The richest Hoosier, according to a yearly list from Forbes magazine, is Gayle Cook, widow of Bill Cook, whose Bloomington-based company made the first coronary stent approved for use in the U.S. Bill Cook died last year, so his widow took his place on the Forbes list with a net worth of $3.4 billion, number 330 in the world.
Herb Simon, whose company owns almost 400 shopping malls and other properties, is worth $1.8 billion this year and ranks 719th on the Forbes list -- tied with Hoosier billboard impresario Dean White.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay also sneaks into the list of the top 1000 richest people in the world, with a net worth of approximately $1.4 billion.