“If I can make it in America, you can too”- Diane Hendricks. Diane leads ABC Supply, which she co-founded with her late husband and businessman Ken Hendricks in 1982. With ABC Supply’s services, she has successfully provided roofs to many and jobs to many jobless by bringing in new businesses to Beloit. Her contribution to the community and local economic development is wondrous, justifying her title of ‘the richest self-made woman in America.’
Let us now have a sneak peek into her life and achievements that have entitled her to the title of richest self-made woman.
Diane Hendricks: The Woman Behind ABC Supply’s Success
1982 is the birth year of American Builders and Contractors Supply (ABC Supply) when Diane Hendricks embarked on her entrepreneurial journey with her late husband, Ken Hendricks. Together, they nurtured the venture with their dream of supporting customers in building their dream homes and buildings. Their unfaltering dedication has revolutionized the roofing material distribution business since its inception.
Sailing their venture through the storm of the 1982 economic slowdown, Ken and Diane acquired Bird and Sons Inc.’s three supply centers. Diane and Ken never feared taking risks and relied on the guiding principle of treating contractors respectfully and delivering the best quality products and services for them.
After Ken’s death, Diane directed the business towards the position it has reached today. Diane has expanded the business by serving more than 970 locations across the US and Canada, making it the largest distributor of roofing materials and other building products. During her reign in the company, she made two historic business acquisitions with Bradco in 2010 and L&W Supply in 2016. ABC has secured a revenue of $20.4 billion in 2023. Under her and Ken’s leadership, ABC Supply not only experienced exponential growth but bagged several accolades for its exemplary work.
Diane Hendricks: Net Worth
She has a net worth of $20.9 billion as of 2024, securing the #94 position among world billionaires. She has built an ‘employee-first’ work culture to engage its workers and made the firm the best place to work. Right now, she is serving as the Chairman of the Board of ABC Supply and the Chairman of HHC (Hendricks Holding Co., Inc.) along with NorthStar Medical Technologies LLC. Her extensive professional career justifies her position as the richest self-made woman in America for consecutively seven years at a stretch. Her wealth is largely attributed to ABC’s roofing supplies. The rest of Hendricks’ fortune is drawn from her chairwomanship of the Wisconsin-based Company in Beloit.
Diane Hendrick’s Welfare Initiatives
Born and brought up in a farm family, Diane has carried forward a respectful work ethic. This ethic drove her toward her dream of becoming independent and successful, unlike her farmer family. Her ethics is evident in her community development initiatives later in her life. Diane Hendricks is synonymous with ABC Supply and its overarching growth within the construction sector. However, she also has contributions to community welfare. Hendricks is a resident of Beloit and the shaper of this town of 37,000 residents. She acquired several historic buildings and older businesses of the town and transformed them to attract new businesses to the state. She invested millions of dollars in the economic development of Beloit by rebuilding its abandoned properties. She also served as an economic advisor to the presidential campaign of Donald Trump and donated to various political campaigns as well.
Accolades to Celebrate
Diane Hendricks’ professional and entrepreneurial achievements have conferred upon her some prestigious awards and recognitions. She won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2002 and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Woman of the Year Award in 2007. Her biggest recognition is her being on Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-made Women for her enormous wealth. Although not many know this about her, Diane has produced several movies, some of which are- An American Carol, The Stoning of Soraya M, and Snowmen.
Her contributions do not end with business acquisition, local economic development, and various welfare programs; she hosts skill workshops for high schoolers to teach them ‘the value of a job’ through her local career center in 2017. Her impeccable career growth and success are an inspiration to many women who dare to dream.
