Leprino, Stryker make Forbes’ list of billionaires

Forbes Magazine has identified seven Coloradans on its global list of billionaires, including Leprino Foods founder James Leprino and Bohemian Foundation’s Pat Stryker, ranking fourth and sixth, with fortunes valued at $3 billion and $1.6 billion respectively.

Leprino Foods is one of the largest employers in Weld County and Stryker, who inherited a medical-devices fortune from her grandfather, is a well-known philanthropist and real estate investor known for supporting the arts, Colorado State University, and dozens of other causes.

Charlie Ergen, who founded Dish Network Corp., earned the No. 1 spot on the Colorado list, with assets of $10.6 billion; railroad and communications investor Phil Anschutz, was No. 2, at $10 billion; John Malone, a cable television magnate, came in third, at $6 billion;  James Leprino, head of cheese maker Leprino Foods, came in fourth, with a $3 billion fortune; Gary Magness, another cable giant, tied with Stryker, with a fortune worth $1.6 billion, and Thomas Bailey, founder of Janus Mutual Funds, came in seventh, with a fortune worth $1 billion.