Menards

The privately-held chain was founded by John Menard, Jr, in 1972 and is headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The chain has nearly 200 stores in 10 states, but based on sales, Menards is the third-largest home improvement chain in the United States behind Home Depot and Lowe's. In 2004, Menard Inc. ranked 20th on Forbes' list of "America's Largest Private Companies."

For many years, Menards' television commercials featured free-lance announcer Ray Szmanda, who became a cult figure as "the Menards Guy." Recent commercials feature a voice-over in his place, although a cartoon version of "the Menards Guy" still appears in Menards' print ads. The commercials are accompanied with banjo music and end with the well-known jingle, "Save big money at Menards." (During the Christmas shopping season the jingle changes to "More season's greetings to you all from Menards.")

Founder John Menard is also active in auto racing, having started Team Menard. Menards currently sponsors the Indy Racing League's Infiniti Pro Series.

External links