Menards

Menards
Private company
Industry Retail (Home Improvement)
Founded 1960 (1960)
Headquarters Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Key people
John Menard, Jr. (President)
Gaylen Heckman (Chief Operating Officer)
Charlie Menard (General Manager Distribution, Manufacturing and Logistics)
Russ Radtke (Chief Merchant)
Products Building materials, tools, hardware, garden supplies, electrical supplies, ceiling fans, light fixtures, cabinets, home appliances, doors, windows, paint, wood stain, wallpaper, plumbing supplies, carpet, vinyl, linoleum, groceries, automotive
Revenue $7.9 billion (Dec 2013)(Forbes)
Number of employees
45,000
Slogan Dedicated to Service and Quality
Website Menards.com

Menards is a chain of home improvement centers primarily in the Midwestern United States.

The privately held company, headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, has approximately 300 stores in 14 states: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Kentucky. It is the third largest home improvement chain in the United States, behind The Home Depot and Lowe's.[1]

Company history

In 1959, John Menard, Jr. began building post-frame buildings to finance his college education. By the end of 1959, Menard found it necessary to hire extra crews, and to purchase more equipment to keep up with demand. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire in 1962, Menard purchased land in Eau Claire and built an office and shop. The company was founded in 1960[2] and incorporated in 1962.[3]

In 2007, Menards opened their third and fourth distribution centers in Holiday City, Ohio, and Shelby, Iowa, which are 669,000 square feet (62,200 m2) and 735,000 square feet (68,300 m2), respectively.[4]

Store structure

Exterior of the Menards store in Ankeny, Iowa. An example of the older exterior.

In 2007, the 240,000 sq ft (22,000 m2) and larger Menards stores began selling groceries.[5]

Advertising

Menards commercials are accompanied with banjo music played by Gary Shaw of Wisconsin.[6]

Industry ranking

Menards store in West Lafayette, Indiana

In 2013, Menard, Inc., was ranked 43rd on Forbes’ list of "America's Largest Private Companies", with an estimated revenue of USD$8.3 billion.[7]

Controversies

Menards has been involved in a number of incidents concerning environmental regulations, including:

References

  1. "Menard on the Forbes America's Largest Private Companies List". Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  2. "About Us at Menards". Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  3. Carlyle, Erin (Dec 16, 2013). "Meet The Best Hardware Store In the Nation, And The Midwestern Billionaire Who Built It: John Menard Jr.". Forbes. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  4. "Menards is building centers in Iowa, Ohio instead of Eau Claire". La Crosse Tribune.
  5. Doris Hajewski (April 13, 2007). "Got milk at Menards?". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
  6. "Ditties for the decades". Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  7. "America's Largest Private Companies". Forbes.com. November 9, 2006. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Big Money - Features". Milwaukee Magazine. April 30, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  9. "Menards Faces EPA Administrative Order For Damaging South Dakota Stream". EPA. 2006-03-08. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  10. "Menard ordered to pay $30,000 to settle illegal dumping charge". 2011-01-18. Retrieved April 19, 2016.

External links

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