Kenneth A. Hendricks (September 8, 1941 – December 21, 2007) was an American businessman who, along with

Diane Hendricks Diane Marie Hendricks (née Smith; born 1947) is an American billionaire businesswoman and film producer from Wisconsin. She is the widow of the late businessman Ken Hendricks. Early life Hendricks was born and raised in Osseo, Wisconsin, the d ...

, his business partner and wife, grew a shingle supply company into a $2.6 billion fortune and a spot on the

Forbes 400 The ''Forbes'' 400 or 400 Richest Americans is a list published by ''Forbes'' magazine of the wealthiest 400 American citizens who own assets in the U.S., ranked by net worth. The 400 was started by Malcolm Forbes in 1982 and the list is publ ...

at the time of his death. Primarily associated with

Beloit, Wisconsin Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. History Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire, created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836 and sent ...

, Hendricks lived in nearby Afton.

Business career

Hendricks, born and raised in

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jane ...

, was a high school dropout who joined his father in the roofing business, reshingling houses on weekends. He eventually started his own firm, which grew into a 500-man multi-state operation by 1971, a time when most roofers were still local. After giving the company to the employees so he would have more personal time, he started

ABC Supply ABC Supply Co., Inc. is a major, private American roofing supply company based in Beloit, Wisconsin. It also sells windows, gutters, and siding for residential and commercial buildings and is the largest roofing and vinyl siding wholesale dis ...

in 1982 with Diane Hendricks by purchasing three failing Bird and Sons locations. Through the years ABC Supply expanded to almost 500 stores through new start-ups and acquisitions. In 2006, with his personal wealth estimated at $2.6 billion, Hendricks was added to the Forbes list of the world's billionaires. He also owned the Beloit Plaza mall and the former Beloit Corporation manufacturing complex, much of which has been completely redeveloped; ABC Supply took over most of the disused

Fairbanks-Morse Fairbanks, Morse and Company was an American manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Originally a weighing scale manufacturer, it later diversified into pumps, engines, windmills, coffee grinders, radios, farm tractors, fee ...

complex, as well. In 2008, he was posthumously awarded, with his widow Diane, a special "20 Year Award of Excellence" from the Downtown Beloit Association because they "nurtured a small movement" that re-energized the city business district. Ken and his wife Diane owned and ran several other companies through the Hendricks Group. He was known for his interest in

green building Green building (also known as green construction or sustainable building) refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from planni ...

technology, and was set to build an environmentally friendly roof for a complex at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

in Beijing. Hendricks was involved in efforts to build a new stadium for the

Beloit Snappers The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C ...

minor-league baseball team, and was the developer of a residential plot in Janesville. In 2006, '' Inc.'' named Hendricks its 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year award and he was featured on the magazine's cover. Inc. had ranked ABC Supply its No. 1 ''Inc. 500'' business in 1986, after which it was too large to list.

Death

Hendricks died at age 66 on December 21, 2007, in

Afton, Wisconsin Afton (also Middledale) is an unincorporated community in the Town of Rock, in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The town hall for the Town of Rock is in Afton. History Originally called Middletown, the community was renamed in about 1857� ...

, when he fell through a sub floor under construction and into the garage of his home. He left behind his wife,

, and seven children, Kendra, Kim, Kathy, Kevin, Brent, Kara, and Konya.Hendricks Holding

References

External links

Hendricks debuts on ''Forbes 400''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hendricks, Ken 1941 births 2007 deaths Accidental deaths from falls American billionaires Businesspeople from Wisconsin People from Beloit, Wisconsin People from Janesville, Wisconsin Accidental deaths in Wisconsin Wisconsin Republicans 20th-century American businesspeople