Diane Hendricks grew up on a dairy farm in Osseo, Wisconsin. As a child, she always imagined herself one day wearing a suit, driving a fancy car, and working in the city. Now, she has topped the list of America’s richest self-made women for the seventh consecutive year.
At 77 years old, Diane Hendricks’ estimated net worth is $21.4 billion, which is double the net worth reported two years ago. She is the chairwoman of ABC Supply, a building materials supply company that she co-founded with her husband Ken Hendricks in Beloit, Wisconsin in 1982. According to the company’s website, she owns 100% of the company’s shares.
ABC Supply reported a revenue of $20.4 billion last year and has over 900 locations, as reported by Forbes. Diane recalled that at the age of 10, she looked out the window and thought, “I don’t want to be a farmer, I don’t want to marry a farmer.” Instead, she envisioned herself wearing a “blue suit, owning a nice car, and being very independent.”
She started considering her career aspirations from then on, dreaming of becoming an entrepreneur. Despite barely making ends meet with odd jobs after graduating from high school, she ventured into real estate business.
In the 1970s, Diane met roofing contractor Ken, whom she later married and co-founded ABC Supply with. According to the company’s website, the company’s annual sales exceeded $1 billion for the first time in 1998.
While realizing her career dreams, she also became a mother of seven children. However, in 2007, Diane tragically lost her husband Ken in an accident.
Diane first topped the list of America’s richest self-made women in 2016. In addition to her business endeavors, she is dedicated to education and civic responsibility in the Beloit community where ABC Supply and Hendricks Holding Company, Inc. are headquartered.
In 2017, she opened a vocational center locally, hosting skill workshops for middle and high school students on programming, construction, and more. She emphasized the value of work and aimed to help young people understand it.
She values her patriotic and conservative beliefs and is committed to upholding the founding principles of the United States, which she considers “the greatest nation in human history.”
As the United States gears up for another election in 2024, Diane donated $5 million to the “Make America Great Again Company” (MAGA Inc.), a super PAC associated with former President Donald Trump. MAGA Inc. had raised over $46 million in the second half of 2023.
As a political donor, Diane regularly provides millions of dollars in contributions to Republican candidates and conservative causes, with significant support for the Wisconsin Truth PAC in support of Senator Ron Johnson’s re-election in 2022.
In 2020, she donated $4 million to America First Action organization.
Forbes reported that Diane continues to work near Beloit, a town with less than 37,000 residents. She has purchased and renovated several historic buildings and old businesses in the town and invested millions of dollars in local projects to revitalize abandoned properties and attract new businesses to the state.
(References: CNBC reports)