American Road Project
Summer 2008 - American Road Magazine

More than 140 years ago, Wisconsin's scenic Rock River brought prosperity to an emerging town in the Badger State. Located on the Wisconsin and Illinois border, Beloit provided companies with a committed hardworking labor force and an important natural resource.
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After 20 years, Beloit is still sprucing up downtown
Sunday, April 13, 2008 - GazettExtra

BELOIT — A Beloit resident from 20 years ago wouldn’t recognize downtown today, Rod Gottfredsen said. “Buildings actually, literally were boarded up, windows missing—it just looked kind of ugly,” he said. Gottfredsen would know.
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Legacy: Ken Hendricks, 1941-2007
March 1, 2008 - Inc. Magazine

Don Mischo recalls driving his boss and longtime friend, Ken Hendricks, to the airport nine years ago. Hendricks, founder of building materials company ABC Supply, paused before boarding a plane to Europe and charged Mischo with a task. "I want you to check up on Larry," said Hendricks, referring to an ABC maintenance man who had become seriously ill and gone to live with his mother in Tennessee. "Make sure he's getting the best doctors. And if he wants to move back here for treatment or anything else--make it happen. Charter a plane for him if you have to."
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Hendricks remembered for his generosity
December 28, 2007 -GazetteXtra

BELOIT — Ken Hendricks was remembered Thursday as a world-class builder.
A builder of companies.
A builder of communities.
Perhaps most significant, Hendricks was remembered as a strong family man who was a builder of people.
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Ken Hendricks taught us to believe
December 28, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

IT SEEMED strangely surreal, each time one heard national news reports about the tragic death of Ken Hendricks. That's because Ken was one of us, just a hard-working Midwestern boy going about his business, greeting his friends, plugging into the things that mattered to him.
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It's Hard to Believe He's Gone
ABC Supply Founder, CEO Remembered As 'True Visionary'
December 26, 2007 - Stateline News

City Manager Larry Arft said. “Obviously, he was one of, if not our leading citizen, and
was the leading industrialist in our city. I hope the Beloit community will join me in an
expression of condolence.”
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ABC Supply founder Hendricks embodied entrepreneurial spirit
December 24, 2007 - Wisconsin Technology Network

Madison, Wis. - The last time I spoke with Ken Hendricks was about a week before his death. I called to ask if he would help out with this year's Governor's Business Plan Contest, which interested him because it revolved around entrepreneurs like him. He promised to think about it and suggested we talk again after the first of the year.Tragically, it's a call that can never be completed.
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This is an enormous tragedy
December 22, 2007 - Rockford Register Star

Ken Hendricks went from a high-school dropout to a self-made billionaire who used his money to help his community, friends said Friday. “He wanted people to know wherever you came from, you can succeed,” said the Rev. Skerrick Anderson of Higher Ground Christian Center in Beloit. “He said he could’ve moved his business anywhere else but he said because Beloit was so diverse and because it has a negative stereotype put on it, he wanted to prove Beloit could be a special place with everybody.” Hendricks, 66, died early Friday from injuries suffered in a fall Thursday night at his home just outside Janesville. Police believe it was an accident.
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Hendricks' friends recall final night
December 22, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

Rick Bastian's best memories of Ken Hendricks were from the final hours of the man's life. Hendricks and his wife, Diane, attended the Blackhawk Bank director and senior management holiday party Thursday night, before the fatal fall that would end Hendricks' life when the couple returned to their home shortly after 10 p.m.
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Popular billionaire Ken Hendricks dies after fall at home
December 22, 2007 - Wisconsin State Journal

Ken Hendricks favored the homemade soup at Skip's Friendly Village and the ribs and the chicken and dumpling soup at the Afton Pub. He could have eaten anywhere, but he preferred the two rural taverns near his town of Rock home, north of Beloit and just west of the Rock River.
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Man who brought jobs to Cornell dies
December 21, 2007 - Chippewa.com

