They have reinforced their message by supporting a network of broadsheets and websites that resemble news outlets but that make one-sided attacks against their opponents. However, we also have to realize that there will be no absolute, perfectly safe time todo so," she said in an April statement. Uihleins funds have similarly given heft to other candidacies across the country, especially in Senate races that could prove crucial to Republicans seeking to keep their majority in the chamber. Liz Uihlein is the hands-on president of Uline, the packing-supply giant the couple founded together nearly four decades ago. AURORA BOREALIS RESTAURANT - 27 Photos & 41 Reviews - American (New) - 6047 County Hwy W, Manitowish Waters, WI - Restaurant Reviews - Phone Number - Yelp Aurora Borealis Restaurant 41 reviews Unclaimed $$ American (New), Bars, Breakfast & Brunch Closed 7:00 AM - 11:30 AM, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM See 27 photos Aberdeen Restaurant & Bar Rustic Roadhaus He has also bankrolled partisan newspapers and backed Roy Moore in Alabama even after he was accused of sexual misconduct with underage girls. From 2016 to 2018, a political action committee funded by the Uihleins gave at least $646,000 to a new network of free newspapers and websites, created by Brian Timpone, that mimic local newspapers but offer pay-for-play articles to conservative clients. 12575 ULINE DR ATTN BRIAN, PLEASANT PRAIRIE, WI 53158. Then in September, Rauner signed a bill expanding taxpayer-funded abortion that conservatives widely expected him to veto a clear signal that conservative Republicans didnt control the governorship. Both candidates say they will run in November for the full term. 5325 Aberdeen Lodge Circle, Manitowish Waters. Not only do they do urine sample, they also force employees to take hair samples as well. Uihlein and his wife, Elizabeth, are currently the biggest Republican donors of the 2018 midterm elections, having given $21 million to candidates for federal office and super PACs that will support them. The water is fantastic. In 2016, shortly before Uihlein joined the Trump campaign as a major fundraiser, she threatened to divert $300,000 in planned donations if the town didnt move a boat ramp that was near a pavilion she had built. Elizabeth Uihlein believes her critics in town are few. Town of Manitowish Waters Smoke curled lazily from the massive stone chimney of a new $1 million lakefront pavilion last week as workers were finishing up the big community project. [10], As of 2020, the company had around 7,000 employees. Uihlein donated $2.6 million to Rauner in the past, and he supported the governors work through the Illinois Policy Institute and Liberty Principles PAC, which primarily funds conservative candidates for the state legislature and has received more than $12 million from Uihlein. he said. Dick Uihlein's Political Donations:https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/donor_detail.php?cycle=2018&id=U0000003690&type=I&super=N&name=Uihlein%2C+Richard, Uihlein's money in Jan.6 riot: https://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/uihleins-owners-of-wisconsin-company-gave-millions-to-group-sponsoring-the-jan-6-march-for-trump/, Uline Company strict drug test:https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Uline/faq/drug-test, New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, https://www.uline.com/images/en-US/Corporate/PDF_archive/FB_HopeChangePartII.pdf, https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/donor_detail.php?cycle=2018&id=U0000003690&type=I&super=N&name=Uihlein%2C+Richard, https://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/uihleins-owners-of-wisconsin-company-gave-millions-to-group-sponsoring-the-jan-6-march-for-trump/, https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Uline/faq/drug-test. Visit Website. The Uihleins have made big donations to various super PACs and other groups that support him and attack his opponents, perhaps testing the concept of whether big money theirs can spawn, nurture and deliver a winning candidate. Ft. $150,000. Nationwide, the company employees about 4,700 people. She has criticized coronavirus restrictions", Manitowish Waters' main benefactors get mixed reviews, The Most Powerful Conservative Couple Youve Never Heard Of, House divided: The megadonor couple battling in the GOP's civil war, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_and_Elizabeth_Uihlein&oldid=1141046469, This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 02:26. . Bruce Rauners GOP primary challenger, Jeanne Ives, featuring a parade of politically incorrect takes on thorny cultural issues. an August Facebook post [12] Liz Uihlein also subsequently became a "mega-donor" to Trump.