D iane Hendricks is America's wealthiest self-made woman, a roofing and building materials magnate with a classic rags-to-riches story. Raised on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, she co-founded ABC Supply with her late husband, Ken Hendricks, in 1982. They grew the company from a single location into the largest wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, and windows in the United States.

After her husband's tragic death in 2007, Diane took over as the sole chairwoman and has continued to lead the company's aggressive growth, overseeing numerous acquisitions and expanding its national footprint. In addition to running the multi-billion dollar private company, she is a major real estate developer and philanthropist in her home state of Wisconsin, investing heavily in the revitalization of the city of Beloit, where her company is headquartered. She is also a major donor to Republican political causes.