The billionaire who brought jobs back to Cornell in 2002 with the opening of Mule-Hide Dry Felt Manufacturing died Friday after falling through his garage roof. Ken Hendricks, 66, was the 91st richest man in the U.S. with a net worth of $3.5 billion in September, according to Forbes magazine. Only two Wisconsin residents were wealthier, the magazine said.
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Building magnate reshaped Beloit
ABC Supply founder dies after falling through floor
December 21, 2007 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ken Hendricks, a high-school dropout who became a self-made billionaire and a driving force in the redevelopment of Beloit, died early Friday after falling through a hole in the floor of an addition being built at his Rock County home.
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Hendricks dead
December 21, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

Beloit's entrepreneurial wizard perishes after falling from roof.
Shocked. Stunned. Saddened.
These are the words used repeatedly today as the community reacted to the unexpected death of Beloit business mogul Kenneth A. Hendricks.
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ABC Supply founder: from high school dropout to billionaire
December 21, 2007 - Chicago Sun Times

A high school dropout who became a billionaire roofing company executive and one of the nation’s richest people died Friday after falling through his garage roof. Ken Hendricks, who was 66, was the 91st richest man in the U.S. with a net worth of $3.5 billion in September, according to Forbes magazine.
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Ken Hendricks’ life had positive effect on many others
BusinessRockford.com

The name of Ken Hendricks will resonate in the region long after he is buried Friday. Most importantly, he will be remembered as a devoted family man, husband to Diane and father to seven children.
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Billionaire Hendricks dies after fall
December 21, 2007 - GazetteXtra.com

Ken Hendricks, the Janesville native who rose from roofer's son to roofing-company billionaire, died this morning from injuries suffered in a fall at his Afton home Thursday night. Hendricks, 66, apparently was checking on construction work at the home when he fell shortly after 10 p.m. Emergency crews were dispatched to his house in the 4000 block of Eau Claire Road at 10:18 p.m.
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HDG and Community Mourn the Loss of Ken Hendricks

In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to Beloit Regional Hospice. Schneider Apfel Schneider & Schneider Funeral Home is handling arrangements for the family.

Read Ken's Obituary and Guest Books:
> Schneider Apfel Schneider & Schneider Funeral Home

ABC Supply expanding Beloit headquarters
BusinessRockford.com

ABC Supply Co., the multi-billion-dollar building supply company, is expanding its riverfront headquarters by about 25 percent. Officials say the 139,000-square-foot national service center has been “overcrowded” because of the company’s rapid expansion. The $3 million expansion and remodeling will add 34,000 square feet of new space and rework existing space for offices, conference rooms and technical space.
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Major renovation under way at ABC Supply
December 17, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

ABC Supply Co.'s headquarters building in Beloit is undergoing a $3 million renovation and expansion. The National Support Center will get space reconfigured on its north side, a new executive conference room and infrastructure upgrades.
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Ken Hendricks: The Blue Collar Minded Billionaire
A Man with a Vision and a Love for His Nation
October 17, 2007 - Associated Content

When you think of the word billionaire what do you think of typically? Now be honest, let's pick some words here; selfish, elitist, lamentable, greedy, etc. That is true for some. Now of course you'll read about some billionaires and maybe get that impression and maybe not.
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Company sparks hope
October 11, 2007 - The Hawk Eye

KEOKUK — A Wisconsin businessman said Wednesday he will invest up to $90 million in Keokuk and the create about 400 jobs by building the country's largest wind turbine tower manufacturing plant.

Ken Hendricks, one of the nation's wealthiest men, unveiled plans to build a $25 million production facility that will construct towers weighing 80 tons and standing 260 feet tall.
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Keokuk lands wind tower maker
October 11, 2007 - DesMoinesRegister.com

Iowa expects to land a fifth company that makes wind energy equipment, with a $32 million wind tower factory proposed in Keokuk. The announcement enables Iowa to gain footing in a fast growing market that's expected to reach $10 billion this year.

