Companies and Brands

These Are the Most Successful Family-Owned Businesses in America

clearstockconcepts / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

When starting a business with family, it’s pretty much a roll of the dice as to whether it will work out. Even with a great product, storefront, or sales pitch, family nonsense can sometimes get in the way of what should be a home run opportunity. 

Key Points

  • The largest family-owned businesses in the country are some of the biggest names.

  • Names like Walmart and Ford are not on this list as they are publicly traded.

  • There is always a chance that a family business doesn’t work out, but it can be massive when it does.

  • Are you ahead, or behind on retirement? SmartAsset’s free tool can match you with a financial advisor in minutes to help you answer that today. Each advisor has been carefully vetted, and must act in your best interests. Don’t waste another minute; get started by clicking here here.(Sponsor)

The good news is that when things go right, and they can go right, the sky is the limit on how much money a family can make together. Successful family-owned companies like Cargill, Koch, and Mars have proven this time and time again. 

In this instance, it’s important to note that this list only encompasses privately owned family businesses, not publicly traded ones like Ford, Walmart, or Berkshire Hathaway. 

15. JM Family Enterprises

dogayusufdokdok / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
JM Family is responsible for half of all of the Southeast’s Toyota sales.

Located in Deerfield Beach, Florida, JM Family Enterprises is a primarily automotive company founded by Jim Moran in 1968. Still owned by the Moran family, it is the largest distributor of Toyota vehicles in the Southeastern United States. The company also has a financing arm that finances almost 50% of the vehicles sold by the 177 dealers it services. 

14. Gordon Food Services

Dwight Burdette / Wikimedia Commons
Gordon Food Services is a giant in the industry.

Headquartered in Wyoming, Michigan, Gordon Food Services is a food service distributor serving the country’s Midwest, Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast regions. As of 2025, it is the largest family-managed food service distributor in the country, with over $21 billion in revenue and 22,000 employees. 

13. Meijer

jetcityimage / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Meijer is responsible for the “Supercenter” store.

Operating primarily in the Midwest United States, Meijer is an American retailer credited with the idea of a “supercenter” retail location. Founded by Hendrik Meijer in 1934, family members still sit on the board of the 23rd-largest retailer in the US by revenue. Meijer currently operates 259 stores as well as 208 gas stations. 

12. Cox Enterprises

Taylor2646 / Wikimedia Commons
Cox is one of the largest cable companies in America.

An American conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, the Cox family still retains ownership rights of a company that drives over $23.1 billion in revenue. Major brands owned by the company include AutoTrader, Kelley Blue Book, Cox Communications, Cox Automotive, and Cox Media Group, which are currently run by the grandson and great-grandson of the founder, James M. Cox. 

11. Love’s Travel Stops 

ffooter / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Love’s Travel Stops is a highway staple.

One of the largest truck stop brands in the country, Love’s Travel Stops has 650 locations operating in 42 states. Love’s Travel Stops are located along major highways, and their country stores are fueling stations with convenience stores attached. After being founded in 1964, the Love family still retains ownership of the company, which has deals with Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, Subway, Wendy’s, and more. 

10. Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

Forklift working in brewery warehouse stock industrial premises for storing kegs with beer. Concept logistics, transport. Motion blur effect, sunlight.
Parilov / Shutterstock.com
Southern Glazer’s operates in 44 states.

Driving over $26 billion in revenue with more than 24,000 employees, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the largest business in the United States. The company is currently operating in 44 states after being founded in 1968. Descendants of the three founders still own the business, which is headquartered in Miramar, Florida. 

9. Fidelity Investments

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Fidelity is a giant in the financial space.

Arguably one of the best-known names in finance, Fidelity Investments is an American multinational financial services company with approximately $5.8 trillion in assets under management. Founded in 1946, the company has revenues over $32 billion, and its current ownership is 49% for the Johnson family and 51% for current and former employees.  