[11]. Republican state Sen. Tom Tiffany, 62, from Minocqua, faces off against Democrat Tricia Zunker, 39, a law professor and the president of the Wausau School Board. Uihlein pays the center to have a staff member specifically to advise other donors on how to most effectively gift money to universities, Miller said. Uline lacks a visible corporate communications department and has a moribund Twitter account, unusual for a company with more than 6,000 employees. The email also said that employees who have COVID-19 symptoms should go home and get tested as soon as possible and that employees who test positive "will be allowed to return to work 10 days from the date their test was collected, if you don't have any symptoms.". Although she has donated millions of dollars for various improvements, her involvement in local affairs has received mixed reviews. Canadian officials later said their border agency made a mistake in granting her the exemption. Rauner, a wealthy self-funder, boasted more than $50 million. She appears to refer to a mystery buyer in an email to a chamber of commerce officer in 2014, shortly after her purchase. Uihlein's money in Jan.6 riot: https: . where they own businesses and property and have spent lavishly on public projects The incident was enough to give Rauner the label of Benedict Rauner in a Facebook post written by Illinois Policy Institute CEO John Tillman, a close associate of Uihleins. But Rauners turn to the right was rife with setbacks. With three storefronts and a bustling webstore, we offer a variety of carefully selected items showcasing the Northwoods lifestyle with an upscale twist. "From my perspective, what is going on in Manitowish Waters is positive and is good for the town, and I know a lot of people feel that way.". "You have the right to cut your trees down," Elizabeth Uihlein said at Uline's offices, adding she thought the land was far enough from the lake to do as she pleased. Over the past year, theyve shifted into a higher gear, according to operatives who have regularly courted the family for money over the years. 2 other people named ELIZABETH UIHLEIN in Wisconsin Streets and Satelite: Let's Zoom In about $45,000 They have also owned a condominium, hotels, a coffee shop, a spa and a supper club in. Elizabeth Uihlein is a person living in Manitowish waters, Wisconsin. In 2015, her plan to buy frontage from the DNR on Rest Lake that would give her residential complex direct access to the lake came under fire . By Stephanie Saul and Danny Hakim, New York Times News Service. Gilman, the former owner of the Uihleins lodge in Manitowish Waters, likens the towns transformation under the Uihleins to the couples grander ambitions. Liz Uihlein, co-founding of Uline, is a major Trump donor spending millions on right-wing causes. Enjoy hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing and wildlife watching along our 12-mile trail system. The Legislature has directed the DNR to put 10,000 acres up for sale because taxpayers are spending $1.6 million a week on debt service. , a nonpartisan, citizen-funded investigative journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin. Dick is much more interested in policy and politics, Liz wrote. Huh? she wrote, in an email that circulated around town. Their pick, Nicholson, was a virtual unknown until Uihlein millions made him viable overnight, starting with a $2 million donation in March of 2017 to a new super PAC seeking to elect him. But nobody wants to go into a store that looks like that.". Our subscribers make this reporting possible. The company is privately held and in some ways old-school: Men are expected to wear suits to work. The governors new communications staff bungled a response to a cartoon posted by IPI that critics denounced as racist, forcing Rauner to sidestep his own offices public statements. Its not the first time that money that came from Uihlein has come under scrutiny: He is a major donor to Walker and outside groups that support him, which was the subject of an investigation as to whether the Wisconsin governor had illegally solicited donors to contribute to outside groups supporting him during his 2012 recall election. [5], The Uihlein family also owns EAU Holdings, a resort in northern Wisconsin. . Of German heritage, the family has roots in Wisconsin. [7] Richard Uihlein's cousin is Lynde Bradley Uihlein. Town of Manitowish Waters Smoke curled lazily from the massive stone chimney of a new $1 million lakefront pavilion last week as workers were finishing up the big community project. [5] His contributions include support for many Republican candidates in competitive primary races,[12] such as Ives[12][13] and Chris McDaniel. Bill Dietz, who runs a gas station and convenience store, said she came by one day and offered to regrout his floor. She thought that part of the building should be restained a variety of stuff like that. Uihlein money has had a major impact in this lakeside community. More than a dozen operatives in politics and the nonprofit sector who have worked with Uihlein spoke to POLITICO for this story, many of them requesting