Norway's richest man has a soft spot for charity
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Born on June 29 in 1923, Olav Thon is known as the Norway's richest man who is a real estate developer and he is also listed as the 198th richest person in the world in the Forbes list of billionaires; with over $6 billion net worth as of March 2013. However, he is not only known for the amount of his money, Olav Thon also has the Olav Thon Group, which is Norway's largest private real estate company that has about 60 hotels with 450 properties.
Currently, Olav Thon lives just outside Oslo in Sollihøgda. He is a Christian and even though he is happily married, he does not have any children. He was born into a family of farmers who only visited the city when they were trying to sell fox pelts. Even as a senior in Sollihøgda still enjoys outdoor activities and is an honorary Norwegian Trekking Association member.
Once he even stated that he is proud of himself and his wealth, and he is more than happy t pay his incredibly big tax bill. Olav Thon has started his business by buying his first building way back in 1951 and by opening his first restaurant in 1966. Today, his company actually own around 450 Norway properties, which also includes the office buildings, shopping malls, hotels, and retail stores.
One thing that came to everyone's attention is that Norway's richest man, Olav Thon, has handed a chunk of his personal riches to charity. That also included a list of the real estate that his company is holding, by which he marked his exit from his successful self-built business empire. "Exerting a long-term and stable ownership of Olav Thon Gruppen and its operations, together with the main lines that Olav Thon has actually used for business while distributing funds to charity is what the actual purpose of Olav Thon Foundation" - the company stated.
Who knew that a boy who started out as a simple farmer, would be able to create such a huge business while owning up to 450 properties and making his own business empire. Even though Olav Thon is in his 90s now, he still remains as a well-known public figure. On top of that, Olav Thon still makes sure to attend the elections while supporting the populist Progress Party.
Many have wondered what the reason behind him doing such a huge gesture for a charity might be, but Olav Thon did not answer. However, the answer seems to be right in front of our faces. While he is married, he does not have anybody to whom he can leave his fortune to, so why not do such a big gesture and help those in need? This is not for sure, but it is one of the rumors going around, since Olav Thon is already in his 90s, and it is time to think about the future itself.