bennett Dorrance ($2B); University of Phoenix scam artists founders, Peter ($1.15) and John Sperling ($1.05B); and outdoor advertising king/LA Angels owner, Arturo Moreno ($1B).
You may now return to your non-billionaire-status life.
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