Early in 1958, as a means to finance his education, john menard, the founder of the company, decided to make his dream a reality. Picking up some building knowledge in the summer of 1958, john worked days on his first pole buildings and nights at a local. Is the nation's third largest home improvement supply chain. A rarity among retailers, menards (as the company's stores are called) also operates its own. Webthe company was founded in 1960 and incorporated in 1962. The first menards hardware store opened in 1964. By opening a truss plant in the late 1960s, menards grew to. Is the nation ’ s third largest home improvement supply chain. A rarity among retailers, menards (as the company ’ s stores are called) also operates its own. Webthe regional chain ended 1993 with a total of 88 stores and $1. 7 billion in revenues. The $9 billion home improvement supply leader, home depot, entered the chicago market in september 1994. John menard, meanwhile, based on a net worth of close to $400 million, qualified for the forbes four hundred list.