Aubrey Chernick

Net worth: $575 million

Age: 49

Source of Wealth: Software

Residence: Los Angeles

Aubrey Chernick started his company, Candle Corp., by selling software code out of the back of his car. Now Candle is a $313 million company with 1,542 employees worldwide and Chernick is the majority owner.

The son of a grocer, Chernick attended college in Toronto and wrote computer code for the Canadian government. He reportedly started Candle after reading a fortune cookie inscription: “Your wishes will come true.”

Candle lit up in the 1980s when it found a niche as a supplier of systems-management software for mainframe computer systems. But growth slowed in 1993 and 1994, as the company missed the leading edge of the server-network market. Chernick engineered a turnaround, changing the company’s focus from IBM mainframes to client-servers and the Internet. Since then, Candle has posted double-digit growth; its revenues in 1997 of $313 million represent an 18 percent jump from the previous year.

Chernick has a reputation for running his own show. He has turned aside numerous proposals to take Candle public.

He also keeps a very low profile, never seeking media attention. According to a company official, Chernick’s listing among the Forbes 400 last year was the first time an article about him ever appeared in the general business press.

In 1982, Chernick set up the Candle Foundation, which has awarded grants for a variety of programs, including a food bank, multiple sclerosis therapy and HIV education. Chernick reportedly returns many calls to the foundation personally. After the L.A. riots, he set up Team LA, a non-profit program seeking to place inner-city youth in summer jobs.