Uline Inc
TypePrivate, family-owned
IndustryIndustrial supplies wholesaling
Founded1980 (1980) in Lake Forest, Illinois
FounderLiz and Dick Uihlein
HeadquartersPleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
Products
RevenueUS$11 billion (2023)
Number of employees
9,392 (2023)
Websitewww.uline.com

Uline is a privately held American company that offers shipping and packing supplies, as well as other industrial supplies and bulk business goods. It was founded in 1980 by Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein. It has more than 8,000 employees and is headquartered in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. It has distribution centers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The company has been noted for the Uihleins' extensive political spending on right-wing causes and for COVID-19 pandemic-related controversies.[1][2]

History

Uline was founded in 1980 by Elizabeth "Liz" and Richard "Dick" Uihlein. Richard Uihlein is a descendant of the brewers of Schlitz beer.[3] With start-up funds from his father, Edgar Uihlein, Richard and Elizabeth founded the company from their basement after recognizing a local need for a shipping supply distributor.[4][5] The company's first product was the H-101 carton sizer.[6] Its success enabled the Uihleins to move into a new headquarters in Waukegan, Illinois.[6][7]

Over the 1980s and 1990s, operations began in Minnesota, California and New Jersey.[6] In the 2000s, Uline began operations in Mexico and Canada and opened distribution centers in Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. The Uline catalog grew to 450 pages, offering over 17,000 products.[6]

In 2008, Uline announced it was constructing a new headquarters in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. The move was partially motivated by the Uihleins' ties to Wisconsin; Dick Uihlein's family had lived in Milwaukee and worked at the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company, and the couple owns a home and restaurant in Manitowish Waters.[7] Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle expected 1,000 jobs would move to Southeastern Wisconsin, and pledged $6 million to support the move.[7] The 200-acre headquarters opened in the summer of 2010, featuring offices for Uline staff and a 1-million square foot warehouse which supplies products to distribution centers.[8] Due to increasing growth, an expansion consisting of a second office building and warehouse was announced in 2014.[9] Construction began in early 2016[10] and was completed in 2017.[8] The expansion brought about 800 additional jobs to Pleasant Prairie.[10]

In 2019, Uline began considering a second major expansion with two more distribution centers with a combined area of over 1.7 million square feet.[11] The distribution centers would complement two existing Uline distribution centers in Pleasant Prairie.[12]

Operations

The company is owned by the Uihlein family and set up as a passthrough corporation.[13] Liz Uihlein serves as president and chief executive officer, her husband Dick Uihlein is chairman of the board of directors,[14] their children are company executives,[3][15] and Dick Uihlein's brother Steve serves as a vice president.[14] In 2014, the company was estimated to have $2 billion in revenue[15] and more than 6,000 employees.[3] ProPublica estimates the company made nearly a billion dollars in profit in 2018.[13] As of February 2020, the company reported having over 6,700 employees and over $5.8 billion in revenue.[14] The company has a conservative dress code, with ties mandatory for men, pantyhose and skirts for women between November and April, and tattoos discouraged.[3][16]

Marketing

An important marketing tool for Uline is its product catalog,[14] which has been produced since its founding.[6] Mailed twice a year, the catalog is 800 pages long and advertises over 37,500 products.[6] Uline also relies on extensive online advertising. The company is not believed to have a communications department, and maintains a low profile on social media.[3] Liz Uihlein frequently writes missives for the catalog, some of which reflect her political views.[3]

Locations

Uline workers at a warehouse in Pleasant Prairie listen to US Vice President Mike Pence speak on the USMCA free trade agreement in 2019

Headquarters

The Uline headquarters is located on 200 acres (81 ha) in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.[3] The headquarters consists of two buildings: a 279,000 square feet (25,900 m2) facility,[3] and a newer (2017) building of about the same size.[10]

