Meet ‘America's richest self-made woman' who turned a small-town struggle into a $22.3 billion legacy

Time of India

13 hours ago

Source: Forbes
Diane Hendricks is not only a businesswoman; she's a force of nature in the American business world. From humble beginnings on a rural Wisconsin dairy farm to being the wealthiest self-made woman in America, her story is one of grit, strategic mind, and stubborn persistence.
Hendricks is now widely known as the founder and chairwoman of ABC Supply, a behemoth building materials distributor with more than 900 locations across the United States. But behind that name is a story of surviving personal adversity, living through tragedy, and creating one of America's most prosperous privately held businesses.
America's
richest self-made women
Diane Hendricks's early life
Born on March 2, 1947, in Mondovi, Wisconsin, and raised in the rural town of Osseo, Diane Hendricks was exposed to the rigidity of farm life.
Her parents operated a dairy farm, where there was work every day. But her entry into adulthood was sooner than anticipated at only 17 years old, Diane became a single mother. This was the start of her resilience. To support herself, she worked in a factory in Janesville while finishing her schooling.
Even with these financial struggles, she did graduate from Osseo-Fairchild High School in 1965. Her discipline and drive led her to get a real estate broker's license at age 21.
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With that, she began dealing in custom homes; a major stepping stone that would set the stage for future business pursuits.
Diane Hendricks net worth 2025
and global ranking
As of
June 13, 2025, Diane Hendricks has a net worth of $22.3 billion
, making her
America's Richest Self-Made Woman and ranking #95 on the list of global billionaires, according to Forbes report.
Her remarkable journey from rural Wisconsin to the top echelons of wealth worldwide is an example of her boundless energy and visionary vision.
As chairwoman of ABC Supply, the largest privately owned wholesale distributor of building materials in the country, Hendricks built a local business into a national leader.
Unlike much of the billionaire class, which amassed their wealth through inheritance, her money is all self-made and gained through aggressive business moves, large acquisitions, and a focus on expansion and innovation.
America's richest self-made woman's real estate beginnings
In the early 1970s, Diane met Ken Hendricks, a roofer turned entrepreneur and fellow go-getter.
The pair married in 1975 and went on to start investing in real estate soon afterward. Their initial ventures were purchasing, rehabbing, and selling homes and industrial properties in Beloit, Wisconsin. The two weren't merely constructing buildings but building momentum.
In 1982, they founded ABC Supply, a wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, and windows. From the beginning, the company specialized in offering higher-quality service to contractors, an underserved niche at the time.
Diane performed much of the back-end management, strategy, and planning for expansion, while Ken contributed field experience and operations acumen. Together, they developed a business model that shook up the conventional supply chain of the building materials industry.
How Diane transformed ABC supply after Ken's death
It all changed in 2007 when Ken Hendricks was killed in a tragic accident. It was a personal loss and company turning point. Most assumed the business would fail but Diane had other plans.
She assumed full responsibility at ABC Supply and guided it through with steady leadership.
During the following decade and a half, Diane aggressively grew the company, making large acquisitions and technology improvements. In her single leadership, ABC Supply not only recovered but it soared. As of 2024, the firm had more than 900 branches throughout the U.S. with revenues in excess of $20 billion, ranking as one of the largest privately-held wholesale distributors in the country.
America's richest women as political activist
Aside from her business empire, Diane Hendricks is perhaps best recognized for her political activism. A dedicated conservative and staunch Republican ally, she has donated millions to political campaigns and causes. She has supported some of the most notable figures in politics, including Scott Walker, Paul Ryan, and Donald Trump.
In 2024, Hendricks spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, advocating for conservative principles and economic policies like Right to Work laws.
Her political power reflects her business approach—brusque, forthright, and deeply embedded in her faith in individual enterprise.
How Diane Hendricks became America's richest self-made woman 2025
Forbes labeled Diane Hendricks America's Richest Self-Made Woman in March 2025, focusing her spotlight as one of the greatest icons of self-made wealth. She also ranked in their Richest Person in Every State list, a title not frequently bestowed upon women, particularly in traditionally male fields such as construction and building materials.
What makes Hendricks's wealth so impressive is that it wasn't inherited. Forbes assigned her a Self-Made Score of 9 out of 10, indicating that her financial empire was constructed nearly solely through individual effort, informed decision-making, and business risk-taking. Her background is the opposite of many billionaires who inherited their families' wealth or controlling stakes in large businesses.
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