Fastenal, SW make 'wealth creators' list

William Oberton, CEO of Fastenal, came in third place on the top “Wealth Creators” by Chief Executive magazine. The annual list shows which CEOs have created the most value for shareholders during the three-year period from July 2009 through June 2012. The rankings were limited to CEO’s at S&P 500 companies who had been in their jobs for at least three years.

Christopher Connor, CEO of paint manufacturer Sherwin Williams, ranked No. 14. James Ryan, chief executive of W.W. Grainger, came in 10th place.

The rankings, created in collaboration with Great Numbers! and the Applied Finance Group, looked at four key measurements: operating cash flow in excess of its risk-adjusted cost of capital, prospects for continuing to make money, wise use of capital and market value of the company’s assets.

"CEOs are hired to create wealth for their shareholders, as well as value for their customers and employees," said J.P. Donlon, Chief Executive’s editor-in-chief. "Chief Executive created the Wealth Creators Index to measure just how well or how poorly some CEOs are performing their jobs."

Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Steven Temares was ranked 59th. Michael Koehler, CEO of Teradata, occupied the 73rd place on the index, two spots above Amazon.com CEO Jess Bezos.

To see the complete list, click here.