The first weekend in March I traveled with my family to a wedding just outside of Rockford, Illinois. One of the guests grew up in Rockford and had been back for family visits over the last thirty years.
When the reception location was announced, a town just over the border in Wisconsin, he laughed and said, “Who would have ever thought Beloit, Wisconsin would be a destination location?”
Curious, and wanting to be near the reception venue, we booked a room at the Hotel Goodwin. What we found was a town that felt completely different from the struggling industrial city many people remember. Historic brick buildings were restored and restaurants full. People, despite the cold, walking along the riverfront and enjoying the shops and restaurants in town. This included locals and tourists.
The Hotel Goodwin itself, where we stayed, is a perfect example. Originally built in 1910, located at 500 Public Avenue, was originally built in 1923 for the Beloit Water, Gas & Electric Company. It sat vacant for almost 20 years before being restored into a boutique hotel overlooking the Rock River. Today it anchors downtown activity.
Across the street, Beloit Iron Works was founded in 1858 and for generations served as the economic backbone of the city, manufacturing massive paper-making machines-shipped around the world. After more than a century of operation, the company ultimately closed its doors in 1999, leaving much of the riverfront industrial district vacant. Years later, redevelopment led by Diane Hendricks and Geronimo Hospitality Group helped bring new life to the area, transforming parts of Beloit’s former industrial corridor into destinations like the Ironworks Hotel.
Much of Beloit’s revival can be traced back to one entrepreneur who built her success serving contractors across America: Diane Hendricks.
Diane Hendricks and her ties to the Construction Economy
Diane Hendricks built her fortune through ABC Supply, the largest distributor of roofing, siding, and exterior building materials in North America. She and her husband Ken started the company in 1982 by purchasing three struggling roofing supply yards in Beloit. They built it by focusing on contractors, what they need, when they need it, and how to help them succeed on projects. Today, ABC Supply has more than 1,000 locations in the United States and Canada generating over $20 billion annually in revenue over the last few years.
The interesting part for construction professionals is what she has done with that success.
Through Geronimo Hospitality Group, Hendricks has quietly helped redevelop much of downtown Beloit, including the two hotels mentioned above, and a total of over thirty hospitality properties. She also backed the creation of The Lincoln Academy in Beloit through the Hendricks Family Foundation, and that effort is still growing, with a major school expansion approved in 2026. The Lincoln Academy is a tuition-free public charter school in Beloit, Wisconsin that serves students from 4-year-old kindergarten through 12th grade and provides academic and skill training opportunity they may never have found possible before this school opened.
In other words, the wealth created by supplying construction helped rebuild a city, its economy and education system.
A Perspective for Construction Leaders
Construction managers tend to focus on the job in front of them: schedule, cost, manpower, logistics.
But the industry we serve is one of the largest economic engines in the country.
Every project creates opportunities, not only for contractors, but also for suppliers, developers, manufacturers, and entire communities.
Diane Hendricks didn’t build her fortune by chasing trends.
She built it by supporting the people who build everything else.
And then she reinvested that success into the very kind of community where many construction professionals grew up.
The message for our industry is simple.
Construction doesn’t just build buildings. We truly build America and the world way beyond the infrastructure or buildings themselves.
Construction builds wealth, opportunity, and sometimes even the revival of entire cities.
So, wherever you are in your career, running a company, managing a project, estimating the next job, or leading a team, remember that the work you do contributes to something much bigger.
Your impact begins right where you are.
And if you are not sure how you can best thrive in the industry and if you are not sure where you best fit in the construction industry, start by paying attention to where your work truly serves others.
Every role in this industry supports someone else’s ability to build, whether it is the contractor in the field, the developer investing in a community, the supplier delivering materials, or the team coordinating it all. When you choose to work with companies and people who approach their work the same way, with responsibility, respect, and a long-term view, you become part of something much bigger than a single project or paycheck.
At Florida Construction Connection, through The Breistol Method®, our work is helping construction management and real estate development professionals understand those choices more clearly. By defining who they are, distinguishing the value they bring, and developing their careers with accurate industry perspective, professionals gain the awareness needed to make decisions that strengthen both their careers and the companies they serve.
Over time, the more clearly you understand who you are, where you contribute best, and who you should build alongside, the greater your impact becomes. In an industry like ours, serving well is one of the ways we give back, whether we realize it or not.
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