Already, Iowa has recruited heavy hitters such as Clipper Windpower, Acciona Energy and Siemens Power Generation.
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Hendricks helping turn city around
October 10, 2007 - The Daily Gate City

A Wisconsin-based firm plans to transform a portion of the Keokuk riverfront from a stark reminder of the area's industrial slump into a model of U.S. ingenuity and production.

Ken Hendricks of Hendricks Holdings Company, Inc. revealed his plans today to clean up the 85 acres of former Ferro-Sil property acquired last year and to build a wind turbine tower plant that will provide 400 to 450 jobs. He wants to see the plant in existence by this time next year.
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The Roofer’s Son
September 2007 - Reader's Digest

As a roofing contractor, Ken Hendricks was fed up with the lousy service he was getting at home-building supply centers. But he didn’t get mad—he started his own company. Talk about getting even.

Today, 25 years later, Hendricks is CEO, chairman and sole owner of ABC Supply, the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, windows and gutters. With $3 billion in sales last year, the company operates 350 stores in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Not all that long ago, Hendricks was making $10,000 a year at two full-time jobs.
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The ABCs of Racing
September 9,2007 - Stateline News

OREGON, WIS — Duane Blakeman of Beloit traveled to the Madison International Speedway Aug. 31 to cheer for the No. 18 ABC Supply Co. Madison Late-Model car driven by Dan Lensing/

...Read The Interview

Ken Hendricks in Forbes
The 400 Richest Americans 2007, Secrets Of The Self-Made Q&A
September 20,2007 - Forbes

...Read The Interview

Billionaire made Beloit his business
August 11, 2007 - The Wisconsin State Journal

As a young boy growing up in Janesville, Ken Hendricks was always busy finding odd jobs around the neighborhood -- mowing lawns, raking leaves, clearing snow from sidewalks. When he couldn 't find the time to do the work himself, he organized a crew of friends to help him out.

He needed the extra manpower, because by age 8, he was busy enough hauling bundles of shingles up a ladder after school for his father, a building contractor in Janesville.
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Hendricks buys electronics recycler, refurbisher
July 17, 2007 - The Business Journal of Milwaukee

Hendricks Holding Co. Inc., a firm led by ABC Supply Co. Inc. owner Ken Hendricks, has acquired Janesville companies CRT Processing Corp. and Midwest Electronics Warehouse Inc.

CRT Processing is a recycler of electronics such as computer monitors and televisions. Midwest Electronics is a refurbisher of electronic merchandise such as computer systems, printers and flat-screen televisions. Both firms were owned by Donald Seiler and James Cornwell.
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Hendricks Holding Co. Acquires Electronics Refurbisher, Recycler
July 17, 2007 - Secure Destruction Business

Hendricks Holding Co. Inc. of Beloit, Wis., has announced the acquisition of electronics recycler CRT Processing Corp. and electronics refurbisher Midwest Electronics Warehouse Inc. (“MEW”). The transaction was finalized July 6, 2007. CRT and MEW are privately held companies based in Janesville, Wis.
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Five Points gets retail boost
July 10, 2007 - The Janesville Gazette

Construction on a new Five Points grocery store and retail center could begin this fall and finish in spring 2008.

Federal block grant money would relocate the Plahn shops to make way for Ken Hendricks' 5-Points Retail Center as part of a tax incremental finance agreement the city council OK'd on Monday.
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From roofs to riches
July 1, 2007 - Roofing/Siding/Insulation Magazine (RSI)

Reaching billionaire status, says Ken Hendricks, Mr. 107 on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, has seemed remarkably "easy," to the extent, he adds, that "you pinch yourself" sometimes.

"All we do is sell roofing," the founder and owner of ABC Supply Co. shruggingly says. "That's the most amazing thing about it. We didn't invent anything."
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Hendricks takes me to the river
July 1, 2007 - Roofing/Siding/Insulation Magazine (RSI)

It's hard not to like Ken Hendricks, but maybe that's just me.

