There are 2,640 billionaires according to the 2023 Forbes World Billionaires List, and two of them reside right here in Mississippi.
James and Tom Duff, two brothers who live in Hattiesburg, both cracked the list. The Duff brothers are tied at No. 1312 – up 201 spots from last year – and worth $2.6 billion each.
According to Forbes, the Duff brothers “turned a struggling company making tires for trucks into the country’s largest truck tire dealer and retread manufacturer.”
Southern Tire Mart, which is listed as the No.1 North America Commercial Tire Dealer since 2012, is located in Columbia and sells about 2 million truck tires annually. It also retreads another 1.5 million tires for companies like UPS, Penske, and Ryder.
Southern Tire Mart aided the Duff brothers in creating what Forbes called a “tidy little business empire.” Altogether, the Duff brothers own 18 companies and employ over 10,000 individuals. Some of the companies include KLLM Transport Services, Frozen Food Express, TL Wallace Construction, Forest Products Transports, DeepWell Energy Services, Pine Belt Chevrolet, Courtesy Ford, Southern Insurance Group, Duff Real Estate, Magnolia Grille, and Magnolia Inn.
To view the full World’s Billionaires List from Forbes, click here.
