WisBusiness: Uline founder upbeat on move to Wisconsin

By Brian E. Clark

WisBusiness.com

The drive from the northern Chicago suburb of Waukegan to the Kenosha County town of Pleasant Prairie takes only about 15 minutes. But in between the two communities is the Illinois/Wisconsin border.

Which makes the plans to relocate the Uline company headquarters to the Badger State, build a million-square foot distribution center, a 200,000-square-foot corporate headquarters and add 1,000 jobs by 2010 a major coup for Wisconsin.  

And why state and local officials agreed to pony up $6 million in grants and credits to lure the shipping products company north.

In an interview with WisBusiness.com, Dick Uihlein, the great-grandson of the Schlitz Brewery’s founder, said he is looking forward to moving the company to Wisconsin, where both he and his wife, Liz, have deep roots.

They also have a home in Manitowish Waters in Vilas County and own a restaurant there called “Smokey’s.”

Uihlein said Uline’s rapid growth made him start thinking about looking for more property nearly two years ago. The company now has more than 2,300 employees with eight branches in North America.

“We realized we were going to need a fairly good-sized chunk of land to build on for our headquarters office building and a million-square-foot distribution warehouse,” said Uihlein, who started the privately held, family-run company with his wife some 27 years ago.

“To be honest, we first looked here in Lake County but there just didn’t seem to be the land available,” he said. “Then we looked north to the Pleasant Prairie area, which is not that far from where we are now.”

Uihlein, who grew up spending his summers in northern Wisconsin, said he has no plans to move to the Badger State.

“I’m in my 60s and really don’t want to move my home,” he said. “Besides we are so close so there is no real need.”

Uihlein declined to discuss the financial negotiations with Wisconsin and Illinois officials, but indicated the $6 million in grants and credits influenced his decision. He said he did not consider any other states.  

“I’d prefer not get into details, but you can say that Wisconsin wanted us and made it interesting,” he said. “So now we are putting a major investment (of $100 million) up there in people and dollars.”

In announcing the move earlier this month, Gov. Jim Doyle said he was delighted to welcome Uline to Wisconsin.

Doyle said the 200-acre campus Uline is creating has been designated as an Enterprise Zone, permitting the firm to earn up to $1.7 million a year in refundable income tax credits by creating jobs that pay more than $30,000 a year.

Uline also will be able to receive job training grants worth as much as $1.5 million. In addition, the governor said the state will provide a $1 million Transportation Economic Assistance grant, and Kenosha Area Business Alliance will provide a $2 million forgivable loan to aid the project, which will be built off Interstate 94 and south of Route 165.

Uihlein described the business climate in Wisconsin as “favorable.”

As for complaints of excessive taxation and regulation in Wisconsin by some executives, Uihlein at first chuckled.

“Obviously, though, you have to be careful about that,” he said seriously. “If taxes get too high, people will leave. And that hurts the economy.

“You want to have a climate that encourages businesses. And I am hoping that Wisconsin will have that climate, obviously.”