An aerial view of the Uline warehouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shows the scale of the facility. The company, owned by billionaire Republicans Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, has decided to pause the construction of a new distribution center in the area, citing uncertain economic conditions.
Construction Halted in Key Battleground State
The decision comes in Wisconsin, a crucial swing state where Donald Trump won in 2016 and 2024 but lost to Joe Biden in 2020. Uline, a business and shipping supplies company, had planned to build a massive facility exceeding one million square feet. However, the company recently requested an extension of its conditional use permit from Kenosha's city planning commission, stating that construction would be delayed until 2027 or later due to current economic conditions and available space within Uline's existing network.
Brad Folkert, Uline's director of construction, explained to the commission: “I don’t think it’s any secret there’s unsettlement in the economy right now. So, we’ve been looking at that. And then, we were able to extend a couple of leases at our Pleasant Prairie properties that have put us in a position where, right now, we’re pretty well set. We kind of need an extension here in order to just push this back a little bit.”
The commission granted a 12-month extension for the permit.
Political Context and Donations
Richard Uihlein donated nearly $80 million to a pro-Trump political action committee in 2024. The Uihleins also conducted a survey of their own employees in October 2024 ahead of the presidential election, asking whom they planned to vote for. In January 2026, a Uline employee resigned in protest of the couple's support for Trump and Republicans.
Elizabeth Uihlein responded to the Guardian about the survey, calling it “stupid! The survey was for fun after enduring two years of this presidential election. The results were anonymous and participation was voluntary. This is completely benign.”
Uline and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the pause of construction in Wisconsin.