anonymity because of his influence over their work. Schlitz Brewing Co. in Milwaukee. Lynde Uihlein, an heir to the Schlitz Beer fortune and a cousin of Dick Uihlein, gave the maximum $5,600. Dan K. Eberhart, a Colorado drilling-services executive and major Republican donor, called them the new Mercers.. The Uihleins, owners ofUlineshipping supply company in Pleasant Prairie, are among the biggest politicaldonorsin the country. The Uihleins, owners of Uline shipping supply company in Pleasant Prairie, are among the biggest political donors in the country. It was kind of her way or the highway.. Mickey Straub, a mayor in small Burr Ridge, Illinois, who ran unsuccessfully for the state House of Representatives, was assailed for accepting support from Dick Uihlein, whose backing of Moore in Alabama became an issue amid a flurry of negative advertising. In Tennessee, Uihlein put $500,000 into a PAC last August with an indeterminate purpose; the PACs operator, listed as failed 2014 Senate candidate Joe Carr, did not respond to requests for comment. "We are as important to this town as Liz. Directors House. There is a sense, said one Republican operative familiar with Uihleins past support of candidates, that hes wanting to leave a mark.. Richard (Dick) Uihlein, son of Edgar Uihlein, is an American businessman and billionaire who co-founded ULINE Corporation in 1980, a shipping and packaging materials company headquartered in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. With much prayer, I have decided that this is the right time for me to take a break from public service in order to be the support my wife, baby and family need right now, he wrote in She contracted the virus from a friend earlier this month and was tested after learning the friend was infected with the virus, the spokesman said. Javascript is required. The land deal in Manitowish Waters "doesn't have anything to do with Walker," she said. He said he expected the contractor to apply for permits and be aware of local regulations. Neither Uihlein nor Uline, the packaging supplies company that is somewhat eponymously named after his family, retain spokespeople or staff to handle the press. "I'm 'up north,' my husband's political," said Elizabeth Uihlein, attributing her willingness to lavish money here to the influence of her late cousin, Martin Hanson, who is not related to John Hanson. "We understand that the country can't reopen if the disease is not under control and hospitals areoverwhelmed. [2], Richard graduated from Stanford University with a BA in history in 1967. The couple has made nearly $3 million in donations on behalf of Walker, most of it to political action committees this year supporting his run for president, according to an analysis by the Journal Sentinel. The MAC is a first-class fitness center featuring the latest equipment, indoor pool, hot tub, beautiful locker rooms, sauna and more. Dick Uihleins donations this cycle include $11 million to three political action committees, mainly to support Kevin Nicholson, a Wisconsin candidate for Senate who fits the outsider mold the Uihleins prefer. Quality Inn. The couple lives in Lake Forest, Illinois; they also have a summer home in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. She said DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp told her the agency had a big maintenance backlog and money from land sales would help defray those costs. Martin Hanson's own property was near Mellen in Ashland County. "My husband and I came up to Manitowish Waters for our anniversary and ate dinner one evening at Smokey's. The service was second to none, and the food was amazing. [11][20] From 2015 to 2020, they donated $4.3 million (including $800,000 in October 2020) to Tea Party Patriots, a group that may have co-sponsored the March to Save America rally that preceded the 2021 United States Capitol attack. "If you saw the downtown five years ago, it's not the same town you are looking at today," Hanson said. I want people to participate. Richard Gilman, a former Manitowish Waters resident who built the Timberline in 1996, said in an interview that Liz purchased the property amid widespread rumors in the town that a Pakistani buyer was interested. I want more Republicans, said Pat Brady, former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. . The Uihleins also have been major benefactors of a local YMCA camp and a nature center. Uihlein is intensely private and has said little publicly about his goals in politics, or the steep increase in the amount of money hes given starting during the 2016 elections. Few political donors are as influential, yet little known, as Liz and Dick Uihlein. Uihlein said every deal she has done in town was pitched by others. Thats the maximum allowable for two people for the primary and special elections. Another day, she visited the Timberline Inn with two legal-pad-size pages of suggestions, according to the former manager, Eric