8. C&S Wholesale Grocers

Mike Kalasnik / Wikimedia Commons
Piggly Wiggly is one of the original grocers.

A national wholesale grocery supply company based out of New Hampshire, C&S owns the Piggly Wiggly grocery brand, Grand Union, and several private labels, giving it more than 7,500 independent supermarkets driving over $34 billion in revenue with 17,000 employees. 

7. Enterprise Holdings (Mobility)

WestportWiki / Wikimedia Commons
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the largest rental brand in America.

Founded in 1957 by Jack C. Taylor, Enterprise Holdings (aka Enterprise Mobility) is a privately held company headquartered in Clayton, Missouri. The parent company of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, and Alamo Rentals, Enterprise holds a 40% market share for car rentals with more than 2.5 million vehicles on the road and the Taylor family still sits at the head of the board and CEO roles. 

6. Reyes Holdings

Beer production line in factory with focus on bottling process, worker control process.
Parilov / Shutterstock.com
Southern Glazer’s is a giant distributor for McDonald’s.

Driving $40 billion in revenue and 36,000 employees, Reyes Holdings is an American food and beverage distributor and bottler. Operating in more than 18 countries across North, Central, and South America, Reyes Holdings is McDonald’s largest global distributor for Coca-Cola. The company regularly distributes over 272 million cases of beer to 100,000 customers every year. 

5. H-E-B Grocery Company

Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons
H-E-B is one of the most prominent grocery stores in Texas.

A privately held supermarket chain based in San Antonio, Texas, H-E-B Grocery Company employs more than 145,000 people across its 435 stores. With over $46 billion in revenue, H-E-B is a staple name across any “best grocery” store in America after being founded in 1905. 

4. Mars Inc. 

grebcha / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Mars, Inc. is one of the most prominent chocolate brands in the world.

The chocolate and candy giant Mars Inc. is entirely owned by the Mars family, who are some of the wealthiest people in the world. Annual revenues exceeded $50 billion in 2024, and more than 150,000 employees call Mars Inc. home with favorites like M&Ms, Milky Way, Doublemint, and Snickers. 

3. Publix Super Markets

Publix Supermarkets
2024 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Publix is a very beloved grocery chain in the United States.

With over 1,397 locations in the United States and revenues over $60 billion in 2024, Publix Super Markets employs over 255,000 people as of March 2025. The company was founded by George W. Jenkins in 1930 and is owned by the Jenkins family and employees. The grocery has become famous for its tagline, “Where Shopping Is a Pleasure.” 

2. Koch, Inc. 

Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons
Koch, Inc. is one of the largest companies in the country.

Founded in 1940, Koch, Inc., is an American multinational conglomerate based in Wichita, Kansas. The second-largest family-owned business operates in various industries, including manufacturing, chemicals, energy, minerals, fertilizer, cloud computing, and investments. It also owns multiple companies with over 120,000 employees in 60 countries.  

1. Cargill, Inc. 

Spencer Tirey / Getty Images
Cargill is the largest family-owned company in the nation.

The largest privately-held company in the United States, Cargill Inc. (often known as Cargill MacMillan) was founded in 1865. Today, the company has over $165 billion in revenues, and the Cargill family still holds 88% of the internal voting shares. More than 160,000 employees call Cargill home across agriculture, steel, transport, and financial services.  

 

 

It’s Your Money, Your Future—Own It (sponsor)

Retirement can be daunting, but it doesn’t need to be.

Imagine having an expert in your corner to help you with your financial goals. Someone to help you determine if you’re ahead, behind, or right on track. With SmartAsset, that’s not just a dream—it’s reality. This free tool connects you with pre-screened financial advisors who work in your best interests. It’s quick, it’s easy, so take the leap today and start planning smarter!

Don’t waste another minute; get started right here and help your retirement dreams become a retirement reality.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.

AI Portfolio

Discover Our Top AI Stocks

Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.

You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.