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Billionaire Dies After Fall at Building Site

Ken Hendricks, 66, built ABC Supply Co. into home-supply chain

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 21, 2007 6:58 PM CST

(Newser) – Billionaire Ken Hendricks, 66, died today of head injuries after falling through a hole in his unfinished garage roof, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Hendricks—a high-school dropout who turned ABC Supply Co. into a national building-supply chain—apparently fell through a tarp covering an unfinished portion of an addition to his home, suffering fatal head injuries in a Rockford, Ill., hospital.

The Beloit, Wis., native was worth some $3.5 billion, according to Forbes, which named him the 91st-richest person in the US. He began as a part-time roofer and ended up as Beloit’s “key benefactor,” drawing jobs to the city and supporting the arts. Said an official at Beloit College: "I think probably the most important thing he's done for Beloit is inspire."

An ABC Supply Co. race car.  The company was founded by billionaire Ken Hendricks, who died today after falling through a hole in his unfinished garage roof.
An ABC Supply Co. race car. The company was founded by billionaire Ken Hendricks, who died today after falling through a hole in his unfinished garage roof.   (Getty Images)
Ken Hendricks stands in the former Fairbanks Morse Building in Beloit, Wis. on Nov. 15, 2005. Hendricks, 66, The 91st richest man in the U.S., a roofing company billionaire, has died after falling through his home garage's roof, local authorities said Friday, Dec. 21, 2007. Hendricks had a net...
Ken Hendricks stands in the former Fairbanks Morse Building in Beloit, Wis. on Nov. 15, 2005. Hendricks, 66, The 91st richest man in the U.S., a roofing company billionaire, has died after falling through...   (Associated Press)
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