Both of us have an eye for the Minnesota Vikings. I lived and died with the Purple People Eaters as a child of the '70s. Hendricks, the billionaire owner of ABC Supply Co., nearly bought the franchise a few years ago. "I don't think it's all about the money for the players. Players want to play ball and win," he says.

Both of us think highly of A.J. Foyt. I pretended to be him behind the "wheel" of my boyhood wagon. Hendricks sponsors Foyt's racing team. "A.J. Foyt is a no-bullsh_t guy who tells it like it is," he says.
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Hendricks: 'It's all about treating people right'
June 25, 2007 - The Janesville Gazette

You could back up a red, white and blue ABC Supply Co. semi-tractor trailer and likely not have enough room for the awards the Beloit-based distributor of roofing and building supplies has racked up. But there's one that would most definitely be right up front in the cab.
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ABC Supply earns honor
June 14, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

“We all put our pants on in the same way.”
That's what ABC Supply Co. owner Ken Hendricks said about the lack of hierarchy in his company.
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CEO & MOM
June 6, 2007 - Stateline News

Hendricks aims at balance, as she follows in footsteps of her Fortune 500 father.
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Jason Parrott talks to self-made billionaire Ken Hendricks, who owns the Southeastern Iowa Port Terminal.
May 31,2007 - Tri States Public Radio WIUM 91.3 & WIUW 89.5

...Download Ken Hendricks Keokuk Podcast

Hendricks project wins award
May 30, 2007 - Rockford Register Star

BELOIT, Wis. — Heritage View, the mixed-use development in downtown Beloit, Wis., received an award at the 17th annual Wisconsin Main Street awards reception in Rice Lake, Wis.
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Hendricks starts steel company
May 29, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

JANESVILLE - Ken Hendricks has recently added a new startup company to his portfolio.

American Industrial Steel and Supply (AISS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hendricks Holdings Corporation managed by Henry Technologies Inc. of Beloit.
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Gladiators to play season in Beloit
May 23, 2007 - The Janesville Gazette

After a final rejection from the Janesville School Board on Tuesday night, the Rock County Gladiators announced this morning they will practice and play this summer at the former Beloit Catholic High School.

The Janesville School Board turn away the semi-pro football team's bid to use the Monterey Stadium.
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Businesses fall into place in what's becoming a familiar pattern
May 21, 2007 - The Janesville Gazette

Call it connecting the dots. But don't call the recent real estate development pattern The Hendricks Development Group has traced in Janesville a game. It's anything but child's play, especially considering the number of businesses involved.

The concept is simple: Ken Hendricks' real estate company buys a building and adds it to its holdings in a given community. The company doing business in the building moves to an upgraded facility in HDG's portfolio, and the old property becomes available for a new tenant, which HDG aggressively pursues.
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The ABCs of Commencement
May 15, 2007 - Stateline News

Company founders to receive honorary degrees from Beloit College.
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Hendricks: Emotional connection makes people stay
May 11, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

JANESVILLE - If people have an emotional connection to their communities, they will be more likely to stay and work in them.

That's the message ABC Supply Co. owner Ken Hendricks gave during a speech at the Wisconsin Economic Development Association Inc.'s spring conference titled “All Aboard! Two Tracks to Adding Value and Leveraging Resources.”
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Entrepreneur shares tips for success
May 3, 2007 - Quad-City Times

If someone had told Janesville, Wis., residents in 1959 that local boy Ken Hendricks would someday become Inc Magazine’s 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year — and incidentally a billionaire — they probably would have squinted in disbelief.
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Billionaire to speak to Q-C entrepreneurs
May 1, 2007 - Quad-City Times

Quad-Citians will have a rare opportunity this week as Ken Hendricks, one of the richest men in America, gives his “roofer to riches” story to the Quad-Cities Regional Entrepreneurs & Inventors Club.
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Beloit Billionaire Sets Sights on Rockford's Former Essex Building
May 1, 2007 - WREX 13 News