Distribution centers

As of May 2020, Uline has US distribution centers in Allentown, Pennsylvania; Braselton, Georgia; Coppell, Texas; Hudson, Wisconsin; Kenosha, Wisconsin; Lacey, Washington; Ontario, California; Reno, Nevada; and the Wisconsin headquarters warehouses in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. It also has Canadian distribution centers in Milton, Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta and Mexican distribution centers in Mexicali and Apodaca.[17]

Politics

Liz and Richard Uihlein are megadonors to conservative and Republican causes.[18] The company and its employees have also extensively donated to conservative and Republican-affiliated political action committees; they were among the largest contributors to political campaigns during the 2020 election cycle, contributing over $31 million before June 2020.[1] The company donated $3 million to the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin to help it build housing in 2023.[19]

COVID-19 pandemic

On March 13, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Liz Uihlein wrote in an email to lawmakers that the severity of the virus was being exaggerated in the media: "At what point do we go back to our normal lives? This has been a huge disruption."[1] She reiterated her skepticism about COVID-19 in a September 2020 interview. The company and the Uihleins pushed for a recall against Democratic Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, citing his response to the pandemic.[1][20]

In November 2020, Liz Uihlein sent out a company-wide email in which she said she and Dick Uihlein had contracted COVID-19.[21] In late February 2021, The Guardian reported the company had experienced an infection rate of 14% compared to an overall rate of 8.7% in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, where the company is headquartered; multiple employees filed workplace safety complaints with the federal government claiming that the company was exposing them to unnecessary risk.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Trump Mega-Donor, a Shipping Magnate, Pushes to End a Shutdown". www.bloomberg.com. 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  2. ↑ Burke, Justin Elliott, Megan O’Matz, Doris (2022). "That Cardboard Box in Your Home Is Fueling Election Denial". ProPublica.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Saul, Stephanie; Hakim, Danny (June 7, 2018). "The Most Powerful Conservative Couple You've Never Heard Of". The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  4. ↑ "How this billionaire CEO became the biggest contributor to GOP conservatives". Crain's Chicago Business. September 27, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  5. ↑ Savchuk, Katia. "The Little Known CEO Spending Millions To Elect Far-Right Republicans". Forbes. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Our History". Uline Careers. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Burke, Michael (January 3, 2008). "Uline to move corporate headquarters to new Pleasant Prairie campus". The Journal Times. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "About Uline - Corporate Headquarters Warehouse". www.uline.ca. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  9. ↑ Cole, David (June 3, 2014). "Uline Announces Plan To Expand Facilities And Workforce". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Daykin, Tom (January 26, 2016). "Uline to begin building offices after getting final local approval". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  11. ↑ Flores, Terry (March 29, 2020). "Uline expanding its footprint in Kenosha County". Kenosha News. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  12. ↑ Romell, Rick (June 3, 2019). "Uline Inc. plans yet another big warehouse in Kenosha near Amazon fulfillment center". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  13. 1 2 Faturechi, Justin Elliott, Robert. "Secret IRS Files Reveal How Much the Ultrawealthy Gained by Shaping Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Tax Cut'". ProPublica. Retrieved August 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. 1 2 3 4 Thomas, Arthur (February 17, 2020). "'I love product': Liz Uihlein…on running a $5.8 billion family business". BizTimes - Milwaukee Business News. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  15. 1 2 Savchuk, Katia (November 4, 2014). "The Little Known CEO Spending Millions To Elect Far-Right Republicans". Forbes. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  16. 1 2 Kirchgaessner, Stephanie (February 28, 2021). "Workers at Firm Owned by Top Trump Donors Exposed to Higher COVID Rates". The Guardian. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  17. ↑ "About Uline - Locations". www.uline.com. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  18. ↑ Severns, Maggie (March 19, 2018). "The biggest Republican megadonor you've never heard of". Politico. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  19. ↑ Turpin, Hunter (September 11, 2023). "Uline, city of Kenosha team up on workforce housing". BizTimes - Milwaukee Business News. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  20. ↑ Conklin, Melanie. "GOP Donor Uihlein Calls COVID-19 'Overhyped'". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Billionaire Trump donors contract Covid-19 after downplaying risks". the Guardian. November 12, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
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