Chairman, owner and co-founder, ABC Supply
Owner, Hendricks Holding Co. | Beloit
Diane Hendricks is the co-founder and chairman of Beloit-based ABC Supply, the country’s largest wholesale distributor of roofing, windows, siding and gutter materials. ABC Supply reported $20.4 billion in 2023 revenue, employs more than 20,000 people and has over 970 locations across the U.S. and Canada. In 2023, the company ranked No. 21 among America’s largest private companies.
Hendricks founded ABC Supply with her late husband, Ken, in 1982, and she has served as chair since his death in 2007. She is responsible for its two biggest acquisitions, Bradco in 2010 and L&W Supply in 2016.
Hendricks is No. 1 on Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women and No. 38 on its list of America’s richest people, with a reported net worth of $21.9 billion. A 2022 Forbes article called Hendricks the “most successful female entrepreneur in American history.”
Outside of ABC Supply, Hendricks manages and develops real estate. She has transformed Beloit through her philanthropic and real estate investment. She developed the Phoenix building, a mixed-use commercial and apartment building, and the Ironworks Hotel; helped found the Beloit International Film Festival; opened a career center for middle and high schoolers; created a startup hub in a former industrial foundry; and funded a performing arts center in a former library building, among other projects. She has also invested heavily in Delafield and, through Hendricks Commercial Properties, recently completed a $25 million mixed-use development in its downtown.
Hendricks is a major contributor to the campaigns of Republican politicians, including former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and President-Elect Donald Trump.
2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile
Real Estate and Development | Construction
Chairman, owner and co-founder
ABC Supply
Owner,
Hendricks Holding Co. | Beloit
Diane Hendricks co-founded ABC Supply with her late husband, Ken, in 1982. Hendricks has led the Beloit-based construction materials company since Ken’s death in 2007 and is responsible for steering ABC through its two biggest acquisitions (Bradco and L&W Supply). Today, it is the largest wholesale distributor of roofing, windows, siding and gutter materials, reporting $15 billion in revenues last year and employing 15,000. It’s also the second largest privately held company in the state, trailing only Northwestern Mutual, according to Deloitte. For five consecutive years, Hendricks has topped Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, with a reported net worth of $12.2 billion.
She is also a real estate manager and developer; that work is funneled through Hendricks Holding Co. She invested multiple millions of dollars to buy and fix up properties in downtown Beloit, redeveloping entire blocks of the city. Hendricks Commercial Properties has also invested heavily in Delafield; it owns about 20 properties and is currently building a $25 million mass timber office development in its downtown.
Hendricks is a major contributor to the campaigns of Republican politicians in the state, serving as former Gov. Scott Walker’s biggest donor the year he faced a recall. She also reportedly gave over $5 million in 2016 to a super PAC that opposed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and supported Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson.
