Five Austin-Area Magnates Make Forbes Richest People List

AUSTIN, TX — The latest Forbes list of the nation's richest people lists five Austin-area billionaires among them. Some context: These are people who would never hesitate to have guacamole added to a delicious Central Texas taco at any number of food trucks for an extra charge.

Assuming, of course, they all like guacamole. But, really, who doesn't like guacamole?

But we digress. The magazine lists Michael Dell, John Paul DeJoria, Robert F. Smith, David Booth and Bryan Sheffeld as entrants to its annual über-rich list. These guys are all enjoying the trappings of their wealth — guacamole no doubt included — in the Austin area.

The area's super-wealthy denizens represent an array of industry, from computers to hair care products.

Michael Dell, 52, retains his perennial position atop the list locally, sitting on a net worth estimated at $20.4 billion (that kind of money buys a lot of guacamole). Overall, the longtime Austin resident ranks 38th richest person and second-wealthiest in Texas, which is not too shabby. He owns roughly 70 percent of Dell Inc. and manages his considerable wealth at MSD Capital and MSDC Management, investment firms with financial interests in the automotive industry, banks, energy firms and real estate.

Dell falls just short of being the richest person in Texas because Walmart heiress Alice Walton in Fort Worth enjoys a $33.8 billion fortune.

But let's return to Austin, shall we? DeJoria comes in second place among richest Austinites, having amassed a fortune of $3.1 billion as the Forbes list estimates. DeJoria has amassed his wealth in the hair-care industry with his John Paul Mitchell Systems he founded in 1980, and, later tequila distiller Patrón Spirits. Clearly, there's a lot of money to be made in hair and tequila. Who knew?

Smith, 54, comes in third in Austin with a $2.5 billion net income. Smith also has a unique distinction among his fellow rich people, ranked by Forbes as the second-wealthiest African American in the U.S. He's also ranked 814th in the world among rich people, according to Forbes.

The world of investment yields nice dividends for those advising on wealth-building to others, as evidenced by Booth who co-founded Austin-based Dimensional Fund Advisors. Booth ranks No. 1,290 on the list of the world's richest individuals, with a personal fortune estimated at $1.6 billion.

Born in 1946, Booth is married to Suzanne Deal Booth, daughter of decorated sailor Harry Deal who fought during World War II. Their Booth Center for Special Collections at Georgetown's Lauinger Library, is named after the couple. Funded by a $5 million donation, the center contains a number of archival documents related to Georgetown as well as an extensive collection of rare books, manuscripts, and art.

Sheffield, 38, is a recent entrant into the Richest People Club. He squeaks into the list with a modest fortune of $1.25 billion (still a lot of guacamole), and ranks 1,567th overall in the world. He is the CEO of Austin-based Parsley Energy.

This year's list marks a record number of billionaires making the list, with 2,043 listed. That's up 233 from last year's compilation, and the biggest jump in more than 30 years, the magazine reported.

The legal tender triumvirate of top billionaires: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, investment guru Warren Buffet and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. These three fellas have a net worth of $86 billion, $75.6 billion and $72.8 billion, respectively.

Now that can buy tons of guacamole. To see the full list by Forbes, click here.

>>> Image via Shutterstock