Behnke. It was probably the most offensive thing Ive seen in a state race, said Pat Brady, the former Illinois Republican chairman. But she also is known to tell other businesses what she thinks. Send Email. $67. A spokesman for the shipping supply company said Liz Uihlein confirmed the authenticity of the email and her diagnosis. The Lodge: 13859 ILG Road, Manitowish Waters. But in a statement responding to questions provided by The New York Times, the couple said,"We care about our community and our country and choose to personally support candidates that share our policy beliefs.. community, which has a year-around population of about 700 people. Whether you want to shed a few pounds, strengthen your inner core or maintain a healthy lifestyle, the MAC is equipped with everything you need to reach your goals: Precor treadmills and ellipticals By tweet, of course. We have hiking trails. To the Nines 5970 CTH W, Manitowish Waters, WI 54545 EAU Holdings is looking for a passionate, energetic individual to work for our thriving gift stores in gorgeous Manitowish Waters, WI. Tiffany had raised about $1.4 million and spent about $1.1 million through April 22, according to the final campaign finance data report due before the election. I didnt agree with them for the most part.. All told, more than 20 Rauner staffers departed. Elizabeth Uihlein, 41. ", Lee Bergquist covers environmental issues and is author of "Second Wind: The Rise of the Ageless Athlete.". They have spent roughly $26 million on the current election cycle, supporting more than 60 congressional candidates, working outside the party establishment to advance a combative, hard-right conservatism, from Washington to the smallest town. Liz and Dick Uihlein, founders of the shipping supply giant Uline and major donors to President Donald Trump, have tested positive for COVID-19. The same rules hold for PACs, which are limited to either $2,800 or $5,000 per election, depending on whether the PAC supports one candidate or multiple, respectively. Apr 24th, 2020 by Melanie Conklin. "If you, or family members, are under the weather with cold/allergies or anything aside from Covid-19,"it read, "Please do NOT tell your peers about the symptoms & your assumptions. Liz is known for buying up businesses, spending millions on public improvements and dispensing unsolicited advice. west allegheny school district athletics; activity for simile, metaphor and personification; edward nunez shriver; will lime kill fleas in carpet; rizal deserves to be called a doctor because The Badger Project Phone: 715-543-8400 Fax: 715-543-8467 Email: clerk@mwtown.gov The groups supported pro-Rauner candidates and policies from the outside until Rauner, reeling from an unexpected legislative setback, decided to shake up his administration and got help from the Illinois Policy Institute. At the time he had not even announced his candidacy. Disclaimers on their websites, however, say funding is provided, in part, by advocacy groups. Proft called that out of date. Lived In Milwaukee WI, Mequon WI, Sarasota FL. Tiffany has received perhaps the biggest endorsement of all, from President Donald Trump. Critics lambasted Rauner for, they said, being too slow to provide relief during a July flood. The crystal-clear waters offer an abundance of recreation options, from canoeing and kayaking to fishing and boating. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Locations: Manitowish Waters WI, La Quinta CA, North Palm Beach FL Possible Relatives: Brian C . In affluent Lake Forest, Illinois, where 90 percent of students are white, he backed a school board slate led by the chief critic of Lake Forest High Schools first black principal, who had criticized honors classes for tracking black students into lower classes. You are minutes from Dixie's Coffee House and a casually elegant evening at Smokey's restaurant. Liz Uihlein raised questions aboutEvers' order to prevent the spread of the virus earlier this year, saying he needed to balance the long-term effects it would have on the state's economy. Elizabeth A U, age 60s, Manitowish Waters, WI Search Report. It benefits the Montauk Friends of Erin and the East Hampton Kiwanis Club, of which he is a member and past president. In Illinois, Uihlein works with a tight-knit group of operatives who also run two groups he funds heavily: Illinois Policy Center and Liberty Principles PAC. In one Illinois school district, he bankrolled a school board candidate who fought a move allowing transgender students in girls locker rooms. "But other people are treading water and there can be this resentment, 'Why do these people have so much money in the first place?'" [7] That year, with start-up funds from his father, Uihlein and his wife Elizabeth (Liz) Uihlein founded Uline, a shipping supplies company; the couple continue to own the company. Duffy also easily won reelection in the district in 2016, capturing Lt0 Crater Island Mercer, WI 