A Beloit billionaire sets his sights on Rockford. Ken Hendricks, owner of ABC Supply, plans to buy the former Essex Wire Plant on North Main Street. The deal is still being worked out, but city leaders say the sale means a lot for the area.
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Deal in works to buy Essex Wire plant
May 1, 2007 - Rockford Register Star

ABC Supply’s owner hopes to close on the North Main facility this summer.
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Hendricks Group to acquire Rockford plant
May 1, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

ROCKFORD - ABC Supply Co. owner Ken Hendricks is closing in on a Rockford property with hopes of transforming it into an incubator for start-up businesses.
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Moline billionaire to share success story
April 30 , 2007 - Quad Cities Online

A Moline developer named Inc. magazine's "Entrepreneur of the Year" will share his business success story with the Quad-Cities next week.
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Library plans moving forward
April 9, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

After a brief pollution-induced hitch, the Beloit Public Library's progress on its new facility is beginning to advance according to plan.

Plans for a development agreement between the City of Beloit and Beloit Properties, Inc. were delayed for about a month, after toxic chemicals were found in the path of the new facility's proposed access road at Beloit Mall.
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Beloit Daily News 2007 Community Yearbook
April, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

‘Vision Center’ will highlight improvements
Another success in the past year in Beloit was the plan to convert the old Wisconsin Power and Light Building into Beloit 2020's Vision Center.
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Transforming the community
Hendricks a master at finding new uses for old buildings
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ABC Supply continues rapid pace of growth
ABC Supply Company, Inc. is the largest wholesale distributor of roofing in the United States, and one of the nation's largest distributors of siding, windows and other select exterior building products.
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Riverfront living at Heritage View
Heritage View is now open for business.
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American Construction Metals relocates
Former F-M site rehabbed by Hendricks
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Name change, expansion for Beloit Mall site
March 30, 2007 - Rockford Register Star

BELOIT, Wis. — The old Beloit Mall has a new name and a bright future, according to its owner, billionaire developer Ken Hendricks.

Hendricks Development Group, which is owned by Hendricks, announced Thursday the 450,000-square-foot site would be called the Eclipse Center.
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Going green easy as ABC
March 21, 2007 - Stateline News

Local entrepreneur takes on energy-saving projects.
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Hendrickses to receive honorary degrees
March 17, 2007 - The Janesville Gazette

BELOIT-Beloit College will honor Ken and Diane Hendricks with honorary degrees at this spring's commencement exercises.

The college's board of trustees and the faculty recently voted to confer honorary doctorates upon the husband and wife, who are also community leaders and business partners. Each will receive the honorary doctor of humane letters at the commencement on Sunday, May 13.
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Association honors revitalization efforts
March 9, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

The Downtown Beloit Association honored those who helped the vision for downtown Beloit become a reality Thursday evening.

With the gypsy swing music of Harmonious Wail kicking off the evening, the DBA held its 18th Annual Meeting at the Grande Banquet Hall. The theme of the evening was “Connecting Vision to Reality, One Piece at a Time.”
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Hendricks again on Forbes list
March 9, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

Wisconsin has 10 billionaires, as estimated by Forbes magazine, including Ken Hendricks, owner of ABC Supply in Beloit.
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'Cheers' actor helps chamber celebrate it's own stars
March 4, 2007 - Stateline News

BELOIT- When Emmy-nominated actor John Ratzenberger took the stage Tuesday night as the featured speaker for the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce 80th Annual Dinner, he asked what the word Beloit means.
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Wealthy entrepreneur buys Orba-Johnson Transshipment
March 2, 2007 - Fort Madison Daily Democrat

KEOKUK - Entrepreneur Ken Hendricks of Beloit, Wis. - one of the 400 richest men in the United States, according to Forbes magazine - has added Orba-Johnson Transshipment to his recent property acquisitions in the Keokuk area.
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Library Deal Delayed
February 25, 2007 - Stateline News

Contaminated soil found at mall site.
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Library Deal Expected
February 11, 2007 - Stateline News

City council could have agreement as soon as Feb. 19
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Company buys wind power manufacturer
February 6, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

ABC Supply Co. owner Ken Hendricks is buying another environmentally friendly company.

