Listen to this articleLouisiana’s Gayle Benson and William Goldring have company on the “Forbes 400” list of the wealthiest Americans as Raising Cane’s founder and owner Todd Graves has made his debut on the 2024 rankings, published today by the national business magazine.
Graves ranks No. 107 with an estimated net worth of $9.5 billion. William Goldring, chairman of the Sazerac Company, ranks No. 169 with an estimated net worth of $7 billion. New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson ranks No. 191 with an estimated net worth of $6.6 billion.
Graves, 52, runs one of the fastest growing restaurant businesses in the nation with a $3.3-billion annual sales business of serving chicken tenders and Cane’s sauce across more than 700 locations in 37 states. Raising Cane’s was founded in Baton Rouge in 1996 as Graves used his savings and an SBA loan to launch the first franchise, which is still standing near LSU’s campus.
Goldring, 81, is chair of the Sazerac Company, which owns some 500 alcohol brands and a dozen distilleries in the U.S., Canada, France, Ireland, and India. The $3 billion (est. sales) business produces storied spirits such Pappy Van Winkle and George T. Stagg and also has ballooned in size thanks to lower-shelf offerings like Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. Goldring took over the alcohol business built up by his father, Stephen Goldring in the 1960s. In 2024, Sazerac acquired BuzzBallz line of premixed cocktails for an estimated $400 million.
Benson, 77, married the late and former New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson in 2004. She was a former interior designer in the 1970s and founded thoroughbred horse racing company GMB Racing in 2014. Following Tom Benson’s death, Gayle became owner of both the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans. She also runs the Benson automotive portfolio, which recently acquired seven Ray Brandt dealerships and collision centers.
The Forbes 400 is an annual ranking of the richest Americans with estimates of their wealth as of Sept. 1, 2024. Collectively, the Forbes 400 has a net worth of $5.4 trillion. The richest person in America, for the third straight year is Elon Musk, worth an estimated $244 billion. Musk is followed by No. 2 Jeff Bezos at $197 billion and No. 3 Mark Zuckerberg at $181 billion.
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