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Two Wisconsinites top Forbes list of the richest self-made women in the U.S.
Three Wisconsin women have made Forbes' 2025 list of the 100 richest self-made women in the U.S., with two of them taking first and second place.
Diane Hendricks, co-founder ABC Supply Co., topped the list for the eighth year in a row with a net worth of $22.3 billion. That's nearly three times more than the second-richest woman — Judy Faulkner, another Wisconsinite and co-founder of Epic Systems, who has amassed a net worth of $7.8 billion.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Rowland, creator of the American Girl doll brand, came in 86th place with a net worth of $410 million.
Here's what to know about each of the richest women in Wisconsin.
Diane Hendricks, 78, is the co-founder of Beloit-based ABC Supply Co., the largest wholesale distributor of roofing supplies in North America and one of the largest distributors of siding and windows.
Hendricks co-founded ABC Supply in 1982 with her late husband, Ken. She has been the chairwoman and sole owner since his death in 2007 and recently clinched the title of richest person in Wisconsin.
On top of her business ventures, Hendricks has been a heavyweight donor to Republican campaigns and candidates for years.
In 2016, President Donald Trump appointed her to his campaign's economic advisory team, and she donated more than $1 million to his 2020 re-election campaign. Leading up the 2024 election, Hendricks donated at least $15 million to Trump's Make America Great Again Inc., according to records from the Federal Election Commission, and spoke in support of Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Hendricks grew up on a dairy farm in Osseo, a city south of Eau Claire with a population of just under 1,800. Today, she lives in Afton, which is between Beloit and Janesville.
Faulkner, 81, is the founder and CEO of the medical-record software provider Epic Systems, which supports the medical records of more than 250 million patients, according to its website.
Faulkner founded the health care software company in a Madison basement in 1979, according to Forbes. It's currently headquartered in Verona and valued at $4.7 billion, with Faulkner owning over 40% of it.
In 2015, Faulkner signed the Giving Pledge, committing to eventually give 99% of her assets to a private charitable foundation. She has been a major donor to the Democratic Party and, in 2009, was appointed to then-President Barack Obama's Health IT Policy Committee.
Rowland, 84, is the founder of Pleasant Company, which manufactured American girl dolls, books and accessories. She started the company in 1986 in Madison, inspired by her work as a teacher and textbook author to create dolls that represent different eras in American history, according to Forbes.
In just over a decade, Rowland grew her initial investment of $1.2 million into $300 million in sales. She sold the company to Mattel in 1998 for $700 million.
In 2024, Mattel announced it was closing the longtime American Girl headquarters in Middleton, a city just outside Madison. Most of the operation was moved to Mattel's headquarters in El Segundo, Calif.
Rowland, meanwhile, has refocused on philanthropic efforts since selling the American Girl brand. In the 2000s, Rowland restored more than ten historic properties in the town of Aurora, New York, where she attended Wells College in the late 1950s and early 1960s. With her husband, she also made a $250 million donation to build Madison's Overture Center for the Arts.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: These are the richest self-made women in Wisconsin, Forbes says
