2 Bergen Men Make Forbes' Annual Top Billionaires List

Two Bergen County residents belong to a very exclusive club: They were named to Forbes' annual list of the world's billionaires.

This year, eight New Jersey residents are on the list, which has 2,153 members worth a combined $8.7 trillion.

The two Bergen men, and their rankings are Rocco Commisso, at No. 424, and Larry Robbins, at No. 1,227.

Commisso's net worth is $4.5 billion. An Italian immigrant, he came to the United States in 1962 when he was 12 and worked 40 hours a week to pay his way through Catholic high school, Forbes reported.

His hard work paid off. He earned a full scholarship to Columbia University where he earned a bachelor degree, and a Master in Business Administration.

He lives in Saddle River and is the founder and CEO of Mediacom, a cable company based in Chester, New York. Previously, he was CFO at Cablevision Industries.

Commissio has an affinity for soccer. He has been a long-time contributor to Columbia's soccer program and the university renamed its soccer stadium in his honor in 2013.

Commissio also tried to purchase part of AC Milan, a famed soccer club in his home country.

Robbins, an Alpine resident, is the founder and CEO and Glenview Capital Management, a New York hedge fund that oversees $8 billion in assets.

He was a member of the Forbes 400 list and was No. 18 on the publication's list of highest-earning hedge fund managers in 2018. Now, he is worth $1.9 billion.

Through two nonprofits he founded, the Robbins Family Foundation and the Robin Hood Foundation, Robbins supports education reform and works to fight poverty in New York City.

For information about the other six entrants on Forbes' list, click here.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com