Uline, the shipping and business supplies giant owned by billionaire Republicans Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, has shelved its plans to build a sprawling new distribution hub in Kenosha, Wisconsin, citing economic headwinds.
The Uihleins are major Trump financiers. Richard donated nearly $80 million to a pro-Trump political action committee during the 2024 cycle. The pause lands in a state Trump carried twice, though Biden flipped it in 2020.
The company requested a permit extension from Kenosha's city planning commission for what would have been a facility spanning more than 1 million square feet. Instead of pushing forward, Uline told planners the project won't resume until 2027 at the earliest.
Brad Folkert, Uline's director of construction, explained the delay to the commission in straightforward terms. "I don't think it's any secret there's unsettlement in the economy right now," he said. The company had also managed to extend leases at existing properties in nearby Pleasant Prairie, he added, leaving them "pretty well set" for the immediate future without the new facility.
The commission granted Uline a 12-month extension of its conditional use permit in response.
The pause comes at a time when the Uihleins have become increasingly visible as Republican power brokers. In October 2024, they surveyed their own employees about their voting intentions ahead of the presidential election. The move sparked backlash. In January 2026, a Uline employee resigned from the company in protest of the couple's political alignment.
Elizabeth Uihlein dismissed the controversy in a statement, calling the survey "stupid" and characterizing it as a lighthearted exercise after years of election coverage. She noted participation was voluntary and responses were anonymous, describing the whole thing as "completely benign."
Author James Rodriguez: "When billionaire political allies pump the brakes on major development, economic uncertainty becomes convenient cover, but the timing against the economic boom narrative makes you wonder what's really driving the delay."
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