iN NUMBERS: Billionaires and super rich in Okanagan, Kamloops

There are a few billionaires who get all the publicity: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and a handful of others. But there are some homegrown billionaires right here in Kamloops and the Okanagan that deserve the same amount of the spotlight.

Here are the names and the numbers:

• 7: Billion dollars is the approximate net worth of the Gaglardi family from Kamloops, according to Maclean’s.
• 8.24: Billion dollars is the approximate net worth for Kelowna’s Anthony von Mandl, the founder of Mission Hill Family Estate winery.
• 2: Iconic summer drink brands owned by von Mandl are Mike’s Hard Lemonade and White Claw seltzers.
• 700: Million dollars is how much Disney paid for the video game site Club Penguin in 2007. The site was co-founded by Kelowna local turned Dragon’s Den investor Lane Merrifield. His sister Renee Merrifield was elected Kelowna’s MLA in 2020.
• 22: Million is the asking price for a Shuswap mansion owned by billionaire Calvin Ayre.
• 2: Public places in Kamloops are named after the Gaglardi family, the Phil & Jennie Gaglardi Tower at Royal Inland Hospital and Gaglardi Square. Not to mention the family’s numerous businesses, academy and Senior Citizen Society.
• 18: Billion dollars is the net worth of Stanley Kroenke, owner of Douglas ranch near Merritt.
• 7: Professional sports teams are also owned by Kroenke, including the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets and Arsenal soccer club in the U.K.
• 733: Million is Tolko Industries’ revenue, still owned and operated by Vernon’s Thorlakson family.