Forty Under 40: Rick Ludeman

Rick Ludeman, 39, got into the building materials business at the age of 14 when he started working part time for Joe Reedy at Reedy’s Hardware in Vermilion, S.D.

He stayed with Reedy’s for seven years, including the time he put in at the University of South Dakota. Ludeman says that early experience helped him become a manager-partner with Arkansas Insulation Co. of Springdale and Bentonville.

“I know this business extremely well because I’ve been doing it so long,” Ludeman says. “I’m used to dealing with home builders on a daily basis and I understand their needs and how to help them.”

Ludeman starting visiting Arkansas in 1982 after his parents bought property from Cooper Communities Inc.. He says he fell in love with the area and decided Northwest Arkansas would be a great place to settle some day.

Ludeman left Reedy’s after college to become a store manager for Payless CashWise Inc.’s home center lumberyards. In 1994, he went to work for Cooper in its building materials division and he later came to Arkansas Insulation because it was an opportunity to fulfill his goal of owning part of a business.

“I put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears for the other guys, and this was just an opportunity to allow my family to stay in Northwest Arkansas,” Ludeman says.