Ervin Houchens named 2026 Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductee

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) — Glasgow businessman and Houchens Industries founder Ervin G. Houchens has been named a 2026 inductee into the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, according to a release from Awesome Inc.

Houchens founded Houchens Foods in Glasgow on Jan. 1, 1917. He retired in 1983 at age 85, and his nephew, Ruel Houchens, became company president.

More than 100 years after its founding, Houchens Industries comprises more than 13 companies in industries including construction, retail, manufacturing and insurance.

According to the company’s website, Houchens Industries generates more than $4 billion in annual revenue. The company is employee-owned through an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP.

Houchens is one of four inductees in the 2026 class. The other inductees are John Neace of Neace Lukens and Neace Ventures; Roger Griggs of Richwood Pharmaceuticals and Pharmaceutical Corporation; and Purna Veer of V-Soft Consulting.

The formal induction ceremony will take place Nov. 4 at Central Bank Center in Lexington.

Tickets are available online. For more information about the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, email ky@entrepreneurhof.com.