Hendricks Holding Company, Inc. purchased the assets of Roug A/S, a Denmark based wind power products manufacturer. Together the companies will form Hendricks Industries.
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Hendricks acquires Ohio firm
January 31, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

Some operations will come to city.

Ken Hendricks has purchased a cutting edge environmental company and will be opening new sites in both Beloit and Freeport. Hendricks Holding Company, Inc. acquired The Garick Corporation on Jan. 2.
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Hendricks acquires Cleveland firm
January 29, 2007 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A company owned by Beloit entrepreneur Ken Hendricks has purchased The Garick Corp., a Cleveland-based supplier of mulch, compost and other soil products.
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Another Hit! Bigger crowds greet second film festival
January 24, 2007 - Stateline News

Beloit - Now that the lights are off and the red carpet is rolled up, organizers of this year's Beloit International Film Festival are once again basking in the afterglow of an event that attracted rave reviews.
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Hot Wheels
January 31, 2007 - Stateline News

ABC Supply Co. program gives students a chance to set up a race car, then work on a pit crew.
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Film Festival Given Thumbs Up
January 22, 2007 - The Janesville Gazette

BELOIT-Whitney Tripp was surprised.

"I was expecting some low-budget, crappy local movies, but these are movies I like and would go out to see," the 22-year-old Beloit College senior said.
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BIFF Hospitality Lounge offered relaxation between films
January 22, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

Cold air drifted inside the warm Hospitality Lounge set up at Heritage View Saturday afternoon as people entered the building seeking shelter from the crisp January air.

“Hello,” a couple of Beloit International Film Festival volunteers would say, welcoming the guests and explaining what the lounge offered.
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Coffeehouse holds grand opening this weekend
January 20, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

Jennifer Livingston was walking by Heritage View in February when she discovered the perfect spot for her dream coffee business.

“It kind of hit me like a truck,” Livingston said.

Almost a year later Livingston's dream became reality when Pleasant Street Coffeehouse, 604 Pleasant St., became the first business to open at Heritage View. Since it opened on Dec. 27, it has been attracting about 100 customers a day.
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Dreams come true at Beloit film festival: Visitors, indie crowd do the schmooze
January 19, 2007 - Rockford Register Star

BELOIT, Wis. — James Haney definitely stands out in a crowd at the Beloit International Film Festival.

Haney, 18, is still in high school, but he’s already showing his first feature film, “Viola,” at the event. He’s in town just for the weekend, as he has to fly back to Arcadia, Calif., for finals on Monday.
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Cannes. Tribeca. Sundance. Beloit.
January 16, 2007 - Madison.com

Beloit's Film Festival Has Big Aspirations, But It's Building From A Small-town Base And Service-with-a-smile For Upstart Filmmakers.
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Project creates banquet facility at mall
January 17, 2007 - Beloit Daily News

Hendricks Development Group owner Ken Hendricks is building a 15,000-square-foot conference center and banquet hall in the former Beloit Mall.

Able to seat 1,000 people, the conference center will not only be the largest in the Stateline Area, but will offer the most parking spaces.
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Garfield Hts. recycling firm purchased
January 05, 2007 - Cleveland.com

Garick Inc., a Garfield Heights company that recycles wood, farm and food wastes into mulch and garden soils, said Thursday it has been purchased by Wisconsin entrepreneur Ken Hendricks.
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Entrepreneur of the Year
December 2006 - Inc. Magazine

Create jobs, Eliminate Waste, Preserve Value. Those six words explain a lot: Why Ken Hendricks is worth $2.6 billion, how he came to be a walking textbook on identifying and exploiting business opportunities, how he manages to make (relatively) few enemies while treating Beloit, Wisconsin, like one vast fixer-upper— and why he is our Entrepreneur of the Year.
...Read Article