Diane Hendricks co-founded ABC Supply in 1982 with her late husband, Ken, and has been chairman and sole owner since his death in 2007. ABC Supply is the largest wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, and windows in North America, with more than 900 branch locations and $20.7 billion in sales in 2024. Her fortune, estimated at about $22.3 billion in 2025, has made her America's richest self-made woman on the Forbes ranking for eight consecutive years.
Hendricks built her empire through aggressive expansion, including ABC Supply's two largest acquisitions -- rival Bradco in 2010 and building-materials distributor L&W Supply in 2016 -- and she controls the company outright through Hendricks Holding Company, which also holds wide-ranging real-estate, manufacturing, and development interests centered on Beloit, Wisconsin.
Beyond business, Hendricks is one of the country's most prolific conservative political donors. She has poured tens of millions into Republican campaigns and outside-spending groups -- backing Donald Trump heavily in 2024 and earlier supporting Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's anti-union agenda -- making her a central figure in the financing of the modern conservative movement.
What they control
- ABC Supply Co.: North America's largest roofing/siding/windows wholesale distributor (900+ branches; $20.7B 2024 sales)
- Hendricks Holding Company: a private empire spanning real estate, manufacturing, and development
- Sole ownership and chairmanship, giving her unilateral control of a top-tier private company
- Tens of millions in political contributions to Republican candidates and super PACs
- Significant economic and civic influence over Beloit, Wisconsin and state politics
Key institutions & holdings
Largest U.S. wholesale roofing/siding distributor; $20.7B in 2024 sales.
Umbrella for her real-estate, manufacturing, and development interests.
Vehicles through which she has funded Republican campaigns.
Key facts
- Co-founded ABC Supply in 1982; sole owner and chairman since husband Ken Hendricks died in 2007.
- Estimated net worth of about $22.3 billion (2025); topped Forbes' richest self-made women list eight years running.
- ABC Supply reported $20.7 billion in sales in 2024 across more than 900 branches.
- Donated at least $15 million to support Donald Trump in 2024, including $5 million to the MAGA Inc. super PAC, and spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
- In 2016 she gave $8 million to the Reform America Fund, which spent heavily attacking Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin.
- Drove ABC Supply's two biggest acquisitions: Bradco (2010) and L&W Supply (2016).
Timeline
- 1982Co-founds ABC Supply with husband Ken Hendricks.
- 2007Ken Hendricks dies; Diane becomes sole owner and chairman of ABC Supply.
- 2011Footage at ABC Supply's Beloit headquarters captures her asking Gov. Scott Walker about making Wisconsin a 'completely red state'; Walker describes a 'divide and conquer' union strategy.
- 2016ABC Supply acquires L&W Supply; Hendricks funds outside spending against Clinton in Wisconsin.
- 2024Donates $15M+ to support Trump and speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Controversies
Walker 'divide and conquer' union strategy · 2011-2012
In a January 2011 recording at ABC Supply's headquarters, Hendricks asked Gov. Scott Walker about making Wisconsin a right-to-work state; Walker outlined a 'divide and conquer' plan against public-employee unions. She later gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaign.
'Everyday American' framing · 2024
When the Republican National Committee promoted Hendricks, a multibillionaire, as an 'everyday American,' critics highlighted the gap between that messaging and her status as one of the country's largest megadonors.
Outsized influence through outside spending · ongoing
Hendricks's tens of millions in donations, much of it routed through super PACs, exemplify how a single private fortune can shape elections, labor law, and tax policy that affect the donor's own businesses.
Network
- Ken HendricksLate husband and co-founderBuilt ABC Supply with Diane; died in 2007.
- Donald TrumpPolitical beneficiaryReceived heavy financial backing from Hendricks in 2024.
- Scott WalkerPolitical beneficiaryWisconsin governor whose anti-union agenda she supported and funded.
- ABC Supply / Hendricks Holding leadershipOperatorsRun her companies under her ownership and direction.
Why this matters
A single owner of a private fortune can convert it into tens of millions of dollars of political spending that shapes who wins elections, whether unions can bargain, and what taxes businesses pay -- often through super PACs that obscure how the money moves. Hendricks's giving shows how concentrated private wealth can tilt both state and national policy in directions that also benefit the donor's own industries.