Brad Kelley

Brad Maurice Kelley is an American businessman who is the 7th largest landowner in the U.S., with an estimated net worth of US$2.2 billion in 2018. He founded the Commonwealth Brands tobacco company in 1991 and sold the company in 2001 to Houchens Industries for US$1 billion.

  • Brad Kelley, a Kentucky native and a farmer’s son, built a fortune from discount cigarettes.
  • He built Commonwealth Brands, maker of USA Gold and Malibu cigarettes, and sold it for $1 billion in 2001.
  • Kelley has since used that cash to become one of the largest landowners in the U.S., with 1.5 million acres from Hawaii to Florida.
  • Kelley owns historic stud farm Calumet in Kentucky, which had three starters in the 2017 Kentucky Derby.

Brad Kelley Commonwealth Brands