2015 was another record year for Cary-based SAS as revenues hit an all-time high of $3.16 billion. And its co-founders saw their own fortunes improve as well.
North Carolina’s two wealthiest people – Jim Goodnight and John Sall – soared higher on the world’s billionaires list as compiled by Forbes in the 2016 list disclosed Tuesday. The duo added substantially to their fortunes in 2015, bouncing back from a decline over the past two years.
In doing so, Goodnight and Sall bucked the trend as a tougher stock market at cut into many billionaires’ holdings.
Forbes reported 1,810 billionaires, “down from a record 1,826 a year ago.” And overall net worth fell more than $570 million to $6.5 trillion.
Not so for the Cary residents.
Goodnight’s net worth climbed $500 million to $8 billion, according to Forbes’ calculations. In both 2015 and 2014 Forbes reported Goodnight’s portfolio value at $7.5 billion, down from $7.7 billion in 2013.
As a result of the growth, Goodnight climbed to No. 144 on the Forbes list from No. 177.
Sall’s fortune increased $200 million to $3.9 billion. That’s $100 million better than 2013 and a $200 million improvement over each of the past year, Forbes reported.
Sall’s rank climbed to No. 392 from 462 the previous year.
Two other North Carolinians remain on the list.
David Murdock, who maintains a residence in Kannapolis and is the founder of the North Carolina Research Campus, is No. 638 on the Forbes list with a fortune of $2.7 billion.
He’s also the oldest billioniare at age 92.
C.D. Spangler of Charlotte ranks No. 722 with a fortune of $2.4 billion.
Read the Forbes report at:
http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/
