St. Pete man makes Forbes list of richest Americans
October 3, 2019 - Ronald Wanek, the founder of America's largest home furniture manufacturer and retailer, Ashley Furniture, is No. 250 on the new Forbes 400, a list of the wealthiest people in America. Wanek, who lives in St. Petersburg, has a net worth of $3.4 billion, according to Forbes. Wanek has donated millions to the Mayo Clinic to help improve treatment for a heart defect that affected his granddaughter at birth, Forbes said. Two other area residents also made the new list: real estate magnate Edward Debartolo Jr. of Tampa, No. 319 with a net worth of $2.7 billion, and Todd Christopher of Clearwater, founder of hair care products company Vogue International, No. 370 with a net worth of $2.2 billion.