From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John R. Menard, Jr. (born 1940) is an American entrepreneur who is the founder and owner of Menards, a major Midwestern home improvement store chain. Menard is also a partner in Robby Gordon Motorsports with NASCAR owner/driver Robby Gordon, and is the father of NASCAR driver Paul Menard.

As early as 1959, Menard ran a business constructing pole buildings with friends from college.^[1]

A 1963 graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Menard opened his first hardware store in 1972. As of 2005, his company owned 203 Menards stores resulting in an estimated $5.5 billion in sales.

He makes his home in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. His son is Paul Menard, driver of the #98 Menards Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Menard also owns an engine shop in the United Kingdom that produced engines for Team Menard and Robby Gordon Motorsports and was the owner of Team Menard which won the 1997 and 1999 Indy Racing League championships.

Menard had a net worth of $7.3 billion in 2007, according to the Forbes 400, and is the richest person in Wisconsin.^[2]

In January 2008, Menard gave $15 million to support Luther Midelfort Hospital. The donation will be used for a new emergency services department and to help Mayo Clinic educate and train health professionals. (Eau Claire Leader Telegram, January 23, 2008)

External links

• Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People
• Milwaukee Magazine: Big Money - "How home improvement store founder John Menard became the richest man in Wisconsin – and what he sacrificed to do it."

References