54547-Beds-Baths-Sq. [17] While Uihlein spent $2.6 million in support of Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner in his successful 2014 Illinois gubernatorial election campaign, Uihlein broke with Rauner after he signed legislation in 2017 that expanded abortion coverage for women on Medicaid,[13] giving millions to Jeanne Ives, who challenged Rauner in the 2018 Republican primary. And Republicans say he has found a pitch-perfect political moment to push his rigorous social and economic conservatism on the national stage, to the detriment of opponents, like Rauner, who cross his path. On the main strip, barely a mile long, she has offered beautification tips and free renovation services to fellow merchants from paving parking lots to installing fences around dumpsters. Fall in Manitowish Waters means adventuring on the scenic backroads, finding peace and solitude on the hiking and biking trails, fishing on the lakes, sipping warm drinks at local taverns and restaurants, and at the . The money had to come from elsewhere.". As a child, Elizabeth Uihlein spent summers there. Eighty-seven people showed up. Liz Uihlein,an outspoken critic of Gov. Although she has donated millions of dollars for various improvements,. A joint investigation by ProPublica and the Chicago Sun-Times described unusual accounting practices surrounding both non- and for-profit entities connected to Tillman and his associates. His giving has not followed a definitive ideological pattern. Wednesday - Sunday 4:30 PM - 10:00 PM Dining Menu & Wine Menu For Reservations, Call: (715) 543-2220 Watch Our Video 5 Star Reviews: A must "eat at" restaurant! the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation The trail was completed last year at a cost of $2.4 million. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Elizabeth Uihlein has also taken a strong interest in revitalizing the tourist economy in Manitowish Waters, a lake-dotted town in northern Wisconsin where the Uihleins operate a lodge,. One Uline manager sent a note to employees urging them to downplay the illness. The county said the move violated an ordinance governing tree removal near shorelines. Public officials have called for investigations into whether the group violated tax law. . the 3rd Congressional District They bought a home on a nearby lake more than decade ago, and little by little they started donating money and buying up businesses. That left her with about $125,000 heading into the stretch run of the campaign. (State and local tax incentives sweetened a move across the Illinois border.). Koch Industries, Native American tribes and the owners of Kwik Trip and Uline are big donors and spenders in the special election race for A tendril from the 7th District now creeps down into central Wisconsin to grab more rural, right-leaning votes. Adorable Chalet on Little Star Lake. s requests for an interview. After winning majorities in the state legislature in 2010, Republicans redrew the 7th Congressional District in 2011 to make it easier for them to hold, said There are complaints, often muttered privately, that residents are left in the dark on projects that involve the Uihleins. Manitowish Waters; Manitowish Waters Real Estate Facts. It added that all nonessential employees were working from home. funded largely by Dick Uihlein And that doesnt include their funding of state candidates, like Ives. If you follow the Uihlein's money in the past elections, you'd realize pretty quick that they only support candidates that are 100% reefer madness types. All of it is owned by Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, which makes them billionaires according to Forbes magazine. pcameron@thebadgerproject.org. I bought the motel as a defensive move for Manitowish Waters because the owner was going to sell to what several of us, including the Mayor, thought was not in the best interests of the town., In her email, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, she added, You all should be happy there are folks like my husband and myself who can afford to buy old, dilapidated buildings, rehab them and put businesses in them without worrying about a profit., Asked about the rumored Pakistani buyer, she said in a statement: I didnt want to see one absentee owner replaced with another, with another investment doomed to fail because they didnt know the economics of the North Woods.. influential figure in environmental politics, Three of Wisconsin's billionaires sometimes pay zero state income tax, Man killed in Rock County crash identified, Johnson campaign gets fundraising boost, but still lags Feingold, Walker wants to greenlight east-west I-94 project, Man fatally shoots neighbor in Eau Claire. +1 (262)612-4200. Manitowish Waters, WI 54545. You could tell which way she leaned, said Brian Hillard, 39, who worked at a Uline warehouse near Allentown, Pennsylvania, one of 11 locations the company operates. He can be reached