John Menard, Jr.

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.^{[citation needed]}

A 1963 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Menard opened his first hardware store in 1972. As of 2005, his company owned 203 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 #15 Menards Chevrolet in the NASCAR NEXTEL 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 $3.8 billion in 2005, according to the Forbes 400, and is the richest person in Wisconsin.[1]

[edit] See also

• List of billionaires

[edit] External links

• Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People