Epic Systems founder and CEO Judy Faulkner is No. 6 on the 2017 Forbes list of richest self-made women, logging a $2.5 billion net worth.
Faulkner built the electronic healthcare record company from scratch, starting in a Madison, Wis. basement in 1979 with a $70,000 investment. The company moved to its current location in Verona, Wis. in 2005.
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Today, she employs more 9,500 people on a sprawling and ever so artsy and whimsical campus. Among the many theme-park-like features are a slide to get from one section of the building to another and a also what appears to be a “stairway to heaven.”
All the quirky campus touches aside, Faulkner runs a very serious enterprise, supplying multi-million dollar EHR systems to some of the most prestigious healthcare organizations in the country. Among them are Kaiser Permanente, Cleveland Clinic, UPMC and Partners HealthCare.
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Faulkner has pledged to give away her fortune via the “Giving Pledge,” a promise also made by billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, among others.
On this most recent Forbes list, Faulkner is listed a few notches down from fellow Madison, Wis. self-made woman Diane Hendricks, who took the No. 2 slot, with a net worth of $4.9 billion. Apparently, there’s more money to be made in roofing than in EHRs. Oprah took the No. 3 spot.
However, Faulkner placed well ahead of celebrities such as Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Beyoncé, Madonna and Judge Judy.
Twitter: @Bernie_HITN
Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com