Three Louisiana Business Leaders Named to Forbes 400
The rankings highlight shifts in wealth for state-based operators in the hospitality and spirits sectors.
Updated on Sept. 25, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Three Louisiana-based entrepreneurs earned spots on the 2026 Forbes 400 list, which ranked the wealthiest Americans as of September 4, 2026. The list illustrates significant year-over-year shifts in net worth for leaders managing major regional hospitality and beverage brands.
Why it matters
The Forbes analysis tracks how concentrated capital in large-scale private enterprises, such as national restaurant chains and global alcohol distributors, reflects broader economic shifts. These valuations provide a baseline for observing how top-tier ownership groups adjust their market positions and asset holdings over annual cycles.
The list includes Todd Graves at 57th, Gayle Benson at 139th, and William Goldring at 181st. These figures reflect changes from 2025, including a $2.5 billion decrease for Graves and combined increases of $7.1 billion for Benson and Goldring.
The players
Todd Graves
Founder and operator of the Raising Cane's restaurant chain that launched in 1996.
Gayle Benson
Owner and manager of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans franchises inherited in 2018.
William Goldring
Leader of the Sazerac Company, a spirits manufacturer that manages over 450 alcohol brands.
The details
Forbes calculated these valuations by cross-referencing interviews, court filings, and government documents. For private companies, analysts derived estimates by applying valuation ratios from comparable publicly traded firms to internal revenue and profit data. These methodologies demonstrate how capital intensity in sectors like alcohol, with Sazerac's 450-brand portfolio, and restaurant chains, like the 1996-founded Raising Cane's, drives top-tier wealth accumulation.
Timeline
The Forbes 400 list reached its final valuation date on September 4, 2026.
The full list was released to the public in September 2026.
Market Landscape
This list follows the pattern of the 2025 Forbes 400 list, serving as an annual benchmark for tracking wealth concentrations among U.S. business leaders. The shifts in 2026 data indicate that the market valuations of private assets in spirits and professional sports remain highly sensitive to broader industry-specific trends.
Operators should monitor the valuation ratios Forbes applies to private entities as a proxy for how institutional capital assesses similar business models. These rankings offer a signal on which industry segments, such as spirits or sports management, are currently experiencing the highest levels of asset appreciation.
The takeaway
Large-scale wealth fluctuations often highlight the capital intensity and growth potential of private business models. Entrepreneurs should monitor how these leaders leverage their scale, particularly in diversified spirits portfolios or expanding hospitality chains, to maintain market share.
Further reading
For more on local capital and major contributions, explore our coverage of Philanthropy.
Source note: This article includes information reported by NOLA.
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