#4 – David Murdock
Net Worth: $3.7 billion -18%
Last Year: $4.5 billion
Age: 86
Residence: Los Angeles
Source of Wealth: Agriculture, real estate
The Money:
Murdock acknowledges he? been hit by downturn as much as anyone. Major holdings include Dole Food Co. Inc. and developer Castle & Cooke Inc., whose real estate portfolio is down about 35 percent. However, has solid financials and no plans to liquidate holdings. Earnings for produce giant Dole were up last year
Buzz:
Self-made billionaire still active overseeing vast network of holdings. Huge advocate of healthy eating. Opened Westlake Village wellness complex in late 2006. Complex has Four Seasons Hotel & Spa and California Health & Longevity Institute, including diagnostic medical facilities, healthy lifestyle teaching center and TV studio. Building $1.5 billion, 350-acre research campus in North Carolina that will contain more than 1 million square feet of office and laboratory space. Centerpiece 311,000-square-foot David H. Murdock Core Laboratory Building among buildings completed. Big donor to Republican Party. Owns 98 percent of Lanai in Hawaii; largest privately owned island in U.S. has two Four Season Hotels, 10-acre solar farm and 200 megawatt wind farm under construction. Breeds Arabian horses, maintains 36,000 orchids, and collects art and antique furniture.