at . Aberdeen Lodge. Contact Mary Spicuzzaat (414) 224-2324 ormary.spicuzza@jrn.com. I find this delay unnecessary and unacceptable, she wrote to a local official, in an email with the subject line, The Derailment of What is Best for Manitowish Waters., I need an answer now, she added. The Uihleins own a hotel, a condominium complex, a coffee shop, restaurant, spa and two gift shops in a town where the business district runs a third of a mile before it retreats into the surrounding forest. A Wisconsin state senator earns an annual salary of $52,999. The trail was completed last year at a cost of $2.4 million. Nearby, tourists pedaled their bicycles along a 17-mile paved bike trail to Boulder Junction. Elizabeth Uihlein has also taken a strong interest in revitalizing the tourist economy in Manitowish Waters, a lake-dotted town in northern Wisconsin where the Uihleins operate a lodge, coffee shop and spa and have financed local construction projects. Manitowish Waters, WI 54545 Tel: 715-543-8441. Notifications. We see that you have javascript disabled. Between both of them, they've contributed millions to WI GOP candidates, PAC's and legal funds. Sociologist Robert Wolensky, director of the Center for the Small City at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, said wealthy benefactors can be viewed two ways, especially in small communities. against a Democratic challenger. [11] Liz Uihlein is the company's president;[12] the couple's four children are all executives at the company. $210,000. He had to fire his new body man, who had interned at a nonprofit affiliated with IPI, on his first day on the job after past homophobic tweets on his Twitter account surfaced. Over the years, Uihlein has established himself as one of the "top five courted GOP donors," as one political strategist told CNN. Liz Uihlein "WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?" WAY UP NORTH MANITOWISH WATERS, WISCONSIN Over and over again we return to Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. and our . Its bad news.. She is paying for a consultant to develop a branding strategy for the community, which has a year-around population of about 700 people. Peter Cameron is the managing editor of Another wondered why she doesn't just give money so town crews can do the work. is a dam tender first elected to the Assembly in 2010. Do you think I got this way by being subtle and introverted?". It wasnt excessive, it was more just her two cents on things. While Uihlein has given to establishment-backed Senate candidate Josh Hawley in Missouri, his stable of candidates during the past year consisted mostly of conservative bomb-throwers like Ives, anti-establishment state Sen. Chris McDaniel in Mississippi and Roy Moore in Alabama. Come for the coffee and stay for the best views in Manitowish Waters. The firm he joined, BGR Group, has corporate clients including Comcast and Pfizer, as well as the governments of Bahrain, Bangladesh, India and South Korea, Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Services Gift cards available - Please call for information. , also a Ho-Chunk Nation Supreme Court justice, would be Wisconsins first Native American elected to Congress. [6], Until 1980, Richard Uihlein worked in international sales for General Binding Corporation, a company co-founded by his father, Edgar Uihlein. Sleeps 94 bedrooms6 beds. Proft said the publications are now funded by a private company. Illinois Policy Institute officials did not respond to interview requests for this story. In addition to donating to tea party groups and the Club for Growth, which Uihlein has supported in the past, hes given several million dollars to super PACs backing specific candidates in Senate races. "If you don't have any symptoms, you are expected to continue working," the email added. That left him with about $230,000 on hand entering the final weeks of the special election campaign, according to Her hands-on approach has upset some residents. It sounded good because I didnt have a big war chest, but I became no better than my opponent, he said. Private & Quaint Cabin in Mercer. "I'm very entrepreneurial, dominating. +1 (262)612-4200. They said no.. Ft. $48,900. Perhaps nothing illustrates the couples determination to set the agenda more than their efforts in the Wisconsin town of Manitowish Waters. Nowhere is that clearer than in Wisconsin, where the Republican establishment has one candidate to take on Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat and the first openly gay U.S. senator, and the Uihleins have another. The company pushed back on the story, saying it was doing all it could to provide supplies to hospitals and health care providers. The letters "SOLD" were emblazoned across the town's logo and motto, "The Original 'Up North' Experience.". Notifications. My passions are in investments and charitable work in our community., They started their packing